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anavoliselenu · 5 years ago

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freedom chapter 5

JUSTIN POV

"What then is freedom? The power to live as one wishes."- Marcus Tullius Cicero

Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, Alec, and I sat around a table in my father's house. A large projection screen was rolled down and there were large stacks of paper in front of me. I had been off the grid as far as crime work went. I had been using the past month to get readjusted, but the time had come to start tackling the massive elephant in the room.

"So, I guess we should just jump right into this then." Emmett clicked a remote and a picture of an old man came up on the screen. "Well, to be honest, Aro's finished in these parts. He has no heirs, he's kind of going crazy, and no one really believes he's making any more money."

"Also, no one can trust him so they don't do business with him," Jasper interjected. "He's losing allies fast. Apparently there's some big revolution coming up. They've gone overseas to handle things. Shinobu is shipping drugs to China, James is distributing slaves all throughout South America, and everyone else has just pretty much given up around Chicago."

"Carlisle ran them all out," Emmett nodded, "but that doesn't mean there are people trying to muscle in on our territory. Since you've been gone, we've kind of left everyone in the dust. We don't really need to deal with them anymore because they're fairly irrelevant."

"Forget the Russians, or the Irish, or the Japanese. We go after the other Italians." Carlisle spoke for the first time.

"This is a man by the name of Giuseppe Mangicavallo," Jasper pointed to the screen. "He's sixty-five, from Sardinia, and has five sons; two of which are here in the States. He deals mostly in diamonds, but in the past few months has ripped off several of our gun shipments. He's becoming a pain in the ass, but doesn't live here anymore."

I flipped through the police record I had in front of me. He was incredibly crafty and had started out as a thief, lifting everything from famous paintings to knocking over high security banks. But that was a long time ago. Since retiring, he left most of his dealings to his sons.

"They hate us and I mean, hate us," Emmett continued. "They've been here for about a year trying to knock us off the map, but don't really have the resources to do so. No one knows what to make of them yet."

"Who are the sons?" I asked.

Emmett clicked the remote and a strong looking man with dark black hair appeared. "We're only concerned with two of them. His first son is Aberto, age thirty-five. Married, no kids, has a mistress in New York. He's horribly sloppy. He's been arrested three times since being here on drug charges, DUI, shit like that. We don't really see him as a threat."

"The next son is Adriano," Jasper said. "He's thirty, no kids, married once, but divorced before he came over here. He's the real mastermind now—almost like you, Justin."

I glared at Jasper for daring to compare that piece of shit to me.

"He's a strong willed, no kind of morals, really evil kind of guy, but can't find his footing. Right now, they're trying to get in on the drug scene. It's not working too well for them. It's not going to take long for them to realize that they need to bump us off before they can even try to make a name for themselves here."

"Who do they think they are?" Alec crossed his arms.

"The three younger sons are here too, but don't really stay here permanently." Emmett clicked the remote and a new slide appeared with the whole family on the screen. There were four sons all sitting around their father.

They were the complete opposite of us; maybe the more stereotypical version of what people thought Italians were. The Mangicavallos were olive skinned, with dark hair and deep eyes that weren't really intimidating but were trying to be. They were tall, but buff, like they spent all their time in the gym, and slicked back their black hair.

"Perfect, a bunch of juiceheads." I scanned the photograph.

"They're ruthless, though." Carlisle tilted his head. "They aren't afraid to get down and dirty."

"So our plan has been to contain them," Jasper said.

I rolled my eyes at that.

Of course, Carlisle would take the less aggressive of the options. You don't contain, you eradicate. There always needed to be a plan for extinguishing enemies.

"Do you think they might be an asset to us?" I asked my father.

"Hopefully. We haven't had much contact." He looked at me. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm wondering why you've still left them alive. If they're no help to anyone then why are they still here?"

"I was saving them for you," he replied.

That meant more now than ever. The Mangicavallos were mine to deal with.

"The animal kingdom in Chicago is shifting," Emmett said. "We're on top, of course, but just the thought of people trying to take over means that they're planning. They aren't scared of us anymore."

My first order of business when I take over this fucking family: make people scared of me.

I logged that into my brain for the future.

"Is Jacob Black still around?" Alec asked.

"He's moved to Washington and works for the Department of Defense," Carlisle answered. "Last I heard, he was working on terrorist organizations in the Cuba or something like that."

Second order of business: Kill Jacob fucking Black.

I sat in the backseat of the silver Bentley. The driver up front kept his eyes on the road and didn't dare peek in the mirror. He knew I would have shot him if he did.

The man next to me was quivering in fright, but tried to hide it by looking out of the window nonchalantly. By the way his breathing sounded, I could tell that he was about to pass out. I might have laughed at his discomfort if I wasn't so pissed. I had my glasses on, making it easier for me to read the file that was resting on my lap.

We continued to drive down a winding road that seemed to never stop. The driver would go around in circles if I needed him to stall. I had known him for a couple of years, but honestly didn't remember his name.

I looked over to the man next to me. He was dressed in simple slacks and a blue button up shirt over his fat belly. His blading head had liver spots on it and he hacked up a cough that made me tremor in revulsion. He must have been about sixty now. His name was Doro, and he owned a grocery store on the west side of Chicago that was almost an Italian staple in our community.

"Is… is there a certain reason why I'm here?" he asked suddenly.

"Why do you think you're here?" I pinched the bridge of my nose. It was obvious that he was going to make this hard.

"I'm not quite sure." Doro still hadn't looked at me.

"I think you know, but if I must refresh your memory, I can do that as well." I once again read the file Emmett had given me. "Do you remember when you came to me about five years ago and asked for money?"

"Yes," he cleared his throat, "I remember that."

"And what did I tell you?" I asked cryptically.

"You… told me that I had to pay you back."

"Exactly." I took off my glasses, placing them in the breast pocket of my suit. " I was actually very generous with you."

"Yes, you were."

"Do you remember how much you borrowed from me?"

He shook his head.

I placed the file on his lap. "Two million dollars. I didn't ask why and I didn't really care what you did with it. You asked and I gave."

Doro's eyes scanned the page. "I remember."

"And I even gave you a more than generous time limit, did I not? Of course, I couldn't have known what would happen over five years, but you signed on the dotted line." I pointed to his signature at the bottom of our old contract.

He nodded.

"Where's my money?" I asked him simply.

"I don't have it."

"And why not?"

"Because…" Doro didn't plan on answering with anything beyond that.

"Where's my money?" I placed my gun between us so he got the point of the conversation.

Pay me or die.

"I can have it to you… in a year or so." He finally looked at me with pale green eyes. "It's all tied up."

"All I'm asking for is two million. Your grocery store is doing well and I know for certain that you have a pretty lucrative firearms business. So don't lie to me."

He ground his teeth together. "My store is my life."

"It's a wonderful place," I agreed. "You have your own separate bank in the basement. Give me my money."

"I can't." He boldly handed me his file back. "You should have more respect for your elders, Justin. You can't boss everyone around in this city."

"Funny, you weren't saying that when you begged me for my money to keep that fucking store running."

"I've had my place for thirty years. Your mother sent you to buy pancetta from me when you were a boy. You're not going to scare me. Just because you're back doesn't meant I have to obey you like God."

"Where's my money, Doro?" I picked up my gun and held it to his temple. I would pull the trigger without even reacting if I had to.

"It's tied up in other places," he responded shakily.

"What other places?"

"Aro…"

I reacted immediately and pressed my forearm against his neck, smashing the back of his head into the window. I used so much force that it cracked, which wasn't an easy feat in a high-quality car like this.

I spoke threateningly, "Don't ever say that name again."

He gasped for breath as I pushed harder on his windpipe. Blood started to pour out of a cut at the back of his head. "I owe him… first."

I let up on his throat. "You owe me what I'm due."

"Just give me time." Doro coughed. "I need more time."

"Your time is up." I placed the barrel of my gun at the pulse point on his neck and pulled the trigger.

His eyes grew to the size of saucers before his head jerked violently. Blood splattered over the window.

"You can take us back into the city now," I instructed the driver while Doro bled out in the seat next to me. Even though he was dead, I was still getting my money.

It took us half an hour before we were slowing down in front of Doro's Old Fashioned Italian Bistro.

I tore of a piece of paper and wrote a quick note that read: Two million by tomorrow or I'm coming back for more blood.

I placed it in the pocket of Doro's pants. I reached over his dead body and unlocked the door, shoving him out on the side of the street. His lifeless form rolled onto the sidewalk right in front of the store.

I shut the door and told the driver to move on.

It took us another hour through traffic to get to the other side of the city. We stopped in front of my office building, and I got out.

"You know what to do with the car," I told the driver.

"Of course, sir." He nodded. "I'll take care of it."

I tapped the hood, and he drove off down the street.

I walked into the house, tired and exhausted from the day I just had, to the smell of a wonderful tomato sauce. I knew that sauce a mile away, and my mouth started to water even before the door closed. I took off my jacket on the way to the kitchen.

Selena was cradling the phone to her ear as she stirred a massive pot on the eye. About twenty jars were sterilizing in the hot water of the sink and fresh herbs were sitting on the counter. To Alec and I, nothing tasted better than Selena's marinara sauce. She put it on everything and made giant batches of it once every couple of months. Dare I say it: the stuff might even be better than Esme's.

She waved to me when I came into the kitchen, but didn't hang up the phone. I set my gun on the counter and took a seat on a stool.

"No, I told her that I have to work that night. I can't come with her," she said and went back to stirring. "Tell her to take Alice or Rosalie… Well, I'm sorry Carlisle. I just started working there. I just can't rearrange my whole schedule for Esme."

I had no idea what they were talking about, and I didn't really care. I went through the mail on the table and already found bills that I didn't want to deal with. I forgot how much work it took to be alive.

"No, Justin's not home yet. I'll be sure to tell him… Okay, I will. Bye." Selena hung up the phone. "Your father wants to talk to you later."

"About?"

"He wouldn't tell me."

"He's wrapping things up. Today, I got a call from our congressman congratulating me on my new position in the family, which wasn't supposed to be known just yet. Carlisle's obviously been talking a little too much."

"Congress is dealing in the mob now? What has the world come to?" she jested.

"Organized crime has paid for political campaigns since the beginning of time. That's how we can do what we do. I kill someone; the mayor turns his head because I paid for him to be reelected. It's a wonderful circle."

"Is nothing sacred?"

"Not anymore." I went to the stove and looked into the pot that was taller than she was. She had to look over the rim. "Yum."

"You can't have any yet. It still has three more hours."

"I want to taste your sauce."

"That sounds incredibly dirty, Justin." She grinned.

"Only if you have a dirty mind."

"Which you do." She put the spoon down and wrapped her arms around me. "You won't be tasting my sauce tonight. We have that dinner to go to."

"Is that tonight?" I groaned, "I really don't feel like being peppy with people I don't like."

"You don't know them. They're our neighbors. We should at least try to get along with them."

"Emmett says they're fucking crazies."

"That's his opinion. We're going and we're having fun." She raised her brow.

"I'll stay for an hour, but I can't promise my resolve will hold for much longer."

"Just don't be a dick to anyone."

"I have manners for people who don't cross me. I give one chance and that's it. They'll be on my shit list forever if things don't go well."

"We'll be the talk of the neighborhood." She rolled her eyes. "We have to leave in about an hour."

The front door opened and slammed shut. Alec ran through the kitchen with his backpack slung over his shoulder and grabbed an apple on the way. "I know I'm late. I'm going to take a shower."

"No 'hello' or 'nice to see you'?" I shook my head. "Esme raised him wrong."

"You raised him wrong."

"Do I even want to know who's blood that is on your shirt?" She pointed to the stains of red from Doro's execution.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Well, put it in the trashcan in the laundry room. I'll burn it later."

I was about to argue when I stopped myself, hearing the soft padding of feet down the hall.

Fuck!

That dog hated me. Well, I guess he didn't hate me, but he had this unhealthy obsession with me. Selena had named him Francis and as much as I detested animals, especially dogs, I wasn't going to deny her. He would follow me into the bathroom, stare at me when I sat on the sofa, and tried to weasel his way onto the bed at night. Needless to say, I wasn't pleased.

I told Selena that we could keep him, but we should at least put up flyers around the neighborhood. If someone didn't claim him, then we could make it more permanent. Hopefully, he belonged to someone. She had nursed him back to health and became very attached to the ugly dog. Francis was taking over. Selena had set him up with a nice area in the laundry room, complete with a bed and chew toys. He never slept there, though. I had a sneaking suspicion that Selena was letting him onto our bed when I wasn't here. He thought he could sleep there whenever he wanted.

Fuck that.

I would push him off our bed, and he would find solace in Alec's room. To me, dogs were meant to be outside, chasing squirrels or some shit like that.

Francis trotted up to us and sat at Selena's feet.

"Hello, cutie" She picked him up and held him up to me. "Pet him."

"No, Selena. That thing is disgusting. He smells like shit." I pushed him away from me.

"You can't be so hostile towards him if he's going to live here."

"He lives in my house. I can put him outside if I want."

"No, you cannot."

Francis tilted his head towards me, as if I was supposed to pet his head. I backed up further.

"He could have ticks." I shuddered. "And he's getting fat."

"He's husky and you know Francis doesn't have any ticks. The vet already checked him out and gave him his shots. He's clean," Selena assured me. "Just pet him."

"I can't." I stopped breathing, just in case he was carrying some kind of airborne bacteria. I wasn't chancing it.

Selena laughed at my actions and set him back down. He waddled off to do whatever the fuck he did. I usually just ignored him.

"I'm going to get dressed." Selena kissed me. "Watch the sauce. Don't eat any and make sure it doesn't burn. I turned it to low so you shouldn't even have to stir it."

"Sure, sure." I waved her off, already salivating at the chance to taste it.

An hour later, everyone was ready to go. I just took off my tie to appear more casual, but Selena looked very nice in a purple cocktail dress that came a couple inches above her knee.

"Do you think this is too short?" she asked me when she stumbled into the kitchen, trying to put on her heels.

"It looks fine to me," I said, examining her. "Beautiful."

"Okay, so I baked them a cake." She dug through the fridge and pulled out small chocolate cake.

"Damn, I wanted to eat that," Alec huffed.

"Did you get the wine?" Selena asked as she packaged up her cake.

I held up the bottle that I'd bought on my way home. "Why are you so nervous? Calm down."

"I just know they're going to ask questions and want answers and…"

"Selena, Selena," I grabbed her shoulders, "let them ask whatever they want. You don't have to say anything and if you feel uncomfortable then we can leave. It's not like I want to be there anyway."

"I'm trying to be… normal."

I laughed, "That's not your life and it never will be."

"I know." She exhaled and shook her head. "Okay, okay. I'm ready to go. Can everyone please just not embarrass me?"

"I'll be good." Alec crossed his heart.

We walked out of the house, and I opened the door of the BMW for Selena. She slid into the seat carefully, balancing the cake in her hands. Alec was in the back as we drove down the street to Carrie and Barry's house.

I can't believe I'm doing this.

Never in a million years did I think I was going to be the guy who went to dinner parties with neighbors and pretended to care. I had little patience for annoying people, and Carrie and Barry were already on my last nerve. Their names alone were enough to irk me, but I was going to smile and play the part. I could do that for at least an hour, right?

Carrie and Barry's house was a nice size, but of course not bigger than mine. I made sure of that. When we pulled up into their driveway, I could actually see our house diagonally to the left, down the street. We looked right into their backyard.

Selena, Alec, and I climbed up the front stairs to their front door. I rang the bell, and we waited.

There was a shuffling of feet and the door swung open. Carrie was there to greet us with a bright smile and outstretched arms.

"Neighbors! You're here." She grabbed Selena and pulled her into a hug. "I'm so happy."

"Thanks for inviting us," Selena replied. "We brought a cake and some wine."

"Really? Now I'm excited." Carrie clapped her hands. "And you brought the whole family. Hi, Justin." She made a move to hug me, but I backed up. She didn't seem to notice or care and settled for a wave. "It's such an honor to have Justin Justin in our house."

I nodded with a tight smile.

I assumed that by now, everyone in the neighborhood knew who I was and where I had been these past couple of years… or at least the story I was telling. It wasn't that much of a secret anymore so everywhere I went, I had to accept that I was going to be fawned over until the shock wore off.

Alec, Selena, and I stepped into the house. It was nice, I guessed—nothing spectacular and certainly not impressive.

When I was researching the area before I built our house, I found some interesting information. According to what I knew about them, Carrie and Barry had met in college and dated for a couple of years before getting married three months ago. He was in finance, from a rich family, and she was an author, but not a very good one. She had a published 'Self Help' guide to relationships. It was one of those fad books that everyone read just because everyone else was. Carrie was a crap writer beneath all the hype. I couldn't get past the first couple of chapters.

"Barry, they're here!" She ran off. "Follow me."

We went into a large family room where another couple was seated.

"Oh, good!" Barry hopped over to us. "This is Victoria and Victor Watkins. They live on the other side of you."

You've got to be kidding me. Victoria and Victor?

"It's nice to meet you," Selena said.

Barry introduced us further, but I wasn't paying attention. I was trying to keep myself from scratching my skin. Being in someone else's environment like this was unnerving.

Victoria had bright red hair that was painful to look at, and a scowl on her face that appeared permanent. She could rival Rose with the whole bitch aura that she had going on. Her husband, Victor was tall and had a lot of mass to him, almost as large as Emmett. He had long black hair that was tied in a low ponytail.

"Be nice," Selena said to me before she broke off and went to sit with Victoria on the couch. Alec sat in front of the playing television.

"Would you like something to drink, Justin?" Barry clapped my shoulder. His hand rested on me longer than it should have. I cringed, but hid it.

"Sure."

"I have everything. What's your poison?" He went behind the bar.

"Scotch is fine," I answered and then decided to at least try being cordial. "You have a nice house."

"Thanks. Didn't build it myself like you did, but then again, I didn't have two years of being dead to plan." He chuckled, handing me my drink. "It was such a surprise when we found out who you really were. Of course, Carlisle and Esme live on the other side of the neighborhood, but we never thought a Justin would be in our home."

"I had some things to take care of for a while." I took a sip of scotch, feeling the welcomed burn in my throat.

"Well, in any case, glad you're back. We don't have many friends so it's nice to get someone new on the lane."

The reason that they didn't have any friends was because they were annoying as shit. There was something about him specifically that rubbed me the wrong way. I wasn't sure yet, but I had a sneaky suspicion about him. His whole persona just seemed fake, like he was hiding something.

Conversation flowed lightly, and I just spoke when spoken to. I stood by the bar and kept to myself. It wasn't like I was going to initiate discussion with these people. Selena kept a smile on her face, and Alec just ate whatever Hors d'œuvres Carrie had set out.

Victoria slinked over to me. "So, Justin Justin is back. You probably don't remember, but we went to high school together."

"No, I don't remember you."

She refilled her empty glass with wine. "Figures. I was a year younger, but I still remember all the swooning I did over those green eyes of yours. The years have definitely been good to you."

I cleared my throat. "Thank you. I should go."

"Why the rush?" She blocked me. "If we're going to be friends, we should talk. How long have you and whatshername been married?"

"Her name is Selena," I said emphatically, "and we've been married for a couple years."

She scoffed, "How sweet. Victor and I've been together for about ten years; I was faithful for two. Imagine that. The marriage was out of convenience, anyway. Is Selena a lot younger than you?"

"Yes, but we make it work."

"I bet you do." She bit her lip. I think she was trying to be seductive, but it looked more spacey than anything else.

By the time we sat down to dinner, I wasn't really enjoying myself, but kept up appearances. Selena sat in between Alec and me. Barry and Carrie were on opposite ends of the table. Victoria and Victor were across from us. A nice dinner of steak and potatoes was served, but red wine was the drink of choice. I decided to keep a clear head and didn't drink any. I had a hard enough time trying to watch Alec as he tried to sneak some.

"So, what's it like being a Justin?" Victor asked me. He had a faint accent that I detected as something Slavic. I wasn't sure specifically where, though, and I didn't care to ask.

"It's alright. Nothing special, very boring actually."

"That's not what we've heard." Victoria sat up in her chair. "You came back from the grave. That doesn't sound boring to me."

"I don't really like to talk about family business." I finished that conversation.

Barry kept talking. "Victor, I forgot to ask you how that trip to Denver was last week."

"It was perfect. Denver is always great this time of year. We should go."

"I haven't been that far west in years," Barry said. "I think I'll take you up on that. We can get some golfing in."

"I don't really golf much when I'm in Denver…"

"You go every week to visit your whore!" Victoria interjected with a vicious tone.

"Can we not do this now?" Victor asked under his breath. "Stop drinking."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"I can tell you to shut the fuck up. This is a nice dinner. Stop acting crazy and don't talk about my friend like that."

"You don't have to be ashamed of your slut."

"She is a nice lady. How dare you. Just because she isn't afraid to express herself sexually doesn't mean she's a whore," he snapped.

"Her name is Chastity for God's sake. She's white trash." Victoria took a long sip of her wine.

"Best. Dinner. Ever," Alec whispered to me.

Throughout all of this, Carrie and Barry were just smiling like robots and didn't seem to understand that their table had suddenly become a war zone. They had sickening pet names for each other like "Hubby Bear" and "Cupcake" and "Dumpling". I had to stop myself from throwing up on multiple occasions.

"This is ridiculous. Do people actually live like this?" Selena asked me.

"These are the only marriages I grew up with, minus Carlisle and Esme. You either bear it and drink or smile to show you're happy when you're not." I shrugged. "It's all about appearances until you're behind closed doors."

"That doesn't sound fun."

"It doesn't matter. Fun is very low on the priority list."

Victoria and Victor continued to argue while the wine stash got smaller. It was entertainment on its own, but I felt kind of awkward sitting here, listening to them. No one else seemed to mind. Alec thought of it as dinner theater.

"So, what about you Selena? What do you do?" Carrie asked her.

"I actually just got a job at WGN as a production assistant."

"Oh, that's fabulous. I'm on there all the time when I do my book tours."

I rolled my eyes at the thought of Carrie as an "author". If she bothered read her stuff, she would know the truth about the dribble she wrote.

After another hour, I was ready to go. I really couldn't take any more of the Victor/Victoria smack down. It was getting vicious, with vile names and inappropriate stories being told about their infidelity. It was ridiculously tiring to even care about them, not to mention their marital troubles.

We sat around, talking for a while—about what, I wasn't sure. Selena was getting tired of this act as well, but never said anything.

"Can I use your bathroom?" I asked Carrie when I needed a break.

"It's right down the hall, first door on your left."

"Thank you."

I followed her directions and found the bathroom easily. I pulled out a cigarette and smoked it near the window for something to do. After I was done, I started going through the medicine cabinet, looking for information.

"Someone has a depression problem," I said to myself as I noticed the anti-depression meds piled on top of each other. "Just as I suspected." No one, and I mean no one was as happy as Carrie and Barry.

Fucking liars.

I started pulling out the cleaning materials under the sink and spotted three large bottles of vodka behind the Clorox. They had the labels ripped off, trying to be disguised as normal household supplies. I knew better.

"And alcoholics to top it off." I grinned at the dirt I found. Who did they think they were fooling?

"Justin, are you alright?" Carrie knocked on the door. "Are you in there? Did you find it?"

"Yeah, one second." I put everything back where it belonged and washed my hands before fixing my jacket. I went into the hallway to find Carrie standing there with a smile.

"I actually came to find you because I need to speak with you privately."

"Really?" I stuffed my hands in my pockets.

"Yes," she sighed, "I know marriage is hard, but I just wanted to tell you not to get down on yourself."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"I see the problems between you and Selena. I wanted to give you my book." She handed me something from behind her back.

"Love is like an Amusement Park," I read the title. "Problems? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Excuse me," she gasped.

"I mean…" I calmed down. "What brought this on?"

"Well, I see that you and Selena have a lot to say; the communication just isn't there. Marriage just isn't about all the good times. There are chapters about love being a roller coaster, love on the Ferris wheel, and love in the house of haunted mirrors. People tell me it's informative."

"I don't think that will be necessary." I tried to give it back to her, but she wouldn't accept it.

"Sure it is. Barry and I have a perfect marriage because of my skills in relationship therapy. Victor and Victoria as well. They enjoyed it."

I was really having a hard time controlling myself right now. She was going to make me start shouting, and that wouldn't help in making friends as Selena wanted to do. On the other hand, who wanted to be friends with this bitch?

"If you read my book, it will help you get by." Carrie held her hand near her heart as if she cared.

"First of all, I've read your book and it's so full of shit, I wouldn't wipe my ass with it. Secondly, you've been married all of three months. What the hell makes you an expert on relationships? Third, if you think that what you and Barry have is a marriage then you need to take some more medication because you're highly misinformed."

"Justin, how rude of you." She inhaled in outrage. "I'm trying to help you."

"Fuck you, and your book, and your whole fake life. You think you know what the hell you're talking about, but you're so off, it's hard for me not to laugh."

"My book was on The New York Times bestseller list for six months." She got defensive. "I'm an accomplished author."

"Because the public is filled with idiots. Selena and I have a stronger relationship than either of you two and you're really starting to push my buttons with all this 'high-and-mighty' bullshit."

"How dare you!" Carrie stomped her foot.

"How dare you assume that your fucking marriage is better than mine."

"You are really hurting my feelings." Her eyes welled up in tears. I had no sympathy for her, though. "Selena is cold and I can tell that you don't love her like you should. I'm trying to help my friends."

"Selena's cold?" I had to take deep breaths to calm down. "I can't believe you just said that."

"Well, I'm just going off of my observations. She's not nice and never smiles at me. And her cake tasted like cardboard."

"You don't know me well enough for this, but when I get mad, I start to get very candid with my words. I've reduced Girl Scouts to tears and threatened to kill priests. You've made me incredibly angry and I'm going to walk away before I slam your head against the sink," I warned.

"Your whole family are a bunch of nutjobs."

"Go drink yourself to death." I threw her fucking book against the wall, and it slid to the ground with a thud.

I stomped out of the hallway and, thankfully, everyone was starting to say their goodbyes. I didn't even speak, but grabbed Selena and headed for the door.

"Justin, what are you doing?" she asked me as Alec chased us into the driveway.

"We're leaving. This is bullshit."

"Wait, wait." Selena stopped. "What happened?"

"Carrie gave me her book so that we could read it and have a happy marriage." I pulled out another cigarette and lit it in seconds.

"Why are you so upset?"

"Because this is what people like them do, Selena. They give backhanded complements like they're trying to help, but just inch their way into our lives. They're nosy fucking bastards. She tried to give me fucking marriage advice."

"Carrie thinks we need marriage advice?" Selena asked. "She doesn't even know us."

"Exactly." I cracked my neck.

"Who does she think she is?" Selena scowled. "We have a better fake marriage than there stupid cheesy, Stepford, robotic marriage. They don't even look at each other."

"And Barry is gay." Alec sucked on his teeth.

"How the hell do you know that?" I asked.

"Because he hit on me."

"He did what?" Selena pushed me out of the way.

"Well, he asked if I had a girlfriend and he had that look in his eye. You know what I mean."

I knew it!

Well, I didn't know he was gay, but I figured he was hiding something.

"At least we tried to be nice," I said.

"They can't really be that bad and I'm sure Barry isn't gay."

"Carrie said your cake tasted like cardboard." I didn't mean to say that, but couldn't stop the word vomit.

Selena's mouth fell open slightly before she snapped it shut. "Get in the car. We're leaving."

By the time I sped out of the driveway, I was about ready to kill someone. I don't know why this was affecting me so much, but it really did make me furious. Who was Carrie to judge my relationship? I had known her all of a week. I shouldn't have to justify Selena and me to a bunch of fake ass, posing, bastards who didn't know the first thing about love.

I screeched to a halt in front of our house down the street.

Alec was out of the car and bounding up the stairs before I even had the engine off.

I slammed the car door shut. "We're not going back over there."

I swung my legs over the bed and wiped the sleep from my eyes. There was a full moon outside that was pouring into the windows of the bedroom. Selena was softly sleeping next to me, and I tried not to wake her as I got out of bed.

My nightly slumber pattern had been all fucked up since being back in Chicago. I went from eight hours a night to about two. Surprisingly, it hadn't affected my work that much. I was fine, just a little tired throughout the day; nothing I couldn't handle.

I lightly went out into the hallway and walked downstairs to get some water.

The light of the fridge was on and Alec's fat ass was stuck in about halfway. Francis was at his feet, just looking up as if he was waiting for something.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

Alec jumped and a jar of jelly fell to the floor, shattering on the tiles. Francis was quick to attack.

"God damn it." He quickly got the paper towels and started cleaning it up. "You scared the shit out of me."

I stayed away from the sticky mess and just watched him wipe up his mistake. "Why aren't you in bed?"

"Because I'm hungry. What are you doing down here?"

"Getting something to drink." I sat on a stool. "And don't let the dog eat all of that. He'll get sick."

"Stop it, Francis." Alec picked him up and put him near me on the floor. I just looked at the animal and tried to see what was so appealing about him. He resembled an ugly bug with his scrunched up face and fat body.

"Shoo." I waved him off, but Francis just sat down and stared at me.

Alec continued to clean up the jelly until it was gone and the tiles were clean. "Don't tell Selena about that. Do you want some food?"

"Sure."

He heated up two plates of the dinner we'd had earlier in the evening and handed me one of them. He sat next to me and immediately dug in. We didn't talk for about fifteen minutes.

"So… I talked to Dad today." Alec took a gulp of water. "He said he's leaving at the end of the month. He wouldn't tell me where, though."

"I think they're going to Australia. He and Esme need some time alone." I exhaled. "He's leaving me in charge."

"Until he gets back?"

"No." I shook my head.

"Like in charge, in charge?"

"Yes, like that in charge."

"Forever?" His voice raised an octave.

"Until I'm dead or retire." I shrugged.

"Holy shit," Alec choked, "you're the Boss."

"Not yet. I haven't told anyone besides Selena. He's waiting for my answer."

"You haven't said yes yet? What the hell are you waiting for? This is the chance of a lifetime."

"I want to… really badly. There are so many things I want to do and accomplish, but I just can't think about myself anymore."

"Selena," he said knowingly.

"She says she doesn't have a problem with it, but she doesn't know how much her life is going to change."

"Carlisle did it."

"And you see how that's turned out. He's scrambling to keep his marriage together. This life isn't mean for everyone. How long do you think Selena's going to stay around when she realizes what a fucking monster I am?"

"I think it's a little late for that. She's here and she ain't going anywhere," he chuckled.

"We've never really talked about what I do, though. We've never had that talk. Selena just always turns her head the other way. She won't be able to do that anymore."

"Oh." Alec twirled the fork in between his fingers. "Does she know you have to be married first to be the Boss?"

"No, I haven't told her that either."

"Well, that's the main problem. Fuck the other stuff. You have to get married before Carlisle leaves and that's in like… two weeks. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"First of all, don't speak to me that way." I glared at him. "Secondly, I'm working on it."

Alec picked up Francis, who was yelping to be held. "You're in some deep shit, man. Have you told Jasper or Emmett?"

"That's Carlisle's job. I'm not dealing with them."

"How do you think they'll react?"

"Emmett'll probably be pissed. Of course, he thinks he needs to be in charge. He's supposed to be, but he wouldn't do a good job. Jasper isn't even eligible unless someone died."

"So, you're going to do it?"

"Yeah. I don't really have a choice. The Cullens need me." I stood up and washed my plate out in the sink. "I don't like the direction we're going."

"And you can do better than Dad?"

"I'm betting on it."

I didn't go back to sleep that night. I just sat in my office and went through documents of things I had missed in the past couple of years. Fortunately, this was the down time in the underground world so I had time to catch up. I still needed the gaps filled in, though. Hopefully, Jasper and Emmett could do that for me.

By the time the sun started to rise, I decided that I should get ready for work.

I took a shower and dressed in one of my nice gray Armani suits. I fixed my hair, which I suddenly decided needed to be cut, and started off down the stairs.

I really did plan to keep my promise to Selena. If she wanted breakfast with me every morning then I was going to try my best to fulfill that. This morning, unfortunately, I didn't have time to call anything in so I settled for toasting bagels and coffee. I burned the first batch, but got them right he second time just as Selena came into the kitchen.

"You burned something, didn't you?" she grumbled.

"Good morning to you too."

"It's not a good morning. I'm irritable and you woke me up last night." Selena rested her head on my shoulder. "Why do you always go to work so early?"

"Because I have to make money and slackers get nothing." I kissed the top of her head.

"Well, this is bullshit. I don't know how much longer I'm waking up for this."

"You asked for it." I brought the bagels and cream cheese over to the table.

Of course, Alec wasn't going to let good food go to waste. He sat at the table a second after we did. Francis waddled in after him and fell on the floor, immediately closing his eyes.

"Yo," Alec took a bagel and started loading it up with cream cheese, "I don't have class today so can I go to work with you, Justin?"

"Sure. You can't flirt with Jane the whole time, though. You're there to work."

"Fine. Jane and I are going to dinner tonight anyway."

"You two are finally dating?" Selena asked excitedly.

"I'm working on it." He smiled. "She's fucking amazing."

"Wonderful," I said sarcastically.

Alec nodded. "Actually, I think I should go get dressed. You and Selena need to have a talk." He winked at me without a hint of subtlety before scrambling up from his seat. He raced towards the stairs, carrying his bagel.

"What was that all about?" Selena asked.

I let out a deep breath and sat up straighter. "Um, well we need to talk."

"Why is it that every time you say that, something bad is about to happen?"

"That's not necessarily always the case."

"True, but you're starting to shake so I can only assume that I'm not going to like what's about to come out of your mouth."

I rolled over the words in my mouth for a couple of long seconds. It should be as simple as saying: we need to get married. I just couldn't do that for some reason. Did that mean I wasn't ready?

"You know that I'm going to take over from Carlisle at the end of the month?" I asked.

"Right. I've been preparing myself." She took a bite of her bagel innocently, not sensing the severity of the situation. "I'm not supposed to ask questions, and I'm not going to worry about you when you're gone."

"That's a good start…" I once again, stumbled on what I wanted to say.

"Justin, just take a deep breath and tell me what's going on. You're starting to scare me again," she said simply.

"Um, well, before I become il capofila, as we call it, I… Well, usually…" I started stuttering and just bit my tongue.

"Do I need to get your anti-anxiety medicine?" Selena asked, taking my hand on the table.

"No, I can do this." I sat up impossibly straighter, fixing my jacket. "It's an old Italian wives' tale that a man isn't ready to lead unless he has a wife. I know, it sounds insane, but it's how it's been done for ages."

"Oh, so Carlisle's going to stay on board until we get married?" she asked, not fully grasping what I'd just said.

"No, not exactly. It's kind of the other way around. He expects me to be married by the time he leaves."

Selena dropped the bagel and choked on what little she had in her mouth. She ended up gulping down a full glass of orange juice.

"We have to get married," I finally told her directly, "within the next couple of weeks preferably."

"Well, this has been quite the morning." She breathed in deeply. "When is this wedding supposed to happen?"

"It can be as early as this weekend, I guess."

"You don't sound too excited."

"Because this isn't how I wanted to do this. I know this is rushed and completely unromantic, but we're stuck. And I don't want you to think that I only want to marry you because I have to. That's not the reason."

"Do… you want to marry me?"

"I told you that I did."

Selena got up from the table to let Francis out since he was scratching at the backdoor. "So, we're just supposed to plan this wedding and get married, and then you can take over the family?"

"I told you it wasn't romantic."

"You know I don't really care about all of that big white wedding stuff. Truthfully, we could go down to the court house today and get it done, but you kind of just sprung this on me. I didn't wake up thinking that I was going to be one week away from my wedding day." She let the dog back in and he ran upstairs.

"But you don't have a problem with doing this, right? I can tell Carlisle no and…"

"Justin, it's fine. I just need to wrap my mind around it first." Selena was smiling timidly so I think I was in the clear, "And I know you're not just marrying me because you have to."

I fumbled in pockets for the small box that I always carried around with me nowadays. "I have the ring if you want it."

Selena laughed softly, "You sound nervous."

"I am," I admitted. "This is the first thing in my life that I've had to do where I don't really know the outcome."

"Just fucking ask her already!" Alec shouted from upstairs. Francis barked in response.

"Would you like me to get on one knee?" I asked.

"No, that's okay." Selena shook her head slowly, staring at the ring that I was picking out of the soft velvet.

I don't know what exactly came over me, but I suddenly wasn't tense anymore. My words didn't seem so lost, and I almost felt like making a speech.

I took her tiny hand in mine and tried not to make this cheesy.

"Selena, I can't really articulate how much you mean to me and I've tried, but there aren't really enough words. I can't imagine my life without you in it. I want to spend eternity with you and no matter what happens, I need you with me. Will you marry me?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

Shit!

"Did I do that wrong?" I asked. "I didn't mean to…"

Hot lips were on mine and there was a crash of plates as they fell to the floor. Selena nearly climbed on top of the table so that we could have a better position. Our breathing was harsh and during our kisses, I silently slipped the ring onto the delicate fourth finger on her left hand.

Selena stopped kissing me. "I love it and I love you and I really want to get married."

"Really?"

"Yes." She nodded frantically.

"Holy shit. I'm getting married," I said mostly to myself.

Alec bounced through the room with Francis on his shoulders. "We're gonna have a wedding!"

SELENA POV

"The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage."- Thucydides

All things Twilight related belong to Stephanie Meyer.

Alice sat on the other side of the kitchen table. She was tapping her small fingers on the wood and glaring at me like I was some kind of prey. I think she knew something was up.

"So, why have I been summoned?" she asked dramatically.

"Um, well, I know you're good at planning parties." I shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of this.

"Yes," she nodded, "continue."

"Justin and I are having a small party… soon."

Alice pulled out a large legal pad and fancy fountain pen. "And I've been requested for my wonderful services. Say no more. When is this party?"

"In five days," I said quickly.

"Next Saturday? Interesting. And what kind of party is it? Housewarming?"

"Um, no." I hid my engagement ring under the table and twirled it around my finger.

"Selena, I'm trying to help—I really am—but I haven't gotten a single ounce of information out of you."

"Well, it's going to be small, just the family, no friends…" I said, and she started writing, "we're going to need a priest and a small reception type thing. And I'll probably need a white dress."

It took her a second, but then it clicked. Alice stood up so quickly that I thought she was going to shoot through the roof. "Selena, I swear to God, if you're getting married, I'm going to rip the hair from your head."

"Calm down," I begged.

"No, I won't calm down!"

"I can do it by myself if you get too caught up in all this."

"Like hell you can." She started to pace furiously. Francis seemed to think it was some kind of game and started chasing after her with each circuit. "You can't do this to me. And five days to plan? Oh, my Lord. I think I'm having heart palpitations."

"I just need twenty chairs at most, and a priest to preside over the thing. We don't even have to have a reception afterwards."

"Have you even been to the church for your mandatory couples counseling. You can't marry Catholic without it."

"Then we won't go Catholic."

"Are you trying to kill me?" She clutched her chest. "You are, aren't you?"

"Okay, Alice, this isn't about you. This is my wedding day and I asked you to help because I thought you would enjoy it, but I can handle everything. I don't need you."

Her face fell slightly and she calmed down. "I'm sorry. I just needed to get that out. I have five days and never in my life have I a met a challenge I couldn't tackle. Does anyone else know about this?"

"They will when they get the invitations. We're trying to keep it really quiet so no one makes a big deal of it."

"But this is your wedding day. It's supposed to be a big deal."

"We don't really have time to plan something massive and invite hundreds of people. Carlisle's leaving in a week. Besides, everyone already thinks Justin and I are married. It wouldn't look good if our announcement was in the paper or something like that."

She nodded. "Well then, you've come to the right person. City wedding or are you doing it here?"

"In the backyard, if possible."

"Okay, I'm feeling it." Alice closed her eyes and started massaging her temples. "Night, clear skies, soft music, colors of midnight blue and white. White roses, candles, aisle, chairs, tent; very intimate. I love it." Her eyes snapped open.

I was almost in a trance just thinking about her words. It sounded so beautiful.

"And, of course, you don't have a dress." She wrote on her pad. "That's a problem, but don't you worry, Selena. Rose and I are on it!"

Before I even had the chance to say anything, she bolted up from the chair and was out of the door.

"Thanks," I said to no one and exhaled out some of my anxiety.

Five days. That's all I had before I was going to become an official Justin. I wasn't nervous about it as much as I was nervous about being a wife. Would I make a good one? What was I supposed to do? Everything was happening really fast, but in some ways, it was better than having some long, drawn-out, process. We wouldn't get a chance to chicken out.

I wanted to marry Justin, of course, but everyone had doubts, I guess. No one really knew that we were having the wedding so early besides Alec, and now Alice. I'm sure I would be getting calls in about an hour.

Speaking of calls…

I picked up the phone next to me and tried to stop my shaking hands as I punched in the number that Carlisle gave me. I had to put the call on speaker because I was about to drop the phone on the floor as it began ringing. My heart took off in my chest.

"Hello," a feminine voice answered on the fourth chime.

"Uh, hi," I replied awkwardly. "Is this Charlie Swan's house?"

"It sure is."

"And who is this?" I asked.

"Who is this?" she shot back.

"Um," I didn't feel like answering that, "is he there?"

"Yes. This is Beth, his stepdaughter…"

I clicked the 'end call' button before I could even think and then banged my head on the table repeatedly.

Of course he had a new life by now. Why wouldn't he? Charlie had been married, he had a new wife, and now obviously a new family. Why did I think I could just call him and everything would be fine? I had some explaining to do plus, I needed to invite him to my wedding. This was going to be all kinds of fucked up.

The phone shrilly rang, jolting me back into position. I stared at it, not daring to reach out just yet. The ringing stopped, but then started up again.

I hit the 'talk' button and stayed silent.

"Hello? Who is this?" Charlie's gruff voice demanded. "I'm a police officer. I can have this number traced and you better believe I'll be at your front door with my gun. Who is this?"

"Hi, Dad." My voice wasn't working so it cracked and faltered.

The other end was soundless for a really long time. I could hear breathing and then Charlie cleared his throat, "Selena?"

"It's me, Dad." I was trying hard not to cry. The sound of his voice was reminding me just how much I had missed him.

"What… is… Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm… good. Wow." I heard a door close from the other side of the phone and figured that he went to talk in private somewhere. "Where have you been?"

"In Brazil. I went to be with Justin after I got out of prison."

He scoffed, "Is that where you were, with that jackass?"

"Yes, and I know you probably don't approve, but I'm sticking by my decision."

"Are you sticking by your decision not to call me or let me know where the heck you where?"

"I sent you a postcard…"

"One postcard in two years, Selena. Do you know how worried I've been?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say." I hung my head in shame, even though he couldn't see me.

"So, you've just been sitting in Brazil with your gangster boyfriend and now you're back in Chicago?"

"He's not a criminal, Dad."

"Don't lie to me, Selena. I'm not stupid."

"Can we just not do this right now? I called you because I missed you."

"Well, maybe I don't miss you."

"Oh, okay then…"I had to cough up the lump in my throat.

He sighed, "That's a lie. Of course I've missed you, but how am I supposed to react to this?"

"I don't know. I just got back and knew you'd be worried about me."

"When did you get back?"

"A couple weeks ago."

"Have you called your mother?"

"Not yet. You were first."

He chuckled, "That's good to hear."

"So… how's life?"

"Good, I got married."

"I know. I heard. How's that going?"

"Interesting. I have step-kids now, two of them."

"I think I kind of pissed your daughter off. Was Beth her name?"

"Selena, you're my daughter. Beth is my stepdaughter," he clarified. "Don't make it sound like I forgot about you."

"I never said you did. It was just… a shock."

"What, Carlisle didn't tell you?" he mocked. "I would assume he knew everything."

"No, he never told me."

"Yeah, well, Beth is sixteen, and then there's Bobby who's ten."

"That's young."

"Don't I know it. They're both making me feel really old. Bobby is into all the hockey and soccer so I have to drive him to practice every morning. It's killing me, but I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"And how's the police station?"

"Good. I'm retiring this year, though; give some room for the new guys."

"And married life is treating you well?"

"I really love her."

I had never heard Charlie speak so much in my life, and he sounded really happy, exceptionally happy.

"What's her name?" I asked.

"Anna. You probably don't remember her, but she means a lot to me, Selena. I can't wait for you to meet her."

"Me either; it sounds nice. How about this weekend?" I said brightly, like I had no ulterior motive.

"Oh, well, that's quick."

"I know, but…I need you this weekend, actually just for one day."

"You're starting to sound like your mother when she's done something really bad. Should I sit down?"

"I think so." I bit my lip.

"Oh, God." He grunted. "Okay, what is it, Selena? Over the past couple of years, I've prepared myself for the worst."

"Well, it's not too bad actually. Um, I'm getting married on Saturday and I thought you might want to be there."

Once again, the long silence was deafening. I didn't even know if the phone was still on. There wasn't any breathing or a cleared throat or… anything.

"Dad, are you still there?" I asked after a couple minutes.

"You're not marrying him," Charlie said with finality. "I forbid you to marry him."

"Dad…"

"No, Selena. Listen to me right now. I've looked the other way for a long time. I went up to Chicago and did all I could to get you out of that fucking mess and I watched you go to jail for him. Then I get a call that you were released, but they can't find you. You know what I did? I brought my ass over there again and Carlisle had no answers. I knew you were with him. I just knew it."

"Dad, look…."

"I'm not finished," he snapped. "Renee told me to just let you go. You're old enough to make your own decisions, I realize that, but I forbid this. You won't be marrying him. I'm coming up there to drag you back home."

"This is my home now. We have a house here and I'm not leaving him."

"Selena, do you know what he does? He kills people. I know you don't want to believe that, but Justin Justin is a bad man—they all are. You can't join that family."

"It's a little too late for that, Charlie." I was trying to keep calm, but I didn't like where this conversation was going. "I'm marrying Justin and you don't know anything about him. The papers aren't always true."

"I'm a cop, Selena. It doesn't take a genius to put it together."

"Do you want to be at my wedding or not?"

"No."

The line went dead, and I was left with the low tone of the phone through the speaker.

I was really hoping that it wouldn't go down that road. Yes, I was wrong for shutting Charlie out like that for so many years, but he wasn't going to tell me what to do. I was a grown woman for God's sake. I had to admit, though, that it would be nice to have him there. I didn't really care about all the traditional stuff, but I kind of wanted him to walk me down the aisle. That was important to me.

I didn't realize I was crying until I felt the warm tear on my cheek. I let it fall without wiping it away.

Francis nuzzled my leg under the table, and I picked him up. "Looks like Charlie's not coming." He licked my face. "Should I even bother calling Renee?"

I figured that it would be worse if she heard it from Charlie, so I picked up the phone and dialed the same number she had had for the past decade.

The conversation was nothing like I had expected. Renee had more sympathy for me than I thought she would. Being the endless romantic that she was, she quoted some kind of scripture about how love conquers all. Basically, Renee told me that she understood my need to leave with Justin, although, after the first five minutes, she acted like the past four years hadn't happened. I found that really awkward and didn't say much in reply to her rampant talking. When I told her about the wedding, she screamed for at least five minutes, asking me questions that I had no answers for.

I hung up the phone exhausted and pulling at my hair from frustration. I had to rush upstairs to change for work by the time I finished my conversation with Renee.

I had loads of clothes to choose from, but Justin wouldn't tell me where they all came from. There was everything I could ever want in the massive closet that both Justin and I shared. I usually went to work in what Rose called "sexy attire", which consisted of a skirt, some type of frilly blouse, and pumps. Alice said I needed to walk the line between being taken seriously and showing myself off. I was learning—slowly, but surely.

I left the house, just as Alec was coming in, at four that afternoon. Justin called on my way into the city and asked if I wanted to catch a quick dinner since we probably wouldn't see each other until later that night. I usually didn't have to stay at the studio that long. I would work on the seven o'clock news and then be done by nine. Justin, on the other hand, stayed at the office until ten or eleven. By that time, I couldn't wait up for him, but we always had breakfast together, just like he promised.

I pulled up to the front of a very posh restaurant a block away from Justin's office. A valet took my car to the parking lot and a hostess ushered me to the back. I kept my head down, just in case someone might notice me, although, I doubted it; I wasn't really as recognizable as Justin.

I only had to wait a couple of minutes before he was gliding through the tables in a navy blue suit, making all the women drool and the men jealous.

"Sorry I'm late." He kissed me chastely before taking his seat. "Mario was having trouble… again."

I laughed, "Poor Mario. You make that boy so nervous."

"He has to learn." Justin took a sip of water and swished it around in his mouth. "How was your day?"

"Interesting. I talked to Alice about the wedding, so be prepared for calls later."

"I already got congratulations from everyone. They said they tried to call the house but the line was busy all day."

"That would be because I was on the phone with Charlie and Renee for a couple of hours."

Justin's face went blank. "Oh?"

"Yeah. It wasn't actually that bad." I shrugged. "Charlie and I kind of fought, but that probably couldn't be avoided. I invited him to the wedding, but he said no. Renee's going to try and talk to him."

"Was he that mad?"

"He says you're a bad influence on me."

"If only he knew," Justin chuckled, reviewing the menu in front of him. "And when are we getting married?"

"This Saturday," I held in my breath from him to protest.

He only bit his lip and nodded. "That's soon, but I guess there's nothing we can do about that."

"It's almost like we're eloping."

Justin set the menu down. "Selena, I know that this isn't what you would have planned or what you dreamed your wedding would be like so if…"

I cut him off, "Please, stop saying that. You're going to make me back out of this. Are you ready to get married?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"Well, so am I. We're doing this," I said firmly. "I want to do this and it doesn't matter how soon it is. I know Alice is going to do an amazing job planning it and I can't wait to be your wife."

He grinned and took my hand, inspecting the ring on my finger. "I can't wait for you to be my wife. I never thought I would say that, but believe it or not, I'm at ease."

"That's how it's supposed to feel, I think."

"That ring looks very nice on your finger. So… Saturday?"

I nodded. "Short and sweet, just family."

"Family? As in everyone?" he asked in astonishment.

"God, no. That would be like… three hundred people." I almost had a coronary just thinking about it. "Twenty at the most, plus my mom and maybe Charlie and his family. He has stepchildren, by the way."

"I found out this morning when Carlisle asked me if he should be buying four tickets for them. I said to ask you."

"We won't be buying any tickets if Renee doesn't convince him. I'll try talking to him tomorrow when he's cooled down. Oh, and another thing… we can't get married like normal Catholics since we didn't go to the couple's counseling thing and I don't think I've ever really been baptized."

"That's okay. Carlisle and Esme ran off to Vegas before Nicola dragged them back for a real wedding, but by that time, they were already married," Justin assured me. "Do we have to go through every ritual in the ceremony like groomsmen flower girls or bachelor parties?" He shuddered.

It almost brought a tear to my eye at how much alike we were. He really was the man for me. No muss, no fuss.

"I'm not really sure. I left it all up to Alice, but truth be told, I want to just jump in a dress and go."

"Good." He smiled a rare, genuine smile.

A waiter scurried up to our table and took our orders. I figured I might as well try to be healthy and opted for a large salad, while Justin demanded a specific cut of steak and even took the waiter's pad to write down the temperature it was to be cooked at.

Throughout our meal, people were looking at us somewhat, but I felt like the shock was wearing off. Justin had been resurrected and everyone in the city of Chicago knew that. Now, I think the novelty of the whole thing was over. Give it another month and we wouldn't even be the topic of conversation.

"So, how does this work?" I asked Justin. "After we get married, then you just take over?"

"Basically. There're a lot of technical things, but I'm being prepped every day. I have to know the ins and outs of our whole syndicate. I'll have over two thousand people under my command and I have to knowing what they're doing, what's going on, plus everything happening in other families around the world."

"That's a lot to take over."

"I can do it, and I'm going to do it well."

"I can't wait." I tried to hide my trepidation. I knew Justin was going to be a ruthless, but effective Boss. I just didn't want him getting ahead of himself and start off with more than he could chew.

"I also have to set up my own networks and make a name for myself other than 'Carlisle's son'. Once he's gone, I can start with my legacy." Justin seemed excited and I could see the gears turning in his head with the ideas that he was going to bring to fruition.

"And what does all this mean for me?"

He laughed, "You'll have talk to Esme about that. I'm not quite sure."

"I'll have to ask her then. Maybe I should have done that already."

"I do know that this is like high school. I'm the quarterback, and you're the head cheerleader. Everyone's going to be looking at us and everyone will want to be like us. We're targets."

"I'm the head cheerleader?" I tried not to laugh. "I'm the bookworm who spends all her time in the library."

"Not anymore. You're the mean girl who everyone's going to follow. Kind of like the Queen Bee among the wives because of who I am."

"Wow," I breathed out a stream of air, "that never occurred to me."

"You're a very popular woman, Mrs. Justin."

You'd think it would take time for me to get used to that name, but it felt natural.

Justin and I parted ways as the valets brought our cars around. I was at the studio in a couple minutes and heading up to work.

The week passed extremely quickly, and even though I said I wasn't nervous about getting married, when I realized that the days were dwindling, I felt my heart speed up a little.

Alice was over at my house more than Justin and she, fortunately, did everything for me. Thirty invitations were mailed overnight to immediate family only. The caterers were booked, and on Thursday, a large white tent was assembled in the backyard.

Almost immediately, Alice had people out there setting up chairs and tables. The aisle was being unrolled on the opposite side of the yard, under trees that somehow had lights in them. I didn't know how they got there and didn't ask.

Plane tickets were bought for Renee and Phil. The main issue was Charlie. He still wasn't talking to me when I tried calling, but Renee had convinced him to come. He was bringing Anna, Beth, and Bobby as well. Hotel rooms were booked in the city for people who didn't live here because Justin refused to let people stay in the house.

Justin and I wouldn't be able to go on a honeymoon anytime soon, but I figured as much. We had spent the past two years on an island so it wasn't like we needed down time. He said we would go at some point, though. I took off the rest of the week for "family issues" and my boss didn't ask questions. No one knew about the wedding besides whomever we invited to the wedding.

Both Renee and Charlie landed with their respective families on Thursday. I woke up that morning in a cold sweat. I even had to throw up due to the nervousness in my stomach.

Justin was slightly anxious as we sat down for breakfast with more tics than usual.

"What time are they getting here?" he asked me, trying to calmly sip his coffee.

"The car's picking up Renee and Phil at ten. Charlie and everyone else will get here later tonight."

"I'm taking off the rest of the week, but I have to go in this morning to wrap up a few things. I'll be back before Renee arrives."

"I'm so fucking scared," I admitted.

"You're scared? Your father is going to shoot me in the face," he huffed.

"After he's done with me. I can only imagine what he's going to say. He doesn't even want to be here."

"He wants to be here, Selena. He wouldn't miss your wedding."

"I'm not so sure about that."

Alec plopped down in a seat with a mop of hair and hooded eyes. "I hate mornings."

"You look like shit," Justin commented.

"I don't care." He dowsed his waffle in syrup. "So what should we expect from your parents, Selena?"

"A lot of… mess," I said, trying to calm my already bubbling stomach.

By the time Justin left for the office and Alec went to class, I was a nervous wreck. I put all my efforts into cooking since we were having a big dinner tonight. It took my mind off of things for a couple of hours. Before I knew it, the clock was flashing ten. The driver called and told me that he was on his way from the airport with Renee and Phil.

I started sweating like I was at the gym and dialed Justin's number with shaking hands to ask him where he was. I couldn't do this by myself. He said he was racing through traffic so that put me slightly at ease.

I held Francis in my lap on the couch, waiting for the doorbell. At ten-fifteen I heard a car pull up in the driveway, but it wasn't the familiar roar of Justin's engine.

I got up from my seat and smoothed out my clothes, peeking out of the window. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw Carlisle and Esme coming up the stairs. Their body positions told me that they still weren't on warm terms. Esme and I weren't either, but for me wedding, she had a more acceptable personality. We still haven't had "our talk" yet about what happened in Italy, though.

I opened the door before they knocked.

"Did we miss them?" Esme asked, stepping into the house.

"No. They're not here yet." I shut the door.

"I can't wait to meet your parents under more comfortable circumstances, Selena," Carlisle told me. "The last time, Charlie was shouting at me for days. I never really got a chance to actually meet him."

We went into the kitchen.

"Let's hope he's better on this visit."

"And what about your mother?" Esme asked, pouring herself a glass of wine. She saw me looking at her suspiciously and silently dared me to challenge her choice in drink. It was only ten in the morning, after all.

"Um, my mom is a handful. She's very… high-strung and she has a way of pointing out your faults while being nice about it."

"Sounds like Cici." Esme rolled her eyes. "Who is driving me crazy, by the way. She's staying until after your wedding."

"I haven't seen much of her."

"Because she drinks herself into a coma every day," Carlisle said.

"Don't talk about my mother like that," Esme snapped.

Another car pulled into the driveway, and I was thankful that we wouldn't have to witness the current conversation blow out of control.

"Oh, shit," I said under my breath.

I went to open the door and saw Renee pulling bags upon bags out of the black car that brought her. Phil was helping by keeping her calm. Much like Jasper was Alice's suppressor, Phil was my mother's. She wouldn't really be manageable without him.

When Renee noticed me standing there, she dropped her suitcase and screamed so loudly, the house shook, "Bellaaaaaaa!"

"Hi, Mom." I hugged her tightly as a sudden wave of emotion rushed over me. Even though she could be a little much sometimes, Renee was, after all, my mother. "It's so good to see you."

"Oh, my God." She bounced us up and down. "It's been too long. I can't believe I'm here and you're getting married. It's happening so quickly."

"I know." I pulled back and had to wipe the small tears from my cheeks. "Thank you for coming."

"And don't worry, I'm not mad at you." She cupped my cheek. "I am, however, dying to meet this man of yours."

"He'll be here soon." I looked her up and down. Her small frame was just as I remembered it and bright red hair set on top of her head as they fell in small curls. "Wow, you look… amazing."

"Hot, right?" She spun around in a circle." Pilates four times a week. My ass has never been firmer." She inspected me. "Maybe you should start doing them."

I bit my tongue and just hugged her again.

I heard footsteps behind me, and Carlisle and Esme appeared to greet the new guest. Renee pushed me out of the way to get to them. That left me alone with Phil.

"Hi, Selena." He stood with his hands in his pockets.

"Hi." I waved.

We had never really had a warm relationship, but that's only because I didn't know him that well. He and Renee got married the summer before I left for Forks. I barely even knew him.

"Congratulations on your nuptials." He gave me an awkward hug that I accepted.

"Thank you for coming. I didn't know how you guys were going to take all of this."

"We're both just glad you're back and safe. We never even got a call after… Well, you know. The whole jail thing was kind of a shock."

"Yeah, I know. I didn't mean to shut everyone out, but things just kind of blew up…"

"No need to explain. Your dad kind of filled us in over the phone." He rubbed the back of his neck. "That was a couple months of shouting."

"I could imagine. Sorry about that."

Carlisle slinked next to me with a smile. "Hi, I'm Carlisle Justin, Selena's future father-in-law. You must be Phil Dwyer."

Phil just looked at Carlisle's hand and blinked a couple of times.

"I'm not going to bite," Carlisle chuckled.

"I've been warned about you."

"Well, then. I guess my reputation has once again made things awkward. I'm not as bad as they say; I assure you."

I had to disguise my laugh as a cough. Of course everyone had heard "rumors" about Carlisle being in the mob, especially after my debacle, but it was kind of an unspoken rule that you didn't bring that up. I would have to make sure my family kept quiet with their questioning. Deny, deny, deny…

"Why don't we go inside?" I suggested, moving out of the way so they could walk through the door. The driver pulled around to the side of the house and parked. I could see him taking a nap behind the wheel. He would probably stay that way until it was time to take Renee and Phil to their hotel.

As I was about to shut the door, I heard the familiar thunderous sound of an engine. I waited a couple of seconds until Justin's bright red Saleen turned the corner rapidly, blasting onto the street. He came to a screeching halt in front of the house, not even bothering to park.

"I know. I'm late." He got out of the car, carrying a large bushel of flowers. "There was an accident and I had to sit in traffic for half an hour."

"They just got here. Are those for me?" I asked, not being able to keep the smile from my face.

He plucked a large, dark red carnation out of the pile. It was more burgundy than red, actually. "This is for you. The rest are for your mother."

I took the flower and sniffed it. "You're quite the charmer."

"I have some ass to kiss, which I never do, by the way. They are your parents, though, so I thought I should make the gesture." Justin bent his head down and kissed me chastely.

"What did you buy Charlie?" I laughed, not really being serious.

"A new flat screen." He walked past me, into the house.

"Are you serious?" I closed the door.

"Yeah. He watches TV, right?"

"Well… of course, but he doesn't need a new one."

"I had to get something." Justin shrugged. "Come with me for a second."

He pulled me into the small coatroom off of the hallway, and then locked the door behind us when we were inside. There wasn't anything but a few winter clothes and a small table in the corner.

Justin put the flowers on table and took off his coat. I noticed that there were speckles of blood on his shirt. He started rolling up his sleeves, and then unbuttoned his shirt completely.

Wads of cash were stuck into his belt, and he began pulling them out, setting everything on the table along with his gun.

"Do I even want to know what this is?" I asked.

"You can ask anything you want and I'll answer." He pushed a few coats out of the way on the rack to reveal a safe in the wall. "I'll tell you that I killed someone for it."

By now, I didn't even blink an eye whenever Justin told me about what he was up to. To me, it was normal. Some men work at the bank, some are bakers, some lay brick; my fiancé killed people and took their money. It was the way of the world.

"How much is it?" I asked, handing him the cash as he placed it gently into the safe that was now overflowing with money, guns, and important looking papers.

"Just twenty thousand. I have to go back for the rest later. All this was owed to me by some fucking punk who tested my patience."

"You don't really need more money, Justin."

"It's not about the money. It's about respect."

"I see. Well you sure do command a lot of respect." I commented.

"Of course I do." He closed the safe and locked it back in place.

"Impressive."

Justin then turned to me with a sinister smile. He pulled out one last wad of cash and handed it to me. "This is for you."

"Are you trying to buy me off?" I took it from him.

"No, but I figured you and your mother could use it for something." He wrapped an arm around me, dragging me closer. "And if this happens to make you forget what you just saw here… then it will just be a bonus."

I rolled my eyes. "You sure know how to woo a girl."

"Only the best for the love of my life," he replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"You know, usually, mob bosses have girlfriends on the side. "

"Usually." He nodded in confirmation. "It's somewhat of a tradition. I don't live by tradition, though, and sure as hell don't plan on having another woman in my life. You should know that by now. Plus, the Justin women are kind of scary." He chuckled.

"If I ever find out that you're cheating on me, I'll hang her on a cross and burn her alive," I said truthfully. There was no doubt in my mind that I could get away with it. "Then I'm coming for you."

"Like I said, scary." His lips touched the pulse point of my neck.

"Take off your shirt. You have blood on it." I started to pull it from his shoulders, feeling over his muscles at the same time.

"That wouldn't' be a good first impression." Justin shook the shirt from his body and reached for another one on a hanger.

I helped him straighten it out. I balled the other shirt up and stuck it in the small trashcan near the door, making a mental note to burn it later.

I didn't know what happened exactly, but I didn't need to know.

"Okay, I'm ready." He picked up the flowers from the table.

I took Justin's hand and led him to the kitchen. All thoughts of blood, and guns, and money were gone as quickly as they arrived. It was back to normal.

It seemed that Carlisle and Esme were getting along well with Renee, who was going off at the mouth about something. Phil was sitting uncomfortably, sipping a glass of water.

Before I even had a chance to open my mouth, Renee was there to attack my poor Justin, who wasn't prepared in the slightest.

"Oh, my God. Is this Justin?" She scurried over to us. "You look stunning."

"Mom," I groaned, begging for her to stop before she really got started.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Selena. I just didn't know you were marrying a male model."

Justin cleared his throat. "Well, thank you. It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Dwyer."

"Please, call me Renee." She blushed, and then whispered to me. "His voice is like silk. It's doing strange things to me."

Keep it in your pants, Renee!

Justin chuckled as her cheeks bloomed, probably making a joke in his head at my expense. "Thank you for coming. It means a lot to Selena."

"I wouldn't miss her wedding for the world."

"These are for you." He handed her the flowers, which made her blush even deeper.

"That's so sweet of you. Phil never brings me flowers."

He grumbled under his breath from the table.

So far, so good. Everyone was getting along and having pleasant conversation. Always being the gentleman the he was, Justin never spoke out of turn or said anything vile. He answered all the questions asked and didn't even seem to get anxious like he usually did when meeting new people. I was extremely proud.

Carlisle and Esme left around lunch without giving a real excuse as to why. I figured it was to give us alone time. That was kind of awkward at first, but Justin kept things flowing.

"Whatcha doing?" Renee bounced over to me as I breaded the chicken that I was making for lunch.

"Cooking," I laughed.

"I have to tell you, Selena, I really like this guy. He's so… attentive towards you."

"Really?"

"Yes, it's like he only sees you and he does it in a non-creepy way. Do you love him?"

"Of course I do."

"Do you love him or are you in love with him?" She scooted closer to me.

"I've always been in love with him. I can't explain it."

"No need for explanation. I completely understand. The spirits told me you'd find someone like him." She nodded assuredly.

Here we go.

"The spirits, Mom?"

"Yes, the spirits. They talk to me, you know, and they had a very strong man in your future. He's the one. I can tell."

"Well, tell your spirits 'thank you'." I put the chicken in the oven.

"And he takes such good care of you. Look at this house." She looked around the kitchen. "I can't believe you're marring a millionaire. I bet that just sweetens the pot."

I glared at her, but didn't say anything. I knew she didn't mean anything bad by that.

"Is it true?" Renee whispered to me.

"Is what true?" I asked.

"Is he… you know, in the mob?" She bit her lip.

"No, Mom. He's in real estate and he's a perfectly legal man. Stop listening to Charlie."

"Are you in any danger, Selena?" She sounded serious.

"No. Everything is fine," I promised her. "Justin keeps me safe and that's all you need to know."

"Your father is going to have a field day. I can't wait for them to get here."

"Have you met his new wife?"

"No, but I went to high school with her. She's really sweet and quiet, just like him. I hear he has two new kids now."

Two new kids. That kind of hurt. Almost as if I needed replacing.

"I really missed him." I busied myself with constructing a salad. "He sounds happy."

"He said he's not looking forward to meeting this Justin, but I convinced him that he at least needed to asked your soon-to-be husband a few questions."

"It would be nice to hear that he came out here to see me."

"Selena, you know he loves you. He's just hurt. He spent a lot of time looking for you and he was scared. I remember him calling me in the middle of the night in panic attacks because he had these horrible dreams about what you could be up to." She patted my shoulder. "He'll snap back to it when he sees you."

I hope so.

My dress was made of a soft satin fabric that clung to my body and shone in the lights of the room. It wasn't too formal, but looked stunning.

The entire thing was made of ivory colored fabric with lace overlay that fell to the floor and fell behind me, creating a rather remarkable train. It wasn't one of those big princess dresses, though; I was sure I would have been swallowed up by anything too large.

"I had this made especially for you." Alice circled me, straightening out the fabric around my body.

The dress's capped sleeves covered my shoulders, and the bodice of the dress had impressive embroidery around the sweetheart neckline.

"All the beading was done by hand and it cost a fucking fortune," she continued.

"Oh, my God," I breathed in awe. "When was all of this done?"

"Last year." She smiled at me in the mirror. "I got bored and designed a dress for you… just in case we ever needed it."

"This is so… overly amazing. I don't know what to say." I ran my hands over my waist, which was cinched by a satin bow, made of the same fabric as the kind underneath the lace that tied into a small bow in the back.

"I have a veil, but I don't think you should wear it." Alice circled me again. "Your face doesn't need to be covered."

"I don't want it to be." I shook my head. I didn't want anything obstructing my view of Justin.

My hair was straight with big curls at the bottom, partly falling over one shoulder. The rest was held in place with a jeweled beret. I hardly had on any makeup, but somehow looked totally different—fresh, flawless, perfect.

"This is so stunning. Thank you, Alice." I was almost crying… again. I had been doing that a lot today, and I couldn't stop.

"I really want to hug you, but I'm afraid I'll snag something." Her lip quivered. "You're the most amazing bride I've ever seen in my life. Do you feel like you're ready?"

I nodded. It was time, and I didn't have any reservations anymore.

I hadn't seen Justin today; Alice forbid it, but I could almost feel him close by.

The sun was setting outside of the window and as I stood in front of the mirror in my bedroom, I wondered just how much work Alice had put into this. Everything in the backyard looked incredibly beautiful, with white everywhere. I could hear soft music playing and was starting to get more nervous, but not necessarily scared.

"Stop shaking," Alice snapped. "You're messing up your hair."

"Oh, sorry." I cleared my throat.

"I still can't believe this is happening. We just found out that Justin was alive and now we're having a wedding. It was so fast." Alice was in a pale, pink, strapless dress that draped around her body until it fell to the floor.

"I know. It's so surreal. I feel like I'm already been married for so long."

"That man loves you more than anything." She sprayed me down with hairspray. "It's about time this happened."

I nodded. "I can do this. Is Charlie here yet?"

Alice pressed a button on the headset she was wearing. "I need an update on the F.O.B." She was silent for a second. "They pulled up about five minutes ago."

I let out a deep breath. "I haven't seen him yet."

"I know. He really misses you, though, Selena."

"I don't really even think he wants to be here."

"He'll come around." Alice started fumbling with my dress some more. "I had to force him into a tux this morning."

The door behind me opened, and Esme came into the room. "The seats are starting to fill up." She smiled proudly. "I'm so happy for you two."

"Thank you." I hugged her gently. "Is Justin around?"

"He's across the hall. I just came from visiting him."

"Is he nervous?" I asked.

"He would never show it if he was, but I think so."

"This is really happening," I told myself in the full-length mirror.

"You're going to be an official Justin." Esme hugged me again. "I'm going to start crying in a minute. I can't deal with this. Look at that dress."

"It's my best work yet," Alice praised herself. "I think I might send this sucker into a museum."

"Now I really am going to start crying." Esme pulled out a tissue and dabbed her eyes.

"You'll be fine." Alice waved her off. "Keep those tears in until the wedding video starts rolling. I need some good shots for memories."

I laughed at Alice's tenacity for perfection. There was no doubt in my mind that my wedding was going to be impeccable.

"Okay, so Rose is at the piano whenever you're ready," Esme said, "and everyone's seated so we're just waiting on you. I'll send Justin down in a couple minutes. You just wait up here for your father."

"And since you refuse to have bridesmaids," Alice rolled her eyes, "I'll be in the front row. If you get nervous, just take a deep breath and stay calm."

I nodded. "Thank you… for all of this. I know I didn't give you a lot warning, but you've done a great job."

"I would do anything for you Selena."

The door burst open, and Cici waltzed into the room with a bright smile. She was in a cream gown and a fluffy fur shawl that wrapped around her shoulders.

"It's the perfect day for a white wedding." She beamed. "I'm so happy for you, Selena."

"Mother, take that hideous outfit off." Esme scowled. "This is not your wedding. You're not allowed to wear white."

"I can wear whatever I please," Cici countered. "Besides, it works with my red hair. You don't mind Selena, do you?"

"Uh…"

"Of course she minds," Alice cut me off. "I have a peach dress that you're going to wear and you better not fight me on it. Selena is the only one who gets to wear white."

"But… it's off-white." Cici pouted, looking down herself. "And you can hardly say that Selena is a virgin. I mean it's not that hard to see…"

"Mother, you are really working my last nerve." Esme rubbed her forehead. "When are you going home?"

"Next week? Next month? Next year? I quite like it here in Chicago." She twirled.

"Oh, God," Esme groaned, saying a quick prayer under her breath. "Are you already drunk?"

"I'm not answering that. Actually, Selena, I came by for a reason." Cici walked up to me. "I have jewelry for you."

She pulled out a beautiful strand of diamonds and wrapped it around my neck before I even had a chance to object. She then snapped a diamond bracelet on my wrist.

"They're loans so don't even think about stealing them. It'll take you and your mother a lifetime of turning tricks on the corner before you've got half the money to pay me back if these get lost."

I was speechless as I looked at myself in the mirror; the jewels shone off the dimming lights in the room. This was must what I needed to complete my outfit. I hadn't even realized I needed jewelry, but I looked really nice.

"Oh, look at you." Cici stood in front of me. "Your first marriage is always the most important, you know."

"This will be my only marriage," I said.

"Well, you're just so stubborn that I actually believe you." She giggled. "Doesn't she look beautiful, Alice?"

"You're lucky that jewelry of yours doesn't mesh with the whole vibe I have going on here." Alice glared.

Cici just rolled her eyes.

They left the room after making sure I was perfect. I held short-stemmed, white roses that were wrapped in an ivory sash as I waited. I looked out of the window at the people sitting in their chairs as night started to envelope the backyard. It was unseasonably warm for March so, thankfully, we wouldn't be freezing our asses off.

My breath hitched slightly as I saw Justin walk out from the back door, followed my Alec, Jasper, and Emmett. They all stood up front in a line after shaking the priest's hand. I didn't have the need for bridesmaids, but groomsmen were a necessity in an Italian wedding. They always had a place next to the groom, especially if they were brothers.

Justin looked so… handsome in his tuxedo and the white rose pinned to his lapel. His hair was styled with a part and he looked so well put-together. He didn't seem to be anxious at all.

"How many damn rooms do they have in this place?" a gruff voice asked from the hallway. "I never should have let her move in with him."

I rushed, carefully picking up my dress, to the door and pulled it open to see my dad peeking his head into rooms down the hall.

I just looked at him for a couple of seconds, not knowing what to say. I don't think I could ever remember seeing him in a suit before, but he cleaned up well. He looked older, but not by much, and a distinguished touch of gray was starting to grow at his temples.

"Dad." My voice wouldn't really work so it came out more like a squeak.

He spun around quickly, almost stumbling over himself, and his eyes went wide. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it quickly.

I went up to him and just stood there.

"I hate your fiancé," Charlie said with conviction. "I can't stand him."

I smiled sadly at his bluntness. "I know you do, Dad."

"He's a criminal."

"He's an illustrious businessman," I countered.

"He let you go to jail."

"I chose to go to jail."

"I hate him."

"I know you do."

"Can I at least have a hug?" His lips twisted into a smirk.

I wrapped my arms around him and rest my head on his chest. "I really missed you, Dad."

"I missed you too, Bells. I looked for you for so long, even after you told me not to. I just had to have some answers."

"I promise you'll get them some day." I moved some hair out of his face just so I could see him.

"This is so weird. I haven't seen you in years and now you're getting married. What's happening?"

"I'm growing up."

"Obviously. You have a bigger house than I do. This place is ridiculous, Selena." He looked around the large and ornate hallway.

"All thanks to Justin," I said and Charlie flinched at his name. "He takes good care of me and he loves me."

"How would I know that? I've never met the guy. You sprung this on me too fast."

"Just please don't kill him at my wedding," I pleaded.

"I won't make any promises I can't keep. I'm not going to tell you what to do, Selena. You're a grown woman and I understand that, but just make sure you talk to me from now on. I'm your father and I'm trying really hard to be a good one."

"I'm sorry," I said, full of truth.

He sighed. Never one for words, I didn't expect Charlie to say anything back.

"You look beautiful, by the way," he told me. "Almost too beautiful."

"Thank you."

"Are you nervous?"

"Not anymore." I really wasn't now that everything was so close. I really wanted to get married.

"Alright then, let's do this." He pulled away and offered me his arm, which I took. "I want to have a long conversation with you about some things later. I'll let you get married first, though."

"And by conversation, you mean shouting at me for an hour?"

"You know me too well, kid. I have a thousand different speeches to rip your ass apart."

"Can't wait."

"But like I said, let's get you married first."

We started to carefully step down the stairs. I watched every one on the way, making sure not to trip.

"Have you even said one word to Justin?" I asked.

"Not in the slightest. One of us might not survive. Your mother tells me he's an okay guy, though. So I'll have to trust her."

It seemed very strange to me that Charlie had become so protective over me in the past couple of years, and yet still hadn't spoken to the man I was marrying in less than ten minutes.

"Why aren't you trying to stop this?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to hear the answer.

"Stop what? Your wedding?"

I nodded.

Charlie exhaled, and then thought for a second, "You said he makes you happy. At first, if didn't really believe that, especially after I heard about what kind of man Justin is."

"So what changed your mind?"

"Seeing you… like this." He looked me up and down. "You look happy. Extremely and blissfully happy."

"I really am."

"And you've always known what you want. Even when you were young, if you had your mind set on something, it was going to happen. Not much has changed." Charlie shuffled his feet awkwardly. "I really don't know anything about this guy, but if he makes you this happy then he can't be all that bad. I just don't have to like him."

I wrapped my arms tightly around Charlie and squeezed myself against him. I think this is the most I've ever heard him say, and his words were so profound.

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you too. You know I do." He kissed the top of my head.

I think I heard him sniff and when I pulled away, he was trying to occupy himself with anything but me.

"This really is… just too big," Charlie said, trying to change the subject to something more acceptable. "I've gotten lost about three times already."

"This is how I live now," I sighed. "Big change, huh?"

"I'll say."

Alice appeared out of nowhere with an anxious look on her face. "Okay, okay. Enough chatting. We have to get this show on the road. The lighting's perfect."

"She's the devil," Charlie whispered to me.

"She's not that bad… all the time."

"How do I look?" He straightened up.

"Really good, Dad." I nodded.

I heard the music outside change from a delicate, classical piano melody, to the introduction of Wagner's march.

"You okay, kid?" Charlie asked me. "You look kind of sick."

"I'm getting married," I said to myself.

"I hope you just didn't realize that. We can go if you want. Just say the word and I'll take you back to Forks; no questions asked."

I scowled at him. "That's not an option."

I took his arm again, and we started walking slowly.

There hadn't been any rehearsal, so I didn't know how this was supposed to work, but Charlie seemed to surprisingly been in control. He kept up a languid pace as we went through the back doors, and my feet immediately hit a long white carpet that led up through the rows of chairs.

My heart completely stopped when I saw Justin. It just stopped for at least five seconds. I think people were standing, but I couldn't be sure. I really didn't even see anything else besides him.

Thank God Charlie was moving, because I had lost all motor functions. There wasn't a flower girl, or altar boys, or anything else one might think of when dealing with a Catholic wedding, but we didn't have time for any of that, and I didn't need it.

I made sure to breathe slowly so that I wouldn't pass out and honestly only saw the beautiful decorations surrounding me through hazy eyes. I did have enough brainpower to realize that the sun had just set and the sky was an odd shade.

At last, after what seemed like too long, I stood in front of Justin Justin, who seemed to be the perfect picture of calmness.

"You look… exquisite," he whispered.

"Thank you." I tried to take my hand from Charlie, but he wouldn't let go. I snapped out of my daze and tried to pry his fingers from my skin. "Dad, let go."

"I don't think this is a good idea, Selena," he replied. "Let's just go home."

"This is my home. Now let go." I pulled one last time, and he relinquished my hand.

"I promise to take care of her and she will never want for anything. You daughter will always be safe with me," Justin told Charlie. He had no choice but to take his seat in the front row.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked him.

"I've been ready for a very long time, Selena." Justin kissed my cheek before turning us both forwards.

"Beloved friends and family, we're gathered here today to witness the union between Justin Anthony Justin and Isabella Marie Swan."

That was honestly all I heard, because I blocked everything else out. I just looked at him and got lost in my own world. After all these years and all the troubles we've had to overcome, we were finally here.

The ceremony was short, and I tried to at least listen so that I remembered this moment. We didn't write vows, but recited the Catholic ones that were read to us.

All too soon, it was over.

""It is my great pleasure-" Father began.

"Wait, I have something to say," Justin cut him off.

I looked between them both skeptically. It was obvious that this wasn't in the plan of events. Alice was in the front row, about to kill Justin for interrupting.

"What are you doing?" I whispered.

"I wanted to tell you something. I know we didn't write vows, but I wanted to tell you something."

"Okay."

He leaned in close so that only I could hear him. "I don't want everyone to hear this because it's personal and just between us."

I nodded.

"Selena, I never knew that I could feel this way about another person. You came into my life and showed me how to love and taught me what it takes to be a man. I know it sounds kind of corny but I didn't know what I was before I met you and I can't tell you how much your guidance has meant to me."

I was actually swooning at his words. My body and mind were reaching a level of love that I didn't even know was possible.

He continued, "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. To laugh with you, take care of you, and be someone that you can depend on. I vow to love always. No matter what happens." Justin pulled back and stood straight.

I was beyond crying. I was bawling my eyes out and trying not to make myself look like a crazy person. I couldn't help it, though.

Alec handed me a handkerchief from his jacket pocket, which I took gladly with a smile.

"Well, if that's all then, it is now my great pleasure to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Justin Justin. You may now kiss your bride."

He brought my face to his gently and when our lips connected, I knew that I could never live without Justin or even think about being with anyone except him. I could hear the dull roar of people as they applauded around us, but it felt like my head was submerged under water.

"You're now a married women, Mrs. Justin," Justin spoke with a hushed tone and a smile played on his lips.

"I think I can get used to that," I replied and kissed him again.

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