A/N: Hi guys. This is my latest story. My song of inspiration for this story is Someday by Rob Thomas. Also, Dog days are over by Florence And The Machines was playing in the background somewhere during this chapter. Hope you guys like the first chapter. Just a friendly warning, the Bella in the first couple of chapters might not be who you are used to. Don't hate her. She'll get better eventually. Just be patient. Just another warning - my stories aren't beta'ed, so please keep that in mind if you do find any mistakes.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga. All characters belong to the brilliant Stephanie Meyer. I simply own the plot.

Chapter 1 - Wedding jitters

BPOV

Bella walked in between several tables set up with samples of wedding decor for tomorrow, still needing her final approval. The canapés were exactly as she'd ordered, looking mouth watering. Bella's hungry stomach growled in approval, but she ignored the need to stuff a few of them into her mouth. She was dieting like crazy to shake off that last pound before tomorrow. Her mother had drilled it into her that a thin, well cared for body was what kept a husband interested. This was the mantra she played over and over in her head whenever the hunger pains got too much to bear. She was practically wearing a size zero now.

Bella was severely stressed out about the wedding. Every detail needed to be perfect. So, when Bella spotted pink orchids in between the white ones, spilling over the cylindrical glass vases, she felt that her reaction was totally justified. Rage bubbled up inside of her. Edward had paid a pretty penny for these flower arrangements she'd wanted so badly. Bella's perfectly manicured fingers plucked wildly at the pink orchids, removing most of them. She shook it wildly in front of the wedding coordinator. "What is this? What the HELL is this?" Bella stomped a high heeled foot loudly against the tiled floor, for effect. The incompetent woman's eyes widened in shock and fear. "I specifically asked for white orchids, only. The color scheme of this wedding is white, for Christ sake. Not pink and white."

"Yes, Bella. Sorry. I will fix this." The woman stuttered out an apology.

"Good." Bella replied in a calm voice, smiling tightly. Her hand shot up to make sure her tight up-do was still firmly in place. When Bella didn't feel a hair out of place, she smoothed down her raw silk dress and plastered on a fake smile. "I'm glad that's settled. We wouldn't want a disappointed Cullen family tomorrow, now would we?"

"Of course not." The woman placated her, probably afraid of the onslaught of another temper tantrum form her.

Bella hadn't always been like this. Her parents, particularly her mother, had bred her to become a demanding, materialistic snob these past few years that she'd been dating Edward, reminding her that money entitled one to a great deal of respect in the community and that Bella needed to play her role perfectly, if she wanted to become Mrs. Edward Cullen one day soon. She'd carefully plastered this new personality of hers over the old one, though the remnants of her suppressed, true personality still leaked through the cracks some days, although these days it seemed to happen less and less. She thought of her father's motto: 'Kindness is weakness.' So whenever she caught herself being 'weak', so to speak, she stuffed it back down through the cracks. Sometimes she loathed herself. She acted like a little shit these days, just like her mother. She had inadvertently become like the one person she never wanted to be - her mother. All this pretending to fit in with an elitist family had eventually stopped being just a pretense. She was so much like them now.

Bella and Edward had been dating for the past three years and it was with great joy that her parents took the news of their engagement. They had always wanted a rich, successful husband for her. It was possibly the only thing she had done right in her life, according to them. She didn't think it necessary for them to know that Edward and the rest of his family were vampires and that she'd soon be one as well. What a blessed relief it would be when they finally turned her and she could leave her parents behind to live their miserable lives without her. God knows that fighting with each other - the way that only her parents could - irked her immensely. She had often wondered why they insisted on staying together if they hated each other so. They were destroying each other with word and deed. They'd both cheated on each other on numerous occasions, so why continue when there was no hope? She sure hoped to god that her marriage to Edward wouldn't end up like theirs.

Bella sighed for a moment as her mind wandered. Becoming a Cullen meant that she would have to give up her bookstore. It was unacceptable for any Cullen woman to work. She sometimes thought that these men - not Cullen men, in particular, just rich men - prevented their wives from working, to keep them dependent, while many of them trolloped off to have 'extra' fun, while disguising it as so called business trips or golf weekends, all while the pathetic women pretended to be oblivious to what was really going on. God. Sometimes she missed the simpler days, where love was love and everything didn't revolve around money and status. Like the days when she and Paul were still together.

She'd fretted about giving up the bookstore out loud one night as she was busy discussing wedding details with Alice, Rosalie and Esmé, when her soon-to-be mother-in-law reminder her that she would have her hands full with fund raisers, luncheons at the country club and starting a family with Edward. There would be no time for work and it would be unacceptable to neglect her wifely duties.

"Sorry I'm late." Alice greeted, pulling Bella back into the present, as she clicked into the reception hall on six inch tan colored heels. She wore a matching dress and a shawl was strategically draped over her neck and shoulders, to hide her shimmering skin in the sunlight. She gracefully yanked her sunglasses from her face and stowed them in her prada purse.

"Things seem to be coming along smoothly," Alice said as she kissed both of Bella's cheeks in turn. The Cullens might pretend to be a lot of things that they really weren't, but the affection they felt for her was as real as it could get. She knew this without a doubt.

"God!" Bella lowered her voice so only Alice could hear, "Be thankful that you weren't here a minute ago. The flowers were a disaster. Pink orchids in between the white ones."

"Pink? At an all white wedding?" Alice asked, her eyes widening in horror. She had a flair for the dramatic, a trait which Bella was picking up very quickly.

Bella nodded her head severely and rolled her eyes.

"Jesus? What part of 'all white' is so difficult to grasp?"

"It baffles me as well, but..." Bella stretched out the last word, "You'll be happy to know that the canapés are exactly what we asked for and other than the flower arrangements, everything seems to be perfect."

Alice narrowed her eyes at Bella. "I'll be the judge of that." She said a little too harshly, but Bella understood her better than anyone. She just wanted tomorrow to be perfect for Edward and her. She'd said so on many occasions.

With fiercely observant eyes, Alice floated through the room, scrutinizing everything from the flowers to the drapes against the wall. Bella shot a quick glance at Amelia, the wedding coordinator, who seemed to be trembling in fear of Alice. Bella was a lamb compared to Alice where it concerned the wedding arrangements. Alice drug a finger over the other empty tables that stood to the far corner, checking for dust. Bella knew that Alice was only doing this for the dramatic effect, because her supernatural senses could practically detect any hint of dust from a mile away. She wrinkled her nose, lifted her finger up for Amelia to see. It was coated in a thin layer of dust. "This better be gone by tomorrow." She threatened.

Amelia nodded her head furiously. Bella thought she looked awfully close to tears and somewhere deep inside of her, she felt a sharp pang of guilt for being such a bitch. She idly wondered what had happened to the old Bella. The kind, caring Bella. The Bella she used to be when she was still friends with Paul and his gang. She quickly pushed these thoughts away as Alice demanded her attention once more.

BPOV

"No peeking!" Alice said, hands clasped over Bella's eyes as she led her to one of the rooms where Alice had hidden her wedding dress. Her dress was a wedding present from Alice, so naturally she wanted to surprise Bella.

Bella inched forward, carefully, despite Alice leading her. She wasn't as clumsy as she used to be, but there was no need to tempt fate. She used to have the ability to trip over thin air.

Bella blinked twice, to clear her slightly blurred vision as Alice lifted her frigid hands from Bella's eyes. "Ta da!" Alice exclaimed dramatically.

Bella's eyes drifted to a mannequin, which she supposed had been purchased recently, simply to accommodate her dress. From it, hung a brilliantly white ball gown wedding dress. She clapped her hands over her mouth, totally in awe.

"Oh Alice!" Bella exclaimed and inched closer to get a better look. "It's simply perfect. You know me so well."

Alice jumped up and down, clapping her hands together in glee. "I'm so glad you like it." Alice was essentially a very easy person to please and her bright eyes and brilliant smile made Bella smile back with uncontained pleasure.

Bella frowned as she spied the narrow bodice of the dress. "Will it fit, though?"

"Honey, have you seen yourself lately? You've dropped at least twelve pounds for the wedding. It will fit like a glove. All your hard work in the gym and all those hungry weeks were totally worth it."

"Good." Bella let out a sigh of relief. The last thing she needed was a dress that didn't fit.

"Don't worry. Soon, hunger will never again be a factor for you."

"You mean hunger for food. As I understand, hunger for blood will take over once I'm turned."

"It will be worth it, I promise." Alice shot her a dazzling smile.

There was a knock at the door.

"No, no, no. Go down to the living room." Alice scolded. "I haven't spent months shielding my thoughts from you, only for you to barge in the day before and see the wedding dress."

Bella assumed it was Edward at the door.

A muffled voice confirmed it, as Edward relented. "Fine. But don't keep me waiting long."

BPOV

Bella sat down gracefully next to Edward, taking a delicate porcelain cup from the tea tray and bringing it to her perfectly lipsticked lips.

"Mmm." Bella moaned. "You know just how I like my tea."

Edward looked uncomfortable. He was fidgety and distant. She supposed he was starting to feel nervous now, as well. It was about time. He had been so calm throughout this whole process. The flowers, the cake, the decorations. Every time Bella came to him with a request, he would simply nod in agreement, always readily indulging her every wish, no matter how much of an obscene amount of money was required.

Bella placed a hand on his thigh and gently stroked the material of his pants. "Are you alright? You seem a little distant."

Edward shifted on the couch, angling his body toward her. He seemed uncomfortable. A frown marred his prepossessing face. "Bella, I-"

"Why aren't you dressed yet?" Alice reprimanded her as she descended the stairs with perfect grace, which could only be associated with vampires. "The rehearsal dinner starts in an hour."

Alice tugged at her arm, pulling her from the couch. "Come." She led her up the stairs again.

BPOV

Violins were playing in the background as Edward and Bella greeted all the guests. They had opted for an outdoor rehearsal dinner, so the reception hall could be decorated to perfection for tomorrow. The weather was perfect tonight and the light summer breeze that blew across the enormous lawn, kept everyone from feeling the late afternoon heat. Bella nervously tugged at her short lavender colored dress. The lace on the sleeves were itchy against her arms, irritating her skin. She refused to scratch, because it would leave her pale skin red. She plastered a smile on her face and followed Edward as he escorted her over to their parents, who were chatting excitedly. Bella could feel the burn against the skin of her feet where the material of her ridiculously high heels had worn through the flesh. It was in that moment that Bella once again longed for the simpler days with her old friends and Paul. Days were she would be barefoot, in jeans. Or if the occasion had called for shoes, she'd always preferred to wear ballet flats. She suppressed the urge to rip the scratchy, albeit expensive dress from her body and remove her shoes, snapping the heels off one at a time.

Bella's stomach plummeted as she realized that this uncomfortable attire was part of her foreseeable future. She had chosen this life.

Bella's mind drifted to her past - to when she was ten years old.

Bella and Paul were sitting on the dock, fishing rods in hand. He had once again 'kidnapped' her from the discomposing atmosphere of her house. Rusty, Paul's scruffy pavement-special dog was lying between them, dozing off in the late afternoon sun. He always followed them around. When things got out of hand at home, Paul would always come rescue her. They'd sit for hours, making plans to run away together. "I'll always protect you." He'd promised her, like he always did.

Too bad he didn't keep his word...

As if fate was mocking her, she looked up into the eyes of none other than Paul Lahote from across the lawn. The man who had held her heart for so long, but broke it years ago. He held her gaze as he languidly made his way over toward her with lupine precision. God! How many years ago did she last see him? She wasn't sure. She just knew he had jetted off to another Mediterranean country to take pictures. She'd seen countless pictures he'd taken, published in popular travel magazines. And she'd kept every single one of them - stashed away was more like it. Edward still didn't know about those. She'd stopped buying those magazines once she realized he wasn't coming back for her.

"Paul." Bella greeted him. Her voice rose an octave too high, betraying her surprised emotions. "What brings you here?" Bella knew for a fact that she didn't invite him. Edward's and her parents wandered off to greet more guests.

"Honey, we invited him, remember?" Edward contradicted her thoughts and words. God. She knew exactly what Edward was playing at. He wanted to rub the fact that he was marrying Bella, in Paul's face. Her fianceé could be a real asshole sometimes. Paul and Edward were enemies at the best of times and the fact that Bella had once upon a time dated Paul, made Edward insanely jealous.

"Of course." Bella agreed politely, smiling briefly at Edward and turned her gaze back to Paul. "Forgive me, Paul. With all the invitations and arrangements, I guess I lost track of the guest list."

Paul wore a steely expression and nodded curtly. "No problem, Bella."

"Excuse me for a second, love." Edward said and planted a brief kiss on her cheek, hurrying over to a tall, gorgeous strawberry blonde woman in a red dress. She felt a tinge of jealousy as she witnessed their suspiciously warm exchange.

"So." Bella gave a resigned sigh, focusing her attention back on Paul. "How have you been?"

PPOV

Paul ignored Bella's question, taking in her very thin body, clad in obviously very expensive clothes. Not a hair was out of place and a light layer of make-up coated her face. He hated this look. She was such a natural beauty. He'd told her so on many occasions. But this Bella in front of him disgusted him. Jesus, she was so different. She looked like one of the Cullens already. She had done such a fucking stellar job of changing herself to fit in with them so completely, that it boggled his mind.

For a second Bella slipped off a shoe, cringing in discomfort, but slipped it right back on before anyone could notice. He noticed, though and his heart contracted painfully as the image of her raw foot lingered in front of his eyes. His heart softened.

"How's the bookstore doing?" He asked, feigning disinterest to hide his true curiosity. He wanted to know all about her life these past few years. He'd missed her every single day. He wondered if Bella ever published the children's book she'd always dreamed about? She was a brilliant artist. She could draw these amazing cartoon characters that always left him in awe.

Bella coughed uncomfortably and looked at the ground for a second. "I'm going to sell it."

"What?" Paul boomed in outrage. Bella glanced around anxiously, her head lowered in embarrassment at the scene he was causing. Curious looks flitted back to their previous conversations after appraising the two of them for a few seconds. He sighed. "Sorry."

"Becoming Mrs. Cullen will be very demanding. There won't be time for the bookshop anymore." Bella stated boldly, holding her chin high, trying to look confident.

Paul could see right through her, as he'd always done. 'A flat out fucking lie!' He thought. That's what it was. He chose to ignore it though and nodded in what he hoped looked like understanding. He clamped his lips together.

"I hope you don't mind if I steal my fianceé for a second?" Edward appeared at Bella's side. He smirked at Paul, eyes sparkling with evil pleasure and stole a kiss from Bella, obviously taunting him.

"Asshole! dick! Fucker! Slimy corpse!" Paul thought, just to irritate the mind reading son of a bitch.

Edward coughed to hide a smile and winked at Paul.

"Of course not." He said through gritted teeth, managing an insincere smile.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter. Please let me know what you thought. I might be taking a little longer to update this story, as I'm still working on Doctor, Doctor as well. But when a story pops into my head, I need to get it down on 'paper'. Much love xxx