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SKIN & BONES
i. UNGRACEFUL SWAN

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OUR LIFE IS MADE up of time. Our days are measured by the hours and our pay is measured by those hours. Our knowledge is measured by years. We grab a few quick minutes of our occupied day to have a brief coffee break. We rush back to our desks, we watch the clock, we live by appointments. And yet, your time eventually runs out and you wonder in your heart if those seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, and decades were being spent the best way they possibly could.

In other words, if you could change anything, would you?

"I think the only thing I'd change is how long these names are," taunted Rory Swan. "Isabella Marie Swan is fine, I guess, but Edward Anthony Masen Cullen? Jesus, are we talking about Edward or are we spelling out the YMCA?"

A simple, yet elegant wedding invitation was clad in her pallid hands. She glanced back at her little sister, who was very obviously struggling with the high heels Alice was forcing her to wear for the wedding. Rory's eyebrows shot upward. "Oh, God."

Alice Cullen was still optimistic, even if Bella was moving like a newborn deer. With her hands bound together, Alice encouraged, "You just... You just have to break them in!"

Bella peered up at Alice. "I've been breaking them in," she revealed, "for three days." Rory and Alice's eyes met, unconfident about the Swan's ability to move in those shoes. "Can't I just go barefoot? Or maybe Rory could, I dunno, manipulate my feet into working properly?"

Rory's eyes lit up with an idea. "Or I could totally manipulate you into flying Peter Pan-style—"

Alice was quick to reject that idea. "No! Absolutely not!"

Bella sighed while leaning against her big sister for support. "I'm just thinking it's a little too much, you know? The dress, the shoes..." She gestured to the Cullens' backyard, which had turned into a construction site for her and Edward's wedding. "...all of this, really."

Rory smiled and waved at Carlisle and Jasper as they walked across the wedding venue. In their hands were carved, wooden benches. Alice looked back at the wedding venue, then back at Bella, the human's sneakers in hand. "What do you mean? It's exactly enough!" Alice disagreed cheerfully. "Tomorrow will be perfect."

"Where do you want 'em, boss?" Emmett's voice boomed. He held up a dismantled tree in his arms.

Alice gestured to the venue. "On either side of the aisle!"

Rosalie went walking in after her mate, holding another object that would be used for the wedding venue. "Uh, what aisle?" queried the blonde.

Sighing out of slight frustration, Alice cried out, "Does no one have vision!?" Then, she marched down the steps into the main area of the venue.

The Swan sisters laughed at this. Bella used her sister as support once more as she replaced her heels with sneakers. "You know, I'm surprised she hasn't made me work my magic and put everything together in five minutes," Rory admitted.

Alice quickly marched back to the girls as if on cue. "You," she turned to Bella, "go home and get lots of beauty sleep. That's an order."

"But—"

"Dude, you're complaining about getting told to just sleep for the rest of the day," Rory interrupted. "How are we related?"

Bella shot her sister a glance before nodding at Alice and trudging away. Meanwhile, the pixie-like girl looked back at Rory. "As for you, Miss Maid of Honor, your duties are needed," Alice ordered. "Don't think I didn't hear you when I turned my back on you two."

Rory just loudly groaned as Alice playfully shoved her down the steps to help put the rest of the wedding venue together.

Rory had grown very comfortable with her Manipulative gift over the past month. She'd been exercising her powers regularly. She was very comfortable with some things, such as manipulating the weather, gravity, thoughts, the elements, visual projections, and emotions. Rory had learned that a lot of her abilities worked most efficiently when envisioned in her head, which was why she could master a lot of them so instantaneously.

Of course, she had to thank Bella for being a wonderful test subject. However, similar to how Edward couldn't read Bella's mind, there were some things that Rory could do that had no effect on Bella. For example, if Rory attempted to manipulate Bella's mind into seeing something that wasn't real, she would remain unaffected. It seemed as though Bella's mind acted similar to a shield, protecting her from most things, but not all, such as a handful of Rory's abilities.

Still, Rory hadn't quite mastered other things yet, nor had she begun to explore new aspects that could be manipulated, such as time, dreams, memories, appearances, and so on. However, she had grown to become a quick learner, which seemed to cancel out the fact that she hadn't mastered everything quite yet.

With a sigh, Rory extended her hands and waved them about. She carved out benches, moved things around, hung up string-lights, and even forced plants into blooming in preparation for her baby sister's big day. Rory was happy she was able to do so with just the flick of her wrist.

Rory smiled upon feeling a pair of arms snake around her waist. She continued to work, despite a pair of lips going from her cheek down to her neck. "Jazz," whined Rory. "If Alice catches you distracting me, she's gonna kill you, then me, then you again."

Jasper chuckled. "She'd have to wait until after the wedding. I think she'd pass out if the Maid of Honor and her date suddenly went missing," he mumbled.

"Rory! Jasper!"

"Something tells me she'll kill us regardless," retorted Rory, feeling somewhat disappointed as her boyfriend pulled away.

Jasper shrugged. "Couples who go down together, stay together, right?"

Rory shrugged. "Well, we are dead." With a smile, he kissed her once more before Rory was left to working on the venue.

An excited smile spread across her face. The wedding was going to be absolutely beautiful. She couldn't wait to brag and take all the credit from Alice. Well, maybe half. Alice would probably murder her if she took 100% of the credit, after all.

○ ○ ○

Rory couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Are you seriously betting that your own daughter is going to trip on her own wedding day?" questioned Rory. "Dang it, Dad, you know I was going to place my bet on that! You know, you still owe me ten bucks for winning our bet at B's graduation."

"I still don't know how she didn't trip," admitted Charlie. Though they seemed to be making smooth conversation, Charlie looked like an absolute wreck.

Rory placed a hand on her father's arm. She had been keeping him company as Bella finished getting ready. "How're you feeling, pops?"

"I might pass out," truthfully replied Charlie. Even though Rory had been trying to manipulate his emotions, it wasn't enough to fully shake his nerves.

"Wanna bet on it?" teased Rory in an attempt to lighten the mood. She smiled at her father. "Don't worry. I'll make sure to have Bella catch you if you faint."

Charlie nearly snorted at this. "Charming," he commented. "Have you spoken to your mother?"

Rory's mood nearly faltered at the thought of Renée. She had seen her once walking around the Cullen household, but she hadn't bothered to speak to her. "How long do you think I can hold a grudge for?" wondered Rory.

Charlie shook his head. "Pumpkin, you're gonna have to talk to her sometime, you know," he told his eldest daughter.

"I know, I know," she told him. "I'm workin' on it. Sorta. Not really, actually." Charlie sighed at this. "I'm sorry, but you know what she did really... it really messed me up. I don't think I can face her, not yet."

Charlie paused. "Okay," he eventually said. "I understand." As he said this, Bella descended down the staircase.

Although she was smiling, the father-daughter duo could depict her anxieties in an instant.

"I'm gonna blow chunks," muttered Bella as she reached her father and sister.

"Hey, at least you'll look hot while doing so," assured Rory, rubbing her sister's arm comfortingly. "You look absolutely stunning, B."

"Thanks." Bella flashed a smile at her sister and inhaled sharply as she turned to Charlie. "Don't let me fall."

"Never," promised Charlie.

Rory smiled at her sister, her golden eyes locked on Bella's. They didn't need to speak to communicate their love for each other. Instead, Rory tightly hugged her sister before leaving to join the rest of the guests.

She approached Jasper's side, her lilac dress moving with her body as she sat beside him. Rory took his hand out of habit while he complimented her, "You look beautiful, darling."

She smiled warmly at the blond. "You don't look so bad yourself," she teased. Of course, she was underexaggerating. My boyfriend is hot! "I should've counted every time you've said that to me today."

"17 times."

If Rory could blush, she was sure she would have.

Soon, the guests all rose to their feet as Bella and Charlie headed down the aisle. Bella kept her gaze glued to her husband-to-be, who smiled at her with a certain fondness in his eye. Rory was convinced her face was going to be stuck with that cheesy grin on her lips forever if she didn't stop smiling. Despite all of Rory and Edward's bickering, Rory was happy he and Bella had each other.

Once the crowd sat down, the remainder of the wedding continued. The vows were spoken and rings were exchanged until finally, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen shared a sweet kiss to signify their union.

The crowd rose to their feet once more, cheering ecstatically whilst watching the couple smile joyously and walk down the aisle as one. Everyone followed the newly wedded couple to where the reception was being held, which essentially was just a different section of the backyard.

Rory wasn't sure when it happened, but she was soon separated from her love. She was just about to go looking for him or a friendly face when she spotted a familiar vampire approaching her. Stella Capulet beamed, squealing enthusiastically.

"Well, damn, Stella!" exclaimed Rory, zealously hugging the brunette. "You look hot!"

Stella bit her lip and laughed. "So do you, babe!" she returned. "Irene sends her best."

Rory pouted. "I miss that girl," she whined. "I'll have to come up and visit while Bella's off honeymooning. I'll need another human to claim."

With a snort, Stella warned, "I'll hold you to that." The two Manipulators linked arms and walked throughout the reception. "So did you see Alice? She looks incredible. I don't know how she does it."

Rory smirked, elbowing the brunette. "Aw, I'm really glad you guys worked out whatever it was you had going on last month. Seriously, I remember when we were training for Victoria's psycho army and the sexual tension was insane."

Stella shook her head. "Well, we aren't back together, yet," Stella reminded Rory. "But I'm working on it." (a/n. ah, i love my gays <3)

Rory didn't know much about Stella and Alice's past, but she did know they had history. Whatever it was, Rory was rooting for them regardless.

The pair made their way to the happily married couple, where they conversed in a small group with Charlie, Billy Black, and the Clearwater (minus Leah). "Well, I plan on getting drunk," Charlie stated. "They're serving up some pretty fancy champagne. Sue, can I get you a glass?"

Bella and Rory exchanged curious glances. Was their father, the man who had been single their entire lives, flirting with Sue Clearwater? Rory made a mental note to annoy their father about his ever-so enthralling love life later.

"Dude, your dad is getting it on with the wolf pack," Stella whispered to Rory. "This family really does have a death wish."

With a giggle, Rory turned her attention to the Denali coven as they approached the group. Her eyes lit up as she hugged Carmen, Tanya, Kate, and Eleazar while also introducing Stella to each of them. Though it seemed that some of them already knew one another.

As for Rory, she had only met the Denalis once and that was with Jasper. They ran into each other when the couple strayed out of Forks. They talked for hours, excluding the one called Irina, who hadn't been around during this occasion. However, considering the fact that Irina and Laurent were lovers, maybe it was best that Rory and Irina never met that day. It would've been seriously awkward.

Carmen turned to the blonde that had isolated herself from the group. "Irina," he beckoned, "come meet Bella."

Irina was hesitant. She took a few steps forward, but she lingered closer to her family than the Cullens. "I can't do this," Irina whispered to her coven.

"You promised," hissed Tanya.

Irina glanced back at where Seth Clearwater was standing. She glared at him, heartbreak in her eyes. "They invited one."

Edward was quick to defend Seth. After the last fight, he had taken a liking toward Seth, just as everyone else did. "Irina, he's our friend," he defended politely.

"They killed Laurent," Irinia snapped.

Bella gripped Edward's hand. "Yeah, and he killed my sister while trying to kill me," the bride fired back.

Rory's eyebrows shot upward. Since when was Bella so ballsy? Maybe it was because it was her wedding. Still, she appreciated her sister's words.

"I don't believe that," Irina stated through gritted teeth. "He wanted to be like us... to live in peace with humans... with me."

Rory felt her eye twitch, but she figured now wasn't the time to be petty. So, she offered a smile and said, "I'm sorry for your loss, even if he was literally insane and a serial killer. And that's coming from the girl with a mental illness. I do hope you enjoy the rest of the reception though."

Then, she pulled Stella away from the group. They waited before bursting out with laughter. "Man, what's a wedding without family drama, right?" joked Stella, causing Rory to laugh even harder.

They continued to greet different covens, making friends as one would. Stella and Rory made a marvelous team, both of them being incredibly friendly and social. Everyone seemed to love chatting with them as the night continued.

"Ooh!" Stella suddenly exclaimed, stopping in her tracks. "I spy man-candy." Rory gave Stella a confused look.

"Stella, you're gay."

Stella rolled her eyes and nodded to where Jasper was as he walked toward them. Rory made an o-shape with her mouth.

"Ohh, yeah, I see what you mean now," Rory agreed, unlinking her arm to greet her mate. "Hi, boyfriend. I missed you. I met the mate of the dude who killed me and I was kinda mean to her, but I think she deserved it. Anyway, Stella and I keep convincing people that we're nomad-wedding-crashers, and they all totally bought it."

She pecked his lips quickly. "Hi, darling. That sounds eventful," he casually replied. "Alice is an absolute nightmare. Remind me not to put her in charge of planning our wedding."

Rory laughed as Jasper hugged Stella briefly. "I'll keep that in mind," she promised, both of them knowing that Alice would take over their future wedding regardless if they were engaged or not. Her ears perked up as she heard Emmett tapping the microphone at the front of the reception.

"Hi, um, is this thing on? Hello?"

Everyone gathered around, sitting down at their respective tables. Rory sat between Jasper and Stella as Emmett continued:

"I'd like to propose a toast," Emmett declared, raising his glass of champagne. "To my new sister. Bella, I hope you've gotten enough sleep these last eighteen years because you won't be getting anymore for a while."

Rory's eyes widened to the size of bowling balls as she choked on her own laughter. From the corner of her eye, she watched Charlie chug down the rest of his champagne after hearing Emmett's toast.

Once Emmett was done, Jessica Stanley went forward. "Well, Bella was just like everybody else. Totally mesmerized by Edward," Jessica started. "Or 'the Hair' as I called him. And then, suddenly, Edward is all about Bella... even though she's not the captain of the volleyball team." She smiled at the small wave of laughter that came from the guests. "I'm just kidding... or the president of the student council."

"Oh my God," Stella whispered to Rory, "I wish I could get drunk right now."

"Oh... my God, oh my God, oh my God," Rory repeatedly whispered as Charlie went up to the microphone. "This is gonna be so good."

Charlie sighed as he stood before the microphone. "Edward will be a good husband. I know this because I'm a cop. I know things," Charlie stated. "Like how to hunt someone to the ends of the Earth. And I know how to use a gun."

Stella and Rory exploded with giggles. They truly were like children in an amusement park that evening.

"Now that you're my sister, you'll have to get over your aversion to fashion," Alice said. "Skirts, heels, handbags... I mean, I'm happy for you two and all, but I'm happier to have Bella as a sister... partly because I'll have another person to dress up."

Next, was Renée, who was extremely close to crying as she horrifically sang, "Go to sleep, my love. Go to sleep. When you wake, you'll see me."

Stella turned to Rory with her jaw dropped. "Dude!" she whispered to her friend. "That's the woman who kicked you out at 14?" Rory nodded, practically wheezing from keeping herself from laughing obnoxiously loudly. "Maybe it was for the best."

This caused Jasper to snort from beside his girlfriend. Next was Esme, who kept her words short and sweet, "I'd like to thank Renée and Charlie for bringing Bella into the world and our lives. We will cherish and protect her forever."

Of course, it wasn't until after her toast when Jasper whispered into Rory's ear, "We all had to convince her it would be a bad idea to call out Renée for what she did to you." This had Rory laughing even harder. God, she loved Esme.

See, there were speeches that were short, classy, and simple like Esme's, and then there were speeches like Rory's.

Bella Cullen leaned forward to whisper to her sister across the table. "Please don't embarrass me," pleaded the blushing bride.

Rory placed a hand over her non-beating heart. "I'm offended you'd think I'd ever do something like that," she teased. She shot Bella a wink before making her way to the microphone.

The Manipulator had still been giggling from her side-bar conversations with Stella and Jasper when she went onstage. Well, Jasper had just been listening to the girls' banter quietly, but he chimed in with a comment of his own every so often.

Microphone in hand, Rory flashed a big smile at the crowd. "Hi, everyone. I'm Rory, Bella's big sister and her best friend in the entire world" she greeted with a little wave. She snickered when she noticed Bella's cheeks turn scarlet. "Speeches aren't really my thing. They remind me too much of monologuing, but I worked really hard on this one just for my baby sister and Edward, also known as my favorite person to terrorize."

Rory cleared her throat as everyone laughed quietly at the charismatic girl. She giggled to herself, almost too excited about her speech.

"Now, contrary to popular belief, this isn't Bella's first marriage," began Rory. Everyone looked around in surprise, allowing her to clarify, "When we were kids, B and I used to have some pretty crazy stuffed animal weddings. All I'm gonna say about that is Eddie, you've got some serious competition." Laughter roared from the crowd as Rory went on. "In all seriousness, I'm really happy for Bella and Edward. What can I say? I'm impressed with this match. Bella, I'm glad you've found someone who loves you almost as much as me. Edward, if you ever try to break my sister's heart, I promise you that my joke-threats won't be very funny anymore." She finished her speech with an innocent smile as everyone laughed together.

Next, was Edward.

"It's an extraordinary thing to meet someone who you can bear your soul to," Edward started, his eyes stuck on his newly wedded wife. "And who will accept you for what you are. I've been waiting what seems like a very long time to get beyond what I am. And, with Bella, I feel like I can finally begin. So I'd like to propose a toast to my beautiful bride. No measure of time with you will be long enough, but let's start with forever."

Between heartwarming speeches, dance battles involving Jasper and Rory versus Alice and Stella, Alice catching the bouquet, and chatting with one very drunk Charlie Swan, it seemed like the wedding uniting Mr. and Mrs. Cullen was a complete success.

Even after the guests sent Mr. and Mrs. Cullen off to their honeymoon, smiles were seen all around.

Rory turned to Jasper at the end of the night, his hands in hers. "Everything is just so perfect," admitted Rory as the night began to settle down. "My sister's happy, my dad's drunk, and I have you."

Jasper smiled down at the girl of his dreams. "I don't think I've ever seen you this giddy before. Do weddings always do this to you?" he wondered.

Rory leaned into his chest. "I've only been to two weddings in my life, but I can happily confirm yes," admitted Rory. "I just love weddings."

"And I love you."

Rory smiled, kissing him once more.

She really felt like she was living her best life. Nothing could bring her down, not after everything she'd been through for the past nearly nineteen years.

Rory was sure of it.

Revised: January 7th, 2020