Two Ghosts {Leah Clearwater}

26: Something Old

"I thought I told you to get plenty of rest?" Alice scolded Bella when she arrived. Bella was seated in Alice's room, in front of the vanity where Pandora was just moments before Bella arrived. Alice had spent an hour making up Pandora, opting to let her hair fall over her shoulders as the girl usually put it up in a pony tail. Pandora was thankful that Alice kept her make-up natural and allowed Alice to put bright red lipstick on her lips. Alice all but shoved Pandora into the purple bridesmaid dress and heels to match. Pandora wanted to keep her flats on until she had to walk down the aisle, but Alice wanted the whole outfit on the maid of honor.

"Sorry," Bella sighed. "Bad dream. It's wedding jitters."

Pandora and Bella shared a look, and Pandora knew to not say anything about Bella's dream to Alice. Pandora was surprised when Rosalie walked in, a pleasant smile on her face. She knew about Rosalie's obvious distaste for Bella, and while Rosalie was never rude to Pandora, she knew that Rosalie wasn't fond of her either.

"Do you need help? I could do her hair."

"Really?" Bella asked Rosalie in disbelief.

Rosalie rolled her eyes before moving to stand behind Bella. "Please, I'm not offended by your choice in groom."

"Just my blatant lack of respect for humanity," Bella said dryly.

"Essentially," Rosalie nodded with a small smile on her face. Pandora watched the interaction in amusement, glad that when Bella was turned, there was some hope for her and Rosalie to get along.

"Weddings; they bring everyone together!" Alice grinned as she put her arm around Rosalie. The two started working on Bella, their hands blurring as they used their vampire speed to quicken the process.

"Alice! Bella!" Pandora sighed, hearing Bella's mother call them from the hallway. It wasn't that she didn't like Renee, she just was never close to her. Renee and Pandora's mother never saw eye to eye; Linda never thinking Renee was good enough for her brother. And when Renee left Charlie, Linda felt like her distaste for the woman was justified. Pandora knew that Renee would never hold her mother's feelings for her against her, Renee was too kind to do that, but it didn't stop her from feeling awkward around her aunt.

"In here mom!" Bella called. Renee appeared shortly, a small gasp leaving her mouth when her eyes landed on Bella.

"Oh my gosh! You're so beautiful!" Renee lifted her hands to her face, her eyes welling up with tears. Bella laughed lightly. "Crap my mascara."

Alice pulled out a tissue from what appeared to be thin air before offering it to Renee. The woman looked at Alice strangely for a moment before accepting it with a short thank you.

"Charlie get in here!" Renee called. Charlie appeared in the doorway after a moment.

"You sure? I don't wanna..." He gestured with his hand at them before walking into the room. He shared a smile with Pandora before turning his attention to his daughter. Bella stood up, raising her eyebrows at her dad. "I know, I look hot." Charlie shrugged casually, making Pandora snort.

"We thought you needed something blue," Renee said as Charlie stood next to her.

"And something old besides your mother." Charlie added, earning him a nudge from Renee. Charlie opened the velvet box he had in his hand, revealing a small hair piece, decorated with saphires. Bella gently grabbed the piece, looking at it in awe. "It was your Grandma Swan's."

"But we added the sapphires," Renee said excitedly.

"Wow, you guys, it's beautiful." Bella handed it to Alice as she sat down, letting her put it in her hair.

"It's your first family heirloom." Renee said wistfully. "You can pass it onto your daughter, and her daughter..." She trailed off, her voice quivering as she teared up again. Pandora watched as Bella shared a look with Alice. Pandora sighed, knowing all to well that that heirloom was going to end with Bella. Shifting on her feet, Pandora walked behind the group, sneaking out of the room to let Renee help Bella into her wedding dress. Before she could make it to the stairs, she heard her uncle call her name. Turning, Pandora watched as her uncle pull a small box from his pocket before handing it to her.

"I thought the bride was the only one allowed to get gifts," Pandora joked.

"I found it while going through some old things to find that hair barrette for Bella." Charlie explained. Pandora frowned in confusion, taking the box and opened it. She didn't know what to say when she saw the ring in the box. It was simple, only a band, but it was twisted and turned into different designs around it, little diamonds fitting in here and there on the band. "It was your Grandma Swan's before she gave it to your mother. When it stopped fitting your mother, she put it away with some of your grandmother's old things. She wanted to give it to you, but I guess she never got around to it."

Pandora felt her chin wobble, blinked rapidly to prevent any tears from falling. She looked up at her Uncle, who was watching her with a soft look on his face. "It's beautiful."

"Listen, kid. I know I'm not the most affectionate guy, but you know I'll support you no matter what, right?"

Pandora frowned, "of course. Is everything alright."

Charlie scrunched his eyebrows, a sign that he was uncomfortable. "Are you and Leah... I mean I noticed that you spend a lot of time with her and I've seen your face when you talk about her..."

"Yeah," Pandora interrupted, sparing her Uncle from rambling. "We're together." She pressed her lips together, watching her Uncle's reaction carefully.

"Okay, that's what I thought." Charlie took a breath, nodding. "I didn't want to assume. It's just with Bella getting married... I want you to know that no matter who you get married to, I want to be there for you in whatever way you need me to. You've been through alot, Dora. I just want you to be happy. We're a family, and families stick together, you know?"

Pandora felt a fresh wave of tears sting her eyes as she pulled her Uncle into a tight hug. She'd always thought about coming out to her Uncle, but because of his awkward nature, she didn't want to make things uncomfortable between them. Having him reach out to her like this, giving her a ring that belonged to her grandmother and her mother after her, it made Pandora extremely happy.

"Thank you, Uncle Charlie. When I get married, I'd like you to be the one to give me away." Pandora pulled away, smiling at the look of content on her Uncle's face. Charlie nodded awkwardly, and Pandora knew it was time to change the subject as her Uncle didn't know how to react to the affection. "I should go make sure everything's running smoothly. I'll catch up with you later."

Charlie nodded, letting his niece disappear down the stairs. Pandora smiled as she looked at the ring again, taking it out of the box and slipped it onto her finger. She was surprised by how perfectly it fit, and felt a wave of warmth overcome her. She felt elated, and that feeling only increased when she saw Leah walk into the house, Seth, Sue, and Billy trailing behind her.