Alice had been on edge for the past month or so. Her visions had been so hazy like static, and not having her sight frustrated her to no end. As much as she tried not to take out her vexation on the rest of the family, they didn't really have a choice in the matter with her being around Jasper all the time, and in turn, him being around them. Then entire Cullen coven knew something was coming, something big; and they honestly had no idea what the something would be. However, they didn't expect all the odd stares and whispers when they returned to school from their five day, full of bright sunshine weekend. It beat the 1946 record of 3 days of continuous sunlight in Forks….minus the cloudy periods here and there.
But all the same, yes, there were always the looks and occasional human amazement at their inhumane looks. There always would be, but for the humans in Forks to regress to their behavior in the first few weeks of the Cullen's arrival was strange. What really got them were the whispers….
I never knew he had it in him….
Edward Cullen is my new hero….
Man, I really feel sorry for him….
If they have chicks that hot in Vegas….
The Cullen's aren't so perfect after all...
He isn't gay! Maybe I still have a chance…
"What are they talking about?" Emmet whispered, looking around.
"I don't know!" Alice snapped. Jasper immediately began tending to her.
"Relax, Alice. He wasn't directing that question towards you."
"But I should know, Jazz. How am I supposed to do my job without my skills?" He put his hand on her shoulder as they continued to walk through the parking lot and into the building.
"Edward, I've caught your name more than a few times." Rosalie intoned for the first time, since their arrival to school. When he didn't respond she looked over at him. All at once they all zeroed in on the bothered and slightly alarmed expression on his face.
"What is it, Edward?" Jasper asked sensing his unease.
"I can't…..I can't see what they're thinking," he replied squinting harder, which didn't go unnoticed by the students.
Boy, he must already be feeling the frustration….
How romantic…
"What do you mean you can't hear the humans? You can't read their minds?" Rosalie snapped, her aggravation beginning to show. Edward rolled his eyes in annoyance at actually hearing his handicap out loud.
"Not exactly," He mumbled. They waited for him to continue
"Well?!" Edward stopped, running a pale hand through his messy bronze hair.
"I can hear what they're thinking but I can't see what they see. It's as if….like I'm mentally blind." And cue the full blown freak-out.
"What do you mean you're malfunctioning?" Emmet asked looking around, Edward snarled in response.
"Your tact always surprises me Emmet."
"Don't get an attitude with him, because you're the one having problems!" Rose jumped in to defend her mate.
"Guys, calm down. We're making a scene. They're really starting to stare now," Jasper appealed, sending waves of calm towards his agitated siblings.
"As if that wasn't what they were doing before. Shut up, Jasper; and stop it," Rose sneered.
"Don't talk to him like that. He's only trying to help!" Alice defended.
"Oh really?! And how is making us all feeling like a bunch of stoned hippies supposed to help? We are defenseless and something is going on that we don't know about! I'm not going to sit back and watch our cover be blown just because you want me to calm down!" Rose hissed, glaring dangerously at Alice.
"Rose…"
"No, Emmet," She argued, "I've had enough of this. First Alice and now Edward?" He looked down as she said his name.
"Oh, stop acting like this is all about you! You aren't the one who has to suffer because, literally, piece of you is not working properly," Alice remarked bitterly. They continued to go at each, and Edward was about to throw in his two cents before things really got out of hand when he felt someone's eyes boring into the back on his head. He slowly, to avoid his siblings noticing, turned to look behind him. The feeling immediately left. Besides the obsessed student population in the hall, no one was looking intensely enough to match what he'd felt a second ago….someone had definitely been there though. His mind scanned the hall again. The thoughts were even more muted than they were before. He could only grasp at whispers, none of which were any different from what he'd been hearing.
Man, I wish I could be him….
The Cullen's don't look to happy…
Haha, trouble in paradise…
Vegas….
That was the second time Vegas was mentioned. Deciding to keep the strange feeling to himself, he turned back to his opposing siblings who were starting to get out of hand.
"Guys, cool it," He commanded with finality.
"Edward –
"Seriously, Rose. Take a look around. The last thing we need is to draw more unwanted attention. We need to figure out what to do." He sighed with frustration, running another hand through his forever untamed bronze locks. Rosalie snapped her mouth shut grudgingly and took a breath. They all avoided each other's eyes from the sheer tension of it all.
"And what do you think we should do, Edward?" Emmet asked, eager to get move the conversation along.
"We definitely need to figure out what's going on here. I'm thinking that whatever was messing up Alice has turned its attention to me as well."
"No shit, Sherlock. We need to leave, now. We have no idea what's going on and no way of knowing. This is officially enemy territory and we're defenseless. We need to talk to Carlisle and Esme and figure out our attack and defense plan." Rose opined.
"While I agree that we need to figure out a plan, this is still our territory. I think we can find out more if we stay here. Whoever or whatever this is, they want to mess with us before actually acting; make us turn our unease and frustration towards each other. I more than willing to bet that there's still time for our anger to simmer and explode," Jasper observed.
"I agree with Jazz. We need to collect more evidence. Something or someone is here. Did you get anything from their thoughts Edward?" He was leaning a locker when he replied.
"For some reason, they seem to be centered around me and….Vegas?" His uncertainty didn't help sway Rose's decision and only served to puzzle them more.
"What the hell does Vegas have to do with any of this?" Emmet questioned out loud what they were all thinking.
"Exactly my point! We've got nothing to go on. Who's to say we won't be picked off during the day. There would be no way to know between Alice being vision-less, and Ray Charles over here." Emmet chuckled despite himself and the group's mood.
"Good one, babe."
"Well we'll just have to take a vote then," Alice decided. "All for running for cover, raising your hand." Rose rolled her eyes at Alice's phrasing but held her hand up all the same. Emmet's followed.
"All against?" Jasper continued after a second. He and Alice's hands went up together. Everyone then turned to Edward, waiting for the deciding vote. He hesitated for a second.
"I think my powers are well enough to be alerted in case anything happens." Rose huffed loudly.
"I hope your sorry asses get offed first!" With that she turned on her heel and stalked in the direction of her first class, Emmet waving to them behind her. The three remaining Cullens turned to each.
"The bell is about to ring. Keep your eyes peeled," Alice warned. They went their separate ways through the nearly vacated hallway.
The day pretty much continued the same way, non-revealing thoughts about Edward and Vegas. He halfway wished that he were in Vegas. Then he could be avoiding the whole situation and the muted anxiety in his chest. Whoever this person was, and they'd definitely figured out that it was in fact a person, couldn't stop the Forks High from gossiping and whispering excitedly about the new "student." However details seemed to be lacking in some way, almost like the teachers and student body were keeping some large secret and were talking their way around the true subject.
It was girl…..a good looking, or in the words of hormonal teenage boys, a smoking hot girl. The Cullen children were more than willing to bet that the "smoking hottie" was their culprit and a vampire like them. However, they'd all failed to see or even glimpse this person at all during their first few classes, and this fact clouded their minds as they collected the props for their lunch charade.
They had been sitting at their table in silence for about 10 minutes when it was like someone pushed the unmute on a remote. Alice and Edward simultaneously inhaled sharply as one was assaulted with various visions and the other with the thoughts of every person in the school. She was everywhere, in everyone's thoughts, and subconscious. The remaining siblings quickly jumped to attention at the turn of events, asking what was wrong. Edward quickly pushed down the blaring thoughts that he hadn't realized weren't there and whipped his head to a table about 8 feet away. Even though there were people between them, Edward could see her clearly surround by people like Jessica Stanley, Mike Newton, and Tyler Crowley.
"Bella, Edward Cullen is really looking at you," Jessica whispered excitedly in disbelief, if not enviously. A pale head of long, curly chestnut tresses, turned agonizingly slow towards the Cullen table. A smirk graced her full red lips. Suddenly, the pass month was no longer a mystery to Edward, and he wondered how he'd been fooled so easily.
"Who is that?" Emmet asked. All heads were now looking at the girl who's golden eyes were filled with mirth.
"Isabella Mason. She started here on Friday." Alice replied almost immediately having recovered from the full on attack of visions that had been held at bay.
"How did we not notice her before, like at all," Jasper questioned a little dumbfounded.
"What is her mind saying, Edward?" Rosalie asked not taking her eyes of the girl who seemed to be focused solely on Edward and he on her.
"Edward?" Alice asked beginning to worry before he abruptly rose from his chair. They buzzed with tension as they noticed Bella do the same and began making her way over to their table with slow measured steps, the smirk never leaving her face.
"Stay here," Edward murmured absentmindedly.
"What?!" They all but shouted.
"There is no way we are going to let you go anywhere with her alone!" Alice piped.
"Yea bro, this is pretty stupid, even for you," Emmet added. "How do we know she hasn't got you under some kind mind control?" He asked waving his hands around his head. Edward looked back at them and the resignation in his eyes made them pause.
"I assure you that I am under no sort of mind control. Please just trust me and stay here. We'll be in the parking lot; I'll call if I need any kind of help." He looked at them for only a moment more before making his way through the now silent cafeteria and following the brown haired girl out of the door.
Edward's grip slipped from the steering to pinch the bridge of his nose. They'd been sitting silently in car for some minutes now. His patience was wearing thinner by the second.
"Are you going to say something?"
"Nice car," she replied almost instantly.
"Bella…"
"Yes, Edward," she answered turning to look as his wary features full on.
"…What are you doing here?" Bella pouted.
"Is that really any way to treat your –
"Why are you here, Isabella!" Edward snapped, his patience gone. Her playfulness melted to match his more serious demeanor.
"I missed you," She looked at him for before turning her gaze to her clasped hands. He stared at her in disbelief.
"Bella…" He sighed. "You show up here, unannounced, with your flare for dramatics, making me and my family freak out; and you say it's because you missed me. Try again."
"What do you mean 'try again?" Bella cried with outrage, flinging the car door open and stepping. Edward was right behind her.
"You wouldn't just show up out of the blue. We both know that, so there must be –
"Shut your mouth!" She commanded vehemently. He gawked at her anger. "They are coming, Edward! I have held them off our trail for as long I could! While you get to stay in places for longer than a month, enjoying the company of your family, I have to move frequently, silently, and alone. I'm tired of it all…I'm your wife, Edward!" Her fury melted away to uncensored yearning. "I want to be with you, and I know before I just wanted it to be the two us, but now I want to finally meet your family and become a part of it. And not just because I'm married to you, but because they want me." Edward stared at her as the yearning turned into disappointment. Bella continue staring out at the parking lot.
"But I guess this was a mistake."
"Bella—
"Don't worry about it." Bella pushed herself off the car, but before she could get away, Edward was at her side with a tight grip on her wrist.
"That's not what I meant, Bella."
"Let go of me! I said I'll leave you and your family alone, so just-
"NO, Isabella! You don't get to play the hurt card that makes me out to be the bad guy." Long suppressed anger and frustration bubbled its way to the surface unnoticed. "You left me, remember, not the other way around. You ran off to deal with them by yourself. I searched for you, Bella. I searched for years to find you and turned up empty had every time. You can't expect me to just accept your reappearance without any qualms or questions!"
"I left for us, Edward – for you! I had to protect you." Bella pleaded
"We were supposed to be in it together; at least that's what I thought our marriage vows meant." Edward spat. He really couldn't stop himself, even as Bella flinched like she'd been physically hit. "Or maybe our life together wasn't something you could get used to since it wasn't your usual standard of living; or maybe it was just me! Did you ever even love m—
Edward was cut off by the sharp pain Bella's fist left. Her rage had returned.
"Don't you dare, do you hear me, DARE finish that sentence. I get that you're angry, furious even, I do; but don't you ever doubt how I felt for you and what I still feel for you and what I will always feel for only you. You don't get to do that, not after what I've sacrificed."
"What you've sacrificed?" Edward murmured incredulously while nursing his jaw. Bella step away from him, her ire once again flicking off like a switch and giving way to a sorrow that made Edward's stomach churn. He looked away from her as she brokenly whispered her next words.
"Would you let me die knowing you were the sole cause? Could you really be that selfish, Edward? I couldn't, not when your life is at stake."
They had reached an impasse; neither willing to budge on their opinion or admit that the other may have had a point. After a few minutes of silence, Bella spoke again, eyes on her husband who had yet to spare her a single glance
"Look, I'm sorry for coming here the way I did. I honestly don't know what I was expecting," she laughed bitterly at the ground trying to keep her face from scrunching up, "but it wasn't fair to you and I'll make sure to fix everything before I go, ok?" She glimpsed Edward's face hoping for some sort of response, but when he continued to gaze at the trees across the street, she turned and walked away.
"Stay." Edward couldn't believe what he'd just uttered. He couldn't believe he was doing this after the pain she'd left for him. Emmet was right, he was a masochist; but as he watched her back walk away from him again he couldn't help but say the word that would make her stop midstride and whirl around to face him. He searched her face, not knowing what he was looking for.
"Stay," his voice stronger the second time….He could let go of everything for a little bit. He wasn't sure what he found in her eyes, but he knew he still loved her; it was impossible for him not to. He would allow himself to have her for a little while, and when he got his fill, he would let her go; but as Bella ambled over to him and hesitantly pressed herself against his chest, her scent filled his nose. Her rich chestnut locks obscured his vision. He could breathe again. Edward wasn't so sure if he'd ever get enough. He slowly, unsurely wrapped his arms around her tightly and took her in before they were startled apart.
"Edward!" They both jumped at the sound of his name from his approaching siblings.
"What's going on, Edward? How do you know her?" Jasper asked taking lead.
It looked like he more than just knew her, to me.
He pushed Bella behind him before throwing a glare in Emmet's direction.
"I told you guys to stay at the table. I had the situation under control."
"Yes, we can obviously see that. Now answer the question. What's it going on!" Leave it to Rosalie to get everyone angry.
"You two know each other?" Jasper probed, getting straight to the point. Edward's brothers and sister looked at him keenly, waiting for his answer. He glared silently, conveying that he had no intention of answering any of their questions, especially that one. Luckily for him, Bella was not averse to doing so, and pushed around him. She smiled nervously, glancing at them all.
"Bella –
She held out her hand to them.
"I'm Bella, Edward's wife."
"WHAT?!"
"YOU'RE NOT A VIRGIN?!"
A/N: Okay so I've always been obsessed with idea of Edward having a secret wife, lover that his family didn't know about and here's my take on it.
Is it completely garbage? Worth continuing? Please leave me a review and let me know! Flames are accepted, but constructive criticism is appreciated.
Extreme Editing 8/6/15