Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its characters, they belong to Stephanie Meyer.
A/N: OK, after rather unconsciously suppressing ideas I started putting them on e-papers.
Thank you for reading. Please don't ditch this easily, be patient with the philosophers, we all keep one deep inside. Special thanks to Crackupmonkey, knows why.
Late Night Lessons.
"He That Is Without Sin Among You, Let Him First Cast a Stone", Jesus
Prologue
He slowly pushed the unbuttoned silk fabric of her gown aside and pressed his three middle fingers on the tender flesh near her heart. His eyes looked like pools of just distilled absinthe, liquid green and piercing. She felt that if he cried the tears would be green acid and would leave holes everywhere.
"You don't look beautiful,"
he whispered, leaning close to her just enough to ghost the air around he ear.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," she said back.
"I think I play this part for now. You still don't look beautiful."
"Then how do I look?"
"You . Look . Mine"
Chapter one : Emotional Sponsors
" ...and finally I would like to close this lecture with your help today." Professor Weber said leaving his seat and standing with one hand on the first row desk, loosing his tie and rolling his shirt sleeves up.
Bella had already put her notepad in her bag. It was the last seminar class of the week and she was already feeling exhausted. The seminars took place in Port Angeles and she had to drive from and back to Forks almost every afternoon for the last three weeks. She could barely keep her head up when Prof. Weber started talking in a less formal way.
"First of all thank you all for participating. The fact that you attended the full circle of my philosophy seminars automatically makes you my heroes. I expected most of you to ditch me. The fact that from the 30 who have subscribed as participants, 5 of them are here is a triumph. I am really honored and believe me when I say this. I myself ditched in a similar course."
"So I would like to share with you an information straight out of the stock market," Prof. Weber said and half seated on the first row desk.
Five pairs of eyes were looking at him curiously.
"The guy is a philosophy teacher, what is his deal with the stock market?" Bella thought.
"Maybe he remembered philosophers actually were depending on others for leaving, and he is one of those secret gamblers who teaches during the day," she almost laughed inside.
"Sometimes we are so absorbed in our selves, we can hardly see anything except them," he continued in a calm tone.
"We try to "organize" a life with physical and emotional security . The need to protect this "security"usually leads us literally to search for "sponsors". Financial sponsors but also emotional ones. Those who can provide us the materials and services and those who will support us with advice...understanding...good words...love."
"So…?
He stood and approached the male student in the 2nd row.
"Any ideas about who could be a financial sponsor?" he asked him.
"Hm...a husband...a wife…family?" the guy answered.
"Anything else?" Weber asked the girl next to him.
"Er…parents...er... employers... possible friends?" she continued stuttering a bit.
"Good, what about emotional sponsors? Any ideas?" he asked and turned his face towards Bella and the other two students next to her.
"Hm...a husband...a wife…mother... father...child...siblings...friends...teachers..." the female next to Bella answered in an indifferent tone.
"Aha, so basically the same persons more or less. Tell me then, can a financial sponsor be an emotional one too?" Hesitantly they nodded in an affirmative mode.
"What about the other way, can an emotional sponsor be a financial too?"
"Yes... if he has the way to...? the other male student behind Bella spoke.
"What is he saying? There must be something wrong in all this," Bella thought just as Weber made another question looking directly at her.
"So IF he has the way to, meaning there is a possibility he cannot be a financial sponsor, while a financial sponsor can always be an emotional sponsor IF he wants to. Rather complicated?" he said and almost all off them suddenly seemed confused. Almost.
"OK, nice try professor," Bella thought and a smirk appeared on her face.
"A penny for your thoughts miss? I'm not a mind reader but I think you have something to share with us miss...?" Weber asked Bella smiling.
"Swan, it's Bella Swan," she answered and blushed. Quickly recovering from embarrassment, she started opening her thoughts.
"Well, a financial sponsor provides security based on wealth, on materials, on physical needs. An emotional sponsor provides security based on emotions which are more related with the mind and cannot be bought. That automatically cancels the meaning of the "emotional sponsor" since the word sponsor always has commercial value, he expects something in return. So there aren't emotional sponsors, just financial supporters, it's all about money." Bella stopped talking feeling almost relieved. Silence followed between the six of them.
"Excellent," Weber said loudly, clapping his hands.
"So, who can guarantee our emotional security Miss Swan IF our financial supporters cannot or do not want to?" he asked her, waiting like a wolf for his meal.
"Hm...em...the people who love and respect us, or...hm..." Bella suddenly looked anxious.
"Or the people who we love and respect ... without always expecting something for or from us." Weber finished her phrase in a serious tone.
"See people, there is not stock market about emotions, it is not all about the money. Our whole debate was based on a simple mistake, the actual definition of the word sponsor. I think we made a little philosophy here," Weber said and stood up.
"As you all know this was our last lesson of this course. Fall seminars are over. Thank you all for your patience. Your certificates will be ready in 2 weeks. I wish you all an interesting winter and "be safe," he finished and waved goodbye, dismissing them.
"Thank you... good buy," the small audience mumbled and all five off them started heading to the door when Weber called:
"Miss Swan could you please wait a moment?"
"Of course." Bella answered fully aware off the odd looks the other participants were giving her.
She approached the teacher's desk and waited.
"I must say I'm impressed, have you taken any courses about constructive development of thought in the past? Your answer was quite well formed," Weber commented will gathering papers in his briefcase.
"Hm, no but I read a lot." Bella answered embarrassed.
"I don't want to intrude or something but have you been in college, you look young."
It was exactly the answer she wanted to avoid. "Well I did go to college but did not finish yet, I have a year left , but...I'm engaged and we're thinking about staring a family soon , so... I have other priorities. Basically I work at the public employment agency in Forks."
"Oh, I see. What was your major if I may ask?" He sounded a little frustrated.
"Em, English. I'm extremely fond of 18nth century literature, although old fashioned for nowadays."
"Well I believe you have great potentials, hope to see you more in academic environments. Would you consider to teach if an opportunity opens? There are some voluntary programs I am supervising, simple staff, like high-school seminars but it's education so it's important despite the level."
"Charlie would be thrilled ..." Bella thought and answered :
"Hm, I will probably like to discuss it with my fiance but I think I enjoy the possibility already."
"Great." Weber responded enthusiastically. "Here is my card, call me anytime. I'm looking forward in working with you young lady. I'm sure your fiance must know you are too good to get wasted behind an office filling forms. I already have your contacts from the seminars. Would you mind if I call you in case something appears sooner?" Weber asked and stretched his arm to greet her.
"Thank you, that would be great, it's an honor anyway." Bella answered and excepted the hand shake smiling.
One hour later she was in her warm house preparing dinner for Jasper and a speech about the importance of voluntarism.
"The sooner I speak about this the better," she thought, just in time her tired fiance was passing outside the kitchen window in an obviously not very good mood.
"Maybe sooner is tomorrow," she made a mental noteand opened the door, pressing a smile through her lips.
The next morning found an extremely bored Bella sitting with a mug of fresh coffee on her desk. She had the card Prof. Weber had given her the previous night in front of her, debating about calling him or throwing it away.
Last night Jasper was not as thrilled as she was about the whole teaching matter. He was extremely busy as a high ranked detective for the police force. Although Forks was a small place, there was a police academy training camp, about 15 miles outside the town limits. Jasper was also working there usually till late in the afternoon. Teaching adults meant that Bella would have to be out of town and return late in the night. They would hardly see each other.
Bella never made a decision about that card that morning. Forks was a very small town. Everybody knew everybody, so an employment agency was not "that necessary". A note in the hospital, the school or the police station would be enough. What Bella mostly do was reading. So, when she heard the door opening, on a rather early hour for a potential customer, she was surprised.
Discreetly she turned left to see if the head employ - Ms Cope- was busy. The old lady was near retirement but she was always declaring that they would have to kick her out. She loved been there and talk to people. She was old but held the spirit. Bella on the other hand was a little shy and a bit antisocial despite her age, so she preferred to let her talk and just do mails, paperwork, typing, trivial stuff. Bella had no need to look twice, Mrs Cope was already ready to offer her services – and a cup of tea also.
She smiled and returned to reading. Withering Heights was a little hard choice but always a good one. While refilling her cup with coffee she unwillingly heard a part off the conversation between the man and Ms Cope.
"I'm sorry young man but there are qualifications you cannot respond to for almost any job available. Please, my colleague will help you fill the necessary profile and we will keep you informed if anything comes in. I have to be honest with you, it will mostly be part time manual labor type and underpaid. This is a small town," she told him in a warning tone.
Bella was speechless, it was the first time she ever heard the old lady speak in such a harsh tone.
"It's OK, as long as I get paid, I'll take anything," a velvety voice graced the air in the small room. She slowly turned her head to see the man.
He looked young and tall, over 6ft, with a nice physic, plain clothes, warned shoes. His hair seemed thoroughly disheveled and had a very unusual color, like dark copper. A duffel bag was lying on the floor beside him. He looked like he had just come back from a trip. Then he turned and she saw his face. If the color of his hair was unusual the color of his eyes was beyond any comparison . Green, like emerald green, and liquid like thick honey drops.
"Can I drink those?" Bella was enjoying so much the illusion she was seeing green everywhere as the man was heading towards her office.
"Hm, miss , I was told you would handle my paperwork," she heard him saying and immediately returned to a normal scale of things.
"Well , I need you to fill these forms, typical information, and give me every document you have concerning any form or level of education, or training, or special skill. Then we will set a complete file about who you are and what you can do for your future employers. You can use the desk next to the exit door to fill the forms undisturbed. Meanwhile I will take your documents to start setting the file. Do you have anything to ask me? Sir …" Bella stopped as soon as she realized that the man was looking directly in her mug . "Coffee? Maybe he wants some..." she thought.
"Edward, Edward Cullen," the man answered and breathed heavily like he could drink from that mug .
"Well, would you like a cup of coffee, you seem you need one, must have been on a trip."
She said looking towards the bag on the floor.
"Yes, you could say that. Well I would love a cup if it wouldn't be a problem, miss..."
"Isabella Swan, please help your self ," she told him and looked at the coffee machine next to the visitor's office. "Cute and kind..." She had already scanned most of the documents when she realized she did not see any phone number or his high school diploma.
"Mr Cullen could you add your high school diploma in the documents and give me your phone number ? It is necessary for..." but Bella never finished her last question. The most unexpected paper was in front of her eyes.
It was a confirmation paper that Mr Edward A. Cullen , 26 years old had just been released from prison. It had a yesterday date printed.
Bella slowly looked towards Edward, almost shocked. He was looking straight back at her. The kindness was long gone. He looked embarrassed ...ashamed...angry?
"Yes, well, now you know. By the way I don't have a phone yet ... or…address."
"What about ..." Bella almost stuttered.
"Never finished high school, so no papers, and the training I have usually does not involve acquiring official confirmations about it. So, I'm almost a virgin in everything about legal work Miss Swan. Now, can you stop looking at me like this and set that fucking file?"
A/N: Edward is a bad guy. Review and he will drop honey shots in your tea.