A Clear Cloudy Night
Notice from the Author: I have not yet read Eclispe (I will by the time New Year's rolls around) so, some of the content might not flow with the story line. (Actually the story will most likely NOT change when I do read it.) I usually hate AU's but I thought this one might be unique. It's not completely AU, though. So, let's begin!
Summary: He was labeled insane for the better part of his life. Now Robert Brok is going to prove them wrong, starting in the town of Forks. He's going to prove that vampires do exist and he collects coven of vampires. Can Bella and the Cullens handle this? What about the werewolves and Victoria? What about a stranger that seems to know Edward and visa versa? Bella x Edward
Rating: PG-13 (or Teen) for blood, guts, gore, minimal cursing and Emmett's comments about Edward's sexual repression (hehe)
If I owned it, why would it be here?
"Have you ever seen that movie Contact?" asks Edward, casually.
"Yeah, why?"
"See that star?"
Bella rolls her eyes. "Yep, I know exactly which one you're talking about." There are billions upon billions of stars out. It's a very clear night, especially for the town of Forks, where clouds dominate the suns and skies nearly everyday. But tonight is different, so Edward and Bella are taking advantage of the clear skies and star gazing in their favorite meadow.
"Bella, be serious."
"Sorry, Edward." She sits up straight and gives him her full attention, "Now, which star are you talking about?"
He smirks and puts his face next to hers. Her heart falls out of rhythm for a moment, especially when his hand rests on her other cheek. He turns her head with his head and hand and points out the direction and star he wants her to seek.
"See 'Vega'?" he says. He points to bright star almost hidden by the tall evergreens.
"Wow," she pauses a moment then continues, "I didn't know it was actually a star."
He chuckles, "Silly Bella."
She breaks away from his grip, looking at him skeptically. He looks back surprised.
"No Bella, there is no alien life forms on that star." He laughs harder. Her skeptical look turns annoyed.
"Come on, Bella, you know you can't stay annoyed with me. You've already tried twice today."
She knows why he's in such high spirits. He has finally hunted to his heart's content. Before he was "living" on very meager rations of blood, becoming cranky and steadily weaker. He refused to go hunting especially since Alice and Jasper left on a vacation after Graduation. They had gone to tour the jungles of Southeast Asia. With two less members of the family, it took nearly a month for Carlisle to convince Edward to go hunting. When Edward returned this morning he was very happy that Bella had not found a way to hurt herself and that Victoria did not attack.
She lets it slide.
"Fine, fine, fine you win," she says.
He laughs and then smiles at her, her favorite crooked smile. She smiles back and with no further ado, she places herself in his lap. His arms wrap protectively around her.
"I love you, Bella."
"I love you, too," she replies, very content, "How long can we stay like this?"
"As long as you want," murmurs Edward in her ear.
"You shouldn't have said that," says Bella playfully.
"And why not?"
"Because I could stay like this forever."
He merely chuckles in response and holds her closer. He had spent the better part of their last high school year together trying to prove to Bella that he won't leave. He already knows he doesn't deserve her love, despite what she says. He had also been tactfully avoiding the subject of her change. He couldn't see why see she wants to be a vampire and he doesn't want to rob her of her human life. Despite his deviating, his family has already decided when and where she's going to change. She was due to change in a month, in Alaska, fairly close to the clan in Denali. He softly sighs at the thought, though too quietly for Bella to hear.
"Edward, look. If you put that group of stars together, it looks like a dog sitting down."
It's Edward's turn to look skeptical, but nonetheless he follows her gaze and sure enough the group of stars she's pointed to does look like a dog.
"It's very clear, too," muses Edward.
"Heh, they should make that a constellation," she says.
"I agree." Then he pauses for moment and gingerly asks, "Do you like dogs?"
"Like what kind of dogs?" she asks carefully in response.
Edward audibly sighs. She went to the exact direction that he doesn't want to go. She flinches in response to his sigh.
"I meant the domestic kind." She still watches him warily. "Like pets."
"Oh!" she exclaims. "Yeah I do. I like cats also. But my favorite dog is the American Eskimo." She pauses, "What about you?"
"I like those dogs, too," he says.
"Are you serious? You don't strike me as dog person," she points out.
"Neither do you," he argues, "You strike me as a cat person."
"Well, I said I liked cats, but I like that dog more."
She pauses and muses quietly to herself, "I suppose I could get one, but where am I going to find the money and…"
"You really like that dog, don't you?" he asks, extremely careful to avoid the word "want". Ideas had long ago planted themselves in his head.
But she's already suspicious, "Yes, why?"
He smiles softly at her, "You're adorable when you talk about it." His eyes melt her heart and all her suspicions.
"I hate it when your eyes do that."
He laughs, "Do you?"
"Yes! It makes it that much harder to stay mad at you," she says. He laughs again.
He then repositions her on his lap to make her face him. His eyes dazzle her.
"Are you still mad?" he asks, eyes scorching.
Her thoughts hit a train wreck. "It's utterly impossible to think when you do that."
He chuckles.
"But I'm not mad enough not to kiss you," she says and presses her lips on his.
"I like it when you're like this," he says before kissing her again.
Just as she starts to lie down, Edward stiffens. He had sensed very minor changes in the atmosphere. It's enough to make him alert, cautious, almost scared.
"Edward?" she whispers, hardly hiding the fear in her voice. It's never a good thing to see Edward extremely alert.
"Shh," he whispers back, trying to comfort her. Instinct soon tells Edward to leave, but he hears them, their thoughts.
-'They're here.'
'I can taste her blood already.'
'Bella is mine.
"Let's go," he says urgently. Bella looks at him questionably, but gets up and both head for the forest. By now Edward smells them and their thoughts are louder.
-'How far do they think they can go? There's nowhere to hide.'
Edward, I know you can hear me. Are you scared? I can smell that you're the only one with her. She's mine, Edward. Of course, you can understand, right? You're a vampire. Mate for mate, right?
She smells heavenly…
"Edward?" she whispers, "What's coming?" She doesn't bother to hide her fear anymore. He puts her on his back without breaking stride. Then he answers, "Victoria, and two others. They won't get you, I promise. Besides I promised Charlie that I would get you home."
He's running full speed, now.
She tightens her grip on his neck.
It's too late.
He hears the crunching of leaves shortly before she does and soon she sees three vicious vampires. One, Victoria, looks at her murderously and the others, both males, look at her the same way a child would look at a cake when he's hungry. One male is more slender with midnight black hair, the other is visibly stronger with hair like honey. Edward growls fiercely, still running.
Victoria laughs bitterly, "Now, Edward, is that really necessary? Look around you." She pauses and lets out a fake sigh, "Three to one. Doesn't seem like you have much chance do-"
Victoria quickly stands up after being punched down; she growls clearly irritated. Edward has stopped running and placed Bella protectively between him and a large, yet green, tree. Only Bella notices how green the tree is, in some small detached part of her mind.
"That was very rude of me," says Edward in mock politeness, his expression hard, "Do let me make amends."
Victoria laughs hard, mocking Edward back, though Edward seems unfazed by her laughter. The other two males join in her harsh humor.
"Who the hell do you think you are!?!" cries out Victoria.
"It doesn't matter," says one of the males, the one with honey hair.
The other one growls moves close to Bella and Edward, too close for either's comfort. Edward snarls and snaps at him, teeth exposed. The male who spoke first joins the game seeing how close he can get to Bella before Edward snaps at him.
Bella watches, thoroughly terrified. She is fully aware that Edward hasn't stopped growling since the black-haired male started the attack. She wants to run, run far away. But her feet won't obey her and Edward is blocking all exits and entrances with his arms, which are pinned on either side of her. She's fully grateful for this, knowing full well that eventually she would have instinctively run for cover. Yet she's so scared…
"Edward," Bella whispers feebly and pathetically. She wants to know he's all right, that somehow they'll be safe.
"Bella," Edward whispers back. Then so swiftly that her eyes don't register the movement, Edward turns and holds her close, his back to their attackers, trying to chase away the fears deep inside, trying desperately to comfort her, because to know that she's all right, is everything.
Victoria watches them angrily, remembering how James used to hold her when she was scared. Remembering James makes her furious. She quickly walks up to the pair, ignoring the other males trying to irritate Edward, and digs her nails in his back dragging them down to the waistline, all the while watching the clothes and pale skin beneath them break and rip, but no blood floods out the vampire, and listening to Edward's hiss of pain. Edward takes care not to hurt Bella as he spins around to face Victoria. Victoria nods to the others and Bella feels sick. She's sure that they going to be more serious and kill them now.
The males now openly attacked Edward, very strategically. One would punch or kick or smack Edward while the other stayed very near to Bella, too close for Edward to attack his attacker and leave Bella unguarded for even a moment. Victoria would join this sick game. Then Bella realizes this is game.
A very sick and cruel game.
Bella watches the males and Victoria attack Edward again and again. Each movement so swift, she can't register it. Yet, every now and then Edward would let out a hiss or moan of pain. A white hand breaks her broken thoughts, moving past Edward's arms closer and closer to Bella…
Edward snaps at the offending hand, not a moment too soon. With bared teeth he faces the owner of the hand, Victoria smiling wickedly at them both. Edward moves his body closer to Bella's completely blocking from view, leaving himself as the only target. Finally someone speaks above the snarls and growls.
"Pry him away and hold him still," Victoria says, "I want him to watch this," then more quietly, "I want him to suffer."
Bella holds on to Edward tight, now frozen in fear. She can feel tears roll down her face as she watches and hears Edward's almost futile struggles against two males. Almost.
With a last bout of energy, Edward snarls and swiftly grabs the black haired male and throws him into the other male, hard enough to send both flying in the air and land five meters away (a little more than fifteen feet) and to leave both dazed momentarily.
The next action surprises Bella.
He staggers. Bella knows for certain that if he were human he would have fainted. Fear for their lives replaces itself with concern for Edward, and Bella tries to comfort him.
"Edward," she says, her voice holds no trace of fear, "We're okay. We're okay." The more she says it, the more she believes it, but not Edward. His eyes are fixed on Victoria. Victoria, with a victorious smile in place, walks over to Edward and stops when they are mere inches apart. Edward instinctively growls and tenses, though the logical part of his mind knew better. A small display of aggression is not enough to ward off a very angry vampire, intent on killing. The males come behind her smiling. They all think the same: 'This is over, give up.'
Until something changes.
Bella doesn't know what happened, but Edward starts to relax and Victoria and her small band tenses up.
"Edward?" She looks up questioningly. Then she hears it, the screeching tires, hurried footsteps, angry growling noises that sound vaguely familiar.
"Get back!" shouts an angry voice. Emmett's angry voice.
He and Rosalie rush rapidly to Edward's aid. Both stand protectively in front of him and force the three vampires back.
Victoria only takes a half a step forward before Emmett grabs her, picks her up, and slams her into the other males and slams her head in the ground. Rosalie picks up Bella and runs to the car. Once safe in the car, Bella weakly asks Rosalie, "Are they okay?"
"Don't worry about them, they'll be fine," she says distractedly, clearly worried about Emmett.
Suddenly and swiftly Rosalie turns her head sharply to meet her brother and her mate. Emmett arrives first, then Edward, moving slowly and carefully. Bella feels tears rising, but whether for relief of their safety or Edward's weakened form (or perhaps both) she does not know. She hears Rosalie mutter something unintelligible, but it sounds close to concern for her brother. When Edward and Emmett make it in the car, Bella sobs. Softly at first, but gradually they grow louder and louder as she takes in Edward's injuries.
"Shh, Bella," Edward whispers. Bella quickly takes her place in Edward's lap, sobbing in his chest, unaware that the car has already started and on the highway.
"I'm alright," he says again, trying to calm her down, "Shh, shh, it's okay, I'm alright. Everything is okay. Victoria is heading out of Forks as we speak. It's okay."
"I was so scared," whispers Bella between sobs, "She was…and you were…you were…I was…she was going to kill…"
"She won't bother us for some time, Bella," says Edward soothingly, "Please don't cry, Bella." He wraps his arms closer around her and rests his head on her shoulder. "Bella, I wasn't ever going to let her get you."
"But what about you?" asks Bella as her voice breaks, "She just…"
"She was toying with us, just playing. Only toward the end was it serious," says Edward solemnly, "Bella, don't worry about it. It's already happened. And vampires heal quickly, I'll be perfectly fine soon, you'll see." He closes his eyes and breathes in her scent. The scent relaxes him, and he becomes less tense, finally allowing himself to let his guard down. Both stay close in a comfortable silence, while Emmett and Rosalie watch quietly. Rosalie smiles, she knows all will be well, if not in the near future, then in the end. She thinks it aloud to Edward, who in turn relaxes even more and holds Bella closer.
Emmett smiles, too. Edward will heal soon, probably two days for the skin on his back to completely close up and leave him scar less.
Everyone enjoys the peaceful ride, not knowing that this isn't even the beginning.
Whew! I finished Chapter One! Yay! I think I'm going to type a prologue to explain the title Moon River. It's a love song, sung by Andy Williams (it sounds best when he sings it). Moon River inspired the romantic part of this story. Contact is movie about aliens sending a message to earth to build a machine to visit them. Vega is the star the message comes from. Good movie, great build-up, but the ending isn't so great. Let me know what you think!