Author's note: And thus begins the coming-together of all parties. Wow, that sounded way too formal. Sounded better in my head - maybe I should have left it there. LOL This may seem like a bit of a filler chapter, but it sets the ground for a lot of things, so bear with me. We shall shortly return you to your regularly scheduled smut, romance, danger, and plot. Thank you for watching the Ages Channel, here on your demand at Fanfiction Net. :)
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She blinked as she awoke, stretching against his solid chest. Turning her head, she looked up into his gleaming golden eyes.
"Morning," she whispered, not wanting to break the tranquility of the moment.
"Morning," he whispered back. Leaning forward, he was about to touch his lips to hers when the alarm, glaringly loud, shattered the moment and the morning stillness like so much glass. Bella sighed and smacked the alarm clock.
"Whoever said 'saved by the bell' didn't know what they were talking about," she muttered, snuggling closer.
"Well, I don't know, Bella," he murmured teasingly. "I am a vicious, dangerous monster. Why, who knows what evil I could have coerced you into had we actually kissed." His tone was so sincere, his eyes anything but, that she laughed aloud.
"Yeah, 'cause I really need coercion." He kissed her quickly and pushed her to a sitting position.
"Go be human for a bit. I wanted to get to school early."
"Why? I don't." Bella grumped as she made her way into the bathroom.
"Because I want a good look at Newton before he heads off to class." She spat her toothpaste out and poked her head around the door.
"You're not going to do anything, are you?" He shook his head and she retreated, slightly relieved.
"I'm not planning to do anything. But if Jasper's impressions were solid, and they usually are, then I have to agree with his and Carlisle's interpretation that Newton may be on some sort of drugs. And I refuse to let him be a danger to you. So I'll turn him in." By that point she was rinsing her mouth, so she didn't reply until she walked back into the bedroom.
"But he'll know it was one of us," she pointed out. Edward smiled, and it wasn't totally kind.
"And he'll do...what, exactly? Act like an ass? Wait, he's already got that covered." Bella couldn't help but chuckle, though the subject bothered her. She dug in her closet, a bit more quickly than usual because she had a feeling Alice would be showing up any minute. Sure enough, as she was pulling her pants on the dark-haired pixie bounded into the bedroom. Bella just looked at her?
"What, you don't even bother to knock anymore?" Alice just grinned.
"I know something you don't know!" she said in a sing-song voice. Edward rolled his eyes with a muttered 'what else is new' and Bella just shook her head. "Well, aren't you going to ask?" Alice pouted playfully.
"Fine, I'll bite. What now?"
"Tomorrow there's going to be a new girl in school." Bella paused in the act of tying her shoes.
"Really? You saw it?"
"Well, no, but I overheard Carrie from Mill Creek talking to Bev at the diner and telling her all about the brother and sister that came to stay day before yesterday. Apparently yesterday they asked her if she knew of any houses for sale or rent in Forks, since the brother is taking some sort of correspondence course and the sister likes the 'small townieness.' "
" 'Townieness?' Is that even a word?" asked Bella rhetorically. Alice just shrugged.
"So apparently they plan to talk to Madge and see about either buying or renting her son's old house from her. And the girl wants to go to school as soon as possible so she doesn't fall behind."
"That's just...odd," said Edward, standing up and lifting Bella's backpack easily. Alice nodded, her eyes serious.
"I know. Still, new people are always good for a bit of excitement. Wouldn't you agree, Bella?" Alice winked at her, and Bella slapped her arm.
"Come on. We're going to be late for being early." There was a long pause while the two vampires just looked at her. Bella sighed and shook her head in exasperation. "Just...let's go. I want to get this day over with." Alice's chuckling accompanied the trio out the door and into the vehicle, and the whole way to school.
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"And the kitchen's in here - it's not very spacious, I'm afraid. My son never was one to entertain guests."
"That's just fine, Mrs. Campbell. I'm afraid with my schooling and my sister's, we usually just make quick, easy, balanced meals." Luc's voice carried just the right amount of calming confidence to be comforting, and the older woman wasn't immune to it.
"Please, it's just Madge. I hated Marjorie, and since my Kevin passed I only follow the 'Mrs' when I'm filling out my taxes."
"Madge, then," he said, trying not to overdo the natural honeyed tone to his voice. He didn't need this nice, older woman falling at his feet. It could really complicate their stay here. Just then, Lili came running down the stairs like the exuberant teenager she was pretending to be.
"Luc! I claim the tower room! You can't have it!"
"Tower room?" He raised an eyebrow, pretending confusion, and Madge was happy to fill him in.
"Oh, that was my little granddaughter's room. She wanted to be a princess in a fairy tale, so my son hired someone to build a window bay seat that looks like a tower balcony in her room. She loved it. In fact, when they moved to Tacoma, I think she missed that room more than her friends - or me." The older woman laughed, then smiled fondly at Lili. "I'm sure she'll be thrilled when I tell her someone obviously enjoys it as much as she did." Lili was fairly bouncing.
"I'm gonna go explore the rest of the house!" And she was off like a shot, just as planned. Luc turned to Madge.
"Are you sure about the price? I mean, I feel like we're conning you on this one - I know what rental rates are in the bigger cities, and this just seems a steal." The woman shook her head.
"We're not a big town here, Luc. We take care of our own. You're not cheating me in the slightest - I'm just glad someone's going to be living here and bringing this place back to life. You came from - where was it you said? I'm afraid I forgot." Crafty woman, Luc thought. She knew very well he hadn't told her where they used to live. Small town gossip queens were the same regardless, and he smiled.
"I didn't say," he chided gently, letting her know he understood her game. She just smiled unabashedly. "But I travel a lot doing field research for my college courses. Our last solid place of residence was a town off the Amalfi coast in Italy." Madge nearly swooned.
"Italy? That's just so...amazing! So what brought you back to the States? And especially to here?" Her eyes glittered with curiosity, but he and Lili had spent all night constructing a background that was solid, and untraceable.
"I study theology, and have been fascinated by the religions of mankind since I can remember. My current research is on the belief systems of the Native American tribes, and I thought I could start at the West Coast and work my way across the country. Though I have to admit, this place...calls to me. It will be hard to leave when my studies require it." He hadn't meant to say that, but he found it was true nonetheless. There was just something about this tiny town in the middle of all this rain that pulled on he and Lili both. Not for the first time in his long existance, he wished he were mortal, able to live a mortal life and enjoy the things that humans took for granted.
"So are you a religious man yourself, Luc?" she asked with a hesitance born of uncertainty.
"I believe in God, yes," he stated simply. ~I may not always agree with him, and I may argue a lot, but I believe,~ he thought to himself. His easy answer seemed to comfort his conversational companion and she smiled.
"Well, I've got to get to the diner - I'm meeting a few of my girl friends for lunch." Luc smiled, thinking. ~Translation: I want to run and tell all my friends about the new people living in my son's house.~
"Thank you so much, Madge. This is an amazing find, and you are quite a wonderful person for welcoming strangers so warmly." She actually blushed with pleasure.
"Not at all, son, not at all. We get so few strangers, it would just be horrid if we chased them off by acting like yokels." Lili chose that moment to come back down the stairs. She darted over and gave the older woman a hug.
"Thank you! I love this house!" Madge smiled, hugging her back with a motherly air.
"I'm glad, pumpkin. You're going to be enrolling in school, I take it?" Lili nodded.
"Absolutely. I love school, and I love meeting new people. This is going to be fun!" Luc shook his head like an exasperated older brother would.
"Well, the kids here are nice, all right. Don't be surprised if they're insanely curious, though. The last new person we got to stay was Chief Swan's daughter Bella, so they're going to be excited at having a new face around. They boys especially, when the face is as pretty as yours," she added in an undertone with a smile and a wink. Lili giggled. "Well, I'll leave you two to get settled in. I know it's all furnished, but feel free to move or get rid of whatever you want. I figure you haven't got a lot of furnishings of your own, traveling as you do. I'll stop by later this evening and see if there's anything else we can do for you!! And with that, the older woman was gone and Luc shut the door quietly behind her. Lili fairly glowed with pleasure, and he took a moment just drinking in the sight of her. How any god could cast someone as beautiful as her away, he had no idea, but it let him have her and for that he could almost thank the Man.
"Luc, this place just shimmers with happiness. Can you feel it?" She closed her eyes and leaned her head back for a moment.
"I can. Madge's son and his family must have been very nice people - I haven't felt this much peace and joy in a dwelling in decades." He smiled. "So are you going to show me this wonderful tower room?" She smiled, the expression of wickedness settling somehow naturally on the face of an angel.
"Follow me, then." With a saucy grin, she sashayed up the stairs and Luc, musing once more at his good fortune, followed her.