As always everything belongs to Stephanie Meyers.
This is my version of EPOV of New Moon. I hope you enjoy.
Preface
Bella told you the story of our life together, which according to her human memories was correct, she told the story, as she believed it to be. The problem with human memories is that they fade and become blurry over time. Vampire memories are stronger and more reliable. Not to say that Bella didn't tell the story as she remembered it, but I remember it a bit different than she did.
There was quite a bit she had no knowledge of. A lot of things that happened with my family that she couldn't know about and I never revealed to her. This is the story she wouldn't have known to tell. My hope is that it will clear up a few misconceptions…
Edward Cullen
1. BIRTHDAY
As I lay here watching my beautiful angel sleep, so many memories swirled around my head. Memories of all the danger I had put her in, thus far. It seemed as if all that was behind us now –but I knew better –it only appeared that way. There was definitely something brewing on the horizon and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It appeared to Bella that our life was peaceful and returning to normal. But, when your boyfriend and his family are vampires, there's no such thing as normal.
We did return to normal things, in the case of school, which Alice, Bella and I were attending together. My other siblings had graduated last year and were living the human façade of going off to college. None of this was true of; course, Rosalie and Emmett went off to Africa for a couple of months. Jasper was –were he always was –at home with Alice.
After spending an extraordinary summer together, it had to come to an end, as all things did, and it was time to head back to school. With the ending of summer came Bella's eighteenth birthday. Six months had passed since our first meeting. Six months since that first day she walked into Biology class and changed my world forever. Six months since my dark days began to brighten, all because of this beautiful, fragile, human girl. It had been six months since we began this wonderful relationship and she was still alive and well.
To my surprise I had fallen in love with this girl, furthering my surprise was the fact that the first day I had laid eyes on her, I wanted to kill her. Literally planning out strategies on ways to accomplish that. It would have included killing about twenty-one innocent bystanders, who only had the bad fortune of attending a class with Isabella Swan, the object of my massacre. Fighting that temptation –at that moment –was the hardest thing I had ever encountered in my ninety years of existence. From that moment until this day, there had been a few harder instances to endure, but I had made it through.
The monster within me was still fighting, tempting me to fulfill his deepest desires. Pushing him deep down became a daily ritual. Giving him credit, he certainly had a strong endurance, but resisting him became my way of life and he would never win. I would have never allowed him to have his way.
After a long, but not quite long enough, summer, it was back to reality, back to normal everyday existence. It was back to what I used to believe was purgatory, also known as High School. This year I wouldn't mind attending school, for I would attend with Bella, I would have attended anything to be closer to Bella. That was the power she possessed and I was entirely under her spell. I would have walked through fire… swim the ocean… I would have even fought a grizzly bear to be near her. Not that any of that would have been impossible for me, but it counted just the same.
Returning to reality also meant it was time to celebrate Bella's eighteenth birthday and I couldn't have been happier. Although, her birthday had come with a few restrictions she had imposed on me, I suppose if I had my restrictions, she could have hers. Her first restriction was that I could spend no money on a gift for. That seemed impossible since there was so much I wanted to give her; I knew she would not accept. The next restriction was that I would not make a fuss over her birthday, which was utterly ridiculous. I already had another plan for restriction number two. With my sister Alice's help I would keep my promise.
"Alice is everything ready for this evenings event?" I asked
"Of course, would I let you down?" Alice smiled.
"No you wouldn't, I'm just nervous, she can't find out it was my idea," I answered.
"Edward, will you quit worrying, she won't figure it out, this has me written all over it," she laughed.
"Thanks, Alice, I owe you," I returned.
"Your welcome, but you already owe me a lifetime of things. Are we ready to leave?" she asked.
"Yes, I'd like to arrive at school before she does," I answered.
With that we were out the door, in my car, and leaving our driveway. Excitement flowed threw me as I drove through the cloudy little town anticipating how Bella appeared at eighteen. A few times in the past six months I didn't believe she would make it to see that birthday. In the spring before summer had begun there was an incident, which left us running from a sadistic vampire hell bent on killing Bella. Fortunately, being a vampire too, I had the ability to stop him in time to save her, but it had been a very close call. Along with being vampires, my sister Alice and I had other special abilities, Alice had visions of the future and I could read minds. Sometimes these abilities could be useful, other times they could be a burden.
Though, today was all about Bella, celebrating the birth of my beautiful loving angel. An angel who I believed was sent to the wrong person, but I was unequivocally happy about the mistake. I would take whatever time I had with her, already aware that it couldn't last forever. Someday she would have to go and I would have to allow her to. For now, I would take what time I had and make it wonderful. Even if that meant doing things she won't approve of, although, I was certain she would enjoy them anyway.
Pulling into the school parking lot, I got out and leaned against the car door, waiting for Bella to arrive. Alice came to stand beside me with excitement bursting all around her. As I stood there waiting, a memory of last winter flashed before my eyes, recalling a van that almost crushed Bella in front of me, right here in this very parking lot. As I watched Alice's vision in horror, it only took me a split second to dash across the parking lot and stop the van that would have ended Bella's life. That was the very moment that everything had changed for me. Shaking my head of that memory it was not one I cared to remember.
Just then, I heard Bella's truck roar into the parking lot. She drove a '63 Chevy truck and it was louder than thunder, even without extra-hearing, I could hear her coming from a mile away. That was one thing I hoped she would allow me to do for her –buy her a more reasonable vehicle –but that was one of her restrictions and I would respect her wishes… for now.
Bella pulled into a parking spot and turned off the engine. Opening the door, she slammed it shut, indicating she was angry. She saw the present in Alice's hand and she was not pleased. Alice bounced over to her when Bella began walking towards us.
"Happy Birthday, Bella!"
"Shh!" Bella hissed looking around to make sure no one noticed.
I smiled at her lack of confidence. She had no reason to be self-conscious.
Alice ignored Bella's reaction. "Do you want to open your present now or later?" she asked eagerly, as they walked towards me.
"No presents," Bella mumbled.
"Okay… later, then. Did you like the scrapbook your mom sent you? And the camera from Charlie?"
Bella sighed. "Yeah. They're great."
"I think it's a nice idea. You're only a senior once. Might as well document the experience."
"How many times have you been a senior?" Bella snapped.
"That's different."
As they approached me I held out my hand and took Bella's. She gazed into my eyes as her heart fluttered and a smile spread across my face. Her heart always reacted to my touch without fail. Her touch was something I never got used to her hand was always so soft and warm.
I lifted my free hand and traced around the outside of her lips as I spoke. "So, as discussed, I am not allowed to wish you a happy birthday, is that correct?"
"Yes. That is correct," she said mimicking me.
"Just checking. You might have changed your mind. Most people seem to enjoy things like birthdays and gifts."
Alice laughed chiming in. "Of course you'll enjoy it. Everyone is supposed to be nice to you today and give you your way, Bella. What's the worst that could happen?" she stated rhetorically.
"Getting older," Bella answered anyway.
I glanced at her, sadden by this statement… we had this discussion too many times. Not wanting to discuss this today of all days, it was senseless, and pointless, those were the facts and they would remain that way. There was nothing that could change that.
"Eighteen isn't very old," Alice said. "Don't women usually wait till they're twenty-nine to get upset over birthdays?"
"It's older than Edward," she mumbled.
I sighed. That was the one thing that caused tension in our relationship, the fact that she was getting older and I wasn't. That made Bella unhappy, and even though she was unhappy there was nothing I would do to change that fact.
"Technically," Alice said lightly. "Just by one little year, though."
I knew what Bella wanted, what she dreamed of happening, but I just couldn't give her that. It was impossible to think about making Bella one of us. To damn her to a life of immortality and risk her very soul was unfathomable. I couldn't allow that and I wouldn't do it. She would not become the monster I was.
An impasse. That was the word I had used to finish this conversation many times. We had not agreed on what was right for Bella, but since I was the one who had to perform the transformation, I felt as if it were my decision. My decision was for her to live a long and happy human life. End of debate.
"What time will you be at the house?" Alice changed the subject.
"I didn't know I had plans to be there."
"Oh, be fair, Bella!" she complained. "You aren't going to ruin all of our fun like that, are you?"
"I thought my birthday was about what I want."
"I'll get her from Charlie's right after school," I told Alice, ignoring Bella altogether.
"I have to work," she protested.
"You don't, actually," Alice said smugly. "I already spoke to Mrs. Newton about it. She's trading you shifts. She said to tell you 'Happy Birthday.'"
"I –I still can't come over," she said searching for an excuse. "I, well, I haven't watched Romeo and Juliet yet for English."
She searched for any excuse, but I knew that would be her reaction. I also knew that my family would never allow her birthday to go by without some sort of acknowledgement. We hadn't celebrated a real birthday, a human birthday in decades. They were all very excited about it, as was I.
Alice snorted. "You have Romeo and Juliet memorized."
"But Mr. Berry said we needed to see it performed to fully appreciate it –that's how Shakespeare intended it to be presented."
I rolled my eyes. As I had presumed, Bella would use any excuse to get out of celebrating. I realized the awkwardness she felt being the center of attention because she was shy. But honestly, I thought she would have been over that by now, especially when it came to my family.
"You've already seen the movie," Alice accused.
"But not the nineteen-sixties version. Mr. Berry said it was the best."
Alice finally lost her smug smile and glared at Bella.
"This can be easy, or this can be hard, Bella, but one way or the other…"
I had to stop her… Alice meant what she said. One way or another Bella would be coming to my house to celebrate her birthday. I could persuade her much easier and I would convince her to attend.
I interrupted. "Relax, Alice. If Bella wants to watch a movie, then she can. It's her birthday."
"So there," Bella added.
"I'll bring her over around seven," I continued. "That will give you more time to set up."
Alice's laughter chimed again. "Sounds good. See you tonight, Bella! It'll be fun, you'll see," she grinned –her wide smile exposing all of her teeth. Pecking Bella on the cheek, she turned and danced off to class.
"Edward, please…" she started to beg, but I pressed one finger to her lips.
"Let's discuss it later. We're going to be late for class."
It had been long past the time since we were the subject of gossip. The other students had gotten used to seeing Bella and I together. We took our usual seats at the back of the classroom my arrangements ensured I had every class with Bella this year. It had always been easy to convince the ladies in the office to give me what I wanted.
In an attempt to have no classes with Mike Newton, this class was the only exception… I couldn't get us out of this class. He was far more pleasant this year, attempting to smile at us, but he still had repulsive thoughts about Bella. Most of the time I could ignore him, there were only a few moments I wanted to backhand him for his thoughts.
I glanced at Bella who was still panicked over that evenings plan. She wouldn't want everyone making a fuss over her; she knew my family would go over board having a party and gifts for her. I was quite certain it was the gifts that were the real problem, although I couldn't understand why that was. I had always assumed people liked getting gifts at least, that was how it was in my family.
One of her restrictions was spending no money on her gift, which I didn't. Finding a way around spending money I was able to get her a gift. I was excited about her gift and knew she would like it. There were so many things I wanted to get her but I would have to settle for making presents, for now.
One thing I was working on was giving her tuition money for college, because she was going to college. It was going to take some persuading on my part, but I still had a year to convince her that college was the wisest decision. Knowing, that if I could convince her to go, we would really enjoy college life. Even though I had been too many times… experiencing it with her would be like my first. We would also have our pick of schools to attend, which I would let her choose, whatever Bella wanted, it would always be her choice.
We sat at our usual table for lunch. Bella, Alice and I sat at one end of the table, and at the other end sat Bella's other friends, who were strangely accommodating since Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper had graduated. They were still frightened of Alice and I, but not as intimated, but we still only talked to Bella. Bella should have followed her friends example and been a little more intimated, for I was hazardous to her health, although she would never agree with that.
There was still so much danger I brought to her. Being near her was tempting and resisting the urge was easier than it had been once, but it was still there. It could appear at any time and even though I fought it hard, the danger presented was always clear. Adding in the other dangers that came with being around me. Attracting others such as my kind was a distinct possibility, one that I couldn't deny. It had happened once… it could happen again.
The afternoon passed quickly. School ended and I walked Bella to her truck as was customary. This time I held the passenger door open for her. There was no way she was getting out of tonight's plan, I would make certain of that.
Bella folded her arms and made no move to get out of the rain.
"It's my birthday, don't I get to drive?"
"I'm pretending it's not your birthday, just as you wished."
"If it's not my birthday, then I don't have to go to your house tonight…"
"All right," I shut the passenger door and walked past her to open the driver's side. "Happy Birthday."
"Shh," she shushed me half-heartedly. She climbed in the opened door.
I played with the radio while she drove, shaking my head in disapproval.
"Your radio has horrible reception."
She frowned; she didn't like me picking on her truck.
"You want a nice stereo? Drive your own car."
She was not usually ill tempered with me, but she was mad about tonight. I pressed my lips together to hide my smile.
She parked in front of the house. I reached over and took her face in my hands. Handling her very carefully, pressing ever so lightly, as if she were a piece of glass. To me she was a piece of breakable glass and I never wanted to make a mistake with her.
"You should be in a good mood, today of all days," I whispered.
As I looked into her eyes my breathing became uneven. Having this reaction to her eyes allowed me to know my feelings for her. She touched me deep inside as if she were looking straight into my soul… if I had a soul. In return I could see into her soul… and she had a soul, one that was pure and full of love.
"And if I don't want to be in a good mood?" she asked, her breathing becoming deeper.
Her reaction to my touch still surprised me filling me with such pleasure. I knew this was wrong, but it felt so right that I couldn't resist and attempting to leave now would be useless. I was in this for life… well, her life anyway.
I gazed at her deeper. "Too bad."
Leaning into her I touched my lips carefully against hers. She wrapped her arms around my neck and began kissing me vigorously. I smiled and broke our lip lock, then reached back and broke the strangle hold she had on my neck.
These were my restrictions for our physical relationship and that included keeping my razor sharp, venom coated teeth away from Bella's skin. There was no room for mistakes when it came to these uncontrollable urges. Remaining in control at all times was a requirement, but she could push the boundaries quite easily.
"Be good, please," I breathed harder against her cheek.
Pressing my lips gently to hers one more time I then pulled away, folding her arms across her stomach. Her pulse was racing as she put one hand over her heart, which was thudding like a drum.
"Do you think I'll ever get better at this?" she wondered. "That my heart might someday stop trying to jump out of my chest whenever you touch me?"
"I really hope not," I said.
I loved the fact that I could still make her heart skip a beat and her breathing uneven when I touched her. It made me feel like a normal man. If that disappeared, then so would I, because I would know she didn't want me anymore.
She rolled her eyes. "Let's go watch the Capulet and Montague's hack each other up, all right?"
"Your wish is, my command."
I lied down on the couch while she put the movie on and fast-forward through the opening credits. She perched herself on the edge of the sofa in front of me. I put my arms around her waist and pulled her to my chest. I took the afghan off the back of the couch and draped it over her so she would not freeze being so close to me.
"You know, I've never had much patience with Romeo," I commented as the movie started.
"What's wrong with Romeo?" she asked.
"Well, first of all, he's in love with this Rosaline –don't you think it makes him seem a little fickle? And then, a few minutes after their wedding, he kills Juliet's cousin. That's not very brilliant. Mistake after mistake. Could he have destroyed his own happiness any more thoroughly?"
I had never appreciated the classic stories much. I always assumed that humans tended to be a little on the dramatic side. It was ridiculous to read over and over how they always seem to ruined the lives of their loved ones. Then they would claim it was love that made them do it. The thought was absurd.
She sighed. "Do you want me to watch this alone?"
"No, I'll mostly be watching you, anyway," I ran my fingers across her arm, raising goose bumps. "Will you cry?"
"Probably," she admitted, "if I'm paying attention."
"I won't distract you then."
When the movie began I couldn't resist whispering Romeo's lines in Bella's ear. She did cry, to my amusement, when Juliet woke and found her new husband dead. Crying was impossible for vampires… being in a frozen state… we lacked tears.
"I'll admit, I do sort of envy him here," I said, drying Bella's tears with a lock of her hair.
"She's very pretty."
She couldn't even come close to the beauty Bella had. She was the most beautiful thing ever to exist. Surely she had realized that was how I felt. I had only told her practically every day since we had been together.
"I don't envy him the girl –just the ease of the suicide," I clarified. "You humans have it so easy! All you have to do is throw down one tiny vial of plant extracts…"
"What?" she gasped.
"It's something I had to think about once, and I knew from Carlisle's experience that it wouldn't be simple. I'm not even sure how many ways Carlisle tried to kill himself in the beginning… after he realized what he'd become…" My voice, which had grown serious, turned light again. "And he's clearly still in excellent health."
She twisted so that she was staring at me. "What are you talking about?" she demanded. "What do you mean, this is something you had to think about once?"
"Last spring, when you were… nearly killed," I paused to take a breath and return to a teasing voice. "Of course I was trying to focus on finding you alive, but part of my mind was making contingency plans. Like I said, it's not as easy for me as it is for a human."
Thinking back, on the moment, that I almost lost my Bella, it was not a fond memory and another one I wish I couldn't remember. But, if anything were to happen to her, I would exit this world right after her… that was a certainty. I had thoughts on how to achieve that because it was not that simple for my kind to kill themselves… probably impossible.
"Contingency plans?" she repeated.
"Well, I wasn't going to live without you," I rolled my eyes as if she didn't know that. "But I wasn't sure how to do it –I knew Emmett and Jasper would never help… so I was thinking maybe I would go to Italy and do something to provoke the Volturi."
There were many ways I could provoke the Volturi and some of those thoughts seeped back into my mind. I knew they would act quickly no matter the circumstances.
"What is a Volturi?" she demanded.
"The Volturi are a family," I explained. "A very old, powerful family of our kind. They are the closest thing our world has to a royal family, I suppose. Carlisle lived with them briefly in his early years, in Italy, before he settled in America –do you remember the story?"
On her first visit to my home I revealed Carlisle's history, which, he has laid out in paintings on his office wall. There was a brief period in which he spent time with the Volturi, in Italy. He decided that they would not conform to his way of life and that he would never accept there's, he left them to go to America.
"Of course I remember."
"Anyway, you don't irritate the Volturi," I went on. "Not unless you want to die –or whatever it is we do."
I still had no concrete evidence of what happens to us when we ceased to exist. I knew we were soulless and had always assumed we couldn't go to heaven, if in fact, there was a heaven. That was something I remained unconvinced of.
She took my face in her hands, angrily.
"You must never, never, never think of anything like that again!" she said. "No matter what might ever happen to me, you are not allowed to hurt yourself!"
"I'll never put you in danger again, so it's a moot point."
"Put me in danger! I thought we'd established that all the bad luck is my fault?" she was getting madder. "How dare you even think like that?"
That was easy for her to say, but I still couldn't exist, if she didn't. And yes, perhaps she did have bad luck and that maybe her fault, but the fact remains the same, there was no place for me here without her. When her time was up, then, so was mine.
"What would you do, if the situation were reversed?" she asked.
"That's not the same thing?"
For her to value my life more than hers, was utterly ridiculous. She was my world, my very existence; she must have realized that by now. With all that we had been through, surely she knew that she held every once of life for me now. Remaining here –as long as she wanted me –once she ceased to exist, I would too.
"What if something did happen to you?" she announced. "Would you want me to go off myself?"
What was that? Pain and anguish coursed threw me at the thought of her dead. I had lived more than my share of life, but she was just beginning. I had done thousands of things and pretty much everything I wanted to, she hadn't had a chance to… yet. Our circumstances were completely different… there was no comparison.
"I guess I see your point… a little," I admitted. "But what would I do without you?"
"Whatever you were doing before I came along and complicated your existence."
I sighed. "You make that sound so easy."
The fact was, before her arrival my existence had been endless, pretty much boring. After she showed up and brightened my world, my existence before that was meaningless. I couldn't remember how I filled my time, expect to say, it was not that exciting. Excitement was what I felt when I was near her.
"It should be. I'm not really that interesting."
I was about to interject that last statement, but couldn't. "Moot point," I reminded her. Hearing the police cruiser coming down the street, I pulled myself up to sit on the couch so we were no longer touching.
"Charlie?" she guessed.
I smiled. After a few minutes Charlie pulled into the driveway. Bella took my hand and held it firmly in hers.
Charlie came in with a pizza box in his hands.
"Hey, kids," he grinned at Bella. "I thought you'd like a break from cooking and washing dishes for your birthday. Hungry?"
"Sure. Thanks, Dad."
Charlie never thought about or commented on my lack of appetite, anymore. He used to wonder about it, but he presumed that with Carlisle being a doctor, he feed us only the healthiest foods available.
"Do you mind if I borrow Bella for the evening?" I asked when they were done eating.
Bella abruptly glared at Charlie. I know she was hoping he would say that he wanted her home with him on her birthday. But he wouldn't.
"That's fine –the Mariners are playing the Sox tonight," Charlie explained, crushing Bella's wish. "So I won't be any kind of company… Here?" He scooped up the camera he had gotten Bella on Renee's suggestion, and threw it to her.
Bella raised her hands to catch it, but it bounced off her fingers and I swiftly grabbed it before it could drop to the floor.
"Nice save," Charlie noted. "If they're doing something fun at the Cullen's tonight, Bella, you should take some pictures. You know how your mother gets –she'll be wanting to see the pictures faster than you can take them?"
"Good idea, Charlie," I said, handing her the camera.
Bella took it and turned it on me snapping a picture. "It's works."
"That's good. Hey, say hi to Alice for me. She hasn't been over in a while." Charlie added.
"It's been three days, Dad," Bella reminded him. "I'll tell her."
"Okay. You kids have fun tonight." Permitting us to leave.
Smiling smugly I took Bella's hand and pulled her from the kitchen.
I led her to the truck and opened the passenger door for her, she said nothing and got in. Driving through Forks, offended at how slow her truck moved, I pushed the prehistoric Chevy over fifty. The engine groaned louder than usual.
"Take it easy," she warned me.
"You know what you would love? A nice little Audi coupe. Very quiet, lots of power…"
"There's nothing wrong with my truck. And speaking of expensive nonessentials, if you know what's good for you, you didn't spend any money on birthday presents."
"Not a dime," I said.
"Good."
"Can you do me a favor?"
"That depends on what it is?"
I sighed. "Bella, the last real birthday any of us had was Emmett in 1935. Cut us a little slack, and don't be too difficult tonight. They're all very excited."
Even though she would hate it, I knew she would behave appropriately. Bella could be counted on to act accordingly. I was hoping she might even enjoy herself once she was there.
"Fine, I'll behave."
"I probably should warn you…"
"Please do."
"When I say they're all excited… I do mean all of them."
"Everyone?" she chocked. "I thought Emmett and Rosalie were in Africa."
"Emmett wanted to be here."
"But… Rosalie?"
"I know, Bella. Don't worry, she'll be on her best behavior."
Rosalie –being the only one in my family that had a problem with Bella and I –left Bella feeling insecure about being around her. I knew Bella blamed herself for Rosalie and Emmett being absent from the house. The truth was that they would have to carry on as if they went off to college whether Bella was here or not.
Although, Rosalie didn't mind leaving this time, she wanted to get away from what she deemed as my selfishness. She believed that I was bringing unwanted trouble to our family.
I felt the need to end this subject before Bella got to hurt.
"So, if you wont let me get you the Audi, isn't there anything that you'd like for your birthday?"
"You know what I want," she whispered.
I could feel my face frown at that statement. I had thought that issue was dead (no pun intended) really we had had that discussion too many times. I wished she would realize what she was asking of me, so many things I could give her and she asked for the one thing I couldn't… not wouldn't… but couldn't give.
"Not tonight, Bella. Please," I pleaded.
I was certain I couldn't resist her tonight, being that it was her birthday, if she pleaded with me too much, I might have surrendered. There was nothing more I wanted then to have Bella with me for the rest of eternity, but not that way. I couldn't be responsible for taking her life or her soul.
"Well, maybe Alice will give me what I want."
"This isn't going to be your last birthday, Bella," I vowed, growling.
"That's not fair!"
Clenching my jaw together. How could she speak that way? After knowing everything she knew? After everything that had happened and she still wanted to be a monster. And there remained the number one problem with my Bella… her brain didn't work right.
We pulled up to my house where bright lights were shining from every window on the first two floors. Alice had really outdone herself. She was right; Bella would think it was all her doing. There was a long line of glowing Japanese lanterns hung from the porch eaves. Big bowls of flowers –pink roses –lined the wide stairs up to the front doors. Alice had done everything I had asked, I was going to owe her big time for this.
Bella moaned.
I took a couple of deep breaths to calm myself after our last conversation.
"This is a party," I reminded her. "Try to be a good sport."
"Sure," she muttered.
I got out of the car and went around to open her door and offer my hand.
"I have a question."
There was surprise… she always had questions. I waited warily.
"If I develop this film," she said, toying with the camera in her hands, "will you show up in the picture?"
I started laughing. I helped her out of the car, pulled her up the stairs, and was still laughing as I opened the front door for her.
My family was waited in the living room for our arrival. They greeted Bella with a loud chorus of "Happy Birthday, Bella!" while she blushed and looked down at the floor. Alice had gotten everything right inside too, everything looked just as I had asked. There was a table with a white cloth draped over it holding a pink birthday cake, more roses, a stack of glass plates, and a small pile of silver-wrapped presents.
It was a hundred times better than I had imagined, Alice had really surpassed my expectations. I would owe her much more than I had anticipated.
Sensing the stress Bella was feeling I wrapped my arm tightly around her waist, kissed the top of her head and attempted to comfort her.
Carlisle and Esme were closest to the door and first to greet us. Esme hugged Bella carefully and kissed her cheek. Carlisle put his arm around her shoulders.
"Sorry about this, Bella," he stage-whispered. "We couldn't rein Alice in."
To my relief my plan would work, Bella would never figure out it was me behind all of this. Rosalie and Emmett stood behind Carlisle and Esme. Rosalie wouldn't smile, but at least she wasn't glaring either. It had been months since Bella had seen them.
"You haven't changed at all," Emmett said with mock disappointment. "I expected a perceptible difference, but here you are, red-faced just like always."
"Thanks a lot, Emmett," she said, blushing deeper.
He laughed, "I have to step out for a second" –he paused to wink at Alice- "Don't do anything funny while I'm gone."
"I'll try."
Alice let go of Jasper's hand and skipped forward, all her teeth sparkling in the bright light. Jasper smiled, too, but kept his distance. He leaned against the post at the foot of the stairs. Although, he had spent a lot of time in close proximity to Bella, during our run from the sadistic vampire, he went straight back to keeping his distance from her. That suited me, for I knew how difficult it was for him to resist. He was our weakest link and with the temptation of human blood so close, it was challenge. I preferred him to be on guard, rather then take unnecessary risks with Bella's life.
"Time to open presents," Alice declared. She towed Bella to the table that held the cake and presents.
Bella put on a fake smile as she was being dragged.
"Alice, I know I told you I didn't want anything…"
"But I didn't listen," she interrupted, smug. "Open it."
Alice took the camera from Bella's hands and replaced it with a present. Bella took the box, read the tag that stated it was from Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper, and then ripped off the paper. Opening the box she looked up surprised.
"Um… thanks."
The box was empty.
Rosalie finally cracked a smile and Jasper laughed. "It's a stereo for your truck," he explained. "Emmett's installing it right now so that you can't return it."
"Thanks, Jasper, Rosalie," she said, grinning. "Thanks, Emmett!" she called loudly.
He laughed loudly from the truck so that we all could hear.
"Open mine and Edward's next," Alice said, excitedly, holding up a flat square box in her hand.
Bella turned and glared at me. "You promised."
Before I could say anything, Emmett bounded through the door. "Just in time!" he crowed in pushing behind Jasper, who had also drifted closer than usual to get a good look.
"I didn't spend a dime," I assured her. I brushed a strand of hair from her face, leaving my hand tingling.
She inhaled deeply and turned to Alice. "Give it to me," she sighed.
Emmett chuckled with delight.
She took the little package, rolling her eyes at me while sliding her finger under the edge of the paper and breaking the hold on the tape.
"Shoot," she muttered as the paper sliced her finger. She pulled her finger out, placing it closer to her face to look at the cut.
"No!" I roared.
The burning in my throat shoot into flames like never before. The uncontrollable urge over took me as I realized Jasper was ready to strike. Simultaneously, I threw myself in front of Bella, flinging her back across the table. It fell, as she did, scattering everything on it to the floor along with Bella.
I braced myself as Jasper slammed into me, snarling from his chest and snapping his teeth inches from my face. The instinct took completely over him and I could feel everything he was feeling. His throat burned, his stomach ached with hunger and his muscles were extremely tense. He was completely out of control as he attempted to push his way past me. Pain coursed threw me as I realized how much danger Bella was in at that moment.
Emmett grabbed Jasper from behind in the next second, locking him into his steel grip, but Jasper kept struggling, his wild empty eyes only on Bella. Holding my fighting stance I growled at Jasper. They needed to remove him quickly before it was too late. The need to protect her flowed threw me and I would do anything to keep her safe… anything. They needed to remove him from this room.
I had never had to fight my family and couldn't imagine having to do this now, but I would, if it had come to that. I would not allow anything to happen to Bella, and I meant anything. To ensure her safety, I would do whatever was required, that didn't matter what that was. From the thoughts that were running threw Jasper's mind at the moment it was about to turn into a fight. Why weren't they removing him from the room?
Feeling the urgency behind Jaspers attack and the other instincts that were taking control of him, I couldn't back down. The battle within him was powerful and strong, but it was also painful to him. His internal struggle was overpowering everything else and he was losing the battle. They needed to get him out of here.
As I stood ready to fight with anyone who attempted to get close, I glanced down at Bella, only now, noticing the blood pulsing out of her arm. I remained frozen in front of her in a protective crouch surrounding her. That was my worse nightmare coming true. That was the very reason our relationship would never work. At that moment everyone in that room was fighting with themselves, fighting their natural urges, urges that come with the scent of warm flowing blood in human veins. What had I done?