A/N: This is an Edward/Bella, Jasper/Alice one-shot set to the song Without Love from Hairspray. Other Hairspray or Beauty and the Beast songs that I have based Twilight fics on may be found in my profile. I hope you enjoy it! Next up: The New Girl In Town or The Ladies Choice.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters. Nor do I own Hairspray.
Without Love
"What do you mean you can't come over tonight?" Bella asked, sadness threading itself through her voice as she looked intently at Edward's profile.
"Bella, it's getting, how did you describe it… 'Highly dangerous' for me to come into your room every night." Edward replied nonchalantly as he continued to drive down the road back towards Forks, well over the speed limit.
"But you never let the danger of it stop you before." Bella pointed out, clearly trying to break him on this topic.
"No, I didn't. But that may very well be my downfall." He answered, turning his bright golden eyes towards her. "Charlie suspects something Bella, he thinks about it all the time. After that whole blow up about our engagement, he's been coming to check on you several times a night; he barely get any sleep at all because he's too worried that I may be trying to steal you away."
"That's ridiculous, Edward. Sure Charlie exploded when I showed him the ring, but would he really go as far to think that I was undermining his rules since the day I met you?"
"Technically, you were."
"That's beside the point. The fact is that I barely see you in the day now, what with my stupid new 'minimal visiting hours' because he-"
"Suspects I'm going to try something." Edward finished for her, chuckling slightly. "It's odd how h never even for a second thinks that it might be the other way around, that it is you who seemed so determined to get me to take away your virtue."
"Evidently, that argument seems to have switched position since then." Bella added, thinking about that day in the meadow when Edward had practically screamed to the world 'screw virtue', before attempting to give her the thing that she wanted most.
"So I've realized." Edward's eyes glistened at the thought. "You still promise to tell me if you change your mind about waiting until after the wedding?"
"Of course. But on the other hand, you're rather impatient. The wedding is only two weeks away."
"I know." He sighed dreamily as he pulled into the driveway behind the cruiser.
After a quick kiss, Bella muttered hopefully, "Meet me in my room?"
Edward narrowed his eyes. "Go Bella, I might see you tomorrow."
"Might?"
"Go. Charlie's waiting just inside the door."
Reluctantly, Bella stepped out of the Volvo and began towards the door. As soon as he was sure she got in safely, Edward backed out and pushed his car to the limit as he made his way home.
He was back to the big white house in record time. Parking the Volvo in the garage, he hurried inside and up to his room, avoiding all of the questioning glances from his parents and siblings as to why he wasn't still with Bella. Generally, none of them would see him until a couple hours later when he came back to change, but not tonight. Tonight, something was different, and everyone knew it.
"Edward?" Alice called as she followed after him, up the stairs and down the hall. Pretending he hadn't heard her, he entered his room at the end of the hall and closed the door behind him.
Pacing took over him as he moved lithely back and forth from one side of the room to the other. Eventually, he this up and plopped down on the couch that had been since abandoned after the bed took it's place. On the stand beside the armrest, a picture stood in a shiny silver frame. Alice had taken it from the backseat of his car on the way home from school a couple of days before Graduating. He and Bella had turned around in their seats for the photo, both smiling brilliantly with their hands weaved together over the console.
"Oh Bella," Edward said to the picture as he picked it up, training his eyes on nothing but the beaming face of his fiancé. "I know that deep down in your heart you know that I want to be there with you tonight and every night for the rest of eternity, but you have to understand: it's just not safe for me to be there with you. After the wedding though, we'll never have to be apart again."
Sighing, he placed the picture back on the stand and glided over to the glass wall. Placing his forearms in a triangle on the gigantic window, he rested his forehead against his hands, his stare falling onto the dark grass below.
"Once I was a selfish fool who never understood. I never looked inside myself but on the outside, I looked good. Then me met and you made me the man I am today; Bella I'm in love with you, not matter what people say. Without love, life is like the seasons with no summer."
Edward scowled as he crossed the room once more, flopping back down onto the colossal bed. Crossing his hands behind his head, he stared up at the lattice, envisioning his darling human by his side.
"Without love," He continued, hoping that his siblings were too busy with other things to listen in to his speech. "Life is rock 'n' roll without a drummer. Bella, I'll be yours forever if because I never want to be without love; Bella never set me free. No I'm not lying, never set me free Bella, no, no, no."
Outside in the hall, Alice peeked through the space where the door hadn't shut all of the way, watching in misery as her bronze haired brother laid out his emotional trauma. Without second thought, she turned away and shot down the stairs to the living room where she found jasper sitting on the couch with Rosalie and Esme.
"Jasper?" Alice asked, putting on her best innocent face, "Rosalie?"
The two vampires in question turned their heads to look at her.
"Would you min joining outside for a minute?"
After sharing a glance, the blondes got up and followed Alice to the door. Before they could make it outside, however, Esme called "Alice? I hope you're not going to do something you're going to regret."
"Don't worry Esme, my actions are for the good of this family!" The pixie-like girl replied as she followed her husband and sister outside.
Once she thought they were a good bit away from Edward's prying ears, she whispered. "Alright, block your minds. I don't want Edward hearing a word of this."
Jasper shrugged as he began chanting 'Go Confederates' in his head, over and over, while Rosalie smiled and imagined each and every single outfit she had ever worn.
"Are we good?" Alice asked after a moment. They both nodded. "Alright, so I have a mission for us."
"A mission?" Rosalie asked, somewhat intrigued.
"Yes. I've noticed that Edward is completely depressed that Charlie won't let him see Bella very much and now he figures that he can't go into her room anymore at night because Charlie is getting suspicious and checks on her constantly."
"What does this have to do with us?" Rosalie raised a perfect eyebrow.
"I say we break her out."
"Break her… You mean go and fetch her? I'm not a dog." She scoffed.
"No Rosalie, I mean we take her here… For good." Alice answered, completely elated at her idea.
"You mean we steal away Bella from under Charlie's nose since he won't let her see Edward much and bring her here to live with us?" Jasper clarified, trying to make sense of it all.
"Yes. She's going to be with us permanently pretty soon anyways, and I can't stand to see Edward suffering. I say we get her tonight."
"I'm not so sure about this…" Rosalie muttered, folding her arms across her chest. "I mean, I love Bella as much as you do Alice, she's going to be my sister, but is she really any safer here than she is if Charlie finds Edward in her room? He's a cop, he could arrest us for kidnapping."
"Ha!" Jasper cried, "Like a jail cell could hold one of us."
"I'm still not sure."
"Rosalie, all you and Emmett will have to do is keep Edward occupied and make sure he finds out nothing. Jasper and I will go and get Bella."
After a moment's hesitation, Rosalie agreed. "Alright, if you're sure this is what you want to do." With that, she strutted back towards the house.
"Don't forget to block your mind!" Jasper called after her before turning to his wife.
"You ready?" She asked, whipping her car keys out of her pocket.
"Let's go." He smiled as he ran after Alice towards the garage.
Trees whipped by the windows as Alice hit her foot to the gas, pushing it to the floor. Jasper, sick of staring at nothing but open road for the past few minutes, turned his gaze over to Alice. She looked so determined, her tiny mouth set into a smirk, her chin jutted out, and her honey colored eyes looking hell bent.
"Your eyes are especially bright this evening." Jasper noted, raising a hand to stroke the side of her face.
Glancing at him, she smiled, her razor-like teeth gleaming in the dull moonlight. "So are yours. I love them when they're gold."
"In truth, so do I." He replied, never taking them off of hers for a second. "Living back in Texas red is everywhere you go, who'd have thought I'd love a girl who's eyes are gold as summer's glow?"
"Me. I saw it." Alice beamed as she took on hand off of the steering wheel and laced her fingers with his. "But in my ivory tower life was just so dull and black, but now I love a soldier and I'm never going back because without love-"
"Life was like a beat that you can't follow." Jasper whispered lightly. "Without love,"
"Life was Doris Day at the Apollo. Jasper, I'll be yours forever because I never want to be without love-"
"So Alice, never set me free."
"No! I'm yours forever, never set me free."
"No, no, no…"
"Urgh! How much longer are we going to have to listen to him whine about his love life?" Emmett groaned as he leaned his head on Rosalie's shoulder.
"Until Alice gets back, which better be bloody well soon." The blonde bombshell replied, staring at her brother who was back to pacing his room, making a slight tread mark in the floor. Ever since they came and saw him, he didn't try to pry into their thoughts once because he was so full of angst for his forbidden lover.
"If I'm left without my baby doll I don't know what I'll do!" Edward exclaimed as he stopped in front of the couch, his face ridden with sorrow.
"That's it!" Emmett cried, jumping up, "Stop being emo already! We get it! You miss Bella, but if you keep whining like this, I'm going to snap!"
"I never asked you to come in here," Edward replied nonchalantly, staring at his burly brother.
"It wouldn't be half bad if you would stopping being angsty."
"Angsty? I'm upset because I'm not allowed to see my girlfriend without her being in danger and you are calling me angsty?" Edward narrowed his eyes, getting irritated.
"Yeah, I am." Emmett said as he stood up and closed in on his brother. "For the past fifteen minutes you've done nothing but pace and ramble on about how miserable your life is when Bella's not around, well newsflash Edward, she's not here so get over it!"
Edward blinked, grief over taking him once more. Silently, he crossed over to the bed and sat down, placing his head in his hands.
Emmett huffed as he stormed out of the room. Rosalie, however was a little more reluctant to leave him in such a fragile state.
She got up and began walking towards him but when she got within a five foot vicinity of him, he murmured into his hands, "Just go, Rosalie."
Silently she turned towards the door, feeling more than crestfallen. With one final look back, she mutterer a short good bye and trudged out, closing the door behind her.
"Ready?" Jasper asked as he stood below Bella's bedroom window, Alice at his side.
"Yeah, I'm betting she's just itching to break out so she can get her hands on Edward." Alice snickered as she took his hand in hers.
Jasper sighed contentedly. "I know if I couldn't touch you I'd most definitely lose control."
"Jasper you're my dark white night that found my gold eyed soul."
With that, the to jumped off of the ground and landed Bella's window sill.
She sat bolt upright as she saw a shadow cover the light of the moon, not having fallen to sleep in hopes that Edward might show up after all.
"Edward?" She whispered excitedly.
"No, silly. Alice!" She said as she jumped through the open window.
"And Jasper!" He added as he followed his wife through.
Thinking that something must have happened for these two to burst through her window just before midnight, Bella questioned "What's going on? What's wrong?"
"Everything's fine Bella. Nothing's wrong at all." Alice replied as she began stuffing random items into a bag she brought with her.
"What're you-"
"Don't worry about it, Bella." Jasper assured. "As for what we're doing here, let's just say that sweet freedom is our goal.
"Bella, I want to kiss you!" Edward cried, burying his face into the huge mound of gold pillows surrounding him.
"Emo boy!" He heard a very familiarly annoying voice call up to him.
"If you still want your jeep to work in the morning Emmett, you'll shut up!" He yelled back before screaming into a heart-shaped pillow.
After scrawling a quick note to Charlie saying that she was sorry, and that the wedding was still on, Bella tugged on a sweatshirt over her pajamas and waited by the window.
"You're sure about this?" Jasper asked as he watched Alice land lightly on the ground before taking off around the corner to where she parked the Porsche.
"Yes. I want this just as much as he does." She replied quickly.
"Alright. Come on," Jasper opened his arms, allowing Bella to step into them. He swiftly picked her up and cradled her close to his chest. He stepped up onto the windowsill and without a second thought, let himself drop to the ground. He landed as graceful as a cat, not wasting a second to run around the house, down to the street car where Alice was waiting patiently behind the wheel. Jasper flung open the door and set Bella down in the front before hurrying into the back. As soon as Alice saw Bella clasp her seatbelt shut, she took off back to the sanctuary that was the big white house on the outskirts of Forks.
"Alice?" Bella said, shooting an excited glance at her friend.
"Hmm?" Alice answered, never taking her eyes off of the road.
"Don't let me out until the next toll, and only then if that's where Edward is."
Grinning, Alice stepped down harder on the gas.
"Without love, life is like a prom that won't invite us." Jasper stated, thinking back to his earlier conversation with Alice.
"Without love," Bella began, "Is like Edward loosing his velvety voice to laryngitis."
"Ha! Bella, we can't get laryngitis!" Alice pointed out, clearly thinking her best friend went off of her rocker.
"I know that Alice, but I couldn't bear never hearing his voice again." Bella sighed, leaning her head against the window.
"Without love, life's a forty-five when you can't buy it."
"Why would you need a pistol, Alice?" Jasper mused, smirking slightly at his wife's revelation.
"I don't, but the forbidden factor of the thing just makes it all that more intriguing."
"I suppose you're right." Bella noted, "Without love, life is like my Mother starting a riot."
"I'm trying to picture that and I just can't." Alice chuckled as she pulled up the long driveway. As soon as she got parked, Bella jumped you and ran towards the house. She didn't get far, however, when Alice scooped her and ran at lightning speed up the stairs and down the hall. Jasper was close behind, the small duffle bag holding very few of Bella's things in his hand.
Without knocking, Alice threw open the door to Edward's room and burst inside, Bella still in her arms. The statuesque Adonis sat straight up on his bed upon hearing the noise, and stared on in wide eyes amazement as Alice lowered the Hermia to his Lysander onto the floor, holding her shoulders for a moment to make sure she didn't fall. Jasper stood quietly just inside the door, smiling brightly at his brother's awed expression.
"Be-Bella?" He stuttered, still shell-shocked at the fact that his Venus was glowing radiantly, standing just feet from him in her pastel green cotton pajama bottoms and an old grey sweat shirt. "What are you doing here?"
Before she could answer, Alice made her way back into Jaspers open arms and spoke softly, "Edward, I saw how lonely you were earlier and I just couldn't stand it." She raised her sparkling eyes to meet his. "You've been lonely for over eighty years, no one should have to had endured that terrible fate, and I didn't want to see you go through one more night of it."
Comprehending what she had just said, Edward looked into her thoughts, attempting to place together the events of that evening. After a moment, he looked down at his angel in remorse, picturing the golden halo around her dark hair turning a sickening black and all because of him.
"You shouldn't have done that, Bella." He whispered as he moved in to meet her, encompassing her in his icy grip. "Charlie will be devastated."
"In truth, Edward? I really don't care." Several gasps were emitted as all went silent, all three vampires waiting for Bella's explanation.
"But Bell-" Edward began, only to be cut off b her placing a warm finger to his lips.
"I've realized," She began. "That I've spent all of my life doing things to please other people, leaving my own wants and needs in the background. Well now it's time I've done something for myself." She threw a quick glance back at Alice and Jasper before turning back to her Romeo. "I'm staying, Edward. From this day until forever. Like a weak that's only Mondays, only ice-cream never sundaes…"
"Like a circle with no centre," Alice piped up.
"Like a door marked 'Do Not Enter'…" Jasper finished.
"Edward, I'll be yours forever because I never want to be without love-" Bella stopped in mid-sentence as Edward leaned down to her height, his lips fluttering, ashen on her ear.
"I surrender happily." His voice, a velvety caress against her pulsing skin.
"Edward you had best believe me, never leave me-"
"Without love." He ended, trailing his frozen lips down the line of her jaw before finally placing them flush against hers. Getting wrapped up in the enchanting atmosphere, neither broke apart to acknowledge the quiet sound of the door closing, leaving them alone to their long deserved happiness.