A/N: This is my first fanfic, so please review!! I need criticism, but please try to keep it relatively polite. Full summary: In a swift act of instinct, Edward shatters the already fragile treaty between the Cullens and the Quileute wolves. Combined with problems set by Bella's heart still beating, the Cullen family is in for the battle - battles - of their lives. . . I stink at summaries, it's better than it sounds. Rated T for language and slight content. Sorry for all the fluff, it gets better in later chapters - this first one's a pile of pillows.
I dedicate all of Part One to my friends in twilight: Paigey-Poo, who outright-demanded that I don't call her that; Penny Dreadful, who I jump, scream, and countdown the days with; Lexeroni, also known as 'La' and 'The Village Idiot', who STILL hasn't finished it yet (get cracking, girly!); Krispy, who's closer to the end than Lexeroni, and, IMO, has horrible taste in music; and, finally, to the lovely Miss Stormy, who sticks by me, no matter how much of a py word-that-rhymes-with-witch I am. I love you guys, this is for you!
Disclaimer: Tragically, I do not own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, or the upcoming Midnight Sun and Breaking Dawn - the fantabulous Stephenie Meyer does . . . the only thing I own in this fic is my plot.
SPOILER ALERT! DON'T READ UNLESS YOU'VE READ UP TO ECLIPSE!!
1. A Lion's Embrace
As Edward's lips gently caressed the side of my face, I found myself again wondering what I had done to deserve him. He was so selfless and caring and . . . perfect. He had no reason to love me. No reason to care for me. Yet he did - I couldn't help but wonder why.
"What are you thinking about so intensely, love?" Edward murmured, his wintry breath dancing across my face and dazzling me once more.
"Nothing." I answered quickly, rather breathlessly, turning my head to search for his lips.
He lifted his head to stare into my eyes. "Bella. You know how frustrating it is for me, not knowing what you're thinking. Please tell me?"
His gaze was making it hard to follow what his velvet voice was saying. The topaz eyes, darker than normal tonight, were without a doubt the most beautiful eyes on earth, in any century.
"It was nothing, Edward. Really." I slid my hands around his neck, pulling him closer to me. "Just thinking about you, and me."
He smiled. "That's what I think about, too. How I don't deserve someone as . . . glorious, perfect, indescribable, as you." He leaned in, pressing his lips against mine. I kissed him back, savoring the moment - one of the few rare, wondrous moments when nothing mattered but us, where nothing else had to exist but Edward, his icy arms wrapped around me and his perfect, gentle lips on mine . . .
Suddenly, Edward pulled away, sitting up on the king-sized bed, which I suddenly realized we had been lying on. Hadn't he just been kissing my cheek on the black leather couch across the room? Not that I minded the bed - I just minded having to wait for what it signified.
I was about to ask what was wrong when he looked at the door, closed shut. "Alice?" he said urgently. "What is it?"
The door flew open, and a spritely, beautiful young woman with alabaster skin and spiky, inky black hair flew in. "Edward Cullen," Alice stepped toward him, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "I just had a vision, and you and young miss Swan here had better watch yourselves. Esme would be appalled at what you were nearly going to do."
"Alice, what are you talking about?" I asked, still somewhat dazzled by Edward's kiss.
"Seriously, Edward - wait until after the wedding." Alice turned to me. "And you - keep you human hormones under check until you're a missus, alright?" With that, she disappeared, leaving the door wide open after her.
Edward was glaring at a spot on the floor, as if he hoped to burn a hole through it with only his eyes. I crawled across the bed to him, leaning my head against his marble chest. His arms encircled me, but there was a reluctance; and Alice's mysterious warning suddenly computed in my brain.
"Edward, did Alice - did she see us - ?"
"Yes." He was still glaring at the floor.
I was silent for a moment; had it really come so close that it had, however briefly, been a deadlock in our future?
"Edward," I began patiently, ready to talk this new realization through; he cut me off.
"We're not going to have this discussion right now, love." he said gently, pressing his lips into my hair, tangled from the day and from kissing Edward against the pillows. "Let's go downstairs, okay?" Before I could answer he lifted me into his arms, and we were in the spacious living room in less time than I would have thought possible before I met the Cullens. I smiled up at Edward, craning my neck to kiss his icy cheek. He set me down, and I started to move towards one of the creamy white love-seats where we normally sat, he wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me into him, bumping me against his hard, perfect chest.
"Where do you think you're going?" he growled low, smiling sweetly down at me despite his tone. I got that familiar, pleasant feeling like I always did when Edward was near me - like I was floating, in a wonderful someplace even better than heaven.
"Nowhere." I said, my words slightly muffled by his shoulder. My heart raced as he chuckled lightly, his arctic breath flowing into my hair. His lips pressed against my forehead for a quick minute before he pulled me to the only chair in the room, sitting me in his lap.
I looked around the room, and mainly noticed the furniture - two love-seats, one tiny couch, and one chair. "Edward," I said, a realization hitting me, "The furniture - a love-seat for Alice and Jasper, another for Emmett and Rosalie, a couch for Esme and Carlisle - the chair was yours?"
He nodded. "Yes, love. I was a bit of an odd-man-out, before I met you. I had a private seat all to myself." One of his hands, hard and cold, twined with one of my own, while the other gently stroked my hair. "Esme offered to get another love-seat for you and me," He continued, pulling me closer against his body, "But I like this better." He kissed my neck, sending pleasant shivers down my spine. I felt a blush run into my cheeks, smiling at my own personal angel, the lion to my lamb, my Edward . . .
I didn't hear the near-silent movements of any vampire, and I jumped when Emmett's voice sounded from behind me. "Blushing, as always." He tutted and shook his handsome head, wrapping one of his bear-like arms around Rosalie, sitting next to him on their seat. "Bella, will there ever come a time when we'll see you not red in the face?"
I laughed, blushing even more in embarrassment. Emmett roared at my reaction, the painfully beautiful, immaculate Rosalie cracked a smile, and Edward chuckled, pecking my pink cheek and making my pulse stutter.
"Bella, Charlie will be home in four and a half minutes, he's going to be wondering where you were." A high voice floated down the stairs, followed by a deep giggle.
"Thanks, Alice!" I called back. She just giggled oddly again.
Edward's face screwed up in distaste. "Jasper," he said at normal speaking volume, "Could you please try to keep your thoughts down?"
Emmett laughed again, and Rosalie gave him a playful slap that could no doubt have shattered my bones. After speedy goodbyes, Edward slung me onto his back and sprinted through the door.
The wind whipped against my face and the trees blurred past at an alarming speed, but Edward's breathing was an average pace, his step graceful and silent. I rested my chin on his shoulder, my cheek pressed against his neck. "I love you." I murmured, breathing in his scent.
"I love you, too, Bella."
He slid me off his back, setting me down on the porch of my house. He dropped the key into my hand, retrieved from it's usual place under the eave. I unlocked the door and led the way to the tiny kitchen, with it's comforting, bright yellow cupboards and left-over scents from Charlie's dinner last night.
I cut out two squares of left-over lasagna, put them on separate plates and tossed them into the microwave. Edward wrinkled his nose slightly as the scent of warming pasta wafted about the room. I smiled slightly - to Edward, human food was mildly repulsive. "Smells bad, Edward?" I teased, pulling the plates of food from the microwave and blowing the scent towards him.
"Yes, it does." Edward smiled, rising and took the dinners from my hands, setting them on the table before wrapping his arms around me. He buried his face in my hair, breathing deeply.
I heard the door close loudly, and Charlie yell out his usual greeting, "Bella, is that you?"
"Yeah Dad, we're in the kitchen." I called back.
Edward inhaled one last time before pulling away, keeping contact only with an arm around my waist. "All better." he smiled.
I grinned back, elated by his embrace. Would there ever be a time when he wouldn't dazzle me?
Charlie huffed into the room, rubbing his stomach. "Hey, Bells; smells good." he said before adding gruffly, "'Evening, Edward."
"Good evening, Charlie. I hope you had a good day?" Edward replied, flawlessly polite as ever, sliding his hand from around my waist to my hand, no doubt responding to some protesting in Charlie's thoughts. I grasped his hand firmly, eating with my left. Charlie shoveled down his dinner, all the while glaring at the hand holding my fork. I looked down at it myself, and saw what had interested Charlie so - my ring. Beautiful and perfectly fitted to my finger, the ring first given to Edward's mother by his father, now representing Edward and I, glistened in the artificial light. I was rather thankful for this ring - it was perfect, with nothing about it to be improved upon. And, it was a heirloom, a 'hand-me-down' as Edward put it, so he hadn't spent a ridiculous amount of money on me.
Charlie finished his dinner quickly, but remained seated with his arms folded over his chest, supervising us. "Dad, isn't there a game on right now?" I asked pushingly - Charlie was taking the term 'parental supervision' to the farthest extreme yet since Edward and I announced our engagement (a topic Charlie avoided at all costs, preferring to live in denial).
"I can miss it." Charlie replied coldly.
I felt Edward tense for a moment beside me, his eyebrows raise the tiniest bit, as if he was surprised. I squeezed his fingers in mine, raising my own eyebrows in question. He shook his head slightly, his face caught between amusement and shock.
"Well, I had better be leaving." Edward said, rising to his feet in one fluid motion. I rose with him, dumping my plate into the sink to be rinsed and washed later. I met Edward at the door, where he was waiting for me. My father has migrated to the living room at the sight of Edward's departure. I flung my arms around him, wishing he could stay longer.
"What was that about?" I asked, looking up into his brilliant topaz eyes, feeling faintly dazzled already.
"Nothing. Charlie's thoughts are just . . . unexpected." Edward answered, his voice muffled by the top of my head. "He wants to talk to you."
"About . . . ?"
Instead of answering, Edward bent his face to mine, gently kissing my lips. Reckless as always, I wound my arms around his neck and pulled myself closer, my heart beating hard and fast enough for the two of us. Too soon, as usual, he pulled away, breaking my grip easily. "I'll be waiting for you." he whispered, then, louder, "Goodbye, Charlie."
A grunt answered from the living room. Edward, squeezed me tightly one final time before he vanished.
I sauntered back towards the living room, anxious to hurry and finish whatever conversation Charlie wanted to have so I could be back with my boyfri - fiancee. The word was still unfamiliar to me.
I sat down on the couch, choosing to let my dad start off whatever he wanted to say. I stared blankly at the televison, not really seeing the game it was playing, my thoughts with Edward upstairs, waiting on my bed to watch me fall asleep . . .
"Bells? Can I talk to you about something?" Charlie mumbled, muting the TV and shifting in his seat to face me.
"Sure, Dad." I said, getting an uneasy feeling in my gut. "What's up?"