This is my entry for the Make Twific Fun contest hosted by Sadtomato and SingleStrnd! I hope you like it! It certainly was fun for me to write, and writing this piece spawned many more plot bunnies you will see in future fics! :)
Disclaimer: As always, the beloved characters are Stephenie's and I am ever so greateful she lets us play with them!
The tears I'd held back all day streamed down my cheeks as his car disappeared around the corner. It was irrational and silly, but I couldn't help but give in to them in this moment. Standing alone on the porch of the Cullen house, I let myself pretend that every other member of the Cullen family inside didn't know that I was out here embarrassingly bawling like a baby. These were happy tears, though. If they weren't I felt certain I'd have found myself instantly wrapped in the cool embrace of my soon-to-be in-laws. Still, after only a few seconds I could hear the sounds of Alice attempting to hold Edward back from running to my side. I wiped the tears from my cheeks and took a deep, cleansing breathe. As I blew it out, I let go off all of the emotion I had wrapped up in the day.
I turned toward the front door just in time to see it literally fly off it's hinges as Edward flung it open despite Alice's protests.
"Edward, really! She's fine! You don't always have to act like such a chauvinistic brute," Alice harrumphed, her hands on her hips in a scolding manner that would make Esme proud.
"I won't let that dog make her cry again," Edward's voice was low enough I was sure I wasn't supposed to hear it but Edward failed to lower it enough in his anger.
"I'm fine, Edward. Really. You didn't have to break down the door just to get to me." I held back the laugh that threatened to escape at the ludicrous situation. Edward was by my side in an instant.
"Bella, if you value my sanity, do not say that you are fine," Edward groaned. His hands hovered over my body as if he were frightened to touch me. I took both his hands in mine.
"But I am, Edward. They were happy tears, I promise. I can't thank you enough for today. I know it was hard for you," I stroked his cheek lovingly as I spoke, giving him what I hoped was a reassuring look before leaning up on my tiptoes to kiss him gently.
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Bella." Edward refused to release me from his grasp. As I made my way into the house, he merely moved fluidly along with me until we were both seated on the couch.
"I take it the day went well then? Jacob isn't planning on going AWOL anymore?" Alice asked. I knew it was incredibly frustrating to her that she couldn't see the outcome of today's events due to the way the wolves very existence blocked her vision.
It was lucky that's she'd seen anything about Jacob's decision to run away at all! Only when I had asked her to check in on how Charlie would handle the news of Edward's and my engagement did she happen to notice him putting up "Missing" posters all over town. Of course it would be just like Charlie to throw himself into his work upon hearing the news, but Alice caught just a glimpse of the face on the poster and shared the vision with Edward. The two of them apparently fought over the decision of whether or not to tell me for two days before finally informing me the day the invitations were to go out.
Alice was upset that mailing the invitations was delayed by my insistence we wait and find a way to fix this. Edward was upset by Alice's suggested plan. The whole thing was one huge mess and I was insanely relieved that it was over.
"I don't think so. We talked it out. It was painful, but we talked through it." Edward reached out and smoothed the crinkle to my brow as I thought back on how difficult it had been to fight through all of the emotional baggage Jacob and I had between us. "I think he may even come to the wedding," I added brightly. Edward was clearly not as enthused as I was at the prospect.
"You've had a long day. Do you want me to drive you home?" Edward offered while rubbing soothing circles on my back. Before I could answer, Alice was on her feet.
"I'll call Charlie and tell him you're sleeping over," she announced, helpfully. I didn't feel much like moving from my comfy spot on the couch just then. As I adjusted my position slightly, I winced, suddenly remembering the bruise on the side of my right hand. Edward was instantly tense by my side, doing that annoying hover thing again.
"What happened to your hand, Bella?" His voice held barely constrained fury.
"I apparently didn't learn my lesson about punching werewolves the first time. I didn't punch him so much as slapped him this time. I'm sure nothing is broken this time," I muttered, trying to further downplay what was really a minor situation anyway.
"Carlisle," Edward called quietly to my soon to be father-in-law who appeared frighteningly quickly at the bottom of the stairs.
"It's nothing, really! Edward, I'm fi-" I was cut off by the look on Edward's face. The determination I saw there, and knowing Edward as well as I did, made me give in instantly. "Fine," I huffed, "Let Carlisle take a look." I held my arm out over the back of the couch petulantly.
As usual I felt nothing as Carlisle gently examined my hand. Edward's face and tense posture relaxed as he heard Carlisle's assessment in his thoughts.
"If it hurts you can take some Tylenol," Carlisle said, smiling in that gentle way that automatically put you at ease before leaving back up the stairs. I crossed my arms and simply stared at Edward impatiently.
"What did Jacob say to make you hit him this time?" Edward was trying to hide the hurt and strain this day had caused him, but I knew him too well.
Very rarely, I wished that Edward could in fact read my thoughts, if only to save me the trouble of having to tell him every detail of moments such as these. I sighed.
"I believe his exact words were, 'You'd be better off dead. I'd rather you were.' And then I hit him." It was impossible to disguise the hurt in my voice as I recounted the worst of the words Jacob threw at me this afternoon.
Jacob and I had gone back and forth with each other for hours. It was an emotional roller coaster. But somehow I found it cathartic to let it all out, to tell Edward everything that had happened.
"After that he suggested I use a baseball bat or a crowbar to hit him next time," I shook my head, laughing. And then the whole day just seemed to pour out of me as I told Edward how the conversation swung from, "I miss you every day, Bella. It's not the same without you" to "You won't be my Bella anymore. My friend won't exist. There'll be no one to forgive." In my rush to full disclosure I foolishly told how we moved from "Yeah, I'll always be your friend. No matter what you love," to "I make you nervous," and "Does my being half naked bother you?" That particular part of the story had Edward tensed again in anger I was certain wasn't directed at me.
"You aren't jealous, are you Mr. Cullen?" I teased, hoping to lighten the mood.
"Would you understand what I meant if I said I was only human?" The boyish grin on his face was enough to make my knees weak.
"I would. But I certainly hope you know you have nothing to be jealous of," I managed through a yawn that put a stop to our conversation.
"Bedtime for the human, I think. Can you walk, or do you want me to carry you?" I took my overprotective, over-helpful fiancé up on the offer if only to feel his body close to mine for a few more blissful moments. I knew there was a good chance sleep would overtake me before we even reached the big, ostentatious gold bed he'd had placed in his room for me.
As he carried me to bed, he placed a kiss on my forehead as he had many time before. That kiss made every stress of the day melt away instantly. I knew I was meant to be here, in Edward's arms, for all of eternity. I could only hope that after today, my best friend had come to terms with that.