DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ITS CHARACTERS. I OWE ALL OF THAT GREATNESS TO STEPHENIE MEYER!!
CHAPTER ONE: EIGHT YEARS LATER
BPOV
"Clara Amelia Black! Get down here, or we're going to be late!" I shouted to my four-year-old daughter. I grabbed her lunchbox out of the refrigerator and my purse from off of the coat hook by the front door. The slow pitter-patter of feet coming down the hall made me grow more impatient.
"But Mommy, I don't want to go to school today," Clara whined to me. I handed her the lunchbox and her Barbie backpack and tried unsuccessfully to pull her out the front door.
"Clara, you have to go to school. It's the law." I heard my husband's deep voice come from behind me. Clara just crossed her arms over her chest and plopped her self down on the tiled floor with a pout.
"Clara, please. I really don't want to pick you up and drag you out of the house right now," I told her. She didn't move. I sighed and turned to Jacob.
"Hun, please help me out here. I can't be late again. And neither can she." He bent down to our daughter and scooped her up effortlessly with one arm. She was squirming in his grasp.
"Put me down! Put me down!" she yelled.
"No. This is getting very old, Clara. You have to go to school, today and every day. If you don't, you can't watch anymore T.V. Ever. And do you really want to miss out on seeing Kylie and Max?" That got her attention. Kylie Marvin and Max Richardson were Clara's two best friends. They were the first two kids she met at the preschool and they were completely inseparable. Clara started squirming again, but for an entirely different purpose.
"Daddy, let me go! I need to see Kylie and Maxie!" Jacob put her down and she bolted out the door and to my car. I turned back to my husband with a look of gratitude on my face.
"Thank you," I said to him. He smiled that warm smile that I've come to know and love for so many years.
"The Max and Kylie thing works every time," he said with a shrug. I looked down at my watch to see that I had exactly five minutes to get to the preschool.
"Shoot! I have to go." I chastely kissed Jacob and hurried out the door. I slid into the driver's seat of my Chevy Tahoe and started the engine. I pulled out of the driveway and made my way back out onto the main road. The sun was so strong in the morning! I had to wear sunglasses and have the visor pulled down in front of the windshield window. Then something bright and shiny caught the corner of my eye. I looked down at my left hand, where my diamond-encrusted silver wedding band was resting. I smiled slightly to myself. I had fallen in love with Jacob Black about a year after the… Cullens left. Enough time had passed so that I could finally think of their name without wincing in pain. Jake had really helped me get over everything that happened and I would be eternally grateful for that. We became an item the day before my senior prom in high school. I ended up going to college without him, though, seeing as he was… different. When Jacob was ignoring me all those years ago, it wasn't because he didn't want to see me anymore. It was because, well, Jacob is a werewolf. It's crazy, I know. Vampires, werewolves, what else is there? It was a little hard to get used to at first, but he had explained that something called imprinting happened the first night I went back to see him after his first change had occurred. He said that he would never let anything bad ever happen to me, and he would live to love me.
That was what he told me the night he proposed to me as well. I was in my junior year of college, and I was studying to become a teacher. He had come over to my dorm room one night, dressed in a tuxedo. Before I could ask what the hell he was doing, he got down on one knee and pulled out the diamond ring that now lay on my left hand ring finger, and asked me to marry him: right there in my doorway. I said yes, of course. I had been waiting for that day to come for a long time.
We got married that June, and had Clara nine months later. Yes; I got pregnant on my wedding night. I know, it's such a cliche. But it was the greatest thing to happen to either of us. Clara was so beautiful as a baby, she had my eyes, Jacob's dark skin and hair, and my stubbornness. We moved to back to Phoenix when I was out of college. I really missed it here and it would be a great place to raise a family.
However, there was always the questions of 'what about the werewolf pack?' and 'will Clara become one as well?' We— Jake and I— had talked about it a lot before moving. He and the pack had decided that it was safe to leave because there were no more vampires around. As for Clara becoming a werewolf, it was a possibility, but there was a chance it would never happen, seeing how there were no vampires around here, either. And if she ever did change, we would deal with it when it happened.
I snapped out of my rambling mind as I pulled up to the preschool. It was large and very welcoming. That's why I had loved it so much. All of the people were so friendly and it was really a great place for Clara to be and for me to work. I loved all of my kids. They were all so sweet. Another thing I liked was that it wasn't just kids playing around all the time. We actually taught them things, like colors and animals and such. It was more like kindergarten than preschool. The only thing I wasn't really fond of was how Clara wasn't allowed to be in my class because she's my daughter. It was a stupid rule, but at least her teacher was one of my closest friends and she was like an aunt to Clara. Her name was Samantha Kelley. I had actually known her in high school when I used to live in Phoenix. We weren't best friends, but once I started working at the preschool, she became my best friend.
I stepped out of my car and followed Clara into the school. She ran over to Kylie and Max and said hello, then went to place her backpack and lunchbox in her red square cubby.
"Morning, Tom," I said to the school's director as I placed my things in the teacher's lunch room. Tom was a really nice guy, about thirty or so years old. He was tall and skinny with short black hair. He had taken over the school when his father, Thomas Bright Sr., passed away about three years ago. He was making himself coffee when I walked him.
"Hey, Good Morning, Izzy," he replied cheerfully to me. I rolled my eyes and placed my things in my 'locker'.
"Tom, how many times have I told you not to call me Izzy?" I asked him.
"Many."
"Than why do you proceed to call me Izzy?"
"Because I don't want to say 'Isabella' or 'Mrs. Black' or something like that," he said with a shrug.
"Then call me Bella. I've told you, that is my nickname. It always has been," I told him again. He rolled his eyes at me and sighed.
"Fine, Bella," he complained. I laughed. Tom was such a great person, and even though he was my boss, he was really more like a close friend to Jacob and I. I went over to the coffee machine and poured myself a cup.
"So, when's the new kid coming in?" I asked Tom, taking a seat at a table next to him.
"In about twenty minutes. You know, you ask this every time, and it's always the same answer. Why do you continue to ask?"
"Because they never come when they're supposed to. I didn't ask you when they're scheduled to be here, Tom, I asked you when they're coming," I said.
"And there's a difference?"
"A big difference." Just then the buzzer in the lunch room when off, signaling the start of 'school'. I threw my coffee cup in the trash and went out to the main play room.
"Okay, guys. Time to split up into your class groups," I announced to all of the forty four-year-olds in the room. They all groaned in protest, and reluctantly went into their designated classrooms. I went into mine and counted up all of the children I had for the day. Hm. There were only nine. Where was…?
"Hi, sorry we're late. We had a little trouble waking up this morning, didn't we, Lucy?" I turned around and saw Caitlyn Stanford tugging her daughter Lucy along behind her. I smiled warmly at both of them.
"It's okay, but we're about to start. Lucy, why don't you go put your things in your cubby and then go take a seat and we can start the day, okay?" I asked her soothingly. She took her thumb out of her mouth and nodded, letting go of her mother's hand.
"Thanks, Mrs. Black," Cathy said to me. "Lucy, I'll see you later, sweetie!" she called. She blew a kiss to Lucy and then walked back out the door. Once Lucy was in her seat I greeted my 'class'.
"Well, good morning, everyone," I said the them, with a smile.
"Good morning, Mrs. Black," they all echoed in unison. I had to admit, they were some pretty smart four-year-olds.
"Okay, today we're going to have someone coming in to help us. They should be here very shortly, and I expect all of you to treat them with respect. Understand?" They all nodded. I knew they weren't going to be respectful. They hardly even understood what it meant.
"Excuse me, I'm from Phoenix High School. I'm here for my community service," I heard someone, probably a boy, ask Tom in a soft voice.
"Okay, you're a few minutes late, but it's fine. It's your first day," Tom said enthusiastically to the boy.
"Yes, sorry about that. I, uh… got lost," the student replied apologetically. Why was that voice so familiar?
"Oh, don't worry about it. So you must be…" Tom asked the boy his name, but I couldn't hear it because two of my kids, Lilly and Kyle, both started crying. I walked over the where they were sitting and asked what was wrong.
"Kyle punched my arm!" Lilly screamed to me. Her face was red from crying. I turned to Kyle.
"Kyle, is that true?" I asked the little boy.
"Well… yes… but…" I shook my head before he could finish his sentence.
"No 'but's. You know hitting is against the rules."
"But Lilly took my Spiderman action figure!" he yelled, pointing at Lilly. I turned back to the little girl, whose face was full of shock.
"I did not!" she exclaimed.
"Yes you did!"
"Lilly, what do you have behind your back?" I asked her, trying to look.
"Nothing. See?" She showed me her hands and I heard a loud smack on the ground.
"Spiderman! You broke him! You broke my Spiderman!" Kyle yelled, sobbing. I picked up the now beheaded Spiderman toy and held them up to Lilly.
"Lilly, you know you're not supposed to take other kids' toys. What do you say to Kyle?"
"Sorry, Kyle. I just wanted to see if he could talk. I'm sorry I braked him," she said softly to him.
"Now Kyle, I'll see what I can do to fix Spiderman. But you're not supposed to hit. What do you say to Lilly?"
"Sorry, Lilly," he said reluctantly, looking away.
"Because you hit her, you'll have to go in the Time Out Corner." He looked up at me with wide eyes. "Go on, it's just for a few minutes." He pouted and crossed his arms, stomping over the chair facing the wall, known as the Time Out Corner. I stood up and went to place the broken Spiderman in Kyle's cubby.
"Mrs. Black, I'd like you to meet your new helper," Tom said from behind me. I smiled and turned around to face a tall, lanky, pale figure with reddish brown hair and golden eyes. His expression was shocked, as I'm sure mine was. "This is Edward Cullen."
And then everything went black.
EPOV
Why everyone chose to move to sunny and hot Phoenix, Arizona was beyond me. It definitely wasn't safe for us. I mean, one step out into the blazing sun and we're done for. But this was where my family wanted to go, and I wasn't about to leave them again. I had spent a full year by myself after leaving… her… before returning to my family who was staying with Tanya and her family in Alaska at the time. And yes; even after eight and a half years, I still can't bring myself to say, or think, her name. Sometimes I would still get mad at myself for what I did to her. It was what she needed, to be safe, and that's what I had given her by leaving: safety. I had stopped moping and pouting as much in the past couple years. I laughed at jokes and smiled every now and then, but I still couldn't help but wonder what she was doing or where she was or… who she was with. But now we were in Phoenix and she was probably still up in Forks. I doubt she would ever come back here after that monstrosity of an event all those years ago took place not too far away.
I shook those thoughts from my mind as I swerved through the busy streets of the city. I couldn't speed much like I could in Forks. No; these roads were much too crowded. I wouldn't complain though. Anything that put off going to do community service for school hours made me happy. I absolutely loathed doing community service. Every time we went to a new school we had to do them. It was a graduation requirement. The only things to really do for community service around here were dog walking and working at a local preschool. I knew it wasn't very safe for me to choose the preschool option, but I was much more likely to attack a dog than attack a person. I'd been living with and around people for just about a century now, and hunting animals was what I did in place of hunting people. Can you see my logic there?
Anyway, as I was driving up to the school all I could think about was what I was going to have to do: change diapers? Read stories? Feed the little devils? Oh well. I would just have to deal with it. And it was only for the entire summer, so I could exist with that.
The school was big and bricked on the outside. There was a big white sign over the main entrance that said "BRIGHT MINDS PRESCHOOL". Wow, the owner was really clever coming up with that name. (His last name is Bright). I shook my head at the lameness of it and turned off my Volvo. As soon as I stepped out of the car I smelled the most awful scent that has ever passed through my nostrils. It was dirty diapers mixed with little children and a hint of cheap perfume and cologne, probably worn by the teachers. I held my breath and walked into the school. It was painted white and had colorful carpets and chairs and tables everywhere. I made my way over to what I assumed to be the director's office and knocked on the door.
"Come in," said a loud, cheerful voice. I turned the knob and stepped inside. The man sitting at the desk was very skinny and had short black hair. The nametag on his desk read 'Thomas Bright Jr.' He was typing away at the computer but stopped when he took a glance in my direction. His eyes grew wide with every passing millisecond.
Wow, I never looked like that when I was in high school, I heard him think.
"Excuse me, I'm from Phoenix High School. I am here for my community service," I said softly and politely, ignoring his last thought.
"Okay, you're a few minutes late, but it's fine. It's your first day." The man's enthusiasm made me sick. He stood up with a sheet of paper in his hands.
Why are they always late? I hate when they're late! He thought sourly.
"Yes, sorry about that. I, uh… got lost," I lied. I really wasn't lost. I was just driving as slowly as possible.
Eh, so what if he's late? He seems nice enough.
"Oh, don't worry about it. So you must be…" He paused to look at the paper he had in his hand. I guessed that it was all of my information. "Edward Cullen. Correct?" he asked, looking back up to meet my gaze.
"That is correct," I assured him. He set the paper back down on his desk and held out his hand.
"I'm Tom Bright, the director. You can just call me Tom, or Mr. Bright. Whatever you like," he said to me with a smile. I took his hand and shook it firmly.
"Shall we?" he asked, gesturing towards the door. I nodded and stepped back out into the main play room, as he called it. He led me into a medium sized 'classroom' that had about ten children seated, a large whiteboard in the front of the room, and lots of little cubbies. When we went in, the teacher, I assumed, was crouched at a table holding a broken Spiderman toy in her hands. She was talking to a little boy who I assumed had been crying. She said something unintelligible to him, and his eyes grew wide. She muttered something else and he crossed his arms with a pout, then stomped over to sit in a red chair in the corner. There was a sign that read 'Time Out Corner' taped to the wall.
Mrs. Black is so mean. I didn't do anything wrong. Lilly deserved to be punched, the little boy thought to himself, along with many other things. The teacher shook her head and stood up slowly, smoothing out her khaki pants and straightening her bright blue work polo. She went over to the wall and placed the broken toy in a cubby marked 'KYLE S.' So that must be the child's name. Something strange was going on. Why couldn't I hear the teacher's thoughts? Sure, I hadn't even heard her speak, but that shouldn't really matter. The only time that had ever happened was with… her.
Tom led me over to where she was and greeted her. "Mrs. Black, I'd like you to meet your new helper," he said to her. She straightened out and I was overwhelmed with a familiar aroma that had almost taken control of me so many years ago, on the first day I'd met Isabella Swan. Wow, did I really just think her name? She turned around and I was met by that familiar heart-shaped face, and that familiar chestnut brown hair, and those familiar big brown eyes. My breathing stopped and hers sped up. She was looking at me with her brown eyes wide, as I'm sure my golden ones were.
"This is Edward Cullen," Tom announced.
And then she fainted. I caught her before she could hit the floor, and carried her into a room marked 'Teacher Area'. I had seen that happen so many times in the past, but today it frightened me the most. Mainly because it had been so long since we had seen each other and I hardly could fathom what I was going to do.
I'll have to stop working here, I thought. I'll have to move. We'll have to leave! Oh no, I couldn't do that again. I couldn't put my family through any more stress and I definitely couldn't put Bella through more pain. But wait… something hit me just then. Tom had called Bella 'Mrs. Black'. Mrs. That meant she was married. Black. Oh no.
The werewolf. I struggled not to growl at the realization. Sure this was what I had wanted to happen; for Bella to find love with someone that wasn't me, and for her to live a normal human life out of danger. But a werewolf was absolutely not what I had had in mind. They were just as dangerous as vampires were, if not more so. Why hadn't Alice been able to tell me about this?! She must have been able to see Bella falling in love with and marrying a filthy hound. But she would have told me. Then why hadn't she seen it?
Just then, Bella's eyes started to flutter open and she gasped out loud as she took in the sight of me again.
"Bella? You okay?" Tom asked her calmly. He bent over her to feel her head with the back of her palm. She looked up at him.
"Um, yeah. I'm… I'm fine. I just stood up too fast I guess." I tried to help her sit up, but she just cringed away from me. That hurt. A lot. But I guess I should understand why she didn't want me to touch her.
"Um, Tom, I'm fine. You can go back to work. I'll introduce… Edward… to the kids." She almost winced as she said my name aloud. Oh, how I must have hurt her. That was never my intention. Never. If it were possible for me to cry, I would have; right there and then. I would have held her close if she'd allowed it, and if she weren't married. I would have told her how deeply sorry I was and I would never leave her again.
But I couldn't do any of those things. I couldn't cry; she was married; and I would have to leave her. I just couldn't stay here now that I knew it was her home as well as mine. Tom stalked out of the room and I stood up. She did also. She looked me in the eyes and I could see the hurt and pain I'd caused her everywhere in hers. She opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out were sobs; wet, pain-filled sobs. She covered her hand over her heart and bent down to the floor. I started to panic. What was happening? Was she having some kind of attack?
"Bella? Bella! Are you okay?" What a stupid thing to ask. Of course she wasn't okay. She stood back up and let the sobbing fade away. She held up a hand to my face, as if to touch it, but hesitated. Then she slowly maneuvered her shaking fingertips all along my cheekbones. I closed my eyes as I melted under her soft touch. She gasped out loud again and then covered her mouth with her hand. I opened my eyes abruptly.
"Dear God, it is you," she whispered into her hand. And with that, she threw her arms around my neck and started crying once again. I held her cautiously. I didn't want to let go, but I knew I had to. I slowly pushed her off of me and then held her out at arm's length. I took in every inch of her body, analyzing everything. Her hair had been cut to just past her shoulders, she was about the same size though, and her skin was slightly less pale than I remembered it to be. She still looked beautiful though. I took a few deep breaths before speaking.
"Bella… I think… I think we need to talk."
A/N
Soooo there's the first chapter for you. I wanted to cry at certain points as I was writing this. Let me know if you think it's moving too fast, or what you think should happen in the next chapter or what. This is my second fan fiction. On my first one, I had some amazing reviewers who stuck with me from beginning to end. I'm hoping they'll stay with me for this one as well!
Anyway, the next chapter… hopefully… should be out by this weekend. I've just been busy, is all.
REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! Please and thanks.
-S.N.O.
