Here are so key factors on this story
1. This story is set after Edward and Bella's honeymoon in Breaking Dawn and Bella did not get pregnant.
2. Bella's transformation came soon after they returned from their honeymoon and the circumstances will be explained.
3. Renesme will be a character in my story, but will not be E&B's daughter. She will be connected to Bella in a different way with a different name. ;-)
4. The almost battle with the Volturi did not happen because there was no reason for it to have happened in this story. There was no "immortal child" so Irina had no reason to go to the Volturi.
5. The wolves can read each other's thoughts even when they are not in wolf form as long as they are within a reasonable distance (1-2 miles). They can communicate at a much further distance when in wolf form.
I hope this explains where this story begins in my eyes. Please note that the University the Cullen's attend is not a real school in British Columbia. There weren't't many to choose from there.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephanie Meyers has that privilege. The plot of this story is mine; I just use her characters.
Victims of Circumstance
Chapter 1
EPOV
Today was like most other days, only now we were no longer in Forks; we were in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. I'd experienced the thrill of moving away and beginning again often within my lifetime. However, this time around I had the love of my existence by my side which made my overall outlook on the future much brighter.
It had been about 2 years since we were married and left the small rainy town of Forks. Picking up and leaving had never mattered to me in the past, but it was different this time. Forks brought Bella and me together, so leaving was somewhat bittersweet. We would visit from time to time but would not be able to live there permanently for many years to come.
The one thing I would miss the most about that rainy little town is our meadow. The thick, wavy, green grass and the colorful blossoms against Bella's skin were truly a sight to behold; it's occupied my mind on many of occasions.
Luckily, Prince Rupert is one of the rainiest places in the world, much like Forks. Sunny days were rare and far in between. The town probably got sunshine no more than 100 days out of the year, so we wouldn't have to disappear as often as we did when we were in Forks. There was easy access to the forest and wildlife was plentiful, but we still took the occasional hunting trip when we were in the mood more dangerous, illusive prey.
The population was much larger than Forks; a little over 12,000 people live in this part of the world. However, where we chose to inhabit was quite secluded, much like our home in Washington. Esme designed the house we occupied now 5 years ago and it was completed just after Bella and I came back from our honeymoon.
Our 3 story house has nine bedrooms, all of which had private bathrooms within. We also have 3 additional bathrooms, one on each floor of the house for guests not occupying a room. Not that we would have much company, but as Esme says, one can never be too sure.
In addition to the normal amenities on the first floor, Carlisle has his own office as usual and Alice has a small studio where she designs most of her clothing when she can't find what she's looking for off the rack. Esme also added a room for herself where she could work on any housing ideas that that might pop into her mind. She has a tendency to redecorate our other properties as time goes on, so she needed her own space for that.
I wasn't't the least bit surprised that Esme did not give me a space to compose music. She enjoyed listening to me play far too much for me to be hidden away.
"Such beautiful sounds should be upfront and available for all to enjoy, Edward. Your piano shall remain in the living room dear," She always says. Who was I to deny my mother anything she wishes?
If someone would have told me that my life would eventually be filled with such happiness and contentment, I probably would have called their mental faculties in to question. But, I assume love has a tendency to bring about changes in ones genetic makeup that you would never think were possible. I wouldn't change it for anything in the world.
My new found fondness of Forks was not the only reason I was reluctant to leave. It's impossible for me to express the depth of the guilt I feel knowing what my Bella has had to give up for me. A part of me knows that she did so of her own free will, but I will always feel as though I robbed her of a part of herself. Not only has Bella had to give up her humanity and friendships, but also her family, namely her mother.
She would probably never be able to see her again. Just the occasional muffled phone calls letting her know that she was well and enjoying life or maybe a letter. No matter how hard she tries to hide it from me, it's obvious that this part of the situation would always be difficult for her.
Just after our honeymoon, we set the date for Bella's transformation. Exactly one month later, we journeyed to a small, secluded cabin we owned within the Aspin Mountains. My family accompanied us to offer moral support. They knew how difficult this would be for me knowing how much Bella's blood appealed to me. This was a very emotional time and I secretly hoped that Bella would have changed her mind.
(Flashback)
"It's time Edward," Carlisle said as he appeared at my side placing his hand on my shoulder. I took a deep, unnecessary breath to brace myself. How would I be able to cause her intentional pain even if it's what she desires most?
"Yes, I suppose it is. She must be terrified!"I said as I rubbed my face.
"Actually, she seems very calm and determined," Carlisle said and I smiled at his comment. Bella was always the pillar of strength. Carlisle and I both walked into the room where Bella was. Alice sat in a chair by the bedside and met my gaze, giving me a reassuring smile.
'She'll be fine Edward, don't worry,' she thought.
Not worrying, is definitely not an option right now. Alice turned back to Bella and leaned forward cupping her face in both her hands.
"I won't lie to you Bella, you are about to endure a pain that is beyond comprehension. But please remember that soon, there'll be no more pain, no more fear, and no more limits. All that will be left is Edward and forever my sister," Alice whispered, her was voice thick with emotion.
Bella smiled and her eyes turned glossy before she mimicked Alice's hold on her face. They giggled joyously as their eyes connected, pressing their foreheads together. After a moment, Alice stood up from the chair and walked over to me and enveloped me in a hug which I returned. While she held me she pulled me down to her and whispered in my ear so that Bella couldn't't hear her.
"You are the strongest man I know. I don't have to be physic to know that everything will turn out just fine. I'm so very happy for you and I love you so much Edward."
"I love you too Alice," I said.
"We'll give you two a moment. Call me when you're ready," Carlisle said. Alice released me and gave my hand one more squeeze before her and Carlisle left the room, closing the door behind them. I walked over to where Bella was sitting on the bed and kneeled before her. I leaned forward and put my head in her lap, wrapping my arms around her. I felt her hands running through my hair and if crying was possible for my kind, I would have been inconsolable at this moment.
"I know you're worried Edward, but I'll be okay. This is what I want and what we need," Bella said.
"I know it is love, but it doesn't have to be this way. You can give yourself more time to think this through."
"My decision was made the moment I saw you in that cafeteria Edward. Before I even knew what you were, I was yours. All I want is an eternity with you and this is the only way."
"But to give up so much-" She cut me off before I could finish.
"I'm not giving up anything. I'm gaining more than I've ever dreamed of. I'm gaining a family and most of all I'll have you, completely. I couldn't't have asked for a more perfect existence." I lifted my head from her lap and looked into her eyes. I could see the tears streaming down her face, but, they weren't't tears of sadness. I could see the joy and the love in her stare and I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers.
I kissed her with a passion I'd never felt before. I took in her warmth, her scent, as well as the sound of her heart beat and committed them to memory. When I released her mouth I listened to her ragged breaths and gazed at her flushed face.
As I ran my fingers down her flaming cheek, I knew then that this blush and these warm chocolate brown eyes would be missed more than she would ever know. Although those beauties would be gone forever, in the end there was one thing that she would carry over into my world that is far more valuable than anything else to me; and that is her undying love. That would be mine for all eternity.
Goodbye my beautiful, fragile little human.
I slowly withdrew my hands from her skin, knowing that if I held on any longer, I would not be able to go through with this. I looked over at the door and whispered, "Carlisle". He entered the room immediately and he went to the table and retrieved the syringe filled with my venom.
He walked over and handed it to me with a smile. Bella lay back onto the bed and gave me a brave smile when suddenly I felt Carlisle's hand grip my shoulder.
'I know that I don't say this nearly as much as I should but, I love you son. I'll be right here and I won't leave your side.' He thought. I looked at him and noticed the proud expression on his face.
This man has supported me through everything. Even when I left him and started down my dark path, his faith in me never wavered. He waited for me for years, knowing that I would one day return, welcoming me back with open arms, giving me a true home to call my own with him.
He's wanted this for me from the very start, to find the love of my existence just as he had with Esme. I looked at him and I was so filled with emotion that I couldn't't speak. How do you express your gratitude to someone who's given you so much, who believes in you so completely?
'I know Edward. I've always known; you've shown me every day,' He thought. I smiled and nodded my head, swallowing the lump in my throat and turned to my love. Bella looked at the syringe in my hand and smiled.
"I love you Edward, forever."
"Forever," I said. Not giving myself a chance to think about it, I quickly injected the venom into her heart.
One injection of my venom into Bella's heart, three excruciating bites, and two days later; Bella's heart went silent forever and she began her new journey as a vampire by my side.
(End of Flashback)
The bright side of this situation was the fact that her father knew just enough about her 'situation' thanks to her best friend Jacob Black. So, she is able to keep in touch with him more often than not.
Jacob Black. His name alone can change my demeanor in a nanosecond. One would think after all this time and everything we went through that I would be over my issues with him. I am for the most part, but there is a part of me that will always feel slightly threatened by him. It lurks under the surface of my calm and polite exterior. His attitude towards me has not improved in the slightest and that just adds fuel to the fire.
This boy attempted to rob me of my only reason to exist, so to most it's understandable that I harbor some ill will towards him, is it not? Even though Bella had chosen me in the end and said there was never any question that I was who she couldn't't live without; it still bothered me to this very day that both her and Jacob shared this deep rooted connection that I couldn't't quite understand.
Jacob made it clear that he loves Bella very much, but he accepts the fact that they can have no more than just a close friendship. The boy is a terrible liar. I've seen his thoughts and I know that he hopes she will realize her mistake and change her mind. His fantasies are most enraging.
She'd come to him and say that she made the biggest mistake of her life and beg for his forgiveness. She'd love him all the more because he'd accept her without question, vampire or not, and he'd take her for his own.
Over my pile of ashes will that ever become a reality! However, I can't blame him for his infatuation. It's those thoughts that ignite the hostility within me.
It's upsetting that they share any sort of connection at all, even though I know that the romantic feelings are one sided. But honestly, I have no one to blame for that but myself.
My leaving led to the friendship's intensity in the first place and that's what makes this whole situation all the more agonizing for me.
I find myself wondering if the friendship would have been as strong had I not left in my failed attempt to keep her safe. That one decision, I will no doubt regret for the rest of my existence. I caused her so much heartache and she did what she had to do to survive. He had comforted and protected her when I didn't. I chose the alternative during our separation and exiled myself.
She would skin me alive for feeling this way after all that we have been through, but my self-deprecating nature isn't't something I am able to ignore for too long. So, I keep these feelings to myself and just bask in the blissful knowledge that this beautiful creature was now mine for all eternity. I am the luckiest man on the face of the earth.
We were all enrolled in Anchorage University now and it is our first day of class. My first few classes passed in a blur. I didn't't really need to pay attention considering the fact that I've learned most of the material before. To pass the time, my mind wandered back to our time before school began.
Bella and I travelled alone for a time after her transformation, at the disapproval of my sister Alice of course. She and Bella are very close and I understood her reasons for not wanting them to be separated. However, we needed that time to ourselves to further connect as husband and wife and thankfully, she eventually understood. Alice didn't't have any negative visions so there was no reason not to proceed.
I was able to share some of my favorite places in the world with her and she seemed to enjoy every moment of it. We even swam the Chanel like Carlisle had all those years ago. It was a time that I will always hold dear and remember fondly. However, reality eventually set in and we needed to settle down so that Bella could attend college.
Bella seemed to be adjusting to our way of life exceptionally well being a newborn. We noticed how calm she was from the very start. There were no violent outbursts; no temper tantrums; no losses of control that cost the lives of many on her part. I was sure some of it was due to Jasper's influence, but he assured me that he did little to nothing.
She seemed to be the same Bella that I loved while human and it pleased me that she basically hit the ground running when it came to this new life. It was almost as if she was made to be a vampire which is comical for someone who was as vertically challenged as she used to be.
To be perfectly honest, those situations are not something I miss about Bella's life as a human. It was always difficult for me to believe that she had survived as long as she had before she and I met. The thought of this always brings a smile to my face on more than one occasion and when she would ask what was funny, I would just say it was nothing. She wouldn't't appreciate me laughing at her former lack of coordination.
We were all sitting at our new table which was furthest in the back corner of the cafeteria like always. Each of us lost in our thoughts. Being the self-centered being that she is, Rosalie was basking in her own perfection. She loved the fact that she was admired by so many. It somehow validated her. Some things never change apparently.
Emmett was planning some wrestling rematch with Jasper and how he would ambush me when I wasn't't paying attention. Clearly, my brother never accepted defeat easily.
Alice was planning her next shopping excursion and of course Jasper's thoughts were about the hunting trip we were planning. He was eager to find a large black bear that would give him a challenge.
As always, Bella's thoughts were still a mystery to me but her facial expressions clued me in. She stared at me longingly, her eyes taking in my every feature, especially my lips. That always caused a delicious tightening in my stomach.
She still had no idea what she does to me in a physical sense. I met her gaze and gave her a quick seductive wink to let her know her needs were loud and clear, and of top priority. We would definitely be disappearing together later on for some much needed husband and wife time. We'd have to be mindful not to destroy as much of the forest this time.
Glancing casually around cafeteria, I listened in on the mindless chatter of my classmates as usual. I was doing my part to protect my family in case anyone suspected what we were. Their thoughts seemed to settle around us and this was normal.
However, their thoughts were also on one other girl who'd they'd seen in their classes. I looked across the cafeteria and that's when I first saw her for myself.
This girl, like us, was sitting at the farthest table towards the back against the wall of the cafeteria directly across from us reading through an astronomy book. I was by no means ogling her like most human males in the cafeteria were, but for some reason I couldn't't look away from her.
From where she sat, I could tell that her figure was similar to Rosalie's, curvy but not overly so and taller than Bella, about 5'7. She had dark hair that flowed down her back in waves with the brightest green eyes I have ever seen on a human. I remember my eyes being that same color when I was human. If not for her complexion and the obvious blood pumping through her veins, I would swear that she was something other than human, but definitely not one of us.
Her face was oval in shaping with high cheek bones which had a natural blush to them. Her features were so animated that one would think she wore makeup; but that wasn't't the case. Her lashes were long and thick and because of her dark hair color, it made her eyes seem brighter. She was sitting there reading her book while tapping her pen on the table nervously.
There was just something about her that drew me in and made me curious. She seemed different from any other human that I had come in contact with. It was almost as though she just naturally didn't belong amongst them.
I sifted through the thoughts swirling around the room and made my way over to where she was seated and then I realized that there was complete silence from her area. I strained harder to hear her thoughts but there was nothing. The only person this ever happened with was Bella of course which is why I was completely astounded.
Off and on throughout lunch, I kept an eye on her, studying her movements. She ate and drank just like any other human and seemed to enjoy it considering how awful I've heard cafeteria food to be. The human males were plotting their next moves to gain her attention. They could barely keep their eyes or minds off her.
From what I could tell from her body language, she seemed to notice their eyes on her and it made her very uncomfortable. She would shift and smooth out her clothing or rake her fingers through her hair as though it was out of place; as if that was the reason they stared.
My family could relate to her discomfort. Most humans look at us the same exact way, which is a natural part of our makeup. We were always attractive to our intended prey, which helped my kind hunt more easily. But, this creature seemed to have an aura about her that drew them in just the same⦠very interesting.
Jasper was sitting to my right and turned my head slightly towards him.
"Have you noticed the girl sitting across from us?" Jasper turned in the direction of my gaze and stared at the girl for a long moment. At this point, all of my siblings including Bella turned to see the object of his stare.
Her eyes lifted from her book and she looked directly at me as though she heard every word I said. We all turned away immediately and acted as though we weren't't looking.
'It's okay Edward, she's no longer looking this way', Alice thought after a little while.
"I've never noticed her before now. She seems very different from most of the other humans here," Jasper said. Even he had a difficult time taking his eyes off her as a matter of fact, everyone did.
"Damn she's kind of hot for a human!" Emmett said. No sooner than Emmett finished that statement, Rose whacked him on the back of his head with her hand using her vampire speed. We all struggled to contain our laughter. One would honestly think that Emmett and Rosalie were in some sort of abusive relationship considering how often it turns to violence.
"Ouch! Rosie! What did you do that for?" He grumbled while rubbing his head.
"That's for saying that another woman is hot right in front of me, you nimrod!" Rose exclaimed, while rolling her eyes at him.
"I never said she was as smoking hot like you are baby. I was just making an observation," he said while giving her puppy dog eyes.
"You're still banned from our bed tonight no matter how much flattery you use," She said. Emmett looked like his entire world was about to implode. "That is, unless you somehow redeem yourself before then." She said giving him a seductive look while flipping her golden locks over her shoulder.
His face lit up and his thoughts began to race. Their banter is comical until it turns x-rated, which it does 98% of the time. I blocked their thoughts from my mind instantly. These too were a little too sexually uninhibited for me to deal with.
"There is something very different about her and I can't put my finger on it. She's definitely not the average human no matter how it appears. I know this is going to sound like a broken record, but I can't hear her thoughts either," I said. Wait for it.
"Again!" They all said together.
Alice was still staring at the girl. It seemed as though she was straining trying to desperately figure something out in her head, but then she just sighed and shook her head.
"I can't see anything, no matter how hard I try, she just comes up blank. Humans are always hardest for me to read but I still usually get flickers, but with her there's nothing," she said. Bella looked at me and spoke for the first time.
"What was it about her that caught your attention Edward, besides her obvious attributes?" Bella said with a slight smirk on her face. Bella was beautiful as a human and that only intensified after her transformation. I will never understand why she would ever feel insecure. It's mind boggling.
"I was only looking around the room and most thoughts were on her, just like your first day at Forks High. No one could ever be as exquisite as you are my love," I said while staring at her full, beautiful lips. "You're quite are adorable when you're jealous I must say," I murmured. She opened her mouth to argue with me but changed her mind shaking her head.
I could no longer resist, I leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Bella smiled and gently ran her hand down the side of my face, gazing into my eyes. At that moment, I was unable to speak. She has no idea what she does to me with just one look! This woman would be the death of me and she would make it possible. Once I was able to look away from Bella, I continued with my explanation.
"It's hard to explain, but something about her drew me in and I thought for a moment that maybe she was one of us, but the heartbeat I hear from her nixed that theory immediately."
Not long after my last statement, it was time for us to begin heading to our next class. I walked Bella to her classroom and kissed her tenderly before watching her disappear inside.
My next 2 classes flew by as usual. Most of the time I just zoned out knowing that there was very little being taught that I hadn't learned before from my previous college experiences. I only went along with college for Bella's sake. This after all is her first college experience and I wanted her to get as much out of it as possible.
My only pleasure with college at this point would be the electives I took. This semester I was particularly interested in my astronomy class. It wasn't't something that required a lot of thought for me, but it would be entertaining all the same. Emmett had this class with me as well and he seemed just as excited as I was.
This was our last class of the day. I noticed immediately that the girl from the cafeteria had the same class. The only thing I learned was that her name was Lana and she just moved here from Missoula, Montana with her family. I know this because our teacher made it a point for each of us to stand up and say a little about ourselves; not my stellar investigator skills.
Weeks went by and I watched her hoping to gain some sort of insight as to why she was so different, but soon gave up. Maybe I was making too much out of nothing. Although I must admit, I would still stare at her from time to time because to me she was like a puzzle that I failed to figure out. I guess I'm more like Emmett than I thought, because failure was not something I dealt with easily either.
Today, our class was taking a field trip to the local planetarium. Our instructor, Professor Judith Wilson is a slightly eccentric woman, who dresses like she was a part of the Woodstock era. Her bifocals seemed to magnify her eyes making them look three times their normal size.
I found it frustrating to look at her for long periods of time because I would find that my eyes would widen without me consciously making them. She was frantically trying to get us all into the bus designated to take us to our location.
"Come on people, the sooner we get there the more time we will have! Let's go!" she said while bouncing up and down. You could tell that she truly enjoyed the subject and seemed more excited than we were about our visit to the planetarium.
It was at that moment Lana once again caught my eye. She made sure she was the first person on the bus and sat in the very front. Like always, she kept to herself but hardly in a rude way. She just seemed distant, almost like she didn't't want to be seen. I could relate to that feeling, most of the time I didn't't want to be seen either.
Almost always, humans thought of us in three ways. Number one: we were objects of lust filled fantasies to the opposite sex or competition to those of the same sex. Number 2: we were freaks due to our unusual looks and lack of social skills. Last, but definitely not least, Number 3: we were frightening and they were absolutely correct in that assessment. I smiled to myself at the thought which got a few gasps from the human females watching me. See what I mean? No privacy here whatsoever!
We all piled into the bus and a short time later, we arrived at our destination. Our guide was going on and on the entire time but I hardly paid any attention to him. I walked around looking at the various displays while making an effort to tune out the river of thoughts swirling around me.
One display in particular caught my eye and just when I was about to make my way around the corner something ran into me. The impact was so hard that I stumbled back a bit. I steadied myself in an instant to find Lana standing right in front of me with a terrified expression. She stared at me, wide eyed for a moment with her arms outstretched as if she were sure that I needed some sort of assistance. How odd.
"Excuse me, I didn't't see you there," She said while looking down nervously. This wasn't't the first time I'd heard her speak, however, this was the first time she addressed me directly.
"It's quite alright, accidents happen," I said to her and decided to smile at her so that she wouldn't be as uncomfortable as she seemed.
I was slightly hesitant to do so because I expected the same glazed over expression most human females had when I did so. Then it would ignite the ridiculous fantasies that would make shudder with embarrassment. I never understood it but it was a way of life. But this girl just looked nervous. I guess it's better than the alternative, so I'm not complaining.
She smiled slightly back at me and walked away as quickly as possible to join the rest of the class. I couldn't't believe that a human could knock me off balance that way. I started to get the impression that she was frightened that she might have somehow hurt me. This reignited my usual suspicions about her immediately.
As she walked away, I took a deep breath to catch her scent. She didn't't even smell like any other human I've encountered. It wasn't't unpleasant by any means, but definitely odd. Our teacher wanted to take us to top level of the planetarium so we all waited for the elevators. There were so many of us that it was going to take a few trips to get us all there.
The students squished themselves into the elevators and reading the thoughts of some of the girls, they hoped that I would be the one that they got to press up against within the elevator. If they only knew the danger of that type of situation, me being that close. I almost laughed outright at the thought of it. I decided that it was best for me to wait for the next elevator to be on the safe side.
Emmett had already taken it upon himself to hop into the elevator with another group of people and they gave him a wide berth. He rarely had to worry about people trying to be close to him. He was much too frightening due to his size to have that worry. I was slightly less intimidating at first glance which is why I had so many little admirers.
When the elevator came back down, I was about to take a step when I realized that I was not alone. Lana was standing a few feet away from me waiting for the elevator as well. It's nearly impossible to sneak up on a vampire and this girl seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. In an attempt to remain the consummate gentleman, I extended my hand towards the open elevator while holding the doors open with the other.
"Ladies first," I said with a friendly smile.
She returned my smile with a shy one of her own and entered the elevator as I followed. I pressed the button for the top floor and the doors closed. We stood there side by side in an awkward silence. I looked at her out of the corner of my eye; I had never been this close to her before. Why am I so obsessed with unraveling her secrets?
Just when I began to berate myself for bringing this up again, the elevator began to shake violently, then dip. There was an extremely loud screeching sound and suddenly the elevator began to drop rapidly. My assessment was quick. The cable broke and clearly the emergency brake wasn't't enough to stop it. For the love of all that's holy! Just what I needed!
