Disclaimer – I don't own the Twilight Saga. No copyright infringement is intended with the writing of this short tale. All rights go to Stephenie Meyer.
Emmett Cullen stood on the porch, gripping one of his wife's suitcases in each hand. The combined weight would have been too much for him to handle – if he were human. But vampires could carry the weight that hundreds of humans could carry put together. He flexed his fingers to get a better grasp on them, squinting at his brother, who was leaning into his black Volvo to situate one of his boxes of CDs in the back seat. The sun that was beaming down on his skin sent sparkles shooting in every direction as it reflected off of his immortal skin in a way that matched every member of the family. His silent heart went out to him. He would be making this journey alone . . . again.
It was time for the Olympic Coven to relocate. Their time in Forks, Washington was up – humans were starting to notice the lack of aging, which would only lead to further connections, like how the 'teenagers' never ate lunch while sitting in the school cafeteria, or how the entire family always went 'hiking' when the sun was shining. Questions would rise, curiosity would peak, and ultimately, leaving was the only way to avoid the headache. It was something that they'd all come to live with.
Actually, most of them loved it. Esme got to redecorate an entirely new house every four years or so. Carlisle could expand his great knowledge of medicine across the country to other doctors that worked in the new hospitals he would employ himself with. Rosalie got to waltz around town (under the protection of the clouds in the sky) and stun the passers-by with her unbelievably beautiful body. Little Alice got to make new friends – she didn't really seem to care that she was a vampire, and that her friends' instincts told them to run the opposite way. Jasper was happy anywhere that Alice was pleased to be. And Emmett wanted to see the world – his human life, in comparison to the life he was living now, had truly kept him from having adventures, exploring the wonders that he'd yet to see.
The only one, it appeared, that didn't enjoy the relocating was Edward. He had no mate. No one to share the experience with. It wasn't just that; he was alone all the time. There was no one that Edward could depend on more than anyone in the world. That was something that a vampire could only feel towards his or her mate. Mated vampire couples were bonded together so tightly that their affections couldn't be contained. The others, all having found their mates, often felt awful that Edward could hear their undeniable love through their minds as well as hear it from their mouths.
The trips that they took to travel to their new 'home' often took days. Each couple – Esme and Carlisle, Emmett and Rosalie, and Alice and Jasper – would ride in their own vehicle, pulling their own belongings, having their own conversations, spending quality time together. Alone-time was something that mates needed with each other, and so being with only each other during the car rides to their new house brought great joy. They all looked forward to it – except for Edward. He, too, would load his items in his Volvo and make the trip. Only, he would ride the entire ride by himself, with no one to talk to. Sure, sometimes Alice would ride with him for a little while to keep him company, but ultimately, she desired to be with Jasper, and Edward knew that. He didn't want to keep his little 'sister' from being where she wanted to be the most in the entire universe. So, he often turned her down when she offered to ride with him after pit-stops for hunting purposes – the only reason that the vampires had to stop traveling.
And so Emmett was brought back the thoughts he always had when he watched Edward pack his bags and load them up into his car with the blank, emotionless expression on his face that had become his trademark. He frowned. Do you want help with that, Edward? he thought, watching his brother walk back towards the bottom step of the porch where he'd set his bags. Of course Edward didn't need help – he'd done this over thirty times before all by himself. He didn't help and didn't have a mate that required his assistance – well, okay; the women didn't need help carrying their bags, but chivalry was still alive in the Cullen house – and so he just kept out of the mated couples' ways.
Edward looked up at his brother, frowning, and answered his thoughts. "No," he said quietly, and bent down to lift four more boxes into his arms. When he turned, the boxes were so large that they covered his face, but he didn't need to see to know where to walk and when to stop and set them down on the gravel. He moved perfectly, gracefully, in a way that only an immortal could.
Are you sure? I could help.
"You've got Rose's bags and your own boxes," he responded, watching his hands as he closed the box on the top more securely and stuffed it on the floor in the back of his car, next to three others.
Rose can manage them on her own, Emmett insisted, though he hadn't moved from his spot on the top step. And my stuff's already in the Jeep.
Edward shook his head again. "I'm fine."
Emmett nodded, though his brother wasn't looking his way, and leaped down the steps, skipping all ten of them. He landed on his feet like a cat, still balancing the fifty-pound bags evenly in his hands, and bounded forward to swing them into the open trunk of the jeep.
In the car that was pulled in front of his, Emmett saw Alice neatly tucking her own boxes in the trunk of Carlisle's Mercedes. Looking over her spiky black hair, he saw Jasper single-handedly carrying the couch that Esme hadn't ever been able to part with over his left shoulder, towards the large moving van that Carlisle and Esme would be driving – one, because of the lack of vehicles that they needed, and two, because Esme didn't want to deal with getting all new furniture after every move and the large couches and chairs and bedframes needed to be towed along, too. Jasper leaped up onto the bed of the large moving truck, keeping the couch balanced equally. It was barely jostled. When he stopped to think about it, all of his family members used their vampiristic natures without even thinking of it. He wondered how they were able to keep his secret when humans were around.
"Emmett!" he heard his wife call suddenly. He turned to see the blonde Rosalie waving him towards more boxes.
He sighed and flashed over to her at an inhuman speed.
A few feet away, Edward was brooding to himself. Of course, he would never, ever tell his family that he hated this life of moving around, being cautious, never acting normal no matter how hard they all tried. With his words, obviously. His body language was his ultimate tattletale. He was sure that every sigh and roll of his eyes only portrayed his utter irritation and anger towards the occasion, but he simply couldn't control himself.
There, he thought, stepping back to look at his packed-to-the-rim Volvo. Done.
He turned, slamming his car door closed, and made for the front door. He would spend the rest of his time that he had left in his bedroom – in the room that he'd been in for the past four years, the room that he'd grown to call home. That was how it went. Just as Edward felt himself settling into the life they'd made in a town, it would be time to leave again. And he would do so silently. He had nothing to fight for, really – he had no mate.
Edward looked up and was met with the wide eyes of Alice. Her face was devastated; if vampires could cry, Edward was sure his little sister would have been. Why do I see you leaving us? she demanded of him. Why does this vision keep creeping back into my head?
Edward sighed. "Alice –"
"No!" she interrupted. You're miserable. I know that; I want to help you. You just have to tell me what's wrong! She stepped closer to reach out towards him and brush her fingers – cool to a human and yet warm to a vampire – against his arm.
From somewhere to his right, he heard the usual warnings coming from Jasper to not upset his mate. Jasper was definitely the overprotective type.
He didn't pull away from Alice's touch, but he didn't welcome it, either. "You know I would never leave," he said. "At least, not without saying goodbye to everyone."
Alice glared. "That doesn't help, and you know it." Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled, looking away. "That's the best I can offer you." He didn't want to tell her the reason why he was so much more upset about this move than he had been during any other, and was glad that she'd been distracted by his not-so-obvious avoiding of the question. But yes – he had a reason for being so gloomy and upset. Before, at all the other towns the family had inhabited, Edward had never once felt an attachment, or an attraction, towards any of the humans that shared that place. He hadn't had anything, or anyone, that he was leaving behind because all of his family members would be coming with him. But this time, leaving would be different.
One week ago, the Chief of Police had brought his daughter to Forks after she'd lived most of her life with her mother in Phoenix, Arizona. Prior to that week, Edward hadn't thought anything of the gossip that the teenage humans were spreading around – "Will she be pretty?" "What if Mike thinks she's more attractive than I am?" "Does she put out?" "What will it be like to have a new student at our school, for the first time ever?" – but when he'd seen her for the first time with his own eyes (the cloudy minds of humans he'd been around hadn't given him much room to form an opinion) he'd been speechless.
And so, yes. He had something that he would be leaving behind. Isabella – Bella, she always corrected – Swan. But could he tell his family that? Of course not! They could never know that he was attracted to a human girl. Emmett would have a ball with it, no doubt, but he would never be able to handle the constant teasing that would come from Jasper, as well.
But Edward's chest was throbbing with the need to go and see her. Her face, her blushing, brown-eyed, ever-curious face, was always staring at him when he closed his eyes. He'd once brushed his hand over her shoulder accidentally – yeah, he corrected himself, accidentally on purpose! – and his hand was still burning from the wonderful heat. Her scent was always lingering in his nose – which was torture, because Bella had the most delicious-smelling blood in the entire world. She was his singer, they'd all come to figure out. Her blood sang to him. She smelled the best – it was wonder he hadn't killed her at the first whiff. He knew, though, that if he hadn't seen her face in the minds of the conceded humans around him and been curious about her that first day, that he would have killed her the very first time he breathed in her smell.
He wanted to think that that was why he was so fascinated with her – because her fragrance was absolutely tremendous – but he knew that he had fallen in love with her because she was just an outstanding person in general. Not to mention a fantastic Biology partner.
"Edward," Esme called.
He blinked, realizing that Alice had left him and he was still standing next to his car, staring at the ground. "Yes?"
"Are you ready?" his mother asked. "Are you packed?"
"Yes," he answered, offering his most convincing smile.
Esme nodded happily. "Wonderful. I think Carlisle is making a last sweep of the house, and then we'll be . . . taking off." Carlisle called for her from inside the house and she rushed towards him, leaving Edward alone once again.
Before he could immerse himself back into his thoughts of Bella, Jasper was speaking. "Edward."
Edward turned to see his other brother leaning against the opposite side of his car, watching him. "Alice and I are going to take the rear this time, okay? I didn't get a chance to really hunt last night, so I might be stopping a few times when we're away from civilization. I don't want to hold everyone up."
He nodded, biting his tongue at the words that bubbled to his lips. Jasper hadn't gotten to hunt any more than Alice had. They'd been too busy wrapped up in each other's bodies to go and feed.
When he watched Jasper get in the Mercedes to pull it around behind his own car, Edward felt something in his brain click together at the same time that his chest twisted in pain (metaphorically). He felt his eyes pull together as the unnecessary breath he'd been sucking in stopped. He swallowed at his sudden realization: they were leaving soon. They were leaving, and he'd never see Isabella Swan again. He'd never get to tell her that he loved her unconditionally, even though he'd only known her for a week and had barely said anything to her.
"No," he heard himself whisper. He hadn't known he was going to speak, but before he could stop himself, the word was out.
Emmett, walking a few feet away, stopped to glance at him. "What was that?"
Edward looked at his brother. When he opened his mouth, he'd been planning to say nothing, Em. I'm just thinking aloud, but what really came out were the words that had been flawlessly masked for a week. The pain that he felt after understanding that Bella Swan would be gone from his life in a few minutes time had been the wrecking ball that destroyed the walls he'd built up to protect those private thoughts and feelings. "I have to go," he blurted unthinkingly. "I have to say goodbye. I can't leave – I-I can't not say goodbye." His eyes, wide and wild, searched the yard for Alice. She would know. She would understand. She had to have had a vision of the future by now. He was decided. "I need – I have to –" His breath came quicker. He swallowed back venom. "I need – I need – I need Bella."
And then he was gone. Running through the forest, leaping over fallen logs and ducking under long branches with an elegance that one could only acquire from being changed into an immortal. He heard Emmett behind him, calling, "Edward! Where are you going? The new girl, Bella? Dude, we're leaving in, like, two minutes!"
"Then leave," he said quietly. The hundreds of yards that were between them wouldn't make his words any less clear to his family back at the house.
"Let him go," Alice said. Ah – she had had a vision. He wished he'd seen what she'd seen him do, wished he'd been paying attention, but his mind was on Bella, and Alice wouldn't be letting him go if Bella was in danger because of this visit.
He pressed on.
…
He stood under the cover of the forest trees that surrounded the Swan residence, listening to Bella's activities within. Her father was lounging on the couch in the living room, watching a baseball game, while Bella made dinner. His thoughts were lazy; he was worn out from his day at the station. Bella's mind – another thing that made his curiosity explode – was the only mind that he'd ever come across that was silent to him, and so he couldn't know what she was thinking because he had no view of her face. That upset him, because her face was so beautiful and she was so innocent and he just wanted to look at her all day and kiss her and hold her and –
Kiss her. He'd really just thought that? Ugh. He closed his eyes, relaxing himself, listening to her heartbeat and her breathing.
Oh, but he longed to kiss her and hold her and tell her just how stunning she really was. He didn't think she believed it, but he would tell her. If he was worthy of her love, he would be with her and tell her every day that she was beautiful and perfect. His heart longed for her. He hated that he would have to leave after his goodbye. Because this was only a goodbye, he promised himself. He was only going to say goodbye.
Bella's voice floated to his ears. "Dad? Dinner's ready. I made your favorite." She loved to cook. He'd learned that about her. She was so independent and loved to care for the people around her. She was fantastic, inside and out. And the inside didn't just include her blood.
Charlie Swan grunted as he lifted himself from the couch and entered the kitchen. Edward saw him pass by a window as he walked by. "Oh, Bells – this looks great!"
Bella laughed, and Edward laughed along with her. Her happiness caused him great joy. "Thanks. It really isn't hard to make. It's just spaghetti."
Edward heard Charlie gulp a big bite. "Mmm," he hummed, and Edward imagined little particles of his mouthful flinging out as he said, "this is great!"
"I'm glad," Bella responded. Charlie looked up at his daughter just as she was twirling her fork in her own meal and lifting it to her face. Oh, she looked superb. Her gorgeous brown hair framed her pale face perfectly, her sparkling brown eyes shining with the happiness that was flowing from her and into him at the sight of her. She wore no make-up, but that was fine. She didn't need it anyway. She had a natural beauty that all the girls at Forks High School envied. She hadn't changed out of the purple shirt she'd been wearing that day to school, which was good. Purple was definitely her color. He liked it on her.
Edward leaned against a tree trunk, sighing. He would wait patiently for Bella to go to her room and be alone before he made his entrance.
…
After what seemed like hours, Edward finally perked up when he heard the words, "Okay, Dad, I'm gonna head to bed. I'll see you in the morning."
Immediately, Edward shot around to the other side of the house, opposite the kitchen. This side was where the window to her upstairs bedroom was located. From the ground, under the trees, he couldn't see inside the room, but he smiled when he saw the light flicker on and shine dully through the light purple curtains.
The day had faded into night. He imagined that Alice had explained what he was doing to his family. They would be irritated when he got back because he had just left without so much of a warning. Alice would be the most upset.
"Why didn't you tell me you love her?" she would say. "Why didn't you say anything? Of course we wouldn't have left without letting you say goodbye if you had told us!"
He shook his head. Those facts didn't matter. He was looking at Bella's window for what might be the last time. He was hearing her hum her favorite tune for what might be the last time. He was about to hear her voice for what might be the last time.
Okay. That was enough. He was tired of all the last time dramatics. Bella had returned from her nightly trip to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. Now, he heard her shut her bedroom door. The lamp clicked in his ears as he watched the yellow stream disappear at the same time. Her bed creaked as she plopped down on it, sighing. She sounded exhausted. But he had to talk to her. He had no time to let her rest now. She could rest when he left.
After his goodbye.
His goodbye. This would be goodbye. But they'd just barely said hello . . .
He swallowed. "Now or never," he whispered to himself. And then he was dangling from her window seal, his knuckles scraping lightly against the glass.
Inside, he heard her gasp, but called out to her before she could scream for her father. He didn't really want to get shot at tonight. Explaining why the bullet didn't kill him would be a bother and a hassle that he didn't need. "Bella," he said, just loudly enough for her to hear him from inside. "Shh . . . it's me. It's Edward." He mentally patted himself on the back as he heard his voice maintain the calm and collected note that he'd intended it to have.
He heard Bella throw herself out of bed and rush to the window. Then he was staring up at that flawless face as she pushed the curtains out of the way. Her brown eyes, droopy with sleepiness that would soon wear off after he began speaking, widened as she looked at him, just hanging there, fifty yards above the ground. "Oh, my," she mouthed as her tiny fingers worked at the lock on the window. She lifted it open and Edward was instantly hit with her luscious scent, but he ignored the venom that pooled in his mouth, swallowing it before swinging himself up into the room.
Then they were standing there, in her dark bedroom, watching each other. She was drenched in curiosity, he could tell, but he was too distracted by the light pink short-shorts and plain white tank top that she was clad in. It hugged her breasts in the perfect way . . . those shorts were showing just the right amount of leg . . .
"Edward," she breathed out of unmoving lips. She shivered, and he remembered that it was cool outside even though it was fairly warm in her house. He turned, swiftly shutting her bedroom window in an attempt to keep her warm.
"Bella," he whispered then. He didn't like the two feet that were separating them from each other, but he had just scaled the side of her house and climbed through her window at eleven o'clock at night on a Friday. He needed to make sure that she knew he wasn't going to hurt her before he allowed any sort of physical contact.
He hoped she would feel comfortable with him soon – he was only there to say goodbye, after all. Only a goodbye, he reminded himself.
"Bella," he said again, loving the taste of her name on his lips. It couldn't, though, be compared to what he imagined her blood would taste like, if he were to give into the burn in his throat . . .
"What are you . . ." Her eyes flickered uneasily to the window he'd just launched himself through, her breathing becoming uneven. She whipped her head back towards him. "How did you just –"
"Don't worry about it." He'd meant the words to have a teasing edge, but they were blurted out in the most serious way they possibly could. It was a command more than it was a joke.
"B-but," she whispered, eyes narrowing as she stared confusedly at the ground, "you . . . you just . . ." Her gaze cut to him. "Edward."
He smiled at her as warmly as he could manage. "Yes, it's me. I've come to speak with you."
"But . . . why?"
He looked away, eyes rolling up towards the ceiling where he stared. Looking at her made him want to never, ever leave her side, but he had to. This was goodbye. This had to be goodbye.
That voice nagged him again:
You've just barely said hello, Edward.
It sounded like Alice, most certainly, but Edward ignored it. Of course she would use any words that would ultimately bring him to happiness. She wanted his sadness to end.
Wait.
Did that mean that Bella would be the key to his happiness? Had she had a vision? Had she been trying to send him a message with her words as he'd earlier fled, granting him the ability to leave without Emmett or Jasper following?
No, he thought. It wasn't Alice's voice in his head. It wasn't any voice but his own, the voice of the monster that was always buried deep inside him, always rattling his cage, trying to get out. But the odd thing was, at that very moment, the monster was as silent as the moon, as the darkness of the night that had faded onto the outside world. He felt no bloodlust towards Bella's scent – the scent that had once been in his only thought. Had he really once wanted to kill her? Had he really once thought that drinking, tasting, having her blood was more preferable than having her in his arms, breathing against his neck, blushing at his compliments, where he could listen to her heartbeat increase and decrease to give away her physical attraction to him?
Only a moment had passed between Bella's question and his next breath. "Why what?" he asked her. "Why did I come to talk to you? Or why did I come through the window instead of the front door?"
She licked her plump, pink lips. "Yes," she mumbled, "to both."
He pursed his lips, considering the possible responses he could make. He wanted to be as truthful as he feasibly could be with her. "I missed you," he said in response to her first inquiry, "and at least this way I didn't wake the Chief of Police." He gestured halfheartedly to the window.
She mumbled. "You . . ."
"Me," he nodded, half-teasing.
"You missed me."
"Yes, Bella."
He watched her as she blinked a few times, stunned by his intensity. Her lips parted and her hands fluttered and a lock of her mahogany hair fell over her left eye. He reached out to brush it away, minding his movements and his strength carefully, making him proud of himself for remembering that she was very fragile.
He stared. She was so beautiful in an innocently human way. Her eyes were bright with life and her pale skin seemed to glow and give her a gorgeous appearance. Edward found he couldn't look away. No, he realized, he couldn't leave her. This couldn't be a goodbye. He wasn't strong enough for that.
…
"You are the most selfish, irritating, irrational creature that I have ever met!" Rosalie snarled at her brother.
Edward wasn't listening. He was too busy staring at the beautiful human who was sleeping on the couch in the living room that hadn't been used in decades. Her soft, pale hands were curled under her chin, her hair wildly resting over the pillow she had her cheek into. Her flushed cheeks gave her the overall human look that he'd come to expect when dealing with the time-limited creatures. Bella sighed, and Edward leaned forward, hoping she would make more noises.
Esme was gripping Carlisle's hand urgently. "What's happening, Carlisle?" she asked, staring at her first son nervously. Her eyes widened as she saw him reach over and stroke the human girl's hair. This was not Edward – he wasn't the same as he had been just that morning. He was . . . happier. He was calm. For the first time in a long time, Esme saw him smile. Sure, it was just a little grin, but all the more – it was a smile, and she was ecstatic.
Her husband did not share that happiness with her. This was dangerous. Edward had never been so close to a human before. He'd never pushed his control as much as he would have to do when he spends time with his new . . . obsession. Carlisle shuttered at that word – obsessed, that's what he was. His eyes were locked on the girl. There was no sign in his eyes that he was paying Rosalie any attention, and she was spewing very loud and incredibly rude comments in his ear. Carlisle felt the tension building up inside him – would he have to step in and stop his first companion, his best friend, from making a horrible mistake? Would Edward have enough control? He did not know and could not guess.
Emmett watched from the corner of the room. His lips pressed together in terror as Edward leaned protectively over the pale girl he'd brought with him. He'd known he should have gone with him when Edward had fled the scene earlier. Now they were stuck here until Carlisle figured out what he had to do with this little girl. They didn't even know how much Edward had told her – Bella, that was her name.
Bella Swan. Had he exposed their secret? If he had, she was a liability. If she was a liability, she couldn't be left behind. If she couldn't be left behind, she either had to be killed or she had to go with them. Edward wouldn't allow her to be killed and Emmett really didn't want to see the innocent life gone to waste for his vampire family's sake – she was seventeen years old while the vampires were all over a hundred, so why should she lose her life so they could live theirs? Emmett knew that was what Carlisle would need to consider, but Edward wasn't giving answers. Emmett sighed, watching his wife yell and pace around the room, impatient as always.
Edward wanted to be paying attention to his coven's thoughts – if any of them thought ill towards his Bella, the laws of chivalry would force him to retaliate, wouldn't they? That would be the right thing to do – but he couldn't focus enough to listen to any one voice. They all flowed through his head but he didn't hear the sentences. He was consumed with Bella.
Carlisle finally spoke. "Edward."
His son raised an eyebrow in response but did not speak.
Esme licked her lips. "Perhaps we should . . . discuss this."
"There's nothing to discuss," Edward snapped. "Bella's coming with us. I've already loaded her things into my car."
"But, son," Carlisle objected, "think of what people in Forks will say about her."
That was a good card to play, Edward thought, but not good enough. Yes, he didn't want Bella to suffer the hurt that she would when the humans blathered negatively about her. They were just humans – stupid, selfish, one-track-minded humans. He didn't care about their opinions. And Bella wouldn't be around them to hear what they said, anyway. "That does not matter. She will be with us. She will not ever hear of their gossip."
"And what of her father?" Jasper demanded. He didn't want the girl to come with them – to have her living in the same house he would be in would burn his throat constantly. Home was the only place he did not have to fight his instincts to drain all of the mortals around him. He refused to lose that sanctuary. "What will Chief Swan think when his daughter goes missing?"
"Of course Bella wrote him a note," Edward murmured, gazing distractedly down at the girl. "Well, Bella did not write it, of course – she was asleep after we spoke, you see, and I decided that she would come with us while she slept."
Rosalie's head snapped up. "What? You mean to tell me she didn't even have a choice in whether or not she came here? You just took her from her house?" She was furious – her opinion on the rights of women was very strong, even when it came to human women. She'd died a horrible death at the hands of a drunk man, and ever since she'd been opposed to any man making any choice for her. This fact that Edward had revealed brought out the protective mother inside her. "You're taking her back before she wakes. You can't . . . just . . . take her. It has to be her choice."
"She's not meant to be with a coven of vampires, anyway!" Jasper yelled.
It was the wrong thing to say. Edward's mind instantly focused on Jasper's thoughts, consumed with all things Bella – but these things were not compliments. He snarled, spinning to launch himself at his brother whom he would no longer call a brother, knocking the coffee table on its side in the process. It slammed into the couch that Bella was resting on, and her eyes flew open. A gasp flew out of her mouth, her hand shooting out to grab onto the arm of the couch so she wouldn't be knocked off when it came into contact with the wall a few feet behind hit. She squeezed her eyes shut, not understanding what had happened – why was the couch flying? – and opened them when she jerked to a stop, cracked her head on the hard arm rest, and felt a little plaster from the beige wall behind her on her face.
Edward had his brother in a headlock on the other side of the living room. Bella watched in horror as Jasper's arms flailed around, trying to grab onto Edward's body somewhere for some leverage, but his eyes were wild and black and furious, making Bella think that he was maybe too upset to calm his movements and strategize. Edward's face was twisted into a snarling grimace as his hands yanked Jasper's head back. Bella blinked, staring at the trapped boy's neck as Edward tugged and growled and kicked at his sibling. She could have sworn she saw a crack appear on Jasper's neck . . .
All of a sudden, there was a loud crash and crumbling sound. Bella gasped, her head whipping to her left to see Edward there, against the wall opposite the side of the room he'd just been on, growling and pushing away to reveal a huge split that had occurred behind him. The kind of force that would have been required to make that hole wouldn't have been humanly possible . . .
"Enough!" a loud voice screamed. Bella's eyes flew across the room, back towards where Jasper was still doubled over, gasping and glaring at his brother. Emmett was standing in front of him, blocking Edward's advances. "Stop it! That's enough, Edward."
"That's not enough!" Edward's voice said, but that was only his voice. His personality was not attached to that sound at all – he didn't sound like himself. That voice was purely animalistic . . . evil . . . furious . . . "If you could hear the things he was thinking . . . IS thinking . . ."
A cool hand on her cheek made Bella squeal and jump back, grasping the back of the couch. She looked up to see Alice Cullen staring down at her.
Suddenly, Bella realized that she wasn't at her house.
…
"You're going to love Vermont, Bella," Edward whispered, arms wrapped around her waist to hold her to his body. She had her own arms tucked at his neck, clinging back. His family gave her the chills – their eyes were such an odd color, and they all stood so still . . . they seemed to have conversations without actually speaking. Bella was freaked out, to say the least, but Edward made that feeling go away. "There's lots of little activities for you to do – lots of bookstores and libraries and little coffee shops for you to spend your time in at the town we're going to."
Why Vermont? she wanted to ask. Why are you taking me? Why can't I call my dad? But she knew he wouldn't answer her questions – his tone was so definite and dominant and confident. She had no choice in this matter. Her father had told her of these situations before – kidnapping. She would go along with everything Edward said without a moment of fuss, and he would think she was willing to go. He wouldn't ever expect her to attempt an escape, and so she would be even better off when the time came that she had that kind of chance. She tugged Edward closer, pretending to be affectionate. "I love books," she said.
He grinned down at her adoringly. "I know."
"Edward."
His eyes shot up to his sister, irritated at the interruption. Bella deserved his attention more than Rosalie did. He bared his teeth at her. "What?" he snarled.
Her dead eyes glared back at him. "We're leaving in five minutes. Esme said to make sure you're packed."
"Yes, Bella and I are ready," he told her.
Bella kept her expression neutral as she watched Edward, peaking at Rosalie though the corner of her eye. She didn't like that idea – she didn't want to leave Forks. She wanted her father, she needed his comfort, his advice, but she needed to keep herself safe until she could reach him.
Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Fine. Get in the car, then. And this time, if you could just not run away and disappear all night, that would be great. It's daylight now, and I'll have to wear sunglasses. I hate wearing stuff on my face, Edward. Thanks for that, by the way."
Edward smirked. "I didn't do it for you," he said, "but your discomfort certainly is an added bonus to the situation." His hand rubbed against Bella's back, trying to push his calmness into her body. She had to be so tense and confused, he thought. She needed his comfort. He kissed her jaw. "Are you ready to go? Let's get in the car."
…
"We'll have to stop every now and then," Esme reminded her family thoughtfully. Her eyes shifted to her son who held the human to his chest protectively, and she smiled. "Bella will need food and restroom breaks."
Edward felt her words warm his cold chest – his mother's acceptance comforted him. He had done the right thing by following his heart to Bella. What Edward did not know was that Esme knew that if her family disapproved of Edward's new . . . mate, Edward would leave. She didn't want to lose her family. Esme was good at hiding her thoughts.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bella reach up and wipe her forehead. She might be hot, he thought, and then smiled. No, she wasn't hot – she was gorgeous, beautiful, perfect. But her temperature – yes, she must be uncomfortable in this heat. "Let's get you in the air conditioning," he told her, hands gently gripping her shoulders as he guided her to the passenger side of his Volvo. Bella smiled at him, squinting in the sun.
When Edward bent down to assist her – unnecessarily – with her seatbelt, she whispered in his ear, "Are you sure your family . . . wants me to come?"
"Of course," he answered instantly. "They love you."
Bella doubted that. Rosalie hadn't been giving her very kind, welcoming looks since she'd woken up to find that she had been taken to the Cullens' house. She didn't understand it – how could Edward's parents let him take her? Didn't Doctor Cullen know that Charlie had no idea Bella was gone? Or perhaps Edward had made up an excuse for her absence, but it would obviously be a lie! No one had stopped to ask Bella if she wanted to come, if this had been her choice, or if she was excited to be going. They all just walked right by as Edward held her and cuddled her, not even offering her a glance. Only Esme, Edward's mother, had offered a small grin, but she hadn't spoken a word directly to Bella. She wanted to panic, but her father's voice scolded her every time she opened her mouth to complain or fuss. He needed her to be quiet and follow the instructions he'd given her that she'd always thought were useless.
"Is everyone ready?" Carlisle Cullen called out to his family. In the car in front of her, Jasper opened the door to the driver's seat and ducked down into a yellow Porsche. She herself was seated in Edward's shiny black Volvo. Glancing in the mirror to her right, she saw Rosalie seated in the driver's seat of a very large, non-economy-boosting Jeep. Emmett was stretched out on the back seat. Behind him, the back window couldn't hardly be seen because of their suitcases being piled up so high. Why doesn't he just sit in the passenger seat, and then they can put some stuff in the backseat? She shook her head.
Edward's car door opened and slammed and Bella looked over to see him watching her with a small smile. "I'm so delighted you're coming, Bella. I couldn't bear the thought of leaving you behind."
"Why are you leaving?" she asked, carefully avoiding answering his statement affectionately. Ahead, Esme and Carlisle leaped up gracefully into the ridiculously large moving van. Again, Bella thought, these people were exhibiting extra-ordinary behaviors. How could they do these things? She'd never seen anyone leap as high or carry as much weight as they all seemed to be able to do.
Edward started the car at the same time all of his family members did, and just like that, they were off. On the outside, Bella was completely calm. She even tried to look a little excited to finally be getting on the road, as Rosalie had wanted to do hours ago. But on the inside, she was crying and frightened and had no idea what to do. She didn't know these people. She didn't trust these people.
When they passed her house, she couldn't stop herself from placing her palm on the window and looking longingly at her home. Dad, she pleaded. Please, Dad, please – be home. Notice me! Look, Dad, I'm right here! Please, Daddy, come save me. But his car was not in the driveway. He wouldn't know she was gone until she was too far gone to be noticed or remembered.
Edward reached over to remove her hand from the glass by gently wrapping his fingers around her wrist and placing it on her lap. "I know, love," he said softly, "I'm sure you'll miss your father. But we'll be together always, unless I have to feed. Then you'll be with Alice, but she's such a good friend. You'll grow to love her." In the car in front of them, Alice smiled. She offered Edward happy thoughts in her mind, and Edward knew that Bella would be welcomed into this family with open arms.
You know, I already love her like you do, she thought toward her brother.
Edward was happy that Alice had accepted Bella's presence. She would need a friend until she made some at this new place. If I want her to make some, he thought, puzzled. Perhaps he would be selfish and keep her for himself.
"Perhaps our high school in Vermont will be less dull than Forks High," he said conversationally.
Bella looked up from her wiggling fingers in her lap. "Oh," was all she said.
Something popped into Esme's head then, and since Edward could hear thoughts from a mile away, the mere fifty feet that were separating them weren't a problem. Where will Isabella sleep when we arrive? she thought. The home we purchased only has enough rooms the three couples, and Edward . . . will she share? Will she be uncomfortable?
Edward frowned. No, of course not. There was no way Bella would be uncomfortable sharing a room with him. They loved each other. "You won't mind sharing a room with me, will you, sweetheart?" he asked, rubbing a thumb over the back of her pale, warm hand.
Bella looked up at him, startled. "Oh, um," she mumbled. His eyes shot down to her at her hesitation, his expression upset.
"That bothers you?" he demanded. Was that an offended tone, or was he simply shocked? Bella couldn't decide.
"No, no," she said quickly, not wanting to experience the consequences of whichever emotion he was feeling. "No, that's fine. You just took me by surprise, that's all."
He watched her for a second, as if he were waiting for her to burst into tears so he could comfort her, and then sighed. He stared at the road blankly for the next twenty minutes, and Bella was strangely calm.
…
"Here it is," Esme said, waving a hand dramatically in front of Bella's face. Her perfectly painted nails had more of her attention than the bedroom she was showing her did, but when Alice breezed by them with a few boxes of her things, she snapped out of her daydream.
"Oh," she breathed. "I should be helping with my stuff." Really, she just wanted to see the things Edward had taken from her room for her. She was curious at the items he was able to take – surely he couldn't have taken very much. Her father would be alerted to the kidnapping much sooner than if her things were all there. If her belongings looked untouched, her father would assume she was with a friend. The conclusion that she was with the Cullens would be delayed much longer . . .
"Nonsense, Bella," Edward whispered in her ear as he passed. A shiver shot down her spine, and he smiled down at her. "We've got everything." He gestured to the small pile of boxes that were in the middle of the room, and Bella barely kept the frown off of her face. She'd been right – he hadn't taken very much from her room at all. He sat the two boxes he'd been holding on the floor beside the others, and that did make it look like she had more possessions with her, but they were small boxes. Not much could be in them. "You're clothes and shoes are in these three," Edward said, pointing out the cardboard containers that he was speaking of, "but I couldn't find any jewelry that you might have wanted, so I'm sorry to say that those items were left behind if you had them."
Maybe you should have let me pack for myself, she snarled in her mind, but kept her face completely calm and grateful. Or better yet, maybe you should have given me a choice in whether or not I made this trip! But there wasn't anything she could do about that now. She was in Vermont, and her father was in Washington. She was across the country. It had been weeks since they left – making that journey by car was a long, tedious task.
"I don't have a lot of jewelry," she said instead of voicing her thoughts, "so that's okay."
He smiled a genuinely happy smile. "Great."
…
Please be greased, please be greased, Bella prayed in her mind. Or, at least be silent. It had been three days since they'd arrived in Vermont, and she was kneeling at a window in the living room on the bottom floor of the Cullens' new house after taking complete inventory of her surroundings. Alice was upstairs in her bedroom, rearranging her pictures and lamps and pillows ten million times. Bella had spent the better part of her afternoon in there with her while Edward was with his brother in the forest, hunting what she assumed were bears or deer. Jasper hadn't gone with he and Emmett, though. He'd been in the corner of Alice's room all day as well – she supposed the two of them were sharing it.
Esme was sitting in she and Carlisle' bedroom upstairs on a laptop, probably Google-ing local furniture stores. Carlisle was in the room he'd claimed for his office. Bella figured he was setting it up in a similar way Alice was.
Rosalie wasn't in the house. Bella didn't know where she'd gone, but she'd spied her car peeling out of the driveway though Alice's window, and it hadn't returned yet.
Edward and Emmett were still in the woods. But Bella had a plan.
Yes, it had only been three days, but she couldn't handle it anymore. Edward had awful mood swings and held her too tightly at night. She couldn't sleep, and she hadn't been hungry since their last pit-stop when they'd been driving. Her stomach was growling, but she didn't know if she would be able to keep from throwing up a meal. She had to do this now, while Edward wasn't home. When he arrived back, he would spend the entire night at her side. This was her only chance. Who knew when he would leave again, and everyone else would be distracted?
She looked back down at the window she was knelt at. Her hands clutched at the window seal and she sucked in a deep breath, blinking back her tears. She missed her father more than she missed her freedom. Thoughts of his sorrow for not knowing where his daughter was haunted her at night. It was more her fear of nightmares of his saddened face that kept her up at night than Edward's constricted embrace.
She had to get out of there. She had to. It was dark out, almost pitch-black – the moon had just risen, but it was dull. There were no stars in the sky. It was perfect.
She pushed on the window, holding her breath as she watched it rise.
It was silent.
Yes, she thought, relieved. The Lord had decided she was worth redemption after all. She silently promised Him that she would be forever loyal to him for saving her. She was already grateful for his help in her current situation.
Above her, in her bedroom upstairs, Alice paused. She'd heard the window open, of course. All of the vampires had. Their hearing was superb. She turned to her mate. "Should we stop her, or let her go?"
Jasper thought for a moment. "He'll catch her," he finally said. "Edward wouldn't want us to interfere."
Alice nodded. "Okay."
Neither of them thought of the consequences of letting Bella roam the forest while Edward was a slave to his senses, hunting for any blood that was nearby to satisfy his thirst. He wasn't in control of himself. Esme didn't think of it either, and neither did Carlisle. They weren't really paying attention.
Bella was running. She was panting, exhausted already, and she'd only been running for two minutes, but she couldn't stop. She couldn't give them a chance to realize she was gone until she was too far away for them to catch up with. She ducked under a tree, leaped over a fallen log, but her klutziness hadn't gone away. Not by a long shot. She took three more steps after her long jump and then she was down, not realizing she had fallen until she felt a branch sink into her thigh and her palms smack against the hard forest ground. She sat up, brushed the dirt from her hands, and felt around her leg. Her hand came back to her with a dark liquid that she could quite make out because the light of the moon wasn't coming through the forest.
And then, the silence she'd loved suddenly was gone.
"Bella," a voice snarled. It wasn't a voice she was familiar with. It was evil, and rough, and completely unexpected. Bella gasped, her clean hand flying to her throat in surprise. Her eyes flew around, frantically searching through the darkness, but her eyes were failing her. It was just too dark for her to make out anything.
And then suddenly, a flash of white shot out in front her. Sharp pain shot through her neck as cold bindings wrapped around her shoulders, pinning her arms to her sides. No, it felt like her neck had been ripped apart! She was thrown onto her side, her head slamming against the hard ground, and she struggled with all her might against the strong force that was holding her down. Growls sounded in her ear, snarls that scared her senseless, but she felt blood being drawn from her body. She was terrified.
Something sharp was shoved into her neck and the last thought – the only thought that Bella had managed during this entire event – was what kind of animal is this?
And then she went limp.
...
Emmett watched his brother lean helplessly over the corpse that was once his human girl. He leaned against the corner of the bedroom that Edward had turned into a little hospital room while Carlisle had worked profusely to save the little girl's life, but his efforts had been wasted.
Edward had been hunting, and the girl had fallen and cut herself in the forest. She was his singer. Edward couldn't be expected to fight that instinct to find her and drink her dry. Emmett didn't blame him – not like Alice and Esme seemed to. Carlisle understood . . . a little. But Emmett still saw the appalled look he shot his son when Edward was watching Bella's face.
At last, after hours of Carlisle fighting the injuries that Bella had gotten from Edward's attack, Edward had given in and let Carlisle bite her, setting off the change. Emmett had been able to yank his brother off of the girl before he killed her, and so he'd been drinking from her long enough that he'd sucked all of his venom out of her system. It was a good thing Alice had had a vision and came running – Emmett wouldn't have been able to restrain his brother without Jasper's help, and then Alice had to get Bella's broken body. None of them had taken a breath in hours.
Isabella Swan had been trying to escape, wanting to return to her innocent life with her father, wanting her happiness back, but Edward Cullen had wanted her, and he'd taken her. Emmett wanted to feel sorry for the girl, but really.
Problem solved.
Edward, hearing his thoughts, looked up from his soon-to-be mate's body and smiled at his brother. "It is, isn't it?" he whispered. The blood-red eyes of his mate flashed open, and Emmett knew Edward would be lonely no longer.
Author's Note: This plot didn't really turn out the way I originally thought it would. I don't know what this is, to be honest, but okay. This just kind of flowed out of my mind . . . I'm sitting her like, where did this come from? But I like the outcome a lot. Anyway, let me know what you think in a review.
Thanks for reading.