A/N: Welcome to Uncharted Territory. This is my first attempt at a fanfic, so please review and let me know how I'm doing. Enjoy!! Disclaimer: These are not my characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyer. I just like to play with them!
// Renesmee's POV
I as I walked closer to take my seat next to him, his pale face and emerald green eyes studied me carefully. He watched me move closer, and moved like he intended to leave the room. I wondered what he was thinking, if he was as scared as I was. He was silent, but his eyes spoke of a lifetime of heartache and pain. My heart broke for him, but I didn't know why.
What I assumed was terror flooded his eyes as I approached him and sat down at his side. He was apparently part of our supernatural world, but why didn't we know of his family? What did this mean for us? Was he dangerous? And why did I instantly care about him as though I've known him for years? My trust in him was overwhelming, and I couldn't control my attraction to him. My emotions ran like crazy, I couldn't control it anymore. He didn't pull away as I placed my hand on his forearm, and flooded his mind with memories of my lifetime, hoping he'd understand where I'd come from.
1 month earlier…
// Bella's POV
I couldn't believe it. We were really leaving Forks. I knew this day would come -- it loomed in my future like some terrible black cloud. It sulked closer and closer until it hovered over me, dropping more emotion onto me than I could handle. I'd grown so accustomed to have everything I loved so close to me -- now that was all being taken away.
The plan was set -- we'd move to central Washington, mostly in an effort to keep me closer to Charlie and Renesmee closer to Jacob. It was a lot to handle, but I was with Edward, and that was all I cared about. All of the other sacrifices were worth it.
Lying quietly in the brightly lit clearing, I flipped through the pages of Pride and Prejudice. Just as Mr. Darcy is professing his love to Lizzy, I hear a small twig snap at the edge of the meadow.
My husband. His heartbreaking crooked smile gleamed across the meadow -- our meadow -- for what would most likely be the last time, in this serene sanctuary, for a while. I lied on my back and stared at him, trying to remember how I was so lucky as to have him for eternity. My beautiful husband was shining in the sunlight. The fact that my skin matched his made me smile -- he was mine for eternity. He stood at the edge of the meadow in some attempt not to interrupt my reading. He should know by now, that anytime he was around, he was all that consumed me. I still felt unworthy of the affections of such an perfect man -- well vampire -- but he loved me like I was his everything. Just as he was mine.
"Pride and Prejudice? Again?" he laughed the most beautiful sound in the world.
"I took a break from Cathy and Heathcliff. I needed a more heart-warming book."
"Your heart will never be warm, love." He smiled that heart-breaking, crooked smile again. I smiled back. I would have blushed if I still could.
He walked closer. His sweet smell overtook my senses as he lied down next to me. He took my hand and the smile on his face fell.
"You're unhappy, " he finally said.
"Not unhappy. I'm just going to miss a lot of things about Forks. Charlie mostly, and of course our meadow." I looked around as if taking it in one last time.
"We won't be that far away. And we will come back to our meadow anytime you'd like. Just say the word." He brushed some of the curls away from my cheek and replaced them with a soft kiss. He lingered for a bit, his breath washing over my face. I smiled and relaxed, realizing that my whole body was tense with anxiety.
He lightly traced my jaw with his fingers, his touch soft and slow, as though he were trying to comfort me.
"Bella…" His voice was desperate, and I knew what he wanted. He hated not knowing what I was thinking. I surrendered, unwilling to talk aloud about it, and pulled away the elastic shield that usually protected my thoughts from his intrusion.
He heard it all: my concern about how Renesmee would deal with being in school for the first time, wondering how the whole family would adjust to a new place, and mostly worry about leaving Charlie.
"We can visit whenever we want, love. Every weekend if that's what you need. Charlie can even come up there -- he's already dying to find new places to fish, and I bet he'll love fishing in the lake."
My family lived rather extravagantly. Carlisle and Esme built a house on Chester Morse Lake in central Washington, right outside of Riverbend. It was enormous -- 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (for looks only), and of course, a huge garage for all of the Cullen vehicles. With that addition, Emmett swore he'd never move out.
Edward and I, on the other hand, built our own house about 5 miles away on the other side of the lake. It was perfect for our little family -- 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom for Charlie, and glass walls on both the front and back of the house. We had the most beautiful view of the lake and Rattlesnake Mountain. The best part was being close enough to our family to get there within minutes, but far enough to enjoy a little privacy -- something we didn't get much of these days.
Esme insisted on decorating for us, and neither of us could say no to her. I trusted her taste after seeing what she did to our little cottage in Forks, but Alice came as part of her decorating package. That could only mean one thing -- another horrid closet full of designer clothes and expensive shoes.
Carlisle found a job at the Valley General Hospital in Monroe, and Esme had her side business doing interior decorating. The rest of us were enrolled in Mount Si High School -- none of us were excited about starting high school over.
"Bella, everything will be alright. You'll adjust so quickly, and I'll be here every step of the way. I'm really glad you like the house though. I think it will be perfect for us."
"I know, I just like how things are here. And I definitely don't want to go back to high school!"
"I know, love. That's part of being a Cullen. You'll get used to it." I took a deep breath and smiled -- we've been married for 5 years, and I still love hearing him call me a Cullen.
He kissed me, roughly and purposefully. I was caught off guard, but eagerly accepted his lips on mine. "I like calling you a Cullen, too." I snapped back my shield, and he smiled smugly. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. I felt him kiss the top of my head before he stood up. He pulled me up by both hands and caught me at my waist. His hands pressed into the small of my back, pulling me tightly into his rock hard body. I could feel his perfectly sculpted chest through his shirt, and the comfort of being in his safe, strong arms washed over me. He placed his forehead against my forehead and his eyes bore deep into mine.
"I love you, Bella Cullen. You are my life, and I promised you I'd live the rest of my life to make you happy. I don't plan on going back on that promise. I would be lost without you, and I'm thankful everyday that you agreed to come to this meadow with me. You are perfect for me, and for some reason, you chose to love me, and I will always be grateful for that. "
There weren't words to explain what I was feeling. Nothing seemed sufficient, and silence felt right. If I could cry, I would have cried the biggest tears of happiness in all the world, because nothing could make me happier than being with Edward. I snapped my shield away from my body and let my flood of emotion engulf his mind. He closed his eyes and I knew he could feel what I felt. We stood in the middle of our meadow wrapped in each other's embrace. My silent thoughts continued to overdrive his senses. He pulled me back into his tight embrace, and I felt him kiss the top of my head again.
We stayed like that for a while. Silence filled the clearing, but so much was being communicated. It was heartfelt and very real. This was the perfect way to leave our meadow -- it was as though this was our last goodbye.
"Hello, Alice." Edward welcomed his sister into the clearing, not loosening his arms from my body. Alice was standing in the trees with the camera that Renee had bought me for my birthday so many years ago. I hadn't used it since my birthday.
"I got some great pictures of you two. You guys make a very handsome couple. Mostly Bella though." Alice flitted into the clearing and kissed me on the cheek.
"I found this in your closet as we were packing things up, I hope you don't mind Bella. I thought it should get some use."
"It's fine, Alice. It's actually a good idea, I don't even have any pictures of our family." Alice smiled at my acceptance.
"Edward, Emmett is desperate for help packing, and I told him I'd send reinforcements. Do you mind?"
He let go of me unwillingly and kissed me gently.
"I need to go help Emmett pack. I promised I wouldn't be gone long, I just needed to hold you."
"Thanks," I replied, "I'll be back to the house in a little bit." He kissed me one last time, and turned to walk out of the clearing. The meadow grew noticeably colder when he disappeared.
Alice took my hand and we started back to the main house. I turned and took one last look at our meadow. All of my first memories of being with Edward were here, and it broke my heart to leave for the last time.
"We'll be back Bella -- we haven't seen the end of Forks. We have eternity to leave and come back. You're going to love Riverbend, I've seen it. Charlie will miss you and Renesmee so much he'll be there almost every weekend. And of course he and Emmett will go fishing most of the time! I knew you'd be happy the second we decided to move -- I check on you a lot, you know?
"Thanks, Alice. I love you, you know that?"
"Even though I make you dress in designer clothes and gorgeous shoes?"
"Even in spite of that."
"Thanks, Bella."
We'd reached the house. Alice gave me a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. She pushed open the door and flitted over to Jasper's side. I gasped at the cold, empty house. Everyone was frantically packing -- moving day was tomorrow. I couldn't believe how uncomfortable this house looked without all of the extravagant decorations and furniture. It was empty and quiet, and sadness rushed over me. Edward walked into the living room and recognized the look of horror plastered on my face. He hurried over to my side and took my hand, looking back over the empty house that was so disturbing to me.
"It's strange, isn't it." He dropped my hand and draped his arm over my shoulder.
"Yeah. I hate it."
"I know." He paused to stare into the empty room. " Nessie will be home from Jacob's soon, and we have some more packing to do. Should we head back to the cottage?"
"Yes." My response came out emptier than I had hoped, and Edward dropped his head. I knew it was killing him to make me feel this way, but I couldn't help it. This was overwhelming, it was too much.
We walked silently toward the back of the house, saying good night to everyone we saw on the way out. Everything was a blur until we got back to the cottage and sat down on the couch. Edward started a fire for me. I didn't need the warmth, but the crackle of the fire was one of the most comforting sounds to me -- he knew that and he knew I needed to be comforted.
As Edward settled down onto the couch next to me, he shifted so that my head was lying on his shoulder, and his arm was around me. He pulled me as close as he could, and began to hum my lullaby. We sat like this until the cottage door opened. Renesmee walked in, her eyes bloodshot with tears. As soon as she made eye contact with Edward, she began to cry again.
// Edward's POV
Oh, this was just killing me. I was desparate for Jasper's help at this point. I couldn't stand seeing the empty look on my wife's face and her struggle with leaving Forks. In walks my daughter, and effectively shatters my already broken heart into a million more pieces. Nessie ran to the couch and mirrored her mother's position in my right arm. Most teenagers were embarrassed of their parents, but Nessie always found comfort in my arms.
Her thoughts were choppy sentences of disbelief. Mostly the beginnings of realizations of things that she would miss once we were gone. She sobbed into my shirt, as I rocked her back and forth. I watched Bella as she stared into the flames in the fire place, not saying anything and unwilling to meet my gaze.
We sat that way for a while, silent and somber. When the sobs finally stopped, and her breathing became regular, I felt Renesmee relax into my arms. Careful not to wake her, I picked up my beautiful teenage daughter and placed her quietly into her bed. I kissed her forehead and wiped the lingering tears from her eyes. It was more than I could stand seeing her like this. I turned off her light and let her sleep silently.
As I closed the door to her bedroom, Bella broke the silence. "You shouldn't feel guilty for any of this." I didn't even expect her to speak to me, much less say that.
"I do, though. I feel absolutely terrible." I couldn't hide the pain in my voice anymore. I sunk into the couch next to her, defeated. To my surprise, she smiled at me. I could see the flames in the fireplace reflecting in her eyes, dancing in the light gold color of them. She looked positively radiant.
"I love you, Edward Cullen." Her sudden change in temperament still left me disconcerted. She continued, "I don't care where I live, as long as I have you and Nessie."
I pulled her on top of me as I laid back across the couch. Her body stretched the length of mine, and an extreme electric current filled the virtually non-existent space between our bodies. Her scent inundated my senses, rendering me unable to feel anything but reverence for my brave, unselfish wife. She loved me, though I was the last person in her life that deserved it. After all of the pain that I've caused her, bad choice after bad choice that I made regarding her, she still loved me. And here she was again, being undeservingly understanding, when I should be begging her for forgiveness. I just couldn't understand.
As I lied there in awe, Bella opened up her mind to me, letting me in on her secrets that I didn't deserve to hear. They were nothing but reverent and loving, painting me as the hero, rather than the villain. She saw me as her anchor, her strength and comfort -- the kind of husband I always wanted to be, but never felt that I lived up to. I felt my heart swell, threatening to burst through my chest. I consumed her thoughts, just as she consumed mine on a daily basis.
I felt her lips very softly kiss my jaw line right below my ear. She continued kissing me teasingly around my jaw toward my lips. I closed my eyes, taking in the softness of her advances, anticipating kiss after kiss as she slowly approached my mouth. Without warning, her tongue split my unsuspecting lips as she forced her warm mouth on mine. That electric current that lingered between us before multiplied sending a grid of shock through my body to every one of my nerve endings.
Thoughts of how I'd like to spend our last night in this cottage flooded my mind. I cradled her in my arms, and lifted her off of the couch. I shut the door silently with my foot when we reached our bedroom, and placed her on the bed. She was stunning. Her eyes wrecked any self-control I had, and her body stretched out beautifully on the bed, screaming for my touch. The electrical connection between us was so strong, I felt like I couldn't live any longer without her touch. In this moment, it was more powerful than my thirst for blood -- I would give that up forever just to hold this perfect angel in my arms. I crawled swiftly on to the bed, at her side within seconds, and my mouth attached to hers with unyielding desire. Our lips danced passionately as I pulled her against my body. We stayed in bed all night, succumbing to every intimate desire we felt for each other. I would have been happy to stay that way forever, all of eternity, with my Bella.
// Bella's POV
Renesmee woke up early -- earlier than either Edward or I wanted. He smiled at me and kissed me briskly before rolling over and jumping out of bed. We had a lot to do this morning, packing being the top of the list. Lightning fast speed and inhuman strength proved extremely helpful in completing this task. Alice had already transferred most of the contents of our far-too-big closet to our new house, throwing all of the already worn clothes in to a donation pile. Not wearing clothes twice was Alice's cardinal rule, and she instantly knew if they'd already been warn. Stupid vampire senses.
Renesmee knocked on the door softly. Edward opened it quickly and our daughter immediately fell into his arms. He kissed the top of her head, and held her silently. She was crying uncontrollably. She was so used to seeing Jacob all day every day, and she wasn't ready to be away from him. Edward and I both sympathized with her -- I would have been devastated if I had to move away from Edward. My days away from him were the worst of my life.
I finished packing the rest of our bedroom while Edward comforted our daughter. He continued to hold her, making promises of frequent trips back to Forks and weekends of Jacob visiting Riverbend. Edward had an amazing bond with Renesmee. As overprotective as he was of her, she trusted him implicitly and looked up to him as a hero. Her happiness was his priority, and he was the very best at comforting her. He was the perfect father, and I admired them both as they stood in the door way.
Edward whispered something to her, and she erupted in giggles, signaling the end of her break down. The sound of her laugh was musical and her smile lit up the room. Edward kissed her head, and playfully pushed her into her room.
"Time to pack, Nessie." Edward ordered, holding back a laugh. Her reply was indecipherable over her incessant laughing. Edward laughed with her and began packing boxes.
Within the hour, we had packed up the cottage and loaded everything in the truck. The contents of both houses was ready to go, and to be honest, I was too. Sulking around here was starting to wear on me, and I trusted Alice that everything would be okay.
The part that I'd been dreading the most was getting uncomfortably close. I promised I'd stop by and say goodbye to Charlie before I left for Riverbend. It wouldn't be a long, drawn out goodbye, because Charlie hated to cry. I just wanted to get it over with too.
Esme and Alice had already left early this morning to start setting up our houses. Alice called my cell phone this morning excitedly chirping about all of her progress in our new house. I tried to sound interested to appease her, but I was incredibly apathetic. Scared might be a better word if Esme was really letting Alice take charge of decorating our house.
Edward, Renesmee, and I watch as Carlisle drove the moving van away. Jasper, Emm, and Rosalie were going with him, and the three of us would leave straight from Charlie's house. We stood in silence and stared at the big house. This was goodbye -- for a few years anyway -- but, I never dreamed leaving this house would hurt this much. So many memories made here, as well as the beginning of my new life. Edward took my hand, and I knew it was time.
Edward wiped the tear rolling down Renesmee's face with his thumb. He drew her into his arms and held her head against his chest. I took the driver's seat and he sat with Nessie in the back, holding her and singing to her. She smiled at me weakly in the rear-view mirror, and my heart broke.
As we pulled into Charlie's drive way, I couldn't get out of the car. I couldn't say goodbye to my father. Edward opened my door, and reach for my hand. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't move a single muscle in my body.
"Love, it's time to say goodbye to your father."
"I can't, Edward. I can't leave him. He's so alone, and he needs me. He needs me close to him. He can't do this on his own." If vampires would cry, I would be a wreck. My chest tensed up as though it were trying to push tears out of my eyes.
"Bella, you can. Charlie will be fine. Sue visits him everyday and cooks for him. He isn't alone, and he won't be when you leave."
I heard the front door close. Charlie was walking toward the car. I turned my head away from the door -- I couldn't look at him. Edward leaned down into the car next to me.
"Bella, it's time. You can do this. You need to do this -- for Nessie and Charlie."
"Bells --" Charlie's voice broke with sadness and I could hear the tears welling up in his eyes. "Bells, this isn't goodbye. Come hug me, and get on the road. I'll be up there next weekend to see you. Jacob and I have already planned it with Edward -- we'll both be visiting."
"Okay, okay, dad. It's just a week. I've been away from you for longer than that before, right?." The promise of seeing him at the end of the week made me stronger. I got out of the car and hugged my father.
"Yeah, yeah, let's not make a big deal out of this, Bells. I'll see you soon, okay?"
"Okay, dad." I pulled away, and Nessie took her place in her grandfather's arms.
"Be good, Nessie, okay? You better call me on your first day of school and tell me all about it."
"Of course I will. I love you, grandpa."
"Love you too, Ness."
"Bye dad. I love you. See you soon!"
"Yeah yeah, y'all get out of here. Edward, you better have that fishing boat ready for next weekend."
"It's ready for you now, Chief Swan." I rolled my eyes. Edward still called Charlie 'Chief Swan.'
"Take care of my girls, ya hear?"
"I'll take good care of them. I couldn't live without either of them." Edward shook Charlie's hand. Charlie hated feeling Edward's cold hand, but he thought the gesture was respectful.
"I love you, kids. Be safe. Call me when you get there."
"I will, dad. Love you too."
We all piled in the car and left the driveway, Edward in the driver's seat this time. We sat in silence all the way to the Forks city limit, and Edward finally reached over to hold my hand. Nessie had cried herself to sleep in the backseat. I felt a sigh of relief that the hard part was over.
"I love you, Bella. Everything is going to be okay." He leaned over and kissed me softly. I nodded and smiled. Forks was our history, Riverbend was our future. And all I cared about was that Edward and Renesmee would be with me. That's all I needed.
A/N: So there's the end of Chapter 1. Please review and tell me what you like/don't like. Even constructive criticism is good! Stay tuned for the next chapter -- coming shortly!