Repaying Edward

Chapter one: Surprise!

'You don't…want me?'

'No.'

I smile at Alex over our lab table, not really bothering to pay attention to the biology teacher waffling on in the background.

Alex is my husband, to all intents and purposes. We can't actually make it official since we're technically only nineteen. And while it would be legally possible to get married, it wouldn't suit our agenda of trying to blend in very well. Even in a city like Rochester, getting married that young would cause gossip on a major scale. Something along the lines of; "I bet they're getting hitched because she's pregnant." Which is impossible anyway, because once you become a vampire, you can't get pregnant, so it's a moot point. Besides, I've never really wanted kids. Just not my thing. Maybe it would have been, once, when I was eighteen and with Edward. Maybe then. But he left, left me for good, and the Bella that loved him is gone now, and so is the Bella that barely lived for eight months after he left. Now, in hindsight, I can see that him leaving was a good thing, really. He was too protective, to secretive, and never really took my view into account in anything. For all that I thought he was a gentleman, when it came down to what mattered, he didn't listen.

I miss Alice, though, and the rest of the family. Okay, maybe not Rosalie, but the point still stands. I'm over him. The new Bella is completely different. I've got a boyfriend called Alex and we share a apartment in Rochester. We're both studying for a Major in biology. I am happy. I met Alex in my senior year of high school in Forks, when I was only just recovering from being such a mess. Jacob had helped me so much, but he was only a friend, and I needed something more than that in my life. Of course, he was more than willing to offer, but I never felt that way about him, really. Alex helped me to get completely over Edward, to become a new, better, stronger person. He was a vegetarian vampire too, like the Cullen's, but living by himself. I met him, and fell in love again. Compared with Edward, he wasn't that much older than me, only been born about five years before me, and been changed at eighteen. He didn't know who had done that, whoever his creator was had mysteriously disappeared afterwards, but that didn't bother him. He had wanted to be a doctor, so drinking the blood of humans seemed wrong to him, and he had become a vegetarian all by himself. I was very proud of him for that, even though I hadn't actually been around to witness it. Just after I had graduated from high school, Charlie had suffered a heart attack and had been moved to a care home, no longer able to look after himself properly. I checked in once or twice a year, just to make sure he was okay.

I had already made my decision that a wanted to be a vampire with Alex before then, and it seemed like the best time to do what I intended, so we had taken ourselves into t safely remote part of the woods and done the deed. Eventually, everything worked out quite well, considering. Jacob ended up imprinting, which avoided a lot over embarrassing and stressful conversations, with a girl called Frieda, who was really nice, and we were still great friends.

I roused myself from my memories as the teacher came through the door looking tired and stressed, heaving an overflowing briefcase, a pile of books with a worn out coat hanging over one arm. Honestly, why anyone would put themselves up for a teaching job is beyond me, and I just admire them for their perseverance. It really is truly Herculean. He dumped his bag on the table that was barely visible under all the paperwork stacked there and turned to the waiting class.

'Right, folks, today we have a new student among our ranks.' He announced in a voice that sounded like the owner just wanted to go to sleep in that instant. 'I expect you to treat Edward nicely at the very least, and to refrain from offering him drugs for the time being.' Edward? I felt uneasy at once, and tried to calm myself down. Edward isn't that uncommon a name, when you look at how many Ed's there are in the world. Its ridiculous that he should be here of all places. After all, Alice would have seen me here, so he wouldn't have come. A few laughs went up in the crowd behind me. I couldn't find what was so funny.

'Come on in, then.' He gestured for someone outside the door to enter the classroom. The person on the other side opened the door and stepped inside the room.

Oh God, no. Please no.

But it was real. I wasn't dreaming (not that I could anyway, I can't sleep anymore). He was here. Edward had just walked into the classroom.

Shit.

***

I quickly his behind my hair, not wanting him to see me. I wanted to face him on my own terms. He walked behind me and I lost sight of him, his scent swirling in his wake as he blew past me. Even with me extra-sensitive nostrils, I was still unable to work out what he actually smelled like. I was mildly annoyed.

My special vampire talent is to shield myself from other vampire's mental attacks, using a method that Alex had christened 'ghosting'. I basically projected an illusory shield in front of my mind, and all the person could effect was that shield, not me. And it wasn't just mentally I could use my ghosting, either. I could project a sort of another me, that would do exactly what I would, but without me actually been there. i could, for example, create a ghost, and leave it where I was, then just walk out of a room without anyone noticing. When I had a ghost activated (for lack of a better word) I became invisible myself. This was very useful for sneaking out of boring lessons.

This was a lesson I didn't want to stay in, and it had only just started. I motioned to Alex and we got up and left, leaving two ghost sitting behind us in our seats. I needed to tell him about Edward been in the lessons. He already knew all the other stuff, but not what he looked exactly like, so wouldn't have recognised him as anything other than another vampire. We hid out till the lesson ended, which was incidentally the end of the day, until I would have my chance to speak with Edward myself. I planned on giving him a surprise. Both me and Alex thought that Alice hadn't said anything to Edward about me been here, so me suddenly springing on him would be actually possible. As our ghosts left the classroom, we merged back into them seamlessly, and waited for our victim of sorts to come out. Alex waited round the corner; he would hear everything, but I wanted to face Edward on my own at first. I shielded Alex with my mind, and then pounced. I had stopped right opposite the door to the classroom, pretending that the zip on my bag was stuck, so I was in full view of the last people emerging from the classroom, including Edward. I looked him unflinchingly in the eye as he walked out, getting over taken by the hurried teacher as he did so. The corridor was now empty apart from me, him, and Alex round the corner. He stopped dead in the doorway, whiter than white, eyes frozen wide, shocked.

'Bella?' he breathed. He appeared to be having problems with coherency too, and this is coming from a person with a hearing range of about a mile. Bless.

'Hi.' I said, no particular emotion in my voice. He swallowed heavily, Adam's apple bobbing.

'You're…you're…' he squeezed his eyes shut then opened them again, as if that would somehow dispel the image of me from in front of him.

'A vampire?' I put on my best blasé voice for him. 'Cool, huh?' he didn't have an answer for me.

'How?' he whispered. I grinned internally. Now was the perfect time to introduce him to Alex. Hmm… this was going to be interesting indeed.

'My boyfriend changed me. He's a vampire.' I said the last part with a slightly confidential air. Edwards jaw dropped. I was in silent hysterics. 'Would you like to meet him?' he was clearly unable to give me a reply, I pressed on anyway.

'Alex, honey, come here a minute.' Alex sauntered round the corner, looking for the entire world like the very model of a boyfriend in a dark blue shirt, casual tie and jeans. Damn, he looked good. He was smirking, too. He knew I never called him "honey", and was obviously finding my game quite amusing. I checked his shield quickly. Edward had a slight frown on his alabaster forehead as he tried to figure out why he couldn't read his mind, either. Another internal giggle.

'Edward, this is Alex, my boyfriend.' Alex looped an arm around my waist and pressed a light kiss to my forehead. I was having trouble not laughing out loud.

'Hello.' said Edward flatly. He didn't attempt to shake Alex's hand, which was unlike him, and stupid, seeing how he left me, anyways.

'Hi,' smiled Alex warmly. 'You're the infamous Edward, right?' Edward threw me a slight frown.

'She talks about me?' Alex shrugged casually.

'Sort of…from what I've heard you're the boyfriend that broke her heart just after her eighteenth birthday.' Edward looked shocked that I had told him this, like it had been a secret. Of course we didn't have any; we were always utterly open about ourselves. I was determined to show Edward as such.

'We don't have any secrets or hesitation when it comes to expressing our views. When the time came, he just sunk his teeth into me and got it over with without preamble.' Edward looked sickened. Good. Let him have a good look at what he couldn't have. I owed him this, and I was going to show him everything that we could have been, but weren't. Every possibility he left behind.

'I have to go.' He said shakily, and walked out of sight just a bit too fast to be a human. As soon as he was out of earshot, Alex turned to me and grinned his widest smile.

'Whoever said that you were a bad actress is an utter liar.' He hugged me close, burying his face into my hair.

'Oh, that was Edward who said that.'

'Definitely a liar then.'

'Without a doubt.'

***

I walked out of the classroom, my mind in a unruly tangle of black thoughts. Esme had eventually convinced me to start school again, over a year after I left Bella. The pain was still no better; I just had to live with it. Live with myself, and what a horrible monster I was for ruining her life by loving her, and by almost killing her with what I was. I wasn't safe for her, and I wasn't worthy of her. I wouldn't – couldn't – take away her soul just so I could keep her by my side, even though that was what my heart wanted. I stepped out of the classroom, not really looking at where I was going, until a slight breeze wafted down the corridor, blowing a scent towards me. I thought I was finally going mad. It couldn't be. Not Bella. It was impossible. Even though I had told her to stop looking for Bella, Alice would have seen her here, and stopped me, or at the very least told me. And she would have applied for this class herself, if it meant seeing her friend again. She would do anything.

'Bella?' I whispered. Impossible.

'Edward.' Her voice! That voice which I would recognise anywhere at all, do anything for. But it was changed…as was the rest of her. I looked properly at the woman standing before me. She was taller than before, with longer hair with reddish highlights that showed even in this weather. Her chest was fuller, her skin paler and no doubt harder, and her eyes were golden. She was a vampire.

My head span confusingly, trying desperately to reject the image in front of me, while hoping beyond hope it was real. Anger over took everything else; when I found the bastard that had done this to her, committed her to this half life, I was going to rip them limb from limb and burn them at a torturously slow rate. I would kill them.

'Hi.' She said, and I wasn't able to detect anything in her voice.

'You're…you're…' I was still to shocked to form actual sentences, which was unusual for a vampire, and even more so for me.

'A vampire?' she finished for me, a slight hint of humour in her voice. 'Cool, huh?' No, Bella! This is exactly why I left! No! But, again, I couldn't speak.

'How?' I breathed.

'Oh, my boyfriend changed me. He's a vampire.' WHAT? Her BOYFRIEND? She has a boyfriend? A vampire? And he changed her? That was it; I was going to hate this boyfriend, if he was Bella's or not. Partly because he had what I wanted, needed, more so because he changed her into something that I didn't want for her. I left for her, so she could have a normal, happy life with a human, have kids, grow up and get married.

Now she was a vampire, and she couldn't do any of those things. And I hated him for it. I could feel that my jaw had dropped, and I closed it quickly.

'Would you like to meet him?' I didn't have an answer for that one. But, too late, she was calling for him.

'Alex, honey, come here a minute.' This was officially odd. The Bella I knew didn't call anyone "honey". She just didn't. A man walked round the corner, and I silently measured him up. I know it was pointless, I wasn't Bella's anymore, but I couldn't help myself. He was the same height as me, with black hair that was cut so it covered his forehead, and almond shaped eyes. He was wearing a dark shirt, casual tie and baggy jeans. Bastard. He put an arm round Bella's waist and pressed a small possessive kiss to her head, clearly showing me that she was his, not mine. I felt my hatred for increase tenfold.

'Edward, this is Alex, my boyfriend.' Bella said, and I longed to reclaim the title that now belonged to the man standing in front of me. I looked him in the eye.

'Hello.' I said, not shaking his hand because I was loathing touching him. "Alex" smiled at me, with just a hint of warning to keep of his property.

'You're the infamous Edward, right?' he asked. Infamous? Did Bella talk about me that much? I threw her a questioning frown.

'She talks about me?' I enquired; talking like Bella wasn't there at all. Alex shrugged carelessly.

'Sort of…' he replied. 'from what I've heard you're the person that broke her heart just after her eighteenth birthday.' I was shocked. He knew…I didn't want him to. Even though she had every right to tell him, it was…personal. I felt like it shouldn't be shared. It wasn't right. Bella read what was on my face and responded.

'We don't have any secrets or hesitation when it comes to expressing our views. When the time came, he just sunk his teeth into me and got it over with without preamble.' I felt sick. He just changed her? Without thinking it through, without thinking about the pain she'd go through? It was so messed up. For the first time in over a century, I felt physically ill.

'I have to go.' I managed, and then I bolted.

'Alice!' I yelled, charging through the door. I thought I heard a hinge on it break, but I was beyond caring. I slammed it shut, and definitely heard a hinge break. Possibly two. Emmett and Jasper were out hunting, and Carlisle and Esme were both still at work, so the only people here would be Alice and Rosalie.

'Yes?' Alice's head poked round the entrance to her bedroom. From within, I could hear Rosalie's thoughts. Leave him. She was thinking. All he ever does is mope around after his stupid human. I felt my jaw clench at her. She was so shallow, she didn't even realise when she overstepped the mark. Which was sad, really, she did it so often.

'I need to talk to you.' I growled. She hesitated, trying to see into the future to see what I would say. She turned her head slightly, keeping her eyes warily on mine. 'Rose, I'm going to talk to Edward for a bit. Wait.' An unhappy grumble sounded from inside. She shut the door behind her, leaning on it like it would service as protection.

'Why didn't you tell me?' I accused angrily.

'Edward…' she began, her face guilty.

'Why?' the fight suddenly went out of me, and I flopped ungracefully down on the sofa. Alice sat beside me, uncertainty written all over her body language. 'Why, Alice?' I sighed.

Oh Edward…I haven't been able to see her for over six months. Something in her tone reminded me of Esme when she tried to coax me out of the house; sad and caring.

'Since she became a vampire…' I realised. Alice nodded, defeated. Of course; I had never been able to read her mind, and when she became a vampire she had managed to block out Alice, too.

'And Alice…she…she has a new…' I tailed off, unable to finish. Her eyes went round as she realised what I was trying to say. I tried to read her mind, but at the moment there were no coherent thoughts in it. Just blank surprise.

!!!! Slowly, she came back to herself.

'I'm so sorry, Edward.' We sat in silence until Emmett and Jasper came through the door, slightly muddied from their hunting trip. Rosalie drifted out of Alice's room to throw her arms around Emmett. Jasper immediately sensed what I was feeling.

'What is it?' he asked warily. His eyes flicked to Alice, still sitting next to me. 'Alice, what's wrong?'

'It's Bella.' I said. I hadn't spoken her name in over a year since today. 'She's here. And a vampire. With a new vampire boyfriend.' All around me, three minds were in silent shock.