Title: Cloudbank
pairing: Bella/Edward post BD
Rating: PG13
s
Above, where the cloud seems to hover possessively around the pines, and the wind cools her face, there's a sliver of sunlight about to break through--between the cracks of dark and grey; here above the trees, where the cloud bank falls and touches the wet mossy ground.
She's closed her eyes, experiencing the sensuous feel of the wind and the sun touching parts of her exposed skin-where it looks like tiny diamonds-tiny pinpoints of sun itself. Her hand grazes the edge of the bark-rough, prickly, yet smooth in parts and here, above, where she had just finished her hunt, where she's sated some of her thirst, she's enjoying her eternity as a vampire.
Her mind is full of happy thoughts, and feelings of love, and even the thought of danger where it had been prevalent in the past---wasn't, ever something that she felt would ever come to pass again.
Bella took a deep breath, climbed easily down the length of the tree, and jumped from the last branch to the leafy blanket below. Even the feel of her legs, her feet which crashed against the soil felt light-airy, singularly too powerful. Everything about her felt too much of that.
Edward waited for her there, his arms folded, leaning against a tree, the very same favourite crooked smile on his gorgeous features, and he's looking at her with that same bewildered and fascinated look.
If she could blush, she would, and she thinks to herself that that was perhaps the only thing that he may miss about her-her mortality and fragility, and still, he couldn't read her mind.
Bella walks down the hill and he takes the stride next to her, pacing along the path-where the road curves into a smooth opening beside the line of narrow trees. They realize that they're walking as slow as any other human-neither wanting to rush anywhere at anyplace.
She gives him a quick sidelong look, and laughs, "What?" her hand swinging slightly along her side reaches up to push him affectionately. He laughs with her.
"It's just that," he started, chuckles again when she's giving him that glare, her eyes taking on that amber bright glow.
"I can't read your mind, Edward." She goads, still grinning, a little ahead now. She knows that he's faster than her, no matter how much headway she makes first.
"Even after all this time, after seeing you hunt with me, seeing your strength-I can't help but still think of you as this delicate..." he paused, looking up to see.
But she's slowed down, her feet shuffling to a halt, turning to look at her mate.
"Pretty incredible huh?" She gives him a smug smile, and he's already close, his cool breath on her cheek. He takes a hand to carefully move her mahogany hair aside-where the wind had pushed a strand between his lips and hers.
"Yeah. You can say that. You really are..." his voice, deep, choked with a kind of love, turns to a whisper, "I love you, Bella Cullen."
She closes her eyes, enjoys the feel of his hands sliding inside her coat, fingers playing along the narrow of her waist, and reaching---longing to touch her skin.
His intake of breath brought pleasure to her ears, as she allows herself to be kissed-where his cool lips, not cold anymore-not warm; but just right-to graze along the side of her lips, along her jaw, and touch where the pulse of her heart beat once made his thirst unbearable.
She sighs, her eyes opening, fluttering and he takes her lips-kissing, kissing, the soft supple feel of his made her feel more alive than when her blood ran hot.
"Edward...." Bella chokes out, with too much love in her heart, almost bursting, like the first time....like always, "we've never..."
He couldn't read her thoughts, no, but he could understand. Perhaps through the misty mischief in her eyes, "You mean, here? As in..."
Bella sent him a challenging look through hooded eyes, giving him what she hopes would be a sultry dare, while walking a little backwards now-so that her back is against the tree, her hand gripping his jacket close-pulling him to her.
His lips on hers-hard, almost desperate, and she's wound her arms around him, gripping enough so that her leg has inched higher, wrapping around his waist, and where he's already pulled her up a little higher. Just enough so that her head is a little above his, and the branches that hung low appear to canopy their movements; the soft pull of his love growing desperate with a kind of need, because she's not fragile-he doesn't need to control as much as he did. She's equal to him in every way.
The sound of footsteps heard stilled their movements; it was too distant to be of any significance, but they halted anyway. Each looking into eyes they adored, the mirror of their love beat loudly where their hands wandered.
Another moment passed, Bella lightly kissed the bridge of his nose, kissed the perfect, elegant line of his brow. She waited, waited then slid down slowly from his gentle grasp. "I love you too, Edward Cullen."
His eyes took on that light---where the blackness deepened, and where the sun seemed to touch-like the diamonds on his everlasting soul.
"Come; let's go up the hill, away from the cloudbank. I want to see you in the light."
She looks up where the sun has been peeking in and out of the grey mist above, and her breath caught as she turns to him. How her heart swelled-almost ached.
He nods, swallows, almost controlling himself, "Anything..."
Then she's pulling him with her fingers entwined in his, up the hill, where the mist is fading, sliding down the path where they're heading.
She bites her lip, stifling a small giggle, and her pace has quickened.
She's elated, refreshed, and happily in love. Those feelings that exist within her--- from the steady heart beat within correlated, almost in chorus to his.
Their departing figures winding up the opposite path they took, away from the falling cloudbank, and where the sun is glinting, to an open meadow. To the first place they fell and loved so deeply.
Bella's happy thought lingered, and if he could hear her thoughts, his easy grin would widen. And she closes her eyes as she guides him, her lips parting, touching the dew-tasting the world around them.
She relaxes in the feel of his arms as soon as they've settled down the open clearing. Her thoughts filled with him. She knows, even through the trials of their relationship that nothing in this world--nothing--ever again could separate her from her soul mate.
