I sighed in content as the movie credits rolled across the screen. Edward's arms tightened around me when I turned to look at him. I could feel the vibrations in his chest as he spoke far too quietly for my human hearing. He met my questioning look with his breathtaking crooked smile. We lay sprawled across the cream couch, me leaning against Edward's perfect, hard, cold chest. As I looked around, everyone seemed to be in similar positions; Alice sat in Jasper's lap on a large, squishy looking beanbag on the floor, Rosalie and Emmett sat on one of the love seat in a relaxed embrace, and Carlisle and Esme sat on the other. Carlisle's hand was around Esme's waist and they were whispering in each other's ears too low, I guessed, even for the vampires that sat around me to hear. I'm sure Jasper wasn't even projecting his emotions when I say that the room was so full of love at that moment, both familial and romantic. I stretched, yawning slightly, and made to get up.
"Thanks for the movie night everyone, but I gotta go. Charlie's head will explode if I turn up at," I consulted my watch quickly. "Whoa! Midnight? My curfew is still ten thirty! Aww crap. . ." I tried desperately to think of an excuse, coming up with . . . nothing. Emmett's booming laugh sent vibrations through my chest cavity and Alice jumped up from Jasper's lap.
"Don't worry Bella! Charlie has a soft spot for me, I'll bail you out of trouble!" she gave me a sly wink and a dramatic nudge-nudge gesture. I sighed and nodded my head. Frankly, I didn't think anything was going to distract Charlie from my punishment for being out an hour and a half later than curfew with none other than – gulp – Edward. Charlie was going to FLIP if he thought I had been with Edward. I still hadn't forgotten the attempted sex talk he tried to give me last year. Now THAT was horrible. It was like a new form of torture! Edward pulled me from my thoughts by kissing me on the forehead.
"Don't worry love. Alice says he won't be a problem." He flashed me another one of those dazzling smiles and proceeded to shoving me out of the door and out to Alice's car.
"Which means you had better get home now if you want to avoid any more trouble than you're already in!" he laughed at my sour expression and opened my door for me. I leaned up to give him a kiss goodbye, but his hands were restraining. Again. This time though, the amused glint in his eye was missing, and upon closer inspection, the knowing smirk that normally graced his lips seemed slightly forced. It was these symptoms that should have warned me. This was exactly the way he had acted last time. I didn't want to believe it though, and pushed the thought hastily from my mind.
"Love, I'm afraid that we are going on an extended hunt. All of us. We're leaving tonight but I will be back tomorrow night. I'm sorry, I know you don't like it when I leave you for a couple of days, so I shortened my own trip. Alice and the others will be gone until Saturday. I will see you tomorrow night, okay?" I nodded and forced my own smile back on my face. It tore at me to think that Edward was losing time with his family for my sake. But I couldn't quite make myself tell him to take a few days instead of one. Alice started the engine, and Edward ducked my head into the car. He stood waving for all of the three seconds we were in view before Alice burst through the trees and onto the freeway. She continued driving in silence leaving me to wonder where on earth she was taking me.
"Alice?" Alice had a slightly crazed look in her eye as she pulled furiously on the wheel. She pulled over at the side of the road, and her features relaxed a little bit.
"They can't hear us here. I'm sorry if I frightened you there Bella, but I need to get this out, and you're the only one I can talk to about it, and Rosalie didn't want to hear it, and I couldn't tell Esme and . . ." she was babbling so I put my hand over her mouth.
"Alice. Whatever it is I will try and support you. You are my best friend and I don't like seeing you so distressed and thank you for feeling that you can come to me about an issue you're dealing with." I informed her curtly, but at the same time giving her a reassuring smile. She slumped down in her seat and let out a long sigh. I tried to be patient, and after what seemed like years, she finally whispered something that put my brain into overload.
"I'm leaving Jasper." What? How could she leave Jasper? This was wrong on so many levels! She was all loved up with him five minutes ago, and now she's LEAVING him?
"Excuse me, what?" I must have misheard, because she could not possibly be leaving the love of her life.
"I said, I'm leaving Jasper. I don't love him anymore. I have seen the future, and I see myself travelling alone. Jasper isn't in my future anymore Bella." She looked at me with pleading eyes, and my shoulders fell in defeat.
"Why?" I heard myself ask weakly. She shrugged and I could tell there was something she was hiding.
"It's yet to happen, but it will be soon. I just don't see myself with him. I think that fate told me to bring him to the Cullens and we bonded on our journey here. I mistook that for true love." I tried to keep my promise and decided that my friend needed me right now and that I shouldn't voice any of my opinions that were racing through my mind at that very moment. I nodded slowly and Alice's eyes were swimming with tears she could never shed.
"I'm not going to say I agree with your decision . . . but I will support you and Jasper through this. If Jasper needs my support that is. . ." I was thinking of how distant he was with me, though I greatly suspected that Edward had something to do with that. He just did not trust Jasper around me anymore, not after my birthday. I never did blame Jasper for that. How could I? But Edward, over-protective as usual, went to extra measures to make sure I was never alone with Jasper or I was with at least two people while around him. Edward didn't realise that I knew exactly what he was doing and I resented him slightly for it. He was denying me an opportunity to get to know Jasper as a brother and friend and I felt deprived; if Edward continued this charade I would never know the real Jasper for who he truly was. All I knew was a shy and guarded man whose love for Alice ran so deep that even I, the one person who barely knew him in this family, could see that he looked towards her as his sun. I realised then just how hurt and broken he would be when Alice left. He depended on her much more than he let it be known.
"Thank you, Bella. That's all I ask for. I know how it will affect Jasper. I have seen it. He will need all the support and love he can receive. It hurts me dearly to know that I will cause him so much pain . . ." I nodded and put my arm around her tiny cold frame in a comforting gesture. She looked up at me through fraught eyes and gave me the most heart-wrenching smile I had ever seen.
"Lets get you back to Charlie. The less trouble you're in from him, the less trouble I'm in from Edward!" And with that lighter note, she pulled back onto the road and sped back to Forks. Charlie didn't put up too much of a fuss when Alice came out with some excuse about us being in Port Angeles, ("Oh, yes, she was helping me spring clean my closet . . . I know it's winter, all the better reason to do it!") and I trudged upstairs to my awaiting bedroom. I kicked off my shoes and lay down on the bed fully clothed, dreading the day ahead without Edward.
Morning came far too quickly for my tired eyes and I grudgingly dragged myself from my bed to take a shower. Twenty minutes and some of my favourite strawberry shampoo later, I put on a plain white blouse and some faded jeans. I wasn't dressing to impress anyone today. I left the house not bothering with breakfast, far too eager to get the day over with so I could see Edward tonight. It felt wrong, waking up by myself without the solid cold arms enveloping me protectively.
After beating off Mike's daily advances, (hello, I'm taken!) and keeping my lips tightly pressed together as Jessica tried to get me to dish on what happened when they left, (she still hadn't left that alone even though it had been almost two years now, and frequently tried to crack me every time Edward and Alice were hunting) I wearily pulled out of the school parking lot in my rusted red van. The drive didn't last long enough, and too soon I was home. My algebra homework usually dominated my evening, but today's was something that I understood perfectly for once. The clock read five o'clock, and I figured that it wouldn't be too early now. Besides, by the time my decrepit truck made the journey, it would have eaten up another half hour. The winding drive of the Cullen estate seemed short tonight in my excitement and I burst from the trees. Edward's Volvo was parked in front of the white mansion and I spotted a flash of canary yellow from the open garage. Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie and Em must not be back yet. The open garage really ticked me off. Stupid vampires took everything for granted just because they had money to burn. My mental rambling continued as I approached the front door. I stopped in my tracks as I heard heavy metal blaring so loud I could hear it through the door. Perhaps Alice was taking her gothic look a bit further? Confused, I opened the door and my hair began twitching. The sound waves were strong enough to create a breeze? Damn, that was hurting my ears, so what was it doing to a vampire? The din was coming from upstairs and I decided to visit Edward in his room. That way, I could investigate the music at the same time. Kill two birds with one stone, Swan, nice thinking I mentally congratulated myself. I passed Alice's room and was shocked to realise that there was only silence emanating from it. Edward was listening to metal? I stopped outside his door on the top landing and raised my hand to knock. My hand rapped smartly on the sturdy wood and I waited no answer. I tried again. No answer. Oh well, I thought, he'll just have to put up with me coming in. And if he's not decent . . . all the better for me! I giggled at the image my mind conjured up for me and pushed the door open eagerly. And then I saw them.
He was pinning Alice to the wall, her eyes closed, legs wrapped around his waist. He was kissing down her collar bone moving further down between the collar of her unbuttoned shirt until he reached her bra, both of them totally unaware of my presence. . . I tore my eyes from them and looked around for his stereo. I strode over to it and slammed my finger down on the 'off' button harder than necessary. The music cut off, leaving a dull ringing in my ears, but I didn't care. I was seeing red. All I could think was "Again? How many times must he hurt me?" The two froze at the lack of noise and Alice's eyes slid open, her black irises locking on my brown. Her sharp intake of breath was mirrored by Edward's as he saw me glaring at them through her thoughts.
"Edward. What is going on here?" my voice was deathly calm, which surprised even myself. He dropped Alice and turned to stare at me with pleading eyes.
"Please . . . Bella . . . I'm sor-" I cut him off quickly.
"Don't you dare tell me you are sorry! You weren't sorry when you were messing around with Alice! You're only sorry you got caught!" My voice had risen until I was shouting at the top of my voice.
"No, I'm sorry you found out like this." His quiet statement didn't budge me. The fact that he turned up his eyes to full power on my pissed me off to no end. He was trying to dazzle his way out of this?
"Don't you dare! Don't you dare try to dazzle me, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen! That will not get you out of trouble and I will not forgive you for this, so don't try!" He looked so ashamed and that just fuelled my anger. He better be fucking ashamed! It must be the anger talking, because I would have never used so many profanities. Unfortunately, my anger was hotwired to my tear ducts. Damn it!
"I'm so sorry." He whispered so quietly that I almost didn't hear him.
"Whatever Edward. And you!" I rounded on Alice, who was standing awkwardly in the corner. She had buttoned up her silky blouse to hide her bra, but she was only wearing that and her panties.
"This is why you told me you were leaving Jasper, isn't it?" she nodded silently, eyes downcast.
"How cliché, though! My fiancé and my best friend! And Alice, your husband's brother! You disgust me. I never want to see either of you again. Stay out of my life, and I'm sure Jasper will say the same. Edward, if you try and come near me again, I swear we will see just how effective Charlie's tazer is on vampires." He winced at my threat and opened his mouth to speak. I furiously shook my head at him and he closed it, defeated. I noticed the black Mercedes coming up the drive from the window.
"Home early? Or was that a lie to keep me away from the house while the two of you snuck around behind my back?" I sniffed, giving them one last withering glare, and stalked from the room. I heard car doors slam from outside and was met at the bottom of the stairs by an exasperated Jasper.
"Bella, what's wrong? What's going on? Your emotions are going haywire! And . . . are Alice and Edward upstairs? I thought they were hunting?" I tried to keep my voice neutral and almost felt bad as I said what I said next.
"Alice and Edward have been hiding a big secret from the two of us. Why don't you go ask your wife about it?" I couldn't help the venom creep into my voice, simply because I hated Alice for what she had done to this family. Even if I hadn't found them, she still would have left Jasper and that would destroy him. At least the anger associated with this would probably numb the pain slightly. But only slightly. Jasper flitted up the stairs as the rest of the family rushed through the front door. Well, everyone except Rosalie, that is. She sauntered in behind them with a sneer on her beautiful face. Carlisle's expression was worried.
"Bella? Where's Jasper? Is that Alice and Edward I hear?" Confusion was plain in his voice and I pointed towards the stairs; I didn't trust my voice anymore. Esme rushed towards me and pulled me into a loving embrace while Emmett worriedly looked on. I almost went into shock when Rosalie moved forward, hands outstretched, as if she wanted to comfort me in some way. He features were etched with sadness and another emotion I couldn't quite place. Esme's gentle hands stilled from wiping away my falling tears that I had only just noticed and cocked her head towards the stairs. And so it begins. . .
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Hey guys! Sorry if there are any grammar and/or spelling mistakes, I tried to do my best with this chapter! Also, sorry if it's a little short but I thought that this would be a really good place to end it before all the good stuff starts. I've been having a little trouble with my Orange Box so I have been reading FF through the internet channel on my Wii- thus, no updates or new stories. Once again, sorry!!! I didn't want to cut you off in the middle of the excitement so I will work my little fingers to the bone to get it to you ASAP! I would love to hear what you think about this story – Love it? Hate it? Okay? Delete your FF profile, you suck ass and you should jump off a bridge? I want to hear it. Give me your best shot! Flames are welcome in this story (I know I have asked you not to leave them in previous stories, but I might get some good advice from them! Lol)
Hannah x~x~x
See that little green button? Right down there? Yeah, that one. I dare you. Go on. Click it. I know you want to. Hell, you know you want to!