A/N: SO THIS STORY COME ABOUT WHEN I WAS THINKING ON BELLA'S AND EDWARD'S LOVE FOR EACH OTHER. I ASKED MYSELF WHETHER THEIR LOVE TRULY KNEW NO BOUNDS, BUT I COULDN'T ANSWER THAT, I SUPPOSE SM IS THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN. SO, IN LIGHT OF THAT, THERE IS TWO SHORT STORIES HERE, BOTH ANSWERING THE AFOREMENTIONED QUESTION WITH A RESPECTIVE YES AND NO.
NO BOUNDS; YES!
"Come on Bells, we're going to be late!" Charlie hollers from the foot of the stairs.
"I don't even know why I have to go, I don't even know him." She hollers back from her room.
Sighing only loud enough for him to hear, he repeats his answer, once again. "I need to go because I'm a pillar of the community and I asked you to come as a favour cause I don't want to be left there by myself."
"Right," she pauses briefly. "But you owe me, big time."
"Yeah, yeah," he replies as she makes her way down the stairs.
The duo travel together in Charlie's police car to a residential area not far from Charlie's house, where they are met with a crowd that could easily be the entire populous of the small forked town. The whole area has been decorated with festive balloons and shiny gold numbers, confetti and such.
"Great," Bella mumbles under her breath.
"Please just, stick close by," Charlie pleads, Bella understanding all too well how he feels. She simply nods her reply.
"Wow! What a turn out!" Bella's attention turns to the speaker, a handsome blonde man on a podium. "I'd like to thank everyone who has come here to celebrate with us. This is no easy feat and truly a day for celebration."
Someone just in front of the father and daughter duo squeals her approval, both wincing at the piercing noise.
"I have known you a long time my friend, and though I may have many regrets, knowing you, will never be one of them." The speaker pauses for a moment, before continuing. "For you who don't know me, I am your residential ED doctor, Carlisle. We are here for one reason only, to celebrate the birthday of Forks' eldest resident, Mr. Edward Masen, who today turns a young one-hundred-and-four years old." He starts clapping, and turns to face adoringly at an elderly gentleman, seated beside him, who Bella hadn't noticed until then.
He looks just as old men should; pruned skin, white, thinned hair, spots and scars from stories unknown, but she couldn't help but notice a sadness about him.
The jeers and applause die down, and again, the doctor continues on. "Edward's presence here today, has been no easy feat. Death has knocked at his door many times, but Edward is a fighter. So, we welcome you all to celebrate with us." He raises a champagne glass high above his head, "to life, to love and… to fate." The doctor steals a quick glimpse at Bella, but before she fully registers the strange glance, he is talking animately with Mr. Masen.
Her brow furrows in confusion, but she can't quite grasp what it is she is confused about. "Bells!" Charlie repeats.
"Sorry, was a bit out of it for a while there."
"Are you alright?" He asks.
"Yes, fine."
"Did you want to mingle for a while, or wish Mr. Masen a happy birthday first."
"Let's wish Mr. Masen a happy birthday first." Get it over and done with, she adds silently.
With a shrug to his shoulder, "alright."
He leads the way to the front of the crowd where a space separates the doctor and Mr. Masen from the crowd, that all mingle amongst themselves. Bella notes that it is quite weird that no one is bustling to congratulate him on such a feat, but doesn't press the issue because she hardly wants the crowd to be pressed up against her.
"Carlisle," Charlie greets with a hand shake. "Mr. Masen," he then shakes the elderly man's hand.
"Hi Charlie," the doctor's eyes then meet Bella's. "And you must be Bella, Charlie hasn't stopped talking about you since you decided to move back, I am very pleased to meet you."
Feeling awkward, she accepts Carlisle's outstretched hand and returns the gesture. "Thanks, it's nice to meet you too. Happy birthday Mr. Masen," she then offers her hand to the elder gentleman to shake.
His head tilts to the side and he silently assesses her while taking her outstretched hand. "I am pleased to meet you Bella, but please, call me Edward." He then, far too swiftly for a hundred-and-four year old, kisses her hand, before returning it to her. She doesn't respond, she just smiles small, the furrow returning to her brow.
"And how are you enjoying the rain?" Edward asks her.
She looks to her father, but he is engrossed in a conversation with Carlisle about some new security procedures in the emergency department. "You're going to ask me about the weather?" She asks, jest in her tone.
A smile beams bright on his face, it reaching his strange green eyes, she has never seen such a colour before. "You don't like the rain?" he queries.
"Not really… any cold, wet thing…" she shivers from the mere thought of the gloom that surrounds her.
"So if you don't like the cold, then why move to the wettest place in the continental U.S.?" He asks, humour in his tone.
She hesitates, not really wanting to say it out loud. "It's complicated," she answers noncommittally.
"I think I can keep up," he counters.
She hasn't really told anyone why yet, but her tongue doesn't still this time and spills forth her reasons. "My mother remarried, I don't want to be a burden on her, and Phil can look out for her now. Plus, I haven't spent enough time with Ch—dad."
"That is quite selfless of you, but it doesn't really sound like it's what you want, just what you should do."
"I want to do what is best for everyone; my actions affect more than just me."
"You are wise beyond your years Bella, a trait many lack. But please, allow me to share some of my hard-learned wisdom with you."
"Okay," she prompts.
"Making the 'right' decision isn't always the best one. One day Bella, you are going to wake up at one-hundred-and-four years of age and realise that fate is staring you in the face and you are powerless to grasp it. I once had a choice to make, but it wasn't the 'right' one… I hadn't regretted my decision in eighty-two years, until today."
His emerald orbs gaze sadly into hers, and she can't quite find it in herself to look away either, there is something in them that enraptures her.
"Ready Bells?" She snaps herself straight, only just realising she was leaning toward Edward subconsciously.
"Umm… yeah. Bye Edward, bye Carlisle." She follows Charlie back to the cruiser, replaying her conversation over and over.
"Alright dad, I'm off, I'll see you tonight. Are you all right organising dinner for the night?"
He shoots her a disparaging look, "I have managed dinner for seventeen years without your help Bells, of course I can get us some supper for once."
"Okay, sorry. See you later then." And she leaves, managing to avoid telling her father where she was headed off to. Charlie wouldn't care of course, unless he found out her motivation for going to her destination, that is.
A bubble of fear and nerves swells in her gut, almost making her turn around before she even reaches her car, but she pushes through. She hasn't really ever been in a situation where courage was needed, but she conjures all she can muster and gets into her car.
She could have easily walked the meagre distance to her destination, but taking the car makes the list of her possible destinations much larger than walking, should Charlie or anyone else pry. The two-and-a-half blocks takes no time at all and before she is ready, she finds herself in front of a receptionist that looks like her day has been long and tiring. "Umm… I just want to visit Edward Masen, I was wondering which unit I can find him at."
"Look, I just can't give out that information, so I need to call him and confirm. What is your name?" She isn't quite rude in her tone, but as Bella suspected, she has had a long day.
"Bella Swan." She replies, a frog thick in her throat.
She picks up the phone, and a part of Bella kind of wishes that Edward won't answer, but another part will be devastated at the possibility.
"Hi, Mr. Masen, it's Prue from reception, I have a Bella Swan here wishing to pay you a visit, can I send her over." She pauses, listening, then hangs up. "Unit 12d, just walk in, don't bother knocking." She then ignores Bella's presence and continues her studious appraisal of her computer screen.
Bella leaves and finds the aforementioned unit not far from the reception area. Her hand pauses on the door knob briefly, before she opens it and enters the unit. She had expected his place of residence to be filled with momento's and knick-knacks from a long-lived life, and there were certainly plenty littered about. What she didn't expect however, is the walls were entirely made up of books, journals, vinyl records and c.d.'s. A grammar-phone is even nestled in one corner.
"Through here Bella," his familiar voice drifts from a room beyond her sight. She walks hesitantly toward him, unsure of what she will find. Rounding the corner, she finds him staring intently at a chess table, contemplating his next move.
"Are you playing yourself?" She asks, not even sure why.
A smile stretches out his leathery skin. "No, my granddaughter Alice. She… has quite a gift for beating me and I am quite determined to win at least one game against her before my time is up."
She was quite taken back by his casual mention of his oncoming death, "I… " she stammers, from a lack of anything else to say.
He looks away from the board and smiles a quite different smile to her than the one showcased at the mention of his granddaughter, Alice. "I apologise, I am being rude, please have a seat." He waves at a seat across from him.
"Thank you," she seats herself and chews at her lip nervously.
"I must say Bella, I am quite… surprised by your presence, I didn't think I would see you again." He leans back in his chair and intertwines his fingers together.
"I…" she swallows a lump in her throat. "I don't even know what I am doing here," she pauses briefly considering her next words. "I suppose you could say I was drawn here… subconsciously."
"I see…" his lips press together momentarily. "Well regardless of your reasons, I must say I am not sorry you have come. Now, can I offer you something? A coffee perhaps," his eyebrows raise, waiting.
"No thank you, I'm fine." She starts picking at her nails, but she can't find enough resolve to look away from him.
"I'm usually good at reading people, but you are just a blank wall."
"What do you mean? You can judge people by their body language?" She asks, not really knowing why she is pursuing such a strange topic.
"No, it's more of a feeling, or a vibe people put out. I'm sure you have felt it at some point. Have you naturally shied away from someone without cause?" She nods in response, "well, it's like that."
"So how do I differ from everyone else? Is there something wrong with me?"
His eyebrows raise in surprise, "I just tell you I have some sort of extra-sensory perception, and you think there is something wrong with you?"
"I want to ask you about something you said the other day… at your party I mean." He nods to prompt her. "You mentioned that you made the wrong choice eighty years ago, and you only just regretted it, on your birthday. I know this is a personal question, but what did you mean?"
His fingers separate and he leans on his knees, closing some of the distance between them. "When I was seventeen, I had a choice to make. I was asked if I am willing to give everything up, but that also meant my soul and everything that I was…" his emerald orbs glaze over, seeing something she could not. "I of course said no… how could I? Well… what I didn't know, is that the path I was offered may have been evil, but it would lead me to my fate… I've never been more sorry."
"That entire non-explanation gave me whiplash," she jests, humour which Edward doesn't return. She squashes down any trepidation that may have sprung up to the pits of her stomach, and asks what she doesn't know if she should. She leans forward, expectation her main motivator. "And what exactly is that fate?"
His lips purse in contemplation, "I have never married… I've never found the one. I have old fashioned values Bella, and living a life with someone who will have me as opposed to my perfectly matched equal… well, as you can suppose, I have lived a very lonely existence."
Her cocoa-coloured eyes gaze intently into his emerald ones, a thousand exchanges passing through them silently.
"What choice could have possibly changed that?" Her voice was barely audible as she contemplates how a decision eighty-two years ago could have let them be together as equals.
Sorrow mars his face, his eyes saddened, "it isn't important now, it doesn't change anything." Then he does the unexpected; he leans in, and kisses her. Sparks jump between them, a thousand lifetimes flashing behind their eyelids.
"You're right… it doesn't change anything." She agrees, then returns his kiss with one of her own.
A knock at the door destroys their powerful exchange, a sob bubbling up Bella's throat.
"I'm sorry… " his eyes not meeting hers. "And thank you."
Whoever knocked opens the door and footsteps approach. Bella doesn't linger, she silently tells Edward everything she wants to tell him with a kiss to his soft cheek, then leaves without another word.
She passes a small pixie-like girl, an emotionless mask on her face.
"Don't say it, Alice." Edward grumbles from behind her, so the mysterious girl must be his granddaughter.
Bella shoots up n bed in fright. She doesn't remember a having a nightmare, but something certainly gave her a fright.She picks up her phone from her night stand and checks the time; it is three-twelve a.m. A call shows up on the screen, and before it even rings, she answers it.
"Hello," she greets wearily, the phone number that showed up not recognisable.
"Hi, Bella?" The voice asks.
"Yes," she prompts.
"This is Dr. Carlisle Cullen here. Edward requested that I call you."
She jumps out of bed, more frightened than ever. "What has happened?!" She demands of the doctor.
"He…" a sob crackles through the phone from the doctor. "He has passed on."
She falls to the floor, he phone disappearing somewhere, the gut-wrenching pain fuelling her violent sobs.
NO BOUNDS; NO!
The hail smacks against her exposed head repeatedly, and painfully, but she makes no run for cover. She chose this god-awful place, so now she can bear the consequences of her actions. She looks around through the blurry dots in her vision. The part of town she has wandered to, completely unrecognisable. She kicks the pebbles at her feet, and continues to dwell in her own misery.
Looking around again, she spots a church just down the street, the decrepit building beaconing her. She continues toward the church, not moving any faster toward shelter. She pushes through the heavy wooden doors, finding no one inside and slips into the last row and seats herself on the pew. There is nothing remarkable about the dwelling, so she doesn't really know why it beaconed her in. Perhaps she needs some spiritual guidance, or maybe there is something in the water here that is making her crazy.
"You're new to town?" She jumps in fright from the unexpected appearance of someone sitting beside her.
She appraises the elderly man who somehow managed to appear beside her, taking note of his leather-like skin and whitened hair. "Am I that obvious?"
His face crinkles with a smile, "no, I've just never seen you around before. And how are you enjoying the rain?"
Her face scrunches in disgust. "I don't really like anything cold, or wet."
He arches an eyebrow at her answer, "then why does one who doesn't like the cold move to the wettest place in the continental U.S.?"
Her eyes roll at her own stupidity. "It's complicated," she mumbles.
He smirks at her evasive answer. "I'm sure I can keep up."
"My mother remarried," she replies simply with a shrug of her shoulder.
"So…? You don't like the guy," he prods further, trying to keep her talking.
"No, Phil's great, I just thought I would give them some time alone… Phil is on the road a lot, but my mum usually stayed back with me, even though she wanted to go. So I decided it's time to come here and spend some time with my dad."
"That is very kind of you… but what of your happiness? You are clearly miserable here, surely your own wellbeing should factor into your decisions."
Her lips purse together, not really wanting to elaborate further with a stranger on her feelings and thought on her own self-worth. "Where did you even come from? There was no one here."
"Perhaps you're just not as perceptive as you think you are," he replies smoothly.
"Are you the minister here?" She asks.
He barks out a short laugh. "Definitely not, I'm afraid I am far too impatient and cynical to be a man of the cloth. I am just here to soul-search, beg forgiveness and whatnot."
"And whatnot?" She asks, his blasé attitude confusing her.
"I'm not getting any younger, and while I haven't lived a nefarious life of crime and debauchery, I still like to, I don't know… make sure. I'd hate to spend an eternity in hell without having a full life of sin to show for it." His unique green eyes remain fixated on the cross at the altar.
She assesses his demeanour, wondering how he could possibly be so casual about the end of his life. "Aren't you afraid? I think about death often, and each time it scares me."
"Death and I are old friends, he has greeted me many times before… it's not so much about being scared, it's about accepting that one day, everyone is going to die."
"That still hardly makes it easier." The thundering hail on the roof dies down somewhat, reminding Bella of her self-pity walk to nowhere. "I best be going, it was nice meeting you…"
"Edward," he offers. "And you are?"
"Bella."
"Well Bella, I hope to see you again, I've quite enjoyed this chat."
She beams at Edward, mirroring his sentiments; she too has quite enjoyed their brief encounter.
It takes Bella three days to return to the church, only to find it empty and it leaves her feeling cold and bereft. This time she had driven to the destination, but instead of returning in her car, she leaves it there and once again opts to walk off her depression. Of course it does little to appease her feelings, but it surely has to be a better option than sitting in her room wallowing.
She stares at her feet, wandering to destination unknown, not really taking note of how to return to her car.
"Hello again," the voice causing her to jump in surprise.
A quick assessment shows a man walking from the forest tree-line beside her, the man being Edward. Her face instantly etches in worry, "are you sure you should be wandering around in the forest alone?"
"And why should I not, Bella?" The smirk returning.
"It's, well… you know. Not safe. There are animals… and what if you fall!"
He tsk's her, before closing the distance between them. "So I should stay at home all day, in case I get eaten by a bear or fall?"
"No, I'm sorry, you are right. Sitting around waiting for something is certainly no way to live."
He shrugs a shoulder, "so where are you headed?"
She assesses her surrounds, a road and thick forest the only things in sight. "I don't even know where I am, let alone where I'm going." A nervous chuckle escaping her.
"Well," he scratches his cheek. "In that direction," he points to where she was walking. "You will get nowhere fast. This direction, however," he points where she came from. "You will get back to town. May I accompany you back?"
She nods her acceptance, a small smile on her lips.
"Excellent, now tell me Bella, what are you doing in the middle of nowhere?"
"I could ask you the same thing," she quips easily.
"I am on my weekly stroll through the woods, I have walked this same path for years."
"Oh, wow. I just wanted to clear my head, and I don't really know my way around, so I just walked anywhere."
He gasps in mock-horror. "What if a bear ate you, or you fell?!"
"Yeah yeah, I deserve that." She chuckles along with him.
"I know such a change in life can be a shock to the system, so have you settled in a little better since I last saw you?" His face softens with genuine concern.
"I am better actually, I suppose I just needed a little perspective. This town is still a little depressing though… and too green. I miss seeing brown… brown is warm and homey." A small smile plays at her lips, remembering the sun of Phoenix and the cracked dirt of the dessert.
"Yes, brown certainly has warmth to it," he agrees, his eyes penetrating through hers.
She idly notes his unusual green eyes, more vibrant with their luscious surrounds. "I've never seen eyes quite so green before."
"Yes, a trait my dear mother passed on to me."
"I didn't inherit much from my mother…" Bella adds idly. "Thank god."
"And how are the locals treating you? Good I hope."
"Yeah… a little too good. There must be something in the water here, I've never had so much attention on me in my life. There has to be more to it than just being new."
His lips thin in disapproval. "Or perhaps there is something in the water in Phoenix, perhaps the population there has been blinded by it."
She rolls her eyes at him and decides not to pursue the topic. "I didn't realise how far I walked."
"It seems so," but the buildings have started to re-appear around them and it isn't long before they stand beside her truck.
"Well, I have to be off, but I'm glad I bumped into you again."
"I just want to ask you something before you leave…" she waits, half-in half-out of the cab of her truck for him to ask. "I have been roped into attending a fundraiser for the hospital and they can be awfully tedious, so can I prevail upon you to escort me tonight and keep me company?"
His question shocked her, she wasn't expecting anything like that at all. "Err… I don't really—"
"It isn't a formal occasion like a gala or anything, there is not dress code or dancing." He adds, hoping to convince her.
"Oh, okay then, I'd like that." Relief evident on her face.
"Great, I'll pick you up at seven."
It isn't until she was miles away that she face-palmed herself, she hadn't thought it through too much.
The five hours between their meetings flew way too fast for Bella's liking. Yes, she was excited to go and talk with Edward once more, but she was equally terrified. Her emotions when her thoughts turned to him become mixed and confusing, and she didn't know what she should do to alleviate them.
She waited for him out the front of her house, not wanting to put him out too much by trekking up her hazardous footpath and steps, just to retrieve her. Three seconds over seven o'clock is when he arrives, and to Bella's surprise, driving himself. She hops in the passenger side and they exchange their greetings.
"So what exactly is this fundraiser?"
"There are a lot of people in Forks that like to help wherever they can, but they don't like the pomp and grandeur of a ball or gala, so they just organise a get-together, chat, have some drinks and whatnot, just without the ceremony."
"Oh, that's actually a really good idea; I myself hate dressing up, dancing… it's not a good idea for me. What about you, do you hate the balls?" His eyes remain on the road as he speaks, relieving Bella, she has had many brushes with death already, if he were to drive dangerously, she would just demand to be let out and she'd walk home.
"I really like the balls, they remind me of my younger years, but mostly they remind me of my mother. My father was usually busy, so she would ask me to escort her to the local balls and we'd dance all night."
"That's nice… how long ago was that?" The main reason she asks is because local balls haven't been that popular an occurrence for quite some time now. She of course can't pinpoint an exact year, but he'd have to be older than she first presumed, which was about seventy.
"Too long. Anyway, the past is done, there is no use dwelling on what was. So tell me Bella, what are your plans for the future? Or are you just living, one day at a time."
She falls into the new topic easily and explains her passion for writing and how she hopes to be able to just write for a living. She asks him what he had done his life, and he explained that he had served a few months in world war one, served in world war two, then settled into Forks shortly thereafter where he played the piano at the local club for many years, and taught many local youths to play before retiring to be a socialite.
The fundraiser itself was held at the local memorial hall where no decorations were put up, just a few tables and chairs set about at random, and a juke box shuffling through songs at random. "Now this is my kind of fundraiser," Bella declares firmly.
"Yes, it is much more comfortable to be here than a more grand affair." Edward concedes.
He escorts her over to an empty table, not wanting to make her uncomfortable by placing her at a table full of strangers. "So are they raising money for a particular wing, or just the hospital in general?"
"It's for the children's ward. Unfortunately, not everyone that comes in has adequate insurance, or any at all, so this money will stay in a separate account to pay for any child's bills that can't otherwise be paid for, or procedures that require payment first."
"Oh! That is actually a really good idea."
"Thank you. I started this fundraiser thirteen years ago when a child suffering leukaemia couldn't have any further treatment because his insurer found a loop hole in the family's coverage. I paid for the medical expenses, but his case I stumbled upon accidentally, and it couldn't have been the first time it has happened, so, that is how this all came about."
She stares on in wonder. "You truly are remarkable, what a wonderful thing to do."
He shrugs off the compliment. "So, have you had a chance to check out the reservation yet? It is quite lovely there."
"Yes," she beams. "I went to La Push with some friends, it was really nice."
He nods along, agreeing. "And have you been to Port Angeles yet? It is bigger than Forks, so there is a bit more variety there."
"No, but I am hoping to get there soon, there aren't any good book stores in Forks… or any for that matter."
"Well, if you ever need a library to raid, I have many books you are more than welcome to borrow."
The rest of the night continued in a similar fashion, continuos light banter about themselves, their families, but mostly about trivial topics. The fundraiser finished at an earlier hour that Bella expected; ten-thirty, but the people that attended were much like her; no-nonsense, do what needs to be done types.
The ride home, was bitter-sweet for Bella. While she adores Edward, and her feelings toward him can't be explained, she doesn't like the torn feelings she gets around him. She likes to know herself, and around him, she feels as though a part of herself belongs to him.
Edward pulls the car over at the front of her house, and wastes no time. "I've really enjoyed your company tonight Bella, may I see you again."
She had suspected he would ask as much. Heck, she was almost going to ask him, herself. "I'd really love to," a smile settles on his lips, briefly. "But, I'm not sure if this is a good idea. I have feelings for you. Feelings I have never felt for anyone, but… they also feel wrong. I'm not sure if what we will have, will be healthy for either of us. Maybe in a different time… or under different circumstances, but I lose too much of myself when I am around you." She kisses him briefly on the cheek. "I'm sorry we can't be more."
Her heart splinters as she walks the path to her house, but can't find it in herself to regret the decision.
A/N: NOW, I KNOW THIS ISN'T MY USUAL TYPE STUFF, BUT I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED IT ANYWAY. YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THE DIFFERENCE IN AGE TO WHAT EDWARD SHOULD ACTUALLY BE, BUT 114 YEARS OLD IS A BIT OF A STRETCH, SO I PRE-DATED THE STORIES TO WHEN TWILIGHT WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2005.