A/N: Okay so I've had this account for a little over two years now, I think and never posted anything. That was because I had forgotten about THIS. This actually makes me both cringe and laugh the same time b/c it's so horribly bad. (Any of you who have visited my Fictionpress via my profile and read my one story WTSE will know I fully believe in the 'I am my own worst critic' statement, so take this author's note with a grain of salt!) Anyway I wrote this little thing like 2 or 3 years ago. 3, I think, because I'm almost positive it was pre-Eclipse (or If it wasn't, I pretended it was). Now please, this was written in like... a week, and the writing is not that great, but I remember everyone liking it b/c it won something on a fan-forum I was on. 2nd place, I think. Anyway, read on, and let the LULZ flow! :)
And I DON'T own Twilight, the chars, or anything. That's all Stephenie Meyer and HER brain! These lovely chars are all hers!
I sat on my couch thinking about Bella. Again. I felt sad that she and Alice had taken off to Seattle to go on a shopping trip. I had nothing to do and even blasting music through the many speakers in my room wasn't helping me to feel any better. Even Emmett and Jasper had left, they had gone into Port Angeles for some sports exhibition. Rosalie and Esme were in Alaska visiting Tanya's family and Carlisle was at the hospital working his normal shift. I felt alone. I thought about calling Alice on her cell but then that would make her angry. She specifically said not to call her and Bella, that they would be okay and that I wasn't to worry about them.
The CD stopped and I didn't bother to change it. I just got up and wandered downstairs to the living room. I flipped the television on and surfed through the channels for a while realizing finally that there was nothing on. I sighed and grabbed my keys to the Volvo. Maybe going for a drive would help clear my mind a little bit. I drove south on the I-10 for a bit and then turned onto the familiar gravel road that would lead me to the woods. I parked my car out of site and pocketed my keys. I walked through the trees for awhile before breaking into a run. The wind in my face was exhilarating. I hadn't run this fast in a while. That was mostly because I always had Bella on my back and I didn't feel like scaring the living hell out of her anymore than I should.
In just a few seconds I reached my, no, our meadow. The circular clearing was beautiful this time of year. The wildflowers were starting to bloom and I could hear the birds chirping away happily in their nests. I lay down on my back in the center of the meadow and let my thoughts soar to the thinning clouds. Little patches of blue sky were poking through and I realized that it was going to be a very sunny afternoon.
I closed my eyes and started humming a tune that had been haunting me for the past few days. It was another one inspired by Bella. She was much more than my love, she was my muse. I always wrote my best music when she was around. Suddenly I heard a twig breaking to my left. I sat up and looked around.
At first I didn't see anything, but then someone stepped out from the trees. I felt a low snarl in the back of my throat as I realized who it was. Jacob Black. I was not happy to see him. He spotted me and started shaking. I stood up and started to leave. I didn't feel like starting anything. Not today.
"What," he snarled at me, "don't like seeing me here in your, uh special place?"
"Leave me alone Jacob. I don't feel like putting up with your petty childishness today." I snarled back.
He glared at me. And I turned to leave once more. I was still angry at the way he had treated Bella the other day when Charlie insisted on dragging her to the Blacks' house for dinner. Just because he and his pack were angry that my family and I were back in town was no reason to pull her aside and scold her for being with me. Truthfully, he could fall off the face of the earth and I wouldn't care. I only kept a civil tongue about him because of Bella.
"Wait," Jacob called to me.
"What do you want?"
"I just wanted to let you know that we think we've spotted the leech near the reserve."
Okay why was he telling me this? I can't do anything about it. I tried poking into his mind to see if he was leading me somewhere, but he kept his mind blank.
"And why should I care. If she really is by the reserve that is your packs' responsibility. Not ours."
And with that I turned back around and ran back to my car.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside just as a large ray of sun broke through the clouds completely. I slammed the door and turned back toward my house. I sped back and almost missed the turn off, being so angry at that stupid child of a werewolf.
When I reached the house I saw Bella's old red Chevy sitting in the driveway. She and Alice were back from Seattle. Hopefully in one piece.
I listened for Alice's thought's and realized they were upstairs in her room talking about a gift. I decided not to intrude on her thoughts any farther and just walk up there.
I stopped in front of Alice's door and heard giggling from inside. I knocked softly and heard Alice tell Bella to put something away. I tried picking up on Alice's thoughts but all I heard was Don't even think about peeking, Edward. So they were hiding something from me.
"Alright Edward, you can come in now," Bella called to me, her voice full of amusement. Alice must have told her I'd tried to peek at what they were up to.
I opened the door and saw the two of them sitting on the bed smiling about something unknown to me. I walked over to Bella and kissed her softly on her forehead and sat down next to her. Almost ten hours of not seeing her made me anxious to get her away from Alice for a time before she had to be home.
"So," I started, "What did you do in Seattle?" I asked them innocently. Bella smiled at me, but kept quiet. Alice just shrugged and flashed me a slightly guilty look. So they weren't going to tell me. That was fine. I would find out soon enough. Maybe.
"We aren't going to tell you Edward, it would ruin the surprise," Bella cautioned me. Surprise, what surprise? I think I'm missing something. I saw Alice glance at the clock and then look back to Bella. I caught her meaning. It was getting late and Bella had to get back home. Charlie may be more willing for her to be out of the house, but she still had a curfew.
"Let's get you home, Bella. Before Charlie has a conniption fit," I let out a chuckle.
Alice walked with us down to Bella's truck and I went to get in the Volvo. No need for Charlie to get suspicious of me not driving a car. Alice whispered something to Bella through the window and then gave her a small hug.
"I'll see you tomorrow Alice."
"Bright and early!" Alice laughed.
I pulled my car around and let Bella follow me down the path to the main road. In just a few minutes, we were parking in front of her house. The porch light was on, but the cruiser was missing. Charlie was out. I don't know if that's good or bad, but I unlocked the front door and followed Bella inside. I noticed she had a bag in her hand as she walked into the kitchen to see if Charlie had left a note. He had.
"Guess he went down to Billy's for dinner again," Bella's voice sounded funny. Almost as if she was holding something back. At least she didn't go this time. Not with Jacob acting the way he was. "I'm going to call him real quick. I'll meet you up in my room," she leaned up on her toes to kiss me and I left the room.
I sat down on her bed and waited for her to finish. If I listened, I could hear snippets of her conversation with Charlie. I didn't pry in though, knowing she wanted privacy. A few minutes later, she came upstairs and set the bags down on her desk. "No peeking in those either."
She grabbed her pajamas and tooth brush and went to the bathroom for a human minute, as she called them. I laid back on her pillow with my hands folded behind my head, thinking. She came back in her room looking just as beautiful as ever. Her body gave off a radiant glow as she climbed into her bed next to me.
She slipped under her quilt and I tilted to the side so I could see her better. She placed her hand in mine and I wrapped my free arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Our lips met in a kiss. She carefully pulled back and lay her head in the crook of my shoulder. I could tell she was exhausted. I'd bet that Alice dragged her to every store in the mall.
"What is it you two have planned for?" I asked her, knowing I wouldn't get a straight answer. But it was worth a try.
She yawned, "You'll see" was all I got. She flipped over onto her other side and curled into me and I rested my head next to her own and listened to her breathing even out. She was asleep. I lay there thinking for a while until I heard Charlie come in the door. I knew it wasn't past my visiting hours, but I decided to head downstairs anyway and let him know she was asleep.
I crept downstairs and Charlie poked his head around the corner.
"Bells asleep?" He asked me. I nodded. "Alice apparently dragged her to every store in the mall today." I chuckled.
"That doesn't surprise me. But at least she has friends who will go to the mall with her. Or make her go anyway. I've noticed that she never hangs out with Angela much anymore either, except at school." Charlie was being observant, but I just shrugged, pretending I didn't know why.
"Well, sir. I'd better be getting home. Carlisle will wonder where I am. Goodnight." A little white lie never hurt. Carlisle never much cared where I was as long as I was out of trouble. But Charlie needn't know that.
"Alright Edward, drive safely."
"I will, sir. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that I left the house.
The next morning my phone rang and drew me out of a thoughtful stupor. I knew it was Bella. She was the only person that ever called me on my cell phone at 8 AM.
"Morning, love," I greeted her when I flipped the little silver device open. "Sleep well?"
"Of course," she replied. "What about you?" She giggled at our little joke. I chuckled lightly. She talked for a few more minutes and then just as I was about to ask if she wanted me to come over, she reminded me that she and Alice were getting together again today. I just wish I knew what those two had planned. And with it being so close to my human birthday, it could be anything. Which is actually slightly frightening when you think about it.
"So do you want me to pick you up and bring you here? Or bring Alice to you?" I asked her when she finished. She thought for a moment.
"Um, you could pick me up," Bella decided. "My truck is running low on gas and besides, I don't think it would be up to another long drive. Carlisle said we could take the Mercedes anyway."
Of course; the Mercedes. I think she loves Carlisle's car more than my Volvo. Of course, the Mercedes is better suited for the rare sunny days we've been getting lately. With the dark tinted windows, it's much safer for Alice to drive around in. So I guess that would be a better choice to drive.
I decided to try and see if I could force any kind of hint out of her as to what they were planning. "What are you two going to do today anyway?" I asked slyly. But all too late I realized she would know what I was up to.
"I'm not going to tell you. I promised Alice I wouldn't say anything. And so did everyone else!" She said sternly, but I heard the humor in her voice. I sighed in defeat, knowing I would find out in a few days anyway.
"Alright I will be there to pick you up in about a half hour. Sound good?" I asked. She agreed and I hung up the phone. I changed my clothes, and went to find Alice.
I found Alice sitting at the computer in Carlisle's study, looking something up. I let her know that Bella would be here in a half hour and she looked up and nodded to me with a smile. It was mischievous smile and made me feel slightly worried, but it was a smile none the less.
I left the house a few minutes later and drove to Bella's house. I drove slowly, enjoying the cloudless skies for a few minutes. I realized that she would have to be ready soon. The Volvo doesn't have tinted windows at all and although it's still early, I don't need anyone seeing me sparkle with the sunshine.
When I reached Bella's house, I noticed that the cruiser was gone. I parked in Charlie's spot and walked quickly inside the house. Bella was in the kitchen, finishing up breakfast when I walked in. I walked over to her and kissed her on the forehead and let her finish eating.
She swallowed the last bite and set her bowl in the sink. She grabbed her wallet off the table and grabbed my hand and practically dragged me out of the house. She locked the door behind us as I went ahead of her to the car. I held the door open for her as she climbed inside.
On the drive back to my house, she was silent. She was really only silent when she was thinking, but I wished I knew what she was thinking. When we were back at my house, we met Alice in the living room, purse and keys in hand, ready to go. Bella kissed me and then they left. Leaving me to my own devices for the rest of the day. Well, that was fine by me, I'll just play around with my piano and see if I can't compose something new.
The day flew by quickly and it felt like Alice and Bella had only been gone a few minutes when they returned laden with bags again. Apparently Bella had permission to stay the night with Alice tonight, but in no way was she to come near my room at night. On Charlie's orders of course. I laughed out loud when she relayed the message to me. But in some ways I was happy that she was here. We would get quite a bit of 'free time' that Charlie wouldn't have to know about. But for appearance's sake, she would sleep in Alice's room and Alice would make Jasper go somewhere else for the night. It was quite comical to see the look on Jasper's face when Alice told him that he had to leave his room.
Jasper came trudging up to me sometime later in a slightly vindictive mood.
"Why is Bella staying here?" He asked me.
"If I knew the answer to that Jasper, I would tell you. But I honestly have no idea," I replied sarcastically. He huffed in annoyance, and stomped out of my room like a child. I ignored everyone for the rest of the night after Bella had gone to sleep. I sat on my leather couch and thought about my human birthday. Tomorrow seemed like an important date for Bella, but for me it's really just another year of being seventeen. For her, it's me turning 106, and being 88 years older than my fiancé. In any other situation, this would be completely inhumane. But as I'm a vampire, it makes quite a lot of sense.
I got to thinking about how Bella would probably make a big deal out of my birthday and I ended up falling into a thoughtful stupor for the rest of the night with classical music playing in the background.
I was shaken from my stupor early the next morning by Bella who said that Alice wanted her to get me out of the house. Now I know there is something going on. Once again, I tried to get into Alice's mind and when that failed I tried Jasper and Emmett to no such luck. I gave Bella a quick kiss and shooed her out of my bedroom so I could change my clothes. I hadn't realized just how late it was. The clock on my wall said it was almost ten in the morning. Where had the night gone? I couldn't possibly have just sat there and thought about things for twelve hours. Then again, I do sort of doze off when I get to thinking about Bella.
I dressed quickly and met Bella downstairs. "So where to?" I asked her.
She thought about it for a moment, "Let's go to the meadow. We haven't been there for a while." The meadow. Where I saw Jacob Black the other day. What if he's there again? I hope not.
"Alice says we should take Carlisle's Mercedes today though, because it's bright and sunny again. Not a cloud in the sky," Bella commented. She sounded happy about this; she seems to like it when I sparkle in the sunlight, it's like handing candy to a child.
I took the keys out of her hand and we stepped outside into the bright rays of the sun. Instantly, I started twinkling like there was diamonds embedded into the surface of my skin. I hurried to the car and slid in next to Bella. She chuckled when she saw the look on my face. I really don't like sparkling, it makes the difference between us seem like an even bigger gap than it already is.
"What?" She laughed. "I think you look good when you sparkle." I swear sometimes it's like she can read my mind. I just grumbled and pulled onto the highway.
We spent a few hours at the meadow and I neither saw nor heard any sign of Jacob, which was good. I don't need Bella talking to him anymore than she had to.
About three in the afternoon she decided that it was time for us to head back to the house. I agreed and pulled her up onto my back so we could run back to the Mercedes. She seemed eager to get back so I drove a little bit faster than I would have normally.
When we pulled in the driveway and got out of the car, Bella stopped me before I could open the door of the house.
"Now, before you go in, just remember. We all had a part in this. But it was mostly Alice's and my idea, so please don't be mad. I know your human birthday doesn't mean much to you, but it means a lot to me. And yes, I did get you something. So deal with it!" She informed me. I knew they had something like this planned, why didn't I think of it before. I know, because I never figured she'd throw me a surprise party, that's why. Oh well, I guess I can just go along with it for the day. At least it will make her happy, considering her birthday last year had not gone very well at all.
I opened the door carefully, not entirely sure what to expect. I didn't see any random confetti being thrown at my so I opened the door wider and suddenly my family was standing in front of me showering me with a chorus of "Happy Birthday". I glanced around the room and saw a constructed mess of silver and black decorations hanging from the walls and ceiling. Alice must have had fun. I looked at my piano which was covered in a silver cloth and was filled with a few gifts in black wrapping paper. I shook my head, wondering why they were all putting me through the torture of opening gifts. Then I saw Alice grin and knew that it was only for Bella's sake.
I turned and saw Bella standing behind me trying to push me toward my gifts. To be perfectly honest, there wasn't much they could give me that I couldn't get myself, but it's the thought that counts, or at least that's what I've heard.
I walked over and picked up one of the gifts. I slid the tape off with my fingers and slipped the paper off. Inside was a silver case. I looked to Rose and Emmett knowing they were the ones to buy me a new CD holder. The one in the Volvo was falling apart due to long use. I had been meaning to get a new one, but kept forgetting. The next was from Esme and Carlisle. It turned out to be a laptop. Okay, so I did actually need a laptop. I looked toward my parents with a grateful smile. At least it was something I could use. I picked up the last present from Alice and Jasper. Inside were a few CD's I'd been wanting but could never seem to find anywhere. I thanked them and turned to Bella.
"I thought you said you'd gotten me something too?" I asked pointedly. She smiled sheepishly.
She replied, "I did." I looked at her.
"Well?" I asked her, trying not to sound impatient.
She looked to Alice. Alice smiled at me and pulled a small, black box from her pocket and handed it to Bella. The little box gave no hint whatsoever as to its contents. I stood there as Bella placed it in my hand.
"I figured I would save the best for last," was all she said to me. She then wrapped one arm around my waist and she and my family waited for me to open it. They all had smiles on their faces. It was rather disconcerting. I looked back at Bella and she nodded. I opened the box and almost dropped it.
Inside were two rings. One was a thick silver band and the other was a thinner silver band with a sapphire surrounded by diamonds set into it. My jaw started to drop. I knew exactly what this was. It was a wedding set. It could only mean one thing. "You're saying yes aren't you?" I asked Bella. "You're saying yes to my proposal?" I sounded almost hysterical. But I was happy. It meant she was truly my fiancé. She nodded.
I took the jewel embedded ring out of the box and slid it onto her ring finger and slid the other onto my own. It was a perfect fit. Alice must have known what size ring I wear.
I looked back at Bella and leaned down to kiss her full on the lips. It was a passionate kiss; not as careful as any other time. But now I know we won't have to be because this means she wants to marry me!
We broke apart and she wrapped both her arms around my waist and looked into my eyes.
"Happy birthday Edward," she said to me. " I love you."
"I love you too," I replied, and leaned down to kiss her once again.
