Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine, nor are any other recongnizable things in this fic. I own nothing. Diddly squat.
Hi!
Exams are officially over and to celebrate I give you this!
Hope you like!
Number 46 Beach Avenue was empty. It had been empty for years, the furniture inside covered in a thick carpet of dust. The garden was bare and the grass was dead. No one entered it. No one even looked at it. It was if Number 46 Beach Avenue didn't exist in their reality, their eyes gliding smoothly from 45 to 47.
So why was I staring at a spot everyone else ignored? Maybe I'm just odd, but there was something about the dead house that called to me, like someone buried alive screaming for rescue.
Everyday I passed it and everyday my curiosity grew. I would watch it from my window, watch the trees lean away from the building as if the house itself was an evil presence.
I knew it. I could see it. And yet whilst my parents argued below me my eyes would be inexplicably drawn to the dead house. The day I finally approached the house was the day that Renee left.
I didn't know that at the time though.
Renee and Charlie's arguing had reached a climax. Plates were smashed and Renee's shrill voice reached new notes previously unknown to man. I looked out my bedroom window and felt that pull once more.
Oh screw it, I thought, opening the window and clambering down the tree. No one noticed me as I crossed the street, heading to that unseen patch of land.
A quiet hush fell as I crossed into the dead garden. I looked back at my house, seeing that nothing had changed, and stepped up onto the porch.
I knocked on the door.
It was quiet for a moment before a man spoke through the door.
"Who is it?"
"B-Bella, from a-across the st-street." I stammered. His voice was beautiful.
"Well, Bella from across the street," he chuckled, "what are you doing outside my door?"
"Not sure really."
"Would you talk through the door with me?"
"Cant I come in?" I asked. I was cold.
"No!" He snapped. "Go away!"
I didn't.
"No. You invited me to have a conversation. So I won't."
"Stubborn bitch."
"Your point?"
"Edward."
"Sorry?"
"My name. Isn't that how you start a conversation? By exchanging names?"
"Does that mean you're going to talk to me?"
"Don't you have somewhere to be?"
"Not really." I told him, plopping down on the porch.
"Fine." He huffed. He was really grumpy.
We sat like that for a wile, each on our separate sides of the door.
"My parents are fighting again." I startled myself by saying.
"Oh? Will they split, do you think?"
"No!" I almost shouted. "They love each other!"
"Really? I can hear them from across the road."
"Impossible. They're not that loud. And they won't split." I added.
"Stubborn."
"Oh shut up."
"You started it."
"And I'm finishing it. Enough."
I heard his velvety chuckle through the door.
"I don't remember my parents." He said after a while.
"Were you adopted?"
"Abandoned and left to survive on my own."
"I'm sorry." That was so sad.
A bitter laugh echoed through the wood.
"Humans. Always apologising for what they have no control over."
"Are you not human?" I joked.
"No."
That short response, filled with such a brutal truth, stopped me. I stood and let out a shaky breath. Suddenly I was glad for the barrier of wood between us.
"If not human, what are you?"
"Why should I tell a child you cannot face the inevitable?"
"Fine!" I shouted. "Be a jerk. See if I care." I turned and stomped down the steps.
"You will come back, wont you?" I heard him call distantly.
No. I won't.
My Dad was on the couch when I returned from school. It was a familiar sight, one to which I have become accustomed to during the last two months. I cleared the empty beer bottles and went to my room, automatically looking at the house opposite.
What would it hurt?
My pride. I'm not going back there. Edward scared me.
Who else will talk to you?
No one true, but I was okay with that. I was fine.
Liar.
I scowled at the window.
Fine, but I'm taking my homework with me.
I slipped out of the house. Charlie was snoring inside. I crossed the street and past the gate, making my way through the garden. The peculiar sensation of being watched tingled at the back of my neck. I shivered.
I settled on the porch, legs crossed, back against the door. My bag was beside me. I rummaged through, retrieving my English Literature assignment.
"A present for me?" I jumped at the perfection of his voice. "An apology perhaps? You didn't come back." He accused.
"I was busy." I lied.
"No, you weren't." He countered. "I saw you at your window." His voice became harsh. "Do not lie to me!"
I cringed.
"I'm sorry." I whimpered. "I was scared."
He didn't reply, so I thought he hadn't heard.
"It was never my intention to scare you." He told me, his voice much gentler.
"You told me you weren't human." I reminded him, my fear momentarily abated.
"I'm not."
"Then what are you?"
"Something other, Bella, that's all."
"Not helpful."
"It wasn't meant to be." He paused. "Now what have you brought me?"
"Oh, it's my eng lit assignment. I have to compare and contrast the two reverends in A Room With A View."
"They are rather different, aren't they?"
"You've read it?"
"Not much else to do but read. I have a large library."
"What did you think of it?"
"I didn't quite understand how they fell in love in the space of two conversations."
"It's supposed to show their passion. It's romantic!"
"It trails off completely. It's as though the author simply lost interest."
"Harsh."
"Honest."
"So? What did you think of the reverends?"
"Isn't it obvious? They are both idiots. Although perhaps Mr Eagar is the bigger one."
"Mr Beebe isn't that bad!"
"He fancies a girl half his age."
"He does not! He looks at Lucy as a good friend, like a daughter."
"He was lusting."
"That's disgusting."
"I don't know. They say list and love keep close company."
"And what would you know of it?" I asked tartly.
"More than you, I imagine." His voice lowered. "Isn't that right, sweet Bella? You've never been touched before."
My heart thudded against my ribs. My book trembled in my hands.
"H-how do you know that?"
"I can smell your innocence." I struggled with my bag, making no secret of my movements.
"Oh, don't leave." He pleaded. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"No. I have to. Charlie will be up soon. I have to start dinner." The zip kept jamming.
"Will you come back? We're friends aren't we? You wont abandon me?" he kept pleading, I put my bag on my shoulder. I didn't answer him.
I ran from the house and across the road, the sound of my name ringing in my ears.
That night was the first time I dreamt of Edward.
He was a shadow. A shadow with the voice of crushed velvet. His eyes were red and fixed on me. I lay in my bed and prayed he would vanish. Go. Disappear. Stay away.
It didn't happen. He lifted an insubstantial arm and stroked my hair.
"Come back, Bella. I'll be better, I promise. I've never had a friend before."
"I can't come back."
He frowned.
"Why not?"
"You scare me."
"Please, Bella."
"No."
His frown became a scowl.
"Fine." He snapped, his eyes glowing brighter and brighter, as the shadow dissipated.
I woke with a start.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday paused without comment.
Friday was a different matter. I had gone through an ordinary day. I was a good student, I was a good daughter. And yet whenever I passed a shadow, red eyes would follow. By the time night fell my nerves were frazzled.
I sat bolt upright in bed, all lights glaring. If there wasn't any shadow, he couldn't appear.
The hours ticked by and my eyelids grew heavy.
"You have to come back!"
He towered over me, red eyes blazing. I inched away and his anger grew. He seized my arm and dragged me to him. I whimpered at the pressure.
"Dammit Bella, I don't want to hurt you. But you have to come back. Please."
"I don't want to."
"I can do worse than leave a bruise, Bella." I shivered at the implicit threat. His flaming eyes drifted down my body.
"Would you like me to teach you about lust, little human? Hmm?"
"N-no. I don't want you to touch me."
He leaned in close to my face.
"Then come back to me!"
I set off across the street midmorning. Charlie was…somewhere and I had no homework. I yawned at the sky. I had stayed awake last night after that dream, not after I had woken to find my room in utter darkness.
Now with the morning sun it doesn't seem real. But that doesn't stop me opening the gate and slipping inside. The ground seemed to shudder beneath me, or was that my own shiver of fear?
I approached the porch cautiously.
"Will you come in today, Bella?"
I shook my head, then realised he couldn't see me. That didn't seem to matter though.
"Why not? Shouldn't friends know what the other looks like?" so calm and soothing.
So reasonable.
"Will you hurt me?"
"Never, pretty Bella." He vowed.
"But you'll scare me." I looked for reasons not to enter.
"It is unavoidable."
"Then I won't come in."
A loud bang made me back away from the door.
"Why wont you come in?" he raged. "You were so insistent before. Why? Don't you want to be friends? Do you want to be alone all the time? Your father is out drinking, your mother left you for a quick fuck. No one will associate with you at school. They scorn you. You. Are. Alone. I am your only friend. Would you give that up because of a twinge of fear?"
"It's not a twinge." I mumbled, focusing on what I could argue against. "And how do you know about this. I know nothing about you."
"You know enough."
"No." I said firmly. "I don't."
"My name is Edward." He said shortly. "I have been abandoned here for 300 years. I don't know who left me here. No one would speak to me. I'm lonely."
His admission made my chest hurt.
"Please come in, Bella." He begged. "Please."
My hand reached for the door handle. "Okay."
The door opened.
Inside was dusty. The furniture was covered in white cloth and my feet left prints in the dirt. The house looked abandoned.
"Edward?"
"Right here, love."
I whirled in fright.
In front of me stood a tall figure, crowned with a mop of reddish brown hair. His eyes were a glowing green, his skin pale. His features…were perfect. There was no other way to describe them.
The slamming door startled me out of my haze.
"Your eyes." I said. "They're different."
"Red eyes are much more frightening." He purred. I stepped back, he matched me step for step.
"Why did you bring me here?"
"I told you. I was lonely." He smiled. "And you could see the house."
"What?"
"This house. No one can see it. Except for you."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"Will you let me leave?"
His smile turned wolfish.
"I don't know."
I ran.
He caught me before I made two steps.
"Are we playing a game?" his arms tightened around me. " Or are you trying to leave?"
"A game?" I said it like a question. His grip was uncomfortable.
"What kind?" He breathed against my ear. I shivered,
"Um…hide and go seek?"
He chuckled.
"So innocent. So am I the one seeking?"
"Yes?"
He released me. "Then start hiding."
I ran through the house,
ONE
The dining room could be perfect but the cloth wouldn't touch the floor.
TWO
Down a flight of stairs.
THREE
The stair cupboard is full.
FOUR
The pantry is empty. How does he survive without food?
FIVE
I can't hide there.
SIX
The kitchen had cupboards.
SEVEN
I bypassed the table. I'd seen Matilda.
EIGHT
The cupboards. They were large.
NINE
The corner cupboard had no shelves.
TEN
The door shut and I was in the dark.
I tried to slow my breathing. What was I doing here?
I heard nothing from outside the cupboard. My blood rushed through my ears. My heart beat a mile a minute. I stifled the whimpers in my throat.
THUMP
A footstep outside my cupboard.
He was right outside.
I passed out.
I woke to soft sheets and warm light.
I pushed myself up, refraining from rubbing my hands all over the silk.
I crawled off the bed, desperately trying not to fall. As soon as my feet touched the floor I heard loud clapping.
"I was sure you would fall." His voice washed over me. I didn't know whether to relax or run.
He made the decision for me.
I looked up and he was right in front of me. I flinched…his face fell.
"I promised not to hurt you."
"You still scare me."
He looked down at me contritely.
"I'm sorry. I'm a bad friend."
I felt my heart twinge.
"No. I'm sorry. I know you won't hurt me. I shouldn't have run."
He brightened.
"Will you stay?"
"I can't."
"But you want to?"
I shook my head, "I have to take care of Charlie."
"What if you didn't have to?"
"No! Don't hurt him!"
He looked puzzled.
"Why would I hurt him?"
"Y-you said-"
"Silly Bella," he nuzzled our noses together. "I wouldn't do that. I meant hypothetically."
I paused. Would I stay with Edward?
"You have nothing to eat here."
His smile grew brighter and my heart skipped a beat. He took my hand and led me down a staircase; the house was full of them. His hand was warm in mine. Electric sparks jumped around our joined fingers. We stopped outside the empty pantry. The door opened to reveal shelves of food.
"But how?"
"The house anticipates everything." He explained, taking my hand back to lead me into the lounge.
"What are you? What is this place? Why are you here?" I asked in a rush. We sat on the sofa, the white sheet folded neatly on the floor. I realized that the dust was gone, and wondered if the house or Edward had gotten rid of it as I slept.
"I've forgotten what I am. I knew once, but time and this house has made me forget. I know that this place is my prison, for what crime I don't know. I've forgotten much over the years."
"Then why am I here?"
"Because you're my friend." He said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
"I can't stay, Edward." His head dropped.
"I know. Charlie."
"Yes."
I stood and headed to the door. He didn't move. The handle twisted easily in my hand. I turned back to him on impulse.
"I'll come back everyday." His head snapped up, his eyes alight with something akin to hope. "I promise."
He smiled. I left.
Days became weeks and weeks became months. Life passed and things changed. My hair was longer for instance, and Charlie had been fired for drinking in the work place. I had also gained a new admirer. His name was Mike Newton. He annoyed me. The only male attentions I wanted were from Edward, and he definitely did not think the same of me. I walked home, a chill in the air making me shiver.
I stopped at Charlie's house.
Charlie's house? Then where is home?
Edward. Edward is home. He didn't scare me anymore. He helped me with homework and we talked for hours. Although he could be somewhat scathing sometimes, I couldn't help my growing feelings.
There were boxes outside the house.
Upon further inspection I realised it was all stuff from my room. Clothes, books pictures, keepsakes – even the tiny ornamental frog. I put my key in the door,
It didn't work.
"Dad?" I called through the door, knocking. "Dad! What's going on? Dad!"
His blurry shape shuffled to the door, cracking the door opening.
"Dad?" His face was wrong. It was angry and I didn't know why.
"You look like her." He slurred. "I don't want you here. I don't want another whore in my house."
"I'm not a whore dad." I defended myself.
"Oh? Then where are you disappearing all the time? Going to see that Newton boy are we?"
"No! Mike's just a friend."
"Tell it to someone who cares." He slammed the door.
I took his advice and told Edward. I lugged each box over and told him everything. He let me live with him. He was happy I think. He finally had someone with him all the time, except when I was at school. More often than not I would fall asleep whilst we were talking and wake to find him wrapped around me. I didn't disturb me, instead it made me feel safe, cared for.
Loved.
Everything changed when Mike asked me out.
We were outside my home and he cornered me. He also wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. He started pleading pathetically and I told him to shut up.
"My final answer is no."
"Please, Bella. We could be really good together." He grabbed my hand and kissed it. I yanked it back and wiped on my shirt. He got the idea.
"Edward?" I called as I entered. Usually he was there waiting for me, but this time the house was dark.
"Edward?" I repeated. The door swung shut behind me. I froze.
"I've been so good." His voice came from everywhere, bombarding me in all directions. My bad dropped from my hand in shock.
"What do you mean?" I spoke to the darkness.
"I don't touch you. I don't hold you hand. I don't hug you. Even when you wrap yourself around me whilst you sleep – so vulnerable, so trusting – I am the perfect gentleman."
"Edward, you're scaring me."
"And yet," he continued as though I hadn't spoken. "You let scum touch you…kiss you."
"I said no!" I cried. He was going to hurt me I knew it.
"And that's the only reason he still lives." He hissed, red eyes glowing in the dark.
"Please don't hurt me." I whimpered. His hard eyes softened fractionally and he stepped out of the dark, the house getting lighter but it was still difficult to see.
"No, Bella. Never hurt you." His wolfish grin returned, "Unless you ask of course."
"What are you?" I asked the question from weeks ago, the only one for which there was no answer.
"A demon, of course."
"A demon?" I repeated, slowly backing away. He matched me step for step until I'd backed myself into a corner.
"Yes, a demon." He trapped me further with his arms. "Ever since you entered my memories have been slowly returning. My kin trapped me here, depriving my father of an heir…something I will rectify soon." He leaned down to whisper against my ear, his warm breath against my skin making me shiver.
"I remembered how to get out. All I have to do is find my true mate." I felt him smile against my skin as he brushed his lips over my face, coming to rest a few millimetres from my lips.
"Who knew she'd simply come knocking on my door."
He closed the short distance between us, devouring my mouth with his own. I couldn't help but respond, I'd wanted this man for weeks, and now he wanted me. A sigh escaped my lips and he took it for an invitation, plundering my mouth violently, sweeping and stroking.
I fought his invasion weakly, moving against him timidly. My hands reached for his hair and gripped it tightly. He growled against my lips as I pulled. His teeth nipped at my lips until they were red and swollen with his kisses.
He moved to my neck, nuzzling and sucking as I gasped for air. His hands trailed downwards, brushing the sides of my breasts before resting on my hips. My gasps became moans as he nuzzled by collar bone, nibbling at it like a new and interesting snack. He captured my lips and swallowed my helpless noises as his hands crept under my shirt. He grinned when I whimpered at the loss of his lips when he moved back, taking in my heaving chest and licking his lips.
"So delectable..." he purred, doing funny things to my lower regions. He knelt before me holding onto my hips as he ran his nose along the edge of my jeans. I giggled a little at the feeling of his breath on my stomach. The giggling stopped when he plunged his nose into my crotch.
"What the -" my exclamation stopped as he looked up with undisguised want.
"You want this." His tone carried the same heat in his eyes and I blushed when I realised he could smell me through my jeans. He stood slowly, keeping his eyes locked on mine. I moaned as he cupped me forcefully and his eyes widened at my growing arousal.
"Mine?" He sounded unsure, seeking reassurance, but his eyes still held that delicious heat, his eyes twin flames of emerald.
I reached down between us and placed my hand over his.
"Yours." I whispered, gasping when he rubbed through my jeans. He buried his head in my hair, before moving up and down the column of the throat. My arms held on to him uselessly.
"Do you want this?" he crooned as he flicked the button on my jeans. "Do you want me to touch you?" he slipped my jeans down past my hips, revealing my white cotton panties. I blushed, wishing I'd worn something more for him.
"So fucking beautiful." He groaned, feeling my wetness through the fabric. He slipped his fingers below the elastic, sliding up and down my slit. My hips bucked into his hand, trying to keep it there as he removed it, joining his other hand in undoing my blue blouse.
"I love this colour on you." He breathed. "But I love what's under it more."
The last button undone my bra was revealed to him. I was relieved that at least this time it was something nice, blue fabric lined with lace. I doubt he noticed though, since he unclasped it and slipped it off in the next breath. He leaned away and simply stared. I shifted uncomfortably in only my panties, reaching up to cover myself. His hands shot out to stop me, growling at my actions and making me shiver, heat gushing between my legs.
"Never hide from me." He ordered, his hands tracing the outline of my breasts. My nipples were also pebbled from the cold, and soft noises escaped me as he circled the areola. He smirked and buried his face in my cleavage, much like he had with my crotch.
He drew one mound into his mouth, teasing it with his tongue and teeth, the other hand massaging the neglected globe. His fingers clutched at his hair, desperate to keep him in place. He moaned as I pulled, the vibrations making me mewl. A sharp pain made me gasp and he switched sides. I glanced down to see a perfect imprint of his teeth surrounding the tip. I cried out as the other side received the same treatment, leaving my breasts throbbing and my breath coming in pants.
"Your tits look even better with my mark." He licked each one, the pain becoming pleasure. He was still fully dressed with a self-satisfied smirk. "You have no idea of how much I dreamed of this." He told me huskily, "And you have all eternity to make my fantasies come true."
My arousal must have switched off my mouth-brain filter because I replied;
"What about my fantasies?"
His eyes lit up in amusement and tossed me over his shoulder, slapping my ass as he carried me to an unfamiliar room. His room. I didn't get a chance to look round though, as he threw me on his bed and pounced, pinning me with his warmth.
Somewhere he had lost his shirt, and I saw his chest for the first time. I ran my fingers across his chest gently, exploring the way his muscles flexed and bunched as I traced this new skin. I scratched my nails lightly down his abs, smiling when he shuddered above me.
"Like that is it?" he smirked, nudging my legs apart with his knee, fingers pulling at my panties. He parted my nether lips gently, his fingers making fist clenching sweeps, tracing my centre before dipping into me with skilled fingers, and then quickly withdrawing.
"Please." I begged.
"Please what?" he teased, keeping up with his game.
"Stop..." I panted, and frowned when he did.
"You said stop." He said innocently. I glared at him and he chuckled, leaning towards my face.
"Is this what you wanted?" he asked, plunging two fingers inside me, startling a cry from my lips. He rubbed my clit with his thumb, curling and straitening his fingers in a quick rhythm. My hands made fists on the bedspread, and a litany of his name urged him further.
"I love how you feel round my fingers." He confessed. "I can't wait to feel you clamping down on my cock."
A flick of his thumb and the coil in my stomach released, his name echoing in the room, my core spasming round his fingers.
He pulled them out, bringing them to his face. I watched as he licked them clean a look of bliss on his face.
"Delectable." He purred, kissing me with my juices on his lips. He pulled back to nip at my neck and I pushed him off. He looked hurt as I pushed him down, but grinned as I moved to straddle him.
"And what do you think you're doing my little vixen?"
"Exploring."
My hands retraced their earlier path and I followed them with kisses. I drew his nipple into my mouth, enjoyed his gasps as I teased him. He hissed as I bit downwards. I smirked.
"We match." I said triumphantly. He opened his mouth to speak but I swallowed the words, my actions becoming bolder. I slid down his chest leaving a trail of wetness behind me and settled between his legs. I licked down his abs, tasting myself on his skin. He moaned above me, trying to stay still. I moved to un-do his jeans, but he stopped me.
"You don't-" I cut him off with a kiss.
"I want to."
He released my hand and I went back to my task, brushing my fingers over the bulge.
"Don't tease." He growled.
I unzipped the jeans carefully, slightly apprehensive. He lifted his hips to help me and I was face to face with his cock. He was large and thick and I wasn't sure how he would fit. My thoughts must have been obvious because Edward laughed, but his eyes never stopped following my movements as I reach for him, tracing the veins running along his length. I stroked him hesitantly, unprepared for his loud groan. I let go quickly, scared I was hurting him, but he grabbed my wrist and said;
"Don't stop."
I returned to exploring him, he felt like velvet over steel. Liquid beaded from his slit and I spread it over the tip. I cupped his balls gently, rolling them in my hands, revelling in the power I held over him in that instant.
I breathed over him lightly, was rewarded with a moan, and slipped my mouth over his head.
"Fuck!"
I licked and sucked, humming round his length as he held onto my hair.
I could feel his balls tightening in my hands and he jerked me off him, his eyes bright with want.
"No," he croaked, "the first time, I want to come inside your oh-so-innocent pussy."
I blushed at the mention of my virgin status and of our talk through the door. He laughed and flipped us over, positioning his tip at my entrance.
"This will hurt." He warned. I nodded and he pushed into me gently, stretching my walls. I cried out in pain, but he didn't stop until he was fully inside. He looked down at my quizzically.
"I thought you were a virgin?"
I slapped his arm in outrage. "Tampons dumbass."
He blushed.
I laughed and he rocked inside me, turning it into a gasping moan. He grinned wolfishly and started moving, alternating between long and slow and shallow and fast. My legs locked around him, desperate to keep him in and whimpering when he pulled out.
"I want you all the time." He crooned into my ear as he moved. "Anytime, anywhere, anyway I want my cock inside you, claiming you, and making you scream my name so everyone knows who you belong to. I want your pussy, your mouth, fuck, even your ass wouldn't be safe." I moaned at his words, my mind so far gone I didn't care what he wanted so long as he didn't stop.
His body continued pounding into me and I felt myself growing close.
"God, your tight." He groaned.
"Please, god, Edward..." My begging reached new levels, even though I wasn't sure what I was begging for.
He reached down between us, playing with my clit. I fell with a scream and Edward followed, shooting his warm seed inside me.
He rolled me on top of him so in was cuddled to his chest.
"Why did I wait to do this again?" he asked, combing his fingers through my hair.
"Because you didn't remember?"
"Ah...that's right."
"A demon? Seriously?"
"Yes. The eldest son of King Carlisle of Sheoul." He stated proudly, then looked at me worriedly. "Are you frightened?"
"No. I should be...but I'm not. You make me feel safe." I paused. "But why are you here?"
"My cousin wished to weaken my father." Edward explained softly. "I fear it may have worked."
"You'll fix it." I said. "You remember. And I'm sure your father is looking for you."
"Your optimism is refreshing." I snorted at him but it turned into a yawn. "Sleep, love. This can wait till morning."
A month from that day King Carlisle recieved a visitor. Originally she had been part of a pair but her companion had been delayed and so she stoof alone in her explanation. In the back of her mind though she knew this would happen anyway.
"So you see, Your Majesty, your son would love to visit you, but is impossibly detained." The brown haired girl stood before the King's throne frantically hoping he would believe her.
"You've seen Edward?" He asked. She nodded. "And he's okay?"
"He was trapped, but will soon come to you."
"How do you know this?" Asked the blonde to the left of the throne. "Your Majesty the girl is obviously a liar."
"She's not." Said the blonde on the right, "Her emotions are truthful, if slightly worried."
"Tell me girl." Spoke the King. "Tell me who trapped him."
"He would not say, Your Majesty, I believe he wants to gain satisfaction himself."
"Well he isn't here." The left man said, "So speak."
"I never said he wasn't here." She replied. "Just that he was detained."
"Doing what?" the King snapped.
"I was accosted by a flying pixie." Came a velvety voice. "My sister was ecstatic to have me home."
Edward walked to where the girl stood and took her hand.
"Edward?"
"Father." Edward greeted him warmly, "allow me to introduce my mate and mother of my unborn child, Bella."
The girl blushed prettily, her presence suddenly understood by the old monarch.
"A mate and child. My, how nice." The left one sneered, the right man smiled.
"James. Always a pleasure." Edward turned from him. "How have you been Jasper? Alice stealing all your energy still?"
Jasper left his spot and embraced him.
"Good to have you back, and welcome little sister."
"Hi," she said shyly. Jasper's smile widened, the confident woman from before was shy.
The King stood, and Edward went to him. No matter how much Carlisle would love to run to his son, protocol must be observed. Later, in the privacy of his rooms, would he greet his son properly, but for now Edward knelt before him.
"My sovereign."
"Tell me true, son, who betrayed us."
Edward opened his mouth to speak, but the answer revealed itself.
James struck from behind, as all cowards do, and the King toppled down the stairs of the dais. Edward and Jasper stood as brothers-in-arms once more, and Bella knelt by the King, helping him to stand after his fall.
It didn't take much to subdue the traitor, his death rattle gurgling from his throat.
Only when they were assured of his health did they allow Carlisle to stand, and only then did he embrace his son properly.
"Welcome home, my boy, welcome home."
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