Disclaimer à not mine yadda yadda, Stupid me, I should have thought about gorgeous vampire love story YEARS ago… ha ha.. All Stephanie's.
Gone. Apart for eight days. Eight. I sighed as I placed Emmet the teddy bear on the top of my bag. Charlie had finally decided that we spent far to much time apart and thought that a family trip would be good for the both of us. Just me and Charlie.
For Eight Days.
I had asked, then begged if Edward could come along. Then pleaded. Fearing the abandonment nightmares, but Charlie was adamant. Just the two of us. Looking from the outside in, I understood Charlie's concern. And if Carlisle stayed true to his word… Charlie needed this time, graduation was fast approaching. But still- Eight days. That was practically forever.
It had been a regular afternoon, a calm, quiet afternoon. Charlie had come home earlier than usual. Jazzed, a current seemed to be running his entire six foot frame.
"Bell's, I think you and I need to talk." I had been grounded, for what seemed like the rest of my life.
"What dad?" My voice quivered, ever since the motorcycle Charlie's voice had taken a disapproving edge, now he sounded more like mom before she announced one of her crazy schemes. That alone had me on edge.
"I know I'm not the best father in the world," he mumbled something along the lines of 'That Boy' and 'not watching them carefully enough' Oh the things he didn't know. As they always said what you don't know can't hurt you, and with Charlie I was counting on that." So I think we should get some alone time, like when you were younger." My spine stiffened, when I was younger, Charlie was all about the nature, fishing, baseball - well, sports in general, and hikes. I shivered remembering the concussion that gave me undenialable excuse to stop.
"Uhh- dad?"
"Now before you say anything, I want to get this out." he sighed agonisingly and I cringed knowing this was as hard on him as it was on me. "You'll be going off to god knows where next year, and I only get so much with you, I feel like our time together slipped through my fingers, and-" his voice cracked, but he took a deep breath and barrelled on, "And Bell's, I'm really happy that you're here, that you came."
"Me too dad." More than you know. If had never come, so many things wouldn't be part of my life. He smile and grabbed my hand.
"Bella, I booked us a ferry and a couple nights in Vancouver, now before you say anything, it's nothing fancy, and I don't expect you to go hiking or nothing, but just some time, just a week. It's spring break after all."
"And what about the town Chief?" I could feel the edge to my own voice, hearing the fear, a certain gut feeling that something was wrong.
"Jackson and Kevin will be fine without me, worse case, they can call in some help from Masen, but I don't expect anything too much out of the ordinary. And anyway, my first real vacation since the last time I went down to Phoenix to visit you."
"Uh, dad I- what about being grounded."
"Family Vacation doesn't count." He smiled and I vaguely remember pulling the corner's of my mouth back into some semblance of a smile.
"Good, we leave Friday after school."
"How long?" My voice was really cracking, fear licked at my stomach.
"About a week, Eight days."
Eight days. That night I had clung to Edward, waiting for the tears to come, waiting for the fear, but being in his arms I could feel nothing but relief.
"It's only a week love, I'll suffer. And beside's, you need this time. Maybe it'll be good, human time," I could feel him smiling in the dark, his cool lips blowing his sweet breath into my hair. "It's not like it'll be forever, and I'm only a couple hours away." Though his words were comforting and calm, I could feel the arms that were wrapped around me tighten a minute amount.
"But, Edward. What if-"
"No Bella. You'll be ok, and I'll be ok, and we'll still have some time before you leave, and some when you get back. Your father need's this."
A sudden thought came to me. "Did you not catch this?" with his mind reading capabilities he could have known long before.
"He had a brief notion weeks back, but it was more of a spur of the moment kind of thing." I couldn't see his golden eyes in the dark, but I pushed myself up onto an elbow and gazed at the pale shimmer of his luminescent face, cupping his smooth cheek with my hand, I traced his face, feeling him leaning into my touch slightly, a sigh releasing a breath I'm sure he had unknowingly been holding. He does that a lot, so he says. His hand reached up and mimicked mine, and I realised that I would survive being apart, because I knew he would be in exactly the same amount of pain as I would be, the separation of the other half of my soul. My heart.
So begrudgingly, I packed the entire new wardrobe that Alice had lovingly picked out for me, and the teddy bear Esme and Carlisle had given me. The warm silver phone in my pocket that had Edward's number and other emergency number's both here and in Vancouver already programmed in, and the simple, yet elegant snowdrop pearl necklace Edward had given me with the inscription 'mon coeur est toile' which he told me mean's 'my heart is yours' was delicately traced around the top.
The night before we left Edward and I did not have our usual conversations as we often do. Discussing the day, talking about Renee's newest crazy plot, or the Cullen's new secret, which of course didn't remain a secret for long. No, this night was all about touch, and remembering. His large, cool hands trailed down my shoulder, curling at my waist and running up my back, fingering my loose locks. All the while I mapped out the contours of his marble chest, the sinuous lines of his neck, and the thick bronze hair. My head resting listening to his breath, slow and melodic, the only sound real to me, I memorized the tiny hitch when I kissed him, the quick intake as I left soft butterfly kisses down his jaw and back again. The sigh as our kiss turned intense, not quite like long ago, but sweeter, a parting farewell till the time when we can replace the missing part of our combine souls, we would be forever intertwined, alive or not, together or apart, no matter what.
And I knew he felt the same. Which made all the difference.
EPOV
She had been gone for six days, three day that I had spent in agony. The ache was merely a ghosting reminder of the recent time when I had left her, I could not hold her safe in my arms.
She called every night, retelling her daily adventures, going wale watching with Charlie, going shopping, and the little things that reminded her of home. Every night I had sung her to sleep with the lullaby, she would eventually roll on the phone hitting the off button, only to call back in a couple minutes saying she had a nightmare. Charlie had the sense to get adjoining rooms, saying she didn't have enough privacy in the house, so might as well splurge.
It was hard to stay away. Running I could be at her hotel by morning. But she needed the time with her father. She would eventually become one of us, as much as I feared it, she was set on becoming a monster. But would it be so monstrous if it was Bella? My cream and roses, fumbling, beautiful Bella? I looked at the clock anxiously, she normally called right on the hour every night, I was starting to get worried.
"Edward, calm down, Charlie's talking to her." Alice murmured from the couch at the bottom of the steps, I paced away, moving to the piano. Playing always soothed me, but I had no hope for calming my nerves. What if something happened to her? What if-
The little silver phone interrupted my thoughts and I sighed in relief. "Hello Bella."
Her laugh chimed through the receiver and I smiled, the happiness that radiated from me whenever I talked to her was palpable.
"Hi Edward." she sighed, and I wished for nothing more but to be holding her, staring into her wide, chocolate eyes and see the warmth that voice always had, I had feared that while away she would grow distanced, it's what would be best for her, to distance herself from me, but I now realised that it would not make her better off. She was just as affected to my presence as I was to her.
"I miss you," she said, her voice laced with a slight irritation.
"What's wrong sweetheart?"
"Charlie. Today he decided that-" and she launched into a tale of hiking through Canadian landscape.
"I ache all over from the hike, and the spots I fell. But I guess it was kind of worth it. We got to the cliff's just in time for the sunset. Oh Edward," her voice rose a few notes, as it did when she was excited, " It was beautiful.." I heard a qualification was coming.
"But-." She laughed again, the chiming melody my own personal favourite sound.
"It would have been perfect if you had been there." I didn't want to visualize it. Bella's pale, warm hand wrapping around my ice one, my skin sparkling as it does whenever touched by the rays of the sun.
And those eyes.
The way she looked at me in the meadow was still engrained into my mind, the sheer power of that stare was.. Breathtaking. The trust, the love, the .. Everything. That look shattered my will and strengthened it, my will to leave her be, versus my will to kill her. The animal was silenced to the faint trace of human still left in me, the man that yearned for companionship and love after the eighty or so years alone.
"Edward," I picked out the sound of water in the background, she was brushing her teeth. I heard the brushing sound stop and she spoke again, "have you ever gone on a vacation?" Do you count running to Italy a vacation, pleading the Volturi to kill me? Or even before that, speeding to Phoenix as fast as I could, fearing Bella's safety, not knowing whether she was alive or dead, praying to whatever deity could hear me not to harm her. Something so fragile, so pure.
"No Bella, I haven't. My mother would take me to the lake occasionally when I was human, but after that-"
"Oh." she sighed and I chucked. I could hear the weariness in her voice. Her determination to stay awake was losing against the fatigue.
"Go to sleep love. You sound exhausted."
"Mhm." I heard the sound of sheet's scratching in the background as she crawled into bed. "I love you."
"As I love you, my Bella." I whispered earnestly. Although I don't know why I was whispering, it's not like they couldn't hear me. Her drowsy, rough voice did things to the human part of me that had not been awakened until Bella came into my life. I hummed a few bars of the lullaby I wrote for her and soon heard the quiet muffle of her soft kitten sleeping sounds.
I rested the phone on the small glass side table, and picked up one of the Norman journals I had stumbled upon in Carlisle library. Thankfully I was able to both keep and ear on the phone, as well as throw myself into distraction of the lore of King Fredrick and the many massacres. After about an hour I heard a hitch in her breathing and my attention strayed from the tome. A soft mumble and I smiled, she was talking in her sleep.
BPOV (The Dream)
I was running through the thick forest. But it wasn't like my nightmares, he wasn't leaving, Edward was chasing me. I looked down at my smooth, remarkably pale limbs and smiled. Jumping up, I was suddenly resting on a thin branch, perched precariously, as if waiting to pounce. With my heightened senses I could easily pick out Edward darting through the ferns and bracken below.
"Bella?" His wind chime voice called out. I smiled and seconds later, was directly behind him, landing effortlessly on his back, my iron grip covered his eyes and my lips pressed against his cold neck, but it wasn't cold, it was surprisingly warm. Not the blazing heat that radiated from Jacob, but a comfortable warmth, like when Angela touched my arm to get my attention.
I liked it.
Giggling, we wrestled and ended up haphazardly tangled, in the most wonderful ways.
"Oh Edward." I sighed and buried my head in his chest, nuzzling his shoulder.
"Bella, my Bella." He murmured. I heard footsteps behind me, but didn't care, I was happy. Until I heard the same voice, but somehow different. I looked up and the comfortable warmth turned to blazing heat, as Edward turned into Jacob. The bronze locks that my hands had been entangled in turned black and long.
"Bella?" The wind chime voice came from behind me. And the arm's that had been loosely wrapped around my waist tightened.
"She's not your's anymore you filthily Bloodsucker. You parasite, You Leech." one moment we were tangled on the ground, the next I was behind Jacob, my pale, smooth hands turn clumsy and feeble. My eyes adjusted to the dark and in front of Jacob was Edward, with the same pained expression that he had under Jane's torture. The indescribable pain of separation was burning, he was three feet from me and I couldn't touch him, hold him, kiss him. I tried to reach out, to wrap my arms around his waist. To comfort him the only way I knew how. But I couldn't get around Jacob. He was holding me down. Like cement had been poured into my joints, so I did the only thing I could.
I screamed.
"Bella," I heard an anxious voice from above the water, I wrestled my way out from under the miles of comforters and duvets, finding the source of the voice.
"Edward?"
"Are you ok honey?" Charlie knocked at the door.
"Just a second Edward," I mumbled into the receiver. I fumbled over to the door where Charlie was pounding, "Bella? Bella are you ok?"
I opened the door and grinned, he must have crashed right after he told me we were going to be going tomorrow instead of the day after, he still wore his t-shirt from the day and his jeans. He had said the reason we were going, but I forgot instant, equally tired. Something about not being as young as he once was, the hike was as rough on him as it was on me.
"Hey dad, I'm ok, had a dream about being smothered, woke up under three miles of blankets." Close enough. My ability to lie must work best when Charlie's half asleep. He also didn't notice the silver phone clenched in my hand.
"Oh- ok." he muttered and wandered back to bed. I closed the door quietly and pressed the phone to my ear. "You hear that?"
"Smothered. Right, tell me, what's wrong." Even without the blush he caught me. Darn.
"The woods, and.." the trace of panic and sheer pain was audible even to my ears, the terror and hurt on Edward's face still remained physical in my head, the ache of not being able to help him still lingered. I tried to brush it away, but it was taking root.
"Bella, I Swear I'm never going to leave you again. These few days have merely without doubt made that clear to me." the hurt in his voice echoed the shadow that had grown so quickly in my dream.
"Are you ok?" I spoke into the phone after a few minutes, the need to hear his voice throbbed in my chest.
"Yes love, I'm fine. I miss you, but I can handle another two days."
"About that-"
"Yes?" I heard pain in his voice, the urge to hold him to me. Clutch him to me and absorb all his pain. But I was hundreds of miles away. All I could do was comfort him through the lousy phone.
"Nothing, just that-" What, what do I say. A plan started forming in my head, hoping Alice was watching. "Just that I'm sure you can handle the two days, and I miss you." I ran to the complimentary pad of paper beside the large, office looking phone.
Alice, we're coming home early, but don't tell him. I want to surprise him. Thank you!! I miss you too!!
He was back humming my lullaby, but I think the memory of the pain, our pain of being apart was going to be ok. Tomorrow.
I woke with the sunrise, yawning and stretching out. I dug under the covers to find the phone that I had fallen asleep with to my ear. Finding it under the pillow I realised it was still on.
"Edward?"
"Good morning sweetheart. Are you ok?" Always the worrier. I smiled as I imagined him pacing his room as he often did.
"I'm ok this morning." The knock at the door alerted me to Charlie. He probably wanted to head out as early as possible. I had noticed over the past week he had become more and more anxious. Most people loved vacations because they got away from their jobs, Charlie loved being Chief of Police. I think he was missing it.
"Look Edward, I'll talk to you later, I hear Charlie."
"Ok Bella," we quickly said our goodbyes and I ran to the door.
As I assumed, Charlie wanted to head out as soon as I was ready. I showered and pack quicker than I thought possible. We got breakfast to go at the coffee shop next to the hotel and were back in Washington by noon. If Edward had been driving, we could have made the trip in an hour, two tops. But the cop in Charlie would never let him go anymore than five miles over the speed limit. After the second hour I amused myself writing notes to Alice, detailing my plan to surprise Edward. Charlie had mentioned one day of freedom on my house arrest, but asked for detailed description what I would do with it.
"Probably go see Alice, and Esme. Probably Emmett will be home too." I avoided mentioning Edwards name, knowing what he didn't want to hear. But Charlie was a smart man. He knew I wouldn't be going to Edwards house just to see his siblings.
"Humph." But he didn't rescind his one day offer. This made my plan all the better.
A cool wind bit at my cheeks as I helped Charlie unpack our two bags and the various token's we picked up on our travels into the house. "Dad, you need me?" the implication in my words was thick enough, I'm going.
"No Bella. Eleven O'clock." I nodded, grabbed my coat, bag and keys from my room and ran to the truck. I took the one-oh-one north and made my way up the five mile trek to our meadow. I found it once before on my own, and following the straight path, I found it easily enough again. The sound of the bubbling creek was faint in the distance. I wondered briefly how Alice was going to get Edward here, when the small phone buzzed in my pocket, it was a text message.
Call him, you'll think of what to say, good luck- A. x
I hit number one and the phone speed dial and it only rang once till Edward's voice chimed. "Hey Bella, you ok?"
His concern threw me off guard, I was the polar opposite of not ok. As far as I could get. "Yes Edward I'm fine I was just wondering."
"Yes love."
"Well I was looking earlier and couldn't find something. I think I left it in the meadow." I was sure my grin was maniacal I would always love surprising Edward, since I was apparently the only one who could. "Could you do me a favour and check. Call back if you find it." He mumble a response, but for once I was too hyped up to think. A few seconds and I would see him. I hung up the phone and laid back in the grass, staying as still as I possibly could. I heard a faint rustle of grass and opened my eyes, only to stare into the most beautiful golden honey eyes in the world.
He smiled down at me, leaning against the tree I had been sitting under.
I looked up to his face, his features were relaxed, stretched into a grin, but the utter joy that swam beneath the surface in his face matched that of my own. The time apart had given us one good thing. This reunion. I stood in an instant and jumped into his arms, he didn't freeze like he normally would have, instead he ducked his head down and caught my lips in earnest. Zero to sixty in one point five. My arm's reached up to tangle in the thick bronze tangle his hair was always in, my breathing racketed up a couple notches as his grip held me up, my legs wrapped around his hips. After what seemed like forever, we broke apart, both breathing in quick rasps.
"Found it." I untangled my hands from his hair and encircled his neck, squeezing harder that I would if it were Charlie or Renee. Edward wasn't nearly as breakable as them.
"It was you I was missing." I mumbled, inhaling his sweet scent. My own ambrosia. "Oh Edward." I realised how we would have looked to a passer-by, Edward holding me up, my leg's clenching around his hips, hugging him. The moment passed and I found I didn't care, I was with Edward, and that's all that mattered. We spent an hour just lying together, tangled in the grass. Occasionally he would press his cool lips into my hair, and sporadically I would reach up and trail my lips from his earlobe to his collarbone. But for the most part, we just lay there. Together.
I fulfilled my promise to Charlie and after awhile we went back to the house, he carried me, while I rested my head on his shoulder, nuzzling his neck at the scary parts, like when he jumped the river.
Alice greeted us at the door, enveloping me in her tiny arms, her high soprano voice chiming with glee. "Oh Bella, that was so much fun."
"What Alice." Edward's brow furrowed and his arm tightened around my shoulder.
"Keeping a secret from you. That Bella was coming home early. How was your trip did you go to Maxi Mai's like I said, and what about-" she rambled on till I heard Emmett's booming voice.
"It's my little human sister." The endearment took no second meaning with Emmett, he always said the first thing on his mind, wasn't always the nicest, but it was how he was. His large muscled arms squeezed me in a huge bear hug, ripping my hand out of Edwards. I giggled and feebly pounded my fist against his chest.
"Down, I want down you monkey." Emmett set me down with the gentlest force. Edward was frowning but he could tell I was having fun, so he held his tongue. Carlisle and Esme were right behind Emmett, both pulling me in for quick hugs.
"Were so glad your back dear." Esme said softly. In her soft dark trouser jeans and emerald green sweater she reminded me of a more fashion-forward version of my mother, looks and vampire stuff aside, she was always comforting and .. Soft. For a vampire at least.
"Bella, welcome. How was your trip?" Carlisle always polite and gracious.
"Good, long. I don't think we'll be going on any more any time soon. All the walking had Charlie complaining all the time. I think he's getting too use to sitting at a desk or in the cruiser. But it was nice just the two of us." I said brightly. They all nodded and after a few more questions I decided to go. I hadn't known how much time we had actually spent in the meadow and now it was ten. I figured I would give Charlie the benefit of the doubt and go early, so after saying goodbyes Edward ran me back to the truck and rode with me back.
"See you upstairs." And with a quick kiss on the corner of my lips, he disappeared into the woods behind the house.
"Hey Dad." I called out, I heard a grumble from the living room, the game was on and Charlie was otherwise occupied. I went into the kitchen and threw some cold pizza in the microwave, ate it quickly with a chaser of milk and went into the living room. He was out for the count. I shook him awake and helped him fumble up the stairs and crash on his bed, asleep again before his head hit the pillow. I ran to the bathroom and quickly went through my routine, half an hour later I was sitting on my bed next to the open window.
"Oh come on Edward, I know your out there." A quiet chuckle behind me and my hand flew to my throat. "Oh my- Edward damn you."
"Yes, Bella?" His face still held the joy that it had at the meadow with only the slightest touch of innocence.
"You know I hate when you come up on me like that."
"You should be more aware of your surroundings."
"Yes Henry Higgins." He rolled his eyes and chucked and I crawled into bed, tucked into his side, my head nestled under his chin.
"I really did miss you Edward." I dropped a kiss on his collarbone and nuzzled the spot, as if to rub it in.
"I know, I did too love." he squeezed me a little tighter and I smiled as I heard my lullaby, he had hit play on the small CD player beside my bed and was humming along.
"love .. you," I tried to whisper, the words sounded faint to my ears, but I knew he heard me, sleep was dragging me down. For the past week I had tolerated the substitute him over the phone. Now I was relishing in our reunion.
"As I love you, my Bella. Keeper of my heart. My soul." The stars were coming out, though no moon shone, the starlight was more than enough to shine down on us. The unlikely couple, together or apart we would always be one.