Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise, I just like playing in the worlds created by those more talented than myself.
AN - My first, and probably only, attempt at a BellaEdward fic. It's already completely written, so it will definitely be finished. It's also only five chapters, so it's not going to be very long. Around 10 thousand words or so, I think it is. I hope you enjoy, and please drop a review on your way out.
Always and Forever
They left me alone to live a human life without the supernatural influences and danger that my association with them brought. They didn't give me the chance to voice an opinion or register my personal disagreement with the plan. They just left.
They didn't even say goodbye in person.
Alice left a letter behind, probably foreseeing that I wouldn't be able to stop myself from going to their old house in the hopes of remembering the better times.
She promised me that she'd see me again, promised that my future was a happy one, promised that I would always be family to the Cullens, even though I wasn't with them at the moment.
It didn't make me feel much better to be honest. The hole in my chest at the absence of the family; my family, didn't abate in the slightest. The depression didn't ease off. The hurt and the abandonment that I was constantly struggling with still swirled around me like a hurricane.
I made it through life, taking one day at a time, for Charlie. I functioned enough that the worry faded from the lines in his face. He thought I was getting better, which meant that my plan was working. I didn't want him to worry. I got good grades, and I cooked and ate. I went out occasionally with the kids from school, and it worked.
Charlie stopped stressing and started smiling more.
Graduation came before I knew it, and I was getting ready to go to college. Dartmouth. I didn't put in the application for it, but for Charlie, I would accept the scholarship and allow him his pride.
It was a shame that I never actually made it that far…
Red eyes.
Broken limbs.
Unimaginable pain.
Burning.
Burning.
Burning.
Changing.
Let it fail.
I don't want to be alone for eternity.
Loud laughter.
Burning.
Burning.
"It's your fault I lost my mate. Enjoy your eternity alone."
Burning.
Let it fail.
Changing.
Heartbeat. Heartbeat. Heartbeat. Nothing.
It was disconcerting, waking up to vampire life alone. When I had dreamed of this life, I had been dreaming of family and companionship. I had been dreaming about spending forever with the boy I loved. I had been dreaming of happiness.
On the flip side, the burn in my throat wasn't as bad as I had always feared. Either Edward had been playing the thirst up, or I was just a freak.
Even as a vampire, I didn't fit in.
The days following my change were hard. Victoria left me alone in a cave, she was long gone by the time I woke up. I thought to follow the very faint scent she'd left behind, but honestly, what was the point? She wouldn't kill me. I knew that without even really needing to think.
This was the perfect revenge.
I found, much to my dismay, that Victoria had also covered her tracks well in regards to my disappearance. My truck had been pushed off the side of the road into a ditch and set on fire. Isabella Swan was declared dead.
What the bloody hell was I supposed to do now?
With no other options, I turned to the nomadic lifestyle I'd never wanted to live. Occasionally, I'd venture closer to the nearest town to get fresh clothes. I hated stealing, but with no money, nor any ID to get a job, I didn't have much choice.
I'd been roaming the country for about a year when I crossed a scent I vaguely recognised. I couldn't quite remember why I knew it, I just knew that it had been important to me in my human life. I followed the scent carefully, my gut telling me that it might be something that could make my life better.
"Bella?"
Acting completely on instinct, she fell into a defensive crouch, backing herself into a tree.
"Bella, sweetheart? I won't hurt you," the man said gently, his tone at odds with his huge stature.
"Emmett?" she whispered, standing up slowly.
"Hey Bells," he murmured, walking towards her at a slow human pace so as not to startle her.
"Bear," she choked out, her eyes filling with venom as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. She hugged him back, letting her anguish erupt from her as she sobbed tear-lessly onto his jacket.
"What happened sweetheart?" he asked when she'd calmed down a little, pulling back enough so he could see her face.
"Victoria," Bella replied, her shoulders raising slightly in a half shrug.
Emmett growled low in his chest, startling her. She jumped back a little, calming when he met her eyes apologetically.
"Come on, Bell, let's get you home. Carlisle and Esme will be over the moon to see you again," Emmett said, nodding in the direction he'd come from.
She shook her head, pressing herself back against the tree.
"Bell? What's wrong?"
"They don't want me," she whispered. "They left… you all left. You don't want me."
"Oh, sweetheart," Emmett sighed. "We left because we thought it was best for you. None of us wanted to be apart from you."
She slid down the bark of the tree until her bum hit the floor and wrapped her arms around her legs, burying her face in them.
"Would you rather I asked one of them to meet us here, Bell? So they can tell you themselves?"
She looked up at him and shook her head again. "I don't want to be an inconvenience, Bear."
"You're our family, babygirl. You'll never be an inconvenience. Come on, come home with me."
"Who's there?"
"Just my Rosie, Carlisle and Esme at the moment. Jazz and Alice are in Texas visiting with friends, and Edward is… away."
She nodded, taking his offered hand and stood up. Keeping hold of her hand, he led her towards a large house that backed onto the forest. It was somewhat reminiscent of the home the Cullens had kept in Forks, very light and open.
Emmett sensed her nerves and slowed them down to a human pace, as they walked towards the back door.
Rosalie opened the front door, scowling, having heard two sets of footsteps instead of one.
Bella watched the emotions play across her face, surprise and remorse being the strongest.
"Oh my god. CARLISLE!"
Bella shrunk back, hiding somewhat behind the much larger Emmett. Rose walked forward slowly, and Bella wondered if it was instinct to act this way around a newborn, or if the family just knew her expressions well enough to understand how scared she was.
As Rosalie, who seemed even more beautiful through Bella's new vision, got nearer, Bella suddenly felt very self conscious. It had been weeks since she'd managed to steal fresh clothes, and though she always tried her hardest to keep them clean for as long as possible, she knew that the jeans and t-shirt she was currently wearing were far from spotless.
"Bella? Who did this to you sweetheart?" Rose asked, holding a hand out for Bella to take.
"Victoria," Bella whispered, cautiously taking the offered hand from Rose.
"Oh, I am so sorry we weren't there to protect you," Rose murmured, stepping closer and wrapping Bella in a comforting hug.
When Bella pulled back from the hug, she found herself looking at Carlisle and Esme. Carlisle was staring at her like he'd seen a ghost, and Esme had her hand over her mouth and venom filled eyes.
"Bella," Carlisle choked out, walking down the steps quickly. He lifted her easily, and she buried her face in his neck when he clutched her to his chest.
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. So, so sorry," he murmured, holding her close.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I missed you," she replied.
"Oh, we missed you too, darling," he told her, setting her down on the floor but keeping his arm around her shoulder. Esme was next, and she eased Bella into another hug.
"Come inside, baby," she said, gesturing to the house.
"Would you like to freshen up?" Rose asked, falling into step beside Bella. "You can wear some of my clothes until we can go shopping."
"Um… sure, thanks," Bella replied.
She wasn't sure how she was supposed to act, or what she was supposed to say. She'd spent the last year by herself, taking care of herself, and believing that nobody wanted her.
Esme led her up the stairs to a spacious bathroom. "Rose will fetch you some clothes, sweetheart. Take your time, we'll be waiting downstairs."
Bella nodded.
As Esme left the room, Bella turned the shower on and quickly stripped her clothes, folding them neatly. As much as she was positive that they would be finding their way to the bin when Rose fetched her fresh clothes, she couldn't just leave them in a pile.
She was pulling the curtain around the shower when Rose entered with a knock.
"I wasn't sure what to fetch, but I remembered you like sweat pants," Rose said, and Bella heard her putting clothes on the side of the sink. "See you downstairs, Bell."
Enjoying the shower, Bella stayed under the water for longer than necessary, but eventually, she got out. Towelling herself dry quickly, she looked at the clothes Rose had fetched.
A royal blue Juicy Couture slim-fit tracksuit, a white tank top, and black ugg boots were waiting for her, along with simple underwear and socks. Dressing, Bella was glad to find that the clothes fit well, and she was more comfortable than she could remember being since her change.
She towel dried her hair as well as she could, before tying it up in a messy ponytail.
Taking a deep breath, Bella left the bathroom and walked downstairs to where the four Cullens were waiting for her in the large kitchen. She lingered at the door, not really sure what she was supposed to do next.
"Come in and sit down, babygirl," Emmett said, patting the seat between him and Rose. Bella did as she was bid, perching on the end of the chair.
"Thank you for the clothes," she murmured shyly to Rose, who smiled.
"Anytime, Bella. They fit you well, you look beautiful."
"I know you said Victoria changed you, Bella, but can you tell us what happened?" Carlisle asked gently.
"Oh, um… I was driving to Dartmouth for college. I stopped for the night… I can't remember where… but she found me and she took me to the forest. She… I'm sorry. The details are hazy. I know she kept me there for a while, and it hurt. When she bit me, she told me that she knew E - that she knew I was alone, and this was my punishment for being the cause of James' death. She destroyed my truck and I was declared dead."
"Were you alone when you woke up?" Esme asked in a horrified whisper.
Bella nodded.
"And since then? Have you run across any of our kind?" Carlisle asked.
"No. I… uh… I haven't seen or spoken to anyone since then. It's…" she trailed off.
Carlisle stood up and rounded the table, wrapping his arms around her once more. "We're all so very sorry, Bella. I hope you can forgive us enough to allow us to make it up to you?"
She smiled shyly.
"You don't have to make anything up to me," she said quietly.
"On the contraire," Carlisle replied.
"Hey, Bells. How've you got gold eyes?" Emmett asked suddenly.
"Um… the same way you have gold eyes?" Bella replied, confused.
"You stuck to the animal diet, even though you were by yourself, as a newborn?" He asked, and she could see admiration in his eyes.
She ducked her head. "Yeah, but… it's not… it's nothing special."
"I am so proud of you," Carlisle said, beaming at her. "It's hard enough to take up the animal diet with the support of a family."
"No, no, you don't understand. I… I mean, I would have tried to stay on the animal diet anyway, I don't want to kill people, but… I… Humans don't smell nice."
Silence reigned, and she knew if she could be blushing, she would be.
"You don't like the smell of human blood?" Rose asked after a second.
Bella shook her head.
"Oh, but this is perfect. You can come to school with us," Rose exclaimed happily. "Alice and Jazz are due back before term starts, you can be a sophomore along with them."
Feeling somewhat overwhelmed, Bella didn't reply. School? How was she supposed to go to school? She didn't even have a house, or clothes or money or ID.
Carlisle left the kitchen suddenly, and Bella heard him speed up the stairs. He came back down three minutes later with a manilla envelope in his hands.
"Here, sweetheart. We'll have to get pictures for them, but these are for you. I had them made before we left Forks."
Bella opened the envelope curiously and tipped the contents on to the counter. A passport, birth certificate, driver's licence and two credit cards fell out, all in the name Isabella Cullen.
"I… uh… I don't know what to say," she whispered. "Thank you"
"The credit cards are to your own bank accounts, sweetheart. There's a little over three million dollars between them. I want you to be comfortable, no matter what you choose to do with your time."
"I can't accept that," Bella replied quietly. "I… It's too much."
"Please," Carlisle said. "Allow me to ensure that my daughter is happy in her life?"
Venom pooled in Bella's eyes.
"And of course, we hope you decide to remain with us. You'll always have a home wherever we are, Bella. Always," Esme told her, taking Bella's hand and squeezing it lightly.
"Thank you," Bella said, returning the light squeeze.
Esme clapped her hands together happily. "I'm going to go and start designing a room for you!"
Bella watched her zoom from the room with a bemused look on her face.