As Romeo and Juliet clicked off, for the fiftieth time in the past two months, Edward was at the window. His eyes were a deep golden color of a recent hunt, and he seemed to be thoroughly under the impression that her life was just the same as Juliet. That the monster inside of him would kill her, as Juliet was killed by the monster of impulsiveness. Of course, it was just a story. Romeo and Juliet didn't exist, but he didn't seem to understand that.
"Someone's here, love," the copper haired vampire murmured, glancing back at the brunette girl still on the couch, flicking through her phone, ignoring the same contacts as she always did. All she wanted was a deep breath of freedom.
"Is it one of the wolves?" Bella asked absently, wondering why he didn't just say their names - it wasn't as though he didn't know their names, though since Jake had gotten healed from the fight with Victoria, they were very infrequent with their visits. Seth usually stopped by to keep her company when the Cullen's were gone, Quil or Embry with him. Wiping some popcorn grease from the tips of her fingers, she moved towards him and peered out the front window. A silver Mercedes was resting just behind his Volvo, and a woman in designer clothing was getting out of the car, a phone to her ear as she talked rapidly.
"She's speaking Italian," Edward admitted.
"What's she saying?" Bella asked, wincing slightly. It didn't look particularly pleasant.
"She's found someone, and she's going to do whatever she can to bring them back to... Italy." Edward didn't seem to understand and the woman shouted something and snapped her phone shut, making a beeline for the Swan front door.
"Oh, God," Bella murmured as a quite loud knock sounded, quickly followed by pounding. And soon there was a kick added for good measure. "I'm coming, Marie!" Bella cried. "Don't you dare break my door!"
Edward gave her an incredulous look as Bella pushed past him and unlocked the front door, opening it to let the twenty five year old Italian in. She shook out her jacket, which had to cost hundreds of euros, and placed it over a chair that was empty. "Graziella Isabella Severno," Marie began, her Italian accent thick and very difficult to understand. "How dare you-"
Bella gave her a bright, innocent smile. "It's so nice to see you again," she interrupted. Marie just gave her a glare. "I've missed you loads-"
"If you think that for one moment you're getting out of your calendar shoot," she spat at the nearly nineteen year old, "you have another thing coming." She took off the flimsy hat adorning her dark hair and placed it atop her jacket, smoothing it down to get the water droplets from the rain out of it. Seeming to be riled up, she spoke in Italian. "Giovanni is terrified you won't make it back in time! And we only have three days! I've been searching all over Washington for you!" Her Italian was so fast that it was difficult for even Bella, a native, to understand.
"Relax," Bella insisted in a calming voice. She gave Marie a smile, shutting the door and locking it. "A plane to Milan takes what? Ten hours from New York? I have two days to spare-" Of course, it had been her intent to skip it all together, but it looked like that wouldn't be happening. Maybe she could hide on the reservation tomorrow-
"Don't you dare even think about it," Marie spat. "You don't know how out of a job I've been since you've disappeared off the face of the planet."
"You've always known where I was," Bella insisted with a small smile. "I've called..." Once every six months. The details weren't important though. "And," she added quickly as Marie was about to retort, "I've been eating healthy and kept up my physique!" Not really. Fast food did not count. "So, there's no need to be so stressed out-"
Marie scrutinized her before looking her over. "The private jet will be waiting."
"And the fab duo?" Bella grinned, despite the situation. She supposed that if she had the right motivation... she could make the shoot.
"There. I need to talk to Giovanni, and you don't know how frantic he's been. Why you didn't remember the day of your own shoot-" She had remembered. How could she not? "-and the use of-"
"Marie," Bella interrupted, causing the Italian to pause. "I get it. I'll be at the airport. What time?"
"Six in the morning." Too early.
"Okay," she insisted. "No need to freak out. I'll be there. Have I ever been late?" Marie gave her a glare that told Bella immediately that she should backtrack. The sound of a throat clearing behind Bella caused the teen to jump and spin to face her bronze haired boyfriend. "Edward! Oh, Marie, this is Edward. Edward, this is Marie, my friend from Italy. She's been reminding me about how I failed to remember she wanted me to go to Italy with her."
"You know what's in Italy," Edward muttered too quietly for Marie to hear.
Bella nodded and smiled at Marie in a way that caused the twenty-five year old to relax. "I'll be on the plane at six."
"And if Giovanni does not get his photoshoot, Graziella, I swear to the almighty Lord that I will sacrifice you like a lamb," Marie hissed.
Bella didn't doubt it. "Very well. Best arrive a few hours early then, just in case."
"And look this over," Marie passed out a large portfolio that Bella had failed to see come from the endless pit of Marie's large handbag. "This is what you'll be doing for each month, so I expect that you memorize it. And-" whatever she was about to say died in her throat as she paled. She marched over to the kitchen table, picking up the fast food bag. "What is this?" Busted.
"Charlie's?" Bella tried with a nervous laugh. Marie gave a hiss and threw it at Bella. "Okay, so it's mine. And the three hundred other bags that are and were in my trash before this point." Marie marched over towards Bella, roughly yanking up Bella's shirt to expose her stomach. "And I haven't been as active as I promised?"
Marie sighed in disappointment. "At least its meat on you and not bone." She glanced at her cell phone as it buzzed. "Yes, Dante, I found her. My Lord, can you just stop freaking out? She promises..." She threw Bella a look of disdain. "Book the gym."
"How about not booking the gym?" Bella suggested helpfully. Her suggestion was shot down when Marie threw her phone back into her pocket.
"Six in the morning or you will be crucified."
"Understood."
Marie began to mutter in Italian as she opened things in the porfolio, pointing them out to Bella and just five minutes later, she grabbed her jacket and hat and disappeared into the now pouring rain. "Why did you even want to live here!?" Marie shouted before she slammed the back door of the Mercedes shut. Ah, a driver. Bella should have known. She didn't drive - anywhere. Not even in Italy.
There was a tense silence as Edward tried to process what had just transpired, and even then he was having difficulty. "She wants you to go to Italy... Her mind was muddled, but she thinks you're a super model... You're not."
She didn't know if she should take that the wrong way or not, but she didn't want to find out. "Right. Perhaps I should have... explained a bit more of where I came from... before Phoenix."
He pinched the bridge of his nose, "So you are a model?"
"Uh, possibly?"
He sighed. "Let's go." She was confused as he took her arm and pulled her out into the rain. She didn't even have shoes on! She tried to shrug out of his grip to go back in, but he opened the car door for her and put her inside and then shut it before getting in his own side. The car was backing out of the driveway in a second and heading towards the Cullen home. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"Because you're looking at me like that," Bella pointed towards his face. "Judgemental and like I'm some walking stereotype. I hate fashion, shopping, whatever. If you haven't guessed I was one, then I'm not any different from what you've seen."
Alice Cullen greeted them at the door, her black pixie hair blowing slightly in the wind as she made way for a furious Edward. "The family's seated."
It wasn't like anyone died. She was still Bella.
But the silence as she was forced to sit down, still slightly damp and shoeless, was enough to tell her that it was a vital fact they should have known. Changing a well-known figure in the world would be out of the question. Bella knew the laws.
"So, you're a model?" Esme asked pleasantly. Edward was pacing behind the couch, obviously angry, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Bella tried to ignore him.
"I was fifteen when Giovanni Giorezzi entered my parent's bakery," Bella admitted quietly. Being vampires, they heard her all the same, but she cleared her throat to talk louder as Alice and Rosalie's eyes widened. "My mama is an amazing cook - well, most Italian women are. My mother and my father, as well as my siblings, make bread, cheese, wine and pasteries. Handmade, of course. My brother, Riccardo, has a farm a few miles in the countryside, where we keep the goats and cows for cheese. A few acres of orchard for the wine. The family farm, really. He just took it over for my mother and father, as they moved to the city to live in the shop... Riccardo's wife, Emiliana, brings the items daily as she goes to work... When I handed Giovanni what he ordered - a croissant and a cup of coffee - he slipped me a card and told me to call him. I told my brothers and sisters, not my parents."
Bella shifted uncomfortably, under the heavy stare of Edward as he stopped pacing. "They told me to call the next morning, so I did. By the end of the week, he managed to get his best photographer to meet me a few blocks away from the bakery, to make a portfolio for me... By then, I had only told my mother. Giovanni hired me himself when he saw the finals. I've been modeling for Giovanni Giorezzi since then..." Bella shrugged as Alice was practically vibrating. "I took a year break, last year, to get school in order, coming here. Riccardo married Emiliana, an American tourist that frequently traveled to Milan, so she taught me English. I was due to return in June, after school, but I couldn't leave you all here... So I stayed, and Marie... well, she came to get me."
"And what's your real name? It can't be Bella Swan, because Charlie's not your father," Carlisle said calmly. Bella couldn't gauge how he felt about the news.
She cleared her throat, avoiding Alice and Rosalie's eyes. "Graziella Isabella Severno."
"Oh, my God," Alice whispered. Rosalie seemed very surprised. Bella blushed, shrugging. But before she had a chance to say anything, Alice had pulled Bella into a hug, tackling the pair to the ground. "I knew it! I totally knew it! You have the same eyes and profile! And I was just so unsure because all of your records are so solid! I even checked!"
"Uh... I have a very good lawyer," Bella admitted. "But, since I have a shoot in two days, I suggest not bruising me, okay?"
"Sorry," Alice apologized immediately, pulling herself away and helping the brunette up. "This is so exciting! I met you, in Milan, remember? Fashion week - you were with Dante, still, and you two were inseperable! Everyone thought you were getting married-"
Bella winced as Edward's neck snapped with an almost sickening crack with how fast he looked towards her. "Yeah, I remember the night, but... I don't remember seeing you.. sorry."
Alice frowned suddenly. "You do know Dante's-"
"Of course," Bella said immediately. "I know."
"He's what?" Edward growled.
"Dating Heidi," Bella answered immediately. "They've always been close. In fact, I'd say they've known each other for about thirty years."
"How old is Dante?"
"He's Giovanni's son," Bella answered. "He's about fifty three? Give or take a few years. He never tells me his real age, but I'm sure I can ask Vanni and I'll get an answer."
"You were sixteen and dated a fifty three year old?" Edward growled. "You told me you had never had a boyfriend!"
"I couldn't tell you I had, and then you demand the name," Bella reasoned. "I didn't want anyone to know about Graziella. This was the best cover I could think of. Charlie ... Charlie knew Emiliana. He's truly her father, so... Emiliana contacted him about me taking place as his daughter. My lawyer made some fake documents to help me blend in... It worked rather well. Only a few people commented on how I should be a model because of my weight." Bella cleared her throat as Edward didn't seem as easily convinced. "It was easy to make people think my name was Isabella. Emiliana and Isabella are both Italian, and Emiliana hadn't lived here since she was six months old... a good cover."
"A good cover," Edward repeated. "I proposed to you. And you didn't even tell me you weren't really you."
"If it's worth anything, I have your posters in my room," Emmett input. Bella glanced at him, surprised. "Rosie got me some about ... last summer-"
"Take those down, now!" Edward roared.
"He can have them if he wants," Bella snapped at Edward. "They're not your property, and it's my job... and I'm not your property either. He just shouldn't expect me to sign them. I can't sign anything until I begin modeling again for Giorezzi, because then it looks like I'm promoting myself."
"How old were you?" Emmett asked, genuinely interested in the answer. His eyes were already assessing her, trying to see what had changed since the pictures.
"Seventeen," Bella answered. "It was a few days before I moved here that I took them. Uh, I may have not told my father, and instead my mother... and had my agent present on the set at all times-"
"You're naked!"
Bella winced at the blatant statement. "I do have a swimsuit on... in some of them."
"You look nothing like her," Rosalie stated flatly. "You're too pale."
"Um, well, Marie, my agent, she... she, well, contacted some people and they gave me a really thick body foundation, to hide my skin tone. It's not that different from my natural skin tone, but it's a little lighter at least. I have at least a suitcase full in my bathroom." She licked her finger, rubbing it on her wrist to reveal a small patch of golden skin. "Natural."
"You should have kept the skin tone! It would have supported your move from Phoenix," Jasper input.
"People would recognize me," Bella stated. "Giorezzi fashion may be popular in Europe, but it's growing in America. I don't know who has heard of me or not."
"Shower," Alice demanded, leaping to her feet and grabbing Bella's arm. "Now. I want all of your foundation gone." She sniffed Bella's wrist, making Bella stiffen. "You know, it doesn't even smell like make-up. It just smells like you."
"That's the point," Bella admitted. But before she could say more, she was thrown over Alice's shoulder. Bella was thrust into a shower with quite cold water, gasping in surprise at the sensation. Bella glared at Alice as she waltzed out, whistling in innocence, and turned the water onto higher heat. Bella stepped out of the shower, taking her phone out of her pocket and getting out of her now cold, wet clothes.
"This can wait, Alice," Bella grumbled under her breath. She stepped back in and washed, muttering to herself about vampire pixies. As soon as she finished in the shower, she stepped out and was surprised when a bath towel wrapped itself around her. Alice was standing there, grinning, as she presented a very revealing set of clothing. Short jean shorts, a black tank top, and some black high heels. Were those - "Alice, I'm not wearing lace panties."
"Yes, you are," Alice smiled brightly. She thrust the clothes into Bella's arms and left, locking Bella inside. Bella groaned, but changed as requested. "Done?"
"Yes, Alice," Bella sighed. Alice opened the door and looked Bella over, her grin widening.
"You look even better than my vision!" Bella was flung once more over the petite brunette's shoulder, before she was set down at the foot of the stairs. Bella felt slightly a little bit more dizzy than she had been the last time and she exhaled sharply, glaring at Alice.
"My hair's a little wet," Bella stated to the Cullen's, that were looking at her in surprise.
"Rose, can you plug your ears?"
"Say it, I don't care," Rosalie smirked, rolling her eyes. She had a magazine in her lap, and it seemed they had been talking about Bella since she was gone.
"Holy hell, Bella," Emmett said immediately. "I'm in love. Can you like twirl?"
Bella rolled her eyes but did as requested. "Thanks, Em." She walked to the couch and sat down lightly, swallowing. "I am leaving for Italy in the morning."
"Great, we'll go with you!" Alice declared.
Rosalie glanced at Alice sharply, before looking at Bella. "Do you still live with Dante?"
"We're friends," Bella admitted. "Yes, I do."
"What was the sex like?" Rosalie questioned suddenly.
Bella blinked. "Um..." A small smile appeared on Bella's lips. "I'm the virgin, remember?"
Rosalie laughed. "Human, you do realize that your sex life was on the news for two years, right?"
Bella shrugged, her eyes darting to the ceiling as she feigned disinterest. "Oh, it was nothing to write home about. We may have broken a few box mattresses."
"A few? Oh, I'd say about twenty in a year. You did have paparazzi frequently raid your trash."
Bella laughed, nodding. "Oh, that's right. There were about fifty. We used some of the mattresses for firewood. My father didn't appreciate those people, by the way. Totally humiliating for his sixteen year old daughter." She coughed delicately as Edward fumed. "But this isn't the time or place."
"Then I say we go to Italy with you," Rosalie stated. Jasper glanced at her in confusion, and Emmett seemed a little surprised as well. "I'd like to meet this Dante... officially."
"Why ...?" Emmett asked before he dropped his voice lower so that Bella couldn't hear.
"Bella, you can't honestly expect me to let you go resume living in a home with your ... ex-boyfriend who is older than your father."
"My father's actually the same age," Bella informed him. "Fifty-three. Charlie is in his late forties." However, it didn't quite help her case with that information. "My father truly does like Dante, though."
"How?" Edward demanded. "What can he possibly do to make him like him?"
Bella pulled out her phone, flicking through the pictures until she found one of her and Dante, with the rest of her family at a family dinner. "Well, for starters, he looks like he's twenty." She passed it to Edward. "He wouldn't be a model for thirty years if that wasn't the case." She took the phone back as Edward seemed intent on crushing it. She slipped it into her pocket, shrugging. "I'm sorry I lied to all of you... but if word even slipped that I wasn't Bella Swan... well, it would have been ... very bad. Paparazzi, too much news on it. So, I'm returning with a little dignity, at least. I leave at six in the morning."
"Then we're going to Italy," Carlisle nodded.
"Vanni's jet is in Seattle," Bella informed them. "I'll let Maria know you're my entourage... Dante probably won't be here. He has his own shoots, but Estelle will be. She's the pilot."
"Estelle?"
"Dante's sister," Alice buzzed. "Oh, I can't wait to meet her!"
"Will we be able to meet your real parents?" Emmett asked.
Bella nodded. "They'll no doubt want to meet everyone... I give it about three minutes before they start to feed you... So if you don't mind that, then yes."
"Sweet!" Emmett cried. "I'll barf it up, hun, I don't care. As long as we get to stick with you."
Bella laughed, shaking her head. "You'll regret it three pasta dishes in. My mother likes to make people eat... especially me."
"We'll live," Alice insisted. She squealed suddenly and grabbed the magazine off of Rosalie's lap, opening it to a page. "But, can we get your autograph?"
"No," Bella reminded them. "Not until I get to my calendar shoot."
Alice pouted, but nodded. "Then we can watch everything I've ever seen with you in it! I've had visions of this moment for weeks." She buzzed and left the room, only to come back with a dvd in her hands. "I've been making this DVD for weeks, now. It's so exciting! A real celebrity!"
Bella groaned. "Alice, I really don't want to watch myself."
"Too bad."
The DVD was put into the tv and Bella sighed in resignation as her face appeared. It was a compiliation of photos and video footage - mostly of catwalks, press conferences, and any other embarrassing news story.
"Graziella Severno, supermodel for Giovanni Giorezzi has been rushed to the hospital! Why this has occurred we are not sure, and any information about the topic is not being disclosed."
"Severe food poisoning," Bella muttered. This was why she didn't want to watch it. They would learn more than she wanted them to.
"Graziella Severno and Dante Giorezzi have broken up!" Edward seemed interested in this. "Graziella was seen leaving her apartment in tears this morning and cursing to her ex-boyfriend inside. This footage captured by paparazzi shows just what transpired-"
Bella, a much more fit and beautiful Bella than the one watching, was shouting at the front door, demanding that the whore in his bed be kicked out on the street. She was also demanding he open the door. Marie was there, trying to get her to stop making a spectacle.
Dante appeared at the door suddenly and Bella stopped shouting at something he said. She laughed and turned, walking towards the garage to get her car. It was opening, as she had locked herself out in her rage. Bella remembered the moment well. Dante grabbed her arm, making her spin around. He said something quietly to her, once more, and she pulled out of his grasp, slapping him. Of course, it only hurt her hand, but the idea of it made her feel good at the time.
Bella rolled her eyes, watching as she was kissed in front of all the paparazzi.
Edward, predictably, growled. "You guys got back together," Alice stated brightly.
"Of course," Bella nodded. "I was angry because I caught some drunk girl in his bed while he was in the shower. He had let her sleep it off in the bedroom, while all the other bedrooms were full with other drunk guests. A misunderstanding."
"And you believed that?"
"Dante doesn't lie." The scene kept changing, constantly going from event to event, talking about her dresses, her love life... anything they could ask.
"I don't like the way he looks at you," Edward stated.
"Too bad."
Once the three hour run down of everything that had happened in Graziella's life was played, there was silence for a moment.
"Bella, can I talk to you?"
This was it, wasn't it? The moment he blew up privately. Bella glanced at Alice for some hint but the woman just grimaced. Not pleasant. Of course not. Bella sighed, but followed her... boyfriend into the other room, but he kept walking until they were at the woodline.
"You can't expect me to let you live with him again," Edward started.
"It's where I live," Bella said, leaving no other option. "I own it, it's in my name. He lives there with me because it's too dangerous for me to stay there by myself. Who knows what crazy fans there are. Besides, Dante and I are over. We aren't dating, we're friends. He knows that. I know that. You need to know that."
"And when you get there, what's the chance that you'll suddenly be all interested in him again?"
"None," Bella snapped. "He's my ex-boyfriend, my boss's son. He's my best friend... there's nothing going on with us anymore besides that."
"We'll buy you a new home," Edward said immediately. "Live anywhere but with him."
"No," Bella said finally. "I'm not changing my life for your comfort. This life has been in place a lot longer than you have been in mine. I'm not changing my life for you."
"I'm in your life now," Edward growled, furious. "I'm the one that you should be living with, not him."
"So, what? Now that you're in my life, you expect me to stay Bella Swan?" Bella cried. "You expect me to be the girl you met. I'm not Bella Swan. I have friends all over the world, I travel, I speak four different languages, I model, I'm pretty and I have money. I have a Fiat and I know designers. I'm not Bella Swan. I'm Graziella Severno. A farmer's daughter that got lucky-"
"You don't have to be!" Edward interrupted. "You can still be Bella Swan!"
"Do I want to be?" Bella demanded. "Do I want to be Bella Swan? No! I have a family, I have a life in Italy. You can't expect me to give that up for you!"
"You were going to!"
"Who says I would have stayed here forever? I would have had to go to Italy tomorrow no matter what! I was going to put it off, wait maybe, but I wasn't going to never go! I knew how much Maria would be mad at me for not doing as I was told. I knew I would be under a rigorous schedule! I wasn't ever going to give it up, though! Just because I'm reluctant to go back doesn't mean it's for you! It's because I know what's awaiting me over there."
"And what's so important that's over there?"
"My mother and my father! My brothers and sisters, my boss, my job, my life," Bella stressed. Edward scoffed. "The only reason I moved here was to finish school. I never wanted to stay. I never would have."
"Not even for me?"
"No."
"Then quit your job. Call your boss and quit."
She laughed bitterly, shaking her head. "I'll never quit my job. I love it. It's the best job in the world. And I couldn't quit, even if I were to call. The legal process is long. My contract lasts for another three years. And then it's renewed for another five under a different agency. I've already signed up to them-"
"So tell them no!"
"I can't," Bella stressed. "You don't say no to this company... I've been training for them already. I can't throw it all away. They don't let you-"
"You can get out of everything," Edward spat.
She didn't even know what Edward this was anymore. An angry and jealous Edward? One that saw only him and her. No other people in either of their lives. She had people in her life, and they were people she wouldn't give up. "Just like I'm getting out of this... this relationship. I guess they were right. Jealousy does bring out what a person's like. I'm not going to be in this relationship with you... not when you demand things like that of me."
Instantly, he softened. "Bella-"
"I'm not listening to you anymore. I'm going to Italy, I'm living in my villa, and I'm going to have dessert with my family every Sunday. I'm sorry that's a problem for you, but it's no longer my problem. Have fun."
She turned, slamming the back door behind her as she walked back into the house. Her feet, still bare, showed mud as she stepped on the rug by the door and she sighed, stepping back outside and rubbing the bottoms of her feet along the cement steps. Once she was sure they were clean, she reslammed the door and strode into the living room.
"I need to pack," she said stiffly. "But I'm stranded here because Edward forced me in his car."
"I'll drive," Emmett offered. "Ugh, are you going to get shoes?" he called as Bella started to walk to the front door. At least someone thought of shoes.
"No," Bella stated simply. "There's no point now."
"Alright, then." Emmett opened the door for her, appearing in a second, and she walked out into the now night. She waited for Emmett to unlock the jeep before she got into the passenger seat, snapping the buckle in. "If it's worth anything, I think you should stay a model."
She appreciated it, she really did. "Thanks, Emmett."
"Uh, is Dante single?"
"Yes. He's not really dating Heidi... uh, that's just what I told my parents about the break-up... so they wouldn't demand we get back together." She glanced at him. "Why? Interested in him?"
"No. I think Rose is though."
Bella swallowed. "Yes, well... Dante likes... foreign tastes."
"We're sort of falling out," Emmett admitted. "Not just you and Edward. Rose and I haven't been the same... It's been about three years since I got laid."
Bella laughed. "And I take it that's a shock to you?"
"Considering we used to not be able to make it through a school day? Yeah. Ever since we moved to this town." Bella glanced at the trees as they passed. "So, she'll probably make a move on Dante."
"Probably." Bella glanced at him. "I'm sorry about that. You're a great guy, Emmett. She should see that."
"Yeah, it's whatever." He turned towards the town and exhaled, reaching for the radio. Hard core music began playing. "So, I say we drown in our sorrows."
Bella laughed again, shaking her head. "No, I can't be drowning in my sorrows. Vanni would kill me if I looked upset. Edward's a dick. I should have known he'd take it this way."
"You're a model. That's freaking awesome. Every guy's secret fantasy. Edward's just a douche. Do you know how many times I'm dreamed Rosie would tell me she became a model?" Emmett sighed to exemplify it was a lot. "And you? I mean, you've always been beautiful, but you kept telling Alice you hated fashion-"
"I despise fashion and shopping," Bella interrupted. "Not just hate."
"No one would have ever guessed." Emmett shrugged. "Good for you for dumping Edward though. He gets on my nerves."
"He's still a member of your family," Bella snorted. "It's not like he's gone."
"He'll probably go cry in Alaska for a few days," Emmett shrugged. Bella smiled, picturing it. "Maybe some penguins will cry with him-"
"There aren't penguins in Alaska!" Bella giggled.
He shrugged. "Still fucking cold."
"You don't feel the cold," Bella rolled her eyes. It was silent a moment before she murmured. "Thanks for making me feel better."
"It's what I do best." She didn't doubt it. He was always funny, always optimistic.
"I hope this means you'll be making the long flight bright and funny as well."
"Of course."
"And Rosalie... and Dante... I can talk to Dante... tell him to decline her advances. He would, you know, if I asked," Bella offered.
He shrugged. "I suppose it wouldn't matter if she did or not. She'd still want to." Bella knew he was right. "She can do what she wants. She's already been talking about divorce papers."
"I suppose it's the best ones that always end up unhappy," Bella admitted quietly. Emmett offered no return comment and Bella didn't find she wanted one. She sat in silence as Emmett tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, a nervous habit, perhaps? When they pulled into the driveway, he turned off the jeep, but didn't unlock the doors. Bella waited for him to make some movement, but he was still, almost scarily so.
"It's fucking hot you hid being a model, you know," Emmett spoke after a few minutes.
Bella laughed quietly. "You said so already, but I'm glad someone thinks it's awesome."
"Of course it's awesome! Why wouldn't it be?"
"I don't know," Bella shrugged. She pulled out her phone as it buzzed, exhaling in frustration as it indicated that it was Marie. "I wish people would just ... leave me alone, you know? I just... I like the silence sometimes... not all the time, but it's good every once in a while. Helps you think."
"Do you want silence?"
She slid her phone in her pocket, making no move to get out of the car. "I think so. That's how a lot of break-ups are. There's a ridiculous amount of silence and you feel like there's this missing piece, but there isn't. It's really just a readjustment phase to get your life back to how it was before your ex-boyfriend entered it."
"Never known a life before Rose," Emmett admitted. "Not that I remember anyway... I mean, there was my human life, but I don't remember too much."
She glanced at him in surprise. "What do you remember? I've never heard your story... Rosalie just mentioned a little bit of it."
"The bear attack," Emmett clarified. He nodded slowly, deep in thought. "I'll tell you sometime. Not now."
She nodded and watched as he turned the music off. "Thank you, for driving me home... I probably would have kept walking and ... well, the wolves would have probably come across me on the side of the road."
"With your luck you would have been kidnapped." She smiled at that. She unbuckled, adjusting her wet hair, before she grabbed the door handle. Just as she pulled it, the door locked so she couldn't get out. "Emmett-"
"We could just drive, you know."
"Sorry?"
"We could just drive around for a bit, get whatever's on our minds... just focus on the present and keep driving."
"You're killing the planet," Bella pointed out, "with how much you drive your jeep already."
"Then a run."
It sounded good, actually. "Can I get shoes on first?"
"Yeah, sure."
She nodded and unlocked the door, hurrying inside and grabbing some tennis shoes and setting her phone on the counter, scribbling a note for Charlie telling him he just needed to heat up dinner in the fridge. Leftovers. When she walked back outside, Emmett was waiting on her front porch, staring into the woods.
"Wolves are watching."
"They're always watching," Bella admitted. She looked around. "So... where are we going again?"
"Just around the town, as many times as you want." She nodded and he turned his back to her, bending his knees slightly so she could get up. She jumped, wrapping her arms around his neck and his arms grabbed her legs. And they ran.
She didn't know for how long, but when they finally stopped, they were standing on the roof of the football stadium at Forks High, the moon showing through the clouds. Bella, just slightly cold, sat carefully on the edge, looking at the quiet town below them. Emmett stood there for a while, staring at the sky.
"Is it scary?" Bella asked. "That Rose wants a divorce."
"Oh, yeah, really scary."
She nodded. "And... the whole seventy years thing?"
"Like it never happened."
She frowned. "Is it always like that with your kind?"
"Sometimes. If a couple aren't true mates... yeah, it happens often. Rose and I aren't," he added when she glanced at him in confusion. "True mates. We... we've just been attracted to each other for a long time." She nodded, looking back out to the town. "A connection with a true mate is different. Like Alice and Jasper. They move in sync. They know what the other needs before they say it, though Alice sort of cheats a little bit."
"Jasper can, too," Bella said quietly. "He can feel what she needs."
"You and Edward aren't, no matter how much he tried to convince you or himself. A singer isn't a mate." Bella had always had that feeling. The way he said he loved her ... it was like he was convincing himself he did. "You moved robotically. He moulded you to move when he did. He wanted the mateship he hasn't had."
They remained in silence for a while, both thinking on what he said and what was implied. She had wasted a year of her life on Edward, mourning him when he was gone... and they weren't meant to be. She had no idea true mateship existed, of course, but... the hope that someone out there was meant for her made her feel... well not as bad.
"I need to pack," Bella said once the local church chimed ten. "Marie's going to kill me if I'm not ready to go by five in the morning."
"Want help?"
"Do you want to help?" Bella asked, confused. "I'm sure you have things to do at home-"
"Alice has no doubt already packed us," Emmett shrugged. "She knows what to bring to Italy. I've never gone." She didn't expect that. In eighty years, Rose had never been able to drag him away on a fashion week once? "You could probably use the inhuman speed, too."
"Yeah, probably," Bella sighed. He jumped her down and then the run back was impossibly fast. Charlie was home, of course, but didn't seem too concerned when she waltz through the door as though it was perfectly normal she had been out late.
"Take a walk?"
"Yeah, I ..." She glanced at Emmett, before looking back at Charlie. "They know about Mama and Papa back in Italy... I'm heading back there. I'll have Mr. Marcello send his information to you, to get everything legally cleared up here with me..." She glanced at Emmett. "I'm leaving in a few hours, so you might not be up... thank you, Charlie, for everything."
Charlie smiled. "Anything to help out my daughter-in-law. You send Emiliana my best, alright?"
"Of course. I'll tell her to call, too, because good Lord, she hasn't called in a while." Bella hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek. "Emmett's going to help me pack, and carry my stuff to the airport. I need the muscle."
Charlie snorted. "Do whatever. You know I couldn't care less." He nodded to Emmett. "You're a good kid, son. Better than that brother of yours." There was a moment of silence as everyone tried to figure out what to say. "I'd hurry up and pack then. Emily's told me stories of Marie."
"Trust me, the real Marie is a lot worse," Bella winked. "I love you, Charlie. Goodnight."
"Yeah, night, kiddo."
He ruffled her hair and she swatted it away before gesturing for Emmett to follow her upstairs. She didn't think he had been in her bedroom before. She stood there a moment, staring at all of the clothing she needed to pack, and all of the things that were going to take forever to pack. "Well... good thing you're fast," she admitted.
He snorted. "Innuendos? Kinda bruising my ego-"
"Oh, you know that's not what I meant!" Bella blushed, shaking her head. She moved towards her bed, kneeling down to pull out the three large suitcases that were buried under there. One was half full of foundation. "Good news is, I have more space for everything Alice has bought me in the last six months."
"She's bought you a lot?" Emmett questioned. He paused. "Wait, don't answer that. We all know the answer." The answer was most definitely yes. She unzipped them all and flung open the tops, letting Emmett close the bedroom door, before she sighed.
"You sure you want to help me pack?" she questioned, glancing as he stepped over her suitcases to open up her closet. He whistled at the sheer lack of clothing inside.
"Well... this is certainly a lot of clothes. I don't know if we can do this in time."
"Was that you trying to inflate your ego again?" Bella quipped, and he grinned at her. "Sorry, I have a lot of brothers. And my ex-boyfriend was about as childish as a thirteen year old that's just discovered porn." Emmett raised an eyebrow. "Not everything I say is literal, Em." She sighed and stood beside him, knocking him with her shoulder. "Half of this stuff I might donate, because I won't wear this ever again..." She grabbed a few sweaters, things she often wore to bed. "These I'll keep." She tossed them over her shoulder in the suitcase's general direction.
"You pack worse than me."
"I'm just going to unpack it later," Bella muttered. "What's the point?"
"What about this?" Emmett asked suddenly, digging into the rack of clothing until he produced a hanger with a few lacey materials. He raised an eyebrow in interest as Bella blushed. "I say keep."
"Obviously," Bella smiled. "I like those."
He glanced back at the lingerie. "Me too." He tossed it back and then held out another clothing item. All donations landed on her bed, and all keeps went in the suitcase. Admittedly, more things went to donation than the keep pile.
"I still have clothes in Italy," Bella told him. "They probably don't fit me. I've gained a bit of weight here... Charlie's not exactly healthy. But, I'll get to that again... I sort of have to anyway... Exercise... yay..." Bella sighed as she collapsed on her bed, exhausted. And they hadn't even gotten to the dresser yet. "Can we just throw the dresser on the bed, too?"
"I call the knicker drawer."
"Knickers?" Bella question. "Who even calls it that anymore? My underwear drawer is off limits-"
"Nuh-uh," Emmett grinned childishly before he was suddenly across the room, pulling open her dresser drawers. He used the whole breadth of his arms to scoop clothing items out, throwing them in the direction of her suitcase, and miraculously landing a bit in there. Apparently, he didn't seem to want to ask if she was going to keep those. Eh, she'll just go through them in Italy.
She really didn't care either way.
"Ooo... Lookie." Bella groaned, glancing up. She did not want to know what found him interested in her 'knicker drawer.'
"Emmett!" Bella cried, mortified. He didn't seem embarrassed in the lightest as he casually held the adult toy between two fingers. "Oh my God," Bella groaned before she started to laugh. "I had a very sexual boyfriend, alright? And Edward was basically... a slab of concrete that acted like a sidewalk in a relationship."
"Hot."
"Put it somewhere, but please stop talking about it," Bella pleaded. "You're such a creep."
He tossed it towards one of her suitcases, and then kept going through the drawer. "Anything else I should know about?"
"No, promise," Bella muttered. She fell back onto the bed and sighed, grabbing her phone. Her fingers began to type a message to Marie, instructing her on what needed to be on the plane to get her ready. "I need wax, lotion, tweezers, deep conditioner, black hair dye, possibly Dante to get me into shape, a manicure, a pedicure, exfoliation, and a bunch of other beauty shit... ugh, I already want to escape. Hey, Em, if we run to the Russian tundra, we can live peacefully until I lose my looks, right?"
"Name it and it's done," Emmett shrugged, stretched a piece of underwear as though it was a rubberband. He shot it in the direction of her suitcase and she rolled her eyes before sending the text to Marie. Marie would get it probably in a few minutes and already be on her way to the nearest convenience stores and locations to get her what Bella needed to be ready. "So, how many siblings?"
"Well, I'm the youngest. My oldest brother is eight years older than me, Riccardo. We all call him Ricki," Bella said quietly, a small smile on her face as Emmett kept digging through her underwear drawer. "His wife is Emiliana, Charlie's daughter. They have two children, who I used to babysit a lot. Giosetia and Liborio. Then there's my older sister Theresa. She's a year younger than Ricki, and she's married to Mauel. They have two kids too, Fernando and Georgina. Sophia is a year younger, and she's married to Emanuel, who she met studying abroad in Spain. They have three kids, triplets, Fausto, Felice, and Fina. Ambrose and Alonzo are twins, and they're twenty three. Ambrose married Fiorenza and they have Silviana, who is ... two months?" Bella shrugged. "Alonzo married Gabriella, who is French, and they have Francesca and Flora, but Gabriella calls her Fleur more often than not. Then there's Amelia and Aurora, both twenty, and twins. Amelia married Giannino, and they have Ginevro. Aurora married Giorgio they have Gisella. Camelo is my youngest brother and he's a year older than me, and he's married to Daniella." She glanced to Emmett. "Nine of us total. My parents started late."
"Holy shit, Bella."
"All of them work at the bakery my parents own every other day. They take shifts. And none of them live with my parents. I think Mama and Papa are kinda glad with the privacy. And then there's me, the youngest, and the reckless. Graziella, the model and the one that probably didn't do things at all how her parents wanted her to."
"All of your siblings married young."
"Mama really encouraged it," Bella snorted. "They're older, and were in their thirties when we were all born. Early forties for me and Cam. So... yeah, we sort of really didn't have a choice. Ricki got married at twenty two, and so did Theresa. Sophie was around twenty one? Twenty? Ambrose was a year ago, Alzono was two years ago. So, twenty one. Amelisa was right out of high school. Aurora was in her first year of university. And Camelo was right out of high school, too. I'm sort of the odd duck. No high school sweetheart to marry - which they almost all had. And no soul mate. Mama and Papa were quite confident I'd marry Dante, but then I sort of nipped that in the bud when I moved here." Bella gave him a sheepish smile. "We would have never worked out, so I was okay with that, and he was too."
"Alice and Rosalie sort of worship you," Emmett admitted. "Like, before you moved here and stuff, they followed your fashion and everything you did. It was all they really did when they talked about fashion. So... this is a big thing for them, too. They're going to want to go everywhere with you."
"And unfortunately they will be unable to," Bella snorted. "I don't go anywhere different than usual. And I mostly stay in my villa all day unless my job demands something."
"Good luck telling them that." Bella had a guess they'd want to meet everyone they could. "So... I think I finished packing for you."
She glanced at the bags, completely full and the assortment of things that would be donated. "Ugh... this is going to be a nightmare to get to the airport." She glanced to Emmett suddenly. "What do I do about my friends here? Text? Sever all ties?" She didn't know.
"Well, the wolves would get a bit worried if they never hear from you again."
"You're right," Bella admitted. She bit her lip. "So, text. I'll do it when I'm in Italy. Maybe FaceTime Angela or something..." She sighed. "How do you guys do it? Just up and leave and never see anyone again?"
"It's why we don't make friends," Emmett informed her. "Easy to break ties."
She supposed that made sense. "I guess I need to hit the road at one, then, to make it to the airport in time." It was eleven now, and she was starving from her lack of food all day, running around with Emmett.
"I'll put your suitcases in the Jeep, and then we can run these bags to a donation bank in Port Angeles on our way to Seattle, if you want." She glanced to him in surprise, his suggestion being really reasonable. "And between Port Angeles and now, we can pick up some food. You probably want some ridiculously fancy meal, huh? Taco Bell or McDonalds?"
Bella giggled. "I was thinking of something a little more one star. That Italian restaurant in Port Angeles Edward took me too? It was really good."
Emmett gave a snort. "What a cheapo." Bella just grinned. "Toss the donation bags out the window. I'll catch them. That way I don't have to worry about you tripping down the stairs and dying."
"Good plan," Bella spoke up, and once he disappeared with her luggage, the three large suitcases full of things, she propped open her window with a board and began hefting up the trashbags. She could barely see Emmett pushing her things into the back of his Jeep, but when he moved towards the house once more, she shoved the bag down and watched as he caught it, giving her a cheeky grin. "What a weirdo," she muttered, knowing he could hear her.
The other bags followed in the same fashion - she was quite sure that Emmett's jeep was full to the brim with the way he kept shoving at the last bag. Grabbing a tote bag, she began to take all of her items out of the bathroom. Once she finished with that, she grabbed her phone from her bedroom and gave the room a final once over. She had everything she needed. She wrote another note to Charlie quickly, thanking him for everything, and left a small bit of cash to pay him back for the month - Marie already sent him a check every month despite Charlie's protestations. But this month he hadn't received a check yet so this would have to do.
She had really grown fond of Charlie in the two years she had been in Forks. He was loyal, and funny, and despite being awkward, he had a good heart. He really did miss Emiliana and she would have to make sure they could visit each other more often - in the form of generous airplane tickets that would let her and the kids go back and forth, or even allow Charlie to visit her whenever he could. She could only remember Charlie being in Italy for the wedding, and that had been almost impossible with how much tickets had cost and the fact that he had insisted on paying for a majority of the wedding.
She left her bedroom door open, before leaving her keys on the hook by the door as she locked up. And then she was on her way to Italy.
Well, not entirely. She shoved her tote bag down by her feet, seeing a text from Marie insisting that everything was going to be ready for her. It put some relief to her - knowing that she'd at least look almost ready for the shoot. The weight on the other hand... well, almost was better than not ready at all.
They dropped off the donations around the back of the Goodwill, and then headed towards the restaurant, nearly five blocks over.
"So, is this place even open at eleven thirty?" Emmett asked.
Bella frowned. "Probably not. If not, we may need to upscale it to Taco Bell. They don't have that in Italy." But when they pulled into the parking lot, the restaurant was open, until the late hour of one on a Saturday night in the summer. "Is Port Angeles really that popular?" Bella asked him.
"No idea. Never been here this late." She pulled open her door, stepping out of the Jeep carefully so that she didn't fall and nearly kill herself, and pulled her hair back into a pony tail. Emmett pulled open the door for her, giving a look over of her body in apparent approval. It caused Bella to roll her eyes.
"I'm wearing shorts, Emmett, not lingerie."
"I did see your knicker drawer."
"Underwear, and that doesn't mean anything." He apparently disagreed.
"I can see you wearing some of it in my head, not my fault." Like it was hers? But they were seated by the hostess and Bella ordered the chicken parmesan, reminding her very much of her mother. "I thought you liked the mushroom raviolli?"
"I hate mushroom raviolli," Bella snorted. "I didn't know what to order and that was the first thing I saw. Edward's told everyone I loved it since, and I didn't have the heart to tell Esme after she made it."
Emmett seemed surprised. "Oh. Er, right."
"And for you?" the waiter questioned, glancing to Emmett only briefly before glancing back towards Bella, like she knew what he wanted.
"We're sharing," Bella spoke up, saving Emmett the need to stomach some other food that he shouldn't have been eating. Bella knew her mother would probably push the limits of how much a vampire could stomach. Her mother made every guest eat far too much food. The waiter glanced between the two of them, obviously taking in Emmett's large size.
"Very well, if that's all."
It was. Her smirk only widened as she glanced towards Emmett, who was giving her a once over, yet again. "Sharing, huh?"
"Well, you'll be the gentlemen and let me eat most of it, of course," Bella admitted. She gave a smile as the waiter dropped off their glasses of water and sipped from it, before clearing her throat. "So, what exactly is your family doing? Aren't they wondering where you are?"
"Alice knows I'm with you. She can see it, remember?" Emmett answered. Bella supposed she should have thought about that. "But, I'm sure she'll give us a call when they leave the house."
"Right, well, the flight's at six, and it takes a good three hours to get to the airport. And I always give myself two hours to get through security and whatnot." Bella shrugged lightly. "I'd like it if they could be there around four, get through security and meet at the plane by five thirty. If that's possible."
"You know they'll probably get there around then," Emmett admitted. "Alice and Rose go a bit senile when getting ready for that stuff."
"Stuff? Traveling? They seem pretty cool about it."
Emmett laughed, not his booming laugh, but Bella guessed it was somewhere close. "Nightmares. Alice always chatters about the flight projection, if it's going to delay or not, if our pilot will have a cocktail or not. It's annoying as hell. And Rosalie practically freaks out about packing." Bella 'humm'ed and was surprised to find the dish being presented to them. A large plate of pasta with breaded chicken covered in sauce.
"Thank you," Bella said politely, and then they were left alone. Bella dug in and Emmett did his part to make it look like he ate, but she saw how quick he was in scooping it off of his fork as well. "I'm sorry about you and Rose." He paused, his glass of water nearing the potted plant that he had been discreetly spilling its contents into. "You don't deserve to be hurt like that."
"It would have happened eventually. I'm just glad it didn't stretch on for another twenty to thirty years and then she decided to end it, you know?" Emmett shrugged.
Bella knew. "That's how Dante and I were. We were fantastic, we loved each other so much, and... I still wanted more, you know? But we kept going, thinking one day, maybe we'd get there. Maybe one day we'd ... find more. And we drifted apart a lot, but we'd always promise each other we didn't. And..." She gave him a small smile. "Well, it dragged out for a good year and a half before we split for good. We just... needed to finally cut it off. Because it was putting more strain on us to be together than it should have been. We may not have had the decades you and Rose did, but we certainly could have if it had gone on."
"Yeah," Emmett said quietly. "This Dante guy... he's a good guy, right?"
"He's great," Bella smiled. "Really nice. He and my brothers get along well, and he and my papa are best friends." She gave a wry smile. "If Rose does go for him... he'll treat her well. He's not just going to sleep with her or anything."
"Well I mean, he is human so... chances are Rosalie won't even-" Bella winced and Emmett paused. "He's one of us, isn't he?" Bella dropped her gaze to her water glass, scratching at her temple as she tried to deflect the question. "But you didn't know about us-"
"He's fifty three years old and he looks like he's twenty two," Bella said under her breath. "You kind of see what that means, right? He only works for Giorezzi fashion because his real employers allow him to. He's in complete control and... I'm sorry, but you know how the family would have freaked out if I told them. Edward would have killed me... Alice and Rosalie know, especially if they've gone to fashion week. I'm pretty sure Alice was going to say something about it, but I stopped her tonight." Bella glanced up, her eyes pleading with Emmett. "You can't even think about telling them. Not until we land in Milan."
"I don't understand how the Volturi would even allow that to happen," Emmett admitted. "Don't people wonder how they keep looking so young?"
"I'll explain when we land," Bella promised. "And I'm sure Dante will explain, too... But... If your family finds out, especially Edward, they'll try to keep me from going to Italy... And I know you won't. That's why I'm telling you. Please don't think about it. They'd never hurt you or your family, I assure you. They are good people."
"So, that's why you weren't so freaked out," Emmett muttered. "And how you guessed what we were so quickly."
"And how I knew something was seriously wrong when Edward was so tense in Bio, yeah," Bella snorted. "This isn't my first fang rodeo. But I do have very powerful friends, and those friends will protect me at all costs. I'm very valuable to them." She set down her fork, full, and chewed on her lip. "It's why I wanted to change. I had already been thinking about it since I was sixteen."
"But you're a model. That's practically a huge no-no."
"I know. But there are loopholes. And if Bella Swan could be changed, not Graziella, that would be one of them. I wouldn't look like this when I changed. I'd be pale, and more beautiful. People would think I got plastic surgery if they ever recognized me, but most likely not. I wouldn't be drawing attention to myself. I'd be in America with a family that looked normal, too."
"Well this seems like a huge mess."
"Not once I explain," Bella promised, grinning. "Then, it's going to all make sense."
"I wish it made sense now," Emmett admitted.
"All in due time," Bella winked. Yet a part of her was wondering if any of them would be horrified by the secret world of the modeling industry. It wasn't pretty, and there were much darker secrets than most of them could speculate at.