I'd Follow You (rewrite)
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or it's characters. This will be a M for dark(ish) themes.
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The door opened before I reached it and automatically my right hand went to rip the ring off my left. It was just about to come off when the voice I had missed the most stopped me.
"There's no point taking it off. I know your engaged to someone." Edward sighed as he quickly brushed past me. Whirling around I saw his muscular back descend down the stairs. His copper hair was a little shorter than when I left and he seemed taller.
Automatically I followed him towards the kitchen only to see him sat at the table with two glasses of juice. One in front of him and one opposite him. From the side I could admit that he had grown into a very beautiful man – though he always had been.
Slowly I sat opposite him and felt my eyebrows push together due to his smug grin on his face. His own face had a faint bruise under his right eye but had matured and everything just seemed to fit.
Just as I was about to open my mouth he cut me off.
"I'm not signing the papers." His voice was firm but his eyes were bright. Why was he acting so civil? . . . wait – what did he say?
"What?"
"You heard me. I'm not signing your goddam divorce papers sugar-tits." he smirked at me as he added the last bit knowing how much I hated being called that. My patience was starting to slip.
"You need to sign the papers." I snapped after taking a deep breath. Grabbing my drink I downed it in two gulps hoping it would calm me down. The taste of apple distracted me for a second until I noticed the smile slipping off his face.
"I don't need to do anything." Why was he so fucking stubborn!
"Yes you do. Stop being an ass and sign the papers!" Finally I snapped as a snatched the divorce papers out of my bag and pushed them towards him. This caused him to snap.
"I'm being an ass? Oh that's fucking rich. You show up here after five years and demand a divorce and I'm the ass? Who are you to be making demands anyway!" His voice was at a calm level but he was speaking through clenched teeth.
This was not meant to be happening this way.
"I've sent you these papers four times already. If you'd signed them I wouldn't be fucking here, would I? You said you would divorce me if I found Mr. Right and I have so . Sign. The. Fucking. Papers!"
He smirked at me again and I really wanted to slap it off his stupid face.
"No. This "Mr. Right"" - he made air quotes and snorted humorlessly when my hands clenched - "doesn't know anything about you, the real you. Stop trying to kid yourself." and with that he walked away into the living room and turned on the TV. Letting out a scream of frustration I felt like I was nineteen again and not twenty-six.
"Edward. You don't know me anymore, I'm not the same stupid girl who married her best friend because she was drunk." I spat out as I stormed into the room. Even after all these years I saw his perfect mask flinch as he tried to not show any emotion.
"How you wound me." He sighed sarcastically with an eye role. For a second I felt bad and wanted to take back my words, he had always been there for me, he had been my rock for so many years, he was – lets not go down that path Bella.
"Edward." I finally sighed and found myself standing next to his chair.
"Until he knows the real Bella, I'm not signing anything. I'm not going to change my mind. I'm not enjoying this. I'm just trying to stop you from getting hurt." He mumbled as he turned the TV off and faced me. He was speaking so honestly to me that it was if I'd never left.
I cleared my throat and blinked to push back the tears that had surfaced.
"I know you're only trying to look out for me but he knows me and he loves me . . . please, just sign the papers." I pleaded and was ignored.
"Edward!"
He ignored me again. And again. And again.
"Urck! Stop being such a bastard about this! What are you five! Be a man for once if you life!" I was full out screaming as I pushed myself away from him and started to pace around the room. He jumped to his feet and started to storm towards me with his face twisted into a sneer.
The front door was forcible pushed open and both our head snapped towards the figure barging in on our argument.
"E-Emmett?"
"Oh, you recognize me then? I thought you must have forgotten all about us or been in some accident because no one just ignores their own family for five years." My very very very angry big brother snapped as he moved towards us. On impulse I moved closer to Edward and it seemed that it was the same impulse that made him stand in front of me just slightly.
Emmett had always been large, even when we were little – he was large. Yet over the last five years he became HUGE. One of his arms seemed as big as my head. Maybe it was because I had been arguing with Edward, or maybe it was because I was aunty and had never met my nephew, or maybe it was because my big brother was looking at me like he wanted to spit at me or it could have been a mix of things but suddenly I launched myself at Emmett and found myself sobbing in his chest.
He didn't respond straightaway but then he wrapped his huge arms around me and trapped me against him just like he used to do when we were little.
"Oh Bella." I felt rather than heard him mumble. I had been pushing away all these feelings for years but dammit I missed my family. I wanted them to get along with Angela. I wanted to check my phone to see stupid texts off them. I just wanted them, but I also wanted them so accept who I was now . . . and who I was with.
I was too busy enjoying being back in my brothers arms to pay attention to whatever he was saying to Edward. I could feel his chest move or when his arms tightened around me briefly but all I could think was: the last time he held me like this was when mom left.
"Bella?" Emmett asked as he loosened his arms around me but instead of letting me stand on my own I found myself standing near Edward. When I looked up to see the look on his face he sent me a sad smile before lightly running his hand down my arm – something he hadn't done since we were teenagers. That used to be his way of saying he was there for me.
"Yeh?" I sounded confused and I was because in the space of ten minutes Edward Cullen had done a 180 flip.
"Everyone is coming to say hey." Emmett continued. I felt my eyebrows raise. There was no way my parents and in-laws were coming. "Dad wants to see you tomorrow" Emmett hesitated at this.
And just like that I felt like a was seven again and about to be told off for not tiding my room. Swallowing I nodded. I could do that hopefully.
"He still loves you, you know. They all do." Edward said as soon as Emmett went to open the door to all the other people I just left. I looked into his eyes are saw that they were darker than normal, they seemed almost emerald green right now. I nodded because I couldn't express how much his words meant to me – even if they were lies.
I went back to looking at the floor and pacing. What if Alice doesn't talk to me? I mean she rang me a year after I left and asked me home for Christmas, but that was the year I needed to stay at home working. What if Rosalie hates me now?
I felt smaller arms wrap around me suddenly and then heard some giddy babble from my new huger. Alice.
"I knew you'd come back! I knew it, I knew it! I'm so happy." She was so happy that I didn't have the heart to tell her that I planned on leaving tomorrow – though now I seem to have plans.
She was still as small as she always was. Her hair was cut shorter and she still looked ridiculously good and to think she was a mother.
"Alice move, I want to hug my baby sister." Rosalie's throaty laugh caused me to look up. Alice didn't move so Rosalie just hugged around her. I could feel my face moving to a strange half smile of confusion. They weren't just hugging me they were squeezing the life out of me – and I really didn't care. Edward told them to back off when he could tell I was getting lightheaded from the lack of blood flow.
Rosalie looked beautiful. Her blonde hair was up and she was quickly brushing away a few tears that fell from her bright blue eyes. She still had a few inches over me but her height suited her. They both finally released me and I saw that Jasper was talking to Emmett who had decided to take up the whole sofa. He sent me another wave, I sent one back with only a little hesitation.
"Let me see! Let me see! Let me see it!" Alice giggled and my ringed hand was suddenly yanked from my side to her face. I studied both Rosalie's and Alice's face as they looked at my ring.
Rosalie's whole face twitched before she sighed and sent me a smile. Alice's eyebrows pushed together before a look of surprise took over. Alice started to twist my hand slightly as she continued to study my ring.
"Do you like it?" Rosalie asked as Alice twisted my hand around.
"Why wouldn't I like it?" Because it's huge and is heavy!
"Well -" Rosalie started before cutting herself off and shaking her head slightly. Obviously she had been thinking the same thing as I had.
Looking down at my engagement ring I felt awful for not liking it as much as I should. It was a thick gold ring that housed a larger gold circle full of tiny diamonds with one larger diamond in the middle. Anything but simple, but it was Mike's way of showing his love for me so for that reason alone I loved it.
"It's one hell of a ring Bella." Alice practically giggled as she finally let my hand fall to my side. She took a step back and looked me dead in the eyes. Although I tried not to I found feel myself shifting nervously.
"You're in a dress." I blinked as her statement clicked in my head. All that nervousness for that? I just looked at her with my eyebrows pushed up. "You're in a dress and not in jeans." she continued as if that had been obvious.
Just as I was about to ask her what she on about my phone started to chirp from my bag. Following the sound to the kitchen I reached into my bag and pulled it out and flicked it open as quickly as possible.
"Hello?"
"Did you just run to the phone?" Mike's voice made my whole body loose any tension that had been left after re-meeting everyone. I could hear him chuckling and could see him shaking him head at me in my mind.
"You caught me. How are you? Did the meeting go well today?" I questioned. He had been worrying about this meeting for weeks now, he never really went in to much detail about it but some people he used to work for were accusing him of using blackmail to get to where he was today – total crap if you ask me.
"Oh it was fine. They apologized. Anyway, what did you parents say? Are they happy?" Mike was starting to sound giddy and a smile moved its way onto my face.
"I haven't actually been to see them yet, I went to my old house to collect some stuff and ran into my brother and all my old friends." My answer was as honest as it could be. My eyes landed on the real reason I was here – the divorce papers. Silently I wedged them back into my bag that I had left on the chair next to me.
"Tell me about your old house. It was an apartment, wasn't it?" Mike asked. My stomach felt uneasy as I had no idea where these questions would lead.
"Yeh, I lived in it with Edward. You know this." My answer was hesitant at best.
"Over looking the park? Apartment 1901? Two fake trees near the front door?" I could hear his smile.
My stomach churned when I realized that he was right outside. This was it. It was all over. Our relationship was going to end all because I had been a stupid teenager and ran off and got married. My eyes were burning with the tears that had collected in them. My body dragged its way towards the door, my phone still pressed tightly against my ear I ignored everything my brain was saying and yanked open the front door only to be greeted by a huge sunflower.
"A sunflower for my sunshine" Mike's voice came from behind the golden plastic petals. I chuckled and smiled without wanting to and took the flower as he offered it to me.
"Babe, what's wrong?" He asked as he took my face in his warm hands. He was still dressed in his most expensive suit. It was tailored to fit him perfectly, normally seeing him in this suit made me want to grab him and kiss him as if he had the only air left in the world but today it just made me feel like I had been clinging onto a dream for far too long.
"It's just emotional being back here, I guess." that was a half-truth at least.
He wrapped his arms around me and spun me in a quick circle. Nausea made its way from my stomach up my throat before I placed back on the ground and my whole body gave a shudder. Can you die from heartbreak?
"Come on, introduce me to everyone." He was so perfect. He was looking over my shoulder with a smile on his face and he had no idea that this was going to rip out his heart.
Stumbling forward, Mike kept an arm wrapped around me as we entered the living room. This was it – this was the end.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Emmett's POV.
"Hello, I'm Mike. Isabella's fiance." What a tool. Mike beamed at us. He obviously hadn't noticed the terrified expression on Bella's face or the fact that she was shaking like a leaf.
I didn't like him. I didn't like his stupid I'm rich suit. I didn't like that he had his arm around my baby sister and I most certainly didn't like how much Bella liked him.
Looking around to room quickly I noticed Edward stiffen at the word fiance. He knew already, we all did. Just because she left didn't mean we didn't keep tabs on her. Edward knew everything she had ever done – to where she gets her coffee to what date she met her best friend Angela. I highly doubt he had told her that in the middle of their screaming match though.
Feeling Rosie's hand slip around my left arm before she gave me the push to introduce myself.
"Hey, I'm Emmett Swan. Bella's brother. Nice to meet you." I lied straight to his face and from the way his lips twitched, he knew I was lying. Being the gentleman Charlie raised me to be I held my hand out. Bastard tried to put force into the shake: I have more strength in my little toe than he has in his whole body.
"Bella?" Mike's voice went up a pitch as he sent Bella a confused look.
"It's short for Isabella." Bella explained with a shrug. I felt myself shoot her a look – she hated being called Isabella, it was something Renee used to do when we little.
Rosalie's hand ran around my side and it was stupid that I could tell she was proud of me for not doing something . . . me like. She stepped forward and offered her hand to Mike. We both noticed as he checked her out. My jaw clenched. The joys of being married to a beautiful woman.
"I'm Rosalie Swan. Bella's sister-in-law." Rose introduced herself but she was sending Bella an apologetic look. I heard and saw Bella hiccup before freezing. This time she shot me a lot. I ignored it.
Edward moved to talk to Mike next and it was as if the whole room held its breath. He looked at Bella for a second before scratching his jaw and holding his out his hand to Mike.
"Edward Cullen. Bella's cousin and best friend." He didn't smile as he introduced himself to his wives fiance but his lie was believable. You could see Bella's body almost deflate from the lack of stress in the second.
Edward and Mike shook hands and you could feel the tension radiating off the both of them. Though Mike really had nothing to be tense about unless he could see Edward's feelings for my sister: but he was very very good at hiding them.
"I'm Alice Hale and this is my husband Jasper." Alice pipped in from across the room.
"It's nice to meet you all." Mike lied. It had to be a lie. We weren't nice people and we were most certainly not nice people to meet all at once.
He clapped his hands together before turning to face Bella. She smiled at him and he bent down to give her a kiss when Edward turned the TV back on and all full blast. We all jumped except Edward who just sat in his chair with a smirk on his face.
Rosalie left my side to go stand near Edward. They acted like they didn't get on but they loved each other like siblings. Rosalie was the only person he would talk to about Bella once she left, and no matter how much I beg she still won't tell me what he says.
"So what is it you do Mike?" Jasper asked as Alice went to go stand by her brother as well. I could practically hear Bella's eyes roll as I went to stand next to Jasper.
Mike looked pretty smug before he gave us his answer. Even Bella was beaming with pride. His job wasn't that good. So what he works in his mommy's company, I work for my dad's.
"I've actually just taken over control of my mother's magazine company." He answered with a smirk.
"Wow. Impressive." If I hadn't of known Jasper as long as I had, I would have thought he was being sincere. Bella shot him a glare – okay maybe he didn't sound that sincere.
"What is it you do?" Mike asked back out of politeness.
"I work for my dad actually. I fix computers with Alice." Jasper answered. Mike nodded and once again didn't notice Bella freeze. Her hands became fists before she she took a deep breath and held it before turning and storming into the kitchen. She really had to let her issues with Jasper go.
Mike followed her looking confused. I head Jasper sigh and saw his shoulders hunch. He rolled his eyes at the apologetic look I sent him but smiled when I slapped him on the back. It had always been like this, I don't know why we both thought it would change.
"Talking about dad, have you told him she's back yet?" I asked Jasper as I made myself comfortable on Edward's couch.
"Like hell am I going to be the one to tell him!" Was the snorted answer I got back from Jasper.
"It's not like he won't know. That man sees all." Edward chuckled as he continued to flick through the TV channels.
We all fell into easy conversation after that. Apart from Edward who was trying to act like he wasn't listening in on Bella and Mike talking in the kitchen.
Alice was in the middle of explaining Peter's new habit of rubbing her stomach before bed in hope of getting a little brother or sister when Bella's voice caused her to pause.
"What do you mean it's just a stupid story!" Her voice became deeper as she mimicked Mike's voice. We all listened as she banged around in the kitchen before pacing back into the living room. Mike following behind her looking aggravated.
Breaking them up should be easier than I though.
"The girl was seven years old. What seven year old is going to believe in a story about a lost fairy? Your being over emotional about this." He sighed towards the end. I let out a low whistle as he finished. Things not to say to a pissed off woman – calling them over emotional should be rule one.
Jasper tried to hide his chuckle behind a cough as Edward lent forward to get out of his chair. Rosalie's hand quickly shot out and pushed him back before she acted like she hadn't done anything when he shot her a look.
Bella snapped her eyes closed before taking a breath through clenched teeth. You could hear the air being pulled in through her mouth.
"That's not that point Mike. We've been over this before." She finally spoke before covered her face with her hands and turning to walk upstairs. As she reached the top of the stairs Mike made a move to follow her.
"I'll go. If she sees you it will just piss her off more." Edward spoke up in a bland voice. Mike's whole body twirled towards him.
"Excuses me? I'm her fiance, who do you think you are?" Mike bite out as he took a step towards Edward.
Jasper nudged me before lifting his eyebrows and pointing his head in their direction. I wasn't getting involved in this; it was their mess. Part of me expected Edward to rat out Bella in that second but I wasn't surprised when he didn't.
"Just get out my way before I kick you out my house."
I was surprised when Mike actually moved. Maybe the boy did have some sort of warning going off in his head. He had no idea what any of us were capable of. At least his was wise enough to move and not keep mouthing off.
Mike was not prepared to have the rest of us blatantly stare at him. It was like watching a squirming fish. He cleared his throat a few times before looking around and then pulling out his phone and walked out the apartment saying he was going to make a call.
"Yeh, I can totally see what she sees in him." Alice snorted.
Tell me what you're thinking.
