Bella and Edward

From the shelter of the trees I could see Bella and Edward sitting on the veranda of their lodge holding hands and admiring the view across the lake as the moon rose, brightening the sky and diming the stars. The lodge was isolated, at the end of a small lane and normally rented out to families, so it looked far too large for just the two of them. However, there had been no trace of any other vampires in town or in a sweep through the mountains around the lodge. I had also done a quick internet search and found that there was indeed a Dr Carlisle Cullen registered at the district hospital in Forks. Two of them though and Edward looked fast.

"Shona, I have a suggestion," called Edward quietly but distinctly, "I will take Bella hunting and you follow on behind. I think that you may be more at ease with us once you have seen us hunt."

"OK," I replied surprised that he had seen me, "yes I would prefer to keep behind you."

Edward sprang to his feet and held out his hand to help Bella up. Bella sighed in exasperation as she obviously did not need assistance, but gave him a quick kiss of appreciation. Edward smirked and gesturing for Bella to run with him, they sped off up the mountain following tracks he seemed to know already. The countryside was wild and craggy, with little game to hunt. Then they smelled a human camp, young people, possibly hikers from the college. They turned aside and detoured round the camp pressing on further into the mountains until at last they found a bear trail which they followed to the den. An old male raised it's snout in alarm as Bella rushed in to feed, hardly having time to defend itself before she had him locked in her fatal embrace, teeth cutting into his jugular.

Edward kept back, "not much of a fight" he observed dryly.

"I was thirsty," she replied defensively, "those campers smelled so delicious, I still crave them now even though I am full."

"Yes," he sighed, "the curse that never leaves us."

"Is Shona still following us ?" Bella asked, "Did she attack the campers ?"

"Shona followed our detour," reassured Edward.

A while later, with the moon high overhead, Edward found a young black bear out feeding on berries and chased him down. The bear fought for his life but was no match for Edward who drank long and deep, sighing with satisfaction.

Once Edward had finished I approached them cautiously, glancing at the carcass of the bear.

"Is that sufficient for you ?," I asked.

"It will do for now," replied Edward. "We need to hunt more often than if we drank human blood and it does not taste as nice."

"How can you stand to be by humans when they are giving blood ?" asked Bella

"I ask them to tell me about themselves and their families."I replied. "As long as they are talking I have a distraction from their blood. I check everyday what stock we have in at the clinic to make sure that we have enough of the different blood groups and feed on the surplus. Cold blood is much less appealing than warm blood but just as nourishing. We have special equipment to check the blood but I find that my nose and tongue much more accurate. Ironically I was awarded a special medal last year by the mayor for my community service." I chuckled, "It's just as well they do not realise why I promote the the service so much."

"You still show great restraint to be near bleeding humans without feeding on them. There are not many of our kind who can do that." approved Edward, "let's leave this bear to the scavengers and find a nicer place to chat."

"Follow me," I requested and led them to a rocky outcrop where we could admire the moonlit landscape while we chatted.

"See that clearing over there where I am pointing, that's where I was born." I explained. "Although the house is long since gone. My father was a teacher at the college and my mother was a local native American. I grew up here but as a half breed I had few friends so for my 21st birthday my father took us on a European tour, London, Paris, Venice, Rome and it was while we were in Rome that we were invited on a private tour of an art gallery in Volterra. My father thought that it would be a nice treat for us, but it cost us our lives. I hid when the Volturi attacked but I had been bitten and was half changed when they found me under a pile of bodies. They kept me and trained me to be a scout, but once I had completed my training I used those skills to escape and have been running and hiding from the Volturi ever since."

"Thank you," replied Bella, "We will not reveal your location or identity to the Volturi. We have had our own problems with them recently. I had to rescue Edward from Volterra and then the Volturi moved against us over a misunderstanding. We managed to persuade them to leave us in peace and they returned to Volterra."

"You rescued Edward from the Volturi !" I gasped looking at her in awe and taking a step back.

Edward chuckled, "She talked our way out."

I shook my head in disbelief, only a Cullen could talk their way out of Volterra. "So is that your special gift, the power to persuade others to do your will ?"

Edward laughed out loud and Bella looked embarrassed, "No, my gift is that I am a shield and I can shield others as well."

"Oh wow" I said intrigued, "that is a very useful gift, and you Edward, what is your gift ?"

"I am good at reading people," he replied, and I noticed his frown from earlier in the day had been replaced with a smile

Bella asked, "Is your gift how you managed to look so human at the college today ?"

"Yes," I confirmed, "it's why the Vulturi did not kill me. Lord Aro thought that my being able to look like so human would be useful to them. It means that I can go out in daytime without attracting attention, even in full sunlight. How you saw me today was what I remember of my mother."

"You also had a heart beat and smelled like a human," remembered Bella, "That was what confused me."

"Yes, that is part of my camouflage but like all camouflage the closer you get the easier you can see through it and also I have to concentrate to maintain the illusion."

"Does your camouflage also shield you ?" asked Edward casually.

"Yes, to a certain extentent, what the eye cannot see the mind cannot easily influence."

He nodded thoughtfully while Bella looked at him questioningly, "Are there any other vampires here in Dartmouth" he asked changing the subject.

"Not at the moment," I replied, "we are out of the way here so there is normally only one or two a year passing through on their way to Montreal or Boston. I track them and leave them alone if they move on."

"What do you do if if they don't move on ?" asked Bella.

"Only once have I had someone who wanted to stay and feed on the students, so I killed him." I replied.

"You killed a vampire on your own ?" Bella was sceptical.

I nodded calmly, "the Volturi trained me to fight and I had the advantage of surprise."

Edward grunted in approval.

"Tell me please," I asked, "about your coven. Does Dr Cullen have a wife, a companion ?"

"He is married to Esme," replied to Bella, "he turned her not long after he turned Edward. He was lonely and wanted his own family."

I sighed, "that's a shame, for many years I fantasised that one day I could be the wife of the great Lord Cullen and we could study medicine together."

They both chuckled and Bella continued, "She is like a mother to us younger members of our family."

"Maybe it's just as well. I do not think that I could be be a mother. Please keep my confession secret," I added embarrassed and wishing that I had kept my mouth shut. It was if being able to talk openly after all this time had released a tidal dam of thoughts."

They laughed out loud, "that's OK" giggled Bella. "Rosalie is still not over Edward marrying me instead of her, even though she is now married to Emmett. Our relationships are just as complicated as human's."

"Who are Rosalie and Emmett" I asked, which led to Bella telling me about each member of their "family" without, I noticed, mentioning any special gifts.

"Is Shona Maguire your original name ?" asked Bella

"My original name was lost long ago in Volterra," I reflected, "Shona is the nearest English equivalent to the name my mother used to call me."

"Was there a Mr Maguire ?"

"No." I sighed, "it just seemed to help with the staff and students if they thought that I was a poor harmless widow."

"How long have you been on your own ?" asked Bella sympathetically.

"Forever," I replied, "and I don't expect that to change."

"Ha," grunted Edward, "I thought that until Bella walked into my life."

"He saved my life when a van was about to squash me," elaborated Bella.

"Really," I exclaimed sensing a story, "please tell me what happened ?" so Bella told me the tale of how they met while Edward stroked her hair.

"How did you manage to turn Bella without killing her ?" I asked Edward.

They exchanged a look while Edward considered his words.

"It was very difficult," he conceded, "and she nearly died."

I nodded, "I thought of changing one of the students here." I explained "but they have their life ahead of them and I could not condemn one to our life."

"Why do you call Carlisle "Lord Cullen" ?" asked Bella changing the subject.

"He was a Lord of of the Vulturi," I replied. "I saw his portrait with the other Lords in the gallery at Volterra. I heard the stories of how he spent his time learning how to heal humans. They thought he was crazy and foolish but I respected his dedication to helping others. I wish that he had stayed at Vultera where he could have been a restraining voice on the Lord's council but I was told that he had displeased Lord Aro and been sent into exile. I am amazed that he is still alive and continuing his medical work."

"You should visit us," suggested Bella, "I am sure Carlisle would like to meet you in person and you could discuss his medical research in more detail."

I paused to look out over the dark forest, moonlight glittering off the lakes and streams, the cool moist night time breeze swirled across my skin and filled my nostrils with the smells of the forest and these two vampires. Could Lord Cullen heal the injuries inflicted on me by the Volturi or maybe even ease the pain ? I rolled my shoulders reflexifly and clamped down hard on the resulting stab of pain.

"You could fly back with us tomorrow night," offered Edward. "He has an extensive library, with many records of treatments for diseases and injuries. I am sure that he would be interested in meeting you and sharing his knowledge with you."

"Thank you for your invitation," I smiled in acknowledgement and searched for an excuse. "I have commitments here but maybe some other time."

"You would be our guest," persisted Edward. "I would be happy to arrange your ticket if you can rearrange your schedule. You can stay for as long or short as you like."

I considered the potential implications of his invitation. Did I have enough cash to pay for a ticket ? Could I get Michael to cover for me ?

"What if the Volturi find out that I am staying with you ?" I worried remembering that I was fugitive from them..

"We can protect you." promised Bella with conviction

"Why would you do that ?" I asked startled.

"Our family is big enough to stand up to the Volturi". Bella explained, "and the more of our kind who understand and respect us then the more likely the Volturi will leave us alone."

"If Lord Aro askes Lord Cullen to hand me over ?" I pressed

"Carlisle would say that as long as you are living under his roof and have broken none of our rules then he will protect you." assured Edward firmly

I nodded thoughtfully. "What are your rules ?"

"No hunting humans within 100 miles and the Quileute territory is off limits." answered Edward promptly.

"Quileutes ?" I asked surprised.

"The local native American tribe. We have an agreement with them that goes back over 100 years," explained Edward. "You will meet some of them if you come to stay with us and I think you would find them an interesting tribe."

As I considered their offer I worried about visiting a coven. Two vampires I could evade but escaping from a coven of vampires would be much more difficult. On the other hand I really did want to meet Dr Cullen and the pain in my back was surely worth the risk. "Well I guess I could find someone to look after the clinic for a couple of weeks."

"That would be wonderful." smilled Bella, "you can stay in Edwards old room, we have our own cottage now that we are married."

"It's not Voltera," added Edward as if he could read my mind, "It's all above ground, there are no bars, just open windows so you can leave at any time. With your vegan diet you will be a much easier house guest than usual.

"Then I will accept your invitation," I laughed, giddy with my recklessness, "What should I bring with me ?"

"Travel light," suggested Edward, "We can provide whatever you need."

"Edward," admonished Bella, "Bring whatever you will make your stay comfortable Shona. We are not a formal family so just relax, you will be on holiday !"

That's just as I well, I thought, as I don't have any formal clothes. We chatted a little more about where they lived, then they made their way back to their lodge and I headed to my apartment to prepare for my holiday.

Lunchtime the next day we met at the Cafeteria for lunch, or rather the pretense of lunch. Edward flatly refused to accept any payment for my flight ticket, saying that it was covered by their management company and refused to elaborate. Bella asked me who was going to look after my clinic while I was away.

"I have trained Michael as an assistant", I told her, "he only needs to collect blood if the clinic runs low and I told him to pray that there are no emergencies while I am away. He also gave me his old mobile phone so that he can call me if he needs help, assuming that I can get cell phone coverage."

"You will be able to call him from our house whenever you wish," reassured Bella.

We met again at college reception when the official tours ended and Edward insisted on carrying my suitcase to their rental car.

"Is he always like this ?" I whispered to Bella.

"He calls it good manners, but I am trying to train him to be less overbearing," replied Bella.

During the drive to the airport at Boston we chatted about their tour and then I was stunned when we pulled up in font of the private jet terminal. "We don't have time to wait around for scheduled flights," explained Edward "and it's more comfortable than sitting in an aluminium tube with a hundred humans for hours getting thirstier and thirstier."

"He's a very good pilot." Bella reassured me as the terminal staff transferred our bags into a Lear jet. Once Edward had completed the pre-fight formalities he took off heading West towards the airfield at Port Angeles under a moonlit sky. Bella sat with me some of the time chatting about the Olympic peninsula but mostly she sat in the cockpit chatting with Edward. I could sense how eager they were to be home.