Thanks for reviewing, I love you three (: I'm trying my hardest to make this a short story, so alot of detail was left out. Wrapping up is not my strong point in writing, so please bear with me. Ideas are great!
Despite being 1:30 pm on a Saturday afternoon, the sky was dark and purple. Trees were bending all along the roads. Wind whipped the wind all across the windows of Edward's car, but I felt indescribably safe and cozy inside. Even while tightly holding the hand of a vampire, I was so at ease. I nearly forgot what we were driving to. Edward had the heat on and soft music was quietly playing. It was all enough for me to drift off slowly to sleep, until the boom of thunder woke me up.
"Well…Alice's vision was off. She didn't see this storm coming till four." Edward turned onto the path towards his path, the storm causing everything to look wild and untamed. "Would you like to stay here for the night?"
"Of course!" I was ecstatic. The guilt of being extremely late melted away at the thought of spending carefree time with my favorite family. Parking the car in the driveway, Edward walked over to let me out, a crooked smile making its way across his beautiful face. Taking my hand, he led us into his bright open house (despite the raging storm outside) and right into the arms of Esme.
"Oh, Bella! We're so sorry you had to go to all the trouble getting ready! You look beautiful, by the way." She looked like perfect, as usual. She wore a lavender silk blouse and a deep navy pencil skirt. Her multiple strings of pearls were probably worth more than anything I owned put together, aside from the outfits Alice had insisted on giving me. I noticed we had on the same matching pair of silver pumps, which made me smile. So, the Cullen pictures were all about color coordination. This year's theme must be purple, green, and silver, judging by Emmett's dark green shirt he had folded up to his elbows.
"Bella, I owe you! You being insanely late postponed Carlisle's chance to make us all freakin models!" Emmett yelled from across the room, followed by his booming laugh.
Carlisle shook his head and stood up from the couch, swinging a thick book in his hands. His outfit was a lot less formal, with forest green dress shirt tucked into dark jeans. His peculiar smile took me by surprise, but not as much as Jasper's outfit.
Oh, the consequences of being married to Alice. She had him in a tight, plum sweater. His blonde hair was slicked back and flattened down…I'd never seen so much of his face. His expression, however, was the same as usual. Poor guy, I couldn't help but be glad that Alice had been less…ostentatious…with me.
"So, Edward, I'm sure you all know what we're thinking. D'ya think Bella'd go for it?" Carlisle's hand came up and tousled Edward's hair and they both laughed. Looking down at me, Edward gave my hand a squeeze.
"Rosalie's been dying to get out of Forks and someplace a bit more captivating. Would Paris seem like a pleasant place to spend our weekend?" Edward's face was patient, but I could tell he really wanted me to comply enthusiastically to make his family feel better. Looking around at their eager faces, I couldn't help but smile and nod. Wow, Paris.
"Eeeee! We're going to have a blast!" Alice squealed as she rushed over to hug me. Her dress looked similar to mine, except hers was a shimmery silver-white. Esme also seemed thrilled as she clapped her hands twice and ordered the boys to grab the luggage they had already packed.
"Perhaps you should change into something a bit more comfortable for the plane. Besides, you'll be wearing that dress tomorrow night." Edward whispered in my ear before Emmett tossed him a large suitcase.
Uh oh. A fancy dress, needed in Paris. Sight-seeing…not likely. Dinner…possibly. Dancing…very likely. Crap.
Just as I was beginning to get panicky, Rosalie's arm wrapped around mine gently. She smiled at me, a small smile, but it was still an attempt. She mouthed thank you before gliding over to Emmett. Dang. She must really have wanted to go to Paris!
After changing into a very comfortable (and surprisingly cute) pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, we were off to a typical Cullen spur of the moment excursion.
"Here we are! The Hotel Le Meurice, an old favorite of ours. It's actually been around for more than two centuries." Esme affectionately smiled as she led us through the spectacular hotel. It looked more like a palace, and sure enough, it had been one at one point. The concierge had treated the Cullens like royalty, although I wasn't quite sure what they were saying. Edward, Rosalie, Carlisle, and Esme spoke perfect French.
"Let's go shopping!" Alice was very quick to choose her shopping buddies. "Esme and Rosalie, let's go to Elysée Couture first, I've been dying to go back." Her words were like a pang in my chest. I had not been invited on their shopping trip.
Edward must have heard my heart stop, or seen the tears forming in my eyes, because he had whisked us into our hotel room at once. This too took my breath away. Robin's-egg-blue couches surrounded a crystal coffee table, which had a large bouquet of white flowers erupting from it. A giant bed occupied a vast majority of the remainder of the room, aside from the common area and a giant TV and the largest bathroom I'd ever seen, aside from the one at the Cullen's house, of course.
"Bella. She's not leaving you out, love. She knows you don't like shopping. Besides, you'd slow them down." He smiled, wiping a stray tear from my face with his thumb.
"I know…it just felt weird, not getting invited." How selfish I was acting. The Cullens were paying for me to come all the way to Paris with them just for me to get oversensitive.
"You know if Alice thought you wanted to come, she would have invited you in a heartbeat. Besides, we're going to tour Paris with Carlisle. It should be quite interesting." After giving me a long, breathtaking kiss, Edward took my hand and walked us back out into the hallway where Carlisle was waiting. In an excited manner, he began explaining the history of the hotel, along with his past experiences in Paris.
After viewing cathedrals, castles, and museums all afternoon, Edward suggested a break for my tired legs. Carlisle insisted we take a tour of the Seine River. My mind was spinning from a long day of trudging alongside a chattering Carlisle. If he wasn't a doctor, he would have made a spectacular tour guide. However, the hot sun beating down on me combines with keeping up with two very energetic vampires caused me to begin to lag behind.
Edward picked me up and carried me back to the hotel after hopping out of the cab. Making our way back up to the hotel room, I mumbled a thanks to Carlisle for showing us around the picturesque city. Gently cradling me to his chest, Edward laid me down on the bed. Tucking me in and using a remote to close the shades, sleep quickly overcame me.
Hours later, his perfect cold lips pressed gently on my forehead, but it was enough to wake me up. Looking around, joy filled me. We were still in Paris!
"Sorry, love, but Rose and Emmett are anxious to make sure we get a good seat at dinner." Handing me my dress, Edward turned towards the balcony and gave me my privacy to change. Once I figured my hair was hopeless, I went next door to what I thought was Alice's suite.
"Bella." Rosalie gave me a confused smile, but opened the door wider to allow me in. She was in the beautiful silk chiffon dress she had been in the day we left. The olive green looked positively gorgeous in comparison to her golden eyes.
"Oh, no, I'm sorry to bother you Rosalie. I just needed help with my hair and I thought this was Alice and Jasper's room-"
"Please, Bella. Allow me to give it a shot. " Her velvety, quiet voice matched the slight smile that slowly made its way across her perfect face.
After rummaging around in the bathroom, she emerged with several headpins and a brush. Collecting my hair in her gentle hands, she smoothed it up into an elegant bun.
"Have you been enjoying your time here, Bella?"
"Oh, of course, Carlisle knows so much about, well, everything." She laughed at that, a quiet laugh, as she pinned my hair up.
"That is very true. Well, you'll be hearing many more stories once you've officially become a Cullen. Speaking of which, Paris is a lovely place for a wedding. The most romantic city in the world." I didn't know what to say to that, so I just sat there. Rosalie's attention was rare, so I chose not to talk too much and annoy her.
"All done. Edward will love it." She said quietly, glancing at the elegant clock by her bed. "We need to leave soon. Remember to bring a jacket, Alice thinks it'll be a bit cold tonight." Winking at me, she closed her door as I thanked her and walked right into Edward's expectant arms.
"She's right." He planted a soft kiss on my forehead before walking down to the lobby, Rosalie and Emmett following right behind us. All of the Cullens were there, in the same ensemble they had been in earlier. Onlookers glanced at my beloved Cullens as if they were celebrities.
"Where exactly are we going?" I turned to ask Edward. Pointing up over the tall, beautiful buildings was the glimmering Eiffel Tower.
"For dinner?"
"And dancing. But remember, I'd never let go of you." He whispered, taking my hand firmly in his.
"But-"
"Bella, if you're going to become a Cullen, you're going to have to get used to dancing."
Just to clear things up, I didn't feel like writing alot about being on a plane. Yes, I have been to Paris before. I know it takes more than a few hours to get there. However, if you've read my other story, Stardust, you'll understand why I'm sick of airplanes. Also, I wasn't trying to make Alice sound like a jerk who wouldn't allow Bella to shop with the other Cullen women, I simply wanted to take the time for Carlisle to share his infinite knowledge! please review, you guys are the best (:
A chapter or two to come!