I will be writing Bella's POV in First Person and Edward in Third. Hope this doesn't annoy people but it is the way I hear it in my head.
Updates should be every 7 to 10 days. I will try to update quicker at first, to get into the feel of the story.
Using a far bit of terminology, apologies. Please ask/let me know if I am being confusing, The Church of England website is also a pretty helpful resource as is, (sometimes) Wikipedia.
Chapter heading are from something called the 39 Articles of Faith which is a statement of Doctrine that all Anglican churches sign and agree to. All shall become more clear.
Thanks for Reading!
Brito
Chapter Two- Of Christ the Son of God.
Bella Pov
"Rose!"
I screamed up the stairs of the apartment. The time on my watch suggested that she was likely to have just got in. Running up the stairs, I tripped a couple of times but finally pushed the door open.
Rose, looking slightly dazed, wandered out to the living room. I launched myself at her, bouncing up and down on my heels.
"I got the place!."
It wasn't long before she was jumping up and down with me.
"Awesome, Bella I am so relieved!"
She enthused, a huge mess of smiling blondeness. I grinned back.
"Yeah, no kidding."
The interview had gone far better than I expected. I had been nervous when the Bishop had referred me to St Pauls, though I dutifully applied. It wasn't the sort of church I was used to at all. When I pulled up I noticed the advertisement for Matins and winced inwardly. I'd had a couple of these interviews before. It wasn't that I had a problem, oh no, but it was just that it wasn't what I was used to. It wasn't the sort of church I would attend.
I wanted drums, bass, guitar and a lot of preaching. So often, I found this was neglected for a half empty church full of candles and incense. It made me angry, if I was honest. The interviews with these types of church has all gone badly. Clearly I wasn't what they wanted and they made it known quickly after I walked into the room.
St Paul's had been different. Reverend Carlisle Cullen was a handsome man in his late forties. He had been in charge of the Church for 3 years, he explained. They always had two Curates, one in their second Curacy and one in their first. He was very interested in where I had worked before, the college Union I was in and my work with the Vineyard Church.
As I stutteringly tried to explain the type of ministry I was comfortable with he quickly stopped me.
"Yes, I saw your application."
I prepared myself to be asked to leave. However, instead of showing me the door, surprisingly he then went on to explain a little more of the position and what he wanted. His passion for the community was clear and I wondered what it would be like to work for him. I imagined it would be rather good.
Most surprising of all, he wanted to offer me the position. He told me that he had decided before I had even attended the interview.
"I think the parish could use a little diversity and I think you could work well in our team."
The relief of finding a placement was like none other. Certainly it wasn't ideal, an urban mission or chaplaincy would have been better, but it would do. There was another Priest, Edward, Carlisle explained, but he was taking a funeral and was unable to meet me. I left the church, floating on air, a pray of thanks on my lips.
Eventually Rose pulled back from our mess of a hug/celebratory dance.
"Pizza tonight to Celebrate, I will eat Carbs just for you!"
Oh yes, I remembered, she was on another crazy meal plan to maintain her naturally curvy figure.
Just as I was about to retort, my cell phone beeped with a message.
Ben sick, worship tnte, can u cover?
Jx
I sighed, replied a quick yes and turned to Rose.
"Your brother has other plans for me tonight."
"It's fine, I'm helping at Youth, we can head over afterwards."
Both Rosalie and her brother Jasper attended the local Vineyard church where Jasper was the worship Pastor.
I'd meet them both first year of my undergraduate at College when Jasper, along with a girl Angela had led the Bible Study group in my hall of residence. Jazz and I, through our love of music had hit it off right away and soon I had a lively group of friends.
I hadn't known he had a sister until, one evening in October he requested prayer. That she was a freshman, also at UW had only emerged later. Rose, independent as she was now hadn't wanted anything to do with her older brother and college and instead got involved in the huge party scene.
Jazz had become a Christian, like me, at High School much to the annoyance of his parents, and his sister wanted none of it.
So, when one night when I was headed back to the library and I ran into a sobbing girl I had no idea it was Jasper's sister. That night I ended up heading to hospital and later the police station with her.
A houseparty had got out of hand, and Rose's then boyfriend Royce had dragged her out by her hair and into an alley. I imagined he was still in prison now.
I spent a lot of time with Rose from then, watching series after series of the OC. I was pretty useless as I had no idea what to say most of the time. Things got pretty rough. One night, when Jazz and I were heading back from an Ark meeting (One of the Christian groups on Campus) Jazz got a call. Rose had taken whatever pills she could find. But she'd called.
As Jazz and I finished our second years, she took a year out, had some counselling and did some drawing. Slowly but surely things began to change.
She ended up on a retreat, at the end of Second year. Then she ended up at Vineyard. The change was something. In my Third year she came back, focusing on a Counselling major. We shared a room, something encouraged more by Jasper than anyone, he loved his sister.
We were good for each other, I calmed her down, she forced me out of my comfort zone.
By the time I'd graduated and headed to Theological College Rosalie Hale was the heartbreaker of the UW counselling office.
Jasper had waltzed straight out of college, barely scraping a pass, into a Vineyard internship. No one had been surprised when he was offered a job. I think his parents were just relieved that he hadn't become a missionary, something he had been considering as long as I had known him.
For me it had always been clear. I love God, loved the Anglican church and wanted to work there. Sure, it had been a tough decision, but I was certain it was the right one. Jasper and Rosalie had always been very supportive, few among many.
…
"Bells, you are a life-saver!"
Jasper declared 2 hours later, running madly towards me. I gave him a one armed hug as he took my bass. I had changed back into my signature dark jeans and black t-shirt combo, my hair running a little uncontrolled over my shoulders.
"Anything I need to learn?."
"Nope, just standards tonight, someone from Missions is doing a talk."
I nodded slowly. Jasper looked up at me, a little warily.
"…About what Jake is doing."
I smiled tightly.
"Yeah, sure, I assumed so."
I headed up to the stage and flicked through the song list. Nothing too tricky. Most worship stuff was pretty easy on the bass, which was why I had picked it up in the first place.
I'd have rather not sat through a talk on Jacob Black, Missionary Extraordinaire but Jazz needed me.
Still, I reminded myself, I had a job. Glancing down at Jasper's worried face however; I decided to wait til later.
Besides, I was dying to know what Jake had been up to.
EPOV
Edward put down the phone and glanced bleakly out of the window. He had appointed someone then. A women.
He wandered over to the mirror and gazed, despondently into it. His hair was messy again. Frustrated, he turned back and sat down on the couch, pulling his laptop towards him.
Out of his robes and back in worn blue jeans and Polo shirt he felt slightly better about the covert facebook stalking he was to embark upon.
Typing Isabella Swan into the search engine pulled up a profile, but it was private. At least she was smart, he thought. It gave him a picture. A pretty brunette women, her arm wrapped around a blonde was posing outside of Macy's. They were both grinning. Edward wondered which was Bella.
Evidence inconclusive he turned to his next port of call- Google.
This proved more successful. A UW website displayed pictures of the Brunette at various different music festivals. She was playing the Bass.
In one, her hair was thrown over her face as her hand was lifted high in the air, grasping at something. In another she was with a group of guys, standing right in the middle, beaming and holding a large cheque. In another she was with a group of child, holding up hands that had clear been finger painting.
It was his worst fears come true. She was one of those. Modern.
It wasn't that Edward disliked or was opposed to modernity; in fact he appreciated some of music's headway in the last twenty years. It was just that he felt that it had its place.
And that wasn't it a church.
She looked very young too, he noted, feeling every inch his 29 years.
She must have gone straight in from College as he had done.
Edward Masen had been the youngest ordinate at 23 ever in the state of Washington.
His Grandmother had been so proud.
This mattered a lot to Edward Masen, since, from the age of 6 he had been raised solely by her. His mother had been his grandmother's only daughter and when she and her husband had been killed in a car crash, on the way back from a Beethoven recital, she had stepped in to raise their son.
Edward had always felt her love, and her grief. Lorna Masen was a piano teacher and Edward had started lessons the moment he had begun to live with her.
He moved onto the Organ at 10, playing at the Morning Eucharist. Edward had always loved the small Church they had attended in Southern Bellingham. The congregation, all retired, doted on the orphaned boy, bringing him sweets and books.
The question of him becoming a Priest had hardly been one. They said he was too young but Edward had known, from the minute he stepped into church at aged 6 that that was were he belonged.
After a short stint in Portland to get his Associates he had gone into Theological College. He had loved his first Curacy, with the Reverend Irina Hawthorne in Vancouver and when she announced her friend Carlisle's wish to have him in Seattle he leapt at the chance.
His Grandmother had lived just long enough to see him ordained. Edward hadn't cried though he wished he could have done.
His time at St Paul's had been tranquil. He loved the pace of the church year, the changing of the vestments and the steady order of the Book of Common Prayer. St Paul's served its congregation well.
Closing his laptop, Edward leaned back against the Couch, pinching the bridge of his nose.
He hoped Carlisle knew what he was doing. Isabella Swan looked like a Parish drama waiting to happen.
He had saved some of her pictures, the one of her and her friend included.
For Parish records, of course.
Next Chapter Edward and Bella will meet. Reviews are always appreciated.