I OWN NOTHING! ALL THE CHARACTERS AND SUCH ARE THE GENIUS OF STEPHENIE MEYERS!
Chapter one- Birthday parties
The morning of my eighteenth birthday the sun was shining, the birds were singing and the warmth covering the small town of forks could be felt even before I opened my eyes to greet this unwanted day. Didn't the world know it was not a day for celebration? Why would it choose today be give me warmth and sun? I burrowed deeper in my sheets mentally cursing my age. I was now a year older then Edward. A year he argued meant nothing, which I guess he had said to make me feel better; of course I had burst into tears at his loving words. One year would turn to two, two would slip into three and before you knew it Edward my unageing true love would be wheeling me around my elderly care facility and spoon feeding me blended beets.
I kicked the covers off with more force then was really necessary; the sheets protested my temper tantrum by tangling themselves around my ankles. I gave up and fell back onto my pillows in defeat. Great now I was too old to win a fight against my bed sheets. I was more then happy to spend the rest of this miserable day wallowing in self pity until I heard a soft tap on the front door.
"Crap." I cursed venomously under my breath. I swear I could almost hear him chuckle.
I scrambled to free my self, promising the sheets a rematch later, and ran to throw on a pair of old jean with strategy placed rips and tears scattered along the legs that I had been saving for a warm day and grabbed the blue blouse Alice had informed me was Edwards favorite. After trying to tie up my sneakers too quickly and ending up with knots I had to take a deep breath and focus less on the breath taking example of perfection that waited for me downs stairs and more on the laces in my hands.
I grabbed my backpack from the desk chair and wondered briefly in Charlie would mind if I slid down the banister, it was my birthday after all and it might save me from the inevitable fall I would endure trying to get to Edward faster, but before my fingers touched the silver door knob of my room Charlie burst in and nearly knocked me to the floor.
"Sorry Bell's. Are you in a hurry?" Charlie asked as he caught my arm and balanced me.
"Oh hi dad, no not really I guess. What's up?" I said as cheerfully as could be expected as I tried my best not to glace at the open door behind him.
"Well, um, you know.." Charlie shifted his weight nervously from one foot to the other before bringing his left hand from behind his back and revealing the hidden gifts wrapped in sparkly pink paper. "Happy birthday Isabella."
"Thanks dad." I smiled; he gave me an awkward one armed hug, then turned and closed the door behind him.
Before I could shift one of the glitter covered gifts in my arms to open the other Charlie opened the door again.
"I think someone might be at the door Bella." He still refused to say Edwards's name. Instead he was now someone, that guy, him or Edwards's favorite that good for nothing trouble maker, the one I had never heard but Edward assures me is whispered under charles breath more or less every time he visits.
I tossed the gifts into my open backpack and ran down the stairs two at a time and of course tripping on the last one which landed me right into Edwards open arms. I'd have to remember to thank that stair later. I straightened myself and looked up to see his perfect crocked smile. Of course I couldn't think of one thing about Edward that wasn't perfect. Even the fact he didn't think he was perfect was, well, perfect.
"Hi." I whispered as the blush spread quickly over my cheeks, partly because I was once again grateful he couldn't hear me and partly because one of his hands had caught me a little lower on my body then his rules really allowed. I jumped slightly as the front door closed behind him. He took that moment to shift his hand in a respectable position above my waist. I tired to hide my look of disappointment.
"How'd you know?" I asked nodding towards the stair.
"I heard your race and figured with your track record you might need some cushioning at the bottom." His arms hadn't moved from their protective positions on my lower back. He leaned in so his marble lips were only half an inch from my ear and tightened his arms into a hug.
"Happy birthday Bella." His breath was warm and sweet as it swept over my neck, I leaned helplessly into his chest as he kissed my bright red blush consumed cheek.
"Don't remind me." I grumbled. He took my hand and I shouted a quick goodbye to Charlie who stuck his head out of the kitchen long enough to say goodbye to me and mutter something under his breath to Edward, who as always simply smiled and nodded his farewell.
As soon as he closed the driver side of the Volvo and backed out of Charlie's driveway Edward laughed.
"What?" I asked curious what he found amusing in our comfortable silence.
"Today I'm too nice." His answer was followed by another chuckle.
"Huh." Was my intelligent answer.
"Charlie was just thinking that I'm too nice and when guys are overly nice that means they only want one thing." Edwards face was comically serious when he said the last part.
"Oh Charlie." I sighed shaking my head. I knew my father had only the best intentions, but with a mind reading boyfriend his overprotective thoughts were starting to get embarrassing.
"He really loves you, you know." Edward was watching me instead of the road again. His eyes were black edged and without realizing it my hand made it's way to stroke the delicate skin under his eye. He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning into my hand he whispered, "He's not the only one."
Deep breaths, deep breaths, my mind tried to locate it's way out of the velvet hurricane his words had whipped up in my head. When my eyes could focus again, I turned in time to see him hand me a large brown grocery bag. He placed it on my lap then turned his suddenly guilty face back to the road as we pulled into the forks high school parking lot. He parked and turned off the engine so he could turn and explain.
"Sorry love, I could talk her out of it. You don't have to eat it all obviously. She wanted to do something special for your birth…" I flashed him a glare before scanning the almost empty school parking lot to be sure no one had heard. "Something special for your lunch." He finished coolly.
I started empting the contents of the overflowing brown bag unto my lap. Soon my lap was covered in varying sized zip lock bags and Tupperware containers, even then the bag wasn't even half empty.
"Esme." We both said at the same time. He helped me place the containers of baked fish, brownies with multi-colored sprinkles, hoagies, turkey legs, mashed potatoes and a caser salad big enough to last me half a year back into the bag so everything would fit right. I made a mental note to check the rest of the contents later and make of list of the foods to thank her for. I kept out the bag of trail mix and ate a quick handful before Edward helped me out the car.
"Be sure to thank jasper too." Edward nodded in the direction I assumed Jasper and Alice would appear soon. "Esme had him run to the store every hour on the hour since midnight last night."
"It wasn't so bad until she decided we needed fresh salmon. Do you know how hard it is to get fresh fish at four in the morning?" Jasper spoke behind me, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin. Edward laughed along with jasper and Alice; he patted my hand until I caught my breath.
Alice took my hands from Edward and pulled me into a tight hug, my lungs emptied in a loud whoosh as she squeezed even harder in her excitement.
"Happy birthday Bella!" She dropped my hands and hopped around like a four year old clapping her hands.
"Are you excited?" Alice took jaspers hand in one her tiny hands then grabbed one of mine with the other. She started pulling us towards the front door of the high school. W were nearly there before she turned and asked again.
"Excited? Not at all, I never really liked birthdays and this year seems even less celebration worthy" She froze, Jasper seemed to know her actions the same moment she did and stopped almost the same second. I had my eyes glued to Edward and remained unaware of Alice's pause until my arm was nearly jerked out of the socket. Alice glared daggers at Edward who merely sighed.
"Really Edward? You've had a week." Jasper chuckled. I was starting to wonder about the usually gloomy Jaspers sudden good mood.
"I just never found the right time." He grumbled.
"What's going on?" I asked, truly concerned. Edward and I had a wonderful relationship, better then I thought possible, one that you'd usually only find in story books with golden haired princess and frogs with baggage. We didn't have any secrets from each other. So when Edward was keeping something from me I knew it must be bad bordering on nuclear.
"Bella," Alice began using her sweet convincing voice. I could almost hear the hairs on the back of my neck standing straight up in fear. "Tonight after school, you and Edward are going to come to a little party at our house."
"A party?" I choked. Yeah, nuclear.
"Bella, don't do that face. It will be great, I've seen it." She gave me a quick wink and with that Alice and Jasper skipped away, well Alice skipped, Jasper did more of a quick walk to keep pace, leaving me too stunned to chase after them. Darn sly pixy.
With Alice and Jasper gone, I turned my fury on the only left.
"Edward?" I seethed.
He had his hands in the air palms out; he backed away slowly with real fear in his eyes.
"Bella Love? I swear I tried. She was relentless." His honey eyes pleaded his words were true. I sighed, there was no fighting it. What Alice wanted, Alice got.
I pushed Edward's arms father apart and sunk into his chest. He remained frozen, hands still out. I couldn't help but laugh despite the situation. I think he is the only vampire who was genuinely terrified of a one hundred and ten pound human.
"You'll with stay with me?" I wondered if he heard the double meaning in the question. His hands crossed tightly against my back, pulling me impossibly closer.
"Forever." His words were gentle and conquered by the sincerity of his love, but I could hear the force behind them. I sighed in annoyance as the warning bell blasted from the schools ancient speakers.
We walked to my first class in silence. Edward gave me a playful shove to the door after a far too intimate kiss for our surrounding and his iron clad limits. Just before the door swung shut, Edward called "Who knows, it might be fun."
Oh poor sweet optimistic Edward. Well here ya'll go, the first chapter. Soooo? What'da think? Let me know!!!! I'll try to post soon.