Disclaimer: ~somewhere at the North Pole~ *Santa opens up his mailbox* "Seriously? In June? They get earlier every year. *flips the letter over* No return address? Hmm…now let's see here" *gets out glasses and opens letter to read* "Dear Santa, I've been a really good boy so far. Since I'm already almost at the halfway point, and have done nothing but good twenty-four-seven, I figure I have some bargaining power. I've never asked for much for Christmas. I haven't complained a single time, even though I've received poorly-knitted wool sweaters and toothbrushes year after year. My only wish for Christmas is this: Please give me the rights to the Twilight Series. Sincerely, That Guy" *puts his hand on his stomach and laughs heartily* "HO HO HO! Poor misguided child. Like that would ever happen!" *goes and gets Will Ferrell* "Hey, Buddy. Take this to the staff room, would ya'? The boys will get a kick out of this!" *chuckles heartily, oblivious to the good little boy with the shattered dreams crying outside the window… (Curse you Santa!!! They said all I had to do was believe!)*
"Check her out!"
"Check who out?"
"That girl over there."
"What girl?"
"Over there, with the sweet ride."
"Where, I don't see –"
"Right there, you idiot! Don't stare; I think she's looking this –"
"Did you see that? She just glared at you!"
"You idiot! I told you not to stare at her!"
"Call me an idiot one more time and people will have a lot to stare at."
"Was that a threat, punk?"
"It's not a threat; it's a promise."
I turned back to the pump; sighing as the young men across the parking lot continued their contentious exchange. I hated the attention I drew each time I left the estate to run errands in town. Forks seemed much different now that I was a vampire.
I looked up at the sky, trying to focus on the shapes of the clouds as I waited for my tank to fill. Despite being late May, the weather was dismal and depressing – for humans. But for a vampire like me, the weather was delightful. A thick layer of clouds blanketed the sky and the temperature was cool and comfortable. Forks is the most overcast city in the nation; an ideal location for vampires whose skin glows like diamonds when exposed to sunlight. It rained yesterday, but I was assured by Alice that there wouldn't be any more storms until tomorrow afternoon. One of the perks to being a Cullen; you lived with a meteorologist who was never wrong, at least about the weather. Tomorrow's forecast: partly cloudy, late afternoon showers, with a one-hundred percent chance of baseball.
I turned my gaze back to the numbers on the gauge, watching them climb upwards until the pump finally clicked. I took my receipt as I returned the nozzle to its rest on the pump. I yanked open the door and slid into the comfortable seat of my cherry red Ferrari F430. I keyed the ignition and quickly shot out onto the street, looking the other way as I passed two teenage boys brawling on the sidewalk. Apparently the punk couldn't keep his mouth shut.
I drove down the damp roads at a comfortable speed. Since becoming a vampire, I had gained mountains of confidence in my driving. I was far from the days when I risked whiplash each time I applied the breaks or stepped on the gas. I didn't even mind driving the fancy car through the humble forests of Forks anymore. But I would never egregiously break the speed limit; something Edward was still applying serious peer pressure for me to do.
Things had become mundane here in Forks. It had been seventeen months since the Volturi had come to visit us. Things had quieted down immensely since then. With the children out of school, things were even more serene in Forks. Most of the kids spent their days in La Push or Port Angeles – far away from the Cullen estate. Things were quiet, calm, and peaceful.
But I wasn't complaining. After all, I had absolutely everything I wanted: a husband who loved me dearly, a beautiful and bright little daughter, an extended family which cared for me and my family greatly, an understanding father who continued to support me in my decisions, a very good friend who vowed to protect my daughter with his very life, and an eternity to enjoy it all. I guess life was pretty good on all accounts.
As I pulled into the driveway that led to my house, I smiled. I was home. I pressed the garage door opener and waited while the luxury cars came into view. I pulled into the garage, shaking my head at what I thought was an enormous waste of money. Nobody would imagine that millions of dollars worth of cars were stored in this small garage in Forks, Washington. I unlocked the car and grabbed the sacks of groceries from the passenger side of the vehicle. As I opened the door, I was met with a soft kiss from my beloved.
"Welcome home, Bella," he said, backing up to give me room to get out. We exchanged smiles as I stood up.
"Hello Edward," I said as he shut the car door for me.
Any time I left the Cullen property, Edward would always be waiting at the front door or in the garage. Knowing Edward, he probably waited in the exact same spot like a gargoyle guarding my place of return. Although it was comforting to know how deeply his love for me burned, it also burned guilt into my mind to know that even my infrequent excursions left him feeling lonely and uncomfortable.
"How was your trip?" he asked, following me slowly into the house.
"It was fantastic. I've never had so much fun in my life," I said sarcastically.
"I'm glad you had fun," Edward said, pretending not to notice my blatant sarcasm.
"Can't you wait a few more seconds for me to get inside? Why do you always wait for me in the garage?" I asked.
"I want to. I want to be there as soon as you get back. I don't want to miss a single moment that I can spend with you," he said.
"We have an eternity together, you know," I said, his comments only driving the guilt home further.
"And I intend to spend every moment of it with you," he said.
Because of the circumstances, Edward was confined to the Cullen property. Since I had transformed from my human self into a stunningly beautiful vampire, my former friends and family did not recognize me. If Edward were to be seen in town, they would assume he had returned from Dartmouth, where he and I were supposedly going for school. And if they saw him with the vampire me, and not the human me, well…rumors of infidelity would abound. I would not subject him or my family to such embarrassment.
He held his hand out, intertwining his fingers with my spare hand as we walked into the kitchen. I set the groceries on the island counter and sighed. "What's wrong Bella?" he asked. I didn't have to turn to know the expression he would be wearing; eyebrows furrowed, forehead crinkled, eyes boring into mine as they searched for an answer.
I shook my head and turned to look at him. "It's nothing really. Just something I overheard." It wasn't a lie – just not the entire truth. I hated to make Edward worry about me. But I seemed to have an incredible knack of doing it; in mortality and immortality.
"If you're sure…" he said, eyeing me intently for a moment before smiling mischievously. "…then let's pick up where we left off in the garage." He leaned in for another passionate kiss, but we were interrupted as soon as we began.
"Oh, get a room you two!" Emmett ordered as he sauntered into the kitchen. I quickly broke the kiss, looking down at my feet. I didn't understand why I still felt so embarrassed when things felt so natural. I was just glad I was a vampire so that I couldn't blush anymore. Emmett smiled, soaking in the awkward situation he had just created.
"So where is it?" he asked, grabbing the bag nearest to him and emptying it of its groceries, grunting in dissatisfaction as his first search proved fruitless.
"Right here," I said, reaching into another bag near Edward, pulling out a brand new Seattle Mariners cap. Emmett grinned wide and snatched the cap from my hand.
"Thanks, Bella. I owe you one," Emmett said, bending the rim before slipping the cap on his head. "I've got to be in style for tomorrow's game, you know?"
"Style won't help you," Edward said smugly. "With Bella and me in the outfield, you won't score at all!" I rolled my eyes at the trash-talking. Even the mere mention of sports made the testosterone levels in the room skyrocket.
"I guess that makes two of us who won't be scoring any time soon," Emmett said, immediately bursting into raucous laughter at his own joke.
"Just ignore it," I said softly, noticing Edward tense at Emmett's comment. I had lost the strength I once held as a newborn and now Emmett was a bit stronger than me. After foolishly giving in to months of goading I had lost the arm-wrestling rematch. And Emmett had been making full use of his innuendo privileges since his victory two weeks ago.
As Edward waited for him to leave the room, I began to take the groceries out of their bags and place them on the counter. Some of the Quileutes were coming over later in the afternoon for dinner. After all the help that the Quileutes had given us, we felt we were obligated to continue to show our gratitude. Since fending off the Volturi, Seth and Jacob weren't the only Quileutes to take a liking to the Cullens. Quil came often to see Jacob and Seth, bringing Claire along to play with Renesmee. Collin had started coming recently, becoming entranced by the stories Quil and Seth would tell of their "adventures with the vampires."
Today's adventure was a long nap on the couch. Renesmee was currently sitting on the couch with Seth and Jacob. She had recently taken a strong liking to the news. She would spend hours at a time watching CNN, BBC, or other international news networks. I should have been ecstatic that my daughter had such a natural desire for learning, but instead I was worried. Most six year olds were playing with toy cars or dolls. Renesmee was intently keeping track of the War on Terrorism and the volatile stock market.
Jacob enjoyed "News time" as much – if not more than – Renesmee. He could spend time with Renesmee while drifting in and out of light naps catching up on his sleep. The satisfaction was mutual; however, since both of them simply enjoyed the company.
Renesmee had also recently taken a great interest in searching for vampires in the news. Although I often reassured her that vampires kept low profiles, her experiences with vampires from all over the world had left her hopeful that she might one day catch a glimpse of Zafrina or Benjamin on the seven o'clock news. She would often come to me, reaching her hand out to touch my face, showing me the footage that she watched of a missing person report or a strange natural disaster. At the end of the vision, she would pull back, giving me a moment to process what she had shown me before she simply asked, "Vampire?" My response was always no. I would explain that sometimes humans do very bad things. Or I would explain that the earth can sometimes be a dangerous place with natural disasters.
Edward softly stroked my hand. "Are you sure nothing is wrong?" My hand was clutching a can of tomato sauce. I nodded, forcing a smile as I placed the can in the cupboard. As I turned to grab more groceries from the bag, another pair of hands was already there.
"Let me take care of this, Bella, sweetie. Perhaps running errands wasn't such a good idea after all. You look quite troubled," Esme said. I forced a smile as I nodded my head slowly. I had thought running errands would alleviate the anxiety I had been feeling lately. Despite hunting two nights before, I felt as though I had gone several weeks without blood. I checked my eyes in the reflection of the window to make sure they were amber and not an obsidian hue. "We can still postpone the dinner if you feel you're overwhelmed," Esme offered, noticing my silence.
I shook my head. "No, I'm alright. I just need a little time to relax," I said. The Quileutes came over on the last Saturday of each month. Carlisle and Edward had speculated that one of the main reasons that the vampires and shape shifters were still on somewhat good report here in Forks was because of the dinners and gatherings we regularly held. This dinner was important. I didn't want everyone to rearrange their schedules just because I was a little stressed out. And I could definitely use a distraction right now.
"Why don't you go rest some before dinner?" Esme suggested as she began taking the groceries from the sacks on the counter.
"Thank you, Esme," I said, as Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder. We walked together out of the kitchen and into the living room. Jacob's head was resting on the back of the couch, his mouth wide open as he softly snored. Seth smiled as we walked in, turning to greet us.
"Hey, Bella! How's it going?" he said with a goofy grin.
"Hi, Seth," I said, returning his grin with a smile of my own. "What –"
"Hi, mommy!" Renesmee shouted, interrupting me as she stood up on the couch. I stepped forward and hugged her tightly, cherishing each moment that I was blessed to spend with my precious baby.
"Hello, my little Nessie," I said, running my fingers through the beautiful dark curls of her hair. Edward reached up and slowly rubbed my shoulders. We were a happy little family; a family that would be together for a long, long time.
"Want to join us?" Seth asked hopefully, no doubt doing his best to try and help ease the stress that was plainly plastered on my face.
"Of course," I said, walking around the edge of the couch, taking a seat next to Renesmee. Edward took his place next to me at the end of the couch, his arm wrapped around my shoulders. "What are you watching, Nessie?" I asked.
"The Situation Room," she said with incredible enunciation. Even though she had the body of a six year old, her mind was sharper than most university students. "Want to see?" she asked, holding her hand to my face. I smiled and nodded. Immediately I was taken through reports of the stock market, footage of an airplane crash, interviews of international political leaders, and a commercial about car insurance that she found particularly funny.
Renesmee, Edward, and I all laughed as she pulled her hand back from my face. "Sounds like it was a busy day," I said. She nodded, her attention quickly diverted as the commercial break ended. "I love you, mommy!" she said sweetly as she settled back down between me and Jacob.
"I love you too, sweetie," I said as I hugged her again.
"Don't forget about me, Nessie," Edward said, leaning across me to ruffle her hair.
"I love you, too, daddy," Renesmee said in a monotone voice, already focused on The Situation Room.
Edward and I sat there, watching our daughter watch Wolf Blitzer talk about growing civil unrest in Iran. I now had a great appreciation for the way Edward felt when I was human. I could spend an entire day sitting here next to Renesmee – just watching and holding her – and be entirely satisfied.
"So, what're we having tonight for dinner?" Seth asked.
"Spaghetti," I said.
"I can't wait; I love Italian food!" Seth exclaimed, his stomach growling immediately after his declaration.
"You're already hungry? It's barely one o'clock," I said.
"Yeah, I had a light lunch, only a few sandwiches. I wanted to save room for tonight," Seth said while patting his stomach.
"Don't starve yourself," I said, rolling my eyes. All the Quileute shape shifters had voracious appetites. Esme was going to have to cook enough for dozens of humans just to feed a few of the Quileutes.
"Welcome home, Carlisle," Esme said, sliding out of the kitchen to give her husband a kiss as he stepped through the door. "How was work?"
"It was rather calm. Misses Williams' surgery was a success last night," he said, setting his briefcase down in the corner. He kissed his wife on the cheek, holding her in a tight embrace. I watched, hoping that after a hundred years, Edward and I would still have such an intimate and passionate relationship. I turned to look at Edward, and found him staring back at me. As I gazed into his eyes, I could sense that our relationship would also stand the tests of time. We were meant for each other.
"I'm going to go drop my things off upstairs and get changed, and then I'll be back down to help you," Carlisle said. Esme smiled and nodded, giving him another soft kiss on the cheek before returning to the kitchen. Carlisle nodded as he passed us, smiling wide as he noticed the five of us situated on the small couch. Carlisle took great pride in being a grandfather, proudly displaying a portrait of Renesmee, Edward, and me in his home office. Better there than at work.
I looked over at the clock, wondering why the hands seemed to be moving backwards instead of forwards. The biggest event of the evening was not the dinner with the shape shifters. My mother and stepfather were coming to Forks to visit my family. My father, Charlie, had slowly learned to accept what little he knew about my new and abnormal lifestyle, and had kept our secret safe from everyone else. But my mother might be a different story.
Renée had been begging me for the past year to come out and see her and Phil. But Jacksonville, Florida wasn't exactly the most vampire-friendly place in the United States. I couldn't tell her goodbye. I needed her in my life. So after careful consideration – and approval from the majority of the other Cullens – I decided my mother should come to Forks. I thought that if I had any chance at breaking the news to my mother successfully, it would be here on our home turf under carefully controlled circumstances.
Charlie would be traveling to Port Angeles to pick her and Phil up this afternoon. Their flight was scheduled to arrive at around seven o'clock. Charlie was going to be picking them up and taking them back to his house. Renée agreed to my plan with surprisingly little convincing. Was she that desperate to see me? It made me feel guilty, knowing things would be incredibly awkward between Renée and Charlie. Phil was unusually excited to visit Forks. Before learning about the true identity of Edward, I couldn't imagine any reason why anyone would be excited to come to Forks.
I wasn't sure what I would do or say when I met Phil and Renée. My mother had to be suspicious. I hadn't spoken to her on the phone for over eighteen months. I had only kept in contact via email. What would she think when I walked up, introducing myself in a voice reminiscent of wind chimes, with burning amber eyes and flawless skin? Would she panic? Would Charlie's testimony be enough to help convince her? Would he do more damage than good?
Alice had assured me many times that everything would work out. My mind was constantly playing out worst-case scenarios. I had tried many times to pry information out of her, but she would just smile and reassure me that everything would work out.
"Alice wants to talk," Edward whispered nonchalantly. Before I could respond, I heard the rustle of fabric as Alice came down the stairs. Speak of the devil.
"Bella?" Alice called as she strode towards the couch.
"Yes?" I asked. I turned to face her, but immediately wished that my special ability was to be invisible. I noticed a pair of my old sweatpants in her arms, and I didn't need Edward to know what she wanted to talk about.
Alice and I were very good friends, except when it came to fashion. Our two opposing viewpoints put us at odds on a regular basis. I had been raised to be grateful for what you have. I still felt guilty that my closet was bigger than my bedroom. While I enjoyed wearing nice clothing occasionally, I felt perfectly content wearing a plain old t-shirt and some blue jeans. But to Alice, it was a federal crime to dress in anything less than the best. If it wasn't designer, it was unacceptable.
"Can I have a word with you?" she asked sweetly.
"Sure," I said, my eyes fixed on the sweatpants like a criminal staring at handcuffs. I knew what my sentence would be; a long lecture about fashion. I just hoped I would be let off early for good behavior.
After a few seconds of silence, Alice cleared her throat. "Mind coming upstairs with me?" she asked. I could only delay the inevitable for so long.
"Sure," I said again, hugging Renesmee before standing up. "We'll be right back," I said as Edward rose to come with me.
"Okay, mommy," Renesmee said, hugging me back. As I let her go, she flashed me a sweet smile before curling up against Jacob.
All three of us walked up the stairs with Alice in front and Edward and me side by side behind her. We walked in silence down the hall and turned into her room. After I entered, she spun and shoved her hand against Edward's chest.
"Absolutely not! You wait out here!" She stepped back and shut the door, turning and glaring at me as she held up my sweatpants. It was amazing how quickly her cozy bedroom could turn into a depressing prison cell.
"What is this?" she asked, shaking the offending sweatpants towards me. "You can't seriously be thinking of wearing this when you go to see Renée and Phil, can you?"
I twiddled my thumbs nervously as I tried to avoid looking directly into Alice's eyes. "I thought it would increase our chances if I was wearing clothing the human Bella would typically wear." Ha, the human Bella. In ordinary circumstances I would laugh at the words that rolled off my tongue so easily now.
Alice shook her head. "Bella, first impressions are very important. Renée will know it's you by the way you talk and the way you act. She's more perceptive than Charlie. Your elegant new appearance would be further proof that you have changed." I opened my mouth to protest but she held out her hand and gave me a piercing glare, daring me to say something contrary while she was talking. "You would not dress a princess in rags, and I will not let my Bella dress in them either!"
I waited for a moment to make sure she was done. I took another deep breath. She was adamant that I wear something more elegant. And when Alice was adamant – especially about clothing – you couldn't win. "Alice, are you sure it won't matter what I wear?" I asked, giving reason a final attempt.
Alice shut her eyes for a second, no doubt trying to see what I would be wearing and what my mother's reaction would be. I stood in silence for what seemed like hours before she opened her eyes with a sly grin. "You aren't wearing these hideous things, that's for sure," she said.
"What am I wearing?" I asked. Alice's smile grew wider.
"I'm so glad you asked. Let me run to the car, I'll go and get it," she said, disappearing out the door with an obvious bounce in her step.
I sat down on the bed. Defeat felt miserable. Edward stepped through the doorway, shaking his head. He walked to the bed, grabbing my hand as he sat down beside me. "You could have just told her no," he said.
I shrugged, leaning up against his shoulder as we waited. "I know. But look how happy it made her that I said yes," I said, forcing a smile.
"And look how unhappy it made you," Edward said, moving his other hand to cup my cheek.
"I'm just weak. I can't say no," I said, leaning my head into his gentle hand.
"But if you could, we probably wouldn't be here together right now. I'm glad you didn't follow my advice to stay away from me," he said, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on my neck. I turned around to face him, meeting his second kiss with my lips. He pulled me tightly and the kissing became more frantic and impassioned. No matter how long we spent together, we still had the same passion and desire that burned the night of our honeymoon.
After a minute of bliss, Edward stopped suddenly, my kiss landing on his chin instead of his lips as he lifted his head. I pulled back, looking into his eyes. To my bewilderment, his eyes were staring past me, his eyebrows pulled tight in confusion.
"What's wrong?" I asked, wondering what he was thinking…or what someone else was thinking.
"Everyone come quick!" Seth shouted in obvious distress. Edward and I leapt off the bed. He yanked open the door and we both flew out into the hallway and down the stairs. As we reached the living room, Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, and Emmett were already there with Rosalie slowly floating down the stairs in no hurry to respond to the shape shifter.
Before I asked what was wrong, I followed everyone's blank stares to the television. I was suddenly wishing that the Cullens didn't have so many state of the art toys. In crystal clear HD, I watched the camera from a helicopter as it circled a cluster of trees set aflame in the forest.
We all stood in silence as we watched the continuing news coverage, trying to comprehend the how's and why's of what we were witnessing. Renesmee had no such troubles. She turned to face us, and with an innocent expression broke the silence with a single word.
"Vampire."
This time it wasn't a question. It was a statement.