Chapter Two: A little too Late
Peace never settled over the Cullen home, and David blamed Jacob for it. It was Jacob's fault after all for pushing Bella over the edge with his pet names. The worst part of it was that Bella never managed to reach Jacob. With David preoccupying Leah, Seth took the blow. David shudder as he remembered the crunching and cracking of Seth's ribs. This only made Bella furious that Jacob caused her to hurt Seth. It was a downhill spiral from there.
A soft thud of the door being open drew his lazy attention. With a bright smile, he turned towards the entering figure. Rosalie froze, bags clutched in each of her hands, as she saw David awake.
"Sorry," she dropped the bags to the floor, "I just wanted to drop off your new clothes."
He shifted out of bed, his feet shuffling across the wooded floor. His lethargic body wanted nothing more than for him to go back to bed. He constantly felt the waves of exhaustion, Carlisle believed it had to do with his rapid growth. Jacob said it was just because he was lazy. Both of which David believed to be true.
From his position he could see his reflection in the mirror. Every day he would wake a little older than before. Rosalie constantly took pictures, and Carlisle documented. His clothes never fit right, and always needed to be changed.
David could hear them talk about him. They were all talking about him. It was always in huddled groups, in the lightest of tones. Bella and Edward spoke in the darkness of the night. Bella's panicked voice always needing to be comforted by Edward's.
David rustled a hand through his hair, trying his best to tame it. It would need to be cut again. It was only two days since Alice did it.
He pulled out the various materials from the bags. Shirts donned with tags labelling them for children the age of five. The clothes tags were the only way David knew his age. He shrugged as he pulled on the first shirt and shorts he pulled out.
He left the small cottage that was his home to the main house. He liked the idea of having his own space with the cottage. It was like the four of them were their own family. The cottage design reflected those of Esme, Alice, and Rosalie. It was elegant, yet had a genuine home feel. The seclusion from the rest of the clan was a bonus.
Well, there is no use in procrastinating, David thought as he entered the kitchen. She sat alone at the oak table. Her index finger tracing the curves etched into the wood. Her brows were drawn together, and her teeth chewed on her bottom lip. David watched her expression from the doorframe. He hated when she looked this way. She had nothing to worry about, yet she always let her mind wander.
He cleared his throat as he entered the kitchen, causing Leah smile quickly. He pulled out a chair, settling down next to her. "I don't know if I can do it," her voice was so soft that David had to lean in close to catch her words. His fingers followed the pattern on the table in a similar manner to hers.
"You don't have to do anything," he watched as her finger stopped moving. "It is better we clear the situation up now than later." He shrugged and continued to move with the flow of the wood. "Oh," he looked up at her, eyes fixing on hers. "I grew a little more today. You could say today is my fifth birthday. We should celebrate later," he noted trying to lighten the mood.
At his words, Leah's expression fell. It always did every time he told her about his growth. She wasn't alone, as all the Cullens pretended him growing was something to be happy about. They didn't want him to grow. The future was unpredictable, and David knew that meant his life may be short lived.
"We should celebrate later, with Jake and Renesmee," Leah tried her best to appear happy. David pursed his lips as he ran his hand over the oak.
"Don't be like that," David shot Leah a look.
Leah's smile faded, and was replaced with a scowl. "What am I supposed to say," Leah rebuked. She was right. Yet, he wanted Leah to be honest with him. She cared for him, and he cared for her. Whatever time they may have, he didn't want to spend it dwelling on whether he grow old too fast.
"You are a kid David," Leah laughed, "we shouldn't be talking about the future on your birthday."
Leah's laughter was cut short when Bella and Edward entered the room. The chairs scraped across the floor as the two of them sat down.
David was happy everyone was gone today. Apparently everyone had to hunt at the same time. David knew it was because nobody wanted to be in the house when the confrontation took place.
"I imprinted," Leah sputtered out.
The solemn air was broken. David shook his head, but couldn't help but smile. Watching Leah be nervous over him made him happy. Leah attempted to appear casual as she raised the glass of water to her mouth, but David noticed her hand shaking as she lifted it. He wasn't the only one as Edward raised an eyebrow watching her.
"And those fault was that?" Bella asked, her voice flat.
The temperature was colder by the time her glass returned to the table. David could hear the increase of her heart, and her mutters she spoke under her breath to calm it.
"It was mutual," David continued before Leah had the chance. "She gave me the opportunity and I took it."
It was only then that Bella's expression changed for skeptical wrinkled brows, to wide, shocked eyes. "She has no right, you are just a kid. You still are a kid. Why won't you wolves leave my kids alone?" Her anger directed towards Leah made David feel uneasy especially the savage tint her eyes held.
"She gave me a choice," David clarified. Though Bella's words were harsh
"Enough," David stepped between the pair. David exchanged a stern look between the two before settling his eyes on Bella. "She gave me a choice. I decided for myself the outcome."
Bella froze with a surprised expression. "You don't get to have a choice David. You are still a child, my child."
Her word, though as harsh as they may be, were true. He appeared to be young and naïve, incapable of forming any opinion of his own. To Bella, he was her baby. Her baby that was growing too fast. She wasn't angry, she was scared. Scared that when he will get older, Leah would steal away those few precious moments. She was afraid of him dying.
"He is going to be an adult soon Bella," Edward spoke up reading his son's mind. "In a few months he will be capable of making his own decisions."
David redirected his eyes back to Leah. She sat, fingers tightly gripped on the table. He hated seeing her having to form an excuse. Her mind was blank. No argument she could create would ever bring Bella to acceptance.
David felt something stir within him. At first it was a mere tingling sensation, but it grew rapidly. It consumed his senses, supplying him with a steady thrum of adrenaline.
"Why can't you just accept her, like you do Jacob?"
"What do you mean?" Bella asked softly, and for a brief second, he could see she wasn't sure if she wanted an answer.
"What do I mean?" David huffed. All the anxiety he felt dissipated. He no longer cared about their approval. His mother's once hard mouth vanished leaving him with a sort of vague distaste for them. "I understand why you are so mad. I know everyone feels like I am going to fall apart. I don't mind much what my future has for me. As for Leah and I, that is no longer a concern you should dwell on. You are going to have to learn to accept her mom, somehow, please just learn." He could feel the eyes of the room on him. He locked his jaw. Now wasn't a moment to be weak. He stood, his chair scraping across the floor like Bella's, a piercing screech resounded off the walls. He adverted his eyes and just shrugged. His nonchalance must have further pissed off Bella, because Edward held her back. "Let's go Leah," he motioned towards the back door.
Leah gave a weak smile as she stood, "I better be going," she spoke quickly. The both of them walked through the backyard into the woods.
"Don't give me that look," he heard his father laugh from the kitchen, "he get it from you."
David pushed the voices away as they ran through the woods towards the field. The clearing was small with clean, deep green grass. It was surrounded by tall trees that the wind blew gently through. It the distance birds chirped, and animals scurried about.
He watched the clouds settling it as rain began to pour. "Only in Washington," he sighed. The water that fell on his face became mixed in with his own unheeded tears. He slowly opened his eyes, rubbing them to clear his foggy vison. He ran his fingers through his wet hair with annoyance as it damply clung to his face. His blurred vision disappeared after a few more blinks, and he found Leah sitting next to him.
She looked up at the sky, drawing her legs close to her chest.
David leaned over and grasped the mounds of soft earth as he tried to control the sudden surge of emotions that rushed him. The pain, fear, anger, sadness, and confusion he experienced at the kitchen table. He drew in deep breaths as the emotions echoed louder and louder. He tried to clear his mind, to control his inner thoughts, but the waves of emotions were restless.
He didn't want to sit and cry, especially not in front of Leah. Leah already experienced so much sorrow and misery that David never wanted that to happen again.
"Is it still worth it to you?" Leah asked picking strands of the grass.
He looked up at her. Her hair was tucked behind her ear. Her copper skin covered in rain that soaked her clothes. Her outfit was typical, a pair of faded shorts, and a cotton shirt. Simplistic yet still perfect on her.
"I don't know," David leaned back, falling on his back. He closed his eyes, the rain began to lighten. "You are a pain sometimes, so I'm not sure." He peaked from his eyes, and Leah turned back to him with a smile.
The rain stopped and the two of them laid there, watching the sky. "I have to go," Leah eventually sat up, grass staining her shirt. "I have to do patrols tonight. Did you want me to bring you back?"
"No," David didn't move from his spot. "I will go back eventually, it will be alright." David watched her mouth open as if to speak, but it closed and she gave him a smile.
"I will see you later than," she ruffled his hair before running off into the woods.
David pulled at the grass as the hours passed by. He listened to the deer, birds, and a screeching of tires. He tried to ignore it, but Edward's voice called out to him.
David groaned as he stood, brushing the stray grass flakes from his clothes. His now stained clothes, were damp against his skin, and he tried his best to straighten up as he ran through the woods. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go back. He wasn't ready to face up to his words. However, he knew if he didn't that Edward would just go out looking for him.
"I heard you were dying," a husky voice asked confused. "Jake said I had to come because of it. Hell, you look fine to me." So the man didn't know of vampires. No one in this house was dying, not yet at least.
"He was telling the truth," Bella's voice made him stop in his tracks. It sounded forced, but had sorrow. Whoever she was lying to have to be important. He navigated through the rooms, following the strong scent emitting from the family room.
It wasn't until he was in the room that the scent was overpowering. His throat begged for relief as he stared at the man on the couch. He swallowed hard, trying to look away, but he couldn't. He locked eyes with the unknown man, his chocolate eyes familiar. Everything about him was.
"This must be the other orphan Jacob said you were taking in," the man looked David over, "I mean adopting," he corrected himself.
"My niece and nephew," Edward lies were smooth. His voice never faltered. David raised an eyebrow at the lie. Edward held his hand out, and David took it in his own. He took his time walking to the couch, trying to count the other man's heartbeat. It didn't help David that the man had a lingering scent.
"I could have sworn you said your family was dead," the man voice held an accusing tone.
"Charlie- dad," Bella warned, but Edward placed a hand on her knee to stop her.
"My parents, yes," Edward noted. David watched Edward told his own against Charlie. The entire situation was odd. "However, my brother was adopted out and after him and his wife passed away, I was able to gain custody of my niece and nephew."
If the lie wasn't weird enough to David, Bella made it worst. She sat stiff as a board, her chest lifting and lowering as if she pretended to breath. She didn't need to breath, but there she sat trying to be human. Her eyes now were similar to the man's. David stared at them. They weren't the same brown as he remembered them being before. David, however, couldn't dismiss how smooth this lie was.
It was all too easy. Charlie's human brain couldn't process the entire story before Edward quickly changed the topic.
"It is not too soon?" His voice went quiet. "I mean you two just got married, and I figured you would want to go explore the world before having a family."
"I love them," Bella tried to explain. "They are like my own children." David knew Charlie could feel how genuine that answer was.
"This is Renesmee," Edward held her out, and Charlie carefully picked the baby up. His face went white as he stared down. It was impossible to tell what he saw that made him so scared, but Charlie brought the baby closer. David was unsure why Edward even let him hold her. Renesmee didn't look like a normal child. What baby has perfect, white teeth? It didn't help that Renesmee wanted nothing more than to touch Charlie and show him her thoughts.
No, it was neither of those. David sucked in a breath when he saw Charlie gazing into her eyes. The same eyes Charlie saw in his baby's eyes. The same rich brown he had. David wished he could hear Charlie's thoughts, because at that moment they would be racing.
"It is okay Charlie," Jacob tapped on the man's shoulder.
The wolf's words didn't make the situation any better. Charlie sat there, looking over his granddaughter while his finger tapped on his jeans. He was counting, calculating the months Edward and Bella were together. He knew that Renesmee was their child.
That was when his stern eyes came upon David. David stiffened as Charlie's brows drew together. It was impossible for David to be Bella and Edward's through logistics. Sure he had Bella's hair, but her color was common.
"How old is she?" Charlie hesitated, not sure if he wanted an answer.
"Three months," Edward's answer didn't help the situation. David watched Charlie chew on his lip.
"Just try not to believe everything here today, okay?" Jake gave the man a pat, and Charlie shifted uncomfortable.
"You won't turn into a dog like him?" Charlie looked up at Jake whose face turned smug.
"No," Bella assured him, and David had to cover his mouth to stop himself from laughing. Bella shot Jacob a look, but the wolf seemed unapologetic for bringing the subject up. That was why Charlie was so scared, couldn't blame the man.
"How old are you?" Charlie questioned David, bringing him back to reality.
"Five," he kept his answer short. He tried to advert his eyes from Charlie's, yet the scent drove him wild. How long was he supposed to hold eye contact for? How long was the attention span of a five year old? He locked eyes with the man. His eyes flickering across his face. Charlie seemed aged, yet so innocent. After all, he was in a house full of vampires, and he believed Jacob was the scariest.
"Oh yeah!" Emmett called as he jumped off the couch.
Charlie turned his head towards the screen, "Is Florida winning?" he asked trying to escape the awkward situation he was in.
"For now," Emmett shot Bella and Edward a smug smile. "Come on over, we are taking bets still."
The evening managed to continue on. Charlie made himself at home watching two more football games, a beer draped in his hand. The small talk of the games overtook the previous conversation bringing relief to the man. David watched Charlie's anxiety dissolve the longer he sat.
It wasn't until Seth reminded Charlie of his dinner appointment with his mother, but Charlie stood up. Charlie stretched, thanked Emmett, and walked outside with Bella. He could hear their goodbyes, and Bella assurance that she was alright. He focused on Charlie's steady heartbeat. He was finally comfortable with the weirdness of it all.
"No Nessie, I hate that name," Bella sounded aspirated as Charlie joked around. David closed his eyes, head propped against Emmett's leg as he listened to Charlie drive away.
"I did it," Bella declared as she entered the house. He listened to the words of Carlisle congratulate Bella.
"Hey," Edward scooped David up in his arms. "Everything is going to be alright, from this morning. You just got to give your mom sometime. We are going for a hunt to celebrate, so Jacob, Lean and Seth are coming over." David nodded and placed a kiss on David forehead.
"I am proud of you," Bella noted next to Edward, touching David's cheek. "That took some control not going after Charlie." He smiled at her.
"We won't be long David, Renesmee is upstairs. Watch after her okay? We love you both." David watched the pack disappear into the woods.
After he was sure the group left, he search around for Leah. He was surprised to find her outside. She sat on the porch, her feet hanging off the side. She rested her chin on her hands as she watched the sky.
"You okay?" David walked over to her, kicking a rock as he went.
"I have had better, though I feel like I should be asking you that."
David leaned against the wood. "I heard it is supposed to get better." He walked down the steps.
"Where are you going?" She asked as he walked between the trees.
"I haven't eaten all day. As much as I love Esme's cooking, Charlie's smell reminded me how little I got to eat today. Give me an hour, and we can talk."
"Be careful," Leah called out to him as he ran off. He liked hunting. It was a great time waster, and there was nothing better than fresh. He didn't mind eating, but there was no thrill in it.
As he emerged from the tree line into the clearing he stopped. In the middle of it was three figures. They donned dark robes, which masked their faces. They had the scent of death. It was what Leah told him every vampire had. Where would he run to?
He stood, casting his gaze up to them. One of them stepped forward, and David found himself buried deep in wet dirt. Somebody knocked him over. He forced himself back up, coughing, only to find the ground beneath him tilt and sway uneasily.
As he steadied himself, a force pushed him back down. He was really starting to hate dirt. Something snapped to his right, and he subconsciously rolled to his left. He jumped on his feet, crouching. The three figures were gone, and the field was left empty. He scanned the area, until he saw her.
She had to be a teenager. Her blonde hair was pulled into a tight bun, and her red eyes weren't as inviting as Bella's. The girl's looked hungry, and David felt like he might be her next meal. Her lips quirked up in a predatory smile. She waved her hand causing the other two figures to appear. David noticed they all wore similar rings, donned with the same crest.
All she said was a single word.
Plan? No, not plan. Pain. The word was muttered, yet it packed a powerful blow. His entire body locked up as it crumpled to the ground. He gasped, fingers clawing at the dirt, trying to secure air into his lungs. Bright colors flashed before his eyes, as speckles formed in his vision. The world spun at increasing rates, before growing dark.
"Hurry up and grab him Felix, Aro isn't going to be happy about us not grabbing both."
"He is just going to have to due, Jane."
