Chapter 3: In Which Her Name Is Bella! Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for Cella's amusement.
Edward Cullen was in trouble. He already knew that as he stormed out to his Volvo with his cousin's duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
He had no memory of Alice Brandon. He'd been just three when she moved away and had only heard of her sporadically when his mother managed to get his aunt McKenna on the phone.
Of course, when he'd first set eyes on her he hadn't known she was his cousin. All of the pictures he'd seen of Alice were of when she was four or younger, and back then she'd had jet black hair. Then again, his hair, as a small child, had been very blond but had ended up a weird brown, reddish color.
Alice's hair was a deep, lush brown.
When he first spotted her - before I knew she was Alice, he comforted himself - the hair was the first thing he'd noticed.
Because it was flying all around her as she toppled over two small children.
The next instant, the crazy mother had been screaming and one of the kids was giggling wildly at the other who was sobbing uncontrollably. Edward had heard her flustered voice and had automatically started in that direction to lend a hand. He didn't really know why. Sure, his parents had raised him to be polite, but rushing over to help a complete stranger when she'd merely tripped and wasn't in any kind of danger - crazy mom aside - was a bit much. But Emmett had followed him and distracted the mom and crying kid while Edward helped the girl to her feet.
The instant he had touched her, his whole body felt heated.
Then she'd turned around, and well....
If they had been in a cartoon, Edward's face would have gone red as his heart beat out of his chest while making that awooogaaaaa sound.
Then she had said the exact worst thing possible. "I'm Balice!"
Alice. His cousin.
Edward growled as he pulled open the trunk of the Volvo. He put the duffel bag in the trunk, trying to get his rapidly swinging moods under control. He could see that Alice and Emmett were exiting the airport now, and Alice probably already thought he was an asshole.
He was about to shut the trunk when he noticed that the duffel was covered in doodles. Most of them were mindless, but the center of it bore a name written in black ink.
Bella.Edward furrowed his eyebrows. Why would Alice's bag have the name Bella on it?
There was probably a perfectly logical explanation, but the only one that came to mind at that moment was one that made Edward very, very angry.
It was unlikely that a girl like this didn't have a boyfriend. It would be just the kind of disgustingly cutesy things Edward saw high school boys did to please their girls, or, more likely, get into their pants. Bella meant beautiful. Alice's boyfriend wrote that on her bag to please her. Edward could just imagine Alice's smile when she saw it.
Hell, the asshole had probably bought her the damn thing.
Edward resisted the urge to bang his head on the side of the car. This was stupid. He had no idea why these ridiculous thoughts were consuming him. It was confusing and horrifying. Even more annoying was the fact that there was no one on the planet he hated more than this phantom guy he would probably never know.
Unless she married the prick.
"Oh, Christ," Edward muttered out loud, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"You called?" Emmett said as he and Alice reached the car.
Edward managed a grimace because his brother thought he was funny. Then he chanced a glance at Alice again.
Yeah. The tingles were still there. Son of a bitch.
"Do you want shot gun?" he blurted through gritted teeth. It came out sounding a lot rougher than he intended so he shouldn't have been surprised when Alice stumbled back a few steps.
"No," she said, her voice uncertain but obviously slightly hurt and irritated all at the same time. Her cheeks tinged with a faint blush as she squared her shoulders and moved past him to the back door of the Volvo.
Remembering his manners just in time, Edward reached out for the handle of the door just as she did. Again, their hands brushed. They looked at each other, startled by the sensation that passed between them.
Edward had never wanted to kiss someone so much in his entire life. It didn't help when she bit down on her bottom lip. He had no idea why but that innocent move just made the ... want that was coursing through him, as if her body were a magnet for his, a thousand times stronger.
Alice backed away a step and Edward silently opened the backdoor for her. She got in without looking at him.
"Dude," Emmett hissed from across the car as soon as Alice's door was closed. "What is your problem?"
"Nothing," Edward hissed back and got into the driver's seat before Emmett could ask again.
It was good for Edward that Emmett was so naturally buoyant. He chatted easily with everyone and Alice was no exception. She was a lot more reserved than Edward had expected her to be. From all of his mother's stories about his aunt McKenna, he would have expected Alice to be a chatterbox. Instead, she was quiet and thoughtful about her answers. Edward didn't miss the fondness in her voice when she spoke of her mother. It was the same tone that his own mother, Esme, had when she spoke of her children. He could hear the gentle exasperation in her tone when she spoke of some of McKenna's crazier adventures.
Even though he was very interested, maybe even too interested, in what Alice was saying, Edward just couldn't get her duffel bag out of his head.
The curiosity became too strong. They were still about twenty minutes away from Forks when his mouth opened of its own accord. "Why does your bag say Bella?"
Edward's mouth snapped shut and he inwardly cursed himself. His tone was a lot more accusatory than he'd meant for it to be. He didn't even bother looking at his brother because he knew Emmett would be glaring, but a glance in the rear view mirror told him that Alice was gawking at him with a deer in headlights expression. She was blushing furiously, something he found more endearing than was entirely healthy.
"I- um," she stumbled.
In a continuing theme of verbal diarrhea, Edward asked. "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Then he was the one who was blushing because really, what the fuck was wrong with him?
"What?!" Alice exclaimed. "No!"
The profound relief that Edward felt then was only comforting for a moment before Emmett voiced his previous thought. "Man, what the fuck is wrong with you, Edward?"
Edward shrugged uncomfortably. "I just thought ... it's the kind of nickname a boyfriend would give a girl."
In the backseat, Bella was scrambling for an explanation. In that moment she cursed her mother and Alice's mother for taking them on so many different trips that Bella had no interest in. It was during one of those excursions, while Renee, McKenna and Alice were learning what they needed to know before going bungee jumping, that Bella, who straight out refused to do it, spent her time doodling all over her duffel instead of worrying about her family.
But then, Edward had provided her with half a reasonable excuse. "It is a nickname. Just not from a boyfriend."
"How do you get Bella out of Mary Alice?" he asked skeptically.
Good question. "Um. Well, I've always read a lot and the kids in school started calling me that because, you know the chick from Beauty and Beast? She read a lot," Bella finished lamely.
"But her name is Belle, not Bella," Edward persisted.
"Jesus, Edward. Would you stop being a jerk?" Emmett yelled, exasperated with his brother. "What's gotten into you?"
Edward was quiet for a long moment, though Bella could see he was gritting his teeth. He let out a slow breath before looking up at her in the rear view mirror. "Sorry," he said in that quietly melodic voice of his.
For a handful of seconds, Bella was caught by the depth of his emerald eyes. They were so beautiful and his apology so sincere; any irritation she had felt vanished almost instantly. "No, it's okay. It's a valid point. It just kind of...happened that way," she said.
"Do you prefer Bella?" Emmett asked.
Bella opened her mouth to deny this, but then she realized she'd been handed a golden ticket. "Yeah, actually. If that's not any trouble."
"Doesn't make a difference to me," Emmett said. "You know," he began thoughtfully, "Rosalie, my fiancée, has a cousin named Daniel. He goes by Paco for no good reason that I could ever figure."
"Oh, that's," weird, "Interesting."
The rest of the drive was relatively uneventful. Edward hunkered down and drove while pretending he wasn't fascinated by everything Ali- Bella said.
It was a long drive.
Bella stared out the window as they pulled onto a narrow road. They drove for about three more miles before coming to a huge, gorgeous, three story mansion in the woods.
It was, Bella thought, somewhat excessive for four people.
Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of the driver's door slamming. Edward opened her door but didn't wait for her to get out. Instead he went straight around to the trunk to retrieve her duffel. He hurried up the steps and into the house without another word.
Bella glared after him, confused and more than a little hurt. She didn't know what she had done to make him act this way around her, but he was most definitely angry.
What. A. Prick.
Almost as if he'd heard her, Edward paused at the door and turned around. His eyes found hers and the world seemed to condense itself to only contain the two of them.
A gorgeous prick.
He narrowed his eyes and turned back toward the house, disappearing through the front door just as an older couple stepped out. Bella knew instantly they had to be Carlisle and Esme Cullen because they were obviously the source of Edward and Emmett's good genes. She could instantly see Emmett's dimples on Esme's face.
And, oh my goodness, if Edward was going to look anything like his father when he was older, he was going to be a DILF when he grew up. Apparently, Cullens aged well.
What the fuck, Bella. So not helpful.It would be just what she needed to start lusting after her fuckhot "uncle".
Though, he didn't share any of Alice's blood, so did that make it better or worse than her obvious attraction to her "cousin" Edward?
Oh God, I'm a walking Jerry Springer episode."Alice! Oh, dear, let me get a look at you," Esme cried, all but running down the steps. She pulled Bella in for a tight hug and then held her at arm's length. Her grin fell just slightly.
Bella froze, suddenly terrified. If anyone here could possibly know the difference between Alice and a total stranger, it would, logically, be Esme. The older woman ran her hand down the side of Bella's head, catching a wisp of her hair between her fingers. "Oh, Alice. Your hair got so light. It used to be just like Kenna's," she said, wistful and a little teary. She smiled, looking Bella in the eye again. "I guess you must take after your father after all."
Esme was more correct than she knew. Bella's hair was, in fact, the exact same shade of deep brown as her father Charlie's. "I guess so," Bella said quietly.
"Oh, my goodness. Don't be so bashful dear. You're with family now," Esme said, hugging her again.
When she stepped back, Carlisle stepped in and hugged Bella briefly. "It is good to see you after all this time, Alice. I'm glad you decided to come to stay with us for Emmett's big day," he said, smiling genuinely.
Wow. Bella couldn't remember meeting more warm and welcoming people than the Cullens. Certainly, Emmett had been nothing but nice.
What the hell was wrong with Edward?
"Did Rosie go home?" Emmett asked as they all entered the house.
"She went to pick up Jasper and his mother," Carlisle answered.
"I hope you don't mind, Alice," Esme said to Bella. "Lucy Hale remembers you quite fondly. I invited them all over for dinner."
"Her name is Bella," Edward blurted suddenly, reappearing in the foyer.
Esme turned toward her youngest son, a confused expression on her face. "Edward, this is your cousin Alice."
Edward rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation and embarrassment. "No, I mean. She goes by Bella," he explained.
"It's just a nickname that stuck back in Phoenix," Bella said quickly. "But you can call me-"
"No, dear, that's perfectly fine," Esme said with a smile. "Bella it is."
Bella gaped for a moment before snapping her mouth shut.
Well, that had to be a plus. Even though she hadn't seen her sister or niece for fourteen years, Esme apparently remembered their quirkiness so well that a drastic name change didn't even faze her.
Bella was given a tour through the house. Of particular note was the piano that Esme identified as Edward's.
Then there was the fact that the room she would be staying in was located on the third floor. The only other room up there was Edward's and the two rooms were connected by a bathroom. The first thing that flashed through Bella's mind was that it was very trusting of Esme and Carlisle to put their teenage son in such close proximity with a teenage girl.
That shouldn't be a problem as you are supposed to be COUSINS, Isabella.Right.
Plus, Edward Cullen was an asshole.
An asshole with an entire wall filled from floor to ceiling with music. "You can't have listened to all of these!" Bella choked before she could stop herself.
Edward, who had been silently following their little tour from room to room, actually cracked a smile.
Han Solo had nothing on this kid's lopsided grin.
"Of course I haven't listened to all of them. If I had I wouldn't have ever had time to sleep," he said, for the first time sounding lighthearted.
She couldn't help but smile when he was grinning like that. "So, what? You have obsessive compulsive CD buying disorder?"
Behind them, Emmett laughed. "If that was an actual sickness, Edward would definitely have it."
Edward shrugged. "I like having a variety at my fingertips."
"Right," Bella said, plucking a CD out of the shelf at random. "Because you never know when you're going to feel in the mood for Tibetan Singing Bowls," she said, waving the CD in his face with an amused smirk.
He raised an eyebrow in surprise at her sass. He was about to respond but at that moment the doorbell rang. Emmett was on his way downstairs before anybody could blink. He had flung open the door and gathered his bride-to-be in his arms before the rest of the Cullens and Bella had even reached the second floor.
When Bella got her first look at the Hale family she began to wonder if they were putting pretty in the water.
No, scratch that. Beauty.
Thus far, there were more beautiful people in Forks than there were Jedi's from Tatooine.
Lucy Hale could have been Rosalie and Jasper's older sister instead of their mother. Like her children, she was statuesque and stunning. Both she and Rosalie looked like they could have just as easily been on their way to a photo-shoot for a trendy casual clothing line in artfully faded jeans and blouses that fit their perfectly proportioned bodies in the most flattering of ways.
Jasper, however, was on the exact opposite end of the fashion spectrum from his mother and sister. Where Lucy and Rosalie's dresses were artfully faded, Jasper's were straight out worn. If he were a work of art, and his face definitely made that easy to imagine, he would have been titled 'Boy Not Caring'. He was the picture of easy going when it came to fashion anyway.
There was a kindness in his eyes as well. He seemed to exude a relaxed air, and when he saw her, he gave a welcoming smile. He had a heart stopping grin. It almost rivaled Edward's lopsided smile.
Almost.
"It's nice to meet you," Jasper said when they were introduced. Then he winked at her. "Or, I should say, it's nice to see you again after all this time?"
Oh, this one was charming. Interesting. Bella's heart gave a little flutter at the positive male attention.
Lucy gushed over Bella in a much more embarrassing fashion than Esme had. "My goodness, I am so glad you grew your hair out. I kept telling Kenna what a shame it was. Little girls should have long, pretty hair," she babbled, petting Bella's hair. Bella had to struggle not to pull away.
Rosalie gave her a perfunctory, "Pleased to meet you," before turning her attention to Emmett. They looked like the epitome of the jock and the cheerleader – both beautiful and all smiles. At least for each other anyway.
They all made small talk, Rosalie coming alive as she talked about the wedding and the plans Vera, her best friend and maid-of-honor, had for the bachelorette party. Lucy cleared her throat, giving Rosalie a pointed look and gesturing with her eyes at Bella. Rosalie's face scrunched up for just a moment before she turned to Bella, smiling beatifically. "The bachelorette party is two weeks from today. We're not going to be doing anything too crazy. I'd love it if joined us."
"Oh!" Bella exclaimed, surprised. "I don't want to impose."
"No, I want you to, really. After all, in two weeks and two days, we'll be family too," she said, smiling genuinely.
It was then, for the first time, Bella actually felt horrible about what she was doing. These people were all welcoming her into their lives and she was lying to their faces. Damn Alice. She thought bitterly, imagining the hurt expression on Esme's face if she found out.
It didn't help that she had the distinct feeling that Rosalie could and would kick her ass for deceiving her family, and it was very clear the way she interacted with Esme and Carlisle that Rosalie considered them her family already.
Knowing there was nothing that could be done about it now, Bella just nodded her agreement that she'd go to Rosalie's party.
Before long, dinner was ready and they all sat down at the Cullens' large dining room table. Bella ended up at the edge of the table with Carlisle at the head and Jasper to her left. It didn't escape her notice that Lucy kept on glancing between her and Jasper, smiling whenever they spoke to each other, even if it was just to ask the other to pass the salt.
Finally, she just couldn't hold it in any longer. "Oh, Alice. It's so good to have you back. You know, after you left Jasper was heartbroken."
Beside her, Jasper's fork clattered against his plate as he put it down forcefully.
"Really?" Bella asked, curious and somewhat amused that Alice was breaking hearts before the age of five.
Lucy nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes. He asked me where you were for ages. It was months and months before he stopped."
"Mom," Jasper warned, the calm, almost indifferent tone he'd had all day tainted with irritation and embarrassment now.
"For the longest time all he talked about was how he was going to marry you," Lucy continued as if her son hadn't spoken.
"Mom!" Jasper bit out between gritted teeth.
This time, Lucy heard him. "What, dear? It's cute. You never know, maybe you and Alice are made for each other."
"Her name is Bella!" Edward said loudly. Every head in the room turned to him and he turned a shade of red that could rival Bella's usual blush. He coughed self consciously. "I mean, she goes by Bella. Look, can I be excused?" he asked his parents, his words running together like they had at the airport.
Esme and Carlisle were gaping at their usually unflappable son. Carlisle shook off the stupor first. "Yes, that's fine Edward."
Edward didn't need to be told twice. He pushed back from the table and was gone practically before she could blink.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was on drugs," Emmett said, shaking his head. "He's been acting so weird since the airport." He chewed for a moment before he started laughing to himself. "Hey, do you think he's possessed?" he asked no one in particular. "How creepy would that be if his head started spinning around like the chick on The Exorcist?"
Carlisle smirked at his eldest son. "Yes, well, I think we'd have bigger problems than Edward being possessed if his head could spin in a complete circle."
The conversation faded into the background. All this time, Bella had been comforting herself with the fact that Edward must just be an asshole, but obviously this was not his typical behavior.
It was a couple of hours later that Bella made excuses to her new found family and retreated to the solitude of her room. She crept into the shared bathroom, opening the door slowly just in case someone else was in there, and was about to run the water in the sink when she heard noises coming from Edward's room.
Edward and Jasper were talking and one of them was lazily strumming a guitar. Bella could make out the opening notes of Metallica's Nothing Else Matters being plucked out.
"Man," Jasper's voice was audible through the door. "Your cousin is kind of hot."
The strumming stopped momentarily and Bella could swear she heard Edward's scoff, but that might have been her imagination. The strumming picked back up again.
"I think I'm going to ask her out," Jasper continued.
In spite of herself, Bella's heart quickened in a mixture of elation and nervousness. She didn't know how she felt about that. She had never really noticed the boys at her school in Phoenix and they had returned that sentiment. This was new.
But at Jasper's declaration, whoever was strumming the guitar obviously dragged his hand across it roughly as it made a very discordant sounding noise. "What?" Edward's voice asked, his tone harsh and incredulous.
What the hell? Bella thought.
"What?" Jasper asked, sounding confused.
This time, Bella was sure that Edward scoffed and the playing picked up again, but instead of the soft, pretty tune he'd been playing, he was now playing a much faster, angrier one. "Don't tell me you've been listening to what your mom says about fate and all that bullshit."
Jasper's voice was slightly defensive when he spoke. "I didn't say I was going to ask her to marry me. She's a beautiful, single – according to you – eighteen year old girl. You don't think she'd like a dashing guy like me to take her out?"
"'Dashing,'" Edward mocked. "Look, whatever. It's none of my business," he said, though anyone could hear the irritation in his voice.
"Edward, just spit it out already," Jasper said, obviously exasperated with his friend.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You have a problem with me asking Ali- Bella out?" Jasper asked.
"Why would I have a problem?" Edward snapped.
At that point Bella retreated from the bathroom, feeling bad for listening.
She didn't have any idea what Edward's problem was. Maybe he thought that she wasn't good enough for his best friend. Either way, Bella resolved that if Jasper asked her out, she was going to accept. After all, he was attractive and seemed nice.
Best of all, no one thought they were blood relations and it couldn't possibly hurt anyone.
Right?
A/N: Yeah so, Cella tricked me into promising I'd release the next chapter if this story made it to 60 reviews. I didn't think it was going to happen. She enjoyed proving me wrong. I would promise that I'm not updating again until her actual birthday of May 10th, but obviously that doesn't work out very well for me. Cella is a force of nature. Melly, on the other hand, is wonderfully fantastic and awesome and I love her more than words, which is saying a lot since I'm a wordy beotch as you can all tell by now. (Okay, so Kris didn't say that, but I know she thinks it, right Kris?? ~Melly) To all my lovely reviewers. I'm usually good about doing review replies but one of the bad things about having 3.5 storylines running through my head at once is that I'm having trouble keeping up. Go beat up Cella for me. It's all her fault. :) Anyway. I write angst so let me know if I'm doing this humor thing okay. Cella's Hijack- You can thank me for forcing Kris's hand by reviewing and helping me convince her of how badly we need her to write the next chapter! Kris writes when she gets reviews cause they inspire her! So go Review and help us all get what we want! :D And on the count of three can we all say, Poor Edward! One, Two, Three....
