AN: So I'd like to thank Victoria Weasly for giving me my first review, and those who have added my story to their alerts. Enjoy Bella finally waking up…
Chapter Three: Is it spring break?
With one unnecessary breath to steady myself I step through the doorway into the bright rooms beyond. The main room is a reasonably spacious living area. A pair of folding French doors opening onto a garden courtyard makes the room seem larger. Sunlight pours in and I can smell the plants as they shift gently in the breeze. There is no other fresh scent, so I know we are alone in the suite. Reassured slightly, I push the door to the corridor closed with my foot and step further into the room. There is a small kitchenette- tile with two benches, a sink, microwave, tiny oven, a halogen stove and cupboards. The rest of the floor is covered with deep piled midnight blue wool carpet. There is a desk, a large lounge with a matching loveseat and a surround sound stereo. A large shag rug of pure white takes up part of the remaining floor. Several bookshelves and a plasma screen are hung on the walls. Opposite the kitchenette an open set of double doors reveals a bedroom. I carry my angel through and hold her with one arm as I pull back the covers from the right side of the large canopied bed. Unwrapping her cacoon of blankets and removing the two jackets I place her down on the soft sheets. I slip off her shoes before leaning over her. Despite being moved Bella hasn't stirred at all. She should wake soon, shouldn't she? How long before I should be concerned? She's been out for about 27 hours if I have the time right. Agh! I am desperately wishing that I could call Carlisle and check right now but of course my cell has been taken and I am certain trying to call from the phone in the room would be useless.
Silently I count Bella's heartbeats- the rhythm is a steady 65 a minute about usual for her when sleeping. Next I focus on her breathing which is steady and clear. Apparently the chloroform exposure has done no damage and her temperature seems to be in the normal range. I allow a small amount of relief to wash through me. The next part is the one I will find most difficult, mostly because I know Bella would probably be embarrassed if she were awake. It's medically necessary I remind myself as I slowly unbutton her shirt and carefully slide it off her arms. For one moment I am distracted by the smooth ivory of her now exposed skin, the almost perfect symmetry of her petite breasts now only covered by a pale blue cotton bra. Focus Edward.
Closing my eyes for a moment I drag in a deep breath and then I undo her jeans. Still being as careful as possible I deliberately focus on how much Alice wants to get rid of this particular pair of pants rather than the soft skin that was being revealed as I removed them. They were Bella's favourite, most comfortable lazy day jeans. To Alice they were an anathema, something to be taken and destroyed. Having already lost several items of clothing to my sister's plots, Bella had put her foot down. Declaring that if the favourite jeans were to disappear or meet with any other unfortunate accidents she would never go shopping with Alice again and what's more would resort to wearing sweats bought at wall-mart. Jasper, having witnessed this particular ultimatum wondered why he had never thought of a threat like that rather than continuously re-buying his favourite jacket from whichever charity shop Alice donated it to.
Touching her skin as lightly and as little as possible, worried that the sensation of my cold hands will wake her, I check Bella for broken ribs. Finding none I move my focus to her collarbone and shoulders then her arms, more relief, no broken bones there either. Quickly I feel each leg and ankle, nothing broken. Unable to delay any longer I allow myself to see what I had so far been deliberately not seeing. Dark marks mar the skin of my angel's shoulders and band her upper arm. Bruises caused by large hands gripping her delicate human flesh too tightly. Felix will pay. My hands are shaking with repressed rage as I cover Bella with the quilt.
Taking only a few seconds I check over the whole apartment at vampire speed. There seem to be no hidden doors or surveillance, at least none I can detect. The bedroom floor is covered with the same carpet as is in the living area and apart from the bed and its draperies of gold cream and blue silk there is little furniture- just an armchair and two bedsides. Doors at the back of the room hid a spacious wardrobe and a large ensuite, while the front wall was another set of French doors opening to the courtyard. The walls around it are high and windowless and I can find no easy entry points into it except through our rooms. Good. Next I head over and check out the kitchenette. Opening the cupboards one at a time I find that there is quite a bit of food in them. I don't know if Bella will like it because its different brands to what she has at home and I haven't really any clue if that means it will taste different. One of the cupboards even turns out to be a small fridge and is stocked with all sorts of things. I grab out a can of lemonade because I know Bella likes it, also it's the only soda that looks familiar at all. After so long unconscious and then asleep I would assume Bella must be getting a bit dehydrated and hungry too, so I get a glass of water and snag a banana out of a fruit bowl on the countertop. I carry this all back to the bedroom and put it on the bedside table for Bella when she wakes.
I don't have to wait long before she starts to wake up. I know the signs; each morning follows the same pattern. It begins with small movements, a twitch, fingers curling into fists and open again. Next there is usually some muttering mostly its indistinct even to a vampires hearing but sometimes things like "'nother five minutes" and "go way, I'm sleeping" come through. Lastly, she stretches out as her eyes open, their chocolate depths bright for a new day.
Today her mutterings are distinct and distressed "Edward? EDWARD! No, no, Edward! She thrashes wildly, tangling herself in the quilt. I reach out and put my palm against her warm cheek. "Bella, love, you're dreaming. Hush now, its ok" I croon to her. The thrashing stops and her eyes are wide and wet as she looks into mine. "Oh Edward, I had the most horrible dream!" Bella sobs. Securing the quilt around her I sit on the bed and pull Bella into my lap wrapping my arms securely around her. "Its ok love, I'm here" I kiss her hair as she calms. "We were in the forest and Jane and Alec appeared with some others I don't know." Bella's voice is muffled as her face is still buried in my shoulder. "You pulled me to you like when we were in Italy and asked what they wanted but no one said anything and then you just froze! Jane laughed and told the big one to grab me" her words started to run together as she remembered her "dream". "I didn't know what they had done to you and they were all around us so I couldn't run or anything and he grabbed my arm and that's when you woke me." I murmur nonsense and rub Bella's back until she is calm and relaxed. I know she is feeling better when she raises her head from my tear-wet shirt and leans up to touch my lips with her own.
Breaking the kiss much sooner than I want to, I pull back and look into her eyes. "Bella, there's something I need to tell you…" "Ok" she cuts me off, "just let me have my human moment first" She attempts to wriggle from my lap and that's when her eyes see the room for the first time. A range of emotions show on her face, predominantly shock and confusion. "Edward, where are we?" the quilt slips as she pulls out of my arms to get a better look about her and this brings her attention to something else "and why am I dressed, umm, undressed, like this?!" I sit her on the bed so that I can see her face as I explain. Holding one of her delicate hands in each of mine I begin "Bella, love that nightmare wasn't just a nightmare. The Guard did come for us. Right now we are at the Volturi residence in Italy" The colour drained from her face as I continued "And well I had to remove your clothes so I could check for broken bones or other injuries. I didn't know what they had done to you."
Bella's expression was a mix of anger, confusion and fear. She was quiet for a few long moments and I was starting to think that perhaps she was going into shock but then she spoke again "How long was I asleep?" I rubbed circles on the backs of her hands with my thumbs. "About 27 hours I think, I was out for some of it too." Bella seemed even more confused by my answer so I explain Alec's gift to her and how like mine it doesn't work on her so they had resorted to using chloroform to knock her out. Her question also reminds me that she should be getting fluids into her after being unconscious long. However it's plain to see that she has another hundred questions to ask me and would not be deterred. I reach over and grab the water and lemonade from the nightstand. "Drink as much as you can of both" I instruct her, trying to emulate the tone Carlisle uses to get patients to comply "while I tell you everything from the beginning." Bella nods and opens the bottle of water, taking a long drink. I tell her the whole story from the time we were ambushed in the clearing, leaving out only my threat to kill us both and the full extent of Aro's threats. By the time I was finished explaining everything Bella had finished both drinks. Her hair fell across her face as she looked down at our still entwined hands "I'm sorry Edward. Its all my" I cut her off before she could say any more "NO" My tone is harsher than I meant for it to be but I am so angry that this has happened and even worse that that Bella thinks she is somehow to blame. I soften my voice and pull her into my arms once again "None of this is your fault love, how could it be? If they couldn't use you do you think it would have stopped Aro? He would have just had them grab someone else from the family." Bella thought about my answer for a moment before nodding. "Is it spring break?" Her question takes me by surprise "no, it's the middle of term." My puzzlement must be showing because she smiles at me, loving as always that she has managed to confuse me. "I was just checking because this type of thing always seems to happen on spring break." She laughs and I chuckle with her, amazed again at her resilience in the face of fear.
"So" Bella looks up at me again more seriously this time "what's the plan to get us out of this one?"
AN: so what do you think? Opinions, reviews click the button you know you want to! I just want feedback cos I have no idea if this is any good or not and if I should continue
And yeah I know Aro wants Alice too, she's coming later in the story along with a tall blonde empath.