Disclaimer: I have no ownership over the characters from the Twilight Saga. All rights belong to Stephenie Meyer.
Summary: Edward & Bella are getting ready to take the next step toward together forever. Just when they think it's safe to move on. A series of dark events just might put a stop to their happy ending for good.
Chapter 3: Planning for the Future
Alice POV
There were only five whole days left until Bella and Edward's wedding. Almost everything was ordered, shipped or mailed out. So there were only a few things left that need a bit of polish to them.
Organizing my thoughts, Edward's words from earlier made me sigh a little.
"Be mindful of Bella's feelings, Alice. She might say she doesn't mind something when she really does. She cares about your feelings, so she might not speak up. Let Bella do some of the deciding for our wedding, please."
I sighed not because of the idea of giving the reins over to Bella, but because I knew he was right. Bella would let me dress her in an old burlap sack if she thought it would please me. So I did my best to not be too pushy with Bella today as we sat in the living room of our home.
"So, Bella, have you made a final choice on a wedding dress?"
I knew she had as I had been getting flickers of dresses as she decided on the right one. Of course that meant chanting Spanish limericks in my head so Edward wouldn't see the dress.
"I have, Alice. This one just feels right," Bella said with a hint of excitement in her voice.
I could see which dress she had decided on already, but I leaned over to look in the bridal book, she was holding anyway to be polite.
"Oh, Bella, that one's perfect! It fits with Edward's time period very well," I said as I smiled at her. Bella returned it with her own smile.
I watched as Bella cast a glance at Esme, while Esme, who had appeared in the doorway, gave her a gentle grin as she nodded her head. "Alice is right, Bella, it's perfect."
"This was going to be wonderful! Now the only thing is to make sure Edward doesn't see it until the wedding," I said softly tapping on my head.
I knew that Bella would be safe from Edward's mind reading; however, it would require a little work from Esme and me to keep the secret.
"Well, have you ever asked him not to look into your thoughts?" Bella questioned.
I didn't have to think much before answering her. "It's not like Edward means to pry, and, Lord knows, sometimes he sees things he wished he hadn't," I said with a small giggle. "I just think it's just who he is…well not the prying type, but the protective kind."
I couldn't help but look over to Esme for a little help. Esme smiled at me in understanding.
"What Alice is saying is that when some of us were new, it was Edward who made sure we hadn't done something to reveal ourselves to human. He protected the secret and he protected us when our newborn selves weren't quite as rational." Sitting down on the couch, Esme then motioned for Bella to come and sit down next to her. "Edward was my saving grace at times," Esme said in a light tone.
Bella looked confused by her words. "I thought Carlisle had been your saving grace, Esme?"
She only smiled at Bella. "Oh, he was Bella, but so was Edward. When Carlisle was at work, it was Edward who looked after me and did his best to keep me under control. I became a newborn with a lot of baggage from my past."
While Edward has provided an overview of Esme's history, I knew he was too much of a gentleman to reveal anything too personal. That would come as Esme and I found our own bond.
"There will be time for me to explain my past to you, but not today. Today is just supposed to be about you."
Though I was curious as to why Esme didn't continue on with her story, seeing how she had already decided to tell Bella about her past. Then again she was entitled to change her mind, so I didn't let myself dwell on it. But I did wonder what Edward had told her about my past...
"How much did Edward tell you about me, Bella?"
She thought about it a little bit before answering me. "He just told me that your transformation was different from everyone else."
I nodded in understanding to Bella, before continuing. "Well, he would be right about that part. You see, I was put in an asylum by my parents because of my visions. The public wasn't as accepting of people who were different as they are now."
Bella's eyes never wandered away as I continued on with what I did remember.
"I don't have any memory of any pain I was in. It was hard for me at times to separate the visions from what was real. Time was blurred. When I woke up to this life, I didn't really think about the blood lust because I had had a vision of Carlisle and his family with their golden eyes. I just knew I had to go and meet them. I just didn't know where to find them."
"So you've never drunk human blood before?" Bella asked me in a curious tone.
I really didn't have to think about it much before replying to her question. "To tell you the truth, I don't remember every drinking it. But it did take a few days for me to really get control over my visions for the first time in my life. The very first clear vision I ever had was of Carlisle and the others, with their golden eyes and hunting deer. It was just something I knew I had to try."
"Of course, my journey was disrupted when I had my vision of Jasper, but I didn't find him until 1948 at a small diner in Philadelphia."
Bella raised an eyebrow at me. "That's all of it?"
"Yes, it is. I just showed up at the Cullen's door one day with a very nervous Jasper at my side. Carlisle and Esme were really surprised to see a golden eyed vampire standing at their door, with an orange eyed vampire in tow."
We shared a laugh. Bella was so completely drawn into my tale that she just stared at me for a few seconds before realizing that I had stop.
"Really, Alice? You're going to stop your story there?"
I just shrugged at her. "That's pretty much all of it because I suspect Edward told you the rest of it. The part where he, Emmett, and Rosalie came home from a hunting trip found all of Edward's things stacked up in the garage. After all, his room had the best view."
Bella actually smiled and gave a chuckle. "Yes, Edward did tell me that."
Esme and I both smiled softly at Bella.
"Well, that's enough storytelling for this evening. You should go home and get some sleep. We have five busy days ahead of us, remember?"
Bella remained silent but I knew she was well aware of how many days were left.
A/N: It's been very busy for me the last five months, which kept me from updating a lot of things. I got married, and now have a baby on the way. So please be patient and hang in there with me.
Chapters to come:
Chapter 4: From This Day (Edward POV)
Chapter 5: The Isle (Edward POV)
Chapter 6: Common Goal (Jasper POV)
Chapter 7: Bleeding Heart (Bella POV)
Thanks so much for reading and reviewing.
TaintedDarkInuShemeeko