A/N: OMG, TWICE in ONE MONTH! What could this mean? The end of the world as we know it? Well, since I got my new laptop which I refer to as my baby, I can now write and update more. But since school is starting soon don't expect it to be tooo much. On with the chapter!
Disclaimer: Okay, I know I totally rock but I don't own Twilight. And sadly, I never will. Stephenie Meyer probably won't even let me keep Jasper.
Chapter Four: Knock Knock
2035 (still)
I smiled as the door swung open.
"Hey, where have you been? I was feeling lonely" I said coyly.
His face reflected mock horror. "God forbid my Alice feel lonely,"
He kissed me on the cheek before wheeling himself to the edge of the bed and climbing in next to me.
"So, where were you?" I inquired as his arms circled around me.
"Talking to Emmett," he whispered.
I shuddered as I remembered the last time I saw him. The pained look on his face and how his smile seemed to have been erased permanently. There was no one on this Earth who I wished that upon, least of all the goofy guy who had cheered us all up countless times. There weren't many people who could smile after everything that has happened.
"How is he?" I asked.
"Better. He's happy now. And Rose is going to be back tomorrow for treats for Xanthia and Archie,"
"Spoiling them,"
He laughed. "Absolutely,"
I giggled and relaxed more into his warm embrace. "That's good. Oh, Xanthia and Archie also want to visit Ange tomorrow,"
"Why?"
"I might've told them that we were best friends,"
His chuckle lit up the darkness. His arms were tighter around me now as he leaned in closer. "How did that come up in conversation?"
"I was telling them the story of how the world ended,"
His breathing seemed to stop for a second before he found the words he was trying to let out.
"And what did you say?" he asked.
"The truth...with some things cut out," I stated simply.
"Alice..."
I flipped around so I was face to face with him. His mouth was twisted into a grimace as I put a finger to his lips.
"Trust me, I just told them the essentials," I said soothingly.
"What did you start off with?"
"The Minozi Virus,"
He groaned. "Why?"
"Because that's when it really started!"
"Look, I'm tired from wheeling myself in that damn wheelchair all day. Just don't tell them any more of the story,"
I glared at him. I hated when he tried to boss me around. When I married him, we agreed on discussing things and compromises. There was no alpha in our relationship. Whenever he was acting like a pig, I tried to remember everything he had been through but it was hard when my anger started to bubble.
"How about I make things easier for you. I'll sleep in the living room so you don't have to put up with this 'exhausting' conversation," I snapped.
My body turned before I got out of bed and stomped angrily to the living room. I curled up on the couch and tried to calm my temper before drifting to a restless sleep.
zZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZz
My eyes opened to the bright sun streaming from our open windows. I stretched before getting up. Last night's argument replayed in my head as I walked into the kitchen. Xanthia woke up and was jumping up and down with excitement at the thought of her Aunt Rosie coming back. She beamed up at me as I cleaned the countertop absentmindedly.
"Where has Auntie Rosie been this time?" she asked brightly.
"I think she visited her friends in New Africa and then went down to go to the Indian Islands. After that she went to Papua and then backpacked over the Alaskan glades,"
Her eyes were wide. "She said she was going to get me some new clothes! And postcards and candy and souvenirs, too,"
Right at that moment, Rosalie came bursting through the door. She made a big show of it, swinging Xanthia around in her arms before doing the same with Archie. She hugged me tightly before she started unpacking the contents of her bulky bag. Each item had a story full of exotic landscapes and new people. Her voice filled the room as she told of the Papuan marketplace where she found the ruby necklace and how she haggled for a full afternoon before getting a satisfactory price on it.
"..and for my lovely niece and nephew I went to a special chocolate factory with exquisite cocoa beans for sale. You get a packet each and you can grow your own chocolate," Rosalie said enthusiastically.
I drifted out of the room as I heard my children telling her all the exciting things that have been happening lately. Her voice would light up with warmth and affection as she exclaimed in amusement. When she was done unloading her surprises, she let them eat and play peacefully. She sat next to me in the kitchen and made a warm mug of coffee.
"I hate gardening," I muttered.
She laughed. "Which is why I bought those seeds,"
I smiled before hugging her again.
"Oh, Rose! It's just not right without you here. Please tell me you're staying for longer this time,"
"Well, I saw a few places nearby. I think it might be time to stop mooching off my friends and actually make something of myself,"
The news filled me with joy. Everything was complete now that everyone I love was here in Forks. No more late night phone calls and trying to work out time zones..no more worrying about whether they were okay or not...it was sure as hell going to make things easier.
"So, how's my girl doing?" Rosalie inquired.
"Good...I got into a fight yesterday with my husband," I stated.
She rolled her eyes. "I bet he deserved what he got,"
We laughed before I offered her some food. The carrots in our yard had finished growing and I had spent all of yesterday getting them out. Rosalie politely declined.
"I'm sure they're good but I'm full from visiting Bella and Ness," she elaborated.
"And EJ?"
"He's cute as can be, so stop your worrying! Everyone's happy...even me, in a way," She smiled sadly. "Edward prescribed me some antidepressants,"
"He did?"
"Well...I still don't like him but a doctor is pretty useful in a post-apocalyptic world," she said scornfully.
I laughed as I remembered the many instances where it was clear how different Edward and Rosalie were. Their personalities tended to clash so much that it was just easier for both of them if they just lived on different sides of the planet. And when Rosalie got injured and needed medical help, she would whine and grumble and refuse to see Edward until it got serious.
"C-Can I see Emmett?" she asked out of the blue. "...just for a bit,"
I hesitated. "Are you sure? Last time-"
She nodded before squeezing my hand tightly. I heard her footsteps as she left the dome and went to the backyard. I heard her voice talk in hushed tones so the kids wouldn't hear and watched out the window as she sat across from him. I was filled with remorse as I watched over her. Just as I was about to go check on the kids, I felt two strong arms pull me back. I fell into someone's lap with a gasp.
"Doesn't it hurt your legs?" I stammered.
He shook his head. "I feel whole now,"
"Well...stop. I'm angry with you,"
He pressed his lips against my head softly before pulling back. "Fine. You can stand and walk around the room with your legs. The same way I never will..."
"Are you actually using your legs as an excuse?"
He smiled sadly. "No...I just miss you too much. We're both survivors, Alice. We're cunning, ruthless and manipulative,"
"Thanks," was my sarcastic response.
"And...I'm sorry for behaving the way I did. You took me by surprise...like you always do,"
I looked up into his eyes. It was like staring into the ocean as waves crashed against a cliff. The colours all swirled and collided in an artwork so magnificent that it could never be replicated. Only in our children's eyes which held the same type of majesty only in different colours. As he looked down at me he could he had won the battle but I hoped he also knew that there was never really a battle to begin with. Like all things between us, we were going to pull through because we never stood taller than when we were side by side, hand in hand.
"You're so beautiful," he breathed. "It's hard to believe that I've ever had the strength to tear my eyes away from your face,"
I smiled. "I could just stay here forever..."
I rested my head against his chest restfully and shut my eyes. I could feel a hand stroking my hair before another one held me against him.
"Mom! We wanna see the president!" Archie shouted.
I opened my eyes slowly and peeked up at my soulmate. He looked irritated but also amused. I got up and went to the living room to ruffle Archie's hair. Xanthia was still playing with her new toy before her eyes flickered to me.
"Are we leaving now, Mommy?" she asked.
"I suppose. We can take the Jeep. I need to call Angela ahead of time," I stated.
After a short conversation with my lifelong friend, she told me to come by in a few hours after her meeting with Mr Bakehouse and Ms Morisetto about the new wildlife sanctuary they were trying to build. I hung up and informed them that they would have to wait since she was taking care of presidential business. Xanthia pouted before an idea flashed in her mind.
"Can you tell us more of the story then? Pleease?" she begged.
I glanced over at the man in the wheelchair who had Archie propped up on one of his knees. He smiled before setting Archie on the couch.
"How about I tell you the next chapter?" he suggested.
"Ooooh, yes please, daddy!" Archie exclaimed.
He smiled wickedly. "Okay, what were you up to?"
I crossed my arms before relaxing into the couch.
"2013 and the British Monarchy ending," I informed.
He wrinkled his nose. "Well, it didn't really affect me in any way. What about your Mommy tell this and then I'll take over when we're up to something interesting,"
I flashed him a smirk. I was well aware that he had spent the whole weekend at a bachelor party with his friends. He was completely and utterly oblivious to the whole ordeal. He had woken up Monday afternoon with a party hat covering his nether regions and a booster bra strapped to his chest. And apparently he was the most covered of his friends.
September 2nd 2013
Outside the Seattle Cineplex
Seattle, WA
Seth and I walked hand in hand down the street and I tried to not let the tingles overwhelm me. Being near him was like pure heaven. He was warmth and kindness and the goofiest guy I ever met. And I lov- liked this. More than I should. I had given up the party scene a few months ago and decided to buckle down and study for once in my life. The pure content I felt as we enjoyed each other's company was better than any drug, any amount of alcohol.
Seth had asked me out last month but our timetables were completely all over the place and we had postponed this for way too long. We talked whenever he wasn't working for his friend, Jake at the mechanics or I wasn't due for a dance recital or term paper. It was almost like a long distance relationship which always made me laugh. He went to school on the reservation and I went to Forks High with all the 'pale faces' as Seth dubbed. He was always cracking jokes about how white I was. I sometimes envied the tanned legs of the La Push girls but never so much as when I saw Seth. Everyday one of them could make a move on him and I knew I couldn't compare.
"Off in space?" he asked serenely.
"Something like that," I said with a nervous laugh.
"So, how do I rank compared to the guys at Forks?"
"What do you mean?"
He stared at him feet. "Well, you've gone out with a lot of them so I was kinda nervous. I wasn't sure if I could...live up to it. I know I'm not some fancy rich guy with a flashy car,"
I stopped him on the street and he looked up, surprised. I pulled him closer to me so that we were face to face despite his height. His deep, adorable brown eyes watched me as I snaked my arms around his neck.
"Seth, you're the most amazing guy I've ever met. You're way better than any arrogant bastard with wads of cash in his pockets," I whispered.
His smile was back and it felt like the Earth was now orbiting the right way around again.
"Thanks. I never thought you'd say 'yes' to me. I thought you were joking when you accepted," he confessed.
That was Seth in a nutshell. He was honest, and nice. He didn't care when people stared at him for gulping down platefuls of food without cutlery or let things get him down. He was just...Seth. And right now, he was so close.
I closed my eyes and leaned in to kiss him when I hesitated. A face- the same face that plagued me day and night- popped up in my head and I couldn't shake him away. I scolded myself for ruining this perfect moment before I heard a shout.
"Oi, turn it up!" a man yelled.
When I went back to look at Seth, I could see curiosity pique in his eyes. He grabbed my hand and pulled me along as we walked to the bar. A huge crowd was milling around the large TV. It showed flashing pictures before a face showed up, clear and crisp.
"We have new intel from the studio about the Buckingham attack. It was just last week when the citizens of London woke up to find their beloved Big Ben covered in tags and marred beyond repair. It seems the same fiends have decided to land a plane straight into Buckingham Palace, killing members of the Royal family. A nation is in mourning as the survivors cling to life. There will be more on this in t-"
I looked horrified as footage showed Buckingham Palace in ruins. The building was completely destroyed by a massive aeroplane that landed right into it. Pictures of Kate Middleton and Prince Harry in hospital with various tubes stuck into them popped up before the reporter was back. She started rambling about the conspiracies surrounding the incident as the murmuring in the bar started to grow louder.
"C'mon," Seth murmured.
He pulled us back and I was completely shocked. The Royal Family hadn't been in the headlines since the Royal Wedding and William and Kate welcomed their first born into the world. I couldn't believe someone would go the lengths to actually kill off their bloodline. It was just so insane. What monsters would do that?
Seth and I went back to Forks in silence. As he parked the car outside my house, he could tell it had impacted me deeply. My mother-who had died when I was young- was half British on her fathers' side. I was 1/4 British and 100% devastated about the news. Things like this didn't happen. Not anymore.
One look and he pulled me into his warm embrace, crushing me into his chest. I felt whole for one minute before he let go of me and kissed me on the forehead.
"It's okay. They'll find whoever did this and lock them up. They won't get away with it. It's okay," Seth murmured.
"I just don't understand why they would do it. The Royal family aren't even that powerful anymore. JK Rowling is richer than the Queen!"
"Well, maybe they like Harry Potter and didn't want to kill off JK,"
I smiled at his lame joke before hugging him tightly again. It took all my strength to pull myself away and exit the car. After promising to do this again, he drove off and left me on my porch. I was still so incredibly shocked and remained that way until the early hours of the morning.
Okay, so I don't know if Seattle has a Cineplex or cinema or whatever and I probably could've googled it but it's a school night so leave me alone. And all that stuff about New Africa and Papua are just a reference to the whole 'plates shifting, Earth changing' that happened last time. Anyways, I hope you liked it and the daddy is still a secret although it's obvious to me. If you have any cool ideas on how the apocalypse will happen, then send me a PM or a review 3 And I don't mean to offend any fans or worshippers of the Royal family. This won't actually happen, trust me. The Doctor wouldn't let it happen ;) Also, I don't have Microsoft Office yet because I thought Windows and Microsoft came together (I'm stupid, don't ask) so it's not been edited to the point of perfection.
Send me some love and I'll send you more chapters,
:A
