Twilight Beauty – Part 4
Strange as it was, Bella was almost excited whenever she thought of seeing Edward again. Even with all of his eccentricities, he fascinated her, like a book written in a foreign language.
That particular morning, she was in fact so consumed with thoughts of her mysterious savior during her normal walk through the woods that instead of jumping over the log at the second fork of the trail as she normally did, Bella found herself falling, her shoes caught on a wayward twig. She curled herself up, trying to minimize injury, when she felt a pair of strong, cold arms catch her around the waist. She was set down gently, and Edward chuckled, "Must I always save you?"
"If you can believe it, my nickname is Swan. My sisters have called me that for as long as I can remember."
"They clearly have a taste for irony…"
The two talked for hours, discussing everything that they could think of and more. Bella was impressed, Edward could converse on any topic with minimal difficulty or awkwardness.
As they walked back, Edward made a suggestion. "I have to go to Angeles-on-the-River for business in a few nights, and I was wondering if you would care to accompany me." Bella's heart thrilled, and then sank. He saw the look on her face: "What's wrong?"
"I just remembered, I'm going to Angeles already with Angela Weber, we're attending her cousin's wedding." Bella couldn't figure out why she felt so distraught, this was her first trip out of Forks in many years.
Edward chuckled. "And I suppose that joining you is…"
"…absolutely out of the question," Bella finished.
"Well, perhaps another time, then." By this time, they had come to the edge of the forest. He extended his hand, and she took it, expecting to shake it. Instead, Edward clasped her hand in his, and delicately kissed it. "Then I suppose that I must bid you farewell, Miss Hale. I hope to see you again soon." Bella did not cringe as she normally did at such formality; it suited Edward very well. "Likewise," she murmured.
--
Alice had truly outdone herself, Bella thought as she rode to Angeles with the Weber clan. Compared to everyone else in the rented carriage, she was in almost royal finery. Alice had not only sewn Bella a new white shift, but had sent for a beautiful blue bodice and black dancing shoes in anticipation of what she saw as Bella's debut. It wasn't that Bella didn't care for the attention, she was simply unused to it. Even Rosalie, the family beauty, notoriously stingy with her praise, had complimented her before she left.
--
Though the wedding was in town, Bella and the Webers stayed at an inn, for both the bride's and groom's houses were in absolute chaos, and anyone who was not immediate family was encouraged to stay away until the event itself.
The wedding was absolutely beautiful. The bride, Angela's first cousin, looked like a dryad, with her dark hair completely covered in pink blossoms, and wearing a green silk dress. Her husband looked proud enough to burst.
The happy couple led dance after dance, and while Webers are fleet-footed, Bella did not quite have the same energy, though her mood had definitely recovered since she had had to turn Edward down. Finally, Bella said her good-byes, and started out alone to the inn, about twenty minutes away.
She had crossed two or three streets when she had the distinct impression that she was being followed. She looked over her shoulder, and saw two men about fifty feet behind her, keeping pace. When she walked, they walked. When she quickened her steps, so did they. Finally Bella cut and ran, thinking that if she could only make it to the inn…
But she couldn't. They were gaining on her, and while sheer adrenaline carried her and coursed through her veins, she wouldn't be able to outrun them. As they drew closer, Bella could hear them shouting, "Hey, girlie, we just want to talk!" She didn't believe that for a second, she'd heard too many stories about what happened to girls who walked alone in this town at night. "What a way to die!" she thought as she hit the stones, tripping over her shoes. She scrambled to a sitting position, and saw the older one pull a small knife from his belt. Dear God, let it be quick!
Suddenly, the armed thug had disappeared in a gray blur. His partner looked around in confusion, before the same blur threw him in the air and down the street. The blur slowed until Bella could see…no, it couldn't be!
He was standing there, looking at her with a strange mix of protective instinct, exasperation and confusion. Taking her hand, he helped her stand, asking, "How do these things keep happening to you?" Bella just leaned into him with a groan. Edward's eyes lit with alarm: "Now I know you aren't well, we're getting you back to the inn now!" He shifted her, set her comfortably in his arms and ran down the street.
--
The normal fifteen-minute walk was over in three seconds as Edward screeched to a halt in front of the inn. Using his left hand, he banged on the door.
The innkeeper's wife opened the door, and would have reprimanded Edward if she had not seen Bella losing consciousness in his arms. "Oh my goodness, Miss Hale!" she began to shriek. "Whatever happened?"
"She was on her way back from the Weber wedding, and I found her sprawled out, I think her shoes made her lose her balance." Edward could be really convincing when he needed to, and Mrs. Keeper accepted his half-truth immediately, allowing them through the door.
"I'll put on some soup." Mrs. Keeper bustled to the kitchen, and Edward carried Bella to a table. "Come on, Bella wake up, Mrs. Keeper's making broth." Bella blinked, and seemed to recover herself slightly. "Bella, can you hear me?" She nodded.
Mrs. Keeper came out of the kitchen: "What kind of soup do you like, dear?" Bella muttered something like, "…shrooms, chicken…" Mrs. Keeper went back, and came back about ten minutes later with a large bowl of chicken broth and mushrooms, which she set down on the table. She tried to convince Edward to eat something himself, but he waved her away. As Mrs. Keeper turned around, she could have sworn that she saw the young man feeding his companion. Poor dear!
Edward tried to keep Bella awake, but she would have none of it. She finished her soup, and the next thing she knew, she was up in her room being tucked in. She reached out for him, and he took her hand: "I promise, I will not leave you until the doctor comes." She fell asleep with a smile on her face. He stayed there all night.
A.N.: OK, I'm going on a trip for the next week, so I hope that this will tide you over!