Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All recognizable characters belong to SM.
Happily Ever After is Worth Fighting For:
A Bella and Edward Story Part 4
Carlisle greeted everyone and introduced Bella as Charlie's daughter. He then introduced each member of his family to his new daughter.
Although Bella had a good idea who each person was, she allowed Carlisle to make the introductions.
First she met Esme, Carlisle's wife. She was a lovely woman with long caramel coloured hair that framed her heart shaped face.
Next Carlisle introduced his adopted children.
Rosalie, an exception beauty, was a tall, voluptuous woman with wavy blonde hair. Next to Rosalie was her mate, Emmett. He was tall, burly and muscular with curly dark hair and dimpled cheeks.
Beside Emmett sat Alice. She was a tiny woman, measuring four feet nine inches. She had short black hair. She sat next to her mate, Jasper. He was about six feet tall. He was incredibly fit with sandy blonde hair.
Last but certainly not least, was Edward. He was six feet two inches with a trim build he had a lovely crooked smile and unique dark copper hair.
Once their eyes met, Bella and Edward sat staring at each other with a huge smile on each of their faces. Their instant attraction just radiated off of them. It would have been clear to a blind man that they were mates.
Carlisle smiled fondly down at Bella and nudged her with his elbow to get her attention. This caused Edward to glower at him.
Bella turned to Jasper and asked if he could show everyone what she felt when she looked at Edward and vice versa. Jasper was curious about how she knew of his gift to sense and control the emotions of those around him but did as she requested.
He projected her emotions to everyone and they felt the intensity of her feelings. He then did the same with Edward's.
Carlisle explained that although there were mated pairs in the room, the intensity of the feelings between Edward and Bella was different because she was his singer. He then explained what a singer was and why he had asked Edward not to breathe during this meeting.
Edward looked stricken when he heard the news that Bella was his singer.
Bella looked at his and smiled sweetly. "Don't worry Edward. We will have our Happily Ever After. You will get used to my scent. We are even going to get married and have a baby before you change me. We just have to take care of a few other obstacles before we get to that point." Bella said tried to reassure him.
She looked at Carlisle for help explaining the obstacles.
Before he could say anything, Rosalie jumped up from her seat and glared at Edward and then Bella. "Oh, this is priceless." She sneered at them both in turn.
Bella wasn't going to take any of Rosalie's nastiness. She glared right back at Rosalie and said. "That is enough! You may have been allowed to get away with your horrible behavior in the past but I won't tolerate it.
Carlisle and Edward are both too much of a gentleman to speak to you and Esme is too much of a lady but I have no problem telling you that you need an attitude adjustment."
Bella's expression softened for a moment.
"I am very sorry that your human life ended in a violent act that no woman should ever have to endure. I am sorry that you will never get to have a baby of your own but you need to stop taking your temper out on Carlisle and Edward.
Carlisle saw a beautiful woman who was dying a horrible death and his compassionate heart made him want to save you. Yes, he thought that perhaps you could alleviate Edward's loneliness by becoming his mate but he didn't understand at the time that wasn't the way mates were found. He made an honest mistake and you have been making him pay ever since.
Edward's not to blame for not being drawn to you. No one can help who they are attracted to. He was waiting for his mate and I wasn't born yet.
Your pity party has gone on long enough.
You need to start being grateful for what you have and stop dwelling on what you have lost. Your life was already ending; you would never have had children. Fate had already decided that.
In case you have forgotten, Esme can't have children either. She actually lost her precious baby but she didn't turn into a raving bitch. She chose to be a mother to all of you instead.
You can choose to continue to be bitter or you can choose to look at all of the blessings that you have.
Your lot in this life isn't as bad of you think. After all, you did end up finding your mate after only a matter of years.
Carlisle had to wait for centuries on his own. Can you imagine that kind of loneliness? He didn't take his temper out on others because his human life was cut short. He made the best of his situation and dedicated his life to medicine until fate stepped in and had him save Edward for me."
Bella paused in the middle of her tirade to smile sweetly at Carlisle and thanked him for saving Edward. He replied with a shocked smile. If he could have blushed, he would have.
She then turned back to Rosalie and continued where she left off.
"My Edward had to be around happily mated pairs for decades and with his ability to read minds it was excruciating for him.
None of you made it easy for him but you and Emmett were the worst. Your constant taunts about him 'not getting any', and bombarding him with images of your sexual acts. It was a cruel and hateful thing to do."
Bella once again stopped and glared at Emmett so ferociously that he actually shook with fear.
"You will never disrespect Edward like that again." Bella growled before turning back to Rosalie.
"You were happy to see Edward alone and suffering because he had the nerve to reject you. Well, he will never be alone again.
If you are so unhappy with being a vampire, go take a stroll down to LaPush and ask the wolves to tear you to pieces and set the pieces on fire. I am sure they would be more than happy to oblige. Otherwise suck it up." Bella finished with a glare.
Rosalie just sat down quietly and pouted petulantly. No one had ever told her off in her spoiled life. Not while she was human and certainly not while she was vampire. She couldn't help but grudgingly respect this human for having the nerve to stand up to her when no one else dared to.
The rest of the family, Emmett included, resisted the urge to applaud at the end of Bella's speech. It had been a long time coming but Rosalie finally got put in her place.
Carlisle, Esme and Edward were especially thankful that Bella had voiced some of the things that had troubled them since Rosalie had joined the family. As Bella had pointed out, they had not felt comfortable speaking to Rosalie about those matters. They had chosen to suffer in silence.
Emmett felt shamed for his attitude and treatment towards Edward. Bella had really opened his eyes to his horrendous behavior. He made a vow to change his ways immediately because he was really terrified of Bella. She may be human but she was fiercely protective of Edward and he wasn't about to test her.
Edward smiled brightly. He was so proud of his mate for standing up for him. He wasn't sure how she knew all that she seemed to but he was looking forward to finding out.
Bella blew Edward a kiss and sat down and looked to Carlisle once again. "I'm sorry for interrupting, dad. You were saying?" Bella asked sweetly.
Carlisle chuckled thoroughly amused but he continued as though there hadn't been an interruption.
"A week ago, Bella was sent four books and a partial manuscript by a childhood friend of mine, Tobias Swan. To simplify things, we are calling Tobias, Bella's Uncle. He disappeared around the time that I did and it turns out that he has been keeping track of his family tree.
The books tell a story from Bella's perspective about meeting and falling in love with Edward along with all the obstacles that she has to endure to get to her Happily Ever After.
Unfortunately, many mistakes and errors in judgment were made by us and others that caused Bella unnecessary pain both physical and emotional.
Tobias hoped that his actions will allow us to work together to alter the events. If we are successful, we can bring about the happy ending without the hurt and danger to Bella or any other member of our family." Carlisle said and indicated that Bella should continue.
"First, I would like to address that fact that Edward can't hear my thoughts." Bella said.
Everyone but Carlisle and Edward were surprised by Bella's statement.
"I have the gift of a mental shield. As a human I don't have any control over it. It protects my mind from mental penetration. Any gifts that would work on the mind won't work on me.
Once I have been changed, I will be able to lower it to allow Edward to have access to my thoughts and I will also be able to extend it to protect the minds of others as well as my own." Bella said.
She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a coin and tossed it to Edward who caught it and examined it. It was a shiny new penny. He looked at it and then gazed curiously at his mate.
"Until then, you'll just have to say, "Penny for your thoughts" and I promise to tell you what's on my mind. Be warned. You don't want to use it too often because I am sure that some things are better kept private." Bella said with a wink.
Edward grinned at her and returned the wink while pocketing his penny. He was really enjoying this playful side of his mate.
The rest of the group chuckled at their silliness.
Bella waited for the chuckles to die down before continuing.
"Second, we need to meet with the Quileute's regarding the treaty. In the books things between our family and their tribe became unnecessarily complicated. I think we should start as we mean to go on with them.
They aren't the ones calling the shots this time around.
We should meet them right away and inform them that it is my intention to join the family and that it will be done in a way that won't break the treaty." Bella explained.
"There are no wolves anymore so isn't that a moot point?" Jasper asked in bewilderment.
"When the family moved back to Forks, the dormant wolf gene was triggered. There is now one wolf in LaPush and more on the way depending on vampire activity." Carlisle explained.
"How are you going to be changed without breaking the treaty and why can't I see any of this?" Alice asked in frustration.
Carlisle and Bella exchanged an amused smile.
"I will be changed by having Edward's venom injected into me. No biting means that the treaty remains intact." Bella said with a shrug.
"That's pure genius!" Emmett exclaimed.
"It should be. It was Edward's idea." Bella said proudly.
Edward looked up surprised and saw Carlisle and Esme looking at him like the proud parents that they were.
"As for your lack of vision, the books are protected and that is why you can't see any of the events but even without the books, you wouldn't be able to see the wolves because of their genetic makeup." Bella said.
Bella paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. Carlisle knew what was coming and he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Bella took strength from her new father and cleared her throat before addressing Edward.
"Third, Edward, you need to realize something very important. I am you equal in this relationship. You don't get to call all of the shots like men did in your era.
Yes, I am human but my feelings and thoughts need to be respected just as much as yours do. I had Jasper show you how I felt so you would know the intensity of my love for you. You don't always have to agree with my choices but I do expect you to respect them." Bella said rather firmly.
Bella turned to Jasper. "Jasper, I need to ask for your assistance again. I need you to please project the feelings I am about to have to the entire group." Bella asked solemnly.
"Edward, this is what I would feel if you ever left me." Bella said before nodding at Jasper. Bella concentrated on the loss that she would feel and every vampire in the room was brought to their knees from the pain of it.
They all begged Jasper to stop and Bella nodded her head.
"I am sorry everyone, but in the books events lead to Edward making you all leave for a period of time. That is what I had to live through until you returned. With your photographic memories, I am hoping that you will remember that pain if the discussion should ever arise again." Bella said softly.
Everyone, including Rosalie much to Bella's surprise, promised that they wouldn't leave or allow Edward to leave.
Bella looked each in the eye and thanked each of them individually. When she looked at Edward her heart nearly shattered because he looked so broken.
After meeting Bella, Edward couldn't imagine what pigheaded notion would have prompted him to cause his mate that kind of pain. He gave her an apologetic look before lowering his head shamefacedly.
Bella walked over to him and placed her hand under his chin to get him to look at her. With her other hand, she caressed his cheek as she reassured him that there was nothing to forgive because they were changing the events in the book.
He smiled at her with tenderness. She had such a forgiving heart. She knew about the events in the book and still chose to come to meet him and give him a chance to make things right. She was truly remarkable. He wrote this to her and showed her the writing tablet.
Bella rested her forehead against Edward's and said, "Our Happily Ever After is worth fighting for."
Everyone witnessing the newly mated couple agreed silently that truer words had never been spoken.
Bella returned to her seat and addressed the group once more.
"Fourth, Jasper. I need you to know that you are truly one of the strongest vampires in existence." Bella stated
Everyone but Carlisle looked at her in shock. Bella had already shared her thoughts with him and he agreed with her.
"Jasper, please don't ever doubt just how strong you are. Others may not have ever experienced a drop of human blood but that doesn't make them stronger and you weaker. You know the difference and are making a choice to change.
While you are living with that choice you are not only dealing with your own thirst but also the thirst of every vampire in this room.
If Edward were to start breathing right now, you would be in extraordinary pain because of his thirst as well. I am sorry that for now, it will be difficult for you but once it is more manageable for him, it will also be for you." Bella said kindly.
Everyone looked at Jasper who looked gratefully at Bella.
None of them had ever considered things like that before. Bella certainly had a unique way of seeing things. With her words, Bella had earned Jasper's loyalty and a permanent place in his and Alice's heart. Alice had never seen her mate that way before. Seeing him through Bella's eyes was an eye opening experience.
Bella reached into her bra and pulled out two handkerchiefs and pulled out two Ziploc bags from her backpack. She placed each handkerchief in to a bag and sealed it. She then handed one to Jasper and one to Edward. This will help you both get used to my scent until we see each other in school tomorrow. Each day, I will replace them so that you can build up your tolerance until we see each other next.
Both Edward and Jasper smiled at her appreciatively.
"The fifth and last thing that we need to deal with at the moment is three visiting nomads. They are very dangerous and need to be destroyed.
I have given Carlisle all of the details about them that I learned from the books. We have a few weeks before they arrive but they need to be stopped and not permitted to leave the area alive. If they do, there are dire consequences for myself and so many others.
Jasper, both Carlisle and I agree that you are the expert because of your military background. We are hoping that you will be able to come up with a plan to eliminate this threat." Bella said.
"They won't stand a chance." Jasper stated fiercely.
"No one is going to harm our family. We've waited a long time for it to be made whole." Emmett stated with a growl.
There were murmurs of agreement from the others.
Bella got up from her seat and went around to Edward and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek and then blushed. Edward smiled at her and caressed her cheek.
"I am so happy that I finally got to meet you. I have to be going now. I have to be home when Charlie gets back. We're going to have our dinner at the Diner tonight. Afterwards, we are going to do our grocery shopping because I want to be sure that my dad has home cooked meals while I am living with him.
Please use the handkerchief and go hunting tonight with Jasper. I am sure it will help.
I'll also leave my bedroom window open for you. There is a rocking chair in the corner that you seemed to like in the books." Bella said with a coy look.
Edward looked bemused.
"I will see you at school tomorrow, if not before. There will be a few boys that you will find annoying and you will be tempted to crush them to death but remember that I will only ever have eyes for you. Besides, I am sure my purity ring will be a huge deterrent." Bella said with a smirk.
Edward smiled and winked at Bella. She gave him a hug and then bid everyone a good evening before leaving with Carlisle.
He drove her back to her truck and then followed her home in his car. He assured her that he would call Billy Black and schedule a meeting for the next afternoon once school was out so that the whole family could attend.
Bella thanked him for all of his help and then she gave him a hug before he drove home.
Bella then headed inside to wait for Charlie. It had certainly been a very eventful first day in Forks.