A/N: Like I've said before I'm sorry for the late update! I hope you guys still enjoy the story and continue reading it when I do update. RL is really hectic with college applications and AP classes. Still, though, I hope you enjoy! :)
Thank you for the followers and the views! I hope you all don't give up on me!
Gods & Monsters
"Bella, dear, could you please set the table with Edward? He knows how many places he needs to put out," said Esme, as she moved throughout the kitchen, cooking up a feast for her family and her guest.
Bella stepped out of Esme's way and followed her orders. She stepped into the living room to find Edward but he wasn't there. She ran into Jasper who had a small smile on his face. "Do you know where Edward is?" she asked.
Jasper answered, "He's in his room. It's the room at the end of the hall on the second floor." Bella moved past him and followed his directions. Bella didn't want to seem impolite after Edward had graciously saved her from her misery; she knocked twice.
The door opened and Edward was standing in it. He smiled down at her and Bella could feel the blood rising in her face. She always had this reaction towards Edward. She wanted something to get done. He moved to the side and allowed her to enter his room. She wanted to look at what Edward had hanging on his walls. Bella wanted to know every facet there was to this mysterious boy.
Before Bella could look thought, Edward had his arms wrapped around her waist, his hands buried deep in the pocket of her sweatshirt.
"I like having you in my room all to myself. I don't like sharing with others."
Bella's entire body flushed. She couldn't understand why Edward had such great effect on her. She wondered if she had any effect on him. Edward pressed Bella's back onto his front so she could feel his straining erection on her back. Bella gasped and closed her eyes. She rocked back on him and felt a sensation of pleasure travel all through her when Edward groaned into her ear.
"Bella," he managed to groan out. Bella had such a great effect on him and there was no way he could deny it. He pulled back a little and began to kiss her neck with wet kisses. "I feel like I've known you forever. Tell me you feel it too."
Bella could only nod. She wanted Edward to take her, there and now.
"Out loud, baby. Say it out loud, I need to hear it." Edward's teeth skimmed the outside of her ear. It sent shivers through her body.
"I feel like I've known you forever. I feel like I can trust you with I have." Bella closed her eyes. She felt herself be turned around. She laid her head on Edward's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. Edward rested her head on top of hers and wrapped his arms around her, holding on like she was his lifeline. He began to stroke her hair and he felt his chest get wet. His Izzy was crying.
He pulled back and grabbed her chin. He raised her head up, and saw that indeed she was crying. "Why are you crying? My pretty Izzy isn't supposed to cry. You're too damn beautiful to cry."
She shook her head attempting to disagree with him, but no words were formed. She stood in his arms and accepted his comfort. She felt like she had been in his arms through so many lifetimes. She closed her eyes. Something was appearing on the back of her eyelids. She stiffened in Edward's arms, but let nothing on.
She opened her eyelids to quickly to see a clear image but she saw someone that looked so similar to her but also so different. The girl in the vision had fiery red hair, with chocolate eyes that seemed so much like her own. Bella watched as the girl ran into the arms of a man. His back was turned to Bella, so she couldn't see his face. His figure reminded her so much of Edward's though. Bella had no idea what to make of the vision.
Bella looked into Edward's pair of emerald green eyes and saw an emotion that seemed to strong, she couldn't decipher it, though. Bella stopped herself, before she assumed something different from what it meant.
Bella backed away from Edward and sat on the edge of his bed. Edward knelt down in front of her and pried her hands from her face.
"Stop thinking so hard Izzy. Let's just go and set the table before my mother comes and drags us out of the room." Bella nodded, having no other way to respond to Edward after what she had seen.
They raced down the steps and set the table quickly, before Esme could chew them both out for taking so long to do a simple errand. "We finished setting the table Mom!" Esme peeked at them from the kitchen and nodded.
"You can go off now. Dinner should be ready in about 5 minutes. Maybe less, so don't go too far."
Edward and Bella both nodded and made their way towards the living room where everyone else was sitting, waiting for the food to be ready. Edward sat on the loveseat and pulled Bella into his lap before she had a chance to sit on the floor beside his legs. She giggled at his quick reaction and settled back into his chest, feeling more at home than ever. Bella looked over at Alice who was grinning at them. She blushed under Alice's scrutinizing stare. Bella ducked her head and smiled. She felt so comfortable here, like it was a second home. It was something she needed desperately, after what had happened earlier in the day. She grazed her face with the tips of her fingers and flinched at the contact of the rough edges of the scrape on her cheek. She probably looked like someone who got into fights regularly with the way her face was looking at the moment.
Before anyone could get a word on how Bella's face looks, the front door opened. "Is dinner ready yet?" asked a deep, male voice.
Esme stepped out of the kitchen to greet the dashing man stepping inside the house. "Nice to see you too, darling." She lightly kissed his lips and smiled at him. "And you're just in time for dinner." Esme grabbed her husband's hand and pulled him along to the living room. "Carlisle, I want you to meet someone very special to this family."
Bella took that as her cue and stood up and circled the loveseat, coming to stand in front of Esme and Carlisle. "I'm Isabella Swan, Chief Swan's daughter. You can call me Bella, though, I would prefer that." She watched Carlisle waiting for any sign of rejection and disapproval. I wonder what he thinks of my shiner and accompanying scratches. Maybe he's thinking I'm not good enough for Edward, and is going to make me leave the house. Carlisle stepped to Bella and gently touched her bruise.
"Bella, dear, what happened to your face?"
She stood there not answering. She didn't want to disappoint anyone with the reason behind it. Esme hadn't heard the entire story, and she hoped she wouldn't make Esme change her mind about letting her stay for dinner.
"I got into an argument with someone at school," answered Bella. Esme huffed at her and stared at her.
"Bella, there is no need for you to feel the need to hide what truly happened, especially in this house. We don't judge, sweetheart. Tell us what happened. It may make it easier to forget about it, once you've talked to someone."
Bella nodded, and before she could start from the beginning, her stomach rumbled embarrassingly loud. Bella blushed scarlet.
"How about we talk about it after dinner?" asked Edward, as he wrapped his arms around Bella's waist. Everyone made their way into the dining room, except for Edward and Bella. Edward began to whisper in her ear, "My pretty Izzy should never be afraid. Don't be afraid, okay? Nobody here will ever hurt you. We all care about you, even if we just met you." He turned her around in his arms and gave her a kiss that sealed the promise.
She walked away from towards the dining room, not bothering to look back to see if he followed her. Edward rushed ahead of Bella to pull her chair out. She blushed and smiled at her chivalrous boyfriend. Boyfriend? He's my boyfriend now? Bella bit her lip to hold in the gasp threatening to escape. Edward sat on her right and Emmett sat on her left. Edward rested his hand on his thigh with his palm facing up. Bella smiled and placed her hand in his, fitting perfectly.
Esme stepped out of the kitchen with Alice and Rosalie; each carrying a platter of food. They each set it down on the table and dinner commenced.
***G&M***
Sitting in the living room after dinner, the Cullens and Hales began to discuss simple things, like the way that everyone's day went. Soon, the conversation turned to what had occurred to Bella at school.
"Bella, please tell us what happened. I promise that you will never be judged in this household. You have nothing to be afraid of," said Esme. She wanted to know who would dare hurt such a sweet, innocent girl.
Bella sighed. She didn't want to tell them what happened because it was such a stupid thing to begin a fight over and she didn't want to make her seem like a naïve child.
Edward whispered beside her, "Please? I promise everything will turn out okay."
Bella nodded and began to weave her tale of how she got into a fight on school grounds with someone she believed was her friend, and how events prior to the fight, made the fight actually occur. Everyone stayed silent throughout the telling, except for the occasional gasp from Esme, or the occasional growl from Edward, who sat under her. Bella could feel Edward tense under her ever since she began the telling of everything that happened, since the beginning.
When Bella finished the story, she stayed quiet and looked down at her feet, squirming to get off of Edward's lap and sit in her seat, or leave if she could. Edward tightened his hold on her to make her even forget trying to escape from his cage.
"Bella." Esme got up from her seat and kneeled in front of her. "You do not need to ever feel like you have to hide anything in this household. We all here care for you, even if we have just met you. I can't explain it but I want you to know that you can trust us." Esme kissed her cheek and backed away into the arms of Carlisle.
Bella nodded but said nothing. A few moments of quietness passed when Bella lifted her head and whispered, "May I be excused?" Without a response, Bella got up from Edward's lap and walked to the safe haven that was his room. When she got to his room, she went inside and lay across his bed; pulling his covers over her. She took in a deep breath, loving the scent that was wrapped around her.
This piece of paradise allowed her to forget everything that has happened, just for a little bit. If she could forget everything that has happened since she came to this forsaken town, she would do it without second thought. She let a deep breath of contentment. Then, Bella began to think about what she had just thought. If she forgot everything that had happened…she would forget about the Cullens, especially Edward. She could never let her heart forget who Edward Cullen was, never in a thousand years.
The door opened and in came the man of her dreams. Edward locked the door and turned off the light. He slipped into bed and wrapped himself around Bella's form. Bella pushed back on him and wrapped her arms around his.
"Izzy," whispered Edward.
"Hmmm?"
"No one thinks any less of you. Everyone has fallen in love with you and your charisma and loving personality. Including me, Izzy."
I gasped at his confession. He just told he had fallen in love with me. Had he fallen for me as hard as I had fallen for him? Did it really happen so quickly? Just in a couple of days?
Edward kissed my cheek and began to pepper tiny kisses on her neck and exposed shoulder. She sighed and relaxed into his tiny caresses. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders when he confessed to the strong emotion he felt inside his heart for Bella. What was killing him now was the reality that his Izzy could decline his feelings and tell him they were moving too quickly, too soon.
He decided he was going to go for it and ask her the golden question. "Will you be my girlfriend my adorable Izzy?" He wasn't going to outright say the three magical words, he wanted the moment to be special when he confessed that to her.
She held her breath. She had to be dreaming. There was no way the world would ever give her this moment of pure happiness it was impossible. Edward began to worry, why had she stopped breathing and why hadn't she answered his question. Was she trying to find an easy way to say no so she could let me off easily?
His worry began to subside when Bella began breathing again. He leaned over her side to see her face scrunched up in concentration. If it weren't for the tension in the air, he would've laughed at how adorable she looked.
Bella opened her eyes and whispered a quiet yes. Edward had to strain his ears but he had heard her response. She had accepted. She wanted to be his girlfriend. She was all his now. He would make sure she never regretted this moment.
Edward was smiling so hard he felt his face would break in half, but he couldn't help it. The stupid grin that had taken residency on his face was all because his pretty Izzy had accepted to be his girlfriend.
"You're all mine now, Izzy."
She blushed and smiled at his comment. Who knew possessive Edward would be such a turn on?
"Does that make you all mine, as well?"
He nodded and rubbed his nose against her cheek. He was breathing her in. He couldn't be any happier.
***G&M***
A knock on the door disturbed the blissful moment Edward and Bella were enjoying in the comfort of his bed. Edward groaned and Bella sat up.
"You should go answer the door before they knock it down," she said standing up from the bed and stretching. She sat on the corner and put on her boots while Edward went to open the door.
On the other side stood an Alice who was grinning like a maniac. "Did you ask her?" she whispered.
"Asked me what?" said Bella, opening the door wider so Alice could see her.
"Umm…" Alice was at a loss of words. She didn't want to ruin the moment.
"If you're talking about the question about me being his girlfriend, he asked it."
Alice was brimming with excitement. "Well what did you say?"
"I politely declined." Edward gaped at her. She had just said yes! Was she backing out?
Bella saw the worry etched on Edward's face and squeezed his hand where Alice couldn't see it. Edward was relieved and it could be seen on his face.
Alice's excitement deflated. "You said no to being his girlfriend?"
Bella had her fun and didn't want Alice to be mad at her. "I said yes, Alice! How could I deny being his girlfriend?"
Alice's eyes lit up. "I knew you would say yes!" With that, she ran down the stairs and began telling everyone and you can hear that everyone was excited about the news.
Edward looked down at a grinning Izzy and wrapped his arm around her waist and bent down to kiss her sweetly on her lips. They made their way downstairs where they were greeted by flurries of congratulations from Edward's family. She was one of them now, and she would make them proud.
***G&M***
Everyone accompanied Edward and Bella to the car where they said their goodbyes to Bella, while Edward got inside the car and started it.
"I'll see you all soon I promise. You are my new family and I'll show you I'm one of you now." Bella hugged everyone and promised to come back soon. She jumped in the car, and with a wave from Edward to everyone; they were off to drop Bella back home.
.
.
Once they arrived at Chief Swan's home, they saw that the cruiser was parked in front of the house. He would want to talk to his daughter about what had happened and Bella didn't want to talk about, especially not with her father.
"I wish you could stay, Edward."
Edward smiled at her and planted another kiss on her lips. "I'm just a phone call away."
Bella smiled and opened her door. She put one foot outside, but thought better of it; she turned back around and gave Edward a kiss. "Pick me up tomorrow?"
Edward nodded and gave her another small kiss. This time, Bella got out from the car and walked towards the door, her father opening it and hugging her tightly. Content with the way things had progressed today Edward drove home.