My Singer
Esme picked us both up within a half an hour and we headed home. She told us we could use the guest room, until she was able to get us a bed. As soon as we got home we went to the living room so that Bella could tell us what she experienced that led to Charlie bringing her into the emergency room. I knew that Rosalie was not happy about Bella living with us now, but whatever Emmett had said to her, made her keep her opinions to herself. Whenever it looked like she might say something nasty, he hissed at her, and she backed down. I had no desire to know what had been said, as long as she kept her derogatory comments about Bella to herself. We sat down on the couch, Bella curled into my lap, so she could tell the others what she experienced.
"Do you want to wait for Carlisle to get home, dear?"
"No mom, dad already knows what happened, Charlie filled him in." Esme smiled at her and patted her foot.
"Okay whenever you're ready dear."
"Well, I watched Edward leave, and the pain was there but just about as bad as school so I knew I could handle it. I told Charlie I was going up to shower and go to bed, because I was tired. He wanted to talk and I told him that I promised we would the next night but I was just too tired. He said ok and left me alone. The pain got intense really fast, and I made it half way up the stairs, before I the pain became too much. I started screaming out for Edward, and my dad came running over, and when he couldn't calm me or find out what was wrong with me he said he was going to call for the ambulance and I had to beg him not to. He ran me out to his cruiser and drove me in. When we got to the hospital they tried to take me from him and I screamed at them not to touch me. Carlisle must have heard me, because he came running around the corner and had them bring him a gurney. He brought me back to a room and told Charlie to wait in the hallway. Mom showed up and tried to keep me calm, but I didn't start to calm down until I could feel Edward getting closer to me. When he got there and was in the hallway, he didn't come in right away, so I cried out for him. He came in and I wrapped myself around him and he calmed me down."
Bella had silent tears running down her face just from telling the story. I wiped them away and she curled into me and started absentmindedly rubbing her fingers on my shirt. She asked about our diet finally. She knew we didn't hunt humans, at least not in the area. We told her of being vegetarians. She was relieved, seeing as she was currently a vegetarian herself. We all laughed at that. It was silent for a while and Bella wasn't tired yet so we decided to tell her our stories; all except for Rosalie. It was a very sensitive subject to her, and Bella paid no mind to the fact that Rosalie wasn't ready for her to know.
"I don't want to talk about it." Rosalie gritted out.
"Okay." Bella replied. She turned to ask Alice a question when Rosalie cut her off.
"What do you mean 'okay'?"
Bella was annoyed with her but maintained her manners. "I mean okay. You don't want to talk about it, or you don't want me to know. It's your business whether or not you feel like telling people. So again, okay." Bella returned her attention to Alice. "Alice would you like to go shopping with me?"
Alice's eyes lit up and she started bouncing in place. "I need some warmer clothes so I have to go, but I DO NOT like shopping and if you go overboard…"
Alice cut her off. "I won't go overboard I promise. Thank you Bella!" Alice got up and ran over to Bella. I went to pull her tighter into me but she just laughed and sat up accepting Alice's hug. "We can go Saturday." Alice ran off to get her computer, thinking about stores she wanted to take Bella too and I had to laugh. Bella looked at me and I just shook my head. "Four hours is my max Alice. Trim that list!" Bella yelled laughing at her.
"I can work with four hours. Anything else I'll just order online." She smiled and started looking through web sites for clothes for not only Bella but me too. I decided I wanted to give Bella something, but was unsure in what format I wanted to give it to her in. Perhaps I would figure it out while we were shopping. Carlisle walked in at about midnight. He got one of the other doctors to cover the rest of his shift.
How's Bella Edward? Has she had any bad side effects?
I shook my head no. Bella noticed but decided not to acknowledge it.
"Good evening everyone; Bella, I'm surprised to see you still up. How are you feeling sweetheart?"
"Perfect, thanks dad." She smiled at Carlisle.
"I think we should call Aro. I have been unable to find any information regarding this situation. We need to know what to look forward to."
I stiffened slightly. Even though Carlisle has a personal relationship with him, his reputation preceded him. He was known for his… collecting of vampires with powers. I certainly wasn't going to join him, and I knew Jasper and Alice wouldn't either. But if he threatened Bella I would join to save her. Bella sensed my tension and turned towards Carlisle.
"Dad are you sure this is a good idea. No one seems comfortable with this Aro being involved." Bella was running her hands over my arms to calm me. I knew my family would never intentionally harm Bella or me but I didn't know enough about Aro to feel comfortable with involving him.
"I don't think it would hurt anything. I know his reputation, but I assure you it is mostly unfounded. The only vampire he has ever forced that I am aware of is vampire whose gifts have posed a danger to us in the form of exposure. Of course he tries to be very persuasive, but he is otherwise harmless."
Bella turned her head to look at me, asking me to trust her. I ran my fingertips across her cheek and nodded once. She smiled and without looking away from my eyes, told Carlisle to make the call.
"Imprese Volturi, parlando Gianna. Come posso smistare la chiamata?"
"Questo è Carlisle Cullen. Vorrei parlare con Aro, per favore."
"Un momento per favore."
After a few minutes, in which Bella bounced nervously in my lap, Aro finally picked up the line.
"Carlisle, old friend, how are you?"
Carlisle smiled. "I'm well Aro. I'm calling hoping for some insite."
"Well I'll try to be of help if I can. What seems to be perplexing you?"
"My son Edward has found his mate. She is human."
"That's wonderful! She knows I presume, and you plan on turning her?"
"Yes. We just have to wait for some time to pass, so her leaving is not suspecious."
"Yes, of course. So what do you need help with then, old friend?"
"There mating has had some atypical symptoms. I have never heard of such a thing and wondered if you could maybe shed some light on the situation for us."
"I can certainly try. Can everyone involved hear me?"
"Yes."
"Wonderful! So tell me then what is different."
Carlise told him all that was discused. Bella seemed to be getting nervous about what Aro was going to say. I put her back to my chest and started purring to calm her. This position was the most effective way for us to relax and reassure each other. When Carlisle was done explaining the abnormalities to Aro, we waited while he collected his thoughts.
"Well I believe I can be of some help to you after all. Now what is your mates name Edward?"
"Bella."
"Bella, you said you felt, as well as heard him growl at you correct?"
"Yes." I could feel that she was still slightly nervous, but was happy we could get some answers.
"You can... sense him to a certain extent as well, correct?"
"Yes, although I don't think it's me necessarily. I think the... bond is responsible."
Aro laughed, happily. "Yes you are quite right my dear. I have met a few other mates like the two of you. The ones I know the most about are mates that met when they were both vampire, and so the relationship was quite different. The other set was a human and vampire mate and your reactions are very similar. I always wondered if the diet of the vampire were different, if the reactions would be different, but they seem pretty standard. Alas, I am getting off course.
"What I know is this. You will not be able to physically hurt each other. Your bond will not allow it. Denying the progression or instincts your bond provides you with, can be detramental to you both. The pain you experiance when seperated, will go away when you consimate your bond. The intense pain you experiance is because your mate is vunerable to attack. If your mate was actually in danger in any way during this time, you would seek the other out fiercly and no one would be able to stop you. It wants the connection to be solid. The pain is it's way to protect itself. It lets you know that you are too far from your mate. Now, you still will not want to be away from each other once you have consumated your bond, as the longing I am told is intense; hunting for days seperatly as an example. If you are in pain after consumating, than something is wrong, and it would behoove you to find your mate as quickly as possible.
"Consumation, will also bring forth the intense need to mark each other. It won't turn her; it is a completely differnt process and quite the experiance I am told. I have never witnessed a marking but have seen the mates after it has been done. The human was still human, and didn't become vampire until the time was right for them.
"The same rule applies for your marking as a vampire marking. Do NOT interfer in the marking in any way. You put your own lives at risk to do so. The action no matter how well it is intended well make the both of them defensive and feral. It will bring mutual strength to both, physically as well as emotionally. Edward, your mate will not be indestructable, just have more... endurance.
"The human would go hunting with thier mate, even though they were a human drinker. I am told the response was the same as it is for vampires to watch thier mate feed. Although you might want to consumate your bond first. That kind of intensity within your bond would not allow you deny it what it wants. The decision your family has made in reguards to diet, should be interesting.
"When you do turn your mate, it should not be as painful for her as long as you remain in contact with her. Your presence will sooth her, and she might have limited motility. Instinct, not actual conscience action. Your bond will tell you when the time is right. You will not be able to plan it. The bond will tell you when it needs to be done.
"Now am i correct in assuming that she has family she has had to be removed from?"
Carlisle froze for a moment before answering. "Yes."
"What did you tell him? The human in the past, just ran away, but it was centuries ago, and technology is more advanced today."
"We told him that we were not human but that we were unable to tell him what we are. He took it well."
"Very good. Be sure he doesn't get too curious. We will leave him alone, but just monitor that he says nothing."
"He won't say anything. He's a man of his word, sir." Bella wanted to reassure Aro as well as stand up for her father. I was very proud of how she handled herself.
"Very good, piccolo." He paused briefly. "I would very much like to meet everyone. Every mating is different, and as you are aware, I so love to learn new things about our kind. Would you be so kind old friend?"
"In the summer or spring break perhaps. The children are still in school. While it is pretense for most, it is not for Bella. I will let you know."
"I look forward to it. Oh I almost forgot. The mating process you and Bella are experiancing is refered to as 'A Singer' connection. Everything about her sings to you. While she doesn't smell like food to you, her scent is still more powerful for you than anyone else."
"Thank you so much for all your help Aro."
"You are most welcome friend Carlisle. Arrivederci."
After we all briefly discussed the phone call with Aro, glad for the new information, Bella and I went up to the guest room. She took her toiletries and one of my shirts into the hall bathroom with her to get ready for bed. After I heard her climb into the shower, she called out to me.
"What is it my love?" I asked as I walked into the bathroom, softly shutting the door behind me.
"Can you stay in here with me?" She sounded shy about asking me.
"Of course. Do you want to talk more about the phone call with Aro?"
"Sure. You can start by telling me if you have any reservations about anything he said."
I laughed softly. She knew I had some reservations, and quite possibly what they already were. "Well I'm not sure how to feel about hunting with you there. Even knowing that I can't hurt you, it's still nerve racking to me. My family definatly would not be able to go with us. Even though we would be on our own, and most often are, your blood would still tempt them, unless we were really far away."
"I don't really know what to say to that. I mean I can't stop you from eating Edward." She paused. "We'll just have to suffer through it i guess. There's not really another option."
"Bella, i'm not saying that I don't want to take you with me. It's just that we are not even remotely human when we hunt. Our instincts take over. We become completely soulless." Just as the last word left my mouth, she growled so fiercly at me that I was taken aback. The shower turned off and she threw the door open stepping out not bothering with the towel hanging on the wall. She just stood in front of me glaring at me with the fierciest eyes I have ever seen.
"If I ever hear you utter that word again Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, you will regret it do you hear me?!" She was growling at me, and I was equal parts shocked and incredibly turned on that she was being so fierce to me and defensive of me , even if it was to defend me from myself. "Take a shower." She walked past me and started getting ready for bed. I got in the shower to wash off the smells that stuck to me from the day. By the time I got out, the only thing she had left to do was brush her hair. I stepped up behind her and took the brush from her.
"I'm sorry, love. I didn't mean to upset you." I whispered to her, kissing her neck softly. I started brushing the snarls out of her hair.
She sighed, and continued speaking to me softly. Partly to keep as much of our personal life from the family as possible, and the other part because she knew that this was a difficult topic to discuss with me. She didn't want to seem agressive in any way. "I realize that you have been alone for a long time Edward, and you like to think that you are soulless," she spat out the word soulless like it was a curse word. "because it's easier to be alone if you deam yourself unworthy. If you were soulless you would not be able to love me. You might be more intouch with the animalistic side of you, but that doesn't make you soulless. Everyone has this inside of them Edward, yours is just more prominate than others. Everyone has the ability to be a killer, it's just acted upon by some and not others. You choose not to be a monster. You choose to live on animals and not hunt humans. Yes you may have in the past but that does not define who you are." She reached back and grabbed my hand, spinning in my arms. "Do you think that I will become soulless when I become vampire?"
"No." I said fiercly.
"Than why are you any different? You didn't change when you became vampire. If the vampire id cruel then they were cruel as humans too. Vampires are not soulless. They have good and bad in them like everyone else. The part they use to govern themselves with is what makes them who they are."
I leaned down and kissed her softly for a few moments. When I pulled away I rested my forehead to hers. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
"How did you get so smart?"
She smiled at me. "Silver lining of living with Renee. She's not a bad person per se. She just made her choice to care more for herself than others. It doesn't make her a bad person; she made a choice. An unpopular one but a choice none the less."
She reached down for my hand, and towed me out of the bathroom and into the guest room. I pulled down the covers and climbed into bed. After turning off the lamp on the side table she curled up to me with her back to my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer.
"I'd like to take you somewhere tomorrow after school."
"Okay. Where are we going?" She asked sleepily.
"Nope. You have to wait to discover it tomorrow. I will tell you this though. I have never taken anyone else there ever."
She smiled at me her eyes closed. I knew sleep was not far off for her. "Okay i'll let you keep your secrect." She yawned. "Goodnight Edward. I love you."
"I love you too my Bella."
She turned her face to me for a sweet chaste kiss. After we released each other, breathing our scent into each others faces, she turned her head back to it's original position. She grabbed my hand that was wrapped around her, kissed the top of it and still holding onto it tucked it under her face. She didn't move until the morning.
A/N: Italian translation
ImpreseVolturi, parlando Gianna. Come possosmistare la chiamata? Volturi Enterprises, Gianna speaking.How may Idirect your call?
Questo èCarlisleCullen.Vorreiparlare conAro, per favore =This isCarlisleCullen. I would like totalk toAro, please
Un momento per favore= One moment please
Piccolo= little one.
Arrivederci= Goodbye