Disclaimer: All characters are Stephenie Meyers. I don't own them. I wish I did but I don't. ;o)
This is a long Chapter. I didn't want to break it up. Hope you like it!
Thank you to all that reviewed. They were nice to see and to read! Keep them coming. I have the whole story completed but I just have to type up the chapters. If something doesn't match up let me know~munchkin1978
Chp. 7
EPOV
"Alice what is the matter with you?"
"Nothing. I can't be happy?"
"About going to school?"
"About life. About Jazz."
I didn't talk to her directly till we got home and even then I couldn't get out of her mind what she was so dang happy about. I let it slide for now. I went to my room and waited till it was late. Late enough to see Bella. She didn't know yet I was back in town. Although yesterday I did slip. I drove the Volvo in town and she had seen it. I know she had because I watched her stop on the side of the road. I also saw that she noticed it this morning.
I left at midnight and went to her window. She was asleep with her book on her chest. Her brown hair all over her pillow. She trashed about, and in an instant I knew she was having another nightmare. Oh how I wanted to comfort her and wake her from her dreams. I didn't bother opening the window and letting myself inside. I knew she was safe, plus I didn't know how much control I had not to wake her.
Arriving home I found Emmett on the porch. "She's back isn't she?"
"Yes Emmett."
"You were just there?"
"Yes."
"She doesn't know?"
"Nope…and it is going to stay that way." I claimed
"We lover her too Edward. She is like my little sister."
"I know but this was the only way to keep her safe."
"Do you think that maybe, just maybe she should have had a say in it?"
"No. I wanted her safe." I looked at Emmett with a glare that said drop the subject.
He let me in the house and was about to follow but let his mind do the talking. 'I know you want her safe but she was in love with you. You may not get that back Edward.'
"I know Emmett." Trust me I know that I may not get Bella back the way we were. I disappeared into the house and went directly to my room to sulk. I was good at sulking. I did it often. If I couldn't be with Bella, I would sulk and brood till the sun came up.
By time the sunrise came it was cloudy once again. So all of us trekked into the car for the one and half hour drive to Seattle. Alice was still bouncing around happy. Her mind was reciting the alphabet in Greek and then in Italian. I finally gave up trying to find out what she thinking. Let her be happy. She would come to me if she needed me to help her with something.
Once at the school, I read the minds of the other kids to find out where this teacher was. Nobody seemed to have a good picture of her, or they hadn't come across her yet. I supposed it was a good thing. I didn't want anything else in my mind to cloud what I wanted. I wanted Bella back. And I was going to get her to see me no matter what. If I had to appear in her room to make her see I was back and wanted her.
My mind had wandered all day thinking of Bella. So much so that I didn't realize it was the last period of the day. Junior English. I wanted to skip it altogether but something was telling me to go. I knew I would have to wait around for the others so I put my foot down and said I was going. I walked up the hallway as the teacher had walked into the room. She had hair just like Bella's. I couldn't get her out of my mind now. Everybody was going to remind me of Bella today. I shook my head at the random thought. I took another step and it hit me. Freesias. My eyes swirled with venom. My mouth was watering with it. The scent had caught me off guard. I was not expecting it to be so close. The scent was as close as if I was in the same room with… I must be wrong she couldn't be here. I went to walk into the classroom and it hit me again. Freesias. My Bella. My Bella was here. She was teaching my junior English class. I slipped into the room and sat down in the row that I could best see her in. She lifted her head and her face nearly fell apart. She was hyperventilating and looked like she was contemplating sitting down for the beginning of class.
"I am Ms. Swan. Taking over for Mrs. Robinson while she is on leave to have her baby." She paused. "If you are all settled then please open your books to chapter 4 and begin reading. It says that is where you left off." She had paused again. "Once complete I would like a written summary on my desk."
I just watched her. I had read the book many times before and once while she had slept in my arms all those years ago. She was so beautiful. More beautiful than I remembered her. I wanted to touch her and hold her close. I couldn't do anything but watch her. We were in the middle of a class. I was supposed to be reading but I couldn't. Not with her as my teacher. She looked up from what she was reading and saw that I was watching her. She was trying to look away but I held her gaze as I usually did when I was dazzling her. Her words not mine from so long ago. I saw out of the corner of my eye the first student was handing in their paper. I broke the gaze I had on Bella and wrote my paper. No one was paying attention so I wrote it at my immortal speed. I would have to be careful not to do it again. I then wrote a note to her.
Bella,
I need to speak with you. It's about our lives and us.
EdwardI waited till the last possible minute to give it to her. She took the paper and the note on top and placed it on the top of the stack. She looked away and fixed the stack of papers. Did she not want to read it? Was she pretending we didn't know each other? I sat back down as I contemplated this. The bell was going to ring in about 30 seconds so I watched her. She was watching the other children leaving. I was the only one that remained. "Bella. I need to speak with you." I said standing and walking to her desk.
"It's Ms. Swan to you."
"Alright." She sounded mad with a hint of upset in her voice.
"You seemed to have done all your talking when you left me in the forest."
"I know and I want to apologize for that." I paused to see her reaction. "I didn't want to hurt you."
"Well you did Edward."
She was stuffing the new papers into her bag along with my note. "You made it quite clear how you wanted me. You're the one who didn't love me anymore." Her voice was raising and getting hysterical. "Excuse me I have to go." And in a split minute she was gone. I could tell Emmett was outside because his thoughts were what I heard first.
'Wow Bella is here. She looks great' "Hey Bella long time.." He said addressing her.
"Hi" was all I heard her say to him.
I came out of the classroom and both of them were standing there starring at me.
"Edward, what did you do to her?"
"Nothing. I talked to her." I stopped. My mind was telling me something was wrong here. How did Alice know she was here? I went over the last day in my head. Alice was so dang happy about something… She knew. She knew that Bella was the new teacher and she didn't tell me. She kept it from me. I could feel the rage boiling up in me. How could she have kept this from me? "This is what you kept from me?"
"Yes. I promised not to tell. She asked me."
"You should have told me Alice." My anger dissipating. Bella had asked her.
"I miss her Edward. She was my friend too. She was my little sister."
"Mine too." Emmett piped up.
Rosalie and Jasper had joined the group now. They had no idea she was back yet. Unless Emmett had told Rose. I don't think he would have though. Jasper I could tell was feeling the feelings that had been swirling around us for the last five minutes.
"Was that Bella I just saw?" Jasper asked.
"Yes Jazz." Alice replied for me.
"Great now your going to make us all leave again. I just got everything the way I wanted." Rose said with a huff.
"No Rose. We are staying here." I wanted Bella. And I was not going to be apart from her anymore. I was not moving our family away from our home again for un-necessary reasons. I had done it once. I was not going to do it again.
We moved as a group to the car and upon pulling out I saw Bella in her car. She was crying. I wanted to go to her and tell her everything. Was it entirely possible that she wasn't angry with me? I wasn't holding my breath
BPOV
I got home in good time. I didn't want to drive by the Cullen's cut off but I had to if I wanted to get back into town. I made it past and was quite proud of myself I didn't look. I pulled up to Charlie's and went inside. I dropped my bag and keys in the front hall and headed up the stairs to change out of my work clothes. Once in the bathroom I splashed water on my face and changed my clothes. I came out of the bathroom and turned to go into my room and nearly had a heart attack in the process. Alice was sitting on my bed waiting for me.
"Alice what are you doing here? You just gave me heart failure."
"Come to see you actually."
"Why?" I was curious now.
"To see if you are okay."
I sighed. "I'm okay Alice." I was still torn and felt broken inside but she didn't need to know that.
"I didn't tell him. He is mad that I didn't tell him I had seen you yesterday."
"I figured as much. Alice he doesn't love me anymore. He made his choice long ago. He also made it quite clear that day in the forest. I was a total mess after all of you left. I was a walking zombie. Alice, I don't even remember graduating from high school. I couldn't function. I finally snapped out of it when I reached College in New York. I wanted to get away from Forks. To get away from the memories that haunted me every single day. If it was not for Charlie I would be the one leaving."
"Please Bella. Please don't leave."
"What would keep me here besides Charlie? I don't want to become a zombie again. I want to get on with my life."
"Me. Stay for me. I love you Bella. I love you as if you were my sister already. I want you to stay. I want to be best friends again. I don't care what he says. I want to see you. I want to see you everyday and go shopping. I didn't want to leave in the first place. I was ready to come back the moment we packed up and left."
"Why did you all go then?" I asked knowing full well that it had to do with Edward.
"He told us it was keeping you safe from our world."
"I wanted to be apart of your world. He didn't have the right to make that decision. It was mine to make." I was getting mad again. I didn't want to take it out on Alice. It wasn't her fault.
"I know. I told him that when we left."
I walked out of my room and headed to the kitchen. Alice followed me and sat in the chair that Charlie, and the few times Edward was in the house sat in.
"Edward is very, very stubborn Bella. He uprooted your life and I am sorry for that."
"I don't blame you Alice. I am blaming him. He didn't care that he left me in a horrible state did he?"
"When we left, he left us too. He went searching."
"For what? He couldn't have been in the same state I was. I was literally broken. I don't even remember how I got home that night."
"I can't tell you. He asked me not to tell you if I ever did see you."
"Tell me Alice. What could have been so important to break up our forever that he promised us?"
"I can't Bella."
"Please Alice tell me." I was pleading with her for something, anything so I could come to grips with why he left. I didn't want to believe that it was just because he didn't love me anymore.
Alice was contemplating then she spoke in a very quiet voice but loud enough for me to hear. "He was tracking Victoria."
My face fell. The fear went straight to my eyes. I shuddered as if feeling cold all of a sudden. I had not heard the name Victoria in years. 6 and half years to be exact. Alice was watching me and my emotions were written all over my face.
"I'm sorry Bella. I shouldn't have told you."
"No it is okay. I had a right to know." I paused. "Did he find her?"
"No. He was close. He ended up coming back here after awhile. He wanted to stay close to catch her if she got too close to you or Charlie." She stopped and looked at me. My face told her that it was safe to continue. I was not going to fall apart yet. "But she never did come back while he was here. So he left and brought us all back here to keep an eye on Charlie. By then you had gone. Oh and by the way I went to Florida with Jasper to keep an eye on your mom."
"Thank you for keeping them safe Alice. You don't know how much that means to me."
"No problem. I like Charlie. He was so nice to let me in the house. Besides you needed help and he couldn't have done it."
"I know." I remembered the cast on my leg and showering was not the best thing to do on your own with a bulky cast and hands wrapped in bandages. "Alice?"
"Yes Bella."
"Is he okay?" I stopped so my voice wouldn't crack. "I mean is he okay with me as his teacher? Is it going to be too hard?"
"I don't know. He has locked himself into his room."
"You are staying in the house?"
"Yes it is ours still."
"I know…" I looked into her eyes. They were black. She needed to hunt and soon. "Alice you need to hunt."
"I know. It can wait for a bit. I am talking with my best friend." She smiled at me with a slight twinkle in her black eyes.
"It's okay Alice. I'll be fine. I am not going to leave. I don't want to leave my best friend either."
"I need to ask you something Bella."
"What is it Alice?"
"Do you still love him?"
I looked at her, then at my hand. The scar that James left was always burning. I did still love him. I think I always would. Forever means forever with me. He wouldn't return the favor after the way he left. He didn't want our forever like he had promised he had. "Yes Alice, I do still love him." I looked into her eyes and she nodded. She knew my contemplation.
"Bella I better go. Charlie will be home soon. I don't think he will be pleased to see me in your room."
"He will want to see you Alice. He liked you."
"Soon okay."
I was about to say something else and she was gone again. Damn vampire quickness I said to my self. I then finally got to start Charlie's dinner. After dinner I went up stairs to my room and started to grade the papers from Edwards English class. I left his till last, as I wanted to concentrate. I read his paper. And then I read it again. I gave him an A. He was always so darn perfect in everything. I was re-reading it again for a third time when I realized he finally was using a point view I had all those years ago. After that I got to his note. I read it slowly. Then as with the paper I re-read it and then read it again for the third time. I did want to talk to him. I wanted to move on. I decided that I would do it on a few conditions. If he didn't accept them then there would be no talk. I started to write.
Edward,
I will talk to you. But on a few conditions. I want a witness. No forests to leave me in.
I don't want it like last time. I want Alice there. No Jasper. Nothing against Jasper I just don't want him to influence my decisions.
BellaI attached the note and put the papers away. I made sure the window was closed and locked. Knowing he was back and had seen me I didn't want him in my room unannounced. I didn't want to bring up the past before tomorrow. I had to teach. I had to teach him, and try to be sane and keep my comfort level. Tomorrow would be another day of stress.
