Chapter 7 – Companionship

BPOV

I still wasn't speaking to Emmett. And there he sat behind the wheel of my truck grinning to himself like an idiot. I sighed loudly to remind him of my upset, only to hear him chuckle again. "Oh come on, Bella. It was a great idea." I rolled my eyes at him, making sure he saw it, and then turned, looking out the passenger side window. My eyes caught the side view mirror and I saw the massive tarp flapping in the wind covering the motorcycles. I sighed again and turned in my seat, looking out the window at them. "Truly, Emmett, you are an idiot." He laughed loudly and patted me on the head like I was a dog. "Shh, Bells, you'll upset our babies." I couldn't control my disgust. I scoffed and turned to face him, stretching my seatbelt over my chest. "Emmett! You do not just go and buy two brand new motorcycles on a whim because I want to go riding. I told you! I have two perfectly good bikes we could have used."

Emmett nodded along with me as I spoke, letting me get my frustration out. "Bella, honestly, what do you think we have credit cards for? We're immortal and we don't sleep, we get a little bored sometimes. If Alice and Jasper can buy brand new cars once a year, I damn well get to buy a couple motorcycles now and then." I threw myself back in my seat, folding my arms over my chest. Even as angry as I was at him for spending so much money because of me, I hadn't felt this good in a long time. Sure, spending time with Jake helped and he did make me laugh and feel alive again, but this… I glanced at Emmett, seeing him still smiling that dimpled smile of his and I relaxed. This was better. This was my family returned home. I reached out and touched his arm softly, feeling the chill run up my fingertips to my arm. I smiled and put my hand back in my lap.

I felt Emmett's eyes on me, but didn't look at him again. Instead, I looked out the window and watched the road curve ahead of us. Emmett was taking me to an area where he said we wouldn't be disturbed, where we could ride for hours as fast as we wanted. It felt nice to be in my truck watching the scenery go by instead of driving. "Em," I said before turning to face him. "What about Rosalie?" The thought had traipsed through my mind a few times, but I hadn't been able to bring myself to ask yet. It was almost as if I was afraid that if I brought Rosalie up, Emmett would remember what he'd left behind and disappear again. Emmett looked at me for a second before putting his eyes back on the road.

"I don't know, Bella." He said, simply. "When I left, we thought you were dead and Rose wasn't home. She… Well, she hadn't been home much lately. And I haven't talked to her yet. I don't even know if she knows I'm gone yet." Briefly, I thought I saw a shadow pass over his face as he thought about her. For the first time, I considered the fact that maybe Emmett was hurting in some way too. Was that why he was so willing to stay in Forks? Did he need the companionship as much as I did? As quickly as I'd seen the shadow, it was gone and Emmett smiled down at me, a twinkle in his eye. "Don't worry about it, kid. I can handle Rosalie. I'm still not going anywhere." I smiled and sat back again. I would have to revisit the topic of Rosalie with him later, but not while he was driving. Maybe later that night.

Night. Suddenly the prospect of spending yet another night alone in the house with only my nightmares made me shutter. Emmett looked over at me and must have seen something in my expression because he patted my leg. I offered up a smile and then looked out the window again. Maybe I'd ask Emmett if I could stay with him in one of the 14 guest rooms they had. Or maybe… No, I couldn't ask him to just sit in silence in the dark all night. I wouldn't ask him to stay with me. Either way, I'd have to figure it out later. The truck came to a stop and I unbuckled, looking around. Emmett was already out of the truck and was pulling the bikes out of the back of the truck.

EPOV

Okay, so maybe I had been a little loose with my credit card. But come on, when had I ever done this before? The last vehicle I bought was the Jeep and that was with Carlisle helping me pick it out. Obviously that hadn't been a problem. It was my turn to live a little. Bella had been a major pain in the ass as soon as she realized what I was thinking, but at least I had gotten a good idea of which one she liked before she flipped out on me. Maybe this would be their thing: Riding together. That would be something they could both enjoy. I glanced back at her as she climbed out of the truck and walked back to where I was standing. She ran a hand over her bike in what could only be described as an affectionate manner and I smirked. "Knew you liked that one." She only rolled her eyes and stepped back as I reached for the bikes, steering them to the road.

"Alright, little human. Here are the rules. Don't go above 85, break when I tell you to, turn when I tell you to, and…" I reached into the back of the truck and pulled out a helmet. "You must wear a helmet." She groaned, but didn't argue as I shoved it down on her head, smirking. "Alright," I said, stepping back. "Let's ride." Bella laughed at my obvious excitement and straddled her bike. I handed her the key and watched her while she started her bike. "Alright, so you have a little experience. Good, you'll need it to keep up with me." I grinned at her and hopped on my bike, starting it up. I peeled out onto the road, aligning my bike properly. I yelled above the roar of their engines so she could hear me. "We've got a couple miles before it curves a little. It's a small turn, but be ready for it. Then a couple more miles before we hit a sharper turn. I'll want you to slow down then and I want you on the inside, closer to the mountain and not so close to the edge." For the first time, Bella looked past me and saw that they were on a mountain road. She stood up, holding onto her bike and peered over the side. She smiled at me and I heard her whisper, "This is exactly what I needed."

I laughed and together we tore down the road, riding side by side. I felt the cold air as my body sliced through it, flying down the highway. Soon I looked down at the gauge and saw that we were already pushing 65. This didn't seem like a lot to me, but I briefly questioned my decision to allow the clumsiest mortal in all the lands on a motorcycle... On a mountainside. I shook the thought away and we pressed on, nearing the slight curve. We rounded it easily and I glanced at Bella quickly, seeing excitement and determination in her eyes. It pleased me to see her looking like the old Bella, however briefly. I looked ahead again and knew we would be coming up on the sharper turn in a few minutes.

"Bella! Up ahead is the sharp turn. Tuck your body and lean with your bike, but not too far! Slow down when you start to see it and when we straighten out again, pull your bike back upright. Then you can pick up speed again." Bella shouted in agreement and we sped ahead. With the curve insight I was glad to see Bella drop behind me, slowing before I did. I slowed to match her pace and when we took the curve we both tucked and leaned to the side, matching the curve of the road. When we had made it through the curve, we straightened again and I looked over at Bella whose cheeks were flushed. She had a wide smile spread across her lips and I felt another rush of affection for her.

When we finally made it back to Bella's truck, I jumped off my bike and waited for her to do the same. She stood her bike up and cut the engine, looking up at me as she removed her helmet, a gleam in her eye that hadn't been there before. "Em!" She yelled and moved to get off her bike. In less than 5 seconds, I watched as Bella's jeans caught on the kickstand and her leg went out from under her. She went down on her knees hard and I heard her cry out in shock. With one arm around her waist and the other on the bike, keeping it from falling on her, I pulled her up and set her down on the tailgate of the truck. "Argh," she muttered, rubbing her knees softly. "Thanks for catching me." I chuckled a little. "Sure, I should have expected that we'd get through an entire ride, curves and all, and it would be getting off your bike that you'd hurt yourself." Bella blushed and bent down, pulling a torn piece of her jeans off and instantly I felt my throat start to burn.

I stepped back from her and stopped breathing instantly. Bella's eyes grew a little as she looked from my expression down to her knee and saw blood start to trickle through the fabric of her torn jeans. She quickly put her hand over it and looked up at me again. "Get in the truck," I said in a strained voice, and she obeyed immediately. I lifted the bikes into the back of the truck and then took a deep breath of air, preparing myself for a long ride home.