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Authors note: here's the next chapter! Thanks to all who reviewed!
Dates, dates and more dates.
Bella's POV
Fourteen. My babies were fourteen already. It's true what they say; they grow up too fast. I can remember when they were just a year old, like it was only yesterday which is probably because of my vampire memory…
Two years ago they had both started high school and Beth was as energetic and bubbly as usual but Charlie, well, I noticed the improvement as I'm sure the rest of the family did as well. It was tiny but it was there. He's been joining in conversations more and occasionally socialising with us when he used to stay up in his room 24/7 or go hunting.
I think the improvement was because of him actually going to school, meeting new people and growing slightly more confident in himself. I think that's his main problem; his confidence. He's so worried, so paranoid that he's going to hurt someone that he distances himself from everyone. And you don't have to be a mind-reader to see that.
Jen is really helping him as well. As strange as that may seem; a werewolf is willingly helping a vampire. She's loud and boisterous, and in actual fact she reminds me of Emmett so much its unbelievable. Ever since she sat at the same lunch table as us on our first day she's been doing it ever since, inviting herself I might add. Even when some of us expressed a dislike towards her kind, namely Rose, she brushed it off completely. She has an amazing ability to see the person within, not what they are or what they look like. I think that's why she gets along with Charlie so well; she can see his goodness. He may think of himself as a monster but he's the complete opposite. If only we could make him see that. Find some way to make him believe us. I would do anything to do that, to make him, him again.
I've tried talking to him, time and time again but all he does is block me out. I feel so helpless that I can't even comfort my own child, it's unbearable. He's torturing himself, he's hurting and even though I've tried, there's nothing I can do about it.
Beth on the other hand, is more than exuberant. I swear, if I hadn't been at her birth I would have thought she was Alice's child not mine. She's so full of energy, so out going that it's sometimes scary, especially when she gets together with Alice. If it wasn't for her perceptiveness, that I'm sure she inherited from Renee, or how alike Edward she can be then you wouldn't think she was mine. My baby.
Although Beth is only about an inch taller than Alice now, Charlie has grown and is still growing. He cleared Edward's height by a few inches but I'm sure he'll be taller than anyone else in the family by the time he's fully grown. I really don't know where he gets it from. I'm not particularly tall, neither is either of my parents. I think Edward must have had some really tall relatives when he was alive. Poor Charlie, he hates being tall, that much is obvious. Like me, he hates attention.
Like I said before; Beth is more outgoing than I ever was which is probably why I'm sitting in the living room with the rest of my siblings while Charlie stands in the door way, included but still distancing himself, and Beth is upstairs getting ready for the Christmas dance that's held at school every year. It's girls' choice and each year has a party on a different night of the week because of the large amount of pupils and the small size of the assembly hall (which is the largest room in the school).
Jen had been over earlier but had left to go get ready. Apparently, 'she wouldn't miss it for the world' and hadn't succeeded in convincing Charlie to go with her. So he would remain at home this evening.
Just sitting here, surrounded by my family with Edward sitting tensed beside me, no doubt remembering the same as I am, what had transpired a few months ago for three weeks…
Flash back
Week 1: Lewis
I stood at the bottom of the stair case with Edward as Alice finished getting Beth ready to go out on a date with a boy in her year. To say the least, Edward was not happy. I think it was probably to do with the fact that this was Beth's first ever date and Edward hadn't had time to study the mind of the boy in question before hand, fine-combing it for any less than clean thoughts.
A moment later Beth came bouncing down the stairs at a human pace with a huge grin on her face as her heels clicked against the steps. I looked up at her in shock, my mouth gaping at her as I took in her appearance. She wore a dark blue v-neck dress that was so short I would have used it as a top with matching dark-blue 4-inch heels.
"Beth, you are not wearing that!" Edward said incredulously, anger but mostly worry laced in his voice. "That's not a dress, that's a top. Go back up stairs and put on the rest of your outfit." He demanded and then muttered to himself, something along the lines of; 'what was Alice thinking?'
Personally, I still hadn't regained my speech but I had to agree with Edward. That was certainly a top and there was no way I was going to allow my fourteen year old daughter to go out like that. I was sure if she turned around she would give whoever was behind her a good view of her bum.
"Don't be silly, Daddy. I like this dress." She said innocently and smiled sweetly at Edward, in her attempt to convince him. There was a glint in her eye that told me there was something else going on but I didn't have a clue what.
"Beth, I'm serious. You are not going out dressed like that." He said firmly as Beth came to stand in front of him.
"But Daddy…" She whined and pouted but a smile was pulling at the corners of her lips. She never acted like this so I knew something was up. The only question was; what? "…Lewis is going to be here any moment." She said just as the front door bell rang. "I'll get it." She sang with a grin across her face and danced towards the door.
"Don't!" Edward just managed to shout out before Beth opened the door and Edward was at her side in an instant, his movement at vampire speed hidden from the boy by the door, and pulled her behind him, shielding her body from prying eyes with his own. "Leave. Now." He hissed at Lewis between clenched teeth. Obviously, Lewis's thoughts about Beth weren't pleasant. I heard footsteps retreating hastily from our house.
"That went well." Beth said happily before disappearing upstairs.
"What?!" Edward yelled after her but not before I heard the sound of the door to her room shutting behind her.
Week 2: Calum
A week after Beth's rather disastrous first date here we sat, me and Edward, once again awaiting Beth's appearance. Rose and Alice had gone out for the night but Jasper and Emmett were around here somewhere. Charlie had been up in his room but had come downstairs to see what chaos that was inevitably about to happen.
"I'm ready!" I heard Beth shout from the top of the stairs and Edward was looking more than apprehensive.
"You're not wearing another dress like the last one, are you?" Edward asked hesitantly and I had to bite back a smile at his worried expression. I placed my hand on his arm and gave him a reassuring smile when he looked at me, hoping to calm him down slightly.
"No, Dad. What do you take me for?" Beth said as she ran down the stairs and stopped in front of Edward, rolling her eyes at him.
"That's a bit better." Edward said as he looked at her outfit; a bright red knee-length dress, again, with matching 4-inch heels and her hair up in a simple pony tail at the back of her head.
I heard footsteps approaching the front door then a knock a moment later. Beth walked over to the door, opening it and inviting whoever was outside, in. Beth walked back over to me and Edward with a dark haired boy trailing behind her, blatantly staring at her behind.
A small growl rippled out from Edward's chest and the boy, who Beth had previously said was called Calum's, head darted up to look at Edward and terror clouded his features. I glanced up at Edward beside me, tightening my grip on his arm as I saw the murderous look on his face and that his previously golden eyes were now pitch black.
Calum turned and ran from the house as I tried not to laugh. Sure the poor boy was absolutely terrified, I mean, who wouldn't be if Edward growled at them? But he was staring at my daughter and not in the 'you-are-so-beautiful-stare-at-your-face' kind of staring, it was the 'nice-ass' kind of staring so I really don't blame Edward for growling. Heck, I was ready to pounce on him myself.
Week 3: Jordan
This was beginning to get tedious. Why couldn't Beth just choose some nice, normal boy to go on a date with instead of the past two weirdoes she had planned to go out with? Sure, her friend Justin was going out with Sarah but what about Alex? He was a nice boy and Edward said his thoughts were completely clean. Personally, I think they would be perfect for each other but I refuse to turn into Alice and turn match-maker. They'll figure it out by themselves, I'm sure.
Today, I was prepared for the worst. The last boy was worse than the previous so surely, this Jordan would be even worse. Not to mention the fact that an audience had gathered; not only were Edward, Beth and I waiting for Jordan's arrival but Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Charlie and even Jennifer were here. The looks on their faces made me think they knew something I didn't, well, apart from Charlie who had his usual look of indifference but I'm sure a saw a slight smile on his face before he caught me looking at him…
The sound of the door bell echoed throughout the house and all eyes in the room focused on the front door as Beth danced towards it. "I got it." She sang happily and there was a glint in her eye that made me even more suspicious.
She opened the door and walked back towards us with a grin on her face as her date followed in behind her. As soon as I saw him I felt my anger flare, and I'm sure it wasn't just Jasper being unable to prevent himself from projecting Edward's anger. No, this was all my own. How dare he?
I recognised the boy from my year, three years older than Beth, and he was one of the players at school. It wouldn't take a mind-reader to know what he was thinking. My entire body tensed and I felt a restraining hand on my shoulder. I glanced to my right, expecting to see Alice, Emmett or maybe even Jasper, but it was Charlie holding the tight grip on my arm with his eyes focused straight at Edward. I saw Jennifer come to stand on my other side as she too avoided my suspicious gaze.
A loud growl echoed through the room and I snapped my head up to see Edward with his eyes onyx black, focused on a terrified looking Jordan, his face a mask of pure hatred as he struggled against Emmett and Jasper who were restraining him on either side. Alice stood in front of him with her hands on his chest as all three of them tried to drag him out the room and away from the human.
Beth grabbed Jordan's arm and dragged him to the door with more bounce in her step than usual. "I think you should go now. We wouldn't want Edward to kill you now, would we?" She giggled as Jordan's eyes widened and he disappeared out the door. She slammed the door behind him and turned to look at Emmett with a huge grin on her face.
"Ha, Emmett! I told you!" She said triumphantly and danced over to him, holding her small hand out expectantly. "You owe me five-hundred dollars. Pay up."
"What?" Edward finally stopped struggling and looked between Emmett and Beth, confused.
"No, Beth. I don't owe you anything." Emmett insisted.
"Yes you do. You bet that dad would attack the first boy I got to go on a date with me. I bet the third. And if you, Jasper and Alice hadn't stopped him he would have. Now, hand it over." She said happily but her voice took on a deadly edge as she spoke the last sentence.
Emmett huffed and handed over the money to her. She squealed and hugged Alice. "You cheated." Emmett accused Beth as he narrowed his eyes at both her and Alice. "Having Alice on your side in a bet is cheating."
"There were no rules against it. And, besides, you cheated the first week when you told me to wear that awful outfit, if you could even call it that." Beth said indignantly and a slight smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she eyed Edward.
"Emmett." Edward seethed, his voice low and deadly as his onyx eyes focused on his sibling. Obviously, Beth had ratted Emmett out and Edward was most definitely not happy about his brother dressing his daughter in that outfit. Personally, I was amazed they had all managed to keep it hidden from Edward for this long.
End flash back
So, here I sit, hoping that both Beth's costume and partner are decent. If they're at least a tiny bit better than the last three then I'll be enormously happy. Beth danced down the stairs and into the living room.
"How do I look?" She asked as she did a little twirl. She had her long auburn hair down with a few strands at the front pinned back, wearing a knee-length yellow and white dress with matching pale yellow heels. I thought it was a bit strange she would be asking. Usually, she didn't bother and I noticed she kept fidgeting slightly. A small smile curled at the corners of my lips as I realised she must be nervous.
"Beautiful." Edward said softly from beside me as he stood and walked towards our daughter. I heard the purr of a car engine, footsteps walking towards the door then a quiet knock. A grin spread across Edward's face as he hugged Beth.
"Now, remember; be nice." She said, looking up at Edward with a raised eye brow as he continued to grin.
"Why didn't you tell us you were going with him?"
She shrugged slightly. "I don't know. I figured it would be fun to torture you with the fact it might be someone different then you'll be happy it's Alex." She said with a small smile. "He's my best friend."
"Who's bringing him here to pick you up?" I asked. After all they still had two years before they could legally drive even if Beth and Charlie could both drive already.
"Oh, I think it'll be one of his foster parents. I'm not sure which though." She said thoughtfully then saw my curious expression and elaborated. "His parents died when he was only a few months old so he's in foster care now." She explained then frowned slightly. "He's only told me about it once but, to be honest, I think his parents might have been killed by vampires. You know, killed at night, no evidence, and violent murders. It sounds a lot like newborns."
I stopped breathing when I heard that and a thought struck my mind. New-borns? Alex was almost a year older then Beth so that must have happened close to fifteen years ago…
"Where did his family live then?" I asked, forcing myself to speak as normally as possible.
"Seattle, I think." Beth replied, looking at me curiously. Victoria, the thought echoed through my mind. It made sense. The same time, the new-borns, in the same place. It was my fault my daughter's best friend is parent-less. I hadn't realised I hadn't moved since Beth spoke when Edward wrapped his arms around my waist, murmuring in my ear to comfort me but I couldn't focus on any of it. I was only vaguely aware of Beth speaking.
"Em, well, I better go answer the door." Beth said, nervously and ran out the room. I heard her open the door and then more footsteps as Beth let whoever it was inside.
"You look beautiful, Elizabeth." I heard a teasing edge to the voice, a voice I recognised and I felt guilt surge through me.
"Thank you, Alexander." Beth replied with the same teasing edge to her voice. Neither of them liked being called by their full name, another thing they had in common.
"Ouch, I think I deserved that one, didn't I?" Alex joked and I heard Beth giggle slightly. "Em, I brought you this…you don't have to wear it if you don't want to…I just thought…it's your Christmas present but I wanted to give it to you early…" Alex mumbled and I felt my curiosity grow as I edge towards the door to the living room, standing beside Edward, and peeped towards the front door. I clenched my teeth together and decided to act as normally as possible. I doubt Alex would want us to know about his past. Especially if he only mentioned it once to Beth.
"It's great, thank you. But you shouldn't have spent that much money on me." Beth said and pulled Alex into a hug as I noticed Alex's cheeks flame red. I heard someone clear their throat beside me and looked to my right to see Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper peering round me to look at Alex and Beth not-so-slyly. As vampires I thought they would have a bit more stealth but obviously not right now.
Edward, who stood on my left, chuckled slightly as Beth and Alex pulled away from each other and looked towards us. My eyes focused on the necklace that now hung around Beth's neck then to her ears; the necklace was white gold with five faux pearls, each surrounded with clusters of faux diamonds, and matching earrings set in a rhinestone cluster.
Beth quirked an eyebrow at us and rolled her eyes. "Come on, Alex." She sighed and turned away from us, holding Alex's hand as she walked out the door beside him.
"Bye guys." Alex waved as he disappeared out the door.
A/N: the dresses and necklace and earring set are on my profile!
I was going to write more in this chapter but I thought it was getting a bit long and I wanted to get it out as soon as possible. So, you know a little more about Alex's past. Mwahahah! Sorry if it's a little confusing but I'm watching 'ratatouille', listening to music and writing this…so I'm a little distracted…
I finally saw the movie yesterday! Woo!
Thanks for reading! Please review!
