Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot is all mine.
Next day …
"Looks like someone woke up on the right side of bed this morning, eh?" Charlie commented as he noticed the uplift in Bella's mood.
When she came down the stairs, there was a skip in her step and she hummed as she ate her breakfast.
As far as Charlie could remember, his daughter never hummed or even sang. He vaguely remembered her chanting Disney tunes from the shows she used to watch when she was seven years old. But when he took her to a bookstore for the first time, she stopped watching cartoons and developed a keenness for reading. A passing phase, he thought at first, but then it stuck all-throughout her teenage years – It made her an introvert. Although that could be a trait she picked up from him, regardless of her interests. And she was a quiet girl. Yet, she might have inherited the placid attribute from him as well.
'The apple certainly didn't fall far from the tree.'
Bella paused mid-chew, along with the oblivious humming, as she looked at her father. A pink warmth dusted her cheeks when even she didn't realize her own actions. And she couldn't help the way the corners of her lips lifted up as memories of the previous night came flooding to her mind.
However, as Charlie's dark-brown eyes regarded her, she quickly racked her brain for a suitable answer and blurted the first thing that came to mind; "I'm just glad that it's finally a weekend. I'm looking forward to going out."
"Oh?" Charlie quirked a brow as he took a sip of coffee from a mug that said 'Fork's GREATEST Chief of Police'. "An outing with your girl-friends?"
Bella tried not to appear cheeky in reaction to her father's lack of subtlety. "As a matter of fact, yes." She replied nonchalantly. "I'm going out with Jessica Stanley and Angela Weber."
Charlie nodded thoughtfully. "I see. As long as you girls stay clear from Port Angeles. It's still not safe to be out there."
Straightening her back, Bella looked hesitantly at her dad. "Actually we were planning to drive to Seattle. I hope that's ok? The girls wanted to shop there. And I really wanted to visit several stores and buy some necessities I couldn't find during our last outing."
"What kind of necessities?" Charlie asked while taking another sip of coffee.
"Female necessities." Bella raised a brow. Now she really did seem cheeky despite the redness on her cheeks, but it was equally worth it to see the same flush on Charlie's face. Hiding his face behind his coffee mug was futile.
Clearing the awkwardness stuck in his throat for a moment, Charlie's expression turned serious as he changed subjects. "Do still have your pepper spray?"
Bella's face became somber as she replied, "Of course. I carry it in my purse."
"What about the taser?" he asked.
"Always beside the pepper spray." She answered, steadily holding her father's gaze.
"Good. Then as long as you keep your phone close to you at all times; you can go to Seattle. But make sure to call me to let me know that you arrived there safely."
Standing up, Bella leaned over and kissed Charlie on the forehead. "I promise. Thank you, Daddy." She collected the dishes while Charlie finished his coffee.
Before leaving for school, Bella gave her father a quick hug and wished him a safe day at work.
At the same time, over at the Cullen's Manor, the "teenagers" were leaving for school as well.
With the Volturi guards scattered all over their home, while their Master sealed himself away in his designated wing – The Cullens just couldn't wait to spend a mundane respite from the overly suffocated atmosphere of the current state of their manor.
"Jazz, you will be riding with me." Rosalie suddenly announced as she smoothly slide into the driver's side of her Jaguar. "Alice will go in the Jeep today."
Jasper exchanged a concerned look with Emmett, who simply shrugged back at him. Then when he looked towards his petite wife, he sensed resentment and affront coming from her. Alice met her mate's eyes for a brief second but said nothing; and silently hopped into the Jeep.
As Jasper slipped into the crimson convertible, Rosalie pressed the on button for the engine to purr to life. And the moment he shut his side of the door, the blonde vampiress backed the car out of the garage and sped down the winding road without checking to see if the Jeep was behind them.
It took a lot of effort for Rosalie not to crush the wheel of her pride and joy as she drove towards Fork's high school. Moreover, she was equally grateful that her twin, for all pretense purposes, wasn't inquisitive of her undercurrent state. She really wasn't in the mood to verbalize her ire with the little psychic. Especially to said psychic's husband.
'At least he is the lesser of two evils.' She sarcastically thought, only to reprimand herself as she knew that Jasper was a good person at heart.
Arriving at school, Rosalie parked her car in the usual spot. The space was never reserved, yet the students were too intimidated by the splendor of her ride that they didn't want to claim the location, or even have their own cut-rate vehicles beside the posh sportscar – and the same could be said for Emmett's monster Jeep, that looked like it could eat other cars for breakfast.
Rosalie stepped out of the convertible and did a quick scan of the entire parking area. There was no red truck in sight. She wasn't sure if she should be relieved or disappointed. However, she didn't have time to muse on her thoughts as her mate pulled in seconds behind her.
Emmett jumped out and went to her side. He placed his large arm protectively around her frame.
Silently, they both casually strolled into the school building.
Jasper's brows creased as he oddly regarded his siblings. Alice came behind him and twined her fingers through his. Without looking at her, Jasper asked; "Are you and Rose not speakin' to each other?"
Sighing, Alice replied "It will eventually pass. Just let her be."
Jasper frowned and allowed his mate to pull him towards the entrance of the building.
Carlisle was sitting in his private study reading to pass the time until his hospital shift in the evening. He was never used to spending this much time away from work but it couldn't be helped with the status of their predicament.
He was grateful that his colleagues; Dr. Snow and Dr. Gerandy, covered his rounds during the day. While Carlisle took all the dusk till dawn shifts to return the appreciation. But with so much free time on his hands, Carlisle was becoming restless and apprehensive.
And to include the fact that his daughters were rowing, it just didn't sit well with the good doctor. He knew they were mature enough to handle their business, and that Esme managed to calm down the situation when Carlisle was inaccessible. But his heart knew that this was causing a rift among their family. He may have to sit down with Alice and Rosalie, and see if there was something he could do to help mend the impasse.
Between his girls, and Edward keeping a far distance because of the Chief's daughter, and the Volturi's presence – it seems that with each passing week things just aren't looking any brighter. That and also …
Honey-kissed irises eyed the phone strewn idly on his desktop; and beside it Carlisle placed the handwritten letter from several weeks ago – that he kept stored safely away in his desk. Carlisle never took that letter out since he tucked it in his drawer on the day he was handed the sealed envelope. But after the conversation he had last night, he just couldn't shake the constant discomfort.
There was nothing monumentally significant in the letter itself beyond the warnings and guidelines stated. But it did have much more to do with the paramount man behind the letter – Aro.
The phone call last night was very brief and straightforward. After Carlisle delivered his annotations on Marcus' behavior thus far (or lack of) he expected to be met with a sigh of disappointment from the dominant dark-haired Leader on his brothers unaffected condition. There was disappointment as predicted; but it was directed at Carlisle instead.
Even though the reclusive Vampire that left on his daily outdoor excursions was the same unchanged person that returned; passive and reserved. Carlisle did point out that Marcus was roving externally on circadian basis, even though it has only been several weeks. It's still a great improvement compared to his isolated ritual at the castle. To see such change in behavior that reflected a docile routine of many centuries was more than they could hope for. And it could open a possibility to explore further progress.
Be that as it may, the ancient and powerful Volturi King was not amused.
Aro was not the most patient of people. He wanted superior and faster advancements. And flagrantly blamed all the incompetence on Carlisle's abilities as a healer; wasting all his time on mortals when he doesn't even take the occasion to understand his own kind first – Carlisle always had thick skin, but those words coming from Aro's own mouth cut him …
… and he couldn't fathom any tangible explanation as to why it bothered him.
A knock came from the door – Carlisle looked up and realized he had been staring at the same page for more than half an hour. He closed the book and placed it on his desk, and then snatched the letter and tucked it back into the drawer.
He leaned casually on his high-back traditional tufted leather chair and calmly said; "Come in."
Carlisle pretended not to be alarmed when Demetri entered his study and closed the door behind him. As he was about to stand, the Tracker held his hand up. "Please, don't get up on my account."
Stiffly lowering himself back into his chair, Carlisle prudently regarded the other man. "Is there something I can assist you with?"
Demetri approached Carlisle's desk and picked up the book that he had briefly perused and pretended to display curiosity in it. "Nothing of urgency, I promise. I merely thought we could perhaps sit down and engage in a civil exchange while my Master is graciously retiring to his suite." He swiftly placed the book back and took a seat at the empty chair across from the desk.
"I see." Carlisle looked away for a moment, attempting to collect his scattered thoughts.
A brief smile crossed Demetri's striking face before he quickly adopted an aloof look. "I hope my presence isn't a disturbance to you, Carlisle. Shall I go?"
Shaking his head, the good doctor plastered a friendly expression. "No, please stay. I apologize for my shortage in courtesy."
"Not at all. Everything done so far is more than appreciated …" With a subtle look of concern, the taupe-haired vampire asked; "I hope you don't mind my forwardness, Carlisle, but is there something troubling you?"
Carlisle chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "I wouldn't call it trouble per se," he debated not mentioning last evening's event to the Tracker, but then realized there was no harm nor a disadvantage in discussing the matter.
"Last night, I received a call from Aro," he began slowly.
"Ah-huh…" Demetri nodded for the blonde man to continue. This wasn't breaking news to him. It was an obligation to be expected from the very beginning.
"He wanted an update on Marcus. And if there has been any new developments."
Demetri placed his palms on the armrest. "Understandable. After all, I do believe His grace mentioned something to that affect – was he satisfied with your evaluation?"
Carlisle couldn't help but frown. "Not quite. He expected signification signs of progress."
"I see. Well, His grace does expect due diligence." A lazy smile stretch on Demetri's face. "But I think you already knew that of Him, Carlisle. After all … haven't you lived under our own roof for quite some time?"
"Hmmm." Carlisle looked towards the window as he briefly recalled his time in Volterra.
Demetri rose elegantly from his seat. "Tell you what, Carlisle – rather than stay cooped up in this house. How about you and I go on a drive, and we can discuss further thoughts on how we can better assist my Master with expanding along his progress?"
Warily eyeing the Tracker, Carlisle frown; "Is it alright to leave Marcus here?"
With a sly purse of his lips, Demetri replied; "Alec will stay behind. And so will the rest of the guards. That should more than suffice for the short duration of my absence."
"Right. Of course …" Carlisle stood up from his seat behind the desk, pocketed his phone, and walked over to the door. He held it open and he waved his hand to the other man. "Please, after you."
Politely nodding, Demetri breezed out of the study with Carlisle exiting the room behind him.
At Fork's High School, the junior and senior class were at the gymnasium during their shared biweekly double P.E. period.
With Rosalie and Alice still not talking to each other, and claiming their territories on opposite sides of the bench seats; Jasper simply couldn't handle all the emotional sparks flying off the two women and was MIA even before the class started.
Mentally, Emmett loosely cursed his blonde brother for ditching class without him. And as the students from both classes were too preoccupied hurling rubber balls at each other, along with Rosalie and Alice shooting venomous glares at one another from across the room. He just … He couldn't take it.
Emmett took the distraction as a chance to briefly escape for at least half of the two hours. He discreetly left the gym through the small side exit that went directly to a single set of stairs behind the building. He planned to duck there for a bit, play some games on his portable console and then be back before his mate noticed he was gone. And with the way she was, she probably wouldn't notice for a while.
Just as he made it out, pulling the game device from his pocket, Emmett noticed that he wasn't the only one ditching class. Standing at the top of the narrow steps, Emmett gazed down at the back of a familiar long head of mahogany hair.
Sitting on the stairs was Bella Swan, hunched over as she browsed through her phone that she had balanced on her lap. She had a small compact lunchbox beside her filled with fresh strawberries that she sporadically nibbled on.
She didn't realize that someone was behind her. Not until the swing-door operators closed shut as Emmett released the door, having completely forgotten about the automatic mechanism. The sound alerted the Girl to another presence. And she was startled as she looked over her shoulder. But then she relaxed slightly, though she did still have a stiffness in her back when she realized whose gaze she held.
Blinking a few times, Emmett realized he was standing very still, like a dear in the headlights. He involuntarily reached up to scratch his chin as he tried to think of something to say.
Only then did Bella say; "Is .. is your class doing P.E. too?"
'Too?' He thought. He instantly understood why Alice was so snippy all of a sudden.
The Girl wasn't just skipping any class, she was also skipping the same class she shared with them. And Alice expected to see Bella during their combined period that took place once every two weeks. But the second she entered the gym, her entire demeanor changed – Now Emmett knew why. And he should have realized it himself when he noticed that her friends; the Weber and Stanley girls were in there sans their third partner.
Shaking his head, Emmett smirked. "Yeah. It's way too crowded in there. Why are you here though? Aren't your friends going to wonder where you are?"
Bella frowned. "No. They understand,"
She looked to the side and slightly blushed. "Um .. my athletic abilities are virtually nonexistent, so …"
"So, you would be doing them a favor." Emmett finished.
Bella looked back at the large man and smiled, appreciating the humor instead of being affronted.
Seeing Bella smile, Emmett couldn't help grinning a bit wider. But his smile dropped when she looked around her and then up at him and said; "If you want to hang-out here, I can go somewhere else."
"No!" He suddenly interjected. "You were here first. Stay – I hope you don't mind that I linger around for a bit."
A gentle warmth flickered in her eyes. "Not at all." She shrugged. "As long as you don't mind my company."
Bella looked down and noticed the device in his hand and gestured to it. "Is that a Nintendo game?"
Emmett's golden eyes instantly twinkled. He turned his palm to show the console. "Yeah, do you play?"
With an endearing scowl adorning her face, Bella replied; "Not very well. At my old school almost every student had one."
Emmett sat down on the top steps, directly above the human girl and passed her the device. "Give it a try."
"N-no. I'm terrible!" She protested.
Chuckling, Emmett said "That's what everyone says. Try a round, if you are really as terrible as you claim to be then we'll call it a day. Deal?"
Hesitantly, Bella nodded and took the game from his hand. Emmett was mindful to make sure that she didn't touch his cold skin. She flipped the device and switched it on. She turned her back and faced forward, and with Emmett sitting behind her on the first steps, he was able to look over her shoulders.
Bella was quiet as she focused intently on the screen. However, the hulking vampire found himself scrutinizing the human girl more than paying attention to what she was doing.
Unbeknownst to himself, Emmett found that he was becoming slightly absorbed by this young girl that somehow captured most of his family's interest.
Bella Swan was much too quiet than the company she kept. But he had to admit she was much more well-presented than her peers. He briefly examined her ensemble: grey oversized sweater that concealed most of her figure, grey skinny jeans almost in the same shade, and white sneakers.
Definitely not excessively groomed; not like his sister, mother, and wife.
And her hair. Her hair was long and wavy wild, she cared enough to run a brush through it but not enough to invest all her time to make it look polished – Emmett smirked as he thought how if she stuck a few daisies in her locks she would have made for a great hippie in the 60s, and she probably would have loved Woodstock.
Just then a breeze blew by, jostling Bella's hair and carrying her scent over to the vampire behind her. Emmett took an unconscious whiff of her hair. His brows furrowed at the tropical scent. 'Pineapple? … and coconut?' he thought.
Emmett rolled his eyes and smirked. 'Of all the purifies in the world; of course, She had to pick the one that smelled like Piña Coladas.'
And last week, when She walked passed him on her way to class, her hair back then smell like cherries. And the week before that it was apples. And she liked to eat strawberries. 'She must really like fruits.'
Her blood, however, smelled very sweet. Neither fruity, nor floral; simply … sweet. Emmett tried to think back to a time in his human life when he ate any sugary confections that would similarly represent how Bella Swan smelled, only to realize there were none he could find that best described her quintessence. It was bespoke to her; and only Her.
The massive vampire half wondered how Bella Swan smelled to his brother. A singer's blood is supposed to be something irresistible. And he should know, since he couldn't control himself when he crossed his own singers. Both times the victims were most unlucky. Thankfully Emmett hadn't come across a third singer since. And his control had become much better since his newborn years.
His chiseled jaw stiffened when he wondered what would happen should another vampire besides his family happen to come across Her. Fortunately the Volturi were cleared from hunting this region. So at least she was safe from falling prey to that demise –
Emmett didn't know how long he was gazing at the back of Bella's head; thinking of utter nonsense and trivial thoughts. Until Bella Swan turned around to hand the portable device back to him. He blinked and silently looked at her proffered hand that held the game. She must have said something but he hadn't been paying attention. Dumbly getting caught in his own musings.
"What?" He inquired, feeling like a complete dunce.
"Class is over. I should go." Bella replied softly.
Frowning, Emmett took his game back and looked oddly at the Girl while she stood up and collected her belongings, including her now empty lunch container. Once she had everything in her bag, she gave him one final glance and said; "Have a good weekend." Then walked away until Emmett could no longer see her.
A deep wrinkle appeared between the vampire's eyebrows.
Did he really just waste nearly two hours willfully spinning arbitrary fancies about Bella Swan?
He flipped his game open to see how far She had gotten, only for his eyes to grow unbelievably wide. His jaw fell as he looked up in the direction where the Swan girl disappeared.
Emmett's jaw snapped shut and a wide dimpled grin appeared on his face.
At the school's parking lot, Rosalie stood by her car as she impatiently tapped her heel on the worn down asphalt. Jasper and Alice were standing near the white Jeep holding hands and talking, too low for human ears to pick-up, about their plans for a weekend hunt, and some alone time away from the overly crowded Manor.
Finally spotting her mate walking towards them, Rosalie glared at Emmett and stomped over to intercept him halfway.
"You better have a damn good reason for ditching me in a gym filled with sweaty, greasy, teenagers! I swear to god, Em, I've had…" Rosalie's biting words trailed off when her husband remained stagnant with a goofy, dreamy smile, on his face. And he hadn't even paid attention to a single word she said.
Lightly slapping his cheek to grab his attention, Emmett finally shook his head and focused on his fuming wife. "What is up with you?" She whispered.
Very quietly, Emmett replied in a tone low enough that only Rosalie could hear; "Don't be mad, Babe. But I was with Swan."
Arching her brow, Rosalie hissed. "What?!"
Emmett sighed. "I'll tell you the details later. But, my love, you wouldn't believe what she did,"
Folding her arms and pressing her lips in a tight line, she wordlessly hinted for her husband to: "Enlighten her"
Shaking his head and grinning his adorable dimpled grin, Emmett said; "She crushed my high scores, Babe. ALL of them!"
Pursing her lips, Rosalie skeptically looked over towards the familiar red truck and the brunette girl standing by the driver's side waving good bye to her human friends.
She must have sensed she was being watched as she looked across the lot until She met the gaze of the two vampires watching her. Offering a bashful smile, Bella Swan subtly waved at them.
Mirroring the gesture, Rosalie and Emmett – impulsively and discreetly – lifted their hands and waved back at her.
The Swan girl then turned around, threw her bag into the passenger side, and promptly got into her vehicle. She started the engine and drove out of the parking lot, disappearing down the road and off into the distance.
If anyone is still following my Pinterest boards for my stories, I still update them between chapters. If anyone wants to check them out, the link is on my profile.
