Growing Wings

Twilight Fanfiction

Michiyo Ichimaru

Chapter Eight

Answer It

Trapped. I was definitely trapped. Alice had kept me barricaded in her room with her for three whole days now. Never before had dress-up been so painful and terrifying. She must have noticed my growing unease, because on the third day, she decided she would invite Jasper into her room with us too. He looked thoughtfully at me, gauging my emotions and expressions and then smiled before sitting down next to Alice and radiating calming thoughts into my brain.

Charisma had never been sweeter.

Instantly I felt the tension and worry of the earlier events drip away. "Thank you Jasper." I said, grinning sheepishly. He smiled back warmly and I knew from the feeling that moved in the room that he was sincere. Still, I would have much rather been checking on Edward. Three days and I still hadn't heard anything from Emmett and Carlisle, who refused to get back and say anything about Edward's condition.

The tension was starting to come back to me. I was so worried. And Edward could be here to calm me if it weren't for my stupid accident prone nature. If it weren't for that, nothing would be wrong. I'd still be with Edward, gladly eating all the food that he made for me. "Why!?" I sobbed, pushing Alice off me, not letting her finish my make-up.

Alice sighed. "Bella… it's going to be okay. We've had a lot on our plate lately and we just want to make sure it's safe before we let things get out of hand again. Especially since you're still human. The best thing for your life is to be away from him right now. You'll get your time as an undead monster soon. But we need you to survive until your wedding night." She grinned. "This reminds me…" leaning into my ear, she whispered. "I saw something good in your future. That's part of the reason Carlisle's not back yet."

My eyes much have showed how shocked I was, because she giggled. Alice's face took on a very dream-like look and I wondered if she was having another one. However, my guess was that she was only deep in thought. I contemplated whether or not I should tell her about the dream I had the first day of Edward's sickness. I wanted her opinion, but I didn't want her to get worried over something as simple as a dream. So I decided that the best answer was no, and that I'd much rather hear about the details of her vision.

"Tell me about your vision." I pleaded. Deep in my heart I had a nagging feeling that I wouldn't get anything out of her. When Alice had something exciting to say, she blurted everything she possibly could out. Maybe she was convinced that she really couldn't tell me any more. But it didn't stop me from needing to try.

She shook her head. "Out of the question! Right now, it's so distant and so fragile that it might change at any time. However, I think the fact that it came to me from so far ahead is a sign of it's security. Anyway, isn't it enough to know that things are going to get better soon and that I have seen good things? Beyond that, Bella, you're just going to have to trust me. So there!" She said, getting up and huffing in mock hurt. "Don't you trust me anymore, Bella?"

I shook my head rapidly. "No! That's not it. It's just… since the beginning… I always told Edward that I was betting on you. I'm just really tense right now, so none of it really makes sense. All the worry is starting to get to me, huh?" Alice nodded truthfully and so did Jasper.

"That's why we need to go out and do something fun!" Alice chanted merrily. "I didn't doll you up for nothing! We're going to the movies, to get our minds clear and just have some freedom." Jasper rolled his eyes, but his mood clearly betrayed him. Actually, I didn't mind the idea of getting to leave this room. I had spent too much time sulking and dwelling here on things that I couldn't change.

At this point, I didn't care what she wanted to do, only that it involved getting up and getting out. Jasper already had my coat waiting for me before I even told them I would go. "I could feel that you were happy to get a breath of fresh air." Jasper grinned, throwing me the coat. "What DO you have in mind Alice?" he asked curiously. Alice chuckled and waved a set of tickets in front of both me and Jasper, squealing happily. I tried to read them, but she was waving them too quickly.

It obviously wasn't just a movie. No, that wasn't expensive enough for the Cullen lifestyle. They enjoyed spoiling me to no end, so why should I have been surprised when she told me? I should have stopped being shocked by them by now. But every time I seemed to be dazzled over and over again.

"They're theatre tickets! We're going to New York to see a BROADWAY MUSICAL!" Alice cheered dramatically. "I didn't have to pay a cent for them either, Bella, I know that look on your face! It just so happens that I answered a trivia question right for the morning news station's giveaway. There were four and Edward was supposed to go with, but it'll be fun, just the three of us! You need something to preoccupy yourself with anyway until he's all better!"

Enthusiasm was good. "Yeah, I guess that will be a great way to take a load off my mind. Thanks Alice." I said, hugging her tightly. Although I didn't say it, I was glad Jasper was still going so he could keep her under control before she got into the idea of dragging me through all the fancy stores of New York. I had heard plenty about it, and I was sure it had to be ten times worse than the problems in Seattle. HUMAN problems.

Suddenly, all the happy along with the color, drained from my face. "Charlie! I've been gone so long and I didn't tell him anything! He's going to be so mad and he'll blame it on Edward and think twice about letting me marry him and…" Finally Alice stopped me.

"Calm down! We already told him. I told him that we got tickets to see this for your wedding gift and that we wanted to spend some extra time in the city and he was HAPPY about it. Don't start panicking like that on me. We thought of EVERYTHING we could do to make this as quick and painless on you and Edward as possible. Carlisle thought for a while that it might be coming. The same thing happened to Emmett and Carlisle, and they're fine, aren't they?"

I nodded weakly. "Yes. I'm sorry Alice, it's just that I'm so…"

"I know." She cut in. "It's perfectly normal for you to feel this way. But for the next whole week you will be occupied. You are going to get out and have a good time. What you need now, is to let your friends help you. Edward REALLY wants to see you, but he will still do what's best for you. The distance will only make him love you more when he can finally kiss you again." She grinned. "Anyway, like I said… what you need, is your friends." She said, pulling her arm around me. "I got you something. You'll need it."

Looking down, I saw a small bottle. On the label, was printed in fine script "spearmint fragrance". I blinked and gasped. Alice was smiling. "I had an extra ticket, and I knew you'd need a friend to comfort you. Besides, when I close my nose, Jakey isn't so bad!" she giggled. Two things hit me simultaneously from what Alice said. First, she didn't think Jacob was a bad person, disregarding his smell. Second…

She called him "Jakey"!

Jacob was already waiting for us at the airport when we got there. He was grinning from ear to ear when Alice covered her nose and waved enthusiastically. Regardless of everything Jasper had said earlier, there was something very uncomfortable radiating from him, although he played the nice guy very well despite his true feelings.

"Hiya Alice, Jasper. Bells." He pulled me aside and smiled sadly. "Sorry about what happened. They wouldn't tell me anything either. I guess they knew I was asking for you." Jacob scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "But Alice is really confident so I wouldn't worry if I was you. Just try to have fun and he'll be better before you know it." It warmed my heart to know that Jacob had tried just as hard to get information out of them as I did. Really, I did have the greatest best friend in the world. No matter how much it hurt him, he smiled like it was nothing.

I smiled. "Don't worry about it. But look! My hand finally healed!" Jacob examined it closely and laughed.

"Took ya long enough. Geez… someone who heals as slowly as you do shouldn't be so reckless." He grinned. "Punching werewolves is DEFINITELY reckless." I refused to bring up the reason for this particular war wound and just smiled and laughed along with him.

"Well I didn't take you to be the kind who was up for musicals and city life." Picking on him was natural when he looked so at ease. "Isn't that a bit RISKY too?" Jacob sneered and took his ticket from Alice, walking with us as we went to catch our flight. At first I didn't think he was going to say anything on the subject. Worried, I wondered if I said something that really upset him.

He shook his head. "Eh, it's tolerable. But you're right. Yes, it's risky. No, I'm not particularly artsy. No, I don't really like cities. There's no room for running in the city. But it's still something I had to do Bella. For me, as soon as I knew you were hurting, I knew you needed me to be there for you as the good friend. Once I knew that, there was no turning back. So… Rent it is!" he grinned widely. "Besides, Alice is really ecstatic about the whole thing and she didn't want to waste a ticket."

I highly doubted that thought even crossed her mind, but I played along. Jacob was making things ten times better. A small voice told me that this should be bothering me and that I shouldn't be doing this at all. The rest of me was glad for the company until I found out more about Edward. I couldn't just sit around waiting for him to get better. I wouldn't look much better than I had when he left me. Then it would be my wedding, and I couldn't look like a zombie for my wedding.

So I dealt with the flight to New York, finally getting the chance to reprimand Jacob for not telling me about all the other things Alice bought. He found it amusing. No sympathy there… or anywhere, for that matter. Everyone was excited about it. Even I couldn't deny that I was happy to imagine that day coming. Jacob sighed. "What? Is something wrong?" I asked quickly, searching his face for any signs of pain.

"You can't wait for the wedding now. From what my dad heard from Charlie I thought you would hate the whole concept of marriage, especially at such an early age. But now when you think about it, your face practically GLOWS. Alice said that when you first agreed to it, you were miserable and made conditions of your own to even things out. Now you just look like you can't wait." He said, leaning back in his chair and trying his best to stretch his overly long legs that were confined in this small space.

I sighed. "Were you really waiting for me to give up and say no?" I asked skeptically.

Jacob shook his head right away. "No. I didn't think you would. Besides, I know better than to trust in hopes born from my mind. Still… if Charlie and your mom thought it, I didn't know if maybe it might be true and you might really be scared off. Guess I was even further off, counting on them." He grinned. "Don't worry. I'm here as the best friend, remember? After all, we all know what happens to the guy who tries to take away the leading man's lady, right?"

Just like Paris… they fight. Paris falls…

When we got there, I was taken by the lights of the city. It was my first time here and I was dazzled by the lights all around me. Everything was radiantly beautiful with lights and posters, banners and sounds. There were people everywhere, and Alice was jumping around excitedly already, Jasper in tow as they ran towards the hotel. I guess the forgot that we, no… I… couldn't run like they could. Jacob chuckled. "Aw, we can't have them stinking up the place before we get there, can we?" he threw me on his back and took off before anyone even noticed.

As far as they were concerned, we were never there at all.

The show was tomorrow afternoon, so tonight, Alice convinced me to go bowling with them and then check out the shops near the alley. We got a cab since we didn't want to walk all the way there and back. Jasper rented everything for us and we set up in the aisle on the far left. "I think these kinds of human games are so much fun!" Alice giggled, spinning around in her new bowling shoes. They were the most horrific looking things in the world, but somehow she pulled them off.

Jasper went first. I could tell he was straining hard to keep his strength in check. For them, it must have been hard to go out in public and try to act normal. But I was happy that they went through all the trouble, just so they could have fun with me. I would have felt bad, if I known that they weren't really having fun. Halfway through Jasper and Jacob had become viciously competitive, while Alice and I cheered them on, both of us with humiliating scores compared to them. I imagined the trip as it had originally be planned…

Edward would wrap his arms around me from behind and whisper in my ear, "It's your turn." I could hear his velvety voice and sweet breath on my skin, driving me mad, but always staying just far enough away that I wouldn't get hurt. As antagonizing as it was, it was also heart warming.

I suddenly knew what I wanted to say to him the next time we were together.

"Bells?" Jake teased, waving an arm in front of my face. I blushed, realizing that I had completely zoned out in favor of fantasizing about Edward. "It's over. I won." He grinned triumphantly.

"That's great!" I laughed, giving him a high-five. "Umm. Can we go get something to eat? The human is famished." When it was Edward, I enjoyed saying things like that all the time. He teased me for my human tendencies, and chuckled when I referred to myself by that. And I just loved to see him smile regardless.

Jake laughed. "Yeah. Me too. Maybe we should get something and meet you guys later, at the plaza. It would be pretty conspicuous if you didn't eat something here with so many eyes watching you." Jasper seemed happy to get him out of his presence and nodded, although Alice still looked a little concerned. But it didn't take her much time to let it go and nod.

"Yeah. You're right. There's plenty of shopping to be had, so you two hurry up! I might see something cute for the wedding." She squealed, dragging Jasper along. Alice gave me more than enough money before we boarded. Money that I really didn't want to use. However, I was famished and the nearby restaurant was calling to me. I didn't bother to look at the name, but walked forward blindly with an amused Jacob in tow. He didn't seem to mind though, so I just kept dragging him along.

We got a table near the back, out of the eyes of the larger percentage of the other customers. "I know how hungry you get, but try and use a little bit of restraint here, okay?" But even as I said it, my face cracked into a smile. I knew how much he and his werewolf brethren could eat. I WATCHED it, and I thought I was going to be sick for weeks afterward. Never before had I seen a creature eat so much and not explode.

Then again… outraged grizzlies.

After we finished our meal, we each paid our half and made our way back to the plaza where Alice and Jasper were probably still stuck. Jasper stuck because of Alice and Alice stuck because she couldn't pull herself away, even if she wanted to. When she saw us, I knew that I was in for quite a showcase, from the large stack of bags and boxes she had Jasper unwillingly carrying.

"Hey guys! Welcome back! You have GOT to see all the stuff we got! Not to mention… some wedding gifts that you AREN'T allowed to see. Not until the party, anyway." Alice winked and Jasper gave me this sort of piteous look. Now I knew that I should have been worried. My 'family' consisted of vampires and werewolves, but they weren't monsters. One was my fiancé. I loved them all…

But the Cullen family did have one monster… her name was Alice and her sin was shopping.

Once we hauled all the stuff back to our lovely hotel room, I was exhausted. In the end, Jasper wasn't strong enough to carry it all in by himself and Jake and I promised to help. "That was fun." I said softly, plopping back on my bed. The situation was already planned out. Jake and I were given use of the beds since we were the only ones who would use them, but Alice and Jasper got to make full use of the couch. They both gave us earplugs so they could talk and watch TV if they wanted to in the night.

I gladly excepted it and fell to sleep instantly, dreaming of the one man out of my reach right now…

Luckily, I didn't have much time yet to think about it. Aside from my time asleep, it was clear that they planned to keep me busy the whole time. I only wondered what all we would get to do. So far, it was nothing like I had expected and in a nice way.

When I woke up, it wasn't very natural. There was a ringing in my ear… so very urgent… singing "It's a Small World"? Now I knew that something was strange. Alice's phone was sitting on the pillow next to me, with a note attached to it, reading 'Answer it!' Naturally, I did. And I was so glad that I did. At first there was a bit of broken silence. Then there was only him…

"Bella?" Edward's voice was frail sounding. But I was so glad to hear it, that his voice could have croaked and it would have sounded just as beautiful to my deprived ears. Even in the pain he must have been suffering, his voice still sounded beautiful, just like him. No matter what, he wasn't ruffled, and he always came out of everything looking PERFECT. And now he proved that he sounded perfect afterwards, too.

However… my voice… not so pretty. "Edward?!" My voice definitely cracked from not being used all night and then suddenly being forced to speak like that? I gasped and covered my mouth in horror. "Sorry…" I groaned. "I must sound disgusting." I heard Edward chuckle and my heart did flips. "I'm glad YOU find it amusing." He stopped real fast.

"I'm sorry. Actually, you're wrong. I miss your sleepy gurgle. I miss everything about you. Bella, I'm so sorry about what happened. There was so much danger…"

It was my turn to stop him. "And none of it came to me. I won't argue about it. I'm too happy to be talking to you to let you ruin this." Subconsciously I had started twirling a strand of hair around my finger. "How are you?" I asked fearfully. The image of him curled up between the floor and the wall was forever embedded into my mind. Frequently the scene played over and over in my mind before today: the way he threw himself into the wall to keep from hurting me. The look in his eyes…

"Carlisle says I've made great progress. Putting up with the torture of letting myself around you before that time really did help my level of restraint. You were able to calm the reasonable side of me. Thank you so much, Bella. You have no idea how scared I was. You were in my reach… you were so delectable…" the sickness was obviously still talking for him. He never would have said that under normal pretenses, even if he meant and felt it.

"I'm so happy to hear that. Still… I wish you were here. I'd much rather see this show with you." Although I was having a great time, it would have been even better with him.

Edward's musical laugh sounded again, making my heart swoon. "Edward, you're dazzling me again." I giggled.

"I thought that was only a face to face thing?" He chuckled.

"Yeah, me too. But I still felt it." Gulp. I had a question I was dying to ask. One that I was afraid to ask. "Hey… you'll be… okay for our wedding… right?" My voice had slowly faded to barely more tan a whisper. I heard the intake of breath on Edward's side of the line and panicked. Was that fear? Was he surprised? Dread spread throughout my stomach nervously.

Silence reigned for a second. Then, I heard his voice, clearer than before. And brighter. "Bella, not even DEATH is keeping me from this wedding. Still, at least now I'm convinced that you want this as much as I do." His voice was practically sparkling with delight and I loved it, the way it jumped excitedly, for me… because of me… "I'll be fine by then. I swear. It was all the hype of the wedding that caused it, but Carlisle has studied it. It won't last more than three weeks… on average it's only two."

Relief flooded me and I smiled. "Wonderful." I wanted to question Carlisle myself, but I didn't want to waste any of the precious time I had left to talk with Edward.

"That's right! You're going to see Rent." Edward said, chuckling softly. "Watch Mimi and Rodger. I think you'll find them both very intriguing and… familiar." But he didn't say any more on the subject. Edward liked to leave me hang, because he knew I was smart enough to figure it out eventually, on my own time. "I don't have much time left…"

"No!" I shouted instinctively. It felt like one of the many nights I fought to keep him from leaving, rather than staying by my side through the night. "I mean… I'll really miss you." I said, softer. It felt like giving in. But for Edward, it didn't seem so bad to give up some things.

Edward laughed fully. "I miss you more."

"I really doubt it." I said confidently. Some things, I would never stop arguing with him about. But this only brought on more laughter from Edward. I didn't realize how much I missed his sweet ease. "Oh! In case you were curious, I've already decided on the greeting I'll give you the next time we meet." I said proudly.

"Oh, really? I'm intrigued. But it looks like I'll have to wait. You won't tell."

"That's right."

"Until then…"

"Until then…"

I held the phone up to my ear long after he was gone and the beeping had stopped.

A/N: Thanks again to all my reviewers. I can't WAIT for the next chapter. The plans are following through sweetly and I'm glad you all like it so far, so please review and keep me nice and content to hurry through with my writing frenzy. It gives me something fun to do. Reviews please! And those of you who don't know Rent or the significance of my adding them into this story line, you will LOVE it.

Michiyo Ichimaru