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Chapter Ten
Life
EPOV
The sun was in the highest part of the sky and we had just made it through the cloud banks. Renesmee and Masen had been sharing their memories with Brandon about the 'sparkling' their parents had done for them when they were smaller and how it amused them. Brandon had asked all morning that Bella and I show him our sparkling. After much asking and pleading, we agreed. We hadn't planned to take him so far into the mountains until he was a little bigger and was able to walk extremely well. For obvious reasons, we didn't have to worry about him hurting himself if he fell down, but we knew it would be a more fun-filled trip if he was capable of climbing and all that little boys enjoy doing before we went so far into the forest.
Renesmee and Masen had been spending quite a bit of time at the house with us. Emma and Brandon played as two small children would. Even though Brandon was only a couple of months old at this point, he was almost as mentally developed as Emma. Emma's growth was much slower than the one hundred percent vampire children. She was a highly intelligent little girl, already well past her age group, but still she didn't develop as fast. She would be reaching her full potential in a few more years, probably around the same time that Brandon would. It would be kind of a neat thing we all had decided, watching the two of them grow up together. It would almost be like they were twins instead of niece and uncle. Renesmee and Masen as well as Emma accompanied us to the top of the mountain, just out of the clouds. Emma had not seen her grandparents in full sunlight either. It was here in Forks that we could reach the top of the mountains and get out of the clouds. Everywhere else we lived, we couldn't venture outside if it wasn't cloudy. When the sunlight hit us, Bella, Masen, and I began to sparkle vividly. The colors of the rainbow was beaming off of our skin just like diamonds in the sun. The beams reflected all around. Renesmee was sparkling faintly as she had since she had been born. Ness was never hindered and never would be by the sunlight. She looked like she had perhaps put on some of that lotion with the glitter effect. Emma did not sparkle to the human eye, but faintly we vampires could see it. Her skin barely had any glimmers. She would be able to go out in any type of weather and have no worries. Brandon was in amazement as we all shown brightly in the sun. It had took several minutes for him to realize he was part of the scene. His skin sparkled every bit as much as mine and Bella's. In the sunlight, his sparkling made his resemblance to his older brother stand out more than ever. He and Emma were giggling uncontrollably as they watched the colors jump from our hands as we would wave to them.
I looked at my wife and grinned slyly. What are you thinking, love? Bella let down her shield briefly. I kissed Bella's ear and whispered, "We are so lucky to have this to experience." We watched as Masen took Brandon from tree top to tree top, Renesmee was behind him with Emma. The children were laughing and enjoying every second of being an immortal. It wasn't very often that we got to come up the mountain and just be ourselves. Very few places in the world had offered us this luxury. It had been no wonder why Bella had wanted to return. "I don't think you understand how lucky I feel to have this existence, Bella. For so long, mine was empty. It is so full now that I feel it almost feels like I've stolen from others to have it. Like I have more than what should be mine."
Bella's hand caressed my face and made its way down to my waist where she hooked her arm and pulled me close. "Love, you deserve all of this and more," she softly spoke to me. "All of this is just what you should have had. You don't have more than you should because I haven't given you more yet."
Her topaz eyes were sparkling when she talked to me. Bella was dazzling me. I brought my arms around her, made her think I was about to kiss her and slung her onto my back. I could hear her giggles behind me as I darted upward through the trees to catch up to our children. I would love my wife later, but for now, I wanted us to share the beauty of the nature that surrounded us with our children. We didn't have a moment to waste for anything when our children were little. Renesmee and Masen grew up so fast that it was almost unforgivable that we hadn't spent every second with them. I wanted to spend as much time with Brandon in his childhood as I could and I wanted Bella to be right there with me.
We caught up with our children several seconds after I bounded off. Our family looked like monkeys flying from one tree to the next. I could hear the joy in Bella's voice as we stopped along the treetops, watching our children play. Brandon's laughter and enthusiasm was apparent as he pleaded with his older brother to take him higher, faster. "Brandon may not have your looks as much as Masen but he sure has your need for speed, love," Bella smiled jokingly.
I couldn't help but take some pride in those words. The children were definitely for the most part an even divide of Bella and I but already, so early on, Brandon's personality was quite a bit like mine already. He preferred to stay in doors and read than to be overly social. But even with that said, Bella could lay claim to that trait as well. I brought my arm around Bella's shoulder, holding her close with the crook of my arm. "Ah, yes, Bella, love, I do believe you might be right," I agreed with a smile spread across my face. "Brandon definitely has many of my characteristics in his personality."
Bella and I took in the beauty of the place we were able to call home again. We were laying quiet in the town, but the forest was ours and we could run free all that we wished, to our dead hearts content. We watched as the children scurried off toward the ground and Bella and I followed. Masen handed Brandon to Bella and came over to me. "Father," he started. "I am glad I decided to stay here. It is nice being able to enjoy the daylight without fear."
I grinned knowingly at my son. "Of course, Masen, its an amazing place. That's why we chose to come back a second time around. Now a third." I grinned at Bella. If we hand came back the second time, I would doubt I would have met her and I would have still been the sulking lonely vampire in the house. "and its this home of ours, Forks, that I have to thank for all of you."
Masen understood what I was saying. He projected his reply to me and then he looked at Bella. I'm sure he was projecting it to her as well, no need for me to read his mind. I heard Bella beginning to laugh just after Masen turned back to me. The puzzled, quizzical look on myself, asking her what was so humorous. "Brandon wants to run now. He is getting bored with all of the standing and talking," she answered my look.
I took my son into my arms and bounded. I could hear the twigs breaking on the forest floor behind me. The scents of my family were giving them away. Bella was behind me, with Emma on her back. Ness was behind her Mom with Masen taking up the back. It was habit for us men to take the front and the back, with our family safely protected between us. I had use to insist I always be in the back with Emmett in the front, but Masen had proven that his mental abilities were not the only thing he had to offer in his existence.
Masen had only been about four years old, physically he looked maybe eleven or twelve, when he convinced, well, compelled, his uncles to teach him how to fight. Masen's had thought early on, Jacob and Nessie his witnesses, that his ability to compel only worked on evil immortals and werewolves. He had been wrong. He could use his powers on anyone, humans included. Sue had volunteered one day at the house to see if it would work on her. Sue was an extraordinary woman. For a long time she had been cautious around our family, but after she married Bella's father, she lightened up. And she kept our secret from everyone, including Charlie. Masen had compelled Jacob, Sue, and Aro. We hadn't thought it would work on any of us. But it did. Masen had to concentrate more and the others had let their guards down. Masen convinced Jasper and Emmett to show him how to fight, in case the Volturi came back. It had been less than ten minutes into their wrestling escapades and two of our family's vehicles were destroyed when Masen launched Emmett against the garage, which also was destroyed. His physical strength was greater than Emmett's and even that early of an age. Though his strength is amazing, a father still cant help but worry. Masen had never been in a real fight so when Jessica Stanley came for a fight, we had insisted he stay away. His strength would to scare and intimidate but without experience it could also prove deadly.
We had just arrived back to Charlie's house, our house, when the rain began to fall. Seeing the rain fall always makes me think of the very first time I actually had a conversation with my Bella. We had been sitting in Biology, it was my first day back after I had ran away after initially smelling Bella's scent. I had ran to Denali as fast as I could, borrowing Carlisle's car as it had been full of gas and ready to go. I had to get out of there because I didn't want to kill her, be a monster, but I did want her blood and that would result in her death. Forever I will be grateful that my self control was more than I had thought. It was our first conversation when I had asked Bella about the weather and she had said she didn't like the cold and the wet. I couldn't help but smirk and chuckle a bit. My excuse for laughing had been to ask her why she moved to the wettest place in the continental United States, but inside I was laughing, because there had been an obvious chemistry between she and I, but she had no clue how cold I was. How dead my body was. That I had no blood circulating in my veins to give me warmth that she would feel if I touched her. It had made me very happy and excited me more than ever that my cold hands had never bothered her. Now they were a warm touch to her.
As the rain fell, we rushed into the house as quick as possible. Jacob had stayed behind to give us a private family moment. In the early years of my relationship with Jake, he would have never stayed behind. He would have been chasing after my Bella, something we don't mention as we would prefer Renesmee not to know all of the history there. My son-in-law greeted my daughter with a large kiss and then picked up my granddaughter and danced in circles for a moment. "Hey, Edward," he greeted me. "Sup, Bells?"
I smacked Jacob on his back, "Hello, son," I antagonized, knowing that Jacob hated when I referred to him as my son even though I was so much older that I met his great grandfather that he never knew. "Did you miss us?"
Jacob snuffed and pretended to cry, "of course I missed my Emma and Nessie." Alright, I missed you, too, DAD.
The banter went amongst the room as Jacob joined in. Bella went into the kitchen and was preparing something for Jacob, Emma, and Nessie. Even though Nessie and Emma could both survive on animal blood alone, and preferred to, they always sat with Jacob and ate something small so that they could have family dinner together. Bella and my family dinner included a hunt into the forest. I had told Bella once I was going to take her out to eat and I did. I flew us halfway across the world so that we could try regulation lions. She and I both still preferred mountain lions. Nessie had joined Bella in the kitchen and Masen took Emma and Brandon upstairs to play a game he had invented when he was Brandon's age. Jacob and I sat alone in the living room. "Edward," he began. "There's something I want to discuss with you." His voice was a low, barely audible whisper. "Alone."
I looked toward the kitchen. "Do you want to share your thoughts or actually speak?" I asked. Jacob and I had gotten our on little man way of talking down, quite similar to my talks with Bella and Alice. "We could take a ride or go running."
Jacob's eyes darkened as he thought over the options I gave him. He had begun to learn not long after staying around us all the time after Renesmee's birth that vampires have super hearing, better than his werewolf ears. He knew the limitations that would be put upon any conversation when had when any of the others were present. The only way to get total privacy, if that's what he wished for, was to take a drive or run. But even if we went running in the forest, there was always a chance that one of my siblings or parents could be in the woods and would hear us. "I think its best if we take a drive."
Hearing Jacob's words brought fear into me. Not fear of being any less strong or unable to protect my family, but a fear that I would have to. I nodded toward him so that he would know that I understood. After dinner for the half humans, we all gathered in the living room, Masen and Brandon and Emma had went back upstairs. "Jake, have you seen my new Mercedes that arrived yesterday?" I asked. I had knew the answer already. He had seen it as I had shown it to him earlier in the day when he had asked but nobody had knew that.
Jacob shrugged, "Nope. You ran off and left me this morning and then you hid your new car. I guess I see where I stand these days." Jacob's sulking façade was paying off. I could hear the thoughts in Renesmee's mind and saw as she shown them to Bella. Bella was in agreement so I nodded at Jake. "You going to take your favorite son-in-law for a ride?"
I laughed. "Ah, come on, you are my only son-in-law." I grimaced a little like I didn't want to take the car out and then relaxed. "Sure, Jake, lets do it."