Chapter Unedited - therefore subject to change.
A/N: This isn't the whole dinner scene. Consider this 'Part 1'.
And this chapter brings back a little Alice POV, after I realized I hadn't used her in ages.
Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. Well, technically I don't have any rights over it, but the book itself is certainly residing on my shelf. But that doesn't count. Duh.
*******
APOV
Squeezing my eyes shut, I searched in vain for any glimpse into the future, and more specifically into the events of the dinner, which were to sure to unfold tonight. Though my foresight was impaired, my gut feeling was as good as ever, and somehow I knew that this dinner was incredibly important. But try as I may, there was nothing of consequence. The fuzzy haze of colours was all I encountered and it re-enforced the idea that a future with Bella in turn meant a future of blind sight for me.
Widening my search, I looked at the stock market, the weather and the results of sporting games. I could see them as clear as day, but the future of the girl who's stolen my brother's heart was like looking for a spec of gold in mud. Bella was great, but the headaches she unknowingly causes, irritated me to no end. The closest I got to see an event in our future was the slight possibility of a visiting nomad. And even that was unsure.
Rubbing my temples, I tried to look again. To be honest, the headaches only happened when I tried to look into the future, so some of the blame rested on my part. If Jasper was here, he'd sooth me in an instant. He needed no empathic power to do that. All Jasper needed to do was hug me tightly in his arms and I'd feel at peace. We were two halves of a whole.
Jasper would willingly move mountains for me, but he was stuck on what to do about my frustration at my loss of future sight. Harming or interrogating Bella was definitely out of the question as she was beginning to really grow on Edward. Edward was really changing. But everyone took that as a change for the better. Though he had laughed occasionally in public, he was one who preferred the company of family to anything else and Bella changed that.
Though they've never said the three magic words, "I love you", the pair seems to be in total sync with one another. Yet, there was something pulling them both back from a total commitment of a relationship similar to Jasper and I or Carlisle and Esme. There was a secret in them both. Edward's was that he was a vampire. But as for Bella... There was something different about her and after spending copious amounts of time together; I am starting to pick up the subtle stuff.
The odd gleam in her eye, the knowing looks, the way she didn't shy away from us, the day when a sharp knife sliced her hand and she came through it without a scratch… In fact, I had a rather long mental list of things, but it didn't really seem too significant to note as dangerous. The saying, "love is blind" is true in this case as Edward takes effort to overlook the oddities of Bella. Something about, "Not complicating anything more than necessary."
But it didn't really matter too much. There seemed to be no threat or her part towards us and she made Edward glow with a light that I thought burnt out years ago. His happiness was incredibly preferable to the old brooding Edward.
However, things were always made to balance out. Even though Edward was more and more carefree and happy with Bella than I've seen him in fifty years, in turn, he was much more overbearingly protective of her.
With the discovery of two new scents to the already disturbing original vampire scent trail, Edward was overwhelmed with worry in the case that the visitors would accidentally decide to call Bella dinner. On our morning hunt, Rosalie discovered the first and Esme the second. Rushing back to the guys, immediately Jasper and Edward went out to track the vampires before the rain washes away their trails. They headed south, while Emmett and Carlisle headed north. The smells were everywhere somehow.
We were getting concerned that we haven't had contact with these vampires yet. As our scents layered the forest regions, usually nomads would pop in for a visit. But there was nothing from them yet. Just the shadow of an existence, with a faint print of a threat, but that was enough to put us all on guard. I felt like I was missing some piece of the puzzle here. A nagging feeling was telling me to look at this outside the box. But to find what?
A thumping sound and a pair of easily recognizable deep voices alerted me to the return of Jasper and Edward. Emmett's booming laugh and Carlisle's smooth voice told us that they were all back. Esme jumped up from the sketching table where she was working on her current design of a spare room in the house at the same moment that Rosalie jerked out from beneath a greasy car she was working on. Running down the stairs, I came face to face with the both of them in a flash.
Carlisle and Emmett wore slightly confused and concerned masks on their faces, as Edward shared a significant look with Jasper. Rosalie raised a perfect brow, as she impatiently demanded, "Well, did you find anything?"
Frowning slightly, Edward muttered, "We caught up with Bella and not too soon afterwards, Corrin. They were playing paint ball when we had some rather interesting insights."
Tapping her blood red heels on the marble floor, creating a fast tempo matching her impatient outlook on life, Rosalie snapped, "Go on, we don't exactly have all the time in the world." She snorted at her unintended joke.
Exchanging a glance, Jasper nodded at Edward before he continued the explanation, "Well the first odd thing I noticed was that the guns were modified heavily. They were definitely stronger than the standard guns sold in conventional shops. Whoever modified them did a top-notch job. I could have sworn they were real guns. Yet the thing was that Bella was wearing only goggles as protective gear."
As he said that, Emmett rudely interrupted Jasper, "You pulled me away from a bear for this?"
"No," replied Jasper impatiently. His impatience was leaking into all of us, but he quickly regained control. "Just let me finish. Anyway, I could tell thanks to Emmett's great idea–" he was starting to turn sarcastic "–around about three years ago to go and play paint ball with the humans."
We all looked at him expectantly as he continued, "There were several odd things about the situation. Firstly, as we were greeting one another, she randomly blew her whistle. She didn't even explain herself. Afterwards, it gets stranger. Corrin sneaks up behind her and shoots two pellets to the back of her head. Bella doesn't even flinch at the impact. All she does is get really annoyed that her brother snuck a shot in. Apparently the whistle was a signal for time-out"
My eyebrows were raised high at this point, a mixture of disbelief and impatience. There was nothing overly incriminating at the moment... It was strange, sure. But it was hard to see where the importance lay.
"As Corrin ran, Bella shot at him, and she was an incredible marksman. She's almost as good of a shot as you, Rosalie. But Corrin was a moving target, so I could say she might be better," continued Jasper. At this, Rosalie predictably began fuming at the idea of being compared to a human. Or what we assumed was one.
"Corrin didn't stumble or stop in pain as several pellets hit his back too," said Edward as he hurriedly took over the narrator's role in the story telling. "However from my point of view, things were undoubtedly more interesting. Just before Corrin shot and came into view, I heard a whisper of thought pass through his mind."
Carlisle was immediately intrigued. "Did you not speculate earlier that the silence was most likely to be a genetic thing?"
Edward nodded slowly before adding more, "I thought so too, but as Corrin ran away, I heard that same whisper of thought. But actually, it was weaker than that. It was more of an impression of a thought. He was incredibly excited. That was all I got before his mental voice left my hearing range."
"Hmm. Very strange," Carlisle mumbled, obviously deep in thought.
"Do you think that they have something to do with the visiting vampires?" blurted out Jasper.
Our heads whipped around to him in shock. Edward was growling, an automatic response to defend his girlfriend and her family.
"Wait, hear me out," pleaded Jasper, hands held out as a sign of peace. With a stiff nod, Edward implied that it was safe to continue. Tranquility seeped through us all and I saw us all collectively relax. Jasper's gift was rather helpful at times.
"Well, the first scent arrived at the same time as Bella. These two new ones coincide with her relatives passing here," Jasper hurriedly relayed out. There was truth and logic behind his thinking, and I ran up to hold his hand, to lend some support throughout his explanation.
He looked down at me with grateful eyes and I squeezed his hand gently. Sometimes he was shy, scared of failure, so I helped him to voice his opinions and his views. We were each other's rock.
"But you've been around both Corrin and Bella. You know what they smell like. I doubt Sophia would smell like two different people," said Esme reasonably. She would not want to wish that there was a terrible coven stalking the Swan family or that the Swan's they were the threat.
Taking a deep breath, he continued, "That's why I am thinking along the lines of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You know the story. Doctor by day, monster by night. Total change without control."
Rosalie snorted and said, "Nice try Einstein. But there was that sleepover we had a few weeks ago."
Rather uncomfortable with the spotlight on him, Jasper shrugged and said, "Maybe they are like Children Of The Moon – humans that change into deadly creatures only following changes in the lunar patters; a full moon."
Carlisle nodded slowly and said, "There is some possible element of truth in your theory son, but to find the truth, we will need much more proof than that.
"How many monsters can this region hold?" muttered Rosalie sarcastically under her breath.
Throughout this, Edward was unusually quiet and he was sharing a private conversation with Jasper and Carlisle. I hated these silent conversations unless I was in them. At this mental comment, Edward's lips tugged up at the corner slightly. He was mocking me!
A sweeping calm befell me, courtesy of Jasper and reminded me that there were more important things at the moment.
The dinner was very soon and we were debating whether the vampires were Bella and her family.
What wasn't off about that comment?
My mind could not wrap itself around the idea that Bella was a vampire. There was so much saying that that was not true.
Edward was still having a mental conversation with Carlisle. Esme was sitting on the lounge, subconsciously running her hands through her hair, face puckered with confusion at this notion. Emmett was talking quietly to Jasper about the guns, but I wasn't interested in their conversations. Rosalie just stared out of the glass wall. Probably cursing Edward for bringing such a danger into our lives or something like that. Then again, Rosalie surprises me many times, so I wouldn't doubt that something totally different was running through her mind.
But even if Bella wasn't human, I couldn't feel it within me to regret having her into our lives. We were closer as a family, now that Edward was lighter hearted.
If we had to kill Bella – Edward growled in response to my thoughts – how would we cope? She's practically part of the family. What person would purposely attempt to end the life of a sibling?
*******
EPOV
Driving to Bella's house, I was able to let my mind wander. Driving was such a mundane task when one could not travel at top speeds and so all I had to remember was the motions. Change gear, gas pedal, turn the steering wheel...
Today was certainly strange within it's own rights. I was so sure that I heard Corrin. But it was like he used a light switch to turn off the connection.
But more than that was Jasper's comment that shook me. The idea that Bella was a monster was conflicting – in more ways than one.
In one way, I was scared of losing her. Scared that I might have to fight her. Terrified that I may have to kill her. I don't think I'd be able to do that. But I doubt I could even fight her to begin with. I was ashamed to admit, but even if my family were at stake, I knew I would still hesitate before attacking.
In another way, I was ecstatic. Which made me repulsed at my line of thinking. However, the idea that Bella was like me in some ways was amazing. I wouldn't have to constantly watch my movements, my actions with her. We would understand each other more. Though I told myself that I was happy with what I had, I knew I would want Bella forever. Yet taking away her humanity was not something I was keen on.
However the bone-crushing agony of very thought of her dying or leaving was bad enough that I considered the idea. A lot. Hopefully, she would not suffer from my utter selfishness.
Also, I felt pain in the case she was dangerous. She might hurt my family. She might want to kill us. Bella might–
What was I thinking? Bella, the sweet, loving Bella I knew, would never do that.
It was as though I had resigned myself to the idea she was a monster already. I was assuming that Bella was a bad, evil monster. Maybe she was good? I should be refusing that line of thought until I had proof.
There was also something else underneath that muddle of emotions. The fear of rejection was running rampant within me.
Over the few days, I've slowly realized that I ... loved Bella. More than anything I could name. The way I thought about her nearly confirmed it. Not to mention the way Jasper complains about how my emotions go haywire every time she walks into my room.
I couldn't remember a happy moment without her. She was my sun and I loved it. But how to tell her... If I would tell her would be more accurate. Bella always surprised me, but I was fairly sure that it was too early in our relationship to do anything of that level yet without her freaking out a bit.
"I love you" is a phrase thrown around so much nowadays. Not like in my time. But I want her to take it seriously. I wanted her to know that I mean the words with all my heart. And I would mean it with my soul – if I had one.
But I can't even think, "I love you … Bella" without hesitating.
If I was sure that Alice wouldn't overreact to the news, I would have told her by now and asked for advice on the matter. In fact, I was rather grateful for her future vision impairment at the moment. Alice would be oblivious to the fact I would be declaring my feelings soon. Then again, I doubted she was totally clueless though. I mean, she always shot me knowing looks and her husband could tell every emotion that ran though me.
In fact, Alice and Jasper were in the car right now, along with Rosalie. Emmett was traveling with Esme and Carlisle in the Jeep. There wasn't much conversation in the car though; we were all mentally preparing ourselves for the greasy human food that was surely awaiting us.
There was a level of curiosity in all of us. We were about to meet and interact with Bella's brother and sister-in-law. Every time we asked about her family, she would skillfully deflect the conversation. Finally, part of her mystery would be unraveled before me.
Relaxing against the framework of the car seat, I saw Bella's house was less than a minute away. I would have to think about how I would tell Bella another time.
Parking alongside the Jeep, which arrived shortly before us, we all made our way to the door at a human pace. Jasper kept us all calm with his gift, something which I really appreciated. Ironically, as a near indestructible creature, I was nervous at meeting my girlfriend's family.
The thoughts of my family were making my stomach churn as they were all remembering the last time we had to eat normal food. Out of us all, the only person who could really sympathize with me was Jasper; the feelings of disgust were rolling off us in waves. Alice wasn't as apprehensive as the rest of us, more eager to meet Sophia than anything else.
Esme was taking in her surroundings with interest. She was noting the designs and she liked the garden layout. What a quaint little place, she mused quietly in her head. Walking up the pathway slowly, I tried to tune out the wafting voices I could easily hear. Carlisle pressed the doorbell and we all waited for someone to open the door.
After all, it was show time. We were the actors and the world was our stage. Our entire lives were lies. I wished I could be honest with Bella.
But I knew that she wasn't that honest with me…
******
BPOV
With a slight, teasing grin on my face, I opened the door to reveal the entire Cullen family standing on the doorstep smiling right back at me. Hurriedly ushering them in from the cold air of outside – an ironic gesture seeing as their body temperature was much, much cooler than the outside air – I took their coats and asked them to make their way into the living area to meet Sophia. I could easily tell they were curious about my sister in law and Carlisle and Esme were interested in Corrin as well.
They were all nicely dressed – slightly overdressed – but I didn't doubt that rags would look good if they were wearing them. It was a slight perk or downside to vampirism, depending on the viewpoint. It was nice to look good, but it made them outsiders. Since my family had a bit of human in all of us, our slight imperfections let us blend in with the crowds of swarming humans with ease.
I slipped my warm arm around Edward's icy waist and gave him a big kiss. He smiled against my lips and wrapped his arms around my waist to lift me up a bit from the floor for better access. There was no doubt in my mind that Corrin would kill Edward if we displayed anything more than pecks and handholding in front of him. Sophia was a different matter. She would probably try her hand at giving me tips. Oddly enough, I don't know which is worse or more embarrassing.
Ushering them into the living room, they were finally face to face with Corrin and Sophia, while Angela was standing a little off to the side. A slight smile tugged at the corners of Sophia's lips and she said her hellos. The guys gave her the classical peck on the hand as a sign of greeting, before parting to shake Corrin's hands. Ever so gentlemanly, the repeated the gesture to Angela too.
Esme and Rosalie gave gentle friendly hugs, introducing themselves. Alice was over-exuberant as ever and she practically tackled Sophia with a hug. Luckily, Sophia reciprocated and was ecstatic at the reception. Corrin looked from behind them and gave me a swift wink. I just shook my head at him in response.
While the Cullen's were occupied with Corrin and Angela – Esme and Carlisle never having seen her before – Sophia slyly sidled up to my side and muttered in my ear, clearly aware that everyone apart from Angela could hear, so she coded her response, "Five stars, very nice."
Basically, it referred to a system that we used to rate guys in the looks department. Five was a very good mark, but there were more areas to rate a guy, but she was waiting for evidence to back up her score. I just blushed in response to her comment, as it was an inside joke between her and me that I would snag a good-looking guy, but it was only now that I really believed it.
The Cullen's looked at us curiously and Corrin snorted in response to what he heard. I knew he was still a little hesitant to my choice of boyfriend, but he was also aware that he wasn't dad. He wasn't Charlie, and if Edward made me happy, he'd let it be. Though, there was the fact that if Edward showed any sign that he would hurt me, Corrin would definitely enter over-protective brother mode.
I was a big girl. Hell, I could look after myself quite a bit better than he could!
As we sat down at the dinner table, the home phone went off. Ring ring! Ring ring!
Motioning to the others that I'd get it, I hurried off to pick up the phone, giving the Cullen's and my family some "alone" time. Thankfully Angela was here, so no fights or anything of the like could happen. Just in time, I picked up the phone and answered with a cheery, "Hello!"
Japanese filtered through and I thanked my lucky stars that I learned Japanese several decades ago. In fact, I know many languages; which was a slight perk to being a bit of a nomad. The main reason I knew Japanese was because Corrin wanted us to go to Japan in search for Godzilla. Since vampires and werewolves existed, he asked, "Why not Godzilla?" In the end, the attempt was fruitless, but I knew Corrin still hopes.
The person speaking was a male, and I listened in curiously, trying to think of a reason why a Japanese person was calling.
"Hello, I am Mashuri Yakamura. Is there a Corrin Swan there?" Did Corrin stir up trouble in Asia or something? I wouldn't put it past him. He was strongly against some laws, and whaling was on the list. Please don't tell me he led another protest in public, I thought. He last one he led on human rights in Tibet nearly got him imprisoned for "life".
My Japanese was fairly good, considering my perfect memory and all, but I answered back tentatively, "Yes. I am Bella Swan. How may I help you?" My voice was as smooth and as calm as I could have hoped for. Damn Corrin if he did anything to piss some government off.
"Oh, I was hoping to speak to a Corrin Swan. Is he there?" he replied in a tired, yet respectful tone of voice.
"I am his sister. He's a little busy at the moment, but I can speak on his behalf," I told him in a carefully. This man still had not explained his reason for calling.
"This is a matter of the stock market. I am sure he would like to hear the results firsthand," he replied rather stubbornly. I just snorted and told him to go ahead with whatever needed to be said.
I was in control of what we did in the stock market. When the hell had Corrin ever bought stocks – wait. Now I remember! It was nearly a year ago, and Corrin was whining about how I was always controlling finances. It was all right until Corrin implied he was sure he could do a better job. Even Sophia knew that my choices in the market were 99% of the time, a sure bet. So I challenged him – rather dramatically too – to a wager of sorts.
He placed 10 million dollars in a company called BD Corporations and I placed the same amount in a small, but rising company called the Jenkins Company. BD Corporations was looking good, but a gut feeling had told me that it was a bad choice. Jenkins Company was the one I felt would win. It seemed today we would find the winner.
Overall, my mind was rather occupied with anticipation and excitement. But there was a small portion of me was wondering why I didn't recognize the stockbroker. But it was in the same second I thought of the question that I remembered the answer. Our other stockbroker retired and I hadn't had a chance to meet the replacement, what with school and all. I guess this one needs a little breaking in. He should learn that when it comes to the stock market, I am the one he asks for.
Vaguely, I was wondering why we had chosen to have stockbrokers in Japan anyway, but then his hesitant voice broke through my thoughts, "I am sorry to report this, but BD Corporations has bankrupted and all your stocks to that company has become worthless." At that point he paused, as though he was sure an onslaught of yelling would occur. Mashuri should lighten up. Yuma – the old stockbroker – knew about our family's eccentric tendencies, and we'd be having a right old laugh at the turn of events of the bet.
Biting my lip to hold back the giggles, I choked out, "And how's Jenkins Company doing?"
In a very relieved voice, Mashuri replied, "It is doing rather wonderfully. The gains you received from it nearly counteract your losses."
Grinning from ear to ear, I quickly replied, "Thank you for calling. I must go to dinner now. Don't worry about the losses."
There was what appeared to be a surprised silence before Mashuri ended the call with, "Goodnight, Ms. Swan."
Chuckling quietly, I replaced the phone on the charging dock and made my way into the dining room. They were waiting for me to join them, and were all locked in a light conversation. Corrin and the Cullen's were all still sort of getting to know one another, and what they were chatting about was of no importance to me.
As I sat in my seat, Sophia left to get the food and Corrin looked at me interestedly. Angela sidled up to me and mumbled in my ear, "I heard a lot of weird words coming from you. What was that conversation about?"
Smiling like an idiot, I replied in an off hand, nonchalant voice, "Just some talk about the stock market. Apparently some company called BD Corporations bankrupted." Angela looked at me with a strange and confused expression, but I turned my attention to Corrin and wiggled my eyebrows at him with a wicked smile on my face.
At first, his expression told me he was lost, but then his face lit up with understanding. Not soon after he was sulking and pouting. He hated losing any type of bet or contest. But he got over it quickly and turned back to charm the guests. At this point, the Cullen's were looking at our interaction with interest, but I paid them no mind.
Before they could ask though, Sophia entered with the chicken and my stomach grumbled. All I had today – in human food – was a drink. Sophia hurriedly served the food out, sparing a moment to give me a covert glance, a grin and a wink.
The Cullen's were looking at the food with unease, but when they were met with the curious glances of Sophia and I, their expressions were re-arranged into easygoing smiles. Well, Rosalie's nose was still a little crinkled with disgust. They must be suffering with the smells of cooked food. Good. Alice and the Cullen's should learn there are consequences for going against people's wishes. Fortunately, Sophia took their expressions without offense; she knew they hated any food.
Without waiting, I started digging into the chicken. It was delicious. Sophia was a whiz at cooking meats of any kind. Angela was tucking in eagerly to the sweet potatoes. Corrin was happily pouring gravy over his chicken – something that I had no clue how he could like – and he was also engaged in a conversation with Emmett. Smiling, I speared some salad. I knew Emmett and Corrin would get along.
With a moment of hesitation, I saw all the Cullen's take a very small bite of chicken and swallow without much chewing. Their faces showed indifference, but could tell they were uncomfortable, just the slightest, with their body language. Emmett was the only one who ate with any degree of emotion, nearly choking himself with the size of his bite, and then he emitted noises of content and joy. He was a good actor; Sophia was beaming with pride at this, even though she knew that he hated her cooking. Well, any food actually.
Sophia decided to break the slightly stiff atmosphere first, "Honey, who was on the phone?"
Grinning, I said, "Mashuri Yakamura called. He's a bit uptight, but seemed efficient enough. Just called to say BD Corporation bankrupted."
When the words left my mouth, Sophia burst into giggles while everyone looked on with confusion. Corrin was determinedly not looking at me, preferring to concentrate on the chicken before him.
"Damn Corrin! I told you not to bet against Bella!" she choked out before conceding back into giggles.
Taking pity on the party before me, I decided to fill them in. Turning to them, I said, "We made a bet on the stock market and Corrin lost. Pretty badly too, might I just add." Corrin grumbled under his breath and poked his salad around the plate.
With a raised eyebrow, Carlisle asked in a surprised voice, "You work the stock market?"
Sophia nodded and replied, "Actually, Bella usually chooses where we place our money. She either has a sixth sense about theses things, or she's–"
"–really damned lucky, that's what!" finished Corrin. The way they finished each other's sentences was really creepy at times. "I demand a rematch!" he said with a fierce determination.
Snorting, I rolled my eyes at him and said, "You're on. But it seems a waste of money. We all know you are going down!" He laughed and I joined in. Angela chuckled at our odd banter. The Cullen's were still a little baffled, but their eyes sparkled with humor.
"When did you learn Japanese?" asked Jasper.
Shrugging, I lied easily, "School." I turned to Corrin and voiced a question before I could forget it (a difficult feat considering my picture perfect memory), "Why do we have a stockbroker in Japan anyway?"
Corrin frowned and said, "I'm not sure. Was it for convenience?"
Laughing, Sophia contradicted that, "Oh honey, that's not true! It was when Corrin had his "Godzilla Phase". Do you remember that?"
I began laughing as Sophia explained Corrin's "Godzilla Phase" to Angela and the Cullen's. She tweaked the details to make it fit our life span and seem realistic. Corrin searched for Godzilla in Japan for a few years, but we told them it was a few months.
"I don't care what you say! Godzilla is out there somewhere!" cried out Corrin.
Angela snorted and said sarcastically, "Yep, and he's having tea parties with Harry Potter as we speak."
"And don't forget his dental appointment with the aliens!" I teased, causing Corrin to turn bright red and growl at us.
Sophia patted him gently on the back and mumbled, "Sweetie, don't fret, they're just messing with you."
"I know, I know. And y'all eat your words when I find him!" he said. But he couldn't hold a straight face, and we all burst in raucous laughter.
All of a sudden, Corrin banged his fist on the table, making us all jump slightly.
"I've got it!" he said triumphantly. "Next fancy dress party, I'm going as Godzilla!"
"Oh god Corrin," I choked out between giggles. "That's going to turn out worse than your Transylvanian vampire costume!" At my comment, the Cullen's head whipped around, but we ignored it.
"And how the hell are we going to match?" demanded Sophia. It was their "thing" to turn up in matching costumes.
"Don't know yet," said Corrin dismissively. "Details can be worked out later."
Sophia opened her mouth to retaliate, but Emmett interrupted, "What's this about costumes and vampires and such?"
Smirking, I answered, "We take fancy dress parties and turned the costume making into a sort of hobby. I sow the simpler things, Sophia concentrates on the more complex designs and Corrin is in charge of props.
"Sadly, Corrin won't let go of this hideous vampire costume. It has a cape, fangs; it's the whole package. And he disagrees when Sophia and I try to convince him that he looks like an idiot in the get up."
"I resent that comment!" snapped Corrin playfully.
"Honey, you do look more foolish than usual," said Sophia in a soothing tone.
"More foolish than usual. You should listen to that Corrin. That's something that's hard to achieve," I teased, adding a wink, earning a growl from him.
"What's your favourite costume?" inquired Alice with interest.
"Oh well, we usually co-ordinate our costumes. But my favourite would most definitely be the Van Helsing costume. I wear it when Corrin is a vampire and Sophia dresses up as the victim. I look good in it," I concluded with a shrug and smirk.
This talk of vampires was uncomfortable and awkward for the Cullen's, but I ignored it. It was rather amusing, because they didn't know that we knew. So we could tease them a lot.
Angela chuckled and rebutted with, "Bella, you and I both know that is not the only reason why you like that damned outfit. The fact you get to shoot Corrin with a paint ball gun and without retaliation is a perk too!"
With a sly smile, I replied in a mock-offended voice, "Whatever do you mean? Shooting deadly mythical creatures is all part of the job description. I take no joy in it!"
A few years after we made 'Hybrid Paint Ball', a stoke of genius led me to add the guns to my attire and using only red paint balls, it made it look like he bled every where I shot him. The funniest thing was his anger when he couldn't retaliate. His explanation, "It would be out of character".
But Sophia thought it was a hilarious preventative measure to persuade Corrin to give up the outfit. Needless to say, it didn't work. Whatever, it was still fun.
"What a whopper of a lie, little sis. You shot me more times than I could count last year," he said with a fake wince.
With a snort, I replied, "Like you noticed. You were too damn busy giving Sophia hickeys," I said before making gagging gestures with my hand. Sophia blushed, but Corrin seemed oddly proud.
"I remember that," continued Angela as she rubbed her neck awkwardly, above the spot of her own hickey. "I think I was a princess or something stupid at that party." She was referring to the dress up party we hosted last year in Alaska and it was the first time Corrin, Sophia and her all met up. "Instead of being good hosts, you were snogging in the corner!"
"Ah, but I was being a good host, by making Sophia feel comfortable," joked Corrin. "You could say sucking neck was on my job description." He ended with a suggestive eyebrow raise to Sophia, who giggled in response.
"Eww, too much information for my ears," I cried, slapping my hands over my ears like a child. But I quickly took them off and joined in the easy laughter.
Sophia noticed we were accidentally excluding the Cullen's, so she casually threw them a question, "What are your favourite superheroes/good guys?"
In his big booming voice, Emmett cried out, "Superman, hands down, is the best hero in comic book history!"
Grinning, Corrin remarked, "With your muscles, you could pass for him!"
Rosalie sniffed and added, "Personally, I think there are not enough female heroines."
"Bella, you should become a superhero, saving the world from baddies!" sang Alice in a playful voice.
"Ahh, you helped me with Bertha, remember?" added Angela quietly.
Hesitating, my mind quickly went through to Bertha. She was a rather large girl at our old school that enjoyed bullying people. When I moved there, I encountered her tormenting Angela outside the library. With several choice kicks and hits, none too damaging, I got her to back off. When I was helping Angela up, we got to talk, and we clicked. From there an easy friendship flowed.
"Yeah, I remember her. She was horrible – " I started, but Angela cut me off when she said in a lighter tone, "And you took down Mike pretty easily don't forget." I took the hint that she didn't want to talk about it too much more.
"Who's Mike?" asked Corrin with a raised eyebrow.
Angela snorted with glee and explained the story. While she was busy doing that, I hastened to eat some more food. At the end of the story, Corrin and Sophia were laughing, while Carlisle and Esme seemed shocked. I guess that Edward and the rest of them didn't say anything about it at home.
Abruptly Corrin stopped laughing and growled out, "Where the hell does he get off touching my sister without her consent?"
"Cool it Corrin. I took care of it," I hastily reassured him. There was no need for Mike to be hunted and beaten to a pulp by Corrin. Still… the idea was tempting.
"That's my girl. Told you fighting lessons would pay off," he replied and then tucked into some more chicken. I noticed the Cullen's plates were half empty, yet I hadn't seen them eat that much. They must be sneaking the food into napkins somehow. Sighing, I drank some water and reasoned that even a little of food is torture enough.
"Is this place always this rainy?" asked Sophia as she stared our wistfully at a window wet with slick from the rain pouring down.
Esme nodded and said, "This area is one of the cloudiest areas in the United States."
"Just our luck," I said sarcastically to Angela. "What I would give for a sunny day on the beach," I added with a heavy sigh.
"Ooh, you should come with us when we go to Australia! It's really sunny there," said Sophia, eyes twinkling with excitement.
"You guys should think about a holiday there too," added Corrin with a grin, directing his comment to the Cullen's. "No offense, but you are incredibly pale." They responded with slightly uneasy grins.
Sophia slapped the back of his head and told him off for being rude. It made me laugh.
Angela started to jabber on about things she knew about the land 'Down Under' and how it made her list of places she wanted to visit.
Sophia, Corrin and I had been to Australia once before, and what with the reefs and the gorgeous landscapes, it was really quite wonderful. Not to mention that kangaroo blood made for an interesting change in dynamic for our diets. But crocodile blood was terrible; with it being a cold-blooded reptile and all.
"Nah," I answered, shaking my head. "I want to go around Europe. I mean, you guys just went and it sounds wonderful." This was ignoring the fact I had been around Europe too, but it was around seventy years ago.
And from there conversation flowed as easy a river into the sea. All my earlier stress seemed needless when I observed the way we all talked together. The Cullen's were suggesting places to visit, with tones that hinted that they had been there before.
I suddenly wondered how old these vampires were. I had never really thought about it much before, but then again, it wouldn't be too necessary to learn proper ages. Was I older than Edward? It'd be rather amusing if that were the case. He probably assumed he was older, being a vampire and all. So if I get to tell him the truth, then I'll probably shock him a lot. A century and a half of life was old.
Judging by my family and Edward's family and the way they interacted, I could see they were acting really well together. Corrin just loved Emmett's jokes and Sophia chatted easily to Esme about clothes and house designs.
At the moment, they were relaying some of the stories of their travels to Angela and the Cullen's, all of which were listening animatedly.
"So, Corrin and I stumble across this little café and it was simply gorgeous, giving a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower," Sophia described, using her hands as much as her words to portray the scene.
"Anyway, we entered to order some drinks and some food, but we had to wait because there was a line. Which was understandable; it was in the middle of a busy tourist district. However, the thing that got me was that the two girls up front thought we were average tourists and began jabbering about Corrin in French."
Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "What'd they say?"
Scowling, she continued, "They were basically saying how good looking Corrin was, whilst insulting me at the same time! The French are stereotypically rude, but they don't have to constantly re-enforce the notion!"
Chuckling, Angela interrupted with a question, "What did you do?"
At this point, Corrin took over. He said, "Sophia interrupted their little speech in French – shocking the hell out of both of them – and afterwards had a huge rant about me being hers. With the way she talked, you'd think I was a piece of meat, easy to sell and buy. She looked damn angry, which reminded me never to get on her bad side." The inflection on his voice held no antagonism; in fact, I think he was proud and pleased by Sophia's remarks. They were really smitten with one another.
Smirking, Sophia snapped back playfully, "That was no worse than how you reacted when that Italian guy got a little too close for comfort with me."
"That was a totally different scenario!" Corrin hastened to defend his case. "His eyes wouldn't stay on your face and he constantly wandered southwards. I swear he was undressing you with his eyes and too soon, his hands followed!"
Growling, he viciously stabbed his chicken and scowled at it before he ate it. With a single touch from Sophia, his entire frame relaxed and I could tell he was back to normal.
"You guys are so adorable together! I can see why you married so young!" squealed Alice.
Carlisle and Esme were shocked at Alice's sudden outburst, but Corrin and Sophia took it to heart and practically beamed at her.
"You have no idea how many people say it is stupid to commit so young," complained Corrin.
Shrugging, Alice replied, "I might know better than you think." Her eyes darted to Jasper and back to her plate. When she looked at the remaining food, I saw her suppress a frown.
"We should show you the tape of Bella singing karaoke after dessert –" began Corrin excitedly, but I stopped him right there.
"You brought that horrible tape? I thought you got rid of all the copies!" I whined. The karaoke tape was terrible and I wished I had never gotten a video camera for Corrin.
Sighing, he stated, "Yes I brought it –"
"Then I will find it and burn it. Using your precious vinyl collection as accelerant for the fire," I threatened, my eyes showing the seriousness of my threat.
"Not my vinyl collection!" gasped Corrin with wide eyes. Sometimes with the way he protects his records, I would say he loved it more than me.
"Yes, your vinyl collection. Unless you want to destroy the tape," I practically growled at him.
"Is that blackmail I hear Bella?" asked Edward in an amused tone, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Yes it is. That damned tape has been haunting me, I swear. Corrin's record collection would cause quite a bonfire, now that I think about it. It's much larger than the CD collection in your room."
"What were you doing in Edward's room?" asked Sophia with a wicked grin.
"Sleeping," I said flatly. "Get your mind out of the gutter."
*******
A/N: So, what did you think? Just some light humor mainly. All the angsty stuff is coming up in a couple of chapters. I love me some angst. :-)
Damn this was one of the longest chapters I've written. *Cracks knuckles*.
Ooh, I have a banner for this story now! It's on my profile and I made it myself. *Beams*.
One more thing: I will always respond to any reviews or PMs I get, no matter how long or short. PROMISE. :-)
Chicken smothered in gravy for all you readers out there! But you only get the dessert if you review.