A/N- Ok, I know I said I wouldn't update for a while… but I just finished one of my papers so I wanted to update. Still, don't expect constant updates for a while. Also, there's a poll on my profile. It's mainly for Flirting Death, but of course, that means that it will affect this story as well. So please, go vote! O ya, and read, enjoy, and review!
Sesshy13- Yes… I've revealed the history behind the omelet! I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Romance4ever- Surprise! Early update! I really wanted to update so ya, here it is. Anyway I wasn't sure how well that James was going to work, but I'm glad you like it! That side of him will come back at some points…
Everyone except Bella and I were standing at the bottom of the stairs. The Cullens looked to be having a pleasant conversation while James stood off to the side watching everyone. He didn't even seem as though he wanted to be a part of the conversation. Alice, who had been skipping down ahead of his, fluttered over to Jasper's side, immediately wrapping around her arms around his. He smiled down at her before looking up at us. His smile faded and he stood up a bit straighter. James stood up from the wall where he was leaning, but staid where he was. Edward walked over and helped Bella down the last step while I walked over to James.
"You look tired." I whispered.
"Why would you say that?" James asked.
"You look pale… well paler than usual." I said.
"I'm fine, trust me." James said. I nodded and looked back at the group. A few of the people were looking at James intensely while others, mainly Rosalie, didn't seem to care. Edward and Bella were, of course, wrapped up in each other.
The Cullens walked out first, with James and I bringing up the rear. We walked down the pebbly front road until we came to the lake. From there we started walking through the slightly moist grass. I noticed the bottom of my dress become slightly darker as it started to absorb the dew that lingered on the grass. Alice and Jasper were leading the group; I'm assuming it was because Alice had planned this whole thing. There were a few bunches of purple flowers in the grass, a creating a break from the monotonous green. Clumps of mist also hung to the grass, but it had become slightly brighter from this morning. I knew the sun was somewhere beyond the clouds, but it didn't look like it would be showing up today.
"What are you looking for?" James asked.
"The sun… I never realized how much I would miss it until, well until I didn't have it." I sighed.
"This is the dreariest part of the year." James shrugged. "It will come out again at some point." James almost sounded as though he didn't want the sun to come out.
"Why don't you want the sun to come out?" I asked.
"I'm not the sun's biggest fan." James said darkly.
I was surprised, to say the least. How could anyone not enjoy the sun? I mean it was so warm and it brought life to everything on the planet. Sure, the fog and rainy weather was a nice break, but I would want to see the sun more…
"I'm not even going to ask." I sighed. James relaxed a bit and we continued our walk in silence.
We came upon a clearing that had the lake to one side and trees surrounding the other sides. A few blankets had been laid out so everyone could sit together. Even with the number of people and the amount of food I'm sure would be needed to feed everyone, there was only one basket. Emmett sat down first and pulled Rosalie into his lap. She lazily rested against his chest, her head resting on his arm. Edward and Bella sat down next to Emmett and Rosalie. Bella sat to Edward's side and rested most of her weight on her arm. I noticed how Edward would hold Bella's hand, but he kept most hand-to-hand contact to a minimum. Bella seemed as though she barely noticed. She was just happy to be around Edward and his family. Alice and Jasper then found themselves in front of the basket, where Alice was taking out some plates and food. Jasper had a lazy arm wrapped around her waist, almost as though if she got too excited he could pull her back. James and I sat at the farthest corner. I was going to sit next to Bella, but James pulled me farther away. I glared at him and was about to start fighting, but he just sent me a look that clearly meant 'behave'.
Alice handed Bella and I both a plate. There were a few slices of chicken, a salad consisting of green beans, onions, and small bacon pieces, and a pile of what appeared to be mashed potatoes. Alice then handed Bella and I both a glass of white wine to go along with our meal. Alice then pulled out a dark bottle with no label on it. A thick, dark flowed out of the bottle and into the wine glasses Alice had underneath it. She gave everyone else a drink, except James sneered at the glass and declined. Alice huffed and turned around, while some of the others glared at James. James just glared back before turning back to me.
"What is that?" Bella asked.
"It's a special wine our parents make." Edward said. Wine? I've never seen a wine that thick or that deeply colored before. The legs on the side of the glass are too thick as well.
"No label?" I asked.
"No, we keep it in the family and among friends." Emmett said.
"Can I try a sip?" Bella asked.
"It wouldn't go with your meal." Alice said. "Maybe another time?"
"Alright." Bella nodded. Man, she gives up to easily. If James had accepted a glass I probably would have tried to get a sip for a bit longer. It would have been one more mini-fight in our series.
"So Bella, what else has been happening in Forks?" I asked.
"Everyone's still worried about the wolves, but your disappearance had everyone's attention for the most part. Then of course there was the break-in at the inn."
"What break-in?" I asked.
"We think the wolves broke in and decided to have fun. We saved as many chairs and tables as we could and nothing in any of the bedrooms, including ours, were horribly damaged. Well, there were a few sheets, but that was it. Malory should have it up and open by now."
"That should be good. I don't know where some people would go for dinner if it was down for too long." I said.
"Ya. You should have seen Chef the day of the break-in. He was ready to shove his wooden spoon and a knife through someone. My dad had to take all weapons from him."
"Sounds like Chef." I muttered before taking a bite of my food, which effectively shut me up.
The rest of the meal was spent in a content silence with someone speaking up every few minutes. It was a pleasant way to spend a late afternoon meal. Every so often, I would try to lean into James slightly, but he would shuffle uncomfortably and move slightly away from me; just enough that I knew he didn't want me to lean against him. Rosalie and Emmett were the first to leave the picnic. Emmett was grinning like an idiot and I could only imagine what his wife had promised him. Alice was whispering quietly to Jasper, who was grinning happily. Eventually, they also got up to leave. Alice took the basket with her so it was just Edward, Bella, James, and I on the blankets next to the lake.
"So Edward, does your family only own land and make their own special wine or is there another source of income?" I asked.
"Carlisle is a doctor as well and I've been studying medicine as well. Jasper and Emmett are both investors as well."
"So you have a great deal of money flowing in." I commented.
"Dara!" Bella hissed.
"It's alright, Bella." Edward laughed. "I'm actually surprised your father didn't interrogate me, although I am surprised it is Dara asking all of the questions."
"Charlie was probably just impressed by your family name and what not." Bella said.
"And that someone with a good name was interested in his daughter." I added.
"Dara!" Bella yelled.
"Bella, calm down. I understand how any father would want that." Edward said, placing a hand on Bella's arm to get her to calm down. She continued to glare at me, but said nothing more.
"You know it's true." I said. "You and your father were both looking for someone other than Mike to court you."
"Yes, but my father wasn't going to just hand me off to the next person who asked! We weren't that desperate!" Bella said.
"But he did!" I replied. "Did Charlie even ask you anything about who you were, Edward? Or did he just go off the face you were a Cullen?"
"Dara, will you stop? Before you left for Blythe you were encouraging me! What happened?" Bella cried.
"I'm just trying to find out more about him."
"No, you're trying to fins something wrong with him. What about James? When I got here, you two were still constantly fighting and now you're practically lovey-dovey with each other. What happened between the two of you, hm?"
"You said yourself that the fighting was probably-" I began.
"I know what I said." Bella snapped. "Did it ever occur to you that I was wrong? No one from home knows James. No one knows about his reputation or what really comes with his name. God knows the Cullens only put up with him because they have to. Maybe he's some killer who's only out to kill you and see you bleed. And look at yourself! You're acting as like a common whore around him! You two are always disappearing together to do god knows what. You've started to act just like the harpies."
I heard everything that Bella said and I heard James growling next to me. Before I knew what I was doing, my hand connected with Bella's cheek.
Edward and James were up immediately and putting distance between Bella and I. I knew James had picked me up around my waist and setting me behind him. He then turned to Edward, who was already growling and seemed to be protecting Bella. James took a defensive stance as well and returned Edward's growls with his own. It seemed as though they were threatening each other and daring the other to move.
I wasn't paying too much attention to any of it really. I looked down at my hand and its slightly reddened palm. My mouth just fell open. I couldn't believe I had just slapped Bella! She was my sister and I had just slapped her for something that was actually somewhat true. I looked up and over James's shoulder to see Bella with an equally surprised look on her face. Her hand was on her cheek, but I could see some of the red mark around her hand.
"Alright, well it looks like this picnic is over." Alice said as she reappeared. "Why don't we all go home?"
I looked over at Alice, not really comprehending what she had said.
Home… home was back in Forks, wasn't it? Suddenly, I found myself not really wanting to be here anymore. Still in a daze, I turned and started walking down by the lake.
"Dara?" I heard someone call, I think Alice, but I didn't respond.
I just kept walking. I heard people talking behind me, but I just kept walking. Soon I felt someone take my hand and stop me. I knew it was James, but instead of turning back around, I just continued looking into the lake.
"It's going to start raining soon, we need to get back." James said.
"Everything she said… it's right. I have been acting like a common no good whore." I said.
"Why would you even consider that being true?" James asked.
"We leave and go off by ourselves without anyone else. You've kissed me a way only a husband and wife should kiss and… and I don't know!" I cried.
"You don't act like a common whore." James said. "Trust me, they would have been gone by now."
"I don't want to know how you know that." I said. "But she's also right since I don't know you… at all it seems. I don't know what you do, how long you've been traveling, where you actually grew up, nothing! I just know you're name is James Rothschild and that you've been having meeting with the Cullens for almost a month now. I know you battle supernatural animals, which is creepy in its own right, but that's it! Is Bella right, are you just some serial killer waiting for the perfect moment to kill me? Well, here's your best time."
I flung my arms out and waited… nothing. Ok, maybe I had gone a bit too far, but everything was so confusing right now and I'd never been mad at Bella in all of our time and I had just slapped her.
"You need to rest." James said.
"I… I… ya, I probably do." I sighed. "What do you do though?"
"I have investments in various cities. I also have multiple properties that Laurent helps me manage."
"Wow, you are busy." I said. "So you really are never home long, are you?"
"No." James said.
"Then why do you want to court me? If you're never home, then there's no point in having a family." I said. Shit… did I just say family. James looked at me curiously and I blushed. "I mean… why would you want to chase after someone when you're never there to chase? Crap, that didn't sound good either… um…"
"Calm down. I told you before, I'm not sure why. I'll make this work, don't worry."
"First of all… a relationship isn't an "I" thing."
"What?" James asked.
"A relationship is something you work on together. It's a "we" thing. We'll make this work, together." I said.
"Right." James sighed.
"You realize this also means you have to be honest with me?" I said. James just stood there, not saying anything. "You're still not going to tell me why you're super strong, have red eyes, or anything, are you?"
"No." James said.
"If I find out on my own, will you tell me?" I asked.
"If it makes you happy." James said.
"Well, then, I think it's time I start doing research." I said.
"And where are you going to start?" James asked.
"Um, probably with the Werewolves. You seemed too interested in the fight with them." I shrugged. As soon as I started walking back to the house, the rain started to fall and it fell in droves. I could have sworn someone was just running a hose over me. I squealed and tried to run, but the weight of my dress dragged the hem down a bit and I ended up tripping over it. I landed right in the mud, causing the front of my dress, my hands, and my face to become black with the wet dirt. I heard James laughing behind me, but he scooped me up and ran back. This time he was using the same speed he used when he first saved me from the werewolves, the inhuman one. Even with James' inhuman speed, I was shivering and completely drenched when we got back to the house. James had me pressed against the chest, but that only seemed to make me colder since James was just as cold as me. Esme and Alice were waiting at the door for us with towels. I clung to James as I shivered, but gladly accepted the towels.
"She's too cold." Carlisle commented as he came down and pressed his hand to my head. His hand seemed to be freezing as well, causing me to whine and move away.
"We were only out there for a minute." James said, obviously confused.
"She was soaked by the time you started running probably, and falling in the mud didn't help anything. Plus, since you ran, there was probably a wind so that only chilled her more." Carlisle explained.
"Alice, why don't you go get Bella and have her help you give Dara a bath." Esme said.
"No, Bella won't want to see me right now." I whispered.
"Yes she will. You two are best friends. So what if you fight, you'll still be there for each other." Alice said.
Right at that moment, Bella came running down the stairs with Edward following her. He still didn't look too happy with James and I, but he was willing to follow Bella apparently.
"Dara! What happened?" Bella asked. "Didn't you tell her that it was going to rain?"
"He did… I didn't listen. We were on our way back when it started to rain." I said, before sneezing.
"O god, you're getting sick. And what did you do, decide it was time for a mud bath?" Bella asked.
"No, your clumsiness transferred to me." I joked, before sneezing again.
"Alright, it's time to get her into a bath." Carlisle said. "She needs to get warmer now."
James put me down and Bella helped me to one of the large bathrooms on the second floor. A servant was already making sure the bath water was warm and everything else in the room was ready. Bella helped me strip down and then step into the tub. I sighed as soon as I hit the water. Heat instantly flooded my body, making my skin break out in little goosebumps from the drastic temperature change. Bella sat quietly behind me, washing all of the mud out of my hair.
"I'm sorry for what I said and for slapping you." I said quietly. "You were right, I shouldn't have been asking those questions and I just got carried away."
"It's alright. I shouldn't have called you a whore or said you were like the harpies. We both got carried away."
"Ya, but it was my fault for starting it." I said.
"And it was my fault for reacting the way I did." Bella said.
"How about we don't fight over this?" Alice said, quickly stopping us from another fight. "Let's just stay happy with each other."
Bella and I looked at each other before smiling and nodding.
"Good because I was just going to have to find a way to force you guys to be friends again." Alice said. "O! I know! I could have taken you two shopping! No one could be mad after shopping!"
"Just saying we were going shopping would have done it." I groaned. I sunk into the tub a little more before sitting up to sneeze.
"That doesn't sound good." Alice said. "Maybe we should get you to bed and have Carlisle look over you again."
"Hm… sleep sounds good." I said.
"I'll go get Carlisle while Bella helps you get dressed." Alice said.
We all agreed and Bella helped me out of the tub. She wrapped my hair in a towel while I dried off. Alice had brought in a light chemise for bed as well as a robe. I slipped the clothes on before making my way out of the room. The sneezes started to come a bit more often and were mixed with some coughs. When I got to my room, Carlisle was already waiting for me. He smiled gently at me while he motioned for me to get into bed.
"Well you look a little better." Carlisle stated. He took out a thermometer and checked my pulse. He was silent for a bit before taking out a stethoscope and listening to my breathing. I blushed slightly when he asked me to sit up since I only had the thin chemise on. He smiled at me and told me not to worry. Luckily it was only Carlisle, myself, and Bella in the room.
"So, am I just cold?" I asked. "Please tell me I'm not sick."
"Well, it looks like you might have a slight cold. I'm going to want to keep an eye on you for a few days to make sure that this doesn't get worse. Luckily you weren't in the rain for long so I don't think we have to worry about pneumonia. You should be fine in a few days."
"Ugh… you mean I'm going to be stuck in bed for a few days?" I groaned. Bella smiled next to me and shook her head.
"I hate to say it, but yes." Carlisle said.
I just groaned and rubbed my eyes with my hands.
"Should I get her anything? Like a cup of tea?" Bella asked.
"A cup of tea will be good, but probably better when she wakes up again." Carlisle said. "I'll make sure Marcel makes some soup tomorrow for you as well."
"Hm… I haven't had soup in a while actually." I said, thinking back on it.
"Well then, you're in for a treat." Carlisle said. "We'll let you get some rest."
"Thank you." I said. "Actually, could I talk to James and Laurent first?"
"Of course, I'll send them in." Carlisle said. He left with Bella, giving me some quiet for a few minutes.
I was brought out of my reverie rather quickly when I heard a knock on my door. I called them in and smiled when James and Laurent came in. Laurent almost shut the door completely, but left a small crack. I guess James told him how I didn't like being completely alone with him now.
"Carlisle says you've caught yourself a cold." Laurent said.
"Apparently." I muttered. "I'm forced to sit in bed until I get better. I'm not happy about it, at all."
"You sound like James when he's been inside Ruthridge for too long." Laurent laughed.
"So, when are you two leaving?" I asked.
"You don't think we'd stay here till you got better?" Laurent asked.
"I figured you wouldn't. You've been at Ruthridge and then here for over a week now. I figured you two would leave." I said.
"And you were the one asking me why I wanted to try working on a relationship even though I traveled so much." James snorted. "Yet here you are expecting me to leave."
"Well I'm sorry if I've been told you'd leave so many times that I thought you actually would." I said.
"We are not sure when we're leaving." Laurent said, stopping the fight that was brewing between James and I.
"Do you want us to stay?" James asked.
"No, I know that would just make you miserable and even more irritable." I sighed.
"We'll stay until you fall asleep at least." Laurent said.
"You're not going to sneak back in while I sleep, are you James?" I asked.
"No, we're heading to far away. We should be back in a few weeks though." James said. "You'll be staying here until we get back."
"If Alice takes me shopping… I promise I'll take it out on you." I growled, looking at James.
"Well then, I'll want to be here to see that." Laurent said with a smile. "You'll be here long enough that I'm sure Alice will take you out."
"Ugh… can't you come back before that?" I asked.
"Maybe you can stay sick till then." James suggested.
"I don't want to be in a bed the whole time." I whined. "Anyway, if I stay in bed longer than a few days, they'll know something wasn't right."
"I'm sure you'll be fine." Laurent smiled. "Now, I think you've been up longer than Carlisle expected. We'll stay with you until you've fallen asleep."
I nodded, not really sure what to say. Goodbye sounded too formal, too final. Yet goodnight sounded as though they'd be there as soon as I woke up. I settled into the pillows and brought the covers higher up, trying to absorb more of their warmth. I curled up slightly and turned onto my side. I smiled slightly as I watched James lean against the window. He was watching me intently with his arms crossed. I closed my eyes and let my mind shut down, even though my body was still having coughing fits every few minutes. I eventually fell asleep and fell into a world of weird and twisted dreams.