Thanks to my beta, Besotted, and my BFF pre-reader, Twaffle. I couldn't have done any of this without either of you.
Antiques Roadshow
Two weeks later, Bella and I are preparing to have her meet my family. She's been so busy with work the last few weeks that she hasn't had a good chunk of time available to meet them until now. As we travel to meet everyone at Carlisle and Esme's, her thoughts are more nervous than anything else.
I hope they like me. What do you say to your vampire boyfriend's family when you first meet them? I'm sorry I didn't bring a gift, but you can't eat or drink, so you're SOL? I don't think so.
"Bella, sweetheart," I say, interrupting her mental ramblings. "I'll introduce you, it'll be fine. All you have to do is say 'It's nice to meet you.'"
"But that's boring!" she exclaims, genuinely affronted. "Everyone says that when they meet people for the first time. I don't want to be predictable and boring, but I do want to make a good impression," she says as she purses her lips, thinking.
"No one in my family could ever find you boring," I state, grabbing her hand and giving it a kiss. "Besides, we brought your car with us. That will be an excellent conversation piece, especially with Rose and Alice."
If you say so.
As we drive up to the house, I can hear my family's anticipatory thoughts and I smile in contentment. I certainly never thought that I'd be introducing my other half this way, and I couldn't be happier about it.
That engine sounds like heaven.
It sounds like a Jag. I wonder if it would be inappropriate to ask her to drive her car. The things I could do with it…
As I thought, Rose and Alice's thoughts tune in to the purr of the engine as we pull into the driveway. I'm actually hoping they don't embarrass me. As a whole, my family loves to tease me. I don't mind so much. It's a part of who they are.
God, I'm glad my wife is a vampire. Her daredevil ways would be enough to give me a heart attack, otherwise.
Jasper's thoughts make me smile and nod to myself in agreement as I walk to the passenger side door and usher Bella out. Her thoughts have gone a little haywire at this point and I stop her from stressing out any further by placing my hand at the crook of her neck and ear. I softly stroke her smooth skin, trying to calm her. "You have nothing to worry about. I promise," I say, gazing into her eyes and hoping she finds the sincerity there. She must, because she takes a deep breath and nods. "Thank you, Edward," she whispers, exhaling.
You always know how to ground me.
Alice can barely contain herself anymore as she opens the door to the house with the kind of excitement she almost always contains. She's trying to keep a lid on it in an effort not to overwhelm Bella, and Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle are trying to rein the girls in a little. I can hear their hushed pleas to their wives to take it down a notch and it warms my heart even more that they all care about Bella so much. They desperately want to meet her, but they don't want to scare her, either. It's kind of a fine line to walk in this family.
We make it to the front door, just in time for Bella to have a case of nervous word vomit.
"It's nice to meet you all, I'm Bella Swan. Do you eat swans? Uh, I mean, thank you for inviting me to your lair. I mean your home! I told you I'd be no good at this, Edward!" she rants, face aflame and embarrassed. I quickly tug her closer to my side and ask Jasper to help calm her down. None of my family bursts into spontaneous laughter, for which I'm glad. They have enough sense to know that Bella would likely feel worse if they did. Most are grinning from ear to ear, however.
I'm sorry, Edward, she thinks as her face displays a cringe. She's screwed her lids shut, hiding her beautiful eyes from my view.
"You're perfectly fine, sweet girl," I respond, kissing her lips to soothe her worry. "You don't have to worry about being judged here. We're all open-minded and have healthy senses of humor. You are the only human in the presence of seven vampires, and you're certainly allowed to be nervous and on edge. But please don't misunderstand me. You're just as important as every person in this room. There's no room in our relationship for silly insecurities, and none of us want you to feel inferior. Ever," I say emphatically, and I hear every member of my family chime in with murmurings of support. Bella hears it too and gathers her courage, peeking her head out from around me in order to properly face everyone.
"Sorry about that, everyone," she says with a sheepish smile. "I got a little self-conscious there for a minute and spazzed out internally. I really am happy to meet you all. Edward's told me good things about all of you," she says as she wraps her arm around me. She seems much more comfortable now, and Jasper doesn't seem to be the reason. I really do ground her.
Alice steps forward first, holding her hand out. Her thoughts tell me that she really wanted to hug Bella in greeting, but didn't want to add more pressure where it wasn't necessary. Bella shakes her hand with ease, smiling brightly. She does this with the rest of the family in greeting, and when she gets to Emmett, her eyes widen considerably and she hesitates a fraction. I move to shield her, just in case she's frightened of my best friend.
No, Edward. I'm not afraid. He's just HUGE. He's just a little disarming, that's all.
I back off as she requests, and Emmett's thoughts let me know he's a little discouraged by her hesitance. He immediately puts that out of his head, though, because he's quite aware of his stature and the fact that he's a vampire doesn't help. He knows he can seem menacing, at best.
"You're massive," she blurts out, wincing as she holds out her hand. Emmett snorts and smiles at her warmly. "You're right, Bella, my dear," he says, engulfing her small hand with his. "They really don't make them like me anymore," he says with a wink, releasing her hand. Bella steps back into my side with a laugh and her thoughts let me know she's now at ease.
"Why don't we all sit in the living room and get to know each other better?" Esme suggests with a smile, and we all get a move on. As we all get comfortable in sofas, loveseats, and chairs, Carlisle starts off with what Bella does for a living.
"So Bella," he says, putting his arm around Esme's shoulders. "Edward told us all about your career, and I must say it's fascinating. It has to be amazing getting to work with remnants of history and all the different people you meet."
"It really is! Some days can be taxing, but on the whole, I love my job. It's so satisfying and interesting. And it brought me to Edward," she says softly, looking at me with deep affection. There's nothing I want more than to get a little physical with her right now because of the way she's looking at me, but I know I can always make her sigh in passion later. She breaks her gaze from mine and gets back to the conversation.
"I already see a few antiques, just in this room, that I'd love to appraise," she says in wonder as her eyes roam around the room. "Maybe you could bring them on the Roadshow, soon!" she says excitedly, and her animated attitude has spread to all of my family members. I realize this has nothing to do with Jasper, and that Bella is genuinely so great to be around that she spreads joy into the room she's in. My family's thoughts confirm that they'd love to take part in the Roadshow, and they start to let her know.
"I'd love that, Bella," Carlisle and Jasper say simultaneously. They both glare at each other before speaking again. "I have Civil War artifacts!" Jasper shouts, as Carlisle says "I've got a cross from the 1640's! And coins! I believe that puts me ahead of you!" he growls in annoyance. I look at them with my mouth agape. I want to chastise them for acting like children, but this is too amusing to put a stop to. Carlisle and Jasper have been known to get a little self-righteous with each other when it comes to their history and human lives, and it's showing right this moment. I side-eye Bella just out of curiosity, and she's sitting there, snickering.
"Don't act like you're king shit because you were 'The Major,' Jasper. We've all heard your stories too many times," Carlisle states, still scowling. Jasper gets offended and throws in his own barb too. "Oh, well, we've all heard about how looonely you were for so long until you changed Edward over there, so don't even -"
As I hear Esme mutter, "This is why we can't live together as a unit, or have nice things," Bella pipes up, putting an end to this small vampire spat. "Boys, boys, just calm down," she soothes, gesturing with her hands and placating them both. "Neither of your items is more important than the other, and I promise I will give them the same attention I give to everyone else's antiques. There's no need to argue," she says with a smile, relaxing back into the loveseat and stroking my hair at the nape of my neck. God, that feels good.
My human mate effectively shut down two quarrelling vampires with logic and a smile. I smirk at the thought, wondering how her personality or character traits might be tweaked if she were immortal. These thoughts get put on hold as Bella speaks up once again.
"Well, since we all know what I do for a living, how about you guys?" she asks in interest. Alice has been buzzing with excitement over forming a new, lasting friendship with Bella for so long that she's the one who pipes up first.
"I'm currently a professional stunt person. I work as a body double, daring to do the stunts that the actresses in films won't do or that the film companies won't pay them to train for. I'm on screen for such a short amount of time that there's no risk of exposure, and I always move on to something else just as exciting before anyone notices I never get even a scratch on my skin," she says before adding, "I'd love to go skydiving with you sometime! We can jump tandem, and I'll make sure you know all there is to know before we jump. I promise I'll keep her safe, Edward." I want to growl at her for even giving Bella the idea.
"That would be awesome!" Bella replies, shifting in her seat a little. "I've always wanted to skydive, so it would be great if we did it together," she says, smiling at Alice.
I don't know why I ever thought I might have nothing in common with your family, Edward. They've made me feel so welcome, and we're already finding things we want to do with each other.
Her thoughts are excited and sweet, and I can't find it in my heart to tell her that I worry over her safety. I resolve to discuss it with her later, but I won't stand in the way of something she wants to experience, either.
"I remember nothing from my human life," Alice says softly as she makes eye contact with Bella once again. "I try to find the positive in anyone or any situation. If I can't have my human memories, I vow to make the best memories I can in every day of this life," she states with a soft smile, leaning back into Jasper's embrace.
"That's an inspirational vow to live by," Bella replies, nodding at Alice in agreement.
"I work with children at the Chicago Public Library three days a week and I also volunteer with Esme at local shelters, helping victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault," Rose says next, not wanting to sugar-coat her and Esme's stories, but also wanting to get them out of the way. "There are always great programs for the children at the library, and Esme and I didn't enter our lives as vampires in the most ideal of ways. As a result, no matter where we live, we always try to help people who are struggling with those specific issues." She trails off a bit as her mind veers in a different direction. "Do you like to knit, Bella?" she asks as she produces her knitting needles from a pocket in her shirt. "More importantly, do you like 80's movies?"
Do I like 80's movies? What kind of question is that? I love 80's movies!
"Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?" Bella asks Rose, raising her eyebrow with a silly smile on her face. Rose is beside herself with excitement, and she answers in kind.
"I'll have the answer to that question, Mr. Bender, next Saturday. Don't mess with the bull young man...you'll get the horns!"
The two of them burst into laughter, and the rest of us do, too. I don't think I could be any happier that Bella and my family are meshing together so well.
"And I've never tried to knit before, Rosalie, but I'd be open to try, if you'd teach me," Bella says while looking at Rose in a friendly manner.
You've definitely landed yourself a gem, Edward. I really do like her already.
"I'd really love that, Bella," she replies softly. "And please, call me Rose."
Esme decides to take the floor next, rounding out the women's responses.
"As Rose said, I work with the local shelters, and I also do some freelance writing for the Chicago Sun-Times. I've always found that I functioned better when I have a creative outlet, and writing is one of the best ways for me to express myself. Sometimes, I'll help Rose at the library as well, when there are children's reading and book programs to participate in."
"I can certainly relate to your love of books," Bella replies. "I grew up obsessed with antiques and literature. It's nice to be in the company of those who just love to read and write."
Jasper decides to speak next, long since over his pseudo-argument with Carlisle. "I work on a case-by-case basis with the Chicago forensics lab. Being able to catch the bad guys in an indirect way is satisfying to me. I also didn't have an ideal beginning in this life, and with this job, I'm not forced into feeling desperation and despair on a regular basis."
I wait to bring up the fact that I am not the only one with a talent in this family until everyone is finished speaking. At that time, I plan on telling Bella that I believe she also has a special gift.
"I develop video game prototypes for use before they hit mass markets," Emmett says, rubbing his hands together. "I have a knack for graphics and computer programs and video games are just fun. I get to network with small and large game developers as well as gamers, and it's a job choice that allows me to work from home, too. If you ever want to help me design one, I'd be more than happy to have your input. You definitely seem to keep Edward on his toes, and you've already proven to be feisty."
"I'm an inpatient rehabilitation services doctor at Northwestern Memorial," Carlisle adds lastly. "I prefer working with cardiac, oncologic, and trauma patients the most, and I have a varying caseload that keeps me pretty busy. I don't always work in the medical field, but I love being able to use my knowledge and abilities to help save human lives," he finishes, and his thoughts take the same turn mine did earlier.
You may want to tell Bella about the extra abilities some of us have, Edward, while the opportunity presents itself.
I nod my head in answer and begin.
"Bella, you already know that I have a special talent, but there are a few more of us in this room that do, too. Jasper has the ability to feel and manipulate other's moods, Alice can see the future – though on a limited scope, and I personally believe that Carlisle has a gift for endless compassion. He won't admit to this, but the rest of us see it as a gift," I say, gearing up to tell her that she has her own gift, as well. "Do you remember how affected I was after your last appraisal in Saint Paul, with my Lusitania poster?" I ask, hoping she'll be okay with the fact that she carries such a talent within her.
"Yeah, I remember that," she answers as her eyes prompt me to continue.
"You have a latent talent of your own, Bella. When you appraised my antique and then touched me, I was gifted with human memories. When you touched the frame of the poster, as well as my arm, I was living a memory of speaking with my father in his study. Before that, when you touched my "Anne of Green Gables" book, I relived a memory with my mother, in the backyard of our Chicago home when I was 12 years old. It's not uncommon for a human to have a latent talent. Jasper vaguely remembers being told that he could be very persuasive in his human life, and I had an inkling of knowing what someone was thinking in mine, too. We know that Alice had precognitive visions in her human life because we did some research into her past and found that her parents admitted her to an asylum in 1920, believing her to be a witch," I end, watching Bella's face for signs that she's not going to handle this well. Her thoughts tell me the opposite, though. Or, they border on thinly veiled hysteria. I'm not sure which.
I always knew I was a special snowflake!
She laughs out loud, and it rings with a high-pitched, hysterical-type quality. I'm about to move to kneel down in front of her when Alice stops me.
She's fine, Edward, truly. Just let her process it.
Really… my parents always told me I was special, this is a completely different kind of special… there's nothing wrong with it. There's nothing wrong with me. Look at your mate, Bella. Is anything wrong with him? No. Look at the rest of this awesome family. Is there anything wrong with them? No. At least… nothing telling.
She snorts and laughs at herself, still coming to grips with what I've told her.
Actually, this is a pretty sweet talent to have! I get to give so much back to everyone in this room. It's a blessing, really.
"I can't say I'm used to all of this yet, but this is a wonderful talent to have," she says, making eye contact with everyone in the room. "You've all welcomed me in with open arms, and it would be an honor to repay your kindness by gifting each of you with some of your human memories, if I can," she says quietly.
"It's such a precious gift to be graced with, Bella," I say, needing her to know that I barely have words to express the gratitude I have for the memories she's already given me. "It's also very bittersweet, but so, so worth it," I say with a kiss to her temple. I doubt she'll ever know how much I appreciate the memories she's given me.
We talk more as a family about our human and vampire histories, as well as our interests, but I notice it's getting late. I have work the next day, though Bella has a day off. She's already planning on visiting me at the casino, and I wonder if she'll be playing blackjack again, or if she'll try her luck at a different game.
We all say our goodbyes, and Bella is comfortable enough to receive hugs from every member of my family. Even Emmett. He beams as he puts her down, full of happiness that she trusts him enough to hug her.
By the way, dude. She's definitely no Janet Reno. Congrats on snagging such a beauty for a mate.
Emmett winks at me as we walk through the door, and Bella lets me take the wheel once more. She says she likes a break from driving once in a while. I'm not going to argue with her. Anytime she wants me to drive her Jag, I'm game.
The next day, I'm walking the floor when Bella strolls up to me in a luscious pair of jeans that hug her frame just right. How does she always know how to turn me on when it's most inappropriate?
"Damn, that suit looks good on you," she says, letting her eyes roam the tailored navy suit and dark red tie I'm wearing. And now I know she's in the same frame of mind I'm in. You know, in the gutter. I position us behind a large display and kiss her soundly, palming her ass as she presses her body further in to mine. The kiss escalates and leaves me feeling drunk with pleasure when we finally slow ourselves down.
We begin to walk again, holding hands as a slot machine catches her eye. I tell her to go ahead, and she makes herself comfortable after putting a $20 into the machine. I let her know that I have some business to attend to, but that I'll be back as soon as I can. She sends me off with a nod, enjoying her game, and I make my way to the other end of the casino.
I'm in the middle of speaking with a couple of colleagues about preventative security issues when I catch a scent I didn't expect today. Marjoram and clover means one thing. James is here. I don't understand why, because he wasn't on the schedule. I need to stop him, or get to Bella immediately. I don't want to cause her undue worry if I don't have to, so I try to intercept him before he reaches her. My muscles are tense and my mind is ready to protect at any cost. I'm hoping I won't have to.
That scent, it's here! Again! Lavender and vanilla. It's a sign, in my book. I have to have it. I bet the blood is sweet...
As James' thoughts hone in on Bella's scent, I make my excuses to my colleagues and rush across the casino to get to him before he can spot her. I get to him before he gets within 40 feet of her and I grab his arm, pinning him to the closest wall. I'm glad there aren't any humans around because I'm positive I look feral.
"James, stop!" I say forcefully, staring at him with all the power in my soul. "Stop breathing now. The scent you smell is my mate. My mate, James. She's human, and she's mine. I don't know why you're here right now, but I will pay you for a vacation day," I growl, frustrated that it's even come to this. He knows the severity of the situation, and he knows that killing one's mate is punishable by death in the eyes of the Volutri, so I refrain from using them as a threat.
Okay, Edward, I'll be fine. I won't breathe until I leave, I swear it. I'm sorry. I had no idea the scent belonged to your mate. I was called in at the last minute because Scott didn't show up. I'll be on my best behavior when she's around from now on.
Like I'm going to knowingly put Bella in the same room as James. I have no doubt that he means what he's telling me, but it's not a chance I'm willing to take.
"Let's do this. Anytime you get called in here, or your schedule changes, you let me know. Because I won't put her in harm's way. I believe that you want to be good, but we are vampires, and bloodlust can rule over logic. I'd rather not take the chance with her life," I say, walking him to the door. As he leaves, I make the decision to not tell Bella about this encounter with James. This isn't a decision based on protecting her. It's a decision based on not wanting her to worry. She's already been forced to deal with so much in such a short amount of time, and I resolve that if one more incident with James occurs, Bella will be told about it.
As I walk back to the slot machine Bella's at, I pray that decision doesn't bite me in the ass.
A/N:
This time, the movie quotes were from The Breakfast Club, circa 1985. Bender will always have a special place in my heart for that line. Who am I kidding? The whole damn movie will!
This chapter was one of the easiest to write! Amazing how that works, huh? My creative muse was happy and talkative, apparently.
Thank you all so much for your support and love for this story. I just don't have words, sometimes. I have some of the best readers, and you all make me happy with your kind words.
Have you been addicted to twitter yet? No? You should! You can find me there (at)conqueredthesky.