I am very sorry for the long wait, I hope this was worth it. I am truly sorry, but these past couple of months have been a nightmare. I went through an amazing and romantic New Years just to suffer through a ridiculously agonizing break up 3 weeks later. Needless to say, had I updated then, it would have been a very bitter and bloody outcome ;)
Here's a shout out to the lovelies that reviewed the last chapter! (In no particular order)...
pumpkinmykitty, EmoE, Chocolate Lover 82, 7HockeyStarVampireObsessed7, pixie freak, Divepup, s1lowe, teamwriting, GreenEyes555, Beth Ann Cullen, Switzygirl, KimberlyAnnT, vampyregirl86, vampyregurl09, MissKarenSantiago, cb, Bellaangel383, Heatherp, Sweetie7smiled, RitaCullen96, DreamyDane, Niamh Cullen, ThatKindOfGirl, wefw, nicki johnson, ECISLove2010, 223, goldeyedsoul, FelicityT, klcivinski, animal8, finessan, Samantha Rulz, Jits, Dani-1811, Passion82, Camilla10, Alanna-Banana1987, isabella0106, MouseKitty, Feelo Ivashkov, moon shadow 31
... Thank you sooo much! Your reviews are the fuel to this posting :)
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This is my entire fault. The words he spoke spiraling in my head, fuzzy and a blur, not making sense. My eyes fluttered open, taking in my surroundings. This isn't my room. I slowly sat up, touching my throbbing head. God, this headache hurt! Where was I and what the hell happened?
I tried to recollect my thoughts, mentally retracing what happened. Well, I was in a meadow with Edward, and he started freaking out, then Alice showed up and I fainted. Why did I faint? Oh god… We're Vampires, and you're blood is like heroin to him. Yep, I believe that's what it was. I felt nauseous just thinking about it.
Where the hell was I? I looked around, taking in the room. I was on a chaise, a white one, and there was no bed in here. Weird for a bed room if you ask me. I looked to the wall, and hundreds, if not thousands of cds lined the wall in a built in book shelf. Hmm…not bad. I noticed there were two escape options here… One, the door that probably led to the blood drinking Cullen's; or two, the window that probably led to a broken leg.
I sat there considering the possibility of jumping and not harming my body, when I heard a knock at the door.
"Bella, I highly recommend not jumping. You were right about possibly breaking a leg, and probably an arm too. We're downstairs when you're ready to talk." Alice spoke from the other side. Did she read my mind or something?
I sat there for a few more moments, debating whether to take her word for it. Finally deciding I would rather face death in the form of Edward Cullen, I chose to go downstairs. I hesitantly walked to the door, expecting to see at least one member of the Cullen family waiting for me on the other side. There was no surprise, so I continued walking to the stairs, not sure if this was the way to the living room. Well, she did say downstairs, so it must be.
As I reached the bottom of the steps, I could see the entire Cullen family sitting on impeccable white couches, all staring at me. It was nerve wracking to say the least. I decided to stay where I was, at the base of the stairs, and sat on the last step facing them all.
"Would someone like to explain to me what's going on?" I asked, rubbing my temples.
"Bella, I know you may have many questions…" Carlisle began.
"Like hell I do!" I growled. Whoa… did I actually just growl? Yep, I think I did.
"And we will try our best to explain everything to you dear." A very pretty woman told me gently. She was at the most, 30, with caramel colored hair and a sweet face. I guessed she was Esme, Edward's mother. "Ask us anything." She smiled.
"Are you going to kill me?" I asked, sucking in a breath. Might as well address the pink elephant in the room.
"If we were going to kill you'd be dead already." Rosalie spat.
"Then why am I here?" I asked quietly, avoiding Edwards gaze.
"You know too much." Was Jaspers cool and calculated reply.
"So what are my options here?" I asked, not seeing where any of this was going. I still refused to believe that they were serious about being vampires, but I also felt that there was something here that I should be deathly afraid of. It all felt like some sick and twisted Twilight Zone episode.
"What do you mean Bella?" Esme asked.
"I'm trying to think realistically here. If I 'know too much', as Jasper states, then there are only a couple options. A: You kill me. Or B: You kidnap me to keep me quiet. At some point, I become too much of a liability, and I die anyway. So what's it gonna be? Honestly, I don't even know what I know too much of! I refuse to believe you're Vampires, so you must al be nut jobs." I said, banging my forehead on the banister in frustration.
"We're not crazy, and those are not your only options." Alice said. "Look Bella, I know this is a lot for you right now, but we can move past this, I've seen it! You will believe us, and you will see that we're not as bad as you think we are. You can trust us, and you will. You just have to give us a chance to explain."
"How can you know this? I don't even know it." I asked.
"Because that's what I do, I can see the future!" She beamed.
"The future? Are you sure you're not nuts?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well… I used to be when I was human, but turns out I'm just a really gifted Vampire."
"I don't think that helped her believe you much Darlin'." Jasper whispered, probably seeing the look of disbelief on my face.
"How about this… I can tell you what the lottery numbers will be right now. Emmett… Turn on the TV." Alice said, facing me as the Television turns on. "The winning numbers are 18, 24, 37, 11, 16, and 2. Now watch the screen Bella."
I turned my attention to the screen, waiting to see entirely different numbers light up the TV. When the numbers Alice had predicted began to roll out of the machine, I knew that my life was about to change.
"Oh… My … God…" I said, my hands flying up to cover my mouth. I was in a total state of disbelief. This could not be true, none of this could be. "There's no way…"
"Yes, it's true. This will seem a lot more normal the more you try to accept it Bella. Just keep an open mind." Alice said, just as my phone began to ring. "It's your father. Answer it and tell him that you're staying with us tonight for a sleepover." She said, handing me the phone.
I reached for it, debating whether to scream for help the minute I answered. Just as I was about to press Answer, a white hand shot out to grab my hand.
"Don't. Even. Think. About. It." Alice said slowly. "It will just freak him out. You're safe here Bella, we won't hurt you." Then she let go and watched as I took the call.
"Hey dad…. Yea, I'm fine…. … No, I'm at the Cullen's…. Yea, Alice Cullen invited me over for a sleep over and I said yes…. Okay… I don't know how long… Okay, see you. Bye… Wait, Dad?... I love you…. Okay, bye." I hung up the phone, placing it back in Alice's out stretched hand.
"So… so are you really Vampires?" I asked after taking a deep breath, looking at the floor.
"Yes… We are." Carlisle Cullen answered.
"So then why do you keep saying I'm safe. Wouldn't that make me Dinner?" I asked, confused.
"You're right in assuming that we Drink blood to stay alive, but you're wrong when you think that we kill humans for it. We call ourselves Vegetarians. We only drink animal blood. We don't need human blood to stay alive. We do not kill." Carlisle explained.
"But don't assume that we are not dangerous. We still thirst for human blood, but we can choose not to drink it. But just for safety reasons, let's try avoiding paper cuts and scrapes Bella." Alice said.
"Point taken. So you don't want to drink my blood? I'm safe?"
"As safe as you can be in a house full of vampires." Emmett joked. I looked to Edward, hoping to see some kind of emotion looking back at me, but he was just scowling at the floor.
"What about the sun, why don't you go in the sun?" I asked.
"The sun does us no harm, but it would definitely spark interest from others. We tend to… shimmer, you could say, in the sun. It looks like a million little diamonds on our skin." Esme said, smiling kindly at me.
"So you sparkle?"
"Faeries sparkle. I am not a faerie, thus, I do not sparkle. I like to think of it as a glow." Emmett said, slightly offended at my word choice.
"Whatever… And garlic?"
"It smells." Alice laughed. "And wooden stakes are best left to Buffy."
"What about crosses?" I asked, wondering if they had any sort of weakness.
"They look like an oversized 'T'. Nothing affects us." Rosalie said, nose in the air.
"And you Edward? Do you have anything to add here?" I asked, finally addressing him. The morning had begun with us in a beautiful field, and now here we were, barely looking at each other. "Do you want to say anything to me?" I needed him to say something, anything, to let me know what was in his head. Did he feel so non-chalant as the rest of this family did, or did he really want me dead?
"What would you have me say Bella?" He asked, sounding tired and resigned.
"Anything. What happened earlier in the Meadow, with Alice, and why didn't you tell me before? Or better yet, why did you force yourself into my life?" I asked, wanting to know why he so adamantly pursued me if this was the result.
"I warned you to stay away." He whispered.
"How could I stay away when you hooked me like a fish and then reeled me in? You had me at hello Edward." I blurted.
"It was never my intention to hurt you."
"Then what was your intention?"
"To know you. To understand you. You are the first person in 100 years to peak my curiosity. I needed to know you." He explained.
"And when I fainted in Biology, was that you in my head? All those feelings and images, was it you?" I asked, holding my breath.
"Yes." He said, his face showing how painful it was to admit.
"You… You wanted to kill me? Why?" I asked, barely aware that his family was watching this like some sort of Oprah special.
"Because your scent is intoxicating, it's nothing like I have ever encountered before. You're scent calls to me Bella. It sings, almost. It's like placing the words best drugs in front of an addict." He tried to explain.
"But I though you don't drink human blood?" I asked, trying to make sense of it all.
"We don't… I don't. But not all blood smells as yours does to me. It's as if your blood was specifically designed to break my will." He admitted, sounding so broken. His eyes looked so tortured.
"This is a lot to take in… Do you mind if I just take a few hours to myself, and rest?" I asked standing again. I needed air, and some space from all of this.
"Yes dear, it is certainly understandable. Alice, please show her the quest room?" Esme offered.
"Actually, can I speak to Edward alone for a few minutes?" I asked.
"Of course, Edward?" Esme said, pushing him towards me. "We'll be down here."
Edward came and led me up the stairs, every once in a while turning to check that I was still here. Instead of leading me to the guest room, he led me to the room I woke up in.
"This is my room, you can stay here if you want. There's music on that wall, and a balcony if you need air." He motioned to the room, still looking anywhere but at me.
I stood there, not sure why I asked to speak to him in the first place. I just really wanted to be alone with him, even in silence. I walked over to the large daybed, which was a cross between a sofa and a bed, perfect to lounge on. I sat, noticing how my feet didn't reach the floor. Slowly I scooted up to the side of the bed and layed down. I stared at him as he continued to stare out the window.
"Edward…?" I asked, waiting for him to look at me. He turned, and looked at me, not saying a word.
"I know what just happened down there, and everything that was said. But do you think… would it be okay of you could just lay here with me? I just… I don't want to be alone, and as weird and twisted as it is… I want your company… I need it." I said.
Without a work, Edward walked over to the day bed, picking up the blanket that was at the foot of the bed. He placed it over me tucking me in gently. He then gracefully sat on the lay on the bed in front of me, facing me, and searched for my hand. Without a word he held it, bringing it to his lips and gave my small hand a gentle kiss.
"I'll never hurt you Bella Swan… Never. You have my heart now, Bella. How could I ever hurt my heart?" He whispered, searching my eyes.
"Give me time Edward… give me time." I whispered, closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.
"Always…" I heard Edward say as I fell into a dreamless sleep…
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