Chapter 10: BONDS
A/N—Please don't throw things. Sis is moving away and we spent last week together, trying to jam in months of sister time into 7 days.
I always thank Lemonmartinis and Sis for their pre-reading and support and that still stands. They're super great. Just Robin deserves an extra shout out. She not only was patient and encouraging, but she worked through a headache to get this bad boy beta'd.
In the end, Edward had been worried for nothing. Bella and Savannah gave a well-prepared presentation that earned them top marks. Edward found it endearing, despite her unsurpassed beauty and grace as a vampire, that Bella was uncomfortable speaking before the class; she still hated being the center of attention. It reminded him so much of when Bella was human.
The day Bella and Savannah gave their presentation on Picasso to their art class, Edward thought he would be relieved. However, as he watched Bella make her way back to her seat, he realized he'd miss having an excuse to be close to her.
Bella and Edward didn't speak after the presentation, but as the weeks went by, they'd progressed to an exchange of glances during their class together. Sometimes there would even be the exchange of a shy smile. Edward feared she would only hurt him again and wanted to harden his heart, but he couldn't deny the bond. The pull was just too strong for Edward and he was becoming weary of the constant struggle with himself.
He tried to be content with watching her from afar by constantly following her during the day through the thoughts of her classmates.
He was secretly proud of how much control Bella demonstrated and she obviously hunted regularly. Her eyes were more golden than when she arrived at Lakes High School. She always appeared to have recently fed, but that didn't mean it was easy for her to be surrounded by the warm human bodies every day. Every time Edward would see Bella's eyes tighten, and then watch her touch her throat unconsciously, he knew she was in pain. During those times, he would notice her slightly leaning away and holding her breath; they were actions too subtle to be noticed by humans, but Edward understood the inner struggle raging inside her. More importantly though, was Bella -his Bella- was winning that battle.
Maybe it was his awe of Bella's tight control that caused Edward to be so unprepared for a vision Alice experienced late on a Tuesday afternoon.
It had started out as a typical February day in Milwaukee, with bitter cold temperatures and overcast skies. The day had progressed rather routinely for Edward already having made it through the two biggest milestones of his day: Art Appreciation class with Bella and piano lessons with Savannah during lunchtime. There was only one more class to go and for Edward, it was French class.
He was paying minimal attention to the lecture that day, and it wasn't just because he'd been speaking fluent French for eighty-plus years. His attention was simply focused elsewhere; particularly upon the thoughts of Bella's classmates. Through their eyes, he watched her sit very still at her desk at the front of her math class. He never had a problem seeing her as her male classmates were always looking at her. After all, she was nothing short of stunning. Every few minutes, he would notice her shift in her seat or fidget to appear human. He smiled in anticipation when she opened her notebook and began to doodle. Just as he hoped, she began scribbling Mrs. Edward Cullen over and over. It was a habit she had picked up a few weeks ago and his chest swelled with emotion every time he secretly witnessed it.
Edward began fantasizing about ways to approach Bella. He could leave her a note, invite her to go hunting with him; she seemed to enjoy mountain lion just as much as he did. He'd purposely returned to the same area he encountered her weeks prior, with the hope of running into her again.
He was even toying with the idea of leaving her wedding band in her locker, wondering what she would have done with it. Of course, in his fantasies she would approach him wearing the ring and confess her undying love and devotion to him. Just as he was imagining pulling Bella into his arms, Alice's mental scream captured his attention.
Edward, did you see it? You have to get to the sports equipment shed now! They're behind it!
It only took Edward a second to filter Alice's thoughts and see her vision. He jumped up mumbling an excuse about not feeling well and fled the classroom. He rushed to get to the large shed located a hundred yards away from the main building.
He pulled up short at the sight of Jasper holding Savannah in front of him, a tight grip around her throat. She was dressed in her gym uniform and blood was pouring from a wound to her knee. Her eyes were large and dilated in fear while tears streaked down her cheeks. Edward was able to surmise, rather quickly, that she had fallen and scrapped her knee in her gym class; the one class she shared with Jasper. One minor human accident led to that moment; a moment where one of Edward's worst fears was realized.
Jasper's growls were low and menacing. However, Edward wasn't the reason for Jasper's growling, It wasn't Edward trying to take his prey.
Edward was shocked to see Bella crouched, returning Jasper's fierce growls, clearly warning him of her intent to attack. Edward's abrupt appearance caused Jasper to look toward him and that was all the distraction Bella needed. In that fraction of a second, she pounced, going for Jasper's throat. Recognizing the threat she posed as she went for the proverbial kill shot, he immediately released his hold on Savannah to prepare for her assault. The vampires crashed making a loud sound akin to thunder, their movements blurry to the human eye as they sparred. Fortunately, their fast movements propelled them quickly into the wooded area behind the school, free from any other potential human witnesses.
Edward hesitated for a second, as his first instinct was to chase after Bella to protect her. But he pulled up short at the sight of Savannah laying on the ground -clearly in shock- panting, crying, and bleeding. A part of him knew that he should stay with Savannah and get her to a safe place; that was the responsible thing to do. He also knew he needed to get her away from Jasper and Bella in order to protect his family's secret. She would need to be told…something; but he needed to give chase.
In that one second of contemplation, Alice arrived and Edward screamed to himself in relief. Now, he was able to do what every instinct in his body was urging him to do: defend his mate.
In the seconds it took him to catch up to them, every moment he spent with Bella flashed through Edward's mind.
Then suddenly, he just knew.
He'd been a fool to think he could live without her. Edward prayed he was in time to keep Jasper from hurting her; failure was simply not an option.
He caught up with them quickly, and Jasper had pinned Bella against a rock and was crouched for attack. Wicked snarls erupted from his throat as he started to move in. Bella braced herself for his attack, but he never touched her. Instead, Edward collided with Jasper, propelling their bodies several yards away.
Edward had fought his brother hundreds of times. He knew Jasper was a brilliant strategist, and of all his family, Jasper was always the one to give Edward the toughest fight. Those instances had all been in good fun and competition, though.
This was different. This was for something more important than bragging rights.
Much more.
Jasper hadn't stood a chance against his brother, and not just because Edward anticipated his every move. He was propelled by one of the most primal and powerful forces known to their kind…
…the instinct to protect his mate.
E/N—I hope it was worth the wait. Chapter 11 will be posted by the end of the week. That's a promise. Please let me know what you think. Remember, SM owns all things Twilight.
Go check out the forum. I'm sure they have cursed me and burned me in effigy over there.
SONGS I JAMMED TO WHILE WRING THIS CHAPTER: Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N' Roses and Hungry Eyes by Eric Carmen.