I didn't know what Edward was doing, I had been spending my time explaining to my family my absence, I didn't even tell Alice about Winnie the Pooh, I felt that was my secret. And Emmett certainly would never stop teasing me in some way or another about it. I felt...a mixture of feelings suddlenly, dark hope and anger that was trying to be controlled...from Edward I had assumed, that was the only one lately with that type of anger. A few moments later I heard Edward's voice call all of us in a low tone, knowing Esme would never allow for loud voices in the house:
"Carlisle? Esme? Rosealie? Emmett? Jasper? Alice?"
I heard Carlisle tell Bella in a loving fatherly voice:
"Welcome back Bella, what can we do for you this morning? I imagine, due to the hour, that this is not purely a social visit?"
Bella then said:
"I'd like to talk to everyone at once, if that's okay. About something important"
"Of coarse, why don't we talk in the other room?"
Carlisle led her and Edward to the dining room, I could hear light switch's switching on, we all followed Edward going in the room, glancing at each other and we went to go sit down, Alice was grinning because she knew what was going on, of coarse. I looked at Emmett and we could see Rosealie giving Bella a small smile. It was a start. Carlisle told Bella:
"The floor is yours"
Bella slowly started speaking with Edward just had a glazed look of anger on his face:
"Well...I'm hoping Alice has already told you everything that happened in Volterra?"
"Everything" Alice said:
"And on the way?" "That, too" "Good, then we're all on the same page"
Nobody spoke a word until Bella spoke again:
"So, I have a problem...Alice promised the Volturi that I would become one of you. They're going to send someone to check, and I'm sure that's a bad thing-something to avoid. And so, now, this involves you all. I'm sorry about all that..."
She took her time looking at each one of us and then she said:
"But, if you don't want me, then I'm not going to force myself on you, whether Alice is willing or not"
Esme started to speak but Bella stopped her:
"Please, let me finish, You all know what I want. And I'm sure you know what Edward thinks too. I think the only fair way to decide is for everyone to have a vote. If you decide you don't want me, then....I'll go back to Italy alone. I can't have them coming here"
Everyone heard a low growl coming from Edward but all of us ignored that and I was considering Bella's words. It made sense. Then she continued:
"Taking into account, then, that I won't put any of you in danger either way, I want you to vote yes or no on the issue of me becoming a vampire"
Bella signaled for Carlisle to begin the vote but Edward interrupted:
"I have something to add before we vote"
Bella's sigh was heard by every body as Edward started to speak:
"About the danger Bella is referring to, I don't think we need to be overly anxious…"
Edward leaned closer on the table and said:
"You see, there was more than one reason why I didn't want to shake Aro's hand in the end. There's something they didn't think of and I didn't want to clue them in"
Edward smiled, pretty confident of himself but now Bella wasn't happy:
"Which was?" Alice said:
"The Volturi are overconfident, and with good reason, When they decide to find someone, it's not really a problem". Do you remember Demetri?"
He looked at Bella and she shuddered and Alice and I looked at each other and he continued:
"He finds people, that's his talent, why they keep him. Now, the whole time we were with any of them, I was picking their brains for anything that might save us, getting as much information as possible. So I saw how Demetri's talent works, he's a tracker, a tracker a thousand times more gifted than James was, His ability is loosely related to what I do, or what Aro does. He catches the…flavor? I don't know how to describe it…the tenor….of someone's mind, and then he follows that. It works over immense distances. But after Aro's little experiments, well…"
Edward shrugged and Bella says:
"You think he won't be able to find me"
Edward just said with a VERY conceited tone in his voice:
"I'm sure of it. He relies totally on that other sense. When it doesn't work with you, they'll all be blind"
Sigh.
Bella asked him quite agitated:
"And how does that solve anything?" "Quite obviously, Alice will be able to tell when they're planning a visit, and I'll be able to hide you. They'll be helpless" he told us. He was so loving what he was saying and then he said a saying from the south:
"It will be like looking for a piece of straw in a haystack!"
Bella reminded him:
"But they can find you"
Edward only said:
"I can take care of myself"
Emmett laughed his booming laugh and reached across the table extending a fist and said:
"Excellent plan my brother"
Edward smacked Emmett's fist and Rosealie hissed out:
"No"
And Bella agreed:
"Absolutely not"
"Nice" was all I said, it was a good plan.
"Idiots" was Alice's words:
Esme just glared at Edward. Bella straightened herself in the chair then said:
"All right, then, Edward has offered a alternative for you to consider, let's vote"
She turned to Edward and looked at him and asked:
"Do you want me to join your family?"
His eyes were hard and black and he said:
"Not this way, you're staying human"
She just nodded her head and went on, I could feel her seething with anger:
"Alice?" "Yes"
She then asked me:
"Jasper?"
I would not look at Edward when I gave my answer:
"Yes…it'll be nice not to try and kill you all the time"
Bella only smiled but she also had a surprised expression on her face but she went on and asked:
"Rosealie?"
Rosealie took a second, bit down on her lip and just said:
"No"
Surprise there. But then Rose put up her hands and said:
"Let me explain…I don't mean that I have any aversion to you as a sister. It's just that…this is not the life I would have chosen for myself. I wish there had been someone there to vote no for me"
Will she get over this? I could hear everyone thinking, I didn't have to be a mind reader for that. Bella then turned to Emmett:
"Yeah! We can find some other way to fight this Dementri"
Only Emmett would think that, Bella turned to Esme and she said:
"Yes, of coarse, Bella, you know I already think of you as part of the family"
Tears sprang to Bella's eyes as she said softly:
"Thank you Esme"
And then she turned toward Carlisle and I could feel her nerves tingling and her heart pounding and she looked at my adopted father and he just looked up at Edward and asked:
"Edward?" "No"
Was all my brother said with his lips turned back and Carlisle said:
"It's the only way that makes sense…You've chosen not to live without her and that doesn't leave me a choice"
Edward got up and left the table, he made sure we heard him leaving in anger into the other room, and snarling under his breath and Carlisle said:
"I guess you know my vote"
"Thanks" was all Bella mumbled as she looked after Edward. It was then we heard a LOUD CRASH. I knew Edward had broken something and Esme did not look pleased.
Bella then said:
"That's all I needed. Thank you. For wanting to keep me. I feel exactly the same way about all of you, too"
Bella's voice was breaking with emotion and Esme ran over and hugged her and said:
"Dearest Bella"
After they finished hugging, she asked my Alice:
"Well, Alice, when do you want to do this?"
Alice just opened her eyes in horror at the thought of actually doing it and Edward just roared back into the room:
"No! no! NO! Are you insane? Have you utterly lost your mind?"
Bella placed her hands over her ears and then Alice tenderly says:
"Um, Bella, I don't think I'm ready for that. I'll need to prepare…"
"You promised!" Bella wailed:
"I know, but…seriously Bella! I don't have any idea how not to kill you"
Bella just kept on encouraging and pleading:
"You can do it!, I trust you"
Edward was like a protective dog and Alice just shook her head and Bella turned to Carlisle and asked:
"Carlisle?"
Edward grabbed Bella's face and tried to force Carlisle not to say anything but it didn't work:
"I'm able to do it, you would be in no danger of me losing control"
"Sounds good"
Edward was holding Bella's jaw then he said:
"Hold on, it doesn't have to be now" "There's no reason for it not to be now"
Bella said but Edward said:
"I can think of a few" "Of coarse you can, now let go of me"
He let go and folded his arms across his chest then said:
"In about two hours, Charlie will be here looking for you. I wouldn't put it past him to involve the police" "All three of them"
Was all Bella said and I could see her thinking then Edward said:
"In the interest of remaining inconspicuous, I suggest that we put this conversation off, at the very least until Bella finishes high school, and moves out of Charlie's house"
Hmmm.
"That's a reasonable request, Bella" Carlisle said:
"I'll consider it" Bella said.
"I should probably take you home, just in case Charlie wakes up early"
Bella looks at Carlisle and asks:
"After graduation?" "You have my word"
Bella turned to Edward and said:
"Okay, you can take me home"
They left and I thought things would settle down some at home. Boy, was I wrong.