We Are Family
Chapter 11
Esme POV
Carlisle and I let each other go as Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Alice and Rosalie came bounding through the living room door. They walked through the living room and sat down on the sofas, laughing, as Emmett turned on the TV. I smiled to myself, I realised that they hadn't been like this in such a long time, happy together and spending time together. I have seen the most change in Rosalie, she has become a friendlier and well-rounded person, but that fire is still there in her eyes, this makes me smile. I am so proud of them, all of them. Edward has changed so much since he met Bella, before I was beginning to lose hope with him altogether, but now all I see is a completely different being when I look at him. Alice hasn't really changed, except for the fact that she enjoys the new shopping partner of course! Alice knew her and Bella would be best friends before Bella even came to Forks, we just didn't know they would be this close. I was so proud of Emmett and Jasper, they had taken the roles of being Bella's big brothers in their stride, and they do a fantastic job protecting her, just like they do for Alice and Rose. Edward looked up and smiled at me, having heard my thoughts. I smiled back at him sitting on the armchair opposite Rosalie. Carlisle came back into the living room also. At that moment Bella came down the stairs with her laptop in her hand. She came over from the stairs and sat on the sofa beside Edward.
"Did you have fun?" She asked, placing the laptop on her lap and opening the lid.
"Yeah it was okay." Edward said, placing his arm along the back of the sofa around Bella.
'Guess that means you didn't think of anything then?' I thought and Edward shook his head. I sighed and realised that Reneé would not be anywhere near Bella anyway, even if she does get here.
Bella typed the password into her laptop, as the rest of us watched the television. We didn't find much joy in television, it was just a way to pass time. Bella's laptop loaded and about 20 alert tones went off one after the other.
"Oh my…" Bella said, looking at her laptop screen.
"Bella what is it?" Jasper asked her, concerned.
Bella sighed. "Because I won't answer the phone, she is emailing me instead, I have 33 emails from her, but none of them say she is on her way here, she must be counting on surprising us." Bella said, smiling a little at the last part, with Alice on our side, we would never be surprised.
"What do they say?" Carlisle asked her, also concerned.
Bella began clicking on emails and reading them aloud. 'Bella, where are you, I want to come and get you', 'I don't understand why you would do this, Charlie said he said he was sorry', 'Can you come home?'
"God, she really doesn't get it does she?" Alice asked, dumbfounded.
"Nope, she really doesn't." Bella said, closing the lid of the laptop down.
We sat in the living room talking about of best strategy for tomorrow when the phone suddenly rang. Carlisle got up to answer the phone.
I saw Alice go into a trance before coming around again and shouting.
"Don't answer that!" She said, just in time, Carlisle's hand was on the phone and about to take it off the cradle.
"Uh, why?" Rosalie asked, confused.
"It's Forks PD." Alice said solemnly, looking at Bella.
"Charlie? How on earth did he do that?" Bella asked, surprised.
"Reneé could have told him." Alice said. "I was so sure that he had no idea how to find us, that I wasn't even looking at what he was doing, sorry Bella." Alice said, still sitting beside Bella on the sofa.
Bella placed the laptop on the coffee table and turned around to face Alice. Bella took one of Alice's hands in both of hers.
"Alice, you have nothing to be sorry for, I mean I hardly think that Charlie knowing will make a difference will it? Reneé and Phil are on their way here already." Bella told her comfortingly.
Alice looked up from her shoes to look at Bella. "You're not mad?" She asked uncertain.
"Of course not, there is nothing for me to be mad at you for." Bella said, smiling at Alice.
"Okay." Alice said, smiling at Bella.
Bella took her hand back and turned around to go and take her seat next to Edward.
"So, what exactly are we doing when they are here?" Rosalie asked.
"You and Bella are going to find a car for Alice. Esme, me and the boys are staying here to speak with Bella's mother and stepfather." Carlisle said.
"Yeah, Alice what time are they arriving?" Bella asked.
"They should be getting here at about 10AM, so early-ish." Alice told her and she nodded.
"And we are leaving at what time?" Bella asked.
"Uh, about 9:30?" Alice asked questioningly.
"Yeah, okay." Bella said, taking her phone off the table and unlocking it.
She looked up after a few minutes.
"Jasper?" Bella looked over to him.
"Yeah?" He asked, looking up at her.
"Can you just, like, block the number or something?" She asked, grimacing.
"I'll have a look, throw it."
Bella looked at Jasper nervously.
"Don't worry, I'll catch it!" Jasper said in a playful tone.
Bella POV
I threw the phone and he put his arm and caught it with one hand.
I raised my eyebrows before turning to the side and snuggling further into Edward's side.
"Show off." I muttered into Edwards shoulder. I heard Jasper chuckle before sending me a wave of mild annoyance and fondness.
I looked up at him and smiled when I caught him smiling in my direction.
Carlisle POV
"Bells?" Jasper asked.
She looked up at him. "Hmm?" She asked him.
Jasper went to throw the phone and then put his arm down realising that she wasn't going to catch it. Bella let Jasper feel her mild annoyance but then drowned that out with her affection for him.
We all sat down on the sofas together as a family, it had been so long since we had done that. I looked around affectionately at my family, we had been incomplete for so long, and here we are.
Edward looked up from Bella to me and smiled. He had obviously read my thoughts, and by the way he was smiling affectionately at Esme, she was thinking the exact same thing I was.
…
We sat in the living room for the rest of the afternoon talking as a family and discussing what was going to happen tomorrow. The late afternoon sky disappeared behind the mountains revealing the beautiful night sky that followed.
Bella was curled up on the sofa, snuggling up to Edward's side with her head on his shoulder.
"You alright Bella?" Emmett asked her, obviously concerned.
"Yeah, just tired, thanks." She muttered, closing her eyes and letting herself rest on Edward's shoulder.
"Just go to sleep love, I will take you up later." Edward murmured in her ear.
"Kay, love you." She murmured, falling asleep already.
"Love you too." He whispered as she fell into a deep sleep.
Edward POV
Bella had fallen asleep at my side a while ago, her head resting on my shoulder. After a while she began to fidget so I picked her up and placed her on my lap. She stirred a bit but soon fell back to sleep, her head resting on my chest.
After a while everyone dispersed to do their own things to do, so I picked up Bella and carried her upstairs to our room to rest properly. I rolled down the comforter and placed her between it and the bottom sheet, her head resting idly on the pillows beneath her head.
"Goodnight, love. Sweet dreams." I whispered, kissing her head before walking around the other side of the bed, sliding into the bed beside her and pulling her into my arms.
…
"No!" Bella shouted in her sleep.
I was drawn from my daydreams by the pain in Bella's voice. At hearing Bella's pleas everyone had now congregated around the bed in a panic.
"No! Please don't do this!" Bella moaned, struggling in her sleep, fighting against herself.
"Jasper, Carlisle! Help me she's going to hurt herself." I pleaded with my father and brother.
Carlisle placed his hands over her legs so that she didn't injure herself by struggling. I was holding her hands in front of her so that she didn't hit anything with them. Jasper was whispering to Bella, trying to calm her down without controlling her emotions.
"Bella! Wake up! It's only a dream, darlin'!" Jasper whispered in her ear.
Bella froze in her sleep before gasping and sitting up bolt straight in the bed, narrowly avoiding Jasper.
Bella looked around the room, studying everyone's faces before her eyes landed on me.
"Edward!" She yelled, throwing herself at me and sealing her arms around my neck.
"Hey. Hey, it's alright, just a bad dream! What was it about, love?" I soothed her, wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing her hair.
"Jacob." She whispered breathlessly.
I had to suppress a growl and by the sound of Jasper's and Emmett's thoughts, the exact same thoughts were going through their heads. Not only had that mongrel physically injured her, leaving bruises on her back and wrists, but he was now intruding her nightmares as well.
"Love, you are going to be perfectly fine, we will protect you, I promise." I promised her.
"I love you." She whispered in my ear.
I smiled.
"I love you, too." I told her, grasping her tighter.
Everyone left the room, but not before kissing Bella's forehead and wishing her goodnight.
"Try to go back to sleep, sweetheart." Carlisle told her before leaving the room.
Bella lay her head back on the cushions before snuggling up to me and falling back to sleep.
Bella POV
I woke up the next afternoon from a nap with a cold arm wrapped around my shoulder. I knew straight away that it wasn't Edward. I opened my eyes to reveal the gold eyes of Rosalie. My expression must have shown my confusion because she laughed before she spoke.
"Edward is out back with Emmett and Jasper, from the sound of it they are sparring each other. Are you okay?" She asked me, concerned.
"Yeah…" I trailed off.
"Bella." Rosalie chastised me and I didn't miss the sisterly concern in her voice.
The truth was that I was terrified, I was terrified of what was going to happen when my mother and Phil arrived, I was terrified of Jacob coming back into my life and ruining everything, and most of all, I was terrified about losing my family that I loved so much.
"Is it about the nightmare?" Rosalie asked and I nodded slowly.
"Bella, what are you afraid of?" Rosalie asked the question quietly but I knew that she actually cared. I was so happy that my relationship with Rosalie has changed drastically. The main changes started to happen when Alice, Edward and I came back from Voltera after she told Edward that I had tried to kill myself.
FLASHBACK
"Bella, can I talk to you outside for a moment?" Rosalie asked me.
I had just walked into the Cullen house with Edward, we were going to spend the day in our meadow but Alice wanted to talk to me first.
I looked at Edward unsure and he nodded at me.
"Um, yeah sure." I stuttered.
Rosalie smiled a gleaming smile and continued to make her way down the stairs. She took my had in hers and lead me over towards the back door. We walked over to the woven seating on the deck and she sat down beside me. I must have looked worried because she laughed before speaking.
"there's no need to be worried, Bella, I just want to talk." She laughed.
"Oh, okay." I laughed nervously.
"Bella, I wanted to apologise." I wasn't expecting those words to come from her mouth. Out of all of the Cullen's, Rosalie has always been the one that has been most cold towards me and I didn't understand why she was apologising to me.
"Bella, I don't think you understand. I am apologising not only for what happened to Edward, but I wanted to apologise for how I have treated you this past year. I now realise that it has only every been in your best interest to love Edward and the rest of our family, I realised as soon as you risked everything to go and save my brother. Bella, I know it is a lot to ask and I know that you probably think I am doing this because Emmett asked me to, but I really am not. I want to be your sister, Bella. I really want the same relationship with you that you have with Alice. Please, Bella, I am really sorry." Rosalie said quickly, if I wasn't focusing on the conversation I am sure that I would have missed half of what Rose said.
"Rosalie, there is honesty no need to apologise to me, I understand why you did what you did, really I do. I would love to be your sister, it's what I've wanted for a while. I want to be able to do the things that I do with Alice with you, in fact, I know it's going to sound completely crazy but maybe we could go shopping or something? Me and you have never really spent that much time together and I would love to get to know you Rosalie." I told her.
Rosalie grinned triumphantly and then I was in her embrace. At first I froze, I had never been hugged by Rose before, she never really paid a lot of attention to me. After half a second I hugged her back and I knew that Rosalie and I were going to be able to have the sisterly relationship that Alice and I already shared.
END OF FLASHBACK
"Jacob." My answer was only one word but Rosalie understood completely.
Rose's grip on my shoulder tightened and I moved in closer to her side as a stray tear ran down my face.
"Bella, you don't need to be afraid of Jacob." She cooed as she stroked my hair.
"But what is he starts a war, or comes after me, after us? Jacob told me that he'd 'get me in the end', what if he comes here and tries to hurt one of you, Rosalie it would kill me if one of you were hurt." I cried.
"Bella, you need to listen to me. Jacob Black will not touch you ever gain, if he ever comes on our land again he will be killed, Edward will see to that. What that dog tried to do was unforgivable Bella, and if he ever tries to touch you there won't be a member of our family that will let him get away alive, we will protect you from him Bella, you know that…" Rosalie trailed off.
I knew that the Cullen's would protect me at all costs. However, I also knew that if Jacob dared to show up here, that every member of the Cullen clan would want their piece of flesh and I wouldn't be able to deny it of them. I knew from the da that Jacob tried to force himself upon me that Jasper, Emmett and Edward wanted to kill Jacob for what he had done. It was only me asking then not to that changed their decision. After what he had done I had talked with Edward about it and I now know that Carlisle too wanted to hurt Jacob for what he tried to do to me that night. Edward told me that Rosalie was immediately angry and at first I didn't understand, it was only after I heard her story that I understood why she was so angry with him. I know that Alice was incredibly angry too, I learnt this when I told her the full story of what happened. Alice was the only person that I had told the full story to, besides Carlisle, but I knew that Edward knew. I couldn't expect them to hide it from it, nor would I ask it of them.
"I know; I just worry about it…" I said, resting my head on her shoulder.
"I know what will cheer you up." Rosalie said, and I lifted my head from her shoulder, curious.
"Please do not say shopping." I grimaced and she laughed.
"Actually, I was going to suggest watching the boys spar with each other downstairs, but if you'd rather go shopping?" Rosalie left the question hanging.
"No, let's go down and see what they are up to." I said, going to stand up and get changed.
I came out of the bathroom three minutes later wearing a rather cute light blue summer dress with a white bikini on underneath that Alice bought on one of our many shopping excursions.
I turned to walk out from the door but suddenly Rose was standing in front of me.
"actually, I thought we should surprise them." Rosalie whispered, a devilish grin on her face.
"Let's do it, never pass up the opportunity to surprise Edward. What are you doing to keep him out of your head? I wondered.
"Thinking about Emmett." Rosalie said shortly, her grin growing wider.
"Right. What do you have in mind?" I wondered.
Rosalie leant in and whispered her plan to me. We were going to jump right in the middle of them and catch them off guard. I jumped up onto Rosalie's back and she climbed up the side of the railing that went around the balcony of mine and Edward's room. You could see the boys on the beach sparring, Carlisle and Alice were sitting on one of the nearby boulders watching. Rosalie jumped over the edge and ran at full speed to the beach. We hid behind a rock waited for the opportune moment.
"Won't they hear my heartbeat?" I panicked.
"No, Jasper and Em aren't attuned to it so they won't be able to pick it out this close. Edward would normally be able to but he's far too focused on Emmett's and Jasper' s thoughts right not to notice anything.
"Okay, let's go." I whispered.
Alice looked up at us when we walked out of the boulder and grinned, already knowing the outcome of what was about to happen. Rosalie ran and then jumped at full speed into the centre of the circle that boys were circling each other in. The look of surprise on their faces was definitely worth a million bucks. I don't think that I have ever seen Edward surprised until now, the look of shock on his face was picture worthy. I jumped down from Rosalie's back and began to laugh, I walked over to Edward and closed his mouth that dropped open with surprise.
"Should have known you two were up to something when Alice started to recite the alphabet over and over again." Edward said, annoyed that he had allowed himself to be surprised.
"Oh, come on, it's nice to see you in shock every once in a while, Eddie." Emmett joked and then ran when Edward growled at him, running after him down the beach.
"Idiots." I jumped in surprise when I heard Alice speak behind me.
"Yep, that's one-hundred-year-old teenagers for you." I laughed, walking over to the shore and walking in the slowly coming-in tide.
"The tide won't be coming n fully for another forty minutes, what a swim?" Alice said behind me and then I realised why she had left out a swimsuit with today's outfit.
I nodded and grinned and soon Alice and I were slipping out of our clothes, closely followed by Rosalie. Alice quickly ran our clothes back over to the rocks so that they wouldn't get wet. We stepped further into the water and I realised that it was warm. I expected the water to be cold, although it was summer time in the United Kingdom. Even though the sun had gone down an hour ago, it was still warm outside and I was glad, I had definitely missed the heat. Rosalie, Alice and I waded out until the water was at our shoulders, Rosalie had of course tied her hair into a perfectly shaped bun in a bid to try to keep her hair dry. As soon as the boys noticed what we were doing, they raced back into the house to get into their swimming gear, they came back out thirty seconds later clad in swimming shorts. Before I could blink, Edward, Emmett and Jasper were in the water, completing the circle.
"I have an idea." Emmett said, a childish grin on his face.
I looked at Edward who was also smiling. This was good, it means that there were no dangerous situations involved where I could be injured.
"What?" I asked curiously.
"Water fight?" he suggested, his childish grin expanding.
"Let's do it!" Alice said, swimming back to shore and coming back thirty seconds later with two arms full of water pistols and water balloons full of water.
"Teams?" Jasper asked.
"Let's just do pairs, make life easier. Me and Bella, you and Alice and Emmett and Rosalie?" Edward suggested.
"Yeah okay." He agreed.
Each team separated to discuss tactics.
"Jasper is really good a this so I suggest that you get on my shoulders to make us taller?" Edward whispered in my ear, hoping that the others would not hear.
"Okay, Carlisle referee?" Emmett called. Carlisle, who was still sitting on the rocks with Esme, nodded his head.
"Ready? Three, two, One! Go!" Carlisle shouted and the fight started.
I was up on Edwards shoulders throwing water balloons at them, the boys mostly. I was doing quite well; I could always throw pretty well. However, soon enough, Rose and Alice figured out what we were doing and they ended up on their mate's shoulders.
In the end, it ended up as a fight of who could remain on their partners' shoulders for the longest. Rosalie and Emmett were out first after Alice threw a water balloon at Rosalie and it exploded all over her hair. Her screech startled Emmett and he fell backwards, effectively throwing Rosalie into the water. Surprisingly, Edward and I were the ones to win, but only just. Alice had a vision doing our water duel and she ended up stumbling back off Jasper's shoulders.
"Ha! We win!" I cheered along with a laughing Edward.
After everybody's laughter had died down, we decided to have another round. However, this time we rotated partners so I was on Emmett's shoulders, Rose was on Jasper's and Alice was on Emmett's. we played for another forty minutes until we crowned our second winner. This time Alice and Edward won but it was surprisingly hard to compete with a future-seer and a mind reader during a water fight.
After that, we made our way back to shore where Carlisle, Esme and a large pile of towels greeted us. We each wrapped ourselves in a towel and we made our way back up to the house. We all showered and changed before making our way back downstairs to the family room where Carlisle and Esme were. I disappeared into the kitchen and ate some of the soup that Esme made earlier before walking back into the house. We sat around the fire as a family, discussing stories and talking about their experiences with school. It was so nice to be able to relax with a family that I knew really cared about me, but It was only a matter of time before my mother and my stepfather arrived tomorrow, and we didn't yet know how that would change things.