Edward POV
As I watched big, brawny Emmett square up against even more massive, feline Bella, I remembered the look on Alice and Rosalie's faces as they drove up to the house earlier. They were still feeling the terror they had experienced, watching a fully grown human male being torn apart by Bella. They described the massacre to Emmett and Carlisle, knowing full well the implications if the body had been just found. We called the police station and left the anonymous tip, describing the tattooed man as being attacked by a cougar. Jasper went out, found one, and crippled it, leaving it near the scene. The police would find it, kill it, and no one would be the wiser.
After seeing Bella in action, I was worried. Not for me, but for her. She was unstable, feeling extreme emotions and not being able to reign them in. We had all agreed that it was best to help her in any way we could. That, and Jasper and Emmett were fully convinced I was head over heels in love with her.
I had admitted to myself that Bella was now a central part of my life, but I wasn't going to say I was in love. She may not have even noticed my interest, being bombarded with such cruelty from her own mother, and the struggle of control. I didn't want to force anything on her, as she was already in a delicate state.
"You ain't so tough, kitty cat!" Emmett taunted, circling Bella. She flattened her ears, still smiling, and hissed. "Your claws are made of paper, your teeth are like little nubs, you-"
One millisecond Emmett was upright, the next, he was sailing into the forest, where about thirty seconds later we heard the crack of either him hitting the ground, or possibly a boulder. Bella looked like she hadn't moved an inch. Emmett emerged a minute later, wobbling around, dizzy. Rosalie rushed over and cradled him in her arms as he collapsed in the dirt.
"Momma, I don't wanna go out today." Emmett whined, dazed and confused.
Jasper and I burst out laughing, the situation being too hilarious. Alice giggled. "I warned ya, bro!" Jasper gasped through fits of laughter.
"He won't understand a word we say!" I countered, blocking out Emmett's confused jumble of nonsense. "Bella knocked what brains he had left out of his head!"
Bella tilted her head to the side, still amused. "Lightweight." She licked her right paw and brushed her ear back.
Jasper stood and scoffed at our poor sibling. "He's not much of an opponent. He doesn't think enough."
Bella turned to him, curiosity prevalent in her feline face. "You think you can do better?"
"I was turned while in the confederate army, youngest major in the Texas Calvary. They don't call me 'Major' for nothing!" he boasted, walking up to Bella.
She flashed a devilish grin before launching herself at him. He quickly dodged, rolling to the side and springing back up in anticipation. She whipped around to face him, and they danced in a circle, careful not to get their backs to each other.
Esme and Carlisle were amused, but concerned that Bella would do something that hurt Jasper.
"Don't worry," I told them. "He'll be fine. He's got enough experience to make it out alive!"
Bella's attention turned to me, and Jasper took the chance to smack her in the jaw. He used full force, thinking he'd send her flying, just as she had done to Emmett. This wasn't the case, as two things happened when his fist connected: the sound of bone being shattered, and the sound of rock crumbling. Bella only managed to be pushed a few feet, but she yowled in agony, and Jasper started cursing up a storm, bent over his hand. Alice rushed over to Jasper, as I ran to Bella. Carlisle and Esme followed, torn between them.
"Jasper, what happened? Baby, you ok?" Alice fretted.
"Goddamn, I fucking shattered my knuckles! Fuck, her bones are tough!"
I held Bella's head in my arms as she lied down, mewling through clenched teeth. "He broke your jaw, didn't he?"
She looked up at me and I heard a muffled "Yes".
Carlisle felt the break, and dashed in and out of the house, coming back with his black medical bag. He took out a roll of bandages and started to unwind it when Bella suddenly stood right back up, growling. I had wrapped my arms around her neck, so at this point I was now dangling from there. I got a close look at her jaw as I saw something amazing.
The point at which Jasper's fist had connected with Bella, there was already a purple-black bruise, with pieces of bone fragments protruding from the skin. Almost instantaneously, the bruise disappeared, and the bone stitched itself together. Within five seconds, it was as if Jasper hadn't even laid a finger on her. She breathed out a sigh of relief, and lowered her head, allowing me to drop off of her neck.
"How in the world? Bella, it... Your jaw... It..."
"Healed itself? Yeah, my body tends to do that. Its really quick, too. Comes in handy when you're constantly abused."
That made me tense up. Constantly abused? "What do you mean?"
She huffed, her deep voice still managing to sound small and sad. "Renee would beat me and hurt me before she let me go anywhere, to remind me of my place. I never fight her. I'm just thankful I heal fast. It doesn't hurt as long."
I shook my head. Her mother was disgusting. "You should never let that woman do that to you."
She shrugged. "I don't live with her anymore; I don't have to worry about it anymore. Jasper, you ok?"
"Yeah," he yelled back, showing his hand. "I'll think twice before doing that again. You're one tough little mamma!"
She smiled, and Jasper - and myself, through Jasper's thoughts - felt her relax. She laughed. "I'm the toughest! No one fucks with me!"
I laughed along with her. "Bella, you're just amazing."
She looked at me, locking her eyes onto mine. Her enormous heart began to beat faster, and her body got warmer. I was glad I couldn't blush. Carlisle ushered the rest of them inside, Emmett being carried by Jasper, Alice moping mentally about the state of her clothes.
Bella looked confused as she saw them leave. She was about to say something when I petted her cheek. She looked back at me, her heart beating faster at my touch.
"They're giving us time alone. Come with me." I smiled warmly, and her ears perked in interest. I took off into the forest, and she followed, easily reaching my speed. I watched her as she ran on all fours, her back arching and bowing with every stride. She mimicked a normal big cat's stride, except that her front paws were always reaching out before settling in the ground, her fingers stretching out to catch whatever would repel her forward. And every one stride she took matched ten of mine. She looked as if she could fly.
I led her to a small secluded clearing, and in the moonlit night the trees, grass, and flowers all had a silvery touch to their original colors. Bella burst into the clearing and stopped, her eyes wide as she took in her surroundings. I heard her mew softly.
"What do you think?" I asked her quietly.
She was silent still, and I cursed myself for nit being able to hear her mind. But I thought of Jasper, and knew I'd be well off without it. I patiently waited as she stepped softly through the grass, marveling at everything in sight. She sniffed the flowers, gazed at trees, and finally looked up at the full moon. When she stepped into a pure beam of moonlight, her fur began to shimmer, an iridescent silver.
I was awestruck. Every moment I spent with Bella only increased her beauty. I couldn't believe such a creature as her existed, but here she stood, in awe-inspiring glory. She was outgoing and exciting, but sweet and caring. No matter her emotional swings, she was perfect. And I had to show her. She'd only seen love from her father, and I knew she craved more. I'd give it to her.
I walked over to her and stood next to her, gazing up at the moon. "Bella?"
"Hmm?"
"You look beautiful tonight."
She looked at me. "You think so?"
I nodded, still looking up.
There was a pause. "You are too. Your skin is so pretty."
I chuckled. "My skin looks different in the sun."
Her eyes grew wide. "It does? You don't burn up?"
"No!" I said, laughing. "Its just a display, no harm involved. How about you and I return here tomorrow? Its going to be nice and sunny."
She purred. "I'd like that."
We stood there in silence for a while. Then Bella walked toward the edge of the clearing. "I gotta get back; Charlie will be wondering where I am. Let's go back to your place so I can grab my things."
I nodded, jogging over to her. She didn't go on, but instead lowered her entire body so her chest was touching the ground. "Get on; I'll show you what its like to run as fast as I do."
I looked at her in mock hurt. "What, you think I'm slow?"
"No, just slower than me." She curled her tail and brushed my back, encouraging me. I smiled and shook my head, but took tufts of her fur in my hands and swung myself onto her back. When she stood up to her full height, I swayed a little. The height was immense, and I realized just how tall she really was. She shrugged and rolled her shoulders.
"Move back just a little, I need to be able to move my arms."
I did as she asked, and grasped two fistfuls of fur tightly.
"You ready?" she growled playfully.
"Show me what you got."
She took off, and it was all I could do to hood on. Forget the speed of our own kind, she was going so fast that we arrived back in front of the house within seconds. I wasn't really able to fully experience the ride. I swung off and looked at Bella incredulously. "Geez, I didn't even get a chance to really have fun. You sure you didn't just... Teleport?"
She laughed a throaty laugh. "I'll show you more one day. Let me change back, and I'll meet you back here." She sauntered off into the forest. A minute later, I heard her yell, in her normal human voice, "Alice! My clothes!"
Alice zoomed out with a bundle of clothes, then ran back upstairs, smiling and winking as she passed me by.
I want to hear EVERYTHING!
I shook my head. She frowned and disappeared upstairs.
Bella came out from behind the tree line, wearing a hot pink blouse and dark blue jeans, along with a humble pair of converse high tops, in red. "Alright, now to get my things and go home. Rose, where'd you put my new things?"
Rosalie ran out with three shopping bags, two that had books and one that had clothes, and handed them to Bella. "Right here. I'm glad Alice has someone else to go shopping with her, I just hope she doesn't get too discouraged with your love of books."
Bella grinned. "She'll have to deal. But I do appreciate new clothes now and then. I'm glad she has a fashion sense, but she needs to broaden her horizons. Not everyone looks good in girly clothes ALL the time."
"You're right, I think you look fantastic in more tomboy clothes." Rosalie gestured to Bella's outfit. "However, you still look good in nicer dress up wear."
Yes, she did. The blouse hugged Bella's torso so the curve of her back was more pronounced. Her long legs looked so good in the skinny jeans she was wearing. I wondered what she looked like underneath all of that. When I had helped her undress that one time, I really hadn't looked at her naked form. Now, I really wanted to.
Shit, where was this coming from? I steered my thoughts to my piano, which always distracted unwanted thoughts. Suddenly, a melody began to form in my head. It was magnificent, the notes rolling from low to high and back, a cascade of perfect sounds that could effectively tell my story of Bella.
"Well Bella we shouldn't keep you. Come on, Charlie will want to see what you got." Rosalie smiled, took the shopping bags from her, and ran back into the garage, pulling up her BMW next to us. Bella hopped in, bade me goodnight, and waved as Rosalie drove off into the dark, hopeful night.
