Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all.
Rated M for several reasons.
Chpt 11 Knight on a White Charger
RPOV
My relief when she finally opens her eyes is immediately replaced by irritation as Emo Ed leans even closer into her face.
Em gently takes my hand and it gives it a squeeze. I favour him with a tight smile.
She gasps.
"Is it really you?"
"Yes." He says in that annoyingly breathy voice he always uses when he talks to her. "It's really me."
"Am I dead?"
I snort and he flicks me a warning glance.
"No love." He drops a kiss on her forehead. "You're not dead."
"I fell out of a tree." She whispers gazing up at him in wonder.
I grind my teeth together and Em shoots me a look.
"You did." Emo Ed says gently. "But you're not hurt, you are safe, here with me."
She closes her eyes with satisfied sigh.
Oh for fuck's sake this is like watching an accident in slow motion.
Abruptly her eyes open again and she struggles to sit up. Emo Ed tries to restrain her but she shoos him away and reluctantly he helps her into a sitting position.
She looks around blinking at us all in surprise.
"You're all here." She says stupidly. "There was a fight. What happened, was anyone hurt?"
"No." Pete responds, doing a twirl for her. "We're all fine. They caught us by surprise but we managed to get on top of things."
My idiotic little brother growls at him.
"Give it a rest." Pete responds calmly. "You've had your say on the matter. Victoria, Laurent and the newborns are all dead. The little one is alive and well. J arrived just in time to catch her when she fell out of the tree and you didn't even need to get ya smart slacks dirty."
The look on Ed's face is priceless, torn between getting in Pete's face again on the subject of recklessly endangering his beloved or keeping his prime spot by her side. Prick.
"You caught me?" Bella asks, peering shyly around Ed to look at Jazz.
"I did and it was a pleasure." He responds with a wink. "It's not every day a beautiful girl falls on me from a great height."
Alice and I growl at him. Which only makes him laugh.
"Thank you." She says politely and then she looks at me.
"What happened?"
With a triumphant smile I scoot an outraged Ed out of the way and sit down next to her.
"When I left you I managed to get to Em and help him out." I begin and she nods approvingly while Ed shoots me a murderous glare. "Sam had already shredded that newborn and the rest of the fight was in full swing. Pete's almost as impressive as he claims to be.
The tide was just turning in our favour when Edward, Alice and Jazz arrived. Alice had a vision of you falling out of a really big tree, they called Carlisle and Esme and asked them to come. They managed to follow our scent from the house and stumbled on the fight.
Em was fighting Victoria when they knocked your tree down. He didn't know you were up there but Jazz had caught your scent and managed to catch you."
I pause staring into her wide innocent eyes.
"I'm sorry." I manage to choke out finally.
She shakes her head and smiles slightly, flicking her eyes briefly at Em. I nod and the subject is closed. We understand each other perfectly in that respect.
"The wolves?" She asks.
"All fine." Carlisle answers. "I had to reset a couple of broken bones but no permanent damage was done."
With a sigh she closes her eyes.
"I think I'll go back to sleep now if that's all right with everybody." She murmurs.
"Is she alright?" Ed demands attempting to pull me out of the way.
"She's fine." I snap showing him my teeth. "She can sleep without your input Ed."
"Rosalie." Esme chides me. "Edward is just concerned about her. He's had quite a scare."
I rise to my feet glaring down at my little brother.
"He's had quite a scare?" I spit out slowly and distinctly. "What about Bella? What about what she's been through since he decided that leaving her was in her best interests."
"Rosalie." Carlisle warns me.
Abruptly I raise my hands to Edward's chest shoving him roughly across the room.
"How fucking dare you come back here and start laying down the law about Bella's safety? How dare you have a go at Pete for using her as bait to catch a crazed vampire you left her alone to deal with in the first place. Just who do you fucking think you are?"
"Rosalie." Carlisle warns me again.
"I'm not finished." I growl. "You left her and you lied to her. You broke her heart. If she takes you back I'll kill her myself."
"Okay babe, that's enough." Em drawls wrapping his huge arms around me from behind. "And before you start Edward, Rose won't hurt her. She's done nothing but help her and protect her. I'm more inclined to let you and Bella work this out on your own but if you hurt her again you'll have me to deal with this time.
That's a line in the sand you don't want to cross brother."
Without giving me a chance to protest he lifts me easily off my feet and carries me upstairs to our room for a much needed time out.
BPOV
I slowly come back to myself keeping my eyes closed and processing through everything that's happened.
But my stupid brain keeps interrupting and reminding me that he's here. Edward's back.
Reluctantly I open my eyes.
Edward's perfect face is inches from mine, his brow furrowed in concern.
"Are you alright?" He asks his sweet breath wafting into my face.
Mentally I take inventory. Woolly head, crusty eyes, dog breath, urgent need to pee.
"Yes, I um, just need a human moment."
He helps me to my feet, steadying me as I sway.
"Do you need me to help you?" He asks solicitously.
"No, it's okay, I've being going to the toilet on my own since I was about three."
He blinks at me in surprise and I realise that I've been hanging out with Rosalie and Pete much more than is healthy.
"Sorry." I mutter as I stumble to the bathroom.
Finished I study myself in the mirror.
Birds nest hair, rumpled clothes, bleary eyes, bruised cheekbone. Not the way to greet your knight on a white charger. But hey, at least I recently exfoliated.
I reach up to examine my bruise and wince.
Lifting up my shirt I find another two bruises on my ribs. Imprints of Jasper's arms I presume.
"Are you alright?" Edward's voice asks from just the other side of the door.
"Yes. Can you go and wait in the other room? This isn't a spectator sport."
He moves away with a heavy sigh and I return my attention to inspecting myself for damage. All in all not too bad considering I fell out of a tree in the middle of a fight between vampires and werewolves.
Satisfied I take a deep breath and unlock the door.
Instead of Edward I find Pete lurking in the hallway.
"Alright little one?" He asks with a smirk.
"Yes. Thank you. And thank you for coming here to help me out, I really appreciate it."
"It was no bother darlin'. It's been fun an' I wouldn't a wanted ya to end up at the mercy of that redhead. I kinda like you."
"Thanks. Are you, um, going to hang around for a while?"
"Well now." He muses, his smirk turning evil. "Normally no, the brady bunch an' I don't get along for very long. But with you here? An' little ole Eddie? Now that's got the potential to be downright entertainin' so if ya want us to me an' the wife will be happy to stay on for a while."
I'm not sure what he's on about but I will miss him when he leaves. For a dead guy he's more alive than anyone I've ever met.
"I'd like that." I answer eventually.
"Excellent." He says giving me one of his bone crushing hugs. "Char's found a nice little house in town where we can play at being human for a while. I'll go tell her the good news."
And he skips off leaving me in the hallway shaking my head uncertainly.
I find Edward in the kitchen with Esme, making me a snack.
The elder Cullen pulls me into her arms immediately.
"I'm so sorry." She whispers squeezing me gently. "We should never have left you. I shouldn't have allowed it. I failed you, I'm a terrible mother."
"It's okay." I mutter awkwardly patting her back. "I'm fine."
"You could have been killed." She murmurs sounding appalled.
"But I wasn't." I point out relaxing into her embrace. "Em and Rosalie looked after me."
"I know." She sniffs letting me go. "And I'm so proud of them, for doing the right thing when the rest of us didn't."
"Don't say that in front of Rosalie." I giggle.
"Don't worry, I won't." She laughs. "We've made you something to eat. Are you hungry?"
I nod eagerly and perch myself on one of the high stools while Edward places a sandwich and a glass of milk in front of me.
I smile at him automatically. I'm so happy to see him, the real him and not a hallucination, that I soon settle into a trance, biting and chewing as I gaze at his face.
Esme sidles out, tactfully leaving us alone.
"I'm so sorry." He says suddenly. "That I lied to you about why I left. That I wasn't here to protect you when Victoria came after you. That Peter Whitlock was able to put you in danger. That I left you in the first place."
I swallow and put down the rest of my sandwich.
"Why did you come back?" I ask after a long silence.
"Alice saw you in danger. I love you, I couldn't turn my back and let something happen to you. I love you Bella."
"Would you have come back if she hadn't seen anything?"
"Yes." He says simply, hanging his head in shame. "It was getting harder and harder each day to stay away. And Alice kept telling me I was being foolish, that I love you and you love me and I was just torturing us by trying to keep us apart. That there had to be a way we could make things work."
He sighs heavily and lifts his head to look at me.
I almost gasp at his beauty, he looks so forlorn, mesmerising gold eyes holding mine.
"Is there any way you can ever forgive me for being so idiotic?" He asks quietly, leaning in so that his cool exquisite breath washes over me.
I sigh. It's a ridiculous question. A few months ago I would have dragged my naked body over hot coals to be at his side again. What is there to forgive, he was only trying to do the right thing, the noble thing. My own, misguided, romantic hero.
He leans further forward and presses his cold hard lips firmly against mine.
My heart goes crazy, my stomach flips over and warmth spreads through my body like wildfire.
Before I can get properly excited he pulls away taking my hand in his and urging me to finish my sandwich.
I eat and drink mechanically as my racing pulse returns to normal.
There is a lot we need to talk about but for now I will allow myself to bask in the joy of his presence.
Rosalie and Em wander in, his arm draped casually over her shoulder.
Em seems happy to have his family back together but she looks murderous.
Oops. Time to beat a hasty retreat.
While Edward fetches my bag she shoves a pot of cream at me.
"Here. Use this next time you exfoliate, you'll look less like a lighthouse afterwards."
"Um, thanks."
Out in the driveway the Volvo is waiting and I supress an unexpected shudder.
Edward drives me home in silence casting worried glances at me every time I yawn.
I'm tired. I can't help it. It's been an extremely trying couple of days, months.
"Would you like me to stay?" He asks as he helps me out of the car.
