All things Twilight belong to the Awesomely Awesome Stephenie Meyer (17 Days till Breaking Dawn!)

Chapter 13 - Spontaneous

The wolves finally left after a couple of hours, they had so many question and I had so much more to show them. I had used each of the Cullen's as an example, well, all except Esme and Rosalie anyway. I couldn't bring myself to attack Esme she was too maternal, and Rosalie, she intimidated me.

Edward and I had been at it the longest, we seemed well matched, and he was so much quicker than the rest of them I couldn't get a hold of him. Alice was incredible, it was almost a little scary. Our fights would turn into intricate dances as we countered one another's moves. In the end we had to call it a tie, we were both pleased with the outcome.

I didn't lose sight of why we were doing this, no matter how much fun we were having wrestling, I never forgot that I was teaching them to protect themselves. I couldn't forget, it was eating away at me, the worry for my mother, the worry for my new family and friends if they were stuck in a physical confrontation.

This was all happening because of me, I was beginning to feel like the root of all evil, like I was drawing in the danger and confrontation, I was just hoping that it would pass when James and the others were taken care of, I didn't like how uncomfortable it made me.

Each of the family was still surprised at the result I was getting when I fought, once the wolves had gone, they persuaded me to teach them as much as I could, they were fascinated. Laurent had been a good teacher, and he knew that I had picked it up well, I doubted he was concerned about me using it just yet, that would wait until I was able to confront him the way I wanted to.

I was sure he still had some things up his sleeves, he was intelligent, living for longer than two centuries had taught him a thing or two. He knew I was learning fast and he'd cut me off before I could have overpowered him, now I knew why, and it made me angry, even more so when I dwelled on it for too long.

It was going to be a challenge, facing Laurent and following what they had planned for me, they thought they knew me well, and if it hadn't been for the talents of my new family, I very well may have played directly into their hands. Unfortunately for them, I did know, and I was going to use everything I had against them. I wanted them to suffer as much as they had made me suffer during my time with them, I wanted to take out every frustration I had on them.

I had to stop thinking about this, I was a nonviolent person and this was bringing out a side of me I never knew I had. It was making me vindictive and bitter, and I had never been that way.

Edward, who was practicing his new moves on Jasper, must have noticed something was wrong. He was by my side in an instant, his arms wrapped around my waist and his forehead met with mine. His eyes searched mine for the answers to his questions.

"Are you alright, love?" he whispered. His breath was intoxicating.

"Yes, just thinking." I sighed, there was no lying to him when he was in such close proximity to me, so I found myself dancing around the truth instead.

"What's bothering you?"

"Am I that easy to read?" I asked smiling. "If I didn't know better, I would think you were reading my mind."

"No, sorry, you're still silent to me, except of course when you invite me in."

I grinned at his words, I wasn't sure whether he was fishing for a free pass into my mind or simply stating the obvious.

"I'm just annoyed," I confessed, "I've let them get to me, and they're making me into something I don't like."

"What's that?" Edward asked curiously.

"Vengeful, violent, and bitter."

Edward's hand moved up my cheek and he closed his eyes, he looked so upset, I felt guilty about being honest.

"That's not who you are, Bella." Edward sighed, "I will never see you like that. These animals, are not worth getting upset about. From what I saw of James' mind, he lives for this, he wants you to feel like that, that way you'll put up a fight and he and Victoria get what they want."

I sighed and placed my hand over his, the one that was still holding my cheek delicately. He always seemed to make me feel better about things.

"I love you, Edward Cullen." I said pensively

"And I love you, Bella Swan."

"That's Bella McCarty to you, brother." Emmett said slapping Edward on the back making us both rock on our feet.

Edward's eyes lit up and he stepped away from me, I could tell he was going to challenge Emmett by the playful grin he was giving me. He spun around and punched Emmett's arm, the impact sent out a deafening crack. Emmett's eyebrows rose on his forehead as he grinned back at Edward. There was always a consistent rivalry between them, but it never escalated above a playful brotherly banter.

I rolled my eyes at the two of them before heading over to Rosalie who seemed just as enthused as I was about the impromptu wrestling match.

"Why do they always break out into neanderthals at the most inappropriate times?" she sighed. "You would think, being vampires, they would be less likely to lose themselves to the primal idiocy of human ancestry, but no their testosterone escalates when they're within a foot of one another. It never fails."

I laughed at her rant, Rosalie was perhaps the only person who could put such an eloquent insult together, she never ceased to amaze me. Rosalie placed her arm around my shoulder and leaned into me, her mouth was close to my ear.

"But I have never seen Edward so happy, Bella. I'm glad you're here." she whispered.

"Thanks, Rosalie." I said just as quietly. I knew that it couldn't have been easy for her to put her emotions towards me into words. Rosalie, as beautiful and statuesque as she was, had a hard time with friendships and putting her feelings into words. So this was huge for her.

"Break it up boys, playtimes over." Rosalie called out to them.

Neither of them listened and continued. Currently, Edward and Emmett were circling again. I laughed at Rosalie's face, her perfect eyebrows rose on her forehead, she hated being ignored, especially by Emmett.

"Watch this," she whispered quietly to me.

"I guess someone wants to lose his bedroom privileges." she sighed loudly shrugging her shoulders. She winked at me quickly before spinning on her heel and strolling towards the house.

Emmett, hearing the connotation immediately followed, leaving Edward chuckling in the middle of the meadow. I had to admit, Rosalie knew how to get Emmett moving, if I had to guess, I would say sex was her greatest weapon. It wasn't hard to tell that Rosalie and Emmett had a healthy marriage, after all, we did live in the same house.

Alice was beside me quickly, she had been quiet for most of the afternoon, and it concerned me a little. Alice was one of the most buoyant people I had ever met, it made her silence all the more ominous.

"Everything okay, Alice?" I asked as I watched Edward stroll back towards us slowly.

"Fine," she said dully.

"It doesn't sound like it, Alice. What's the matter?"

Alice's amber eyes turned on me full force, her bottom lip was jutted out into a pout, her face was heartbreaking, I wanted to wrap my arms around her and hug her but Edward growled from where he was stood, and her expression immediately changed into frustration.

"What's going on?" I asked planting my hands on my hips, Edward had obviously seen what Alice had been planning to ask me and he seemed furious at her.

"Nothing," Alice said smiling at me. She shot Edward a death look before stomping away lightly.

"What was that?" I asked as Edward approached me.

"That was angry Alice." he laughed as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." I laughed.

"She saw something," he sighed. "But it's something she needs to keep to herself for now."

My stomach flipped at the tone of his voice, his eyes were aimed directly at Alice who was stood with Jasper, she stuck out her tongue at him before turning away. Edward chuckled lightly before kissing my forehead.

"She'll be okay," Edward laughed, "Believe me, she's chattering away to me in my head."

I raised my eyebrows at him, I could tell I was becoming part of the family because I felt annoyed at being left out of the loop. This seemed to be between Alice and Edward alone, so I let it drop, for now.

Alice kept her distance from me for the rest of the day, it was making me nervous. She had constantly been my companion since I arrived, in fact my time was normally split between her and Edward. For her to stay away for so long meant something was wrong. When Edward was in the shower, I had wandered downstairs to watch the television, hoping to keep my mind off of the impending situation, Alice was sat in the living room, as soon as I entered she got up to leave.

"Alice, please, did I do something wrong?" I asked, before she could escape me.

"No, Bella." Alice smiled sheepishly.

"Then why do you leave a room when I enter it?"

"I don't," Alice looked like she was ready to explode in excitement, she was almost vibrating on the spot.

"Alice, what aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing,"

"Exactly, spit it out before you spontaneously combust."

"I. Can't." she said biting her lip, then she disappeared from the room in a black and white streak. I shook my head in confusion. I could understand that there was something she was obviously wanting to share with me but she couldn't, but I didn't understand her need to stay away from me, and if I was being completely honest it was hurting my feeling a little.

I fell into the couch and picked up the remote, I would get it out of her, I could even make her . . .

"Oh, don't you dare, Bella." I heard Alice almost shout down the stairs.

I laughed to myself, I should have known she would see that. She was the psychic in the family after all. I don't think I would have ever forced it out of her, no matter how much I teased her about it.

Whatever it was would have to wait. I couldn't keep my mind from what was happening right now, right here in Forks. James and the others were here and I needed to keep vigilant. They had Renee and I would n't be able to rest until I knew she was safe. Alice would see the moment that they decided to make a move, but I planned on being prepared.

I had gone through this so many times in my head that I was sure I could do it blindfolded, but I wanted the upper hand, I wanted to be stronger than them, they'd had such a hold on me for the past year, I refused to let them have that now.

I heard Edward coming down the stairs before he joined me in the living room, his hair was still damp but was tousled to perfection, he looked like a supermodel. I would never get used to him and his perfection. It was a little intimidating at times.

"What was Alice talking about?" he asked as he lay on the couch next to me, his head coming to rest on my lap.

I laughed. "I was thinking bad thoughts, she ran away from me so I was thinking about using my little gift to make her spit it out, but she saw the decision."

"Isabella Swan," he said looking up at me with mock horror.

"What?" I said scrunching my nose in my embarrassment, "I never would have done it."

Edward chuckled lightly before wrapping one of his arms around my waist. My hand went to his beautiful bronze hair and ran through it gently. He hummed hungrily through his lips at my touch, the sound brought a smile to my lips, he was enjoying the tenderness of the moment. I felt his arm around my waist tighten, and I pressed my lips together to stop myself from sighing in contentment, I was sure it would make the situation all the more amorous.

There was so much passion between us in even the slightest of touches, our bodies seemed to respond to one another. Every time he touched my body I felt the tingling of the heat it left behind, even though we were both as cold as stone.

The passion between us made me forget everything, my mind couldn't focus on anything other than him, whenever we kissed the world disappeared and only the two of us were left behind, lost in one another, I had never wanted to give myself to someone as completely as I did to him.

"Whatever your thinking, Bella, it must be scandalous, you look miles away." he sighed, sitting up.

He placed one arm on the other side of me, his torso was leaning across me and his head was now level with mine. He was breathtaking to me.

I lent forward and kissed him gently, I wanted it to be soft and tender so I could reflect everything I was feeling in that moment.

Edward's hand reached behind my neck and pulled me closer, his hands tangled in my hair, as he kissed me with a little more force. I could feel myself melting into his touch, it was so pure, so real, and every ounce of newly discovered love we had for one another flowed between us like an electrical current.

My hands held onto the sides of his body, I could feel the muscles as they tensed at my touch. It was evident that we had the same involuntary reaction to one another, it was like two magnets pulling one another closer. I couldn't help but think we were made for one another. I constantly felt this way, I ached for him. Our lips slowed gently and as they parted our eyes flickered open and met, his beautiful ochre eyes were smoldering.

"What was that for?" he smiled, his hand playing gently with the hair on the nape of my neck.

I just grinned, I couldn't say anything to him, I'd lost my voice. All I could think was how he was my life now, everything I didn't know I wanted wrapped up in this perfect man.

"Bella?"

"Sorry," I whispered, still trying to find my voice.

His crooked grin spread widely across his face.

"What?" I asked, confused at his sudden elation.

"Thank you." he whispered.

"For?" I asked confused.

"You just let me into your mind."

I could feel my eyes growing wide, I must have let my guard down giving him full access to what I was thinking and feeling in this moment. I'd never been more glad that I couldn't blush, I would have been scarlet by now.

"Don't," he whispered, before kissing the tip of my nose. "Please, don't be embarrassed."

"I . . ."

He silenced me with a kiss, he was trying to distract me and it was working. I tried to collect my thoughts but they revolved around the two of us. I wasn't sure if it was possible to be addicted to a person, but I certainly felt like I was, he intoxicated me.

The kiss had ended long before I opened my eyes. I couldn't bring myself back to my reality, for now I was happy lost in the heaven that was Edward.

He chuckled gently as he traced the lines of my face, his body moved lightly pulling me to him, into the enclosure of his arms. I lay against him with my head on his chest.

"Bella," he whispered my name with such conviction, I let my eyes flutter open. I smiled at the longing in his eyes.

"Bella, I didn't want to do this now, not with everything so crazy, but here, now with you. There couldn't be a more perfect time."

I tried to read the look behind his eyes, but he was unreadable. I smiled encouragingly at him letting him know it was safe to go on.

"Bella, I have been alone for over a century, I never thought I needed anyone, I never wanted anyone, then, when I saw you, across the cafeteria, everything changed. I wish I could go back and change what happened, but I can't. I thought I'd lost you forever, but then Jacob came to us, and we knew we had to find you. When I saw you again, I knew I never wanted to let you go, and the more time I spend with you, the more I fall in love with you. You are so pure and beautiful, I can't imagine this existence without you in my life to share it with."

I smiled at him and let my hand stroke his cheek gently, he had just put into words, everything I felt about him.

"I know this is probably insane, but I never want to let you go again, so, Bella, what I am asking you, here, now, is will you become my wife and let me love you for eternity?"

The world felt like it had stopped turning on it's axis in this one moment, if my heart had been beating it would have stopped, my throat felt like it was swelling and my stomach flipped around inside of my body.

I was happy, I had been brought up with the notion that marriage wasn't something to rush into, that it was ultimately a bad thing, but thinking about an eternity with Edward by my side, could never be a bad thing. He was all I ever wanted, all I would ever want, he made me whole.

Still unable to say a word, I nodded I could feel my cheeks as they become swollen with my smile, Edward looked as though he was glowing with happiness and I couldn't contain my own.

Alice had her arms wrapped around my within seconds, I hadn't even seen her enter the room, she was like a tornado in her movements. She stepped away from me and nodded at Edward.

Edward rolled his eyes but his smile was glorious. He pulled me up from the couch and took a knee in front of me. He pulled a small black box from his pocket and held it up to me.

"Bella, will you marry me?"

"Yes," I said my voice almost cracking from the emotion.

Alice was squealing beside me, and it wasn't long until the entire family had piled into the room. Esme looked as though she wanted to sob and Carlisle held her tightly smiling proudly at his son.

Edward slipped the ring onto my finger and it fit perfectly. I pulled him to his feet and kissed him with everything I had, his strong arms pulled me closer. Yes it was fast, yes, it may be crazy, but it felt so right, so natural, like it had always meant to be.

I held my left hand up and admired the ring, it was beautiful, oval in the center surrounded by a nest of diamonds, I had never seen anything like it.

"Edward, it's beautiful." I gasped pulling it in for a closer look.

"I hope you don't mind it was my mothers, I was able to save it before the bank took ownership of our house. It was one of the few possessions I was able to save."

I kissed him on the lips, "It makes it all the more perfect," I whispered.

A/N: ahem, well, I guess I know it was quick, but I was going with what Esme said about vampire love . . . I guess they were each others lobsters (Sorry I guess that's for the 'Friends' fans out there) It was such an honest moment between them I couldn't help it ;0) I also implore you to listen to the song that goes along with it, I have a link on my profile. Pieces by Red ;0)

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