Forces of Nature Chapter 21
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyers owns Twilight Bella Edward Jasper and more but I own my idea!! Oh yeah and my house and car… well actually I own the mortgage on the house… hehehe
Ok so on with the show I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think!
I tried to get this chapter out sooner because I have a few faithful reviewers for which I am mega thankful!! Reviews make me want to share the story all the more and make me find time to write in my already crazy schedule!! Thanks guys!! I appreciate you taking the time. You are the lime in my Corona!!
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EPOV:
The sunlight streamed in through the large living room windows and I cursed it. I didn't want today to come. Today she would be in danger, waking meant that we would no longer be tangled around each other on her couch. Note to self, I need to find out where she got this couch. This thing is ridiculously comfortable and I could see myself cuddling up with her on it time and time again.
As long as she got through today.
Or was it the next three days?
Fuck! I don't know and it was stressing me out before she was even awake.
One hand was nervously trailing through my hair tugging on the ends, while I kept my other arm curled around her waist holding her to me as her head snuggled into my neck. She just felt right. She had since the night of the bar.
Who am I kidding? I can still remember her pale face and big brown eyes looking up at me as she tripped on the beach and I helped her up what 14 -15 years ago. I just didn't know before that it was her that I remembered.
I shook my head a bit before settling back into the couch and enjoying the last few minutes of her warm breath washing over my neck. I smirked at the thought of what color she would be when she realized how close we were throughout the night. I wondered if it would match the color of her chair.
She sighed softly, still sleeping but I could tell she would be awake soon. I wanted to ask her questions. Sleeping next to her left me with more than I had imagined, like who the hell was James? From what I could read of her dreams, he seemed like a fucking scumbag, and I didn't enjoy or appreciate his choice of words to her. But today was not the day to bombard her with more questions.
A sharp knock at the door was what brought her completely out of her slumber and I watched as her forehead began to crease with thoughts of today. I immediately missed how smooth it had been during the night last night and I brought my thumb up to smooth it out before she sat up, her eyes widening as we disentangle our web of arms and legs, her face and neck turning a beautiful shade of vibrant pink. Nope, not quite the color of the chair. I laughed internally.
"Hey" I whispered softly.
"Hey." She said back a small smile gracing her face.
The knock at the door sounded again, and her eyes darted from me to the door back to me again.
"Do you want me to get it?" I asked my voice just above a whisper.
She shook her head standing from the couch, "no I got it." She said as she stretched and then walked to the door.
Opening the door, she revealed Rugger, Penn, and Luke.
"You ready?" Rugger's deep voice asked.
"Uhhh, just give me a minute." She said sheepishly, indicating for them to enter as she made her way towards the kitchen.
I stood from the couch and watched as she made her way to the coffee pot that had just begun percolating. "Should be done soon guys." She said indicating the pot as she turned around to look at them again but stopped dead in her tracks. I followed her gaze to find the three of them stopped dead in their tracks staring at me, none looking too happy.
"What the fuck is going on here?" Rugger asked roughly shooting a glare at Bella.
I didn't like it, and I moved from my position by the couch to stand between them. "Nothing." I said firmly, not that it was any of his goddamn business.
I watched as Luke reached out a hand to him grasping his shoulder like Jasper would do, but the effect wasn't the same. "Come on man, calm down." He said to him.
Bella stalked forward towards her bedroom door. "Don't worry, I'm not fucking stupid." She growled at him on her way by. What did that mean?
She turned when she got to her door, casting me a soft smile and then proceeded to do the same for the rest of them. "I'll be out in a minute – help yourselves to the coffee."
"Bella –" I called shooting Rugger another look, crossing over to her doorway, "do" I hesitated for a minute unsure if I should even ask. I glanced back at the three men who were watching us intently, Luke with a friendly smile, Penn looking at the coffee maker and Rugger still a bit upset, I turned back to her, "would you like me to go to the funeral with you?" I asked hoping that she said yes.
She paused for a minute and looked down at her feet again, before looking up at me "that would be nice Edward." She said.
I let out a breath of relief, "ok I'm going to go get ready, I'll meet you back here in a few minutes?" She smiled nodding at me.
I dressed quickly settling on a decent pair of black pants and a black button down, I grabbed a dark grey wool pea coat and headed back out, closing my door and turning around as she stepped from her apartment the guys right behind her.
She was beautiful with her long mahogany hair pulled into a pony tail with her bangs swept to the side, she wore a black turtle neck with a sleek black suede jacket over it and wide legged black trousers, her feet held in black heeled boots. I wanted to kiss her, but the look on Rugger's face told me not to even try. Luke gave me a quick shrug as he pushed Rugger forward, Penn following close behind them as I stepped up to her and took her hand in mine again. This seemed to be allowed, at least by her, the look on Rugger's face as he shot a glare at me back over his shoulder told a different story.
She squeezed my hand and I looked back at her as she gave me a tentative smile as though she were apologizing for her friend's behavior. I smiled back at her; she didn't need to worry about me today. She needed to focus and when she left, I would let her go with a confident smile on my face. I couldn't be a hindrance.
***
The reservation seemed isolated and desolate. I had never been on a reservation before, but I sat beside her in the car, Luke and Penn riding along with us while Rugger rode with Jasper Emmett and Rosalie. It seemed to be an endless parade of cars from the compound to the reservation, but there were no other cars on the road. We passed down a road, and I noticed a decorated sight, there were feathers and beads and leather cords decorating the area in front of a piece of land that clearly used to hold a home, the home was now a pile of rubble. I couldn't break my eyes away from the destruction, knowing that this was the sight of her last fight, and this was what they considered not dangerous.
I felt her squeeze my hand tighter, "It's ok Edward." She said calmly. It was anything but ok, what would she be facing over the next few days? I wanted to panic, to make her drive far away and have us both never look back, but I knew that she never would, and I couldn't give her more to worry about.
I turned to look at her plastering a fake reassuring smile on my face as I nodded, she gave me the same fake smile in return with one more squeeze of the hand as she shifted gears and turned back t the road leading to the burial ground.
The smoke rose in patterns before us, rising up from strategically placed fire pits. There was a faint drum with humming sounding from a man with long grey hair perched on a hill overlooking the burial site. The whole was dug wide and deep. Much too wide for one man alone.
I watched as Bella walked forward towards Jake and Sam who were decorated in what seemed to be traditional Native American clothing. They were flanked by others in similar garb, all of them tall and mighty looking. Beyond them sat elders closer to the burial site, they sat humming the same tune as they crushed something in small stone bowls in front of them with something that looked like it was made of a white stone, or possibly bone.
She didn't hug them or touch them in anyway, she slowly approached them head held high until she was just a few paces away. It was then that she bowed down to them as if she were worshiping. I didn't like the feeling that resonated in my body as I watched her bow down. This girl should bow down to no one.
"It's a traditional burial." I heard Jasper whisper to me as he stepped up beside me. "Billy was the chief, that responsibility falls to Jacob now, but Sam will stand in his stead."
I looked over at him for a moment, "Sam isn't going with her today?" I said taken a back for a moment.
"No, one of them needs to stay here." He answered.
"Well shouldn't that be Jacob?"
"He won't let her go into this alone, and Sam had to tell him because he is chief now. He has no right to keep anything from him."
I turned to him a bit angry now, but trying to keep it locked up, this was not the time or place for me to be lashing out. "Isn't Sam better suited to keep her safe, will all his training?"
He reached out a hand and grasped my shoulder, and I felt the nerves that had been bundled up inside of me slowly uncoil. "Sam has been trained, but he has nowhere near the power that Jacob has. Besides, neither of them are going to keep her safe, you know this Edward. She takes care of herself."
I nodded and looked back at her now, head still bowed as they spoke quietly to her.
"They are about to begin." Jasper said indicating the parade of traditionally dressed people marching up the hill, each holding something in their hands. The elders who where humming and mixing earlier had set down their bowls and humming and chanting louder than before as the smoke stacks picked up in a heavier plume and the drumming beat louder.
I followed Jasper, unsure of what else to do, as Rose Emmett and countless others followed behind us. We stood there listening to the chanting as the unnaturally large men that had been flanking Sam and Jake earlier began a dance of some sort around the burial site. Bella came and stood next to me, and though we were untouching I could feel our normal electric current passing through us. She kept her head forward, her eyes fixed on the spiritual site before us.
The dancing came to a close, but the chanting and humming did not stop, it seemed as though there were two songs being sung, one of mourning and sorrow, and another freeing and fearless, warrior like. The parade of people came forward setting food and personal items into the burial site, all around the wrapped up body. It seemed to be an endless gift giving of mortal items sending him forth into an immortal world. All throughout Jake said nothing. He stood straight, shoulders back the elders sitting and rocking behind him in their chant. Occasionally his eyes would rise from the grave site and lock on to Bella, before flitting back to the grave. I watched as the tribe was moved into a circle around the grave, leaving those of us who were not tribal members outside, until one of the large men came and brought Bella to Jake. She cast me a quick glance but her face was stoic and I wasn't sure what was going on. A long pipe was lit and was passed around starting with Sam to Jacob, who then passed it to Bella. I watched as she drew in a breath from the pipe seemingly holding in the smoke, before she Jake and Sam let out their breaths all together. I hadn't even realized that they had been holding theirs as well. The pipe was then passed along to the next in line and each member of the circle drew on it long and deep. The chanting and humming had stopped but the drumming had continued on.
"She's always been like a member of the tribe. Like a member of Billy's family." Jasper whispered to me again, still standing by my side.
The pipe once passed all the way around the circle and given back to Sam, who handed it to Jacob again. Jacob stepped forward to place it on his father's chest. His head bent down in doing so stayed put for a moment while he seemed to say a silent prayer of goodbye.
A new pipe with bright colors had been brought forth and given to the elder's by a woman that I did not recognize. The pipe was held up in the air as chanting and humming resumed in new tunes and the grave was lit on fire. The pipe was then handed to Jacob who took another pull from it before handing it back and watching as each of the elders drew their own smoke filled breaths from it. The chanting and humming continued and the woman stepped forward again to take the pipe back, holding it carefully in front of her.
The smoke from the grave filled the air, the stench of the burning body covered in some sort of incense. Women with smoking hand torches began their dance around the fiery grave now as the elders, Jake Sam, and the large men moved away. Bella was brought will them as the elders took their seats again and began a different hum. They had picked up their stone bowls and two women walked forward with something in their hands. Jake and Sam were first to go to the woman, taking from their hands what was revealed to be a knife.
I drew in a deep breath unsure of what they were going to do next, the knives being in close proximity to Bella were making me nervous.
I listened as new drums sounded and watched as Jake was first to raise the knife in his hand to his other arm and cut himself, a trail of crimson blood trickling down his arm, Sam did the same. I watched in Horror as Jake handed the knife to Bella, and she began to remove her jacket, revealing that her turtleneck was sleeveless under her jacket.
I took a hasty step forward to stop her when Jasper grasped one arm and Emmett the other. He looked at me as though he were pained at trying to stop me, and I shot a look at Jasper, "It's their custom, it shows their mourning…" Jasper said to me quietly. My eyes widened and I realized that I had no right to stop her from this but cutting themselves made no sense to me. "You have to let her do this." I sighed in defeat knowing that this was not my choice to make. Carlisle was here he could heal it for her in a moment.
Jasper and Emmett stood close by me, as I watched Bella spill a small amount of her own blood. I cringed at the sight, but understood that this was this tribe's culture and tradition and even though I wanted to, I had no right to stop it.
Soon the men were finished too and the elders had begun yet a new chant, I glanced back to the grave to see the woman still dancing around it with their smoke stacks becoming shorter as they continued their chant and waved them around.
I looked back to the three elders who now stood in front of Jacob, Bella and Sam. Jacob was first, as an elder reached out from the bowl with black fingertips and drew two lines across his forehead and then three black lines across each cheek. Something was said loud and clear but in a language, I didn't understand. Sam was next as they drew a similar pattern on his face, but only two streaks of black on each cheek, they again said something in their native tongue.
Lastly, they stood before Bella, drawing one single black line down one cheek, the elder spoke loud and clear again, but this time in English "For the warrior who always walks alone," was all that was said before each of the three elders bowed in turn to Bella now.
My eyes stayed trained on Bella as she stood stock still, but I noticed from my peripheral vision that one of the two knife women handed handed the other her knife and taken a bowl from an elder. The elder seemingly bless the bowl before the woman went about the warriors theirs and ours alike marking black dots on their temples. I watched as she did it to Rose and the Jasper as well as a 11 others from our compound. Always saying the same chant as she finished with each of them.
The ritual came to a close and some of the men were left to guard the burial site until the fire had consumed it all. I watched as Bella entered a large grass hut with the Elders as well as Sam and Jake.
"Stay here." Jasper said to me before setting off to join them. I watched as Carlisle followed them as well as Rugger, Luke, and Penn, each of them slipping silently into the hut. Rose stayed with us as well as the others with black marked faces. While the rest of the tribe continued with burial rights and different chores around the area and the remaining members of our compound started back towards the cars. Smoke started to billow up from inside the hut, rising through a circular hole in the center of the thatched roof.
Time seemed to stand still as we waited and waited. It could have been minutes or hours before Penn popped back out through the door. He was followed by the others and finally Bella emerged with Jacob right behind her.
They didn't slow as they approached us, but Bella smiled lightly at me and inclined her head as if I should follow, I matched my pace to hers, and reached for her hand. It took a moment for her to grasp my hand in return, and she looked at Jake briefly before doing so, but she did, and she gave it a tight squeeze as she looked up at me. We walked for a while and ended up in front of a long building. I followed them inside and was surprised to find the building was rather modern.
"We built this here years ago." Bella said squeezing my hand. "It's off sight storage and can be used as a command post if needed. Billy and my father were always very close." She finished as I gave her hand another squeeze at the mention of the two men she had already lost.
She squeezed my hand in return and gave me a tentative smile before she released my hand and went to open a door on the far left of the room. She ducked inside, and came out with vests.
"Kevlar vests." She announced to everyone in the room. "We don't know exactly who will be using what kind of weapon and we need to be prepared for any and all possibilities." She walked about handing vests to everyone except for me, Emmett and Carlisle.
"You not going with her?" I asked shocked and angry.
Carlisle's mouth dropped open as if he was unsure of how to answer me, when Jasper stepped up and spoke. "Edward, he can't go with us on this." He tried to calm me, but I was having none of it, I looked back to find Bella handing out goggles for everyone, "Night vision goggles" she announced ignoring my outburst.
I noticed as she kept a pair for herself, after handing a pair to Rose who was still being fitted into her vest by Emmett. Looking around I noticed that everyone else who had been given a vest was already in one, but she was not. Anger was pulsing through me at the thought of her being careless with herself, and I stormed forward to the door she had gone into before to retrieve the vests. There were more in there so I turned back, and grabbed her wrist. Our eyes locked, and for a moment, I thought that she was going to fight me on this. I heard a growl and turned to find Jacob looking at my hand wrapped around Bella's wrist, but I didn't care, this was for her safety. She said herself that they needed to be prepared for anything. I glowered back at him, holding in my growl only because of the day that today had been for him. I pulled her through the door with me shutting it quickly behind me.
"You will be putting one of these on." I stated in an authoritative voice.
"Edward, I really don't need one." She stated evenly.
"Hell you don't. " I did growl this time as I took a step towards her. "You're always worried about keeping everyone else safe, never yourself. That needs to stop right now."
I reached forward, took her jacket from her, and set it on the shelves behind her.
"Edward I don't ever wear a vest, my powers are more than enough protection." She hissed at me.
"You said to me that your powers become evasive sometimes when you're not focused." I hissed back, "after the way I found you last time…" I stopped myself for a moment. "Bella, I know that this stupid little vest is nothing compared to your powers or the other things that you are going to face out there, but you're taking extra precautions for others, can't you please just do it for yourself as well? Please?"
"Edward, they can't see me wearing this. They are used to me making them take precautions, but if they see me taking them it will rattle them. I can't have them rattled going into this."
I listened to her, understanding where she was coming from, but really, everyone already knew how serious this was.
"Fine, then we won't let them see that you are wearing one." I spoke softly as I took another step towards her. She didn't shy away.
I reached out my hands, and took hold of the hem of her shirt as I looked in her eyes. Her eyes went wide, as if she knew what I was going to do but she didn't stop me, even as her cheeks flushed red.
I lifted the shirt from her body, keeping my eyes on her face, and I turned her so that her back was to me. I reached for a vest, and when I looked back to place the vest on her I noticed the shade of midnight blue that her bra was, as it stretched across her back and over her shoulders. My breath caught at the sight of her pale skin against the blue, and my eyes trailed down to a splattering of freckles on her lower back. It seemed that they made a familiar design but I knew I couldn't stand her ogling her lower back all day.
I reached around her settling the vest over her, and strapping her in tight and secure. Once the straps were fitted, I was a little safer since now it looked more like she was wearing a tank top. I took a moment and wrapped my arms around her waist pulling her back to my chest. My head hung down and I settled my nose in the crown of her head breathing her in.
"Please be careful." I whispered to her.
"I will." She replied in a whisper of her own. I kissed her head, before sweeping her shirt back over it effective hiding the vest from anyone's eyes. I helped her back into her jacket and took her hand as we emerged from the small room.
The others were milling about, getting together supplies, putting on high tech communicators. It was like something out of a movie. I watched from the side of the room as Bella put a com in her ear, smaller than an ear bud for an ipod, She put her foot on a chair and tucked a long knife under her pant leg and I sucked in a breath at the thought that someone could get close enough that she would need something like that.
Final words were spoken and people were broken into small groups and given further instructions.
I watched as Rose ran back to Emmett, grabbing him roughly and giving him a searing kiss. She looked up at him when she was done and gave him a huge smile, and he forced a smile back at her, before she turned and walked out the door. Carlisle grasped Emmett's shoulder and went to lead him to another door, as I watched all those going off to fight follow Rose out.
I looked back to find Emmett and Carlisle had completely left and went to follow after them when I heard it.
Edward
It wasn't spoken, it was a thought.
I turned to look at her, and she reminded me of a real life Laura Croft for a moment, I had to smile.
She walked closer to me and hesitated just before reaching me.
Everything will be fine.
"Say it out loud."
"You're getting better at this mind reading thing." She smirked.
"Yeah I guess I am, though it seems to only be with you." I gave her a smirk in return.
"Everything will be fine."
I nodded unsure of what to say. Good luck? Come back ? Don't Go? I love you?
"ok… "She said as she regained her bearings. " I'll see you on the flip side?" she let out a light shaky laugh, and I could tell she was just trying to make me feel better and lighten the mood.
"Everything will be fine." I replied, deciding not to say anything else. I took a step closer to her, and she mirrored my action and what started as a slow good bye, turned frantic as I grabbed her arm and she grabbed my neck, both us of us pulling each other together. Our lips parted and came together causing the electric current that constantly ran around us to explode as I sucked her bottom lip in between my own, and wrapped my arms around her waist lifting her up so her head was bent down to mine. This is how it should be, her above all else, I thought to myself as our tongues whispered against each other and our lips continued to move together before breaking apart to gasp for air. She was still held above me in my arms as her forehead rested on my own, both of us slowly opening our eyes to look at the other.
I knew it was time to set her down, even though I didn't want to, so I did so slowly and gently. My forehead still connected to hers and our eyes still locked.
Her feet now planted back on the ground she said, "I'll be back," as took a step back from me.
"I'll be waiting."
Well I hope I did this chapter justice – let me know what you think!!!