Disclaimer: I am NOT Stephenie Meyer and I don't own any of the Twilight series' characters or stories. I borrowed the dialogue and storyline from Eclipse, but the rest is my own take on the story, as seen through Edward's eyes.
Chapter 20
Graduation
We stood in the doorway, fingers interlaced. Bella reached up on her toes to kiss me softly on the lips, but I gently nudged her away as her father began to round the corner.
"What time would you like me to pick you up?" I asked while tracing circular patterns with my thumb on the back of her hand.
"Well, the ceremony starts at two, so how about…"
Oh, no…no, you don't! "Hold on now," Charlie bellowed as he spun around the corner to face us. "Tomorrow, you're mine."
"Excuse me?" Bella asked with a shocked expression on her face.
"Tomorrow is your graduation day and I think that, as your father, I've earned the right to have you to myself on certain occasions." He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
"But Dad," Bella whined, "it's just a car ride. I already promised that we could go to dinner together after the ceremony."
"Bella," he sighed, rubbing his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Because of…well…because of a lot of reasons, I wasn't able to be there for a lot of the things that happened in your life while you were growing up. Please, just give me this."
"But I want to go with Edward," she insisted.
"And I said no," Charlie reiterated, raising his voice. His temper was beginning to rise, and although I had remained a casual observer to this little debate, I was beginning to feel the need to intervene.
"Okay, Dad, if it means that much to you…"
"Why don't we all go together?" I suggested. They both turned to look at me. "Why don't I meet you here before the ceremony and we can all ride there together? It seems to be the best compromise, don't you think?"
"I think that's a great idea," Bella smiled.
"Well, I don't," Charlie huffed. "Edward, I believe the same rules would apply to your parents, don't you? I'm sure that they would like tomorrow to be a family affair – you can see Bella at the party afterward." Renée was right, you two do hover around each other…too much, if you ask me.
"I'm sure Carlisle and Esme wouldn't mind," I smiled, squeezing Bella's hand.
We'll see about that…
"Would you like me to call them?" I offered, reaching for my phone and beginning to dial.
I don't like this – not one bit. Graduation is a time for family. And what kind of kid calls their parents by their first names? Disrespectful – even if he is adopted.
The phone rang once before Esme picked up. "Edward, is something wrong?" she asked.
"I'm standing here with Bella and her father," I explained. "Would you object if I asked permission to accompany Bella to the ceremony tomorrow afternoon?"
"Wasn't that your plan already?" she asked.
"Yes, well…Bella and I were planning to ride together, but Chief Swan indicated that he would like to drive her to the ceremony himself. I made the suggestion that we all ride together."
Charlie held his hand out, gesturing for me to give him the phone. "Esme, I think he would like to speak with you."
"Of course, just hand him the phone."
Bella gave me a wary glance as I handed the phone to her father. He put the phone up to his ear and I could hear my mother's voice on the other end.
I listened to their conversation as Esme expertly put any argument Charlie would have to rest. "You remember what it was like to be young and in love. If Edward and Bella want to go to the ceremony together, we have no qualms about that. At the end of the day, our children still come home to us."
"But wouldn't you like to…" Charlie tried to argue.
"Of course we would, but it's really their day and if going together makes them happy, then I don't see a problem. That is, if you don't mind giving Edward a ride."
"No, no, that's fine. As long as you don't mind," he conceded.
"Not at all," she assured him.
"Well then, I guess we'll see you at the ceremony."
"Have a good night, Charlie."
He handed me the phone, grumbling something under his breath about kid's these days. Bella was practically beaming and reached out to hug her father.
"Thanks, Dad," she sighed as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"You're welcome, baby," he murmured, patting her awkwardly on the back. She'll understand one day…when she has a daughter of her own.
"I had better be going," I said as Bella released her father. She nodded and walked with me to the door.
"Thank you," she whispered.
I smiled, reaching up to lightly stroke her cheek. Her cheeks flooded with color and her eyes fluttered closed.
"I'll be back when Charlie's asleep," I whispered. She nodded and watched as I drove into the night.
-x-
"Alice, what are you doing?" I asked as I watched Alice dance down the stairs with a large white box in her arms.
"Rescuing Bella," she sang.
"From…?" It certainly couldn't be anything dangerous, given Alice's current mood.
"From fashion disaster, that's what. I saw that she would be having a little trouble choosing an outfit for today, so I took the liberty of procuring one for her."
I shook my head. Leave it to Alice to focus her attention on clothing and parties when there was a battle to prepare for, although, I couldn't blame her. She kept it well hidden, but I could see in her thoughts that she was trying desperately to find something to keep her mind off the unreliability of her visions.
I glanced around the room that had been transformed for the party tonight. Alice, true to form, had outdone herself. But I had to admit, it was quite impressive.
What was more intriguing than the new décor was the nervousness that floated throughout the house. For so long, our home had been our refuge, the one place where we could be ourselves. It would be all too easy to slip up in such a familiar setting and expose ourselves for what we truly are. With the exception of Alice and Carlisle, everyone seemed to be worried about inviting humans into our home.
Alice dashed past me. "I'll be right back," she said as she disappeared out the front door.
I glanced at the clock and sighed, seeing that I had at least ten minutes before I could leave to meet Bella. I strode over to the piano and skimmed the surface of the keys with my fingertips. I sat down and began to play. The song that had been haunting me for weeks flowed from my fingertips, filling the space with its beautiful melody. I closed my eyes, allowing the music to wash over me. I could feel the piano as an extension of myself, the music an extension of my spirit.
"That's exquisite," Carlisle said as he leaned his elbows on the top of the piano. "What do you call it?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "It's something that's been gradually evolving in my head for a few weeks now. Since Bella won't allow me to give her anything for graduation, I was thinking that I might play it for her."
"That's an excellent idea," he smiled.
I continued to play as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. The song, like many others I had written over the years, had a meaning. I didn't always understand the significance behind the music, but as I played and as I thought of playing it for Bella, I realized that the song had become somewhat of a plea. It told a story – the story of a man who loved someone so much that he would give her anything, but the one thing she asked for was the one thing he never wanted bestow. The sweet, melancholy refrain was my plea for her to reconsider. It was the embodiment of the sadness I felt when I thought of the sacrifice she was making.
I felt a strong hand gripping my shoulder and my fingers stilled on the ivory keys. I closed my eyes, a lump forming in my throat. Even without words, Carlisle understood exactly how I was feeling.
"It won't be today," he whispered.
I squeezed my eyes shut and could feel the lump in my throat grow even larger as I choked out a strangled sob. Carlisle wrapped his arms around my shoulders and held me tightly as I wept.
"I know that you struggle with this life, Edward, and I blame myself."
"No, Carlisle. Please don't say that," I said, turning to face him. The pained look in his eyes was like a stab deep in my heart. I hated myself for making my father suffer as he had. He took onto his shoulders the blame for all our lives – for the loss of all of our souls.
"I know that I can never take back what I've done…" I destroyed you.
"No," I whispered. "Don't think like that. You didn't destroy me – you saved me. If you hadn't, I never would have known what true love was. It's because of you that I found Bella."
"But Edward, how can you say that and still be so against Bella's desire to have this life?"
"We already have everything we could ever want – why does she need to sacrifice her soul?"
Carlisle thought for a moment. "It's her gift, Edward. It's her gift to you. She loves you so much that she can't imagine a life without you, but a lifetime isn't enough for her – she wants an eternity with you."
"I'm so selfish," I sighed.
"I can't imagine that someone willing to sacrifice their own happiness to save the soul of the one they love could ever be considered selfish," he smiled.
I lowered my head, but Carlisle reached out, clasping my face in his hands and forcing me to look up at him. "I don't know when Bella will decide," he said, "but when she does, promise me that you won't begrudge her the happiness she will feel when she gives herself to you."
"I promise," I nodded feebly.
"Now then," he smiled. "Don't you have somewhere you need to be?"
I glanced at the clock and saw that it was indeed time to go. I stood and crossed the room, picking up my yellow graduation gown and throwing it over my arm. I turned back to see Carlisle absently running his fingers over the keys of the piano. I could see the pain in his face, the love, the sorrow, the joy, the guilt – but never once did I see regret.
"Carlisle?"
He looked up as I walked across the room and wrapped my arms around him. "Thank you," I whispered. I felt his body shudder as we embraced. He held me tightly, sobbing quietly, before letting me go.
"Go on now," he waved me on. "You're going to be late."
As I turned down the hallway to the garage, Esme reached out a hand to stop me. "Thank you," she smiled, reaching up to cup my cheek. "He loves you all so much and struggles with the decisions of his past. I can't tell you what your words must have meant to him."
"I know," I nodded and smiled before continuing to the garage. I sped down the winding roads and thought about the conversation I had with my father. Not tonight, I kept telling myself. It seemed that there was nothing I could do to divert Bella from her present course, but perhaps Carlisle was right. If she had made her decision, I needed to be willing to accept it with grace. She deserved that.
I saw several jumbled flashes as Alice raced past me in the opposite direction – images of the graduation ceremony, of the party, of newborns. She passed so quickly, I wasn't sure if these were visions of the future or if she merely had a lot on her mind.
I felt a pang of guilt for the way I had treated my sister. We all relied so heavily on her ability that the holes in her visions were causing a great deal of undue stress on her. Too often I found myself forgetting that it wasn't always something she could manage, that there were outside forces that couldn't be controlled, decisions that were yet to be made.
Charlie was opening the door just as I pulled in front of the Swan home. He gave me a cursory glance, grumbling under his breath about the pleasure it would give him to see me in the back of his police car.
"Good afternoon, Chief Swan," I greeted him.
"Edward," he nodded curtly as I passed to go inside for Bella.
She was sitting on the edge of the couch with her gown draped over her arm. I stood in the doorway for a moment before she noticed I was there. Her ivory skin was exquisitely accented by the blue sweater she wore. Alice knew I loved Bella in blue. She looked beautiful, but her expression was indiscernible.
She startled when I walked over and took her hand. She smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. She was worried about something – most likely nervous about the ceremony or her fear of tripping when she crossed the stage for her diploma.
"You kids ready?" Charlie asked as he poked his head in the door.
"We're ready," Bella nodded, rising and nudging past me. Something was clearly bothering her. It wasn't like her to act so cold. Had I done something? Or had she made the same assumption that the graduation deadline meant today was the day she would be changed – and she knew she wasn't ready?
Charlie walked ahead of us, opening the passenger door of the police car for Bella. "Edward, you can sit in the back," he said, trying to hide the smirk that was threatening to spread across his face.
I obediently climbed into the back of the police cruiser and waited. I wanted to talk to Bella, to ask her what was wrong, but now was not the time, not with her father listening to every word. Bella was silent during our trip to the school, her eyes cast down as she fidgeted with the tassel on her graduation cap.
My eyes were on Bella, but every few minutes, I would catch Charlie glancing at me through his rearview mirror. I think I like seeing him back there. I actually wish he would do something, give me a reason to lock him up – maybe that way I could get Bella away from him. There's just something…off…
We pulled into the school parking lot, surrounded by a parade of students in yellow caps and gowns. I opened Bella's door and offered her my hand. She hesitated for a moment, a look of calm despair in her eyes, but took my hand.
"Are you all right?" I whispered into her ear.
She nodded slightly. "Nervous."
I tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear and leaned in, brushing my lips across her ear as I spoke. "You are so beautiful."
My turn…Charlie pressed an elbow in the space between us and nudged me out of the way, wrapping an arm protectively around his daughter. I almost wondered who was worse – Charlie or Jacob. It seemed that none of the men in Bella's life were happy with her choice in me.
"Are you excited?" I asked as we began walking.
"Not really," she shrugged.
Not excited? "Bella, this is a big deal," Charlie interjected. "You're graduating from high school. It's the real world for you now. College. Living on your own…hopefully not with Edward…You're not my little girl anymore." You've grown up so fast – I feel like I missed so much. It seems like yesterday I was holding my baby girl in my arms, and now…
"Dad," Bella groaned. "Please don't get all weepy on me."
"Who's weepy?" he deflected. "Now, why aren't you excited?"
"I don't know, Dad. I guess it hasn't hit yet or something."
Why is she so glum? "It's good that Alice is throwing this party. You need something to perk you up," Charlie said.
"Sure," she rolled her eyes. "A party's exactly what I need." Bella was certainly not herself today. There was more to it than nerves about graduation or about the party. Something was going on. I began scanning the crowd for Alice. She saw Bella just before I arrived – maybe she would have some idea as to what was bothering her.
Charlie departed to find his place among the parents and I hovered closely behind Bella. She seemed to be ignoring me almost completely. I opened my mouth to ask her again what was wrong, but was disrupted by the faculty trying desperately to arrange us in alphabetical order.
"Up front, Mr. Cullen," Mr. Varner ordered. I reached out to squeeze Bella's hand and kiss her quickly on the cheek before parting to take my place in line. I continued to search for Alice, but there was no sign of her. She should have been here by now.
These things are always so boring, how long do we have to stand? Can't we just get our piece of paper and get out of here?
Do I hang my tassel on the left or the right? I can never remember.
I can't believe high school is over. I'm going to miss everyone so much.
I struggled to listen for Alice's thoughts through the cacophony of other minds that surrounded me. It was the same drivel I'd listened to at countless graduation ceremonies. I had graduated so many times, I stopped counting.
I scanned the audience for my parents, hoping that Alice would be with them. Then I saw him. My jaw locked when I caught sight of Jacob who, naturally, was staring at Bella from his father's side.
"Congratulations, Edward."
I turned to see Ben Cheney standing in front of me. "Congratulations to you, too," I managed a weak smile.
"So, what are your plans for the fall?" he asked, trying to make small talk as we stood, waiting for the ceremony to begin. I tried to be engaged in the conversation, but found it difficult with everything else drawing my attention away. I felt the need to keep watch on Bella. I still hadn't seen Alice. And I wanted to keep my eye on Jacob.
"I'm still weighing my options," I hedged. I knew what I wanted to do, but the weight of that decision rested squarely on Bella's shoulders. I would follow her, whatever she decided.
We both turned our heads as the faculty lined up on the stage and Principal Greene began speaking from the podium. I was beginning to become concerned that Alice still had not made an appearance. This wasn't like her. Something must be wrong – was it Bella, was it the situation in Seattle?
I ignored the speeches – in a century, I had yet to hear a commencement speech that contained even a shred of originality. It was the same meaningless nonsense that was delivered at every graduation – this is the ending, this is the beginning, we'll never forget, we all have a bright future…blah, blah, blah.
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord… I heard Alice a split second before she slipped in line between Ben and myself. "Where have you been?" I hissed, but she ignored me, facing forward as our line began to move across the stage.
Glory, glory, halleluiah…Alice was purposely blocking me from reading her thoughts – translating the Battle Hymn of the Republic into Arabic. Something must have happened with Bella – Bella's odd behavior, and now Alice.
"Alice, please…" I pleaded, but again, she ignored me.
"Alice Cullen," Principal Greene called and she skipped ahead of me, happily accepting her diploma.
"Edward Cullen," he called and I followed in my sister's steps to collect my own piece of paper – just another for my collection. By the time I reached the other side of the stage, Alice had disappeared. I stretched my ability to its limits and barely made out the Korean alphabet in sign language before she ran out of my range.
I wanted to follow her, chase after her and demand to know what she was hiding. What if she had seen something? Or…a lump began to form in my throat.
Bella was distant. Alice had seen her just before me and was now keeping secrets. What if something had happened, what if Bella was having second thoughts? I glanced back at the audience and watched Jacob smiling brightly as he watched Bella walked across the stage. What if he had won? Alice was Bella's best friend – certainly she would confide in her.
I stared blankly, suddenly terrified of the possible reasons I would be kept in the dark. A rain of yellow caps fell down from the sky, but all I wanted to do was find Bella and learn the truth.
I pressed my way through the lively crowd of graduates and parents. I felt like I was drowning in a sea of people as I struggled to get to her. Finally, I managed to push my way through and there she was. Bella was standing on her toes, searching the crowd.
I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. She stiffened slightly and her reaction did nothing to calm my fears. "Congratulations," I whispered.
"Um, thanks," she said absently.
"You don't look like you're over the nerves yet," I noted, hoping that I could prompt her to explain.
"Not quite yet," she replied, her eyes still searching the crowd.
"What's left to worry about?" I chuckled, struggling to sound casual. "The party? It won't be that horrible."
"You're probably right."
"Who are you looking for?" I finally asked. She stopped and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she looked me in the eyes.
"Alice – where is she?"
"She ran out as soon as she had her diploma." I glanced back, wondering if I should have gone after Alice instead of waiting here for Bella.
"Worrying about Alice?" she asked.
"Er…" I hesitated.
"What was she thinking about, anyway?" she asked. "To keep you out, I mean."
I turned around to face her again, searching her expression. So, something was going on – something they were purposely keeping from me. Something Bella had told Alice to keep from me. "She was translating the Battle Hymn of the Republic into Arabic, actually. When she finished that, she moved on to Korean sign language."
"I suppose that would keep her head busy enough," she laughed.
"You know what she's hiding from me," I blurted out, unable to contain myself any longer.
"Sure," she smirked. "I'm the one who came up with it."
Came up with it? What could they be planning? What had they decided? What had they decided that they felt necessary to keep from me?
"Knowing Alice," she whispered, "she'll probably try to keep this from you until after the party. But since I'm all for the party being canceled – well, don't go berserk, regardless, okay? It's always better to know as much as possible. It has to help somehow."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, now thoroughly confused.
"Just stay calm, okay?" she pleaded as she waved to her father. I nodded, keeping an eye on Charlie as he struggled through the crowd to get to Bella. She leaned in to whisper in my ear.
"I think you're wrong about things coming at us from all sides. I think it's mostly coming at us from one side…and I think it's coming at me, really. It's all connected, it has to be. It's just one person who's messing with Alice's visions. The stranger in my room was a test, to see if someone could get around her. It's got to be the same one who keeps changing his mind, and the newborns, and stealing my clothes – all of it goes together. My scent is for them."
No…I began piecing together all the facts – what we knew about her visitor, the newborns, the holes in Alice's visions. How could I have not seen it before? When she put it like that, it made perfect sense. Now the question that remained – who was responsible and why? Bella clutched my arm, shaking me out of my thoughts. "But no one's coming for you, don't you see? This is good – Esme and Alice and Carlisle, no one wants to hurt them!"
An army of newborn vampires was coming here for the sole purpose of destroying Bella – my Bella. I could feel the color drain from my face as I struggled to refute her logic. The panic began rising in my chest. I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and start running now. If the Volturi were coming, if they were behind this, I needed to take action quickly before Demetri began to track me – if he wasn't already.
She placed a warm hand on my cheek. "Calm," she insisted.
"Bella!" Charlie yelled. "Congratulations, baby!" He nudged me out of the way just as he had before, but I was too dazed to care. Bella's life was in grave danger. I needed to do something. I needed to speak to Jasper – this would change everything. But first I needed to make Bella safe.
My arms ached to reach for her, to take her from this place without delay. My fists clenched and unclenched at my sides as I debated what I could do. Why would Alice keep this from me?
My fear began to turn to anger. No one was going to harm Bella. They would have to go through me first and I would sacrifice everything, offer my own life in exchange, if it meant I could keep her safe.
"You coming too, Edward?" I heard Charlie ask and my train of thought shattered at the mention of my name. Until now, I had been too wrapped up in my own thoughts to even notice he was there. All I could see was the fear in Bella's eyes, the pleading look on her face that I control my temper. This would not be the place for me to lose my cool.
Bella's brow furrowed as she stared at me. Had Charlie asked me a question? Was he awaiting my response? I couldn't seem to focus on anything – my mind was a complete jumble of incomplete thoughts.
Charlie glanced back at me and Bella mouthed the word 'dinner' when his head was turned. "No, thank you," I finally answered.
"Do you have plans with your parents?" he asked.
If I didn't before, I certainly did now. I needed to call an emergency family meeting to discuss this new development. "Yes," I said absently. "If you'll excuse me…" I turned abruptly and shoved my way through the crowd.
When I reached the edge of the tree line, out of sight of the ceremony attendees, I broke into a sprint. I knew that I should feel better knowing what I was up against, but the knowledge did little to alleviate my worries. How could I have been so wrong – this wasn't about Bella's transition, this wasn't about the party, it wasn't about Jacob – this was much, much worse.
Could we protect Bella? Could I ask my family to protect her? The house came into view and I threw the door open. All eyes turned on me.
"Jasper," I panted. "It's Bella. They're coming for Bella…"
A/N: Thanks to everyone for your continued support – your reviews, PM's, and tweets all make me smile. If you follow me on Twitter, please say HI to let me know you're a reader – I'll follow you so I can see you when you send me a message.
Thanks to my beta, Nellybear85, who puts up with me and my crazy posting schedule. Love ya, girl!