I do not own Twilight, SM does but I love playing with the characters so enjoy!
A little shorter than the last few but enjoy anyway!
25. Just in Time
EmPOV
God I love kissing this woman. I pulled her body as close to mine as I could while we kissed fervently. Breathe, she has to breathe stupid, I scolded myself as I released her lips but kept her close. I trailed feather light kisses along her jaw to her ear and back giving her a chaste kiss on the lips. "We should get going or I won't be able to show you the view," I whispered into her lips before pulling away and standing up. She sighed as I pulled her onto my back and began walking again. She laid her chin on my shoulder taking in the forest as we walked. "B, can I ask you a question…well two actually?" I glanced at her profile to see her reaction. I could see and feel her tense slightly. "Of course," she said trying to sound confident but the hesitation in her voice was obvious. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I'd really like to know…" she nodded her understanding so I continued. "I know you're still a virgin but would you tell me how far you've actually gone with a guy?" I watched as the blush overtook her face and she buried it in my neck. I could feel her deep breathing against my back before she mumbled her response. "Edward was my first boyfriend and he would only kiss me." I could feel her embarrassment as she spoke. I reached up and rubbed her shoulder lightly.
"Don't be embarrassed baby girl. I was hoping you'd say that." I answered with a smirk as my mind ran through all the things I would show her and teach her. Mine…only mine, I thought. Shopping….Dickward…Rosalie's voice…hairy old man…I let out a sigh of relief as the strain against my jeans lessened considerably. "Okay one more question and then we should be at our destination. Have you thought about telling Charlie about me?" Please say yes, please say yes. I held my breath waiting for her answer not sure if I really wanted to know. "Of course," she said quickly. I let out a sigh of relief not only at her quick response but also at the answer. "I just don't know what or how to tell him…" her voice trailed off.
"Well since the town thinks I'm away at college you could tell him the truth….or most of it anyway. Tell him I needed a break from college. I had a falling out with the family over their sudden departure from Forks. So I'm back here trying to figure out what I really want to do with my life." I looked out of the corner of my eye to see her reaction to my suggestion. She smiled broadly. "That I can do, I'd like you to come over later tonight after I get a chance to talk to him. Official introductions and all that jazz." She kissed the side of my neck as I stepped through the tree line into the clearing. I'd found this place on one of my runs after we returned from Phoenix, before Rose drug me to Africa.
"I said no Bella! It's not up for discussion. I won't have you down their when I can't be with you." Edward was chastening Bella as they walked into the house. "I didn't ask your permission did I? Charlie is going fishing with Billy and Jacob mentioned he'd take me to the beach if I wanted to come down. Why is this such a big deal?" Bella practically shouted at Edward as she plopped down on the couch. "I'm sure Alice wants to take you shopping. You don't want to disappoint her do you?" He cooed into her ear. "Why do you think I want to go to La Push?" She mumbled under her breath. I couldn't help but chuckle causing Rose to slap me on the back of the head. "You have something to say?" She hissed at vampire speed. I clutched the controller a little tighter hoping not to crush it as Alice came bounding into the room. "Yes shopping would be great! You are still in desperate need of summer clothes Bella," Alice chimed as Bella rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll let Charlie know," she sighed. I shook my head in disgust. Why did they do this to her? She could make her own decisions for crying out loud! "Stay out of it Emmett! The little trouble maker needs to be kept on a short leash." Rosalie hissed quietly at me. "Your only concern is making me happy so let's go!" she spat angrily as she stormed up the stairs. NO WAY…not this time! I thought as I dropped the controller and took off out the door. "I'm going out for a hunt," I said as the door closed behind me. "EMMETT if you leave this house we'll be on the next plane to Africa! I won't have you moping over that child anymore!" Rose hissed out as I ran out of the yard.
"Oh Emmett…" Bella whispered breathlessly as she took in the sight in front of us. A large grassy clearing overlooked the ocean in front of us while a fifty foot waterfall cascaded down the side of the cliffs into a crystal clear stream on our right. "It's breathtaking," she said sliding down my back and walking towards the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean. I wrapped my arms around her waist as we looked out over the clear water and surprisingly clear skies. "Emmett I don't understand how or why you love me…I'm weak, indecisive, plain….but you do." I tightened my grip on her waist as her words cut into me. How do I make her see all she really is? A single tear streamed down her cheek as she continued. "I don't want to be that girl anymore…I don't want to be Edward's Bella anymore; always complying, always hiding what I really want. I want you to be proud of me. I want to be strong like you…to stand up for myself…I want to be Emmett's Bella, whoever that is." I listened as her voice trailed off quietly.
"Oh isn't this touching!" A high pitched voice sneered from behind me. I whipped around crouching defensively holding Bella firmly behind me. "Victoria," I spat angrily as she stepped into the clearing with three newborns flanking her sides. The evil smirk on her face would have stopped my heart had it been beating. She looked curiously between me and Bella. "What do we have here? Cheating on your mate? And with his brother at that, how predictably human? One vampire just wasn't good enough for you? What will poor Edward think when he finds out? Where is your mate anyway? I was hoping he'd be here to watch your destruction, but I haven't scented him in months." She continued to walk slowly towards us as she spoke.
"I'm not Edwards mate. He never loved me so there's no reason for you to even be here." Bella spat angrily. I couldn't help but chuckle at her attempt to stand up to Victoria even though her voice was obviously shaking. The three newborns were hissing at Bella as she spoke. Victoria's tinkling laughter pierced my ears. "Isabella as much as I wish dear Edward was here to watch, it makes no difference to me as long as you pay for James' death." A low grumble sounded in my chest as she stopped in the middle of the clearing. Get Bella out of here! How? My mind raced with ideas on how to get us out of this situation. Victoria I could take but not with three newborns too. I began slowly moving Bella away from the edge of the cliff towards the rock face by the waterfall. "Tsk, tsk," Victoria said nodding to one of the newborns who moved to block our path. Bella would never survive the fall to the ocean and it would be harder to protect her in the water against four vampires.
The wind suddenly shifted direction and I caught the scent at the same time Victoria did. With a loud screech she lunged towards Bella and I, but instead jumped straight over us, over the side of the cliff and straight into the water below. Before the three newborns could even react to what she'd done they were surrounded by six large wolves. Thank you Jake! I thought at the sight in front of me. I pulled Bella onto my back and deposited her on a ledge about twenty feet off the ground by the waterfall. As I scanned the scene below I jumped straight into the center of the circle grabbing two of the newborns around the neck and kicking the third towards Sam and Jake. As they began to pull limbs off that one, Paul and Quil were trying to get limbs off one of the newborns I had by the neck. With a quick twist I tossed him to Paul and Quil, who made quick work of dismembering him. Jared and Embry were whining as they eyed the last newborn that was still struggling in my arm. "What you two feeling left out?" I laughed tossing the last newborn their way while I gathered sticks for the pyre. As soon as I had the fire going I began tossing newborn pieces into it while Jake, Quil and Sam phased.
"Great timing guys…" I began when Bella hollered from the ledge. "Get me off this damn cliff Emmett!" I chuckled as Jake and Quil glanced nervously towards her and back down to the ground. You could hear the anger in her voice and I wasn't sure if it was towards the wolves or me. I scaled the cliff quickly and pulled her into my arms. "DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT TO ME AGAIN DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME EMMETT DALE MCCARTY?" She yelled as she swatted my chest. I grabbed her hands so she wouldn't hurt herself as she crumpled against my chest. I could feel her tears soaking my shirt as she cried. I stroked her hair gently. "Baby girl what's wrong?" I asked totally confused as to why she was mad at me and crying. "You left me here and jumped down right in the middle of those killers. What if they'd hurt you? You promised you wouldn't leave me…" Her voice trailed off as I tried to contain my laughter. I lifted her chin so I could see her red rimmed eyes. "B, did you really think they could hurt me, especially with the six wolves that were surrounding us?" I tried to keep the amusement out of my voice but apparently failed. She pulled away from me turning her back to me.
"Just get me down," she huffed angrily. If you say so! I thought wickedly. I snatched Bella up around the waist and threw her over my shoulder and jumped from the ledge. "EM-M-M-M-E-E-T-T-T!" She screamed as we fell through the air toward the ground. Jake, Sam and Quil were holding their hands over their mouths to muffle their laughter when we landed. I set Bella back on her feet; she wobbled a little as I pulled her to my chest. "Isabella, I will never leave you, and I will never let you get hurt again," I whispered into her ear as I held her still shaking body to mine. "You are my life, my hope, my dream, my future…you're mine." I growled softly as I nipped at her earlobe causing her heart to accelerate and her breathing to hitch. I pulled back to look into her eyes. Her fingers pressed softly against my lips as she searched my eyes for the truth I'd just spoken. "Forever?" She whispered. "Forever baby girl," I said crashing my lips to hers and tangling my fingers in her long hair.
She pulled away when Sam cleared his throat behind her. Jake and Quil burst out laughing when she turned an irritated eye towards Sam. He looked at her incredulously with a raised eyebrow. I chuckled as she huffed and turned to face them. "Fine…thank you for coming to save me again. How did you know we were here anyway?" Bella asked curiously. "We didn't" Jake answered. "Embry picked up her scent and followed it to the driveway of the old Cullen house. He noticed her trail followed the road so we figured she was tracking you guys in a car and we followed," Sam added. "Thanks again guys. I'm not sure I could have gotten Bella out of here on my own…not with those three newborns and no distraction anyway." I said patting each guy on the shoulder. "What about the red head?" Quil asked glancing towards the water.
"I'm sure she'll be back. Sam I need to talk to you later. When will you be around?" I asked locking my eyes with his before glancing down at Bella and back hoping he'd get the hint. I really didn't want to talk about my phone call with Jasper in front of her. "I'll make time whenever you need me," he answered. "Great I'm going to get Bella home before Charlie gets there and then I'll call you." I looked down at Bella and noticed she was keeping her eyes everywhere other than on her two best friends. Jake and Quil both looked nervous but would only glance at her. "Thanks for taking care of her Emmett," Jake said quietly causing Bella's head to snap in his direction. Her breathing became heavy and ragged as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry Bells…" Jake whispered as he took a step towards her. She stepped into my side shaking her head vigorously. "Don't Jake, just go…please." She turned to me with pleading eyes. I whisked her up into my arms bridal style and took off back towards the jeep without another word. When I looked down her head was buried in my chest while her eyes were squeezed tightly closed. Oh B…I wish I could just take you far away from here. I sighed at the thought.
The ride back to Forks was quiet for a while as I let Bella gather her thoughts. "B I need to ask you something…" I paused watching for her response. She kept her eyes focused on the dashboard and nodded her head. "I hadn't planned on bringing this subject up again, but after getting caught by Victoria today there's something I need to know. If something were to happen to you…you got hurt or something…do you want me to change you, or should I just try to get you medical help?" My dead heart began to break as she sat silently thinking about my question. It's too soon you idiot! You shouldn't have asked her yet. She's not ready! As I opened my mouth to reassure her that it was okay if she didn't want to be changed she spoke. "Do I have to be hurt before you'll change me?" She asked quietly still focusing on the dash in front of her. "Oh baby girl no!" I shook my head while reaching for her hand. "Look at me B." I waited for her eyes to meet mine before I continued. "I love you with everything I am, and I am selfish. There's no eternity for me without you. All you have to do is say the words and I'll change you." I paused to let my words sink in. "Bella, I want you to be ready to spend eternity with me before I change you…no regrets…no questions. I need to know though if something bad happens and you're dying can I change you? Is that what you want?" I looked desperately into her eyes.
"Yes Emmett…I think…I'm not sure…I want…" She paused looking nervously at her hands. "Isabella you are a beautiful, strong, young woman. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want. You did a great job standing up to Victoria today. You need to stand up to Jake too. Tell him…and Quil, how you feel about what happened yesterday. I know you understand, but I also know Jake hurt you however unintentional it was and you need to tell him. People can only walk on you if you don't express yourself and you allow it. I know that's not the Isabella you want to be. Now why don't you tell me what it is you want." I smiled reassuringly at her as she took several cleansing breaths.
"Yes Emmett I want you to change me no matter what. I want to wait until after graduation in two months if that's possible but if not, I want to be a vampire." She smiled at me as she finished her statement. "It feels good to say what you want, express your feelings and be heard doesn't it?" I chuckled. Her bottom lip slid between her teeth bashfully as she nodded. We pulled into her driveway and parked. "What time do you want me to come back?" I asked as I helped her out of the jeep. "Um…" She inhaled deeply. "I want you to come inside with me now. Charlie won't be home for at least another hour or two…" Her voice trailed off as I smiled down at her. "Well I guess I'll come inside for a while then." I smirked as a look of relief flashed across her face. She grabbed my hand and led us into the house.
"I like confident Bella. I love knowing what you want from me." I whispered in her ear as she slid her shoes off. She sighed lightly causing a small chuckle to escape me. I followed her into the living room and watched as she sat in the middle of the sofa nervously. I cocked my head slightly wondering what she was doing. I took the seat on her left and settled back waiting to see what she'd do. She was slowly coming out of her shell today which pleased me. I loved bashful Bella but I really loved confident Bella. I would never again let anyone make her feel like less than the wonderful person she was.
I watched as she gathered her courage to speak. She turned and looked at me several times opening her mouth to speak but never saying a word. Finally I couldn't take it anymore. "B would you like me to kiss you?" I asked with a smirk. She sighed, "Yes." I pulled her into my lap as I placed light kisses along her jaw towards her lips. "Baby steps B….baby steps," I whispered as I brushed my lips across hers. Her hands found their way into my hair as she parted her lips deepening our kiss. My hands roamed up and down her back in slow circles as we kissed. When she turned her head away to breathe I let my lips continue down her neck and across her shoulder. A low moan escaped her lips as she began kissing my neck up to my ear. "I want you to stay with me tonight," she whispered breathlessly as she nipped my earlobe.
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