Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to SMeyer
A/N: I don't think I could ever thank Spanglemaker9, MeadowC, and Cher enough for what they do for me...I shall try though.
Love to the readers. Thank you!
-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-
The multiple sounds of snapping, crunching, and rustling slowly dragged me away from the nothingness that I had fallen into. The noise was familiar, but the cloudiness in my head couldn't register exactly what it was. I tried to open my eyes, and I did for a second, but the brightness that greeted me forced me to close them shut. I buried my face into the warm object next to me, trying to rally enough strength for another go around.
With the next snap-crunch noise, I tested my fingers and toes by wiggling them, only to feel the painful pins and needles of long sleeping parts stir awake. Instead of waiting too long, I pushed myself up and opened my eyes.
And with that everything came flooding back.
The trees closest to me were in different states of damage: some thoroughly blackened, while others only the barest of damage. The sight of it made me sick to my stomach. Panicked, I looked down at Edward's prone figure next to me and glanced over to the others who were all lying on the cold ground in a jagged circular pattern around us. All of them were so still.
"Please…no, no, no, NO!"
Turning back to Edward, filled with such dread, I leaned over him and shook him hard.
"Edward! Edward!" I could hear the hysteria in my voice as a wave of lightheadedness threatened to overtake me. The bond was closed to me as my feelings were beyond my control. I was too scared to even reach out to him through it. What if I did and there was nothing?
No! No, don't think that…
Please, wake up.
Please, don't leave me.
I couldn't, wouldn't entertain the idea that he wasn't going to wake up. He had to; it was just that simple. We were mated to be two halves of a whole; we couldn't be apart. The Elements, our Gods, the Power, and this land wanted us together. This couldn't be it for us.
"Edward, please…" I begged, moving my hands to cradle his face.
It felt like ages before I saw the smallest flicker of his eyelids and then a deep intake of breath, expanding his chest.
"Oh, thank god…thank god, Edward," I practically tackled him in sweet relief, wrapping my arms around his neck.
"Bella…let me wake up first." His chest rumbled beneath my form with a sleep-dazed laugh. He rubbed a hand over his face as if to clear it, as he raised the other into my hair and rested it against my face. I nuzzled against it, placing a kiss against his palm, beyond grateful to have this moment.
Pure pleasure rolled through the bond from Edward. Just being able to feel our connection meant so much. He was alive and with me.
"What's this all about- the ritual!" he started in affectionate amusement but cut off his own thought as the terror of the Soul Eater took over his senses.
"I don't know. Did we finish?"
Edward's eyes widened as he sat up abruptly, taking in our surroundings. "Alice!" he yelled, staggering to his feet as he saw the bodies.
"Edward!" we heard a call in return, somewhere from the thicket of trees.
"Dad! We're over here!" he shouted as he helped me to stand. The rustling sounds picked up in volume, but being found didn't concern me. I was okay, but was the rest of my family and friends lying on the cold ground at my feet? My stomach sank, as the fear returned.
Together, Edward and I hurried over to Alice and Jasper. It took a few seconds in trying to rouse them, as the ritual seemed to have placed us all into a very deep sleep. The amount of energy we controlled was like nothing we tried before. The draining didn't just affect Edward and me, but the others as well.
When Alice slapped Edward's hand away and mumbled, "Just a few more minutes" as she snuggled back into Jasper's side, the tension eased in her brother's body. I rubbed my hand down his back and then prompted him to help the others.
Next we checked Rose and Emmett, who managed to get up to assist with Angela, Ben, Tyler, and Lauren. Soon we were all awake, groggy and weak, but alive.
"Edward? Bella?" Carlisle called out again, closer this time. I turned my head and saw movement on the periphery of the woods. Stark white, denim blues, brown leathers, and olive greens could be seen in patches.
If Carlisle was searching for us, then that meant that Mom and Dad were okay. Their ritual had to have been successful. My own worries that I had been carrying like a lead weight on my shoulders diminished. We were going to be okay, all of us, okay.
"Is everyone alright?" Carlisle asked as he made it into the clearing, his handsome face and clothing haggard. He tried to hold the non-attached expression of our Coven leader, but his face broke briefly, showing a deep tenderness as he took us all in with a sweep of his eyes.
Right behind him I saw Billy Black and then my dad.
He stopped as soon as he saw me. Shock ran across his features as he stared at me in what looked like a sort of joyous disbelief.
My heart gave an odd leap, as I stared back at him. I knew exactly how he felt, I was feeling it too. We didn't know how or why we survived, but we weren't going to look this particular gift horse in the mouth.
Dad snapped out of it and moved forward, pulling me into his arms for a hug.
"God damn, if anything happened to you-" he broke off with a shuttering breath and what I thought might have sounded like a sniffle.
"I'm okay…I'm okay…" I kept reassuring him, hugging him back, loving his "dad-scent" that brought me calm like it did when I was a child.
"I need to call your mom and tell her you're okay," he said a little gruffly, trying to calm his crying, but made no move to retrieve his phone. I knew he hated showing any emotion in public. He moved me to his side instead with his arm wrapped around my shoulder in a protective move. I think he was still trying to convince himself that I was really standing here next to him and not in danger.
I turned to look for Edward, as I felt his emotions all over the place. He was standing with his back to me next to Carlisle, Alice, and Jasper.
Carlisle looked to be as relieved to see his children safe but needed a little reassurance through touch. Alice was tucked into one side of him while he had his hand on Edward's shoulder, smiling with pride at his son.
A quick dip in Edward's emotions alerted me that not everything was alright. Carlisle frowned a little and looked over at me in question. I had no idea what was going on, but knew that my mate possibly needed me.
"Bella?" Dad questioned as I moved away.
"Edward…" was all I said, my mind fifteen steps ahead of me.
"What's this I hear of another ritual?" Carlisle asked the second I was in earshot.
I placed my hand on Edward's back, igniting the calm to ground us.
"I felt that something I was missing," I explained, rather lamely.
I faced a Soul Eater, but somehow I'm shaking in my boots over Carlisle's disappointed tone and expression.
Edward's arm came around my waist and pulled me to his side. I couldn't see his face, but just his physical proximity was enough to push away the silly attack of nerves.
"You're going to have to show the Coven what you did. I think it's time that a new book of rituals is created, something that maybe could help teach this and future generations of Witches. What do you think? Will you work on it?" he asked sincerely without any sort of hint of mocking in his voice.
Of all the things I was expecting him to say, this certainly wasn't one of them.
"I could always assist you, Bella, if you need help," Jasper offered, waking me from my stupor.
"I could try…I don't know the first thing about this-"
"I have faith that you can," Carlisle cut me off firmly with a hand to my shoulder and an encouraging smile. "I think we're finished with underestimating your skills."
"Thank you," was all I could say, my chest lightening substantially as my nerves took a hike.
Edward quickly squeezed me and planted a kiss to my temple. A wonderful wave of pride came through the bond from him. I snuggled into him and rubbed my nose against his chest, wrapping my arm around the front of his waist.
-O-O-O-
On the hike and finally the drive back to the Cullen house, we were filled in about the wellbeing of the rest of the Coven, the Tribe, and the area surrounding Forks.
While we had managed to trap the soul eater in the cave, it had come with a heavy cost. A few members of the Tribe had given their lives in order to seal the trap, including Ben's father. When Ben was told quietly by Billy, he crumbled and was helped back to the Res along with a tearful Angela at his side.
My heart dropped in pain at the sight of their anguish.
"We will attend the ceremony in two days," Carlisle commented somberly as the Tribe parted ways with us.
I could only nod in response as I watched humbled by the slumped shoulders of the proud Billy Black as he walked the other way with the other Tribe members that had come to help search for us. The elation I had felt at our safety turned sour and then to guilt.
"Don't," Edward whispered in my ear, holding my shaking body close to his in comfort. "We all knew the price. They gave their lives willingly."
We managed to extricate Edward's car under some branches, but Emmett's jeep had sustained too much damage in the form of a tree trunk that had smashed through the hood. Emmett didn't even seem phased by the loss; he just held Rose closer to him, whispering into her ear of what I assumed were words of affection and gratitude for their lives.
Driving took longer than expected as the area had deep puddles of melted snow, and many dead branches had fallen across the roads. Looking up into the tree line, I couldn't stomach even trying to connect with Earth as I saw pillars of smoke rising from different areas of the forest. While there were many, many healthy and majestic trees still standing, I knew there were a lot that were not.
The forests weren't the only life that had been caught in the furious path of the Soul Eater. Homes, buildings, and townspeople had been lost as well. I felt like I had been punched when I saw the first blackened body near the side of the road.
I must have made a noise as Edward told me not to look out the window. I turned away and caught Carlisle's grim expression in the rearview mirror, then Dad's, and finally Edward's. All of us were affected by what we were seeing…all of us sick to our stomachs over the level of destruction to our home.
Carlisle may have honored me with the duty of writing a book of rituals for the Coven, but I knew that my true purpose was going to help heal this land and the life in it that had been entrusted to us. Everything else seemed less important.
I leaned against Edward's shoulder and let him tuck me under his arm, snuggling me to his side.
No, nothing was more important than caring for the life in Forks.
-O-O-O-
"Baby, thank god!" Mom exclaimed, bursting into tears the moment I walked into the Cullen house. She ran over to me and hugged me tightly, sobbing into my shoulder.
I hugged her with as much intensity, needing a moment with her after the drive back, feeling nothing but gratitude to the powers that be for my luck in seeing my family alive. It was in essence, with everything that could have gone wrong, a true miracle.
We pulled away but kept our arms around each other. Mom's face was a contradiction in expressions. It held tears of released fears, but it also showed her absolute love for me.
"We were so worried…" she started then stopped to swallow down some of her tears. "When the ritual was over and we had all survived, we tried to call you. We tried all of the phones but there was no answer. We- I mean, I thought that it meant- something…b-bad."
She was stumbling and working herself up into a frenzy of "what ifs" that held no basis in the present. I took her back in my arms and gave her a hug, gently shushing her.
"We're okay, Mom."
Dad soon joined us. We talked quietly for a few minutes, mostly me having to reassure Mom that I was really alright. Edward came to join us, and I was pleased to see Mom and Dad so readily accept him into our family circle. He received an affectionate hug from Mom and a handshake from Dad, showing his deep respect.
Esme politely interrupted us to greet me with an embrace. No words were needed between us, as all was said in that hug. She wasn't as theatrical as my mom, but her love was just as strong. One by one, Alice, then Carlisle, Jasper and his family came to join in our gratitude for our good fortune. We had a somber moment when the mention of the fallen Tribe members had surfaced, but most of our talk was about our families, about dinner parties, a celebration of the Winter Solstice, high school graduations, picnics in the summer, and college in the fall.
Whatever strain there had been between the Swans and the Coven had dissipated. It was with a deep joy knowing that we had broken down another hurdle; where our thoughts were not of past tragedies, but of the building of future goals.
Alice gave out a large yawn which triggered my own. I still wasn't fully recovered from the ritual and could no longer put off the inevitable need to sleep.
"-rest," was all I heard Carlisle say.
"Hmmm?" I asked drowsily, swaying into Edward.
Carlisle smiled in warm amusement. "I said there is nothing more that you can do today and you should rest."
"Are you sure?" I questioned, thinking again of all the things that needed to be done to help restore Forks.
"Yes, I am. We'll talk Coven business tomorrow. Until then, go get some sleep."
Edward took my hand and led me through the greenhouse and out the backdoor. Fallen branches littered the backyard, but there was no visible sign of further damage to the area.
As we entered the cottage, my vision was really starting to blur. I was so tired. I felt like I could just lie down in the middle of the living room floor and go to sleep.
Except…a quiet emotion snuck through the bond, giving me reason to pull away from the edge of unconsciousness.
I looked up at Edward and saw him watching me out of the corner of his eyes with a small smile gracing his lips as he sipped from a bottle of water, illuminated by the light of the open refrigerator door.
A flutter of feather-soft wings moved in the pit of my stomach and sent heat rising to my cheeks. Hints of the rose glow sensuously swayed around us as the drip, drip, dripping of honey mixed in with my nerves that electrified every cell in my being.
No…don't be nervous. This is right.
Seeing my intention, he straightened and came forward to meet me, dropping the water bottle on the counter as he came around it. Without any sort of hesitation we stepped into each other's arms. Edward leaned his cheek against the top of my head as we listened to the hum of our bond, holding each other close.
Tilting my head back, I looked up at him and saw his features relaxed into a soft smile. My heart started to beat faster, far from immune to his beauty. He was dirty from being outside in the forest overnight, but in that moment he was perfection.
This was the time to tell him everything. By whatever stroke of luck that we had been blessed with for this chance to live our lives, I was no longer going to wait for "right opportunity" to tell him what I felt.
"Edward?" I whispered. The words ready to pound out of my chest.
He moved his hands up to cradle my face as if he was holding the finest piece of crystal, fingers lightly tracing patterns over my cheeks. His eyes focused on me, giving his full attention.
"I should have said this before- I wanted to- I should have told you-"
"Tell me." The intensity of the tone of his words silenced my babbling, but it was his eyes that told me not to shut up completely. They practically begged me to say only those words.
"I love you."
A drop of silence entered the bond, slightly scaring me briefly of the disconnection to my mate, before the violent bloom of happiness rushed through, relieving me greatly as it entered into my heart and soul with brilliant hues of rose straight from Edward's being.
His smile was breathtaking as he released a laugh that could only be described as pure joy. I'd never seen him so beautiful.
"Thank you…thank you," he said giving me sweet kisses across my face as he tucked me into his arms.
I couldn't help but laugh at how boyish he was being in his response. "Why are you thanking me?" my voice was muffled by his shoulder.
"I didn't think I would ever hear you say that," he murmured in awe, pressing another delicate kiss to my cheek.
"That I love you?"
Another thrill went through his body as I said the words. Knowing that I had this effect on him made me a little heady.
"After how we started, our families, I thought I was lucky to have you care for me as your friend-"
Baffled, I asked, cutting him off, "How could you think that?"
Tucking his head so that I couldn't see his eyes, he began speaking softly, "You're smart, kind, beautiful, brave, forgiving, loving…even those who haven't been as kind to you, you give them a another chance-"
Embarrassed, I placed my hands on his face and raised his eyes to mine, shaking my head at him.
"No, Bella, listen to me," his voice such a lullaby, that I gave into it and calmed.
"You are all those things. You have given this Coven a leader…but you have given me everything I could want in a mate. Everything…
…Isabella, I'm so in love with you."
I was dreaming, but awake. Still, but everything was in motion. Numb, but knew every emotion at once. How could these contradictions be possible? There was only one answer for it: Edward loved me.
"Now you understand how it feels to hear the words," he said, lips hovering above mine.
The butterflies fluttered.
"Yes…" I said just before his mouth covered mine in a kiss that showed all that he felt for me. In return, I matched him touch for touch, feeling for feeling.
As the kiss deepened, I felt the switch turn to a low aching need to be physically closer with him. Our fingers dipped under clothes, hunting for skin, wanting to feel the warmth and connection that only each other's bodies could give.
Edward broke away, but kept his lips near mine as he removed his jacket. Next came mine, and then we were back in each other's arms. Limbs shifted to accommodate the other. Seeking hands and emotions twirled in unison as clothes were removed until we stood in front of each other with no more barriers. This wasn't the first time we had seen each other naked, but this was so different than the other: this was about shared affection.
"So beautiful…" Edward whispered, his green eyes hungry.
He reached out and reverently watched the path his hands took down my shoulders to my breasts to cup their weight. I gasped as his thumb ran across one of my nipples; the pleasure of a simple touch bordering on pain as I was so restless for more. The ache between my legs picked up its throbbing tempo as Edward's hands and fingers traced my body.
The bond was humming our emotions loud and clear to one another.
His eyes flew to mine. "God, I can feel you," he said.
I took a step closer to him, moving my hand up his lean but muscular arm to his shoulder. He shivered under my touch as one of his hands moved to my waist to pull me to him. His excitement rested between us.
Edward leaned forward and covered my mouth with his again, but his kiss was gentler instead of the previous frenzy. This had purpose, just as his hands moved over my body, eliciting goosebumps and uncontrollable moans. All I could do was hold on to his shoulders, digging my nails in when his fingers traveled over a more sensitive spot.
It was pure torture.
It was pure ecstasy.
"More...need more," I whimpered, my eyes closing to the world, wanting only to feel.
He suddenly let go and my body screamed in protest, eyes opening wide.
What?
Giving me a look saying that he was far from finished with me, he took my hand and led me over to the bed before I could say anything. Everything in me was burning and felt as the world had moved into slow motion as he helped me onto the bed. He leaned over me and stared down at my body spread before him, drinking me in like a man dying of thirst and I was a drop of water.
Unable to take the separation much more, I reached for him, spreading my legs for his body to rest against mine. We fit perfectly, as if the gods had created us from a single piece of clay, only separating us when life had been breathed into the molded sculpture, ready to begin our paths on earth back to each other to truly understand and appreciate this gift they bestowed on us.
With Edward's warmth against me, our mouths claimed the other's once more. I moved my hands to his shoulders and down his back, loving the feeling of his skin and muscles underneath. One of his hands moved to my knee to lift it high to wrap around his waist. It brought him completely in contact with the center of my ache.
Unable to hold still, being surrounded by Edward, body and soul, I moved my hips against him. His mouth trembled open to release a deep moan, squeezing his eyes tightly shut as his hands tried to hold my movements.
"You can't…too close," he said struggling.
I moved my other leg to wrap around his waist, feeling the same urgency he was of wanting to be completely joined.
"I want you in me," I told him, moving my hands down to the small of his back and over his butt, pressing slightly.
"Yes…" he said, then positioned himself and slid into me, filling me, making us one.
"I'm not going to last," he stuttered into my ear, resting on his elbows before giving away to the basic urge and moving within me once…then twice.
I didn't think I was going to either, between his touch and the bond surrounding me with our shared lust, edging us higher and higher towards euphoria. I was right there with him, moving with him as his thrusts picked up rhythm, taking us to our release that washed over him first then had me falling after, starbursts igniting and uneven breaths giving away to loud declarations.
Time passed in measurements of heartbeats slowing as we floated down from the sky above us, wrapped in each other's arms, still connected, not wanting this moment to end just yet as the rose glow hummed in satisfaction around our tangled bodies.
"My beautiful, Bella…love you," he whispered into my ear, his breathing still harsh as we finally landed back to the earth.
"I love you, too," I said, tucking my face into his shoulder to place a kiss there. It brought forth another shiver from him, sending a trace of electricity through the bond.
Edward rolled off me and cuddled me to his side, placing a kiss on the top of my head. His hands gently moved upon my sweat-slicked skin as I laid my head on his chest. We were both so tired from all of that we had been through in the last day that the thought of moving anywhere had no appeal to us. Besides, where else would I want to be than next to Edward?
My mind drifted back to my arrival in Forks, thinking of that Bella who first set foot here, wanting to go back to the Southwest. She was a girl who had no worries other than what college she could get into or what hobby her mom was dabbling in that week, she no longer existed. I fought to keep her here in this strange place filled with thriving life that I nearly missed the opportunity to discover how precious it is in its own right.
I sent up a thank you to the powers that be that I had been given that chance as I had received so much in return: the support of a large family and the unconditional love of a mate.
"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked sleepily next to me.
"You," I answered.
-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-
Just the epilogue to follow tomorrow.
