Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the authors. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.
This story takes place in an alternate universe and begins almost fifteen years after chapter three of New Moon. When Charlie called Renée to come to Forks, Bella went back to Jacksonville with Renée.
Thanks to Alphie, Be My Escape and Bronzehairedgirl for their help and patience with this story. They were all so much more than beta readers. And another nod to BHG… while this is an alternate reality and not really related to her canon-based series, Meet the McCartys, where Emmett is such a wonderful uncle, I couldn't resist playing with that idea. If you haven't read her story, here's a link: /twilight/viewstory.php?sid413.
And, just so you know when you get there, since Emmett won't be available to explain it to you, a heifer is a young cow who has never given birth.
Also, because I know some of you are going to ask: No, this is not the end of the story. I am having some trouble with the next part, though. And fair warning: BHG said that even though she knows how the rest of the story goes, this part made her cry. You may want to have some tissues handy.
Blood in the Water
by silly bella
He meant what he said. Every day, at least once a day, Edward asked me to marry him. He was determined. And romantic. And creative. And even persuasive. He couldn't understand why I continued to refuse.
Alice joined in the campaign. It quickly became an obsession with her. "He has something wonderful planned for today. You really should say yes." She frowned and sighed, disappointed. "But you won't."
On the other hand, Emmett saw the whole thing as inevitable and a source of endless humor. "Just imagine it. Edward as a stepfather. Do you think I could get Marietta to call him Pop? I can see his face now. I could teach her Lewis Carroll's 'You Are Old, Father William' and change it to 'You Are Old, Father Edward.' You have to admit, it would be funny. And I'd be Uncle Emmett. I was a good uncle when I was human. I liked it, too. I'd enjoy being an uncle again."
I wasn't so sure that even Emmett would be able to convince Mari Alice to call Edward anything remotely related to father. It was purely theoretical, anyway. My answer would remain a solid 'no' when it came to Edward's proposals. The image of me at sixty and him as a perpetual teenager assured that. I had absolutely no intention of looking like my husband's grandmother.
Still, I wondered what he had in mind today?
He'd tried simple and straightforward. Recited poetry. Composed music. He asked formally. He even asked casually, probably a difficult thing for him to do.
Aside from saying no, I spent a good deal of time trying to figure how to stop him from this awkward course of action.
At least he and Mari Alice had come to some sort of ceasefire agreement. Well, Mari Alice had. Edward had never offered much fight in that battle.
Emmett called it "salting the calf to get to the cow" and teased him about it. I felt pretty certain I should take that comment as an insult. "It's a metaphor!" Emmett insisted. "I am not calling you a cow or Marietta a heifer." Then he had to explain what a heifer was.
A knock at the front door spun me out of my reverie.
Marietta lifted her head from the book she was reading and smirked. "Why doesn't he just come in? He practically lives here." She might tolerate Edward, but she couldn't resist a jab now and then.
When I answered the door, Edward smiled without speaking and took my hand as he followed me into the house. Marietta passed us on the way to the stairs.
"I'll give you a little privacy," she murmured.
"That's new," I whispered as I watched her disappear.
Edward chuckled. "Don't let her fool you. She just doesn't want to be around me."
"Non-verbal sparring?" I asked as we sat on the couch.
He shook his head. "No. She didn't have any intention of being rude. I just can't help hearing her thoughts. She only wanted to get away."
"So, how are you planning on proposing today?"
"Bella, if I just told you it would ruin any possibility of romance." He sighed. "Maybe I should revise my game plan. Go a few days without asking. Build the suspense. Would you be more likely to say 'yes' if I did that?
"No."
He lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed each of my knuckles, then my palm and finally, my wrist. My heart stuttered, and he caught my eye. "I heard that," he whispered before he kissed me again, my pulse beating against his lips.
Suddenly, his head whipped up as if he expected the shriek that followed. I heard a thud and Marietta's footsteps as she ran down the stairs.
"What's wrong, Marietta?" I called out, but it was obvious as soon as she stepped into the room, her shirt stained with blood and a tissue to her nose.
"It looks like I've lost a gallon of blood. And I've ruined this shirt. I like this shirt," she complained.
If the worst she had to complain about was bleeding on a shirt, she was fine.
"Do you feel dizzy? Faint? Does your head ache?" Edward asked in quick succession, taking control of the situation.
Marietta stared at him like he'd grown an extra head. And while she might not feel faint, with all that blood, I surely did.
"You should lean your head forward so you don't swallow the blood. It might make you sick, otherwise," Edward instructed. "And pinch your nose. That will help it stop."
To me he added, "Her heart and respiration rates are normal. She'll be fine. I'll get a cold-pack." Suddenly he held out a baggie filled with ice.
"I know I'll be fine," Marietta shrugged. "And Daddy taught me what to do when I have a nosebleed. I just came downstairs for some ice. If I don't go back upstairs, Mom's going to pass out. You can take care of her if you want to play EMT."
Edward turned to face me, placing one of his cool hands on my cheek. He sighed, his breath shallow. Then I realized: he hadn't been breathing. He'd stopped just before Marietta screamed. The blood. A chill settled over my heart. Suddenly I understood everything.
"Her blood smells different, too, doesn't it?"
He nodded gravely. "Not quite as appealing as yours, but better than the average person."
"Was it difficult for you, just now?" It scared me, asking, but I had to know.
"It wasn't anything like when you've bled around me. But it's always a challenge for a vampire to be around blood," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, his face solemn.
What if we'd been at the Cullens'? Would Jasper have reacted the same way to Marietta bleeding as he had to me? Had I placed her in danger? I lowered my head. I'd never thought twice about spending time with Edward and his family. Never feared them. Never worried about my safety from them, not even after my birthday. It was a risk I was willing to take. But was I willing to risk my daughter?
"This was how you felt, wasn't it? Worried about me. About the danger."
Silently, Edward nodded.
"Why you left to protect me." My voice faded away, and I took a deep breath. "I never imagined how difficult it must have been, to make that choice."
"I wanted to die," he whispered. "The only thing that kept me going was the thought of you, safe and happy."
How had he done it? How had he managed to just walk away? How could I do it?
When I spoke, my voice quivered. "Edward I can't marry you. I can't ever marry you." I gasped, dragging air into my lungs. "I can't do this. It's one thing for me to make that kind of choice for myself. I'm an adult. Even before, I was old enough to make that decision. You know I wanted you to change me. I never hid that. But Marietta. She's too young to change. And the risk."
He stared at me, his face a mask.
"How could I have been so stupid? So selfish?" I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold myself together, to keep breathing. "Edward, you have to go."
He kissed me, his lips trailing, cool, over my cheek and down my jaw, ending on my neck just above the collarbone. "I'll come back tomorrow."
I shook my head. "No, Edward. You have to go. I can't leave Forks, not with Charlie in the nursing home. And you have to go. All of you, you have to leave. Again." I breathed deeply, forcing the words out. "I'm so sorry, Edward. I'm so sorry, but I can't take a chance with her safety."
He shut his eyes and dropped his chin to his chest, his body shuddering. Then he raised his head and looked at me, his eyes burning into mine. "I love you, Bella. I will always love you."
Then he was gone.