DAWN'S ASCENDANCY
Chapter 35 – We Need To Talk
While they embraced in a passionate kiss, the storm raged outside. The wind howled and the rain pelted on the rooftop, creating a cacophony unlike anything Kayce has ever heard before. As excited as Kayce was, she was now getting scared. Debris hammered the house crashing into the walls and shuttered windows. The wind seemed to reach out to the house and grab at the shutters and pull them from away from the window frame. If it kept up the shutters would be ripped clean off.
She pulled away from Edward slightly, her eyes darting around, then becoming terrified. She buried her face in Edward's chest for comfort. He cradled her body as close to him as he could get. He kissed the top of her head and then placed his lips close to her ear and spoke comforting words. She felt much better, but still was frightened. There were horrible sounds from debris battering the exterior of the house.
"Edward, where is the rest of the family?" she yelled. She became very worried for their safety. She knew they were indestructible, yet she couldn't shake the worry that settled in the pit of her stomach. Their absence during this emotional reunion and the storm felt all wrong. She wanted to celebrate and hug her family members, but instead the earth was deluging them with an angry storm.
"Don't worry, they are safe. If it will give you some comfort, we can call them. Let's pray the cell towers work," he said. Kayce nodded as Edward pulled a cell phone from his pocket. Kayce was visibly shaking from being soaked from the pouring rain. Edward noticed her shudder from the cold, so he rubbed the blanket quickly to create some friction in order to warm her up. Edward proceeded to place the cell phone up to his ear and waited for an answer.
Luckily he heard the phone ringing. This call had to be short before they were cut off. "Ah, Edward," Carlisle said. A huge grin spread across Edward's face as he gazed into Kayce's eyes. She breathed out a sigh of relief snuggling into Edward's side.
"Carlisle where are you?" Edward asked, as he winked at Kayce and then twined his fingers through the white parts of her hair. He found that he quite likes it, though she is ravishing anyway. He made a mental note to ask why she did it that way.
"The rest of us are in the woods. We decided to go hunting to steer clear of the storm. Are you and Kayce alright?" Carlisle said.
"Yes, we both are alright. Um...can you all come home...like now?" Edward said, just as eager as Kayce to share their happy news.
"Edward what is it? Is Kayce safe?" A loud crash thundered through the house as the front door had exploded off its hinges and a large tree had flown inside. Edward grabbed Kayce, throwing her on the floor, shielding her with his own body. His phone, however, didn't survive the impact. It lay on the floor in pieces. Kayce tried to look, but all she really saw was Edward's body, splintering wood and a barrage of howling wind and rain entering through the open hole that used to be the door and part of the frame and wall.
Kayce's eyes grew huge when she saw Edward resting above her. He had a smile tugging at his lips, but there appeared to be a tree branch sticking out of Edward's back. She struggled to sit up, but Edward refused to let her get up. "Edward, you've been impaled!" Kayce cried out.
Edward looked down and saw tree branch stuck through the fabric of his shirt. He hadn't been impaled, but the branch was caught sticking through his torn shirt. As he twisted around to get a better look, he saw that a fine layer of sawdust had fallen free onto Kayce's chest and on the floor. Kayce's eyes were huge. Edward removed it quite easily, but his shirt was torn away with the branch. He turned back to see Kayce breathe a sigh of relief and then rest her head on the floor. He laughed and placed his forehead on her chin. With every chuckle, his cool breath made her shiver.
He started to kiss her again when he figured out they were in a relatively safe, yet in a comfortable position. When Kayce had begun to wrap her arms around his neck, Edward folded them back underneath him. "It's safer this way, Love. I want to make sure you have all your parts."
Their embrace grew more intense and heated, both intent on devouring all that they could of one another, mouths moving in rhythm, hands roaming, breaths shallow and quick. As Edward spread kisses down Kayce's neck, reaching her collarbone, he paused, his lips caressing the skin there with each word he spoke. "Kayce?"
She lay beneath him, enraptured with his touch and managed a simple, "Hmm?" finally squinting one eye open to glance up at him.
"I know I asked you this before, but you never actually answered me and from the way you blush when I am near, I can't help but wonder...you said that we were pretty close to one another. Now, I know we never actually." he stopped and cleared his throat, still not meeting her eyes. "But I am still unsure of how CLOSE we got. So I am asking you again." His emerald eyes finally rose to meet hers and the depth of intense fire that burned within took her breath away. "Exactly how far did we go?"
Kayce lay speechless gazing up into his eyes for a moment, a deeper blush rushing to her cheeks, neck and chest. Edward inhaled deeply, obviously enjoying her scent, but not for the allure of her blood. Just as she opened her mouth to reply, the family burst through the gaping hole in the wall that used to be the front door. Being so intent on assuring Kayce's safety, they rushed in, consequently tripping over the entwined couple on the floor and ending up in a pile of arms, legs and curses. Only Alice was left standing, because she knew full well where the couple lay on the floor before everybody's hasty entrance. Kayce stared at them in shock before bursting out in a crazed laughter. Never in her life had she ever imagined seeing vampires in such an improperly twisted up mess as her family was at this moment.
The crazed laughter had been contagious and everyone was laughing. Alice suddenly stopped laughing when she had taken a good look at Edward and Kayce's compromising position. She squealed loudly and bounced over to them and began to hug them. "When is it? I have to get started right away...stupid storm..." Alice said almost too fast for Kayce to understand.
Esme looked from Alice to a shirtless Edward and then to Kayce wrapped in a blanket lying underneath him. Her eyes widened and she too jumped over Emmett and Carlisle's bodies to get to them, throwing her arms around the three. "I prayed that this would happen. I can't wait. Edward...are you sure?"
When he merely shrugged, she squealed as well, wanting to celebrate. Esme turned her head to share that moment with Carlisle, but he looked confused. "He remembers and they are getting married!" she called out.
"I don't remember everything, but I do know that I can't live another minute without Kayce by my side," Edward said with a smile. Alice stood up with Jasper and she bent down to grasp Kayce's hand. "Let's go into my closet, there are no windows, you should be safe there Kayce. We need to start planning." They both ran upstairs and into Alice's bedroom, which had very large windows that were shuttered. She opened the closet door and escorted Kayce inside the darkened room. Alice put a lantern inside so Kayce would be able to see.
Kayce never needed to voice her feelings on claustrophobia because the closet was the size of her bedroom back home. Edward had come in the closet along with the others and he patted his lap. Kayce nodded and shivered, but Esme blocked her way to Edward. "Kayce dear, we need to get you out of those wet clothes." Esme gave Edward a pointed look and Edward smiled sheepishly at having forgotten about their state of dress. Esme smiled sweetly and then she and Rose stood with Alice and created a screen of bodies. Edward watched intently, but all he could see was her skirt and tank top falling to the floor.
Alice handed Kayce a cable knit sweater and a pair of shorts. She then tossed something over her shoulder, which landed unceremoniously on Edward's tousled head. He pulled the shirt and jeans off his face and smiled up at Alice. She really was prepared for anything. She must have retrieved them from his closet on the way to hers. Quickly dressing, he sat back down to wait. Kayce dressed savoring the warmth of the dry clothes. Alice took her wet clothes and threw them in a clothes hamper to be cleaned, along with Edward's.
Edward stretched his arm out, his fingers intertwined with Kayce's, leading her to his lap, which she gratefully sat down, burrowing into his embrace. Alice was sitting with Jasper at her side and she had a pad of paper and a pen in her hand. She was furiously scribbling away. The scratches from the pen onto the paper never ceased. Alice would occasionally look up at Kayce, then put the tip of her pen into her mouth and then begin to scribble again.
"Alice, what are you writing down? I would like to help plan my own wedding," Kayce said with a smile for her overzealous sister.
"Really? You really want to help?" Alice squealed.
"Of course I do. I have always dreamed of my wedding," Kayce answered, as Edward rubbed her bare legs. Kayce turned a little so she could see Edward, "Edward what month do you want to be married?"
He smiled and continued to rub her legs, "I was hoping after the storm, is that too soon?"
Kayce's eyes grew very large and she swallowed very hard. "No, I guess not."
Alice shook her head, "Edward, I am good, but I at least need a few days to get what we need done. I have to make Kayce's dress and hire a caterer and a florist. All those people are human, but I'll see what I can do."
He nodded his head in a serious way, teasing his sister. "Well, the sooner the better." He kissed Kayce's hair and she sat back discussing the upcoming nuptials.
Kayce had begun to nod off as the storm quieted down. Edward grabbed a fleece blanket and wrapped her in it to keep her warm. She snuggled down in his arms and fell asleep; for in his arms, she was unafraid. As she slept, Alice started to draw mock-ups of Kayce's wedding dress and the maid's dresses, sharing them with Rose and Esme.
The next morning Kayce awoke in Edward's embrace. He lightly planted a kiss on her lips as she started to stretch out her stiff limbs. She looked around lazily and found they were alone in the closet. "Where did everyone go?" she asked.
"The storm has passed and the women are making wedding arrangements and the men are repairing the damage sustained in the storm," he said smiling at her as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Kayce then made her way to the door and placed her hand on the knob, turning it. Edward stood to his full height behind her, one lean muscled arm reaching past her head to hold the door shut. Kayce's heart spluttered as she felt his chest press up against her back and his free hand slowly pulled her hair back away from her shoulders, exposing her neck.
"Last night at the feast," he murmured, slowly trailing scorching kisses along her shoulders, "I noticed you have the most adorable little birthmark." His lips moved up the length of her neck, coming to rest at the base of her skull just behind her ear. "Just there at the base of your hair line. I don't remember every seeing it before." She sighed; her head flopping heavily back onto his chest, as he gently nibbled her earlobe.
"I don't think you did see it before," she muttered, reveling in his touch. His right hand remained pressed against the door, while his left snaked around her waist, coming to rest on the inside valley of her hip. Her coherent thought was rapidly disintegrating pressed between Edwards's hard body and the door. Suddenly, the closet didn't seem too large anymore, yet the claustrophobia did not bother her so much in this situation. She made one last valiant effort to leave, tearing herself away from his chest and turning to place her back against the door. "We really should go out and see if we can't help..." Feeling the change of surfaces helped bring about a few moments of clarity, which promptly vanished as Edwards lips suddenly melted into hers.
"They can manage," Edward growled out, his left hand now deeply sinking into her dark hair, gently massaging her scalp.
"Ohhh..." She gasped "That feels amazing."
"My lips or my fingers"? Edward teased between kisses.
"Mmm...Both," she muttered, clinging to him, their breathing both so heavy she could hardly tell whose was whose. "If you keep doing that...we will never leave." Edward molded his body to hers, deepening the kiss.
"That's the point," Edward responded. Kayce gasped in surprise as his hands suddenly found their way to the seat of her shorts, squeezing. "You know, you still haven't answered my question."
"Which?" She mumbled, nearly incoherently.
"The question you were supposed to answer before my family had interrupted us by tripping over our prone bodies." She was suddenly caught up in his arms, her legs wrapped about his waist. He pulled back long enough for her to see the longing in the depths of his emerald eyes.
"Oh..." She whispered, her blush instantly blazing through her skin like a wildfire.
"Well?" he asked. He waited, staring into her eyes intensely.
"Isn't it enough to know that we were intimate to a steamy level?" she squeaked out, hoping to escape this line of questioning. Edwards's eyes narrowed playfully.
"No. I want details."
"Um, I plead the fifth." Edwards playful glance took on new depth, a growl emanating from his chest as he once again began covering her neck with kisses.
"Then I will have to cheat," he whispered, slowly drawing his tongue across her collar bone. An involuntary gasp escaped her lips, as she clutched his copper waves, keeping his head in place.
"We went on a family camping trip just a little while before I...disappeared," she paused, biting her lip, afraid mentioning that time would bring back bad memories for Edward. Instead, he simply nodded and continued to watch her, waiting for her answer. Swallowing deeply, she continued, "There were a lot of hot springs there and you took me swimming, and..."
Suddenly a loud crashing sound filled the air and both Edward and Kayce jumped in surprise. Edward's body instantly covered hers, pressing it against the door, protecting her, as something fell in through the roof above their heads. As the dust cleared, Kayce coughed and squinted up to see a pair of large legs dangling through the ceiling above her.
"Uh...I think I found a weak spot in the roof over here Carlisle," Emmett's voice filtered down to them through the roof. Kayce could not help the laugh that bubbled up, though Edward looked anything but entertained.
"Why do they keep doing this to me?" he muttered, obviously annoyed to have his line of questioning destroyed again. Edward ignored the interruption, leaning into her, kissing her soft lips. His hands went down to the small of her back, lifting her sweater and he placed them on her bare skin, making her shiver.
"Hey Edward, a little help here please?" Edward growled from deep within his chest as he turned to stare at Emmett's dangling legs. Sighing, he allowed Kayce's feet to slowly slide to the floor before he steeled himself and pulled away, opening the door for her courteously.
Edward held the door open for Kayce to exit through. As Kayce ducked through the door, Edward turned around to look up at Emmett's legs dangling from the ceiling. A piece of damaged plaster had broken away and fallen to the floor in a cloud of dust. Edward gratuitously smirked before leaving Emmett behind in the closet. "Shall we go to our room?" Edward asked. He was walking so close to Kayce, that she could feel the coolness of his body up against her. It felt like whispers of icy air kissing her skin.
She entered her bedroom and climbed up on the bed. Kayce gripped her pillow and started crushing it to her chest. Edward had closed the door and it clicked loudly to Kayce's ears. "So...where were we?" Kayce asked shyly.
"Hot springs and swimming..." Edward reminded her with a boyish grin.
"Oh...yes...um...we were testing the waters of our relationship, so to speak," she answered in a whisper. Kayce cleared her throat and spoke with more confidence. "You and I were getting romantic and pushing the boundaries of our physical relationship." Edward sat next to her and leaned in close. He had begun to kiss her collarbone. All that talk was making him want to act on her words instead of listen to them.
Edward's hand ran down her arm in feather light strokes. Kayce bit her lip, debating on whether she wanted to keep this up or to continue with their conversation. Her fingers curled around her pillow in response to her overwhelming urge to take Edward in her arms. She felt she needed to be rational and clearheaded and Edward was making her feel anything but.
"Edward?" She said into his tousled bronze hair.
"Shhh, let's just enjoy the moment," he whispered. His right hand had fallen to Kayce's thigh, squeezing it.
"Edward...we need to talk," Kayce said, pulling back to look into his eyes. "I need to know what happened to you while you were captured.
Edward's eyes grew serious and he ceased all movement. "You don't want to know," he whispered.
"Edward, you changed so much from the time I saw you in your cell until the time we rescued you. What did they do to you?" she asked sadly.
Edward swallowed hard and gave her a sad look of conciliation. He scooted further away from her and took a deep breath, gazing into her eyes. "As you know they starved me. What you didn't know, a 'gifted' vampire had come into my cell to make me see visions...of you."
Kayce smiled, "Well that's good right? I was hoping that you wouldn't forget me..."
Edward held up his hand to stifle her. The intensity of his face made her face fall. "He tortured me, making me see you being with him and other men, sexually. He made me see you being attacked and killed in a brutal, very bloody manner. There was nothing I could do, I had to watch, but couldn't intervene. At first I didn't believe it; my will was too strong to be broken. Eventually, the starvation weakened my body and then my mind. I suffered from hallucinations on my own without anyone's help."
Kayce felt like she had been punched in the gut. She had no idea the conditions he was living. Her imagination hadn't been wild enough to create the images that Edward was now describing. Her hands had begun to shake and her mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. "Edward, I had no idea that it was so bad."
An interruption came in the form of loud banging above them that sounded like hammering and tearing away of the shingles on the roof. Inside, they could hear loud footsteps, in haste, running upstairs. "Alice is in her closet going through fabric swatches," Edward said when Kayce appeared confused. She nodded and then looked back at Edward again. "I told you that you didn't want to know," Edward said. Kayce looked heartbroken.
Edward's heart shattered when he saw the pain that Kayce was feeling. She struggled with the idea that he had witnessed her with other men. "Edward, I was never with any other men. I swear it," Kayce plead. "One minute I was with you and the next I was at my empty school. I drove home and my parents were waiting for me. The only torture I endured was missing you," she said with tears filling her eyes. Edward reached out and swept away her tears that had begun to fall. "What else did you have to endure?" she asked quietly.
"They tried to get me to have the incubus emerge."
Kayce had begun to pick at the threads on her comforter. She was feeling extremely anxious. "I don't understand Edward, how could they...I was gone."
Edward looked down at his hands before he could reply, never looking up, "Uh..." He cleared his throat and then began again. "When we all arrived in Volterra, Aro had separated Carlisle, Alice and I. We were taken to his private chamber. Aro had called a human woman to enter."
Kayce interrupted him, "I'm not quite following you!" She knew very well what he was getting at, but needed that moment to steel herself.
"She was brought to me so I could have sex with her. I refused, so they imprisoned me. I was to stay locked away under guard until I cooperated."
Kayce's hands flew up to her mouth in shock. "I had no idea. I thought you were there because you wouldn't give them information about me. I have been so selfish and naive."
"I never gave in. I could never do that to you. Periodically, Aro would bring in a female to entice me, some resembled you. After being so hungry and weak, I thought they were you until they came close enough to me for me to smell them. When I denied those women's advances..."
"Advances?" Kayce managed to squeak out. She stood up, letting the pillow on her lap tumble to the floor as she made her way to the window and gazed out. The sky had turned a light blue color and the clouds were beginning to disperse. She eventually turned her head and saw that Edward remained rooted to the end of her bed.
"Yes, Aro had made sure to bring naked women into my cell, hoping that my incubus was somehow triggered by visual stimulation...he was wrong."
"Did they touch you?" Kayce asked. She felt her stomach clench and became extremely queasy. She didn't like to show her weakness in front of him. She suddenly felt like her weakness could be used as a weapon. Edward's face twisted into a tortured mask of guilt.
"I'm not going to lie to you. Yes they did." He shuddered before meeting her eyes with a look so deep and sincere she could not doubt any word uttered from his lips. "I never touched them in return. I never wanted any of them. They were fervid in their attempts, yet none of them could raise the passion in me that you did. None of them could do anything more then disgust me and solidify my resolve against their advances. Though I never took part in any of their advances, I still felt a bone deep painful guilt over the matter." He paused studying her. "Perhaps now you can understand part of my reluctance to get close to the real you after you rescued me."
Kayce felt tears welling in her eyes, but nodded. Though it still hurt, she truly did understand. Every time he had looked at her, he must have been reminded of those tortures and the guilt those memories stirred. No wonder he had been hesitant to trust his feelings for her. Edward watched her, his keen eyes noticing the understanding that dawned in her eyes. Nodding to himself, he pushed onward. "When Aro figured out after a couple of years that I was not going to give him what he wanted, he put his plan of finding you at the forefront of his agenda. When Aro found the sick, twisted man that had abilities similar to yours, he turned him. After that first year had passed, he set him loose to find you. I dreaded seeing him capture you. That was another torture I had to endure, seeing him find you and turn you or attempt to do so and killing you." When the hallucinations and the embedded dreams of you and your betrayals weren't quite having the same effect upon me that they did in the beginning..." Edward thoughtfully looked at Kayce and sighed, "I became numb to the torture. I just expected you to hurt me; Aro became more or less cruel with my torture."
"More or less cruel?" she asked in a worried tone. She gave Edward a, tell me what's coming next or do I have to go find Alice to have a vision and tell me, look.
"They sent Jane in and she brought a small chef's torch with her. She would sit with me, delighting in my negativity for hours upon hours," Edward said matter of factly. He stood up, his fingers grasping the bottom of his shirt, removing it quickly over his head. At first Kayce thought he was trying to get romantic with her, but she squinted her eyes and saw marks on his skin. "My skin feels like marble to you," he stated as fact. Kayce nodded, but couldn't speak. "You might think it would be impervious to anything, but marble can be burned and turned into lime, which is one of the ingredients of cement. That is a similar process that happens to a vampire's body if it is burned. That is why burning is the only way to kill a vampire. Jane never burned me long enough for that to completely happen, but it did leave marks. These marks look like quarter-sized gouges made from a chisel, don't they?"
Kayce walked over to him and inspected the now healed burn marks carefully, her warm fingers tracing along the rounded shapes across his back. "You're right, they do look and feel like gouges in a statue. Edward...I'm so sorry. I had no idea." He turned around so she could see his bare chest. She had seen him without his shirt on the night before, but in the darkness of the storm, she had not seen the divots that covered areas of his torso and arms. She ran her fingers over his arms, down his chest and abs, feeling all the marks. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks as she stared at the marks left on him from the hands of his captors. Gently grabbing her hands, he pushed them lower to the waist band of his low rise jeans. Unbuttoning the top button, he folded the edge lower, just enough to reveal the tops of his hip bones. There were more marks all along them and her fingers explored those too with feather light touches, his hands still resting lightly on the backs of hers.
"I have a million of these all over my body." He smirked rakishly. "Of course a few of them, I imagine you won't be seeing until we are married." His smile faded and he stared at her seriously again. "That is, of course, if you still want me." She stared up at him with large teary eyes. He put on another rakish smile, though this time it was obviously forced and unsure. "I assure you I'm still in working order." Kayce suddenly threw her arms about his neck, burying her face into his cool skin and sobbing. He stood shocked for a moment before slowly encasing her in his arms and holding her securely to his chest. "I would understand...if you didn't want to be with me."
She pulled away suddenly, "Edward, nothing could ever change my mind about being with you. I want to be with you until the end of time and even beyond that if it is possible." Edward gazed into her eyes, his eyes green with a golden hue and glistening. She watched with awe as two trails of liquid slid silently down his cheeks.
"At first I cursed these marks. I looked at them as a reminder of the years of torture, as them putting their mark on me." He wiped the tears from his cheeks, turning his hand back and forth in the light. Looking back to meet her eyes, he continued, "Now that I have remembered our love, I look at them differently. I see them as badges of honor reminding me that I never once betrayed you. Proof that no matter how much I suffered or how little I remembered, the depth of my love for you was always there. These are my battle scars that I won for you, for us." Their lips were suddenly locked in a kiss that spoke volumes.
Kayce and Edward started to get carried on a wave of emotion flowing outward with the strength of a tidal wave. Edward was standing with Kayce in his arms and facing the open window. He opened one eye in order to see legs flash past, tumbling to the ground below. A dull thud could be heard echoing in the room. Only Edward's ears could hear the cursing that came along after the fall. Kayce whispered into Edward's lips with a muffled sound, "Was that?"
"Jasper'll live," Edward answered back with a similar muffled voice. Kayce's hands roamed over Edward's body, appreciating the newness of his scars, yet feeling the same familiarity. Her hands followed the contour of his back muscles down to his hips and rested just below the folded down denim. Edward panted as he pulled away from their kiss with a smirk. Kayce delighted to see that same spark that had been missing since his rescue.
"Kayce, you said that we needed to be honest. What happened? How did you find Jasper?"
Kayce looked at Edward with confusion, "Didn't the others tell you?"
"No, I didn't want to know. I just wasn't ready to know. I knew about...Draven..." Kayce noticed he spat as he finally uttered his name. "I recognized him and he taunted me with going to find you. Tell me that you escaped before he found you! You have no idea how the thought of him finding you had tortured me!"
"He did find me." Kayce approached the window, placing her hands on the sill and looked down. "He became the gym teacher at school. I recognized him, but put it out of my mind. I didn't think it was possible for him to be there of all places." She turned around and noticed Edward's brow furrowed in disgust. "Anyway, he had one of his friends with him too, one of the guys in the alley that day...they both would yell a lot, trying to humiliate me at first. It was like they were testing me, seeing how much abuse I could take before I broke."
Edward came up behind her and he gazed out of the window, placing his hands on the wall. His hands went right through the plaster and out of the wood siding on the outside. He made sure to growl out his displeasure before speaking. "Did they touch you or hurt you?" Kayce turned awkwardly, due to their close proximity, to see Edward removing his hands, dusting them off, making sure there were no splinters or debris left on his hands.
"Well...for weeks they didn't do anything except humiliate me in class. It wasn't until Halloween that the three of them were coming for me."
"Demetri...I know about him, too," Edward said angrily.
"Mr. Demetri was my school counselor. My parents had become concerned by my depression and asked him to start seeing me for sessions trying to help figure out why I was depressed. He seemed really nice at first; I didn't know he was with the others until the three of them cornered me in the house of mirrors at the carnival at school."
"Where does Jasper fit into all of this?" Edward asked. He took her hands in his and led her to the floor. The both sat down and just stared at each other.
"I was at the carnival with a friend..." Kayce saw the jealous look in Edward's eyes, so she laughed and said, "Her name is Sheila. Anyway, Coach Sawyer had approached Sheila and me at the softball pitch and he grabbed my hand, it was bitterly cold. I looked up to challenge him and his eyes were strange, one was a deep burgundy color and the other was half blue and half burgundy. They had been wearing contact lenses to appear normal, that is what threw me off, their eyes. A group of kids bumped into him and his grip loosened, I yanked my hand free and we ran. I didn't want Sheila to get caught up in the situation, so I lied to her about Sawyer using meth and had her run to a large group of kids and stay with them. I ran in the opposite direction to the house of mirrors and entered. It was so dark, I couldn't see and I heard their laughter. They were in there with me and I tried to fumble my way out. Eventually, someone had grabbed me from behind. I fought like crazy to get away, thrashing and screaming. It was Jasper. He led me to the exit and we ran. He told me we needed to escape and get back to our own time to rescue you or you would die." Edward was really angry; his nostrils were flaring as he breathed heavily through his nose in an attempt to stay calm.
"So Jasper saved you?" Edward asked.
"No, she saved me. We would have been killed if she hadn't of taken us to our house in Forks to regroup in order to get to you. All of her white hair is a result of the stress that her body went through transporting us so many times," Jasper said, leaning into the doorway.
Edward's eyes looked at her with awe and devotion. He never thought a human could be so brave to save them all. "I can't believe you went through that."
"Edward, they would have captured or killed us. I didn't have a choice. I just felt an urge to be home and safe, and there we were. It was nothing special, I assure you."
"Love, you are more special than you give yourself credit for." Edward ignored his brother's presence and took Kayce in his arms and had begun to kiss her passionately. With his shirt removed, he thought he better reciprocate and had begun to pull the sweater off of Kayce's body when they heard a high pitched throat clearing.
They both sat up and saw Alice and Rose standing inside the room. Jasper had shrugged his shoulders in a, 'what could I do' way. "Edward, we have a wedding to plan and you are obviously getting way ahead of yourself, first the ceremony, then the honeymoon," Rose scolded.
"Go get dressed Edward, you are taking Kayce into town to keep your minds off of sex. Just wander around until nightfall and then we will stay with Kayce while you go hunting. The wedding is going to be tomorrow, I have almost everything ready," Alice said with a proud grin spread across her face.
"Tomorrow? I thought you said it would take a few days?" Kayce said in shock.
"Don't you want to marry me tomorrow?" Edward asked innocently.
"Of course I do, I just thought it takes time to arrange a proper wedding," Kayce said.
"Not when you have me making the arrangements," Alice responded. Edward excused himself and disappeared through the bedroom door. Alice sent Kayce to the shower and placed fresh clothes out on the sink. Kayce hurried and dressed in a mini skirt and a blouse. She put on her sandals and headed out into the living room. There were charts, graphs and fabric swatches lying out on the dining room table. "Alice, are you sure, I should wear this after that storm?" Kayce asked skeptically.
"Trust me, it is going to get hot and muggy in about an hour," Alice said pointing at her head.
Kayce saw Carlisle covered head to toe with his protective gear from the sun. He had a hammer in his hand and a handful of nails sticking out of his mouth, preparing to fix the front door. Edward appeared covered head to toe in similar motorcycle leathers that the others were wearing when they arrived and that Carlisle was now wearing. It was black with long sleeves, thin leather gloves, long pants, boots and a riding mask that covers his whole face, but his eyes. He pulled on a pair of sun glasses to complete the full coverage.
Kayce burst out laughing, "Edward no one is going to believe you are normal walking around in this heat with all that on."
Edward took her hand and escorted her outside. "Trust me," he said with a cocky voice. Kayce acted quite jumpy as they walked to town, eventually making it to a pathway leading into the town's marketplace. Everyone smiled and waved at them. Some even called Edward by name. Suddenly, a really hot guy with sun bleached hair and blue eyes approached them, running up to Edward and slapping him on the back. "Edward, it's good to see ya again mate! All this hidin' under rocks like a thorny devil does nothin' for your complexion!" The guy burst out laughing at his own joke and Edward joined him. Kayce felt a little nervous and gripped Edward's hand tighter, leaning into his arm with a confused look on her face.
Edward smiled down at her, "A thorny devil is a common lizard in these parts and Tadek is making fun of my family's condition. You know Tadek, our severe allergic reaction to the sun may keep us out of the sun, but we can still out surf you in the dark."
Tadek smirked and waved him off. "Right, what's that called again...sunny grumpitis?"
Edward's laugh came out muffled under the layer of fabric covering his mouth. "Severe solar urticaria," Edward reminded him.
Tadek rolled his eyes, but his heart warming smile never left his face as he made his way closer to Kayce. He gave her a dazzling smile and said, "Who's this bird?"
Kayce's eyebrows raise, but it doesn't sound like he meant it as an insult. Edward wrapped his arm around her and hugged her tightly to him. She immediately felt his overwhelming pride practically bouncing off of him. "This is Kayce."
Tadek grabs her hand and leans over it, giving her hand a kiss, winking before he straightens. "I'd watch out if I were you Eddie, my mate, she just might fancy a figjam like me over you." He gave her a conspiratorial smile before whispering, "It's the accent. The American birds all swoon for it!"
Kayce smiled, but gripped Edward's arm tighter, "Thanks, but I have my man!"
Tadek laughed and smirks, "That's a good girl. You better keep a good hold of your knickers though; my smile dazzles them right off of women!"
Edward just laughed and shook his head. Kayce was having a hard time knowing whether or not to take him seriously, but Edward was relaxed and thoroughly at ease around him and so she decided to not take offense. "I assure you my pants are only charmed off by one man and his name's not Tadek."
Tadek laughed hard and wrapped an arm around Edward's shoulders, "You got a feisty one! Good for you, mate! I'd keep my peeps open for Lachlan, that arse licker would try for her. "
Edward asked, "So is Lachlan still a loser?
Tadek agrees, "He's still with that coconut scrag Kaali, but you know he's one for waggin a bone at any girl he sees."
Edward tightened his grip around Kayce, but merely nods.
"Slurry root rat," Tadek growls, then his face brightened again. "I'm a happy little vegemite now that your back goon! I've gotta get over to my ma's having a barbi this arvo. She's tryin' to set me up with this ambo. She won't believe me when I say I don't need a bomb thrower." He shudders dramatically. "Going to ride waves with me tomorrow tonight?"
Edward shakes his head negatively. "Not tomorrow tonight Tadek, I'm getting married." Tadek laughs and congratulates him.
"Why don't you come and spread the word for all of our friends to come, as well," Edward said excitedly.
"Sure thing mate wouldn't miss it." Tadek waved and walked away in the opposite direction.
Edward and Kayce wandered around through the market while Edward explained that their family is able to walk about freely here as they have come to be known as a family with a severe allergic reaction to the sun. "Esme and Carlisle married, both with the same condition. Then they wanted to adopt kids who faced the same issues. Nobody questions our pale skin or our strange garb during the daylight hours. At night, we can walk about freely. The best part, we don't have to explain away our refusal to eat at occasions because we have special diets that help with our skin condition."
She was amazed that they could come up with such an excuse. The entire time they have been in Australia, the entire family has stayed out of town during the day. She had no idea they even went out during the day where humans could see. "Who is Tadek?" Kayce asked.
"Tadek has been a family friend for several years. He is a humorous guy who is loud and obnoxious, but good. He would do anything for us."
"Does he have a girlfriend?"
"He always tries to play it off as if he is a happy eternal bachelor, but he's had his eye on a girl he grew up with. He seems to think she is 'too professional' for him. He thinks she has better things ahead of her then him and doesn't want to tie her down.
"Edward, why does Tadek talk so strangely? Some of the others that I have met didn't speak in that way," Kayce asked as she walked snuggling into his side.
"That's just how he is, his base personality. He doesn't apologize for being who he is. Let's see, I can translate for you. A figjam is someone who thinks highly of themselves and slurry root rat is someone who is promiscuous and looking to hook up and arvo means afternoon and a bomb thrower means wife."
"Ooohh...I get it now," she said with a laugh. They walked the rest of the afternoon holding hands and looking at the shops.