AN: As before, Mrs. Meyer owns the Cullen family and Bella; I, on the other hand, can claim some ownership of other characters and most of the story line.
I do thank my beta readers for their diligence in point out my errors, and suggestions changes when something seems confusing; without them this story would have some nasty errors.
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Journal Entry Twenty-Eight: Surprise Encounter
All four of us entered the lobby of the resort laughing. Not even one of us felt the morning had been a waste, and when Bella proclaimed that she had achieved a major milestone in her goal by skiing down the rest of the slope in ten-foot increments, we all broke out in a hearty laugh. Therefore, we were in high spirits as we entered the lobby, but the merriment was short lived.
Whoever said old friends are the best lied. Of all the places I thought I would run into someone from my past, it was not at a brand new ski resort.
"Eddie daring, what a surprise," her velvety but nasal voice gushed, and how I hated the sound of it. "How long are you staying?"
"Too long if you're here," I retorted sourly.
She was brazen enough to approach me and give me a hug; one I definitely did not return but stonily kept my arms at my side. I did catch Bella's shocked and hurt expression from the corner of my eye, which was unfortunate because Bella had no reason to feel any fear or concern from this encounter.
"Enough Elisha," I said as I pushed her away from me, "And don't address me by that ludicrous name." Her name seemed just as preposterous to me; she pronounced it with a long 'e' instead of a long 'i' – 'E-lee-sha' with emphasis, on her part, on the 'lee' sound.
"Whatever do you mean, my pet?" She was intentionally trying to make an issue of something that never existed between us. Her thoughts were a giveaway. She had seen me earlier with my arm around Bella, and she was trying to plant seeds of jealousy and doubt in Bella's mind about a past relationship that I might have had with Elisha.
"I'm not your pet, and I never was. Give it up Elisha; Emmett knows the entire story behind your offensive crush, and no matter what you think you might achieve, he will tell my fiancé the truth." I put passion behind the fiancé announcement because I would not have her look at Bella as anything but the woman I intended to marry. Age didn't matter at that moment; all that mattered to me was that Bella would realize I had no feeling for that overly pushy, self-seeking gold digger.
"Fiancé? Interesting, I don't see a ring," she purred.
Emmett stepped up beside Bella with Jasper right behind her, almost as bodyguards would to keep their primary VIP safe from all harm. As they positioned themselves by Bella, I stepped to Bella's side, reached for the chain around her neck, extracted it along with the ring, detached the ring, and took Bella's hand so I could slip the ring on her finger. Then I smiled at Bella and kissed her. While those actions occurred, I could hear Elisha's building anger. Her thoughts ranged from 'insignificant human' to 'pasty little twit.' Because of her thoughts, I shifted myself so I was flanking the opposite side of Bella from Emmett, and then I placed my arm protectively around her shoulder and gently drew her tightly to my side. That gave Bella protection on three sides, and for once, I was glad my brothers had followed us into the resort.
Before Elisha or I could speak again, Emmett growled, "You will do nothing to harm or upset my little sister, and I'm sure Rose will be extremely interested in hearing you are around."
Jasper added, also in an aggressive overtone, "As will Alice."
I mentally heard both girls as they approached. Alice had wasted no time in tracking down both Rose and Esme once she had seen Elisha's arrival.
"How could anyone miss that gravely nasal voice," Alice declared as she glared at her with a look that would have instantly caused the retreat of any human whom she focused it on. Elisha, however, was not as timid as a human was, but she believed in self-preservation above all things.
"Alice, darling," she attempted to make her voice as lilting and sweet as possible, but it didn't work very well. "I know we can all let the misunderstandings of the past be as water that passes out to sea and is forgotten," she held out her hands to Alice as if expecting a warm and welcoming greeting.
I was somewhat surprised when I heard Rose growl at her rather than Alice, but then Rose was highly protective of what was hers, and Elisha never took a hint well. In fact, in the case of Rose, one good hit to the face taught Elisha never to tread on, or near for that matter, Rose's territory.
"If you ever try to steal what does not belong to you again," Rose snarled as she wrapped her arm around Emmett's waist, and he reciprocated by draping his arm around her shoulder, "your pretty face will discover how scarred it can actually become."
Alice added, "We protect our family from intruders of all kinds," and I watched as Jasper draped his arm around Alice's shoulder, who had by then also reached his side and wrapped her arm around his waist, and he nodded in agreement with her.
"Although I do not condone violence," Esme said as she took her position on my open side, "I have been known to look the other way out of necessity, and don't think Carlisle will offer you any protection either."
I seldom saw the protectively maternal side of Esme, but right then that side of her shone brilliantly around our little group.
"Well, I'm sure I was only trying to be friendly," Elisha offered, but we all knew she was looking for more than friendship.
We had only encountered her once before, about ten years ago, but since then we had met a few other vampires who had experiences with her, and they all agreed that she was hunting for a mate, and she would steal one if given half the chance. What Elisha had failed to learn was that vampires mated for life. True love, in the vampire world, really was just that – nothing but complete destruction of one member of the couple could separate them and even then, the love remained for the one left behind.
As she looked at the united front that we presented, she mentally admitted to herself that retreat was her only safe harbor, so she said, "Well, I guess I know when I'm not welcome," and with that, she turned and left in a slightly hasty manner.
I informed my family, "I'm going to take Bella to her room now for lunch. I think I need to explain what just happened." I smiled down at Bella as I led her away, but she didn't look up at me. In fact, she remained quiet all the way to her room.
When we entered her room, she walked directly over to the sofa and sat down. I walked over to the phone to call room service. Before I could ask what she wanted, she said, "A hamburger with the works, a large order of fries, and chocolate malt." She did not look at me while she spoke or as I placed her order, and I knew she was somewhat upset because she only ordered or asked for chocolate when she felt she needed an outside source of comfort.
As I sat down on the sofa beside her, she spoke again, but with measured caution as if choosing her words specifically. "I take it this . . . vampire is an unwelcome . . . acquaintance from your past. Emmett and Jasper seemed, well, extremely protective of me, and I don't think I have ever met anyone who . . . elicited such a negative response from both Rose and Alice before. Even Esme seems to hold something against 'her.'" Bella made the last word seem rather unclean and offensive, which in all actuality it was, but maybe not for the reason Bella might suspect.
"Despite how this might look, I can assure you there was never anything between us except for the fantasy she herself created," I had planned to say more, but Bella finally looked up at me with eyes twinkling mirthfully.
"Edward, you don't need to explain. No one who has attained the wrath of your family as she has can be any kind of a threat to either of us. I've never seen Emmett so . . . well, maybe protective is a good word. He reminded me of a mother bear protecting her cub, but don't tell Emmett I said that," she laughed softly.
From down the hall, I heard Emmett say, "I heard that sis," but with a laugh in his voice. Bella's analogy actually made him feel flattered; only Bella could have gotten away with it; from anyone else, he would have taken it as an insult.
"Too late," I informed her, "He already heard you."
"I should have known, him and that acute hearing," she muttered.
"Actually Bella, he feels flattered. I honestly think he enjoys hearing you extol his better traits," I teased. I felt much more at ease now that I knew she understood that Elisha meant nothing to me.
"Okay, so tell me just what she did to upset the entire Cullen family," Bella said as she snuggled against my side and laid her head against my shoulder.
Just then, there was a knock at the door; from nonverbal thoughts floating through, I knew it was the waiter with Bella's lunch. "Hold that thought while I retrieve your lunch, then you eat and I'll entertain you with an amusing story."
I did just that for the next hour. I expounded on the entire grizzly experience beginning with Elisha trying to lure Emmett away from Rose, with the result being a fist to her face a-la-Rose style. From Emmett, she tried to drift to Jasper, but Alice foresaw the event, and then enlightened the family to the fact that she would target Carlisle next and then me. Elisha rationalized that since I was unattached, I would easily fall prey to her alluring charms. What she failed to realize was that I found nothing alluring or charming about her – a fact that although repeatedly told to her she failed to comprehend, hence a serious confrontation between her and the entire family.
My story entertained Bella during her entire lunch, and when I finally finished my tale, Bella cooed, "Poor Edward, chased after by a beautiful woman who would never cause you a minutes fear that she might be harmed. I can see how trying that might be for you."
If it hadn't been for her teasing tone, I might have thought she felt threatened by Elisha; instead, my mood lightened as well. I'm not sure what started it, but soon I found myself gently but aggressively wrestling Bella down on the sofa as I said, "You really find this humorous, don't you?"
Bella chuckled, "Yes, just imagine how hard it must be for someone to know a beautiful woman wants them. Much better than some klutzy, plain, human who presents you with a hazard a day to protect her from."
"You are not plain, and I would welcome your hazards anytime over her grasping clutches," I teased back as I stared down into her face. I had her trapped on her back on the sofa, and I relished the position because I knew she was within easy reach of my lips anytime I decided to kiss her.
A small pout appeared on her face just before she replied, "I see that you have not denied the fact that I'm a klutz."
"Bella, I love your klutziness, it gives me the only legitimate reason to wrap my arms around you in school. Anytime a teacher or administrator asks why I'm holding you, I can always say it is because you slipped, tripped, or fell, and not one of them will contradict that comment."
"That's sweet Edward," she replied just before she wrapped her arms around my neck and drew herself up enough to kiss me.
"I thought we were going skiing?" Emmett's booming voice injected into our tender moment as he walked causally through the door. "You should save that for after skiing. It's a good way to relax after a taxing day on the slopes."
"Easy for you to say, Emmett," Bella retorted as she looked around me toward him. "It's not like you'll feel taxed."
Emmett chuckled, "You're right, I won't, but you will. Of course, if Edward wants to tax your strength in another way, then I will just return to my room and lament our cancelled outing."
"I'm sure Rose might find a way to keep you busy," Bella chuckled in reply. She seemed so at ease with Emmett. Their friendly banter, which they tossed back and forth so comfortably, revealed a side of Emmett I had seldom seen before, and it cheered me to know that Bella felt comfortable enough around my family to interact with them on such a casual basis. I did not regret that she had time to develop a rapport with them before I appeared in her life on a permanent basis.
I almost chuckled as I watched Emmett make a pouty face as he stated, "Rose has gone shopping with Alice and they won't be back until early evening."
I may have kept my chuckle to myself but Bella didn't. "Poor Emmett, deserted by his true love," then she gave a big sigh, looked up at me and said, "I guess we better take Emmett skiing so he won't be all alone."
I spent the entire afternoon watching the interaction between Bella and Emmett. I had never seen Bella smile and laugh so much as she did that afternoon. Everything between her and Emmett was easy and friendly; there was no tension or unease on Emmett's part, and because of that, Bella seemed to be able to relax and enjoy the outing. As I watched, I began to realize that Emmett had been right – I did act like a mother hen trying to shield and protect her chick; in this case, the chick was Bella. I also realized because of my overly cautious, watchful manner Bella was not able to relax around me as much as she could around Emmett. I began to feel envious of Emmett as a result and reminded myself that I had no one to blame but myself.
The culmination of that afternoon's contemplation was the resolve that I would try to become more like Emmett around Bella. Of course, I first needed to ask Emmett how he was able to relax his protectiveness so it didn't show. I knew he was just as protective, at times, as I was because I saw an example of it once or twice that afternoon, but it was not as surface visible as mine was. Nor did he completely stop Bella from doing things that might cause her harm.
The best example of what he did occurred halfway through the afternoon. Bella had achieved her first run about one quarter of the way down the slope before crossing the tips of her skies and ending up face first into the snow. During her progress down the slope, Emmett skied along on her right side while I was on her left.
After righting her, Emmett praised her for what she had accomplished, and then explained her error.
"You have to consciously keep your feet pointed forward. Don't allow them to turn inward or outward even by a fraction or you will lose control of them. Think of them as wayward dogs on a leash that want to veer off to chase a rabbit." Emmett chuckled as he watched a smile spread across Bella face.
"Are you implying that I have big feet?" She joked in an easy friendly manner. I wanted her to speak to me like that; another cause of jealousy I realized, but then reminded myself once again that I had only myself to blame because I had not spent time developing the same easy manner with her that Emmett had nurtured.
Emmett's amused laugh echoed up and down the slope. "No Bella that is just an analogy. I could have just as well told you to imagine them as Edward and I trying to coax you in two directions; his safe and mine dangerous, except in this case, to follow either one of us would have still landed you in the snow."
Bella laughed in response, and I noticed once again how the snow glistened like tiny jewels in her hair and on her face. This sparkle of the tiny flakes emphasized and enhanced the paleness of her skin, and as I stared at the combination, I suddenly decided what gift I could give Bella on New Year's Eve that would cause the same glittering effect on her skin as the snow.
Bella's laugh pulled me back to the moment, and she was staring down at her feet saying, "Okay Emmett and Edward, you are going to go forward only. You can no longer pull me in two different directions, so play nice."
I felt as if she were speaking directly to me with that comment. I had been pulling her in what I considered the correct and safe direction instead of allowing her to take command of her own life much like her father had been doing to her all along, I truthfully admitted. I would not be like her father, I resolved. I would be like Emmett and allow her more freedom and enjoyment of life.
After Emmett's encouraging speech and directives, he pointed Bella in the directions she needed to go and encouraged her to push off, and as she did so, he and I followed right along beside her. Jasper, as usual, followed behind her at safe pace.
It was during that time that I watched Emmett's carefully controlled protective side appear. He did not stop her from falling; he just made sure she fell safely. For that matter, he also monitored the safety of the direction in which she was skiing. It was along that section of the slope that some obstacles made an appearance, but instead of stopping Bella, he softly spoke to her about what actions to take to avoid the possible life-threatening hazards.
He would say things like, "Bella, lean a little to your right, or Bella, lean a little to your left."
That was contrary to what I would have said and done. I would have said, "Look out Bella, there is a rock in your path. Lean left or you will hit it," and then I would have grabbed her if she were still in harm's path. The worst part is that I would not have said any of this calmly, and that would only have upset Bella more.
Who would have ever thought – definitely not me – that I could learn something important from Emmett, but that was just what happened that afternoon. By the time we finally agreed to stop for the day, Bella had managed to ski down the slope in quarters – twice. In quarters, I mean she would ski a quarter of the way down before falling, then she would pick herself up and ski another quarter before falling again. For her that was two major accomplishments; she had learned how to get up after falling down, and she was able to ski a complete quarter of the slope before toppling over.
We all entered the lodge ready for a celebration. Bella had learned that the lobby had an open fire pit and had requested the family to meet around it for a time that evening. Everyone had agreed including Rose, and as I led Bella toward the open pit she was excitedly talking about what she hoped to accomplish the next day on the slopes.
As we sat around the pit, I watched as the firelight reflected off Bella's glowing face while she animatedly recounted her ski lesson of the day to the rest of the family. It wasn't until she was finished that Carlisle spoke to her about Elisha. He wanted to reassure her that there had never been anything between that female and I, but Bella kindly and politely informed him that she never thought any differently. When asked why, by Alice, Bella responded with similar words that she had said to me earlier.
"I do not feel that any one who has attained the wrath of your family as she has can present any kind of wedge that might come between Edward and me. Even though she is gorgeous, I believe Edward when he says there was never anything between them."
"I'm very glad to hear that," Carlisle responded, "I want you to know Bella that not all vampires are like her. Most can be very pleasant, but once in awhile, there are those who are less than pleased with their existence, and those few seem determined to make others around them as miserable as they are."
"I guess I can kind of understand her motivation. It must be very lonely when you have no one to share anything with." Bella scanned all of our faces carefully before adding, "You have all been lucky to have found each other and to have found someone whom you can love must be even more special for you." She looked directly at me as she continued, "Even Edward has finally found someone he believes deserves his love, even though I, at times, feel less than deserving." She must have known that I was going to protest because she placed her fingers on my lips. "I'm not saying I don't believe you love me, because I'm becoming more confident that you really mean what you say. I'm just saying, I don't always feel deserving of your committed love, just like you seem to feel undeserving of mine. I guess we are just two obstinate people who do not see our own worth." She chuckled softly at the last part while Emmett's laugh was garish.
"That sounds just about right," Emmett chortled. "One day that may change but only if the two of you stop being so stubborn. I always knew Edward was pigheaded, but I have more hope for you Bella. You're still young, you can change, but Edward, he has been this way since the day I met him. All I can hope is that you are his catalyst for change."
"That's a big word for you Emmett." I quipped. "Are you sure you know what it means?"
"Ha ha, I may not use them often, but you know as well as I that I know just as many words as you do." He paused as he chuckled again before adding, "Actually, I probably know more words than you, since you don't see fit to learn the slang that runs rampant at different times."
"That is because I do not consider them appropriate English, and in truth, I have no use for them in my everyday language."
"You two can argue what is or isn't appropriate English, Jasper and I are going to our room to plan out our day tomorrow," Alice informed us as she rose to leave. She then reached out for Jasper's hand for him to accompany her.
"Does this mean you won't be joining us on the slopes tomorrow?" Bella asked.
Jasper chuckled, "You're improving Bella; I don't think you need three of us crowding you any longer, so I'm going shopping with Alice tomorrow," he chuckled again as she used her elbow to jab him in the ribs. "Let me amend that," he laughed again. "I'll accompany her to Denver where she and Rose will go fashion shopping while I make the rounds of the bookstores."
"Well, I hope you have a good day," Bella offered as Jasper rose and followed Alice back to the lobby.
"I think we should join them Emmett. I need to find out how early in the morning we will be leaving," Rose said as she too got up to follow Jasper and Alice. When Emmett did not immediately join her, Rose tugged on his arm.
"I guess I'll see both of you tomorrow," Emmett said as he rose to follow his impatient wife.
"I think it is time for Bella to get some sleep," Esme noted as she got up and walked over toward us. "She is not use to all of the physical activity involved in skiing," she turned directly to Bella, "I think you'll find you are really more exhausted than you realize, my dear. A good night's sleep will help." She then kissed Bella on the cheek before facing me. "Take her to her room Edward." Then she and Carlisle also left.
"Come on Bella, Esme is more than likely correct. You do look somewhat exhausted." I got up and offered her my hand.
As she rose, she tottered slightly on her legs and then said, "I guess I am more tired than I realized."
I held her arm as I walked her to the elevators and then to her room. At her door, I meant to turn and leave so she could get ready for bed, but she held my arm and said, "Please come in Edward, I'm too tired to do much but change and collapse," so I followed her into her room.
She was correct about the exhaustion; she spent less than five minutes in the bathroom before she emerged, walked directly to the bed, and literally fell on it. I helped tuck her in and then lay down beside her; she had fallen asleep before I had even finished tucking her in. It was a quiet night; Bella didn't murmur or move once throughout the night.
The next morning, Bella was more than ready to tackle the slopes. She took less time waking up, getting ready, and eating breakfast. In fact, if I hadn't persuaded her otherwise, she would have skipped breakfast altogether. Only Emmett accompanied us to the slopes, and we spent the morning encouraging Bella each time she fell down. She accepted it all with a good sense of humor and was determined not to give up until she mastered the concept of maintaining her balance while skiing down the hill.
By the time I called a halt to the lessons for lunch, Bella had managed to make it half way down the slope without falling, and while walking back to the lodge, without Bella's knowledge, I asked Emmett if he would allow me to be alone with Bella for the afternoon. When asked why, I laughingly explained to him how I wanted to try to be less suffocatingly protective of Bella while she undertook her attempt to ski the entire run without falling down or hitting anything or anyone. Emmett laughed at my explanation but agreed that I did need as much practice with my task as Bella did with hers. So, right after lunch, Bella and I went back up the hill and we both worked on honing our particular skills. Bella was a little more successful than I was. I still wanted to jump in and prevent her falls, but I continually reminded myself that she wouldn't succeed if I stopped her, and I willingly admit that mental anguish was my constant companion that afternoon, but before the afternoon waned, I had at least succeeded in keeping my 'mother-hen' protectiveness in check. I only once stepped in to prevent a collision between Bella and a tree, but otherwise, I forced myself to allow her to fall, trip, and otherwise end up face first in the snow.
She did have one minor encounter with a pine tree that I also forcibly refrained myself from preventing. Consequently, Bella ended up with a few little scratches on her face from the pine branch as it roughly caressed her cheek. Maybe I should have prevented that one, but I used it as a test to see if I could restrain myself from interfering.
Afterward, I apologized profusely, but Bella only laughed and said, "Edward, that was minor. I'm proud of the way you allowed me to meet my fate without intervening. I've watched you today, and I know it has been hard for you not to step in when minor accidents happen, but I'm touched that you are trying so hard for my sake."
She then leaned toward me and kissed me; unfortunately, in the process of leaning into to me, she lost her balance and toppled over taking me with her.
"You did that on purpose," she teased as she lay facing me in the snow.
"I'm not the one who lost her balance," I chortled in response.
"No, you're not, but you didn't stop us from falling," she retorted still with a humorous laugh.
"You're right," I admitted. "I must confess, I wanted to know what it would feel like to laze in the snow while we kissed," and to gain the full affect, I wrapped my arms around her, pulled her close, and kissed her.
"Hey, look out," someone yelled as he skied past us.
"That was nice despite the interruption," Bella commented as I released her so I could help her up.
"Um, very nice," I agreed. "Maybe we could try that again but someplace more private," I suggested.
"I'd like that, but not until I ski down this stupid slope without falling," Bella laughed.
"As you wish, Miss Swan," I replied holding my hand out toward her so I could put her back on course.
We did spend our time seriously after that, and by late afternoon, Bella finally made it down the run without falling down. It wasn't a graceful run by any means, but at least she stayed upright the entire time. She requested one more run before we stopped for the day and I agreed. I stayed close to her on the way down, but about halfway, I heard my family gathering at the bottom of the slope. It seemed Alice had seen Bella's success and suggested the family gather at the bottom of the hill to celebrate her triumphant safe arrival at the end of the run.
Bella had focused all her attention on her feet and balance so she didn't notice the family until she reached the bottom of the hill. She later mentioned it was good that her attention was elsewhere or she would have become overly nervous knowing everyone was watching her.
After supper, we once again gathered around the fire pit and recounted our day for each other. Bella's flare at story telling once again revealed itself as she recounted the day's events. Emmett winked at me when Bella explained how patient I had been with her, and that I only stopped her from one extremely dangerous accident. Emmett sent a silent congratulation on my being able to curb a large extent of my protectiveness toward Bella, and Esme smiled at me encouragingly as she pondered how hard it must have really been for me to curb what, in my case, she considered a natural tendency.
Alice was the one I watched the most; she had a sly smile present whenever Bella was not looking at her, but she kept her thoughts cloaked somehow so I could not hear them. I knew she was planning something, and I was sure that it somehow related to Bella. Alice tried hardest to keep her thoughts from me anytime she arranged for a surprise for Bella. Since I had no inkling of what the surprise was, I decided to bide my time and wait.
It was nearing midnight when everyone began to say goodnight, but just before Alice left, she turned to Bella and announced. "Rose and I have a surprise for you tomorrow afternoon, so don't plan anything for after lunch."
"What kind of surprise?" Bella asked skeptically knowing that most of Alice's surprise dealt with clothing or shopping.
"Don't worry Bella," she assured her, "You'll like this surprise," and before Bella could say or ask anything else, Alice disappeared.
"Edward," Bella began as we lay in her bed moments later after she had preformed her usual nightly routine, "Do you have any idea what form Alice's surprise may take?"
"None, she has closed off her thoughts to me tonight." I had no encouraging or enlightening words for her because Alice had kept her plans behind a mental wall I could not hear through, and she refused to let anything slip about what her surprise for Bella was.
"Edward, I'm scared. I don't want to spend any of my lovely vacation trying on clothes or makeup, and I definitely don't want my hair cut," she snuggled against me as she spoke causing waves of warmth to wash over my body.
Her last comment however surprised me. I had no idea that Alice had any kind of plans about having Bella's hair cut; that was one surprise I would stop before it ever started. "Whatever this surprise is, I'm going with you, and don't worry, nobody is allowed to cut your hair," I declared with determination.
"Thank you Edward, I'll feel much safer with you along," she murmured just before she fell asleep.
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AN: I personally want to thank SamiLea, Viper003, Noble Korhedron, and graciousplum for being my most consistant reviewers. Your reviews really mean a lot to me, and I hope to hear for others as this story continues. I want to know what others think of this story, and especially if the story is interesting enough for me to continue.
Twenty-seven people have read this chapter since I posted it on Oct. 9th, and not one of them left a review. Was the chapter really that bad? Is the story getting boring? Just wondering.