Chapter 44: Clearing Things Up

CHLOE'S POV

I knew it was childish, I knew I should have just stayed there and worked it out with him but I was so furious I was getting worried if I'd ever be able to calm down. I used the excuse I was scaring Nessie and walked out the room. I took the steps two at a time and walked straight out the door. I didn't know if he was following me or not so I took off running into the woods. I purposely made sure I went north east, away from humans, away from civilisation.

It wasn't long before I heard someone approaching me. I started to run faster, using my strength to make me move.

"Chloe it's just me, please slow down, I'm not as fast as you," I heard Bella whine behind me. I let out a sigh. If anyone would be able to make me feel better it would be Bella. I came to a stop and Bella ran straight past me. She paused and began walking back. I looked to the ground and moved my feet over to a tree. I let the rage take over me and I threw my fist into the bark. The tree made a snapping sound and it broke with the contact. The top of the tree tilted, falling away from us and it hit the ground with a thud.

Bella took a step away from me.

"Sorry," I mumbled at her, I slumped against the tree stump and brought my knees up to my chest.

"That's ok," she whispered and walked over to me. She sat next to me on a slight angle as she rested her back against the same tree.

"You here to lecture me about being an over jealous girlfriend to your son?" I asked her. I immediately regretted the words when I said them but being a newborn presented me with a lot of anger issues.

"No I'm not Chloe," she replied. "I'm here to listen, I'm here so you can talk to someone you can trust," she said sweetly to me.

"Thanks," I mumbled. "I don't have anything to say though. I don't like Esther I'm sorry but I don't."

"I understand that Chloe. I won't lie to you when I say I didn't really either. Edward told me a lot about her and while at first I felt sorry for her, being alone and what has happened to her, I didn't like the way she thought about my son. It is clear who he belongs to and yet she looks at him in ways she shouldn't, she thinks about him a lot too. I guess I can't blame her though, he is like her and she's alone. I just wish it would be someone other than my son."

"I knew it…" I growled. "Eddie doesn't believe me you know," I told her. Suddenly feeling smug that it wasn't my mind playing tricks.

"He does believe you. He knows what's going on with Esther, I just think he's hurt because he feels you don't trust him," she said softly.

"You're on his side now are you," I joked.

"No Chloe, I'm not on anyone's side, that wouldn't make me a very good friend to you or mother to my son if I sided with one of you. I want to help, I don't want you two fighting," she said sternly, while she tried to keep her tone friendly I could hear the mother in her coming out.

"Sorry," I said honestly. I felt I had been scolded by my own mother. Since mine wasn't here anymore I saw no reason not to allow Bella to teach me the things my own mother should have. I felt her hand wrap around mine.

"I know it can be hard, believing someone like Eddie is yours and yours alone but you have to start trusting him, it is essential if you want to spend the rest of your existence with him."

"I don't know what I'd do without you or any of the Cullen's. I can't bear to think about not being with Eddie anymore," I said, my voice cracking. If this truly broke me and Eddie, if I couldn't learn to trust what we had what was I going to do? I had already given up my mortal life. I didn't think I could survive on my own.

"You don't need to think about that. We'll work this out. Even if something happened with you and Eddie, we would work through it," She said.

"We?" I asked my voice breaking.

"Aw Chloe you didn't think we'd kick you out the family did you? You're a Cullen whether you're sleeping with my son or not," She chuckled. "Chloe don't ever feel that you're with us because of Eddie. You were Renesmee's best friend before you were eddies girlfriend," She assured me. I let out a smile and she squeezed my hand. "We love you sweetheart and nothing will change that," She assured me. I let out a long shaky sigh.

"I love you guys too," I smiled. She turned to smile at me; she lifted my hand to her lips and placed a quick kiss there before letting them fall back to the floor.

"You don't need to think about that though. You'll get through this and you and Eddie will be stronger than ever, I promise you," she said, her voice strong and assuring. It made me feel a lot better.

I knew no matter how much Bella tried to reassure me it was Eddie and me that had to talk and work through this. I took a deep breath and dropped Bella's hand to stand up.

"I think I'm ready to go back now" I told her, she smiled at me and stood up.

"Let's go" she said. She waited for me to start running first.

"Thank you" I told her. She smiled at me, one of her motherly smiles that made my heart swell for my own mother.

"I think we should hunt before we go home, you look thirsty," she mentioned as she stared into my eyes. I hadn't really taken note of my thirst before now but the fire in my throat was suddenly excruciating.

"Yeah ok," I agreed before we took off running in the direction of a herd of elk in the next clearing.


EDDIE'S POV

I stayed on the floor until I heard the door open two and a half hours later. My head shot up to see Esther still sitting opposite me. I didn't acknowledge her I just stood up and walked over to the top of the stairs. I watched Chloe and my mom walk hand in hand into the house. I don't know if they noticed me but they walked straight into the living room. I sighed and sat down on the top step. I knew Esther was behind me; she came and sat next to me on the step.

"I shouldn't have hugged you, I'm sorry" she whispered.

"I was the one who hugged you not the other way round. Don't feel guilty for this, it's my mistake, you didn't hear what I said to her," I told her without looking to my left.

"I did," she whispered. I looked over to her, she tapped her ear. "Better hearing than you," she grinned.

"Ah right… ability," I said almost incoherently, of course, she heard it anyway.

"Actually no, I believe it's a moon pool thing," she told me. "I've told you before, we evolve over time, your ability becomes stronger, you become faster and your taste, smell and hearing become better."

"Oh," I mumbled, I did remember her telling me that but I didn't know it applied to hearing as well.

"Go talk to her Eddie," she whispered to me after a while of silence.

"She doesn't want to talk to me Esther, otherwise she would have come to find me," I said sadly.

"Suit yourself," she mumbled as she stood up, she began walking down the stairs. "Tell your uncles I'll be back before dawn… and Eddie…" she said pausing before she walked out the door. "Don't be too hard on Chloe, you're lucky to have her, and don't sulk either. Go in there grab your girl and work it out. Don't ruin what you have with her. You don't want to spend the rest of eternity alone… trust me." she told me as she disappeared. I sighed and looked over towards the living room door. Chloe was standing there, her arms crossed over her chest and she was looking at me, her expression sad.

I locked my eyes with hers. Her eyes were so unfamiliar to me, so red. I could see she had been hunting with my mom; her eyes were black before she left.

She slowly walked towards the stairs and stopped when she reached me. She reached out and took my hand. She pulled me to my feet and brought me into our bedroom.

I sighed when we entered the room. I didn't like my last memory in here and I wasn't looking forward to a repeat. I turned to look at her.

"Look Chloe I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you. I just wish you'd wake up and realise that I love you, only you. You don't need to be so worried… I turned you; I've proven so many times that I love you more than anything in this world. I just don't know why it's so hard to accept that. I wish you'd stop comparing yourself to Renesmee and Esther.

Yes I care for Esther but that's only because she's alone, she's alone and she's like me… you're just going to have to deal with that. She will understand me in ways you can't but you understand me in ways she will never come close to. I love you, you are my soul mate and you are the love of my life but I need other people in my life too. If that's another woman you're going to have to deal." I said in a ramble. I realised my tone had changed throughout my speech. I was trying to stay calm but I did get a little annoyed towards the middle before I managed to calm down again.

"I know, and I'm sorry," she broke out, her voice cracking and I could see the pools of venom in her eyes. My heart broke.

"You drive me crazy you know that right?" I asked her as I tucked her into my chest, she rested her head on my shoulder and dug her face into my neck. She let out a long sigh and her breath on my skin almost made me shiver.

"I'm sorry," she whispered again. I held her tighter to my chest; I knew if she was human I would have snapped a few dozen bones holding her this tight; I didn't have to worry about that anymore though. I kissed her forehead; leaving my lips at her skin.

"I know, and I forgive you, I hope you forgive me too," I whispered to her. She pulled away from me and brought her lips to mine as she kissed me.

"I do," she whispered. I smiled at her.

"Do you really have a ring in your drawer?" she asked out of the blue, the glint in her eye returning. I smiled at her and walked over to my bedside table. Pulling out the familiar black box; I walked over to her opened it and took the ring out. She gasped when she saw it and I lifted her left hand to place it on her finger.

"Eddie it's gorgeous!" she sang, her voice happy again, as if the past three hours never happened, I smiled at her as she admired the ring.

"It was one of my grandmothers, just like your locket. My mom got her engagement ring but this was a ring my father gave her for her birthday a year before she died. It's not as big as my mom's ring but I thought you'd like it," I said quietly. I knew she liked the sentimental things that made her feel part of the family, so instead of going out and buying a big fancy ring I asked my dad if he had anything he was willing to give me, after he assured me all the jewellery he had been given now belonged to me too, to give to Chloe as i pleased; i happily picked out the ring. She looked up and grinned at me.

"I love it," she said but reached for the ring to take it off.

"You can keep it on if you like… it looks good on you," I said with a small smile. She looked up at me briefly before looking back at the ring. "You may as well… I mean I'm pretty sure Alice has already started planning our wedding," I chuckled.

"Is this a proposal Edward Masen Cullen?" she asked, her eye brow rising.

"I guess it is," I laughed awkwardly. I wanted this to be a lot different than how it was happening, I wanted it to be romantic and something she'd always remember but she and I both knew I wasn't the romantic type, sure I gave her gifts and took her out when I could but I normally had help from someone else in my family.

She beamed a smile at me. I didn't know if she wanted me to do it traditionally or not, I smiled back, not knowing what to do.

"Do you want me to do it properly?" I asked cringing slightly. She let out a small laugh and shook her head. She lifted her left hand, with the ring still on her finger, and threaded it through my messy brown hair. I had been running my hands nervously through it for the past 2 hours and it was now sticking up in all sorts of directions.

Her lips crushed mine in a forceful hot kiss. I found myself losing control very quickly. She pulled away gasping for air she didn't need any more.

"I love you, I didn't like how near I came to losing you today," she told me.

"I love you too, and you never even came close to losing me, we're gunna fight like normal couples, we're not up to the stage everyone else in my family is yet, but we'll get there," I assured her. She smiled and brought me back to another sweet kiss. She dropped her iron hold on me and took my right hand in her left before we made our way out the room. Alice was on the other end grinning like a donkey and I knew she had either heard or seen everything.

"I'm so excited!" she beamed at us. Chloe and I chuckled.

"I'm just gunna talk to Nessie," Chloe told me, her hand slipping from mine.

"I don't know why you're so excited Alice, you owe me 10 bucks," Emmett called from somewhere in the house.

"Ill give you 100 if you come with me to Seattle tomorrow! I'm gunna need someone to hold the bags," she chuckled as she skipped down the stairs. I smiled after my aunt and turned to my sister's door just as Jacob walked out.

"They kick you out?" I asked him.

"Yup, having one of their girl to girl moments. Honestly I need to learn to do as I'm told; it took me half an hour to calm Nessie down after I said I agreed with you. Can you believe the only reason she was so upset was because she didn't want you guys to break up? I had a hard time convincing her you weren't just Adam and Eve from down the street. That you're actually made for each other, you know, like Nessie and me. I can honestly say, if we have another kid, I'm gunna be well prepared for the 9 months of hormonal hell, with padded underwear and a face mask just in case," he told me as we made our way down the stairs, I let out a laugh, honestly entertained by Jacob and happy that things had worked out for the both of us and he hadn't given up on the idea of having more kids with my sister in the future even though she was proving difficult with her raging hormones.

I suddenly wondered if I'd have to deal with all that with Chloe and my insides did a little flip because I couldn't wait to find out.


Things are going to be smooth-ish between Chloe and Eddie now, they're engaged and building on their relationship. Hope I didn't disappoint too much, I couldn't keep these two mad at each other much longer, they're one of my favourite couples. Things aren't all going to be rainbows and lollipops though, as Eddie said, they're not at the same stage as everyone else, but they'll get there :) Back to some Nessie and Jacob lovin' next chapter before things get tense with the moon pool child side of things.