Chapter 48
Salvatore threw Nicole onto his back and trekked to the top of the rock face with ease. When they reached the top he wrapped his arms around her and the two of them stood hugging, unable to do anything else at that moment.
She felt like sobbing, but for whatever reason she couldn't. Nicole felt relief overtake the rest of her emotions as she clung to Salvatore with thankful desperation.
"How did you know where I was?" she finally asked, breathing heavily.
He looked down toward the fire and towed her away from the edge. "Your whole family is out on a search party. I was with your parents, and Carlisle and Caleb. They swam to a little island nearby. I got wind of a stolen boat last minute and I changed course."
"How did he find us?" Nicole had to know the truth.
"I communicate from time to time by phone with my family," Salvatore explained, "On the I-phones there's a setting that can tell someone you're communicating with where you are. I didn't realize the program was on my phone. My father must have set it up."
"And Vincent managed to track you down," she concluded.
He nodded, "Yes. I'm sorry. I've put you and your family in danger." Salvatore shook his head, "It isn't right."
"You saved me," Nicole reminded him, "Please don't pull an Edward and say we're better off apart. You'll be miserable, I'll be miserable..." She sighed and looked desperately into his eyes.
Salvatore looked back at her and couldn't bring himself even suggest separating, even if he did think it would keep them both safer. "I feel selfish here," he began, "But there is nothing that could keep me from being with you Nicole. I don't care what the cost."
She smiled, wishing inside that there was no 'cost' to their love. On the same note, she acknowledged how hard love could be, and if it was real then it would work.
"I want to be with you forever," Nicole told him.
Salvatore leaned in and kissed her gently. "I'm sorry."
"Where's Vincent?"
He sighed and glanced toward the orange glow that decorated the top of the jagged rocks. He then looked down and didn't answer. Rather, he reached for her hand and began to bring her away, back toward the water.
"I need to see my parents," Nicole told him.
Salvatore nodded and the two of them made their way back toward town together.
"I'm so sorry this happened," Salvatore told the entire Cullen family. He stood facing them all, with Nicole standing protectively at his side. "I screwed up. I didn't realize that the technology today had that much power." He sighed, "Being with Nicole was all I wanted. I didn't think something like this could ever happen. I never meant to put any of you in danger. I didn't know my brother could find us."
Nicole studied her mother and father's expressions. Edward leaned in and whispered something to Jasper, prompting Alice to lend an extra close ear.
No one else spoke or said anything, giving the floor to Alice and Jasper now that Salvatore had said his piece. He waited on pins and needles to hear if they would believe and approve his claims. He needed them to.
"Salvatore lost his brother saving me," Nicole told them. She looked at him sadly and linked her fingers through his. "He pulled him down the cliff when he jumped down toward the fire to try to save me." Her eyes met her father's, "He jumped off a cliff toward the fire to save me. If that doesn't get your approval-"
"It does," Jasper said in a monotone voice.
Everyone looked in his direction as if a spotlight had been shined on him in the darkness.
He looked at Salvatore. "You removed your shield so we could locate you and Nicole faster. You saved her from the pit of fire. You chose her safety over your own and over your brother's... I know that couldn't have been easy." He glanced at Alice out of the corner of his eye and returned his stare to the young man, "And Edward says you're telling the truth about everything."
"I love your daughter," Salvatore told him, "I will do anything to be with her. I want your approval," he scanned the room, "All of you. I understand that judgment must be easy to past based on where I've come from, but that's not who I am. I'm my own man... and I want to start a life with the woman that I love... just like all of you have."
Everyone looked at their significant other, seeming to be reliving their own obstacles they'd overcome to be with that person.
Alice sighed and looked at Salvatore, "You've earned your trust from me." Her face softened, "And I'm sorry for what happened with Vincent."
"I pulled him in. He tried to destroy me in killing Nicole. He didn't care about me."
"Still," she went on, "He was your brother... your twin. I'm sorry things ended so tragically for you."
Salvatore nodded, "Thank you. It's weird. I'm not happy, but I don't feel like I'm a part of them. I've always felt disconnected, and my father was the root of that. I feel... relieved. I want my own life."
"I can understand that," Jasper spoke again.
Edward looked at his brother, seeing as though he was comparing his life with Maria to the life he had now. He was empathetic to Salvatore's situation for the first time since he'd come into their lives.
"I just want a chance," Salvatore went on, "It's not something I'll screw up on. I don't need a phone. I don't need to contact my family in Italy. Honestly, right now, and it might be the raw emotion, or newness of the feelings I have, but I only need Nicole."
Nicole's hand tightened around his and the two of them looked at one another.
"Does your father know?" Rosalie asked, "Did he know that Vincent tracked you here?"
Salvatore looked up at her, "I... I don't know."
"We'll have to move again." She looked at Alice.
"We can't go back to Forks," Alice said.
"I'm sorry," he began to apologize again.
"This is your fault," Rosalie said, glaring at him. Her face softened up, "But it wasn't intentional."
Salvatore swallowed hard. "I'm-"
She put a finger up, "Stop apologizing, it's getting annoying."
Emmett looked at Nicole and a smirk spread across his face before he snickered to himself. She smiled back and traced her free hand along Salvatore's forearm.
"Well, there is one place we could go for the time being," Alice said, raising her eyebrows. "An estate we still own to stay in off the radar for a bit."
Jasper squinted his eyes, and everyone turned to see what she was getting at.
"Minnesota. The... mansion there."
Esme and Jasper's faces were equally anxiety ridden. The last time they'd been at the house it was presumed that Carlisle and Alice were dead. The memories, for both of them, were terrible.
Edward looked at Esme first and she made eye contact with him before looking down.
"That place was pretty sweet," Emmett admitted, "The pool..." He grinned at Rosalie.
"I loved the pool," Caleb agreed with a nod and a smile. "What do you think, Mom?"
Esme looked at her son, and felt a small weight lift from her shoulders.
If Caleb doesn't have these feelings about the place, then why should I? It was in the past, and Carlisle was never killed.
"Yeah," Esme said, "I think it could be a good place to stay... temporarily." She looked at Alice.
"We probably shouldn't stay here," Carlisle agreed with all of them. He took Esme's hand, noting her response was hesitant and carried a hint of worry.
"Dude, you gotta leave the I-phone in Connecticut," Emmett said, nodding at Salvatore with a grin, "And then maybe we can make room for you... in the Minnesota mansion."
Salvatore wanted to smile, but he was still in a battle of emotions himself. He would go anywhere if it meant being with Nicole, and so he simply nodded.
"Jas," Alice said, "Are you okay?"
He looked at her and nodded, and then glanced back at Nicole. He waved her in his direction and gave her a long hug, making everyone's hearts melt just a little in the process. He kissed her forehead and sighed, before finally releasing her.
"Minnesota it is," Jasper said. "Where ever it's safe for our family."
