Chapter 55
I was at Bella's helping her pack up the things she wanted to bring on the road trip we were taking before we started college this fall. We were making two piles really, one for the road trip and one for college. Charlie had agreed to mail the college pile to us at the dorms at Dartmouth in August. Until then, we had about a month and a half to travel around the United States and anywhere else we wanted to go really, although we planned to keep it in the U.S.
Bella silently passed me shirts from the closet and pointed to a box, and I folded and packed them. Her shelves were already pretty skimpy, so packing them took no time. Really, all she was bringing was clothes and the stuffed white bear that Emmett had given her. She wrapped the ribbon on its neck around her fingers so much, it was fairly curly now. And the bear definitely smelled just like her. It bothered me a bit that I could even smell traces of tears on the bear from the nights she had cried, either because of me or for any reason. But she loved the bear and Emmett was thrilled that she loved it so much.
While we are traveling, Spirit will live at Charlie's along with Rose and Emmett. When it's time for school to start, Spirit will stay with Charlie as a companion because we all agreed to stay in the dorms our first year of college. I doubt we'll make it that long though. We made sure that we would be sharing a suite with 3 beds in one room for the guys, a shared living room, and 3 beds in the other room for the girls; each bedroom had its own shower. Char, Peter, Emmett, Rose, and I weren't too happy about the arrangements, but Bella insisted that she wanted to experience college life like a normal person.
Hopefully, we just don't kill each other in the process. Of course, sleeping arrangements weren't a big thing, but alone time was, and 5 vampires in a 3 room dorm, well, I'm not thrilled. But, I'm doing it for her. We all were. Well, the others were doing it for me because I begged them. I didn't want to live in a suite with 4 people I didn't know and have to pretend to be human 24/7.
I was still working on my possessive tendencies but I also realized that they helped Bella feel loved and secure in the knowledge that I'm never going to leave her. It was not necessarily healthy for either of us, but we knew that and were working on it. I hated that those emotions surface now and then, but she's mostly better. Her cocktail disappeared, which is why she was feeling so funny after trapping Edward. She had forgotten what it felt like to be free of the anger and hate. I was thankful that her rage and perceived revenge took the pain from her.
Since that incident, she hadn't been able to fuel the bubbles like she had before. She didn't have that severe emotion stuck inside of her, so although she still had control over her ability to block me, Edward, and Alice mentally, her physical shield was pretty much non-existent. If I fed her a strong emotion, she could bring up something nearby, but nothing as powerful as she had once been capable of. As a group, we guessed or surmised that it would appear again when she's a vampire or anytime she's under extreme emotional duress, which will hopefully be never. Our mating makes sense in this aspect; emotions are what fuel her gift and my gift is emotions. Technically, I think we feed off each other.
Bella had moved on to packing shoes and was tossing them at me from the closet when I heard a car pull up. I don't know why I was surprised that they were here; we were leaving tomorrow after all. I heard the car doors and then the doorbell. Bella jumped and came out of the closet with a curious look at me, asking silently who was at the door. We were perfectly content to be silent with each other. I honestly don't think I've said more than 'good morning', 'I love you', and 'whatever you need', to her all day. I pecked her lips and took her hand, pulling her downstairs.
Jake, Sam, and Billy were just inside the door speaking with Charlie when we entered the room.
"Hi," they all said simultaneously, taking in our entwined fingers.
I nodded to greet them and let Bella go, knowing they'd each get a hug. She made her way to each of the Native American men, embracing them and saying hello.
I stood back and watched; for once I was not at all insecure that she was mine. I knew we were leaving this town together tomorrow, and that knowledge was good enough for me; she's mine. Charlie invited them all into the living room and since there weren't many places to sit, I grabbed a chair from the kitchen and settled into it across from the sofa. Bella came and planted herself in my lap and I sent her a little bit of lust as my hands automatically wrapped around her waist. I suppose our game was not the best thing in the presence of wolves, because they both growled lowly and narrowed their eyes at us when the scent of her arousal hit them.
They knew we were together, but they didn't want us to flaunt it. I nodded and sent them my silent apology. I wouldn't be rude. They had been nice to Bella and gracious to me and my family.
Charlie and Bella departed to get drinks after asking what everyone would like, leaving me with the company.
"I need to speak with Carlisle," Billy said gruffly.
I started to respond, but Sam interrupted with an air of authority, "We deal with Rosalie now, not Carlisle. I'll take care of it."
"Anything wrong?" I asked.
"You're taking Bella away, to change her we assume, and the treaty will be voided when you do," Jake answered in a growl.
"This is not the time or place to discuss this. However, Bella will not be changed for 2 years. And yes, in 2 years, if she still wants to be with me, I will change her. This is somethin' you should'a talked to me about, as it concerns me an' Bella," I said a bit more flippantly than I wanted, but I wasn't prepared for this discussion. They were all angry with me, but that was fine. I sent a wave of calm to the room and they all glared at me, but Charlie and Bella entered at that moment and they toned it down in deference to their presence.
They had their drinks, told a few stories about Bella, chatted about hunting and fishing, and their visit apparently turned into an impromptu good-bye party. The mood was tense but tolerable and I tried to help keep it calm and light when I could. A couple hours later, they decided to leave. I told Sam that I would be getting a hold of him tonight as they left and he agreed.
Charlie thanked me for being courteous to his friends and Bella gave me a quizzical look. I shrugged my shoulders and led her back to her room so she could finish packing. We were leaving first thing in the morning. Though, we weren't sure where we were going. That was the beautiful part about the trip though. We could go wherever we wanted, drive as long as we wanted, stop whenever we wanted, make love wherever we wanted, fuck whenever we wanted, and so on. It was a freedom I don't think I've ever had as a vampire. Either that or it was just that much better because it was going to be with my Bella.
An hour later, her room was finally packed and completely bare, with the exception of a few pictures on the wall that she didn't want and her bedding. She would need that tonight and there was no need to take it with us. But since she threw most of her things out when Edward broke up with her and she never replaced them, she didn't have much.
Bella and Charlie had plans for a father/daughter dinner with just the two of them. That was Bella's idea to keep from forcing nine vampires to eat human food. I thanked my lucky stars for that one. She said she did it because after Peter made her watch the last time we all ate and threw up, she realized how crappy it was for us. So I guess I should thank that asshole too, since she learned her lesson on that one.
When I got back to the Cullen house, I found everyone sitting in the living room. Well, everyone except Vicky. I honestly was sorry to see her go, but I knew she needed to. Fuckward had scared her too much when he came out of his bubble. He was a raving lunatic that threatened everyone's lives, but especially my woman's. If it hadn't been for Esme, Alice, and Carlisle holding him back, I would have killed him within two minutes of his release. Bella had gone upstairs in the late afternoon for a nap and we waited for her to fall asleep for him to be released from his bubble prison. I didn't join her, even though I wanted to, badly. I waited to see what the prick in black bubble of doom was going to say. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised at his ire. He really thought he was going to be turned into a vampcake.
He had immediately tried going towards the stairs and Alice blocked him, while Esme and Carlisle grabbed him. Peter and Char instinctively held me back. They all knew I could drop them and have him dead faster than a hummingbird heartbeat, but I didn't. I allowed them to hold me back. I can't even explain why. I had determined that Fuckward, though he was a total ass, didn't deserve death. I don't know when I became forgiving or even merciful, but it had happened, at least in his case. I can't explain it and I'm afraid to really try. I thought about how I should have fried his ass with a side of marshmallows the moment he walked in the door. Then mercy wouldn't have been necessary. I smirked at my two very different thoughts, mercy or marshmallows? I granted mercy but he shouldn't press his luck in the future.
When he finally settled down enough to be reasonable, he warned us that Bella was going to be nothing more than a meal for him. He said he wouldn't tolerate being locked up like that and it would never happen again. Yeah, he was a bit full of himself. Carlisle and Esme both yelled at him for being a spoiled, selfish child who was pissed because he wasn't getting what he wanted. This may have been the first time they not only sounded like real parents, but the first time they ever yelled at Edward. Unfortunately, their yelling appeared to be ineffective, and whatever finally happened to keep his mouth shut was something Alice either showed him or said to him silently.
Neither one of them would tell us what was going on, but Alice indicated to me later, in private, that Edward understood now that he couldn't get away with his threats on Bella's life. I'm hoping that means he saw his own demise. It still didn't mean that we trusted him though. He got quiet, brooding, and I could still feel that he was pissed. I couldn't tell what about though. Whether it was his attitude, his entrapment, or my relationship with Bella, I just wasn't sure. But I was sure we were going to keep an eye on Bella.
Unfortunately, Edward hadn't come to that realization before he broke a lot of the furniture that was left in the house, much to Esme's dismay. Carlisle finally focused his own anger on the cause of the problem, mainly Edward, and set him straight every day for a week; telling him how to treat women, how to treat his family, and how not to be a spoiled brat. He even arranged for Edward to take a job at Newton's Outfitters as a cashier, to help earn money for the damages. It's not like he'd earn enough at that job, but it was more about learning humility than earning money. Mike would be training Edward this week for the evening shift, where Mike will also be supervising him as the evening manager. I have to admit we all got a kick out that news.
Shortly after Edward's outburst upon being released from his bubble, Vicky had a breakdown of sorts of her own. This time, Esme and Alice were there to comfort her along with Rose and Char. Bella managed to sleep through the whole ordeal, which I was thankful for. Vicky cried and shivered and wailed and screamed bloody murder, anytime a man came near them. I really thought she had been doing well, I guess it was all a front. I knew she was afraid of me, but she was really strong. She held her own a lot of the time. Edward's violence just brought too much back for her, even though it wasn't directed at her specifically. Esme understood what it was like to experience that. Even though many of her human memories had faded, she remembered the fear that an abusive man could inflict.
After Vicky gathered her senses and apologized to everyone profusely for her breakdown, she agreed to go live with the Denali's. Eleazar would be there, but he was only one male and a rather subdued one at that. Laurent, whom she already knew, was there from time to time to visit Irina, but according to Tanya, he never stayed long. Tanya had spoken to Alice to set up the arrangements for Vicky's move. The Denali sisters were all sympathetic to Vicky's plight and agreed to help her any way they could to overcome the torture she had suffered. Even Eleazar agreed that the sisters could teach her how to be a healthy, happy woman in time. From my own personal experience with Bella, I knew mental hurts took much more time than cuts and bruises to heal. I wished I could help Vicky on some level. I was glad I had at least disposed of James for her.
I greeted my family in turn, who were all seated on the newly replaced living room furniture. Edward's piano still had not been replaced, but he quickly quit grousing about it when everyone leveled glares at him. He didn't even have all of his fingers. Spirit still had his finger, though we made him keep it at the Cullen house because we didn't want Charlie to see it. As for his ear, well Rose returned it because everyone convinced her he was too funny looking without it. She didn't return it untouched though. It smelled foul and was pierced with 6 earrings at equal intervals. We all laughed and questioned the source of the smell, though I knew what it was. I just didn't know why it was until she explained it.
After Rose gave us a brief education on how to bite holes in the ear, she explained that regular earrings wouldn't stay in place and the ear, in attempt to heal itself, pushed the foreign object out. She did learn, however, that wolf hair can keep the wound from sealing.
Carlisle was quite intrigued when she explained she found a few shed hairs one day and kept them so she'd had the scent of the wolves if it was ever needed. It was just a curious idea she had to use the hair in the holes. Apparently, she replaced the steel posts of the earrings with the hair and she had instant vampire earrings. She even admitted to wanting a pair if it wasn't for the foul odor. Edward was upset but not angry, and he simply pulled the earrings out and reattached his ear.
"Bella has left for her dinner with Charlie," I announced to the room. "The wolves stopped by and I think they need to speak with both of us," I said looking at Rose, who nodded in reply.
"Well, shouldn't I speak with them?" Carlisle asked.
"We've been dealing with them just fine. The issue they need to speak with us about does not concern you or your family," I said. I wanted to be nice, I really did, but I just wasn't there yet. He was honestly lucky I even wanted to be nice. He looked between Rose and me and then around at everyone else.
"Of course, I'm sorry. I just thought if it had to do with the treaty…I…never mind," he added, feeling defeated. I nodded to him.
"I know, but this is about Bella and me, and they have been dealing with Rose since we've been back. Sam is comfortable with her and asked for her," I said softly, hoping he'd understand. He just nodded again.
"Well, as you all know we are leaving tomorrow. We will have our cell phones if anyone needs us, but please don't," I said with a smirk.
"Esme and I are leaving in morning too, for Isle Esme," Carlisle added. I just nodded.
"Rose and I are moving over to Charlie's in the morning," Emmett added with a smile.
He really did like Charlie and he loved to have someone to call dad. It was different than Carlisle, I guess because he was human and he acted like a dad. His physical age made a difference to us all, as did his loving acceptance of us. He took us all in and made us a part of his family, and we all loved him for it. I nodded to Emmett in acknowledgement.
"I guess we're gonna take off the same time as y'all, but we won't follow ya," Peter said with a smirk. "We need to head back and take care of our house for the winter if we're joining you in school, and we'll get a few things too." I nodded at Peter, warning that he better not follow us. I wanted time with my woman alone.
"I have a job interview in New York tomorrow," Alice piped in happily. "I'm going to be the newest fashionista for Vogue magazine. I already know I got the job." She was excited and practically bouncing.
This would be her first job and her first time away from the family, but I was glad she knew where she was going and what she was doing. We hadn't heard anything about this until now. Still, I could feel her excitement and it was infectious. I was happy for her. She'd be close and still on her own.
Just then, Rose's phone rang and it was Sam. We both headed out back to a more private locale so we could speak with him. I guess he got impatient and couldn't wait for the meeting. He asked about Bella's change immediately and demanded to know if I was telling the truth about our plans. Rose assured him that our plan was wait two years for her change, or even longer if she liked. We would, however, change her sooner if a life-threatening accident or something were to happen. We weren't going to lose her. Sam indicated that the treaty would be void and Rose begged for the exception.
Jake was in the background, screaming obscenities and yelling absolutely not, there would be war. Finally, I told Sam that I was not part of the original treaty and neither was my family. My family included Peter and Char and now included Rose and Emmett if they wanted it. Sam was angry that there were human drinkers in the area and they didn't even realize it. I chuckled to myself, but I didn't want a war. We agreed to meet in person in 15 minutes, in the forest by a meadow.
Rose and I went without telling the family and met with Sam, Jake, and 2 wolves I didn't know. I explained that Bella was my true mate and we discussed imprinting and how similar the two were. I let them feel my love for Bella and they were awed. In the end, we agreed to let Jake and Sam call Bella as often as they like to ensure her continued humanity and willingness in the relationship. When it came time for Bella's change, she would have to explain her decision to Sam and based on that discussion he may or may not grant an exception to the treaty.
We had an extra agreement also; I would forfeit my life if Bella died for any reason other than her change. Honestly, that was my idea. I'm so tied to her in every way, just the thought of losing her made my stone heart clench with grief. When we finished the meeting, we returned to find Bella and Alice at the table talking about Alice's new job, while everyone else was in their rooms.
"Ready for bed, darlin'?" I asked.
"Not yet!" Rose hollered down, and then immediately appeared in front of us, looking a bit disheveled.
"Why?" Bella asked.
"We wanna do something with you, since it's your last night here. How about a game or a movie or something?" Rose asked. I reached in the back pocket of Bella's jeans, caressing her ass lightly, and pulled out her iPhone. She gave me a questioning look before it turned to a smile.
"There's a horror movie that starts at 9:30 in Port Angeles." I said, looking at the phone. I knew Bella didn't want to play a game. She got tired of Peter always cheating and Emmett making fun of her every time she'd lose. We played a lot of games at Charlie's, and I didn't want her to be angry with everyone her last night here.
"Sounds good to me," she said, sending me her thank you through her emotions. I nodded with a wink in return.
"Let's go then!" Peter suddenly appeared behind Rose and grabbed Bella pulling, her out to his truck.
I growled and went after him. Peter, Char, Bella, and I piled in Peter's truck. Rose, Emmett, and Alice climbed into the Jeep. We called after to see if anyone else wanted to go, but there was no answer.
Bella fell asleep halfway through the movie, but we sat and watched her and were happy to be with each other one last time. When the movie was over, I carried her out to the Jeep even though people looked at us like we were nuts. Luckily, there weren't many people out to stare at us. Alice bounced around, telling me that we were going to have a great time, explaining to us, she could see Bella when she was asleep. It was surprising to me that in all that time, never could Edward see in Bella's mind, and I wondered why. I wanted to believe somehow her brain knew to keep him out, but since she was shielded from him from day one, I couldn't be certain.
As we drove back everyone was talking casually about what they'll be doing over the summer, the anticipation of living together in a dorm, and going to school like normal kids. A couple experiences Peter and Char never had. I needed to remember to give everyone their papers when I returned. I had my divorce papers for Alice, though it was just a formality mostly for Bella's sake that we were doing that, since Jasper Hale doesn't exist. I got the ids that changed my name back to Whitlock. Char and Rosalie were going to be the Hales sisters, and Emmett reclaimed McCarty. We couldn't be married going to college, at least not to the administration. Married couples weren't allowed to live in the dorms. Peter and I were the Whitlock brothers and Bella was just Bella. She got into the school on her own merit and we weren't going to change a thing, yet.
I was all for her getting a real four year degree without a vampire memory, but she insisted that she wanted to be the same age as I was when I was turned, which is 20. That gave us a couple years to figure things out, but I knew from Edward's mistake that the day she says she wants to be turned she will be. I will never deny her an eternity with me, because in truth I'd be denying myself too and I'm too selfish to do that. I want her by my side.
Rose was upset about the child bearing thing, but Bella explained to her that regardless of her feelings on children, Rose couldn't live through Bella anyhow. Bella also stated that living 80 years or so just to die, knowing that people she created will die too, seemed rather cruel.
Bella had an odd way of looking at things. I suppose she's faced death several times, and some would say daily since she's mated to a vampire. But she was adamant that she didn't want to bring kids and grandkids into a violent world, where people were abused, starving, and going to go through hell only to die in the end. She agreed life wasn't all bad, there was love, but there was loss, there was happiness in achievements and there were failures. Everything had its good and bad, including being a vampire who could live forever but never reproduce and Bella accepted that.
They went round and round about how not all humans can reproduce, some die during childbirth, children get ill and die, and the many other what if's. Bella pointed out that if Rose hadn't been changed she would have died, she never would have found Emmett, and she never would have had children anyhow. In the end, they agreed that Bella would make her own decision and Rose would support her in it, whether she agreed or not. I smiled at Rose in the front seat of the jeep as my thoughts and the conversation about our future came to an end. Emmett dropped us off at Charlie's and I carried Bella in the house. Charlie was already asleep in his room and Spirit jumped around me wildly but silently, as I made my way upstairs, depositing Bella in the bed.
I went back downstairs and let Spirit out and sat for a few minutes watching the moon. It was oddly clear tonight, especially since it hadn't been all day. I enjoyed the view for a few minutes before I heard the change in Bella's heart indicating that she was waking up. I closed the door behind me and reached the doorway just as her eyes opened. She scanned the room and smiled when she saw me standing there.
"Hey, beautiful," I drawled with a smile.
"Hey," she answered sleepily. "We're home. How was the movie?" she asked quietly with a smile.
"It sucked, but we enjoyed goin' out together. How was your nap?" I asked with a big grin.
"It was good. Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep on everyone." She looked a bit sad. I shrugged, letting her know it was no big deal. I slowly made my way to the bed and watched her eyes as she took me in. I tossed my shirt to the floor and her eyes raked up my form.
"Ready for bed?" I asked, smelling her arousal in the air. She shook her head at me and reached out for me. I gently rested my body on top of her, just feeling her body heat soak into me, a moan escaping my lips as they touched hers.
"I love you," she whispered, when I pulled back.
"I love you, too." I sucked her bottom lip into my mouth and ran a hand up her chest.
"Show me?" she encouraged. I groaned and looked at the open door and I swear I had x-ray vision that showed me Charlie sleeping soundly in his bed across the hall.
"How about I make you cum, and then you sleep, and tomorrow we can do whatever we want, whenever we want?" I suggested, wiggling my eyebrows, sending her wave after wave of ecstasy. She moaned and shook her head cutting me off. I felt it as soon as it bounced back into me and I moaned just like she did. She smirked.
"I want you, not your emotions," she pouted.
I leaned back down kissing her, moving to her neck, then her ear, whispering, "You have me, all of me." I ground my now hard cock into her center and before I knew it our clothes were a thing of the past and we were making slow sensuous love. We weren't loud, no blood was drawn, and we climaxed slowly and hard. Of all the times I have ever been with Bella, I think that may be one of the best. I can't wait to try to top it.
I threw on some pajama pants, closed the bedroom door, and tucked Bella's naked body into the bed. I held her close, taking in the scents of her room, of Charlie, and listening to the world around me. I just existed in the moment for the whole night. When dawn began to break, which was only about 4 hours later, Bella's alarm went off. It was only 6 am, but we wanted to get an early start. She could sleep in the car, or we could find a hotel, neither option was off limits. Today was the start of our summer of freedom. It almost made me feel a bit like a hippy. I was excited, because in a way, it was like we were finally starting our life together.
Charlie's alarm went off a minute later. He had to work today, but he was going in late. My truck was out front since I had run to the Cullen's yesterday and Charlie had dropped Bella off. We'd say good-bye here and then stop and say good-bye over there before hitting the open road.
Bella and Charlie had breakfast; Charlie didn't even offer me anything anymore. One more thing indicating he knew we didn't eat. He knew we were different. As we got our showers and got ready to leave the house, Charlie pulled me outside. "Son, do you have enough money?" he asked with concern.
"I'm very well off Charlie, you know that," I answered. I had no reason to lie and I certainly didn't want him to offer me money.
"Well, if you ever need anything, anything at all, please let me know." I nodded in acknowledgement. I could tell he wasn't done yet, so I waited for him to collect his thoughts feeling his fear, grief, and concern swirl around him.
"Jasper, son, well, I need to know…am I…am I gonna see my little girl again?" He was near tears with his words, and his fear of losing her was crippling.
I put a heavy hand on his shoulder and tried to send him some reassurance carefully with my words. "I promised, Charlie. I promised ya I'd let ya know so you can say your goodbye, and today is not that day." I smiled. He hesitantly returned my smile.
"How long? How long do I have?" he questioned. Damn he's good.
"Two years, dad. I promise I'll let you know. And you can come and see us anytime you want. I'll pay for the ticket, it's no big deal. And please take advantage of my offer. You call and let me know and I'll have a ticket for you within 24 hrs. No matter where we are. We'll come home for the big holiday breaks and stuff after school starts. But you are welcome out anytime. You have all our phone numbers, call us."
I slowly removed my hand from his shoulder and he gave it a questioning glance as it returned to my side. Damn, too observant. Of course, he already knew about my differences. I blew that the last time we had a serious talk and I made that promise.
"I'm never gonna be a grandpa, huh?" he softly chuckled, fighting his tears.
I didn't answer. I couldn't; this is one of those things Bella is taking from him to be with me, and I felt bad. But like she said, she may not even be able to have children. It was pretty unlikely since she seemed like a pretty healthy young woman to me and her periods were regular, not to mention my favorite time of the month. But again, this was her decision and honestly, I couldn't live without her. I lived solely for her now, and without her, I don't know what I'd do. I looked at the man who was trying to hold it together in front of me and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him, for both of us. Neither of us would be grandfathers, but at least he knew what it was to be a real father.
"Dad?" He looked up at me. "I'm sorry things are the way they are, but you have all of us now; me, Char, Peter, Emmett, an' Rose. Bella brought us all together, made us a family. We aren't abandonin' ya, we're just… growin' up." I tried to reassure him somewhat with a smile and a little confidence. He nodded.
"Thank you, son." He pulled me in for a hug and I returned it, happy that he wasn't quite so upset now. "Well, you two wanna head out and I have to get to work. Take care of our girl, Jasper," he emphasized, and I was pleased to hear that he trusted me enough to share her with me.
"Yes, sir!" I exclaimed, and he grinned. We went back in the house, and Bella was tearful as she hugged her father and said goodbye. I think his glassy eyes were what really did it for her. He got in his cruiser and sped away. And tonight when he returned, Emmett and Rose would be here in our stead.
Spirit hopped in the truck with us and we made our way to the Cullen house for the final goodbyes.
It went easier than I expected. Peter and Char were waiting in the driveway. They had already said their goodbyes to everyone and were just waiting for us. A few hugs and handshakes and they were gone. Bella sniffled as we walked into the house to meet the remaining family members. Only Alice wasn't there and I couldn't sense her anywhere in the house.
"Where's Alice?" I asked the room. A lot of nervousness hit me at once and several people looked over to Bella.
Shit! She left.
"She had a 6 am flight. Sorry guys, she had to leave. She said to tell you both that she loved you and will call you later today. She didn't want to wake Bella up by calling too early," Esme explained. Bella just snorted as we all watched her.
"What? I'm not going to freak out if that's what you all are waiting for," she said, clearly a bit angry.
"Of course you aren't," Esme said, starting to walk towards her with outstretched arms. Bella stepped back into my chest and I wrapped my arms around her. I gave Esme a forced smile and shook my head. Bella hadn't been openly mean to them, since the day of the black bubble of doom, but she wasn't quite ready to forgive them yet either. She didn't have to in all honesty. They weren't her parents; they weren't anyone to her.
Between the concern that her parents showed during her catatonic time and therapy, she realized she had pretty decent parents of her own. She explained that she was not going to accept apologies from Carlisle and Esme until they earned her trust, which was going to take time, maybe even years. She also said that she wasn't going to put herself in a position to be hurt by them if she didn't have to; which meant, for the time being she was keeping them at arm's length. I let her make the call and I agreed with her. I was upset with them for how they treated the situation, but my ability to feel their sadness and remorse helped me forgive quicker.
Esme stepped back and lowered her arms slowly, feeling hurt but accepting of the situation.
"Okay, well lets load the puppy up and get gone," Emmett said, scooping up Spirit who and been wandering around the room.
He broke the silent tension and everyone relaxed a little. You'd think he was going on a trip the way he talked. They were just going across town. But he headed for the door to his packed Jeep and dropped the dog in the Jeep.
He hugged Bella and shook my hand; he hugged Carlisle and Esme, shook Edward's hand, and got in his Jeep. Rose made the rounds and did the same, and they were off. Well, apparently, it was planned that we were to be left here with these three. I looked at Bella and she gave me a knowing look. I couldn't help but smile at the tactics of the family.
"We actually have a plane to catch, so goodbye Bella, Jasper I hope you both have a wonderful summer. Please call anytime; we'd love to hear from you," Carlisle spoke, very properly and diplomatically. I approached him and shook his hand, thanking him for letting me use his house in his absence. Bella stayed silent.
I went to Esme next and gave her a small hug, thanking her similarly. She was trying to keep from weeping at Bella's coldness towards them, but Bella was softening even before my eyes as she took in the contrite forms of the parents. She wasn't ready to forgive them today, but things would probably be different the next time we saw them. They both hugged Edward and left.
'And then there were three,' I thought silently, looking at Edward.
He smirked at my thought and I could tell Bella didn't know what he was smirking at. She hadn't spoken to him since the bubble of doom incident. But she had heard about how he reacted and what he said. She held no sympathy or forgiveness for him. She turned and got in my truck without a word. I raised an eyebrow, asking him silently if he had anything to say.
A blank look crossed his face and he stared through me, so I figured we were done. I hopped into the cab of the truck without another word and started it up. I turned the truck around and headed back down the driveway, following in the path of my already departed family. As I looked in my rearview mirror, I felt a lot of sadness and animosity from Edward, who was standing directly behind my truck, several yards away.
I heard a soft, "What about me?" float through the air before we disappeared out of sight. I ignored him and kept on going.
I smiled over at Bella; she's my future, my forever. I started with the goal of saving Bella, and I'd like to think I did… I just never expected she would save me too.
