(September 26th 2008)
Two years. It had been two years since he had found her. His heart ached as he thought about it. Being near her sparingly during the year was torture but he was getting by. He knew no one liked the arrangement but they wouldn't say anything against it. He certainly heard their thoughts on the matter when he touched his guard but they never voiced it. Those who were mated understood and supported him the most since they couldn't fathom going against their mates.
It was curious though, those of his coven who were mated went out of their way to ensure he never saw them expressing their love for one another. Even Caius kept things respectable when he was near Athenadora. He found the answer in their minds. They did not want to appear to 'flaunt' their relationships in front of him out of respect. He was touched. They rarely showed that kind of empathy to one another.
He was very conflicted with their entire situation. He was proud of the fact that he stepped away from her to make her happy but he was upset in having to do so. (He sighed.)
He refused to go down that rabbit hole once more. He cleared his mind and tried to relax as their plane touched down in Seattle. They would go on foot the rest of the way once they were out of sight. He could feel the familiar exhilaration of his emotions as he grew nearer to her. It was moments like these he missed having a heartbeat.
(October 2008)
Bella smiled as she finally finished the finishing touches on her album. Last month she had turned 21 years old. Her mother and Phil had come down to Forks to celebrate. It was a little awkward at first but thankfully they had rented a motel room while they were there. Her mother had been a bit awkward with Sue at first since no one told her Charlie had remarried. They all quickly moved on and focused on Bella. Leah and Seth did their best to get along with Rosalie and Emmett for the sake of everyone there. Seth and Emmett found a common love of video games and had no problem in getting along. Leah and Rosalie simply maintained a civil truce for Bella's sake. They did however team up together when Renee asked Bella about her love life and those delightful boys, Edward and Jacob. Charlie cracked his glass but kept his mouth shut. Rosalie jumped in and talked about poor Bella having to hide out in the backroom to get away from all those guys hitting on her. Leah saw where she was going and saying the same happened when they went out shopping in town. Emmett dropped in with saying how he had to punch a guy in the face when he said something crude to Bella while on campus.
Bella was thankful for her friends stepping in and distracting her mother with fake stories to stop her from speaking of her ex's. Charlie didn't care either since he knew what they were doing too. Phil had been the only one to pick up on what was happening. He discretely asked her if anything had happened with her ex's. Bella had simply said both were bad breakups and she didn't want to think about them. Phil had simply looked hard at her and nodded. He was fairly sweet and took being her stepfather seriously.
Bella had been slightly surprised when a package was waiting for her in the beginning of September. Rosalie left a note saying it arrive at the house in Forks and was most likely from Aro. Inside was a box full of everything she would need for a relaxing night in. There were candles, a fluffy robe and slipper set, a face mask, eye mask and a bottle of wine with a single glass. She had loved the entire box. She had immediately sent him a thank you message with an added smiley face. She hadn't thought anything of it until she pressed send. He replied instantly and she would swear she could feel his happiness though the phone.
The whole thing made her wonder why he had only sent her one Christmas gift and one birthday present in two years. Talking to Rosalie didn't really help since she had no clue either. Bella thought he maybe didn't know the answer himself as well. When he didn't mention the gift during their meeting at the end of the month she put the entire thing out of her mind. However, she did notice that he looked a little happier. The whole thing wouldn't leave her mind and it reminded her of something she had been meaning to talk to Rose about.
Putting the Album in a bookshelf nearby Bella cleaned up the table. She would talk to Rose again about her idea. It had the potential to go wrong or make things easier. Either way she wouldn't do anything until they had a clear game plan.
(Aro's room, Volterra, Italy) (December 10th 2008)
How he resisted opening the box in front of him as soon as it was delivered was beyond him. He worked hard to keep his composure in front of others as he took the box to his rooms which were thankfully soundproof. Once the door was secure he rushed to his table and opened the box up. Earlier in the day he had received a message from Bella telling him that she had sent a package to him and that according to the tracking number it should be delivered soon. He had to stop himself from bombarding her with questions about it and simply thanked her for telling him. It was a good thing too since anything sent to them was usually screened by someone. He did not want anyone else seeing what was inside the box.
Once he opened it he found another box inside surrounded by bubble wrap. He hastened to open that box as well and was assaulted by her scent. There was a lingering scent from Rosalie as well but mostly he could smell Bella. He figured she sprayed her perfume inside the box or on the letter on top of the package he was focused on. There were two vacuum sealed bags under a small envelope. One looked to be a small blanket while the other was most likely a scarf. He didn't know what to think. If this was what he thought it was then it was the most thoughtful gift he had ever received in his entire existence. He traced his fingers over the bags in a caressing motion. He made himself focus on the letter inside instead.
Her letter was short but wrought with meaning to him. She had sent him a blanket and a scarf with her scent on them. She said that she noticed how he still looked sick and after talking it over with Rosalie she decided to send him those things to help him. Aro needed a moment to compose himself as he digested the enormity of her gesture. He looked over to the last jacket he had worn when he last saw her inside a sealed bag that didn't hold her scent for a month. He was struck with the odd urge to giggle. He lifted the scarf first and opened the bag. Her sweet aroma wafted up to his greedy nose and he inhaled deeply. He was overcome with memories of her. He closed the bag soon after and simply held it in his shaking hands.
Taking a seat on his bed he thought over what he had in his possession now. He would have been furious if one of the guards had opened this before him. He would instruct Jane to ensure anything coming from Bella should be brought to him immediately. It was like she had breathed life back into him. He had been feeling the bond weighing on him more as time passed. He had hoped waiting four months in between visits would have been enough but it wasn't appearing to be so. With this though he was sure he could maintain their current schedule. Although he no longer needed sleep he would dedicate a few hours of rest every week with that blanket from now on.
(Volterra) (December 31st 2008)
The guard had noticed the good mood in their leader after the mysterious package had arrived. Jane was simply happy her new mistress was reaching out to her master. She would ensure to be on the lookout for any mail coming from her or the Cullen's and ensure it went straight to her master. Being given any orders by her Master was welcome. He had decided years ago that she would not be one of the ones who traveled with him to see her. She had been upset but understood that she would give in to her desires to simply take her new mistress by force just to make him happy.
Nonetheless she made sure everything ran smoothly in his absence. Marcus and Caius were doing surprisingly well on their own. Athenadora was fine but sad she could no longer share the tower with Sulpicia. It made the entire thing seem emptier and isolated. Sulpicia was however adapting to her new role in life. She was managing well enough but her lack of exposure to Corins power did tend to make her misbehave sometimes but Athenadora tends to invite her into her rooms often to ease her discomfort.
The guard by majority agreement left the royals to their business and went on their own. They knew the consequences of interfering in things they had no business being in. Jane and Chelsea tend to be the only exceptions.
(Meeting Spot) (January 30th 2009)
If Aro looked much healthier and happier during his meeting with Bella no one said anything. They were suspicious of course but kept their peace. Aro was refreshed after spending time surrounded by his mates scent. The visit also helped him immensely. He was deliriously happy at the moment. While it still wasn't what he wanted he would take what she was willing to give.
Bella was secretly happy to see Aro looking much better. She had gone back and forth on whether or not to send the package but in the end had given in. Rosalie had told her scent was important to mates when they were apart. So she bought both the scarf and the blanket and slept with them for two days and sprayed her perfume in the air above them for good measure. Maybe sending him packages like that wouldn't be so bad. She hoped so.
I am still horribly sick but a persistent follower got me to leave my bed and get this posted. I am almost done with Chapter 29 but I don't know when I will post that one. Everyone in my home has the flu right now, (yes, the flu) so it's a little hard to sit down and write when all I want to do is die.
Hopefully this chapter ties you all down for a bit.
