Chapter 17
Althea POV
Paul hasn't left my side in two weeks. He is still really upset with the whole situation with the stingray. I understand where he is coming from but I need my space.
He left to go to the reservation, while I spent some time with my family.
"Thank God," Rose said, crinkling her nose in disgust.
"Hay! That's my mate you're talking about," I say in a snobbish tone
"He doesn't stink to you, but we're the ones that have to breathe in his stench. My clothes even reek of him and I don't even get close to him," she replies.
"Technically you don't have to breathe, so suck it up sister."
"You are terrible."
"Thank you Rosie," I say, fanning my hands in front of my face.
"It's not a compliment Thea," she said.
"Haters gonna hate," I reply with a smirk, "I'll take all the compliments I can."
"Haters gonna hate," my father says in distaste as he enters the living room, "Since when do you speak like this? In all my years I've never heard you use this much slang."
I laugh at his expression, "Like I said before dad, you've got to roll with the times. And besides, my boyfriend is from this time period, imagine me speaking to him in old English like we do sometimes, Godne mergen Paulus."
"I can imagine he would find it very difficult," he said dryly.
"Are you going hunting soon?" I ask.
"Esme, Edward and I are going in twenty minutes. Your brother is still with Bella and will be here in a few minutes."
"Can I join you?" I ask, which I rarely do. I never ask to go hunting with them, it's normally the other way around, which is why my father looks concerned.
"Of course you can. Are you thirsty?" he asks.
"Just a little."
Edward came a few minutes later and we soon left on our hunt. I really don't like hunting animals. My senses are heightened, and as such, so are my taste buds. Just eating meat grosses me out. I still do it if I have to, but still, it's gross.
We were a few miles from home when Edward and Esme split, leaving my father alone with me. We stopped running, sitting on a fallen tree.
"Are you alright Althea?" my father breaks the silence.
"I..I'm not sure," I reply feeling down.
"I'm here for you, you know that."
"I do, it's just, I'm still trying to figure things out you know. With Paul, our relationship. With everything that's happened the past few months. I'm so tired," I reply, wiping a tear from eye.
He pulls me into a hug, "I'm sorry that you have to go through this."
"I was so scared. Looking for that stingray, having my mind connected to his. Everything leading up to it. I felt so overwhelmed. And with Paul being so overprotective, I felt like I couldn't share all of the bad things with him. My emotions, everything. There are things that I've never even shared with you. I'm so tired," I say, sobbing into his chest.
"You are so strong my dear. Everything will be okay. You'll see, it'll get better."
"Thanks dad."
"Any time sweetheart," he says, getting up and pulling me with him in a run.
I spotted a deer and went for the kill, my father taking another one close by. After we were done, we walked back slowly.
"When we get back, I want you to get some sleep. Doctor's orders," my father says.
"Of course father," I say smiling.
"I know you don't want to tell me everything that has happened, but rest assured that I will listen, I might not like all of what you tell me but don't let that stop you from speaking about your past experiences," he says.
I take a deep breath, "I had a nightmare last week, the first one in a long time. I know I'm still recovering from what happened. It's more mental than physical. And I dreamt that all of you died, and I was made to look as each one of you was torn apart. I'm afraid to dream."
"Do you want me or Esme to stay with you when you try to sleep?" he asks. It's not the first time I've had nightmares, even though I barely sleep, my father stayed with me a few times to wake me up if he noticed any changes in my breathing or heartbeat.
"Please," I whisper and he nods.
"And Paul, does he know?" my father asks referring to my nightmare.
"No, I don't want to tell him. I care for him and he cares about me. But we're not at that place in our relationship yet. It took time for you and Esme to come together, it wasn't immediate, even though the attraction was, but you had to get to know one another, trust one another."
"I understand. Get to know him more, as much as I don't like the fact that he is a wolf, I am happy for you, we all are, even Rosalie despite her…statements of distaste," he says.
We met up with Edward and Esme a few minutes later, and Esme gave me a warm, loving hug. Obviously she noticed I cried. And Edward nods at my thought.
Esme and my father walks hand in hand, I'm on my father's other side with Edward walking next to me.
Edward gives me an 'Are you okay?' look.
I'm fine Edward. I'm just being emotional today. He raises his eyebrow, and I continue to think to him, and every other day for the past two weeks.
Bella and Edward are getting married soon, and Alice has been driving all of us insane with wedding ideas.
I warned Edward that if they slept together while she was still human, that the possibility of getting pregnant was high and that the mothers have never survived before. When he heard that, he couldn't believe it, but I showed him my memories of the human-vampire hybrids I met, that they aren't too different from me.
It led to a whole other discussion about what to do with Bella because she was adamant to be human on their wedding night.
"I think it's very selfish of her to expect that of you Edward. And would be stupid of you to give into her whims," I said to Edward, who looked angry at my words.
"She's not selfish!" he hisses at me.
"Oh please, she can be sweet, but she doesn't understand that you could lose control and kill her even before she gets pregnant. It's stupid. You've told her many times before that you could hurt her. I'm not even that strong and I once gave someone an innocent hug that fractured two ribs. I can't even imagine controlling myself in the throes of passion."
"She has a lot of faith in me," he says.
"She's eighteen. Of course she has a lot of faith in you. She's young and inexperienced. She has grown up in an era where the supernatural such as vampires are romanticized. She wants that epic love, I get it, and I really do. But being stupid about it is not the way to go," I tell him honestly.
"Argh, you're impossible to speak to. Stop calling her stupid," he groans out.
"No, I'm honest. If she demands this of you, then I will call her whatever I want. She's the one who blabbed about my secret to the wolves first. I still don't trust her fully and she's upset with me and YOU because you didn't tell her everything about me."
"Are you still upset about that? You're mated to one of the wolves, they know now, so you can't blame her anymore," he says, and I narrow my eyes at him. He realizes I am pissed.
"You're on thin ice Eddie. You came to me, knowing I would be honest. You needed my advice, knowing that I won't sugar coat it. I gave it to you. If you can't handle my opinion on the matter of an eighteen year old girl marrying a century old vampire, then you can leave and speak to someone else.
"Ooh burn," I hear Emmett from inside the house whisper.
He turned around and left without a word.
Rosalie stood next to me within a second.
"He had to hear it," she comments, "he listens to you, and he has to see that Bella can't always get what she wants. He doesn't want to risk her life, but wants to keep her happy. Relationships aren't always about happy feelings, it's about working through the hard stuff together. Compromise where and when you have to, love unconditionally. It's not supposed to be one-sided. Uneven."
"Well said Rosie. She needs to be changed soon, regardless of her or his feelings on the matter. I won't let my family be put in danger because they decided to wait. Despite what they think, there is a deadline and the next time the Volturi come, our whole family will pay the price. She will be a great vampire one day, she feels insecure now because she is human (and a teenager). And that insecurity will still be there once they get married, and even after her change. As a couple, they need to work through it," I say to her.
She gives me a side hug and walks back into the house.
Edward did come back later that day and apologized for his behaviour, and I apologized for sounding so calloused. He knew that I cared for his happiness, but that I was still angry at Bella at the time, he knew Bella was insecure and set out to talk to her about it.
He had to make a choice, and Bella had to compromise on his decision.
"You'll see Edward, she'll be adamant on being with you while human, but you have to stick your ground. Be firm in this. Bring up your fears and if she brings up that blind faith she has in you, get across your point the reality of your situation. Your control is excellent, but during sex… not so much," I told him afterwards.
Bella was visibly upset the next time she came to visit, Edward did speak to her and she told him, 'I believe in you. I love you, I don't ask for much, this is all I ask for.'
All I ask for my arse. My family was put in danger with the whole James fiasco because she ran away to meet the bastard. And not to mention the Victoria thing, which she didn't ask for, but my whole family protected her, Edward protected her. And now she wants to put the whole family in danger again just to have sex as a human. This is horrible.
Once Edward spoke to her, she left for the reservation to speak to Jacob. And clearly with my psychology degree, along with marriage counselling, I can see that she wants to punish Edward for his choices until she gets her way. Women normally give the silent treatment and men can be just as bad as punishment for the other person instead of speaking about it.
The joys of being in a relationship. I'm not perfect by any shot, I mean, look at me and Paul. We're not doing too well or too terrible. We're getting along so far.