We had a little tease two chapters ago, but we really do end this chapter with a section that is NSFW. Because of that, this chapter will be rated M.
These characters and ideas all belong to Stephanie Meyer
B-POV
Whenever I stayed the night in Edward's room, I always asked him to keep the shades off the skylight over the bed open so we could see the stars on the rare clear nights. Now, in the morning light, I could see snow swirling down. I looked up at Edward to see he was listening to music through wireless earbuds, looking as pale and beautiful as the winter wonderland surrounding us.
He didn't smile or kiss me like he usually did when I first wake up. Instead, he took out one of his headphones and handed it to me. I accepted it graciously and placed it in my ear. The song was instrumental, morose. Edward began the piece from the beginning for my benefit. We stayed like that for most of the morning: snuggled together, listening to his melancholy music and watching the snow.
Edward was brooding. That much was clear. He was never happy when he saw me with a new bruise or scrape from my usual clumsiness; I couldn't fathom how poorly he was handling a broken bone. But, much like those bruises and scrapes, my broken leg was not his fault, and I wanted him to know that he should not shoulder the blame like he was prone to do.
I took the earbud from my ear and motioned that I wanted him to do the same. He complied and looked down at me with wary eyes, like he was bracing himself for something.
"Edward, we need to talk about last night."
He ducked under the covers. He pressed his face into my stomach and wrapped his arms around me. "I would prefer if we could hide in here instead and pretend like I never hurt you." His voice was muffled by my shirt, "I am so sorry, Bella."
I pulled the blanket over my head to join him in the darkness. "It's alright."
"No, it's not," he said, sternly.
I ran my fingers through his soft, bronze hair. "You didn't hurt me."
"Bella," I could sense the extra effort he exerted to keep his voice soft, "You were hurt because of me. Because of what I am, another vampire attacked you. Because I am a vampire, you broke your leg, sweetheart."
My fingers were still tangled in his hair. "I always seem to find a way to hurt myself, Edward. With or without vampires. That's just how life is for me. But now, I have a vampire who will always do everything in his power to keep me safe."
"Everything," he swore, tightening his arms.
While I was racking my brain for something else to say, he surprised me by removing the covers from our heads himself. I wondered at the cause of this development, but my questions were answered when Alice popped into the doorway. I didn't think I would ever be happy to be surprised by one of the Cullen siblings while Edward and I were in bed, but I was grateful for the reprieve.
"Mom wants you to help downstairs, Edward. Carlisle will be home in forty-five minutes," she said out loud for my benefit.
Edward nodded glumly. He kissed my hair and disappeared in a blur. Good. Esme was always able to talk him up when he was in one if his moods.
I sat up in bed. "Thank you, Alice. I think Edward was prepared to wallow in bed until I got this thing off," I gestured to my bulky cast.
"There's still a chance of that." Alice shook her head, "Nothing will stop Edward when he wants to wallow."
She walked into the room, holding a pair of crutches. "We were able to snag these from the hospital."
She helped me over to Edward's bathroom, surprised at my proficiency with the crutches.
"This is my third time," I explained. "Once when I was five, and another time in high school."
"Then I guess you're already used to this, too," she said, holding up duct tape and a garbage bag. Someone—probably Edward or Esme—had already stocked Edward's bathroom with the supplies for taking a shower with a cast, as well as my preferred shower essentials.
We worked together and eventually got me shower-ready. Alice sat on the vanity while I bathed, prepared to help in any way or to catch me if I slipped.
"So," I began. It seemed like it would be easier to talk about last night's events here with Alice before I tried to talk about them with Edward again. I hoped Alice would be able to give me a good perspective to help him feel better about the whole mess. "Who was that guy last night?"
"There was actually three of them." She said.
Three? I swallowed. "Oh."
"I'm not too sure on the whole story really, I mainly saw bits and pieces. We haven't talked about it yet," she admitted. "Because of Edward's and my abilities, things can get blown out of proportion fairly quickly, so we wait until we're all together to go over these things in a civilized manner, without discussing at all other beforehand. It's one of our family rules. We were waiting for you to wake up, and then Carlisle got called into the hospital, so now we're waiting for him."
I couldn't believe my ears. "You were waiting for me?"
"Of course, Bella. You're part of the family."
I was glad for the barrier of the shower curtain between us; I was embarrassed at how much her casual statement touched my heart, and I didn't want Alice to see my expression. I couldn't of anything to say, which was terrible because the silence gave me the chance to overthink the sentiment behind her words, and gave Alice the chance to regret speaking them at all.
It took Alice and me less time to get me ready than it did the other times I broke my leg. I was nervous that Alice was going to use my cast as an excuse to force me into one of the many designer dresses she bought that looked "like me". To my surprise, my cast got my sympathy points instead. I was able to persuade her into letting me wear a pair of Edward's sweatpants tied up high above my waist and one of his flannels.
Once I was ready, she looked me up and down despairingly, "You're dressed like a sad, old man."
"It's fitting; as I am dating one." She giggled at that and there were no more comments on my appearance.
Too impatient to watch me hobble down their grand staircase, Alice lifted me into her slender arms and dashed us down in a flash. She placed me at the kitchen island beside Edward and flew out as quickly as she arrived. I was surprised to see Edward standing at the stove, hunched over a pot of boiling water. He smiled widely at my arrival.
I peered into the pot. "Edward, are you poaching?" I asked.
He nodded, staring into the boiling water, "For you, I would do anything."
"Sauté?" I asked.
"I would sauté."
"Baste?"
He nodded, "I would baste."
"Do you even know what basting is?"
"No," he answered honestly, "but I would to it. I don't even care if it's a trick, because I love you so much," he added in a gooey voice.
"WHIPPED!" Emmett's voice boomed from somewhere in the house.
"Says the man who is currently braiding Rosalie's hair," Edward called out.
Emmett called back, "Hey man, this is equally enjoyable for the both of us."
Edward chuckled quietly at that, and I was relieved to see him in a much lighter mood. I would have to remember to ask Esme for some pointers making him feel better.
He nuzzled his face into my hair, "You should be resting, my love."
Esme appeared by Edward's side. She took Edward's chin in her small hand and forced him to look back into the water. "And you should be focusing. You've already ruined four eggs; we're not going to ruin a fifth."
Edward smiled at Esme's gentle chiding, "Yes, mom."
Esme smiled back at her son then turned to me, "Come, my delicate flower, let's get you settled. Carlisle will be here soon."
Esme placed her hand on between my shoulders and guided me towards the door. Someone must have said something too quiet for me to hear, because Esme suddenly responded to seemingly no one, "No, no. We'll be meeting in the living room. We want Bella to be comfortable."
Esme made sure I was settled on the couch. She placed pillows all around me and then stacked a few under my broken leg to keep it elevated. Then, she tossed a large, knit blanket over me. She disappeared for a moment and returned with two mugs of coffee. She offered me the first and placed the second on the table. I wondered at the odd gesture; did she not want to make me feel like I was drinking alone?
"Edward's cooking breakfast?" I asked.
She sighed fondly, "That boy wants to take care of you any way he can. He asked me for cooking lessons. We're currently working through eggs."
I recalled the many breakfasts Edward had prepared for me in the past. "That would explain all the scrambled eggs."
Esme smiled, "That would be his best dish."
I took a tentative sip of the Vervain coffee I had grown accustomed to. It was a bit too hot, so I reached over to place in on a coaster to cool, but it slipped out of my hand and the ceramic cup shattered on the floor.
Esme handed me the second cup, "Alice saw the event, but could not tell when." I opened my mouth to apologize, but Esme shook her head, "No need to apologize, sweet girl, these things happen to everyone."
"Yeah, but never to you people," I muttered to myself when she disappeared.
When Esme returned to clean, Edward followed after her with a tray of food. On it, was a large bowl of fruit and two pieces of toast, one of them with a perfectly poached egg.
He grinned apologetically, "We ran out of eggs before I could get a second one right."
I beamed up at him, "I love it."
He kissed my forehead and was off again; Esme followed after him.
As I took my first bite, Carlisle walked through the front door at a human speed. He brought with him an air of authority I hadn't experienced before. I suddenly understood how this typically docile man was able to wrangle together this strange bunch of vampires into a coven. Once he noticed me nestled on their couch, his expression softened. He greeted me and asked how I was doing and how my leg felt. I answered his questions between bites of breakfast. He seemed pleased with my answers, or it could just be his infamous bedside manner.
Once I was finished, he took my tray into the kitchen. When he returned into the room, his children followed in after, like powerful, vampire ducklings. Edward wedged himself between my back and the arm of the couch, so I could lean into his side. Alice and Jasper joined us on the couch while Rose and Emmett settled into the love seat. Carlisle and Esme sat across from us in two matching wingback chairs.
"Now," Carlisle called the meeting into order, "who would like to begin?"
Edward started the tale, with us in the cabin. He didn't mention what we were doing there, and he didn't need to; the flush on my face gave us away. Alice chimed in for a moment, to describe the visions she saw, and frantically calling the rest of the family to tell them their roles for the evening. Then, Edward recounted a short battle with a vampire. My fists were clenched the entire time, still worried for Edward's safety despite the fact that I already knew the ending. Rosalie picked up the story from there, discussing the fight, the Vervain, and—to my great embarrassment—my pencil.
"Bella!" Emmett cheered, "Coming in clutch with those sick pencil stunts!"
Behind me, Edward shuddered at the memory and kissed my hair lightly. "We are not encouraging this, Emmett."
Emmett scoffed at his brother and picked up the tale. He went into a lot more detail about his scuffle than Edward or Rosalie, getting up more than once to demonstrate his movements. His story ended with the rival vampire crushing both of his feet, rendering him defeated.
"She got away?" Edward asked through his teeth.
"Dude, that bitch was tough," Emmett explained, defensively. "I've never been owned like that, besides fighting with you. She must some sort of freaky mind games thing going on."
Edward wound his arm around my waist, muttering a string of profanities.
Jasper took it from there. He talked about picking up to pieces of the vampire Edward defeated to put him back together for questioning, and burning the one I killed. He explained to the family how he manipulated the vampire's feelings to make him feel safe and open up. He then told a tale that made my stomach drop. I tried my hardest to keep my cool like the vampires around me so I wouldn't embarrass Edward, but all I wanted to do was run from the room, dragging him with me. Maybe I should have taken him up on his offer of hiding under the covers in his room indefinitely.
"I could no longer keep a hold on his emotions at that point," Jasper told the family, finishing the story. "He leaped to attack, but Edward caught the guy's neck with his teeth and tore his head off. Emmett got a hold of the body and dismantled that immediately. We burned him as well."
No one spoke for a long time. My mind had been screaming since Jasper began speaking. Someone, somewhere wanted to hurt Edward. And that could not happen.
"It's clear what we need to do," Carlisle declared. "I will find this other coven and discuss this like the rational creatures we all. I will explain our diet and our lifestyle to them, and in turn, listen to what they have to say. I will take full blame for the murders, for I let it happen despite my better judgment. Understand, you kids will not be killing another vampire again."
"We are just going to let them run around killing innocent humans?" Rosalie objected.
Carlisle smiled fondly at his daughter, "You can save innocent lives in other ways, darling. You can join me in the ER. You and Emmett can go back to South America and build houses. You can donate to more charities. Killing vampires is not your only option."
"Yeah, but none of those will ever be as cathartic," she grumbled.
Behind me, Edward grunted in agreement.
"It is settled. Edward, I will need you to come with me, obviously. Rosie and Jasper as well."
Carlisle's voice rang with an authority I would never dare to defy, so I was surprised to hear Edward object behind me, "Carlisle, I cannot join you. I will not leave Bella while she's hurt."
"Edward," Jasper spoke up, offended, "you are going to leave us high and dry? You give us a huge advantage simply by knowing what abilities we might be faced with."
"Seriously, Edward." Rose criticized, " You think any of us are thrilled to leave our mates? Contrary to popular belief, the universe does not revolve around Bella. Besides, it's your fault this whole mess is happening."
I silently cursed Rosalie. Edward didn't need anyone pinning more blame on him; he did enough of that himself.
"I didn't hear you object to destroying other vampires, Rose," Jasper interjected.
"Not that!" Rose said, "He didn't hunt them down the last time they attacked because He was too busy playing around with his new human. If he went when I told him to go, he could have prevented this."
"Rosalie, I am not going to apologize for choosing a relationship with Bella over a futile vampire hunt."
If what Rosalie said was true, and this all could have been prevented if Edward did not stay around for my sake. If any of the Cullen's get hurt, it would have been my fault, and not Edward's. And Edward, being Edward would mistakenly place the blame on himself, and I could not let him face that kind of pain. It was time for me to put on my brave face.
"Edward you should go," I said with as much confidence as I could muster. "You need to do what's best for y—" I decided to test out Alice's words from earlier—"for our family." The words sounded strange coming out of my mouth, but deep in my chest, they felt right. I belonged here, with Edward, with this family. I peeked around the room to check the reactions of Cullen's. None of them seemed perturbed by the statement, even Rosalie. The only reaction was Edward's gentle squeeze around my waist.
Carlisle nodded. "We will leave first thing in the morning." He got up and Esme quickly followed after. The others drifted out as well. The peaceful morning had shifted into a somber afternoon. The impending separation loomed over the family as dark and dismal as the perpetual clouds overhead.
"Do you think you'll be back in time for school?" I asked Edward quietly when we were alone. We had a little over a week before our second semester started up. Edward and I had registered for a few classes together. It would be embarrassing to have to catch him up on the material he had missed, but I would do it for him. I would even consider forging his signature on any sign-in sheets so he wouldn't be counted absent.
He placed his cheek on my head, "Well, my love, I don't know when I'll be back."
"You don't know?" I wailed.
"Well, sweetheart, they're nomads. Their coven could be anywhere in the world. Normal vampires don't have permanent residences like we do," he explained. "We don't know how long it will take to find them."
"You don't know?" I repeated, a little quieter as the despair seeped in. Edward gone indefinitely? I kicked myself for putting on a brave face for the Cullen's. How on Earth was I supposed to live through this? Edward and I barely made it through the single week apart at Christmas.
He must have been able to tell that a breakdown was imminent because he pulled me up into his lap to pepper my face with gentle kisses. "I am so sorry, Bella. I don't have to go, my love. I will stay right here with you."
"No," I sniffed, "they need you."
He squeezed me a little closer, "But I need you."
"Am I going to have to tell everyone we broke up?" I whispered, feeling the tears well up. I wasn't sure what I was going to have to tell my friends about Edward's abrupt absence in my life.
"No!" he objected, clearly horrified by the idea. "That is not what's happening at all, my love. Couples go long distance all the time."
"Then what do I say?"
He kissed away the tears that fell, "You can tell everyone at school whatever cover story you want."
I sniffed. "I'm going to tell everyone you joined the circus," I teased, hoping that jokes would distract me from the pain. They didn't seem to be working.
"Then I'll make sure to wear a clown costume every time I visit," he answered between gentle kisses.
That was the thinnest sliver of a silver lining, "You'll visit?"
"Every chance I get, sweetheart. You have no idea how much I am going to miss you."
"Really?" I mumbled.
"I love you, Bella. No amount of distance or time is ever going to change that," he vowed.
For the remainder of the afternoon and well into the evening, Edward let me stay curled up on his lap with my tear-soaked face hidden safely in his cold neck. He spoke often, answering the unspoken thoughts of Jasper, Rosalie, or Carlisle as they researched or sniffed around or whatever else vampires do to find other vampires. I was unable to focus on the movies Alice played for me or taste the food Esme prepared. I was busy drowning myself with Edward. I refused to break any of my senses away from him for I needed to memorize everything about him in these few final moments we had together.
Eventually, Edward rose from the couch, placing me gently against the cushions. When he returned with my coat, and Carlisle an Esme appeared at his side, each handing him a different bag—medical supplies and food, I assumed.
Esme brushed my hair out of my eyes, "I'll be there for you tomorrow morning, darling." I nodded and thanked her quietly.
When I was packed and bundled up, Edward took me home. It was Saturday night, and like most Saturday nights, Charlie was off somewhere will Billy—either away ice fishing or on the Reservation. Edward carried me up to bed and unpacked all of my bags.
Once he was finished, he joined me on my small twin bed. Although my tears had long run dry, I was expecting to spend the night like we had the rest of the day: mourning our relationship.
Instead, he propped himself up onto his elbow so he was looking down at me, "I believe we were in the middle of something last night before we were so rudely interrupted."
"Really? Now?" I asked, incredulous.
"Only if you want to." He brushed my hair back and began kissing my neck. "I cannot think of a better way to show you how much I love you before..." he left the thought unfinished.
"This might actually be the least sexy I have ever been in my life." I tugged at the sweatpants I was wearing, "These are yours."
I felt his lips turn up into a smile against my jaw. "They look better on you than they do on me." I highly doubted that.
"At least I shaved my legs yesterday…" I mused. "It had been a while before that."
"Mmmm," he purred, "you're doing an incredible job at foreplay."
I guessed it was best to show Edward my approval of this development with my clumsy movements, rather than my clumsy words. My hands shook as I removed my flannel shirt, and then the plain white t-shirt underneath it. Edward helped me remove the sweatpants, moving carefully around my cast. He looked into my eyes, searching, and inevitably found what he was looking for because he swiftly removed his clothes as well.
"Bella, I need to know that you're happy with this," he whispered.
"Yes," I replied, just as softly, "I love you."
Edward slid a hand slowly down my stomach and across my abdomen. He stoked my most tender flesh with a slow, careful motion. He rested the tip of his finger at my entrance, swirling ever so gently.
After several beats of the tantalizing motion, my body relaxed, turning into putty in his hands. He withdrew his finger and adjusted his position. He pushed my legs to either side of his hips. As he settled against the inside of my thighs, my body tensed in anticipation, and he stopped.
"I'll go slow, my love. Please tell me if it hurts."
Slowly, he pushed forward, gasping when he entered.
"Bella?" he asked.
"More." The word was no more than a breath falling from my mouth.
Our pace remained slow, but that did not make it any less passionate. Edward kissed me carefully while my hips rocked with his, easily falling into a twinned rhythm. My lips wandered from his mouth, desperate to taste more of him, towards his jaw and then his ear. I nibbled at the lobe and licked the sensitive spot behind it. Edward groaned deliciously and pushed against me a little harder.
My muscled pulled in a way I could never describe. He removed himself from me ever so gently. It was like nothing I've ever experienced before, making love with Edward. He was my everything. I already knew that, but this act cemented it even deeper inside of me.
He looked at me as if he was thinking the same thing. "I love you, Bella." He flipped us over, letting me rest on top of him.
"I love you, too." I murmured before I drifted into sleep.
Fun fact, in my first outline, I was going to have Edward break up with Bella for her own good like the plot in New Moon. However, the ending of Midnight Sun broke my heart so badly, I rewrote the plot. Sorry, everyone! Edward will not be a perfect character; his flaws will rear their ugly heads later in the tale but I just could not bring myself to make him leave her