Elena's POV: (Opening thoughts)
I am freezing, really freezing but Edward has grabbed me two fleeces and bundled me up while keeping his vice arms around me to trap my heat. Bella On the other hand is across from us shivering. Edward is feeling guilty.
*Elena Swan in Eclipse*
I am bundled in Edwards arms but I am sat worried about Edward. I turn so I can look at Edward. "Maybe we should've chosen a sight lower down."
"No it's fine." Bella says but even as the words leave her mouth she shivers from the snow storm outside.
"What can we do to help?" Edward says feeling guilty.
There is a noise outside and both Damon and Jake enter the tent. Jake speaks. "I can't sleep with all that teeth chattering going on."
He immediately goes over to Bella and gets under the blanket where she turns into his chest to get as much heat as she can and I'm glad she is warming up. For a few minutes its quite as the weather begins to get worse. I begin to shiver as even the blanket is not doing me any good now.
Damon is watching as Edward tries to warm me up.
Edward suddenly turns to glare at him. "Forget it."
Damon turns to him but he keeps glancing at me. I turn to them.
"I'm okay Damon," I tell him even though my teeth are about to break from the constant chattering.
"I don't plan on laying down with her!" Damon snaps at him. "Just place my arms around you in a hug just like stonehenge is. She may need her toes some day you know. And let's face it. I am hotter than you."
Damon goes to gently move me off of Edward but said vamp places his hand on his shoulder. Damon begins to growl.
"BOYS!" Jake warns but cannot move with his soul mate in his arms.
"Get your hands off of me!" Damon growls at Edward.
"Keep your hands off her!" Edward snarls back.
I fight to get my words out between shivers and teeth chattering. "Do-don't fight!"
Edward looks down at me and sees my lips are beginning to chap and turn blue. He seems to be torn between allowing me to warm up and letting Damon hold me. It would only be in like a friendly way I can assure him.
Edward glances at Bella to see she is no longer shivering.
"If she get's sick it's on you!" Damon points out to my... fiance. Edward doesn't hesitate this time and releases me. I glance at him and he nods. Damon gently switches places with Damon and sits behind me and wraps his arms around me like a big brother would. He flinches at my freezing skin. "God you're freezing Elena!"
"She wasn't the only one!" Jake says before glancing down at Bella and smirking. "But she's beginning to warm up! Faster if she'd take her clothes off!"
Damon and I both say disgusted. "Jake!"
"Survival 101!" Jake smirks before looking at Edward. "At least I can keep my girl warm at night!"
"Jake!" Bella and I both say this time.
*Elena Swan in Eclipse*
Bella's POV:
Elena has fallen asleep but I am still awake keeping an eye on the three guys who are all glaring at each other. I'd probably sleep if it weren't for the fact I'm worried one or two would end up dead when Elena and I awak.e
Elena must have been tired though because she is now laying down without Damon's warmth and asleep in between Damon and Edward. At least my boyfriend is still keeping me warm.
"Would you two at least attempt to control your thoughts," Edward says glaring at the boys. I forgot he can read minds.
Damon looks away from my sleeping twin and says. "I really get under that ice cold skin of yours, don't I? What are you doubting her feelings for you?""
Edward does not answer.
"He's probably worried you're gonna steal his girl," Jake says from behind me and I can tell they're joking but also trying to rile him up.
Edward still does not answer.
"Nice," Damon begins getting annoyed that he is not answering. "So picking through our brains are okay! But letting me into yours. Forget about it!"
"Boys!" I groan. "Do you mind?"
"Sorry," Jake whispers but I can tell this conversation is not going to end.
Edward keeps his eyes on Elena.
"Look..." Damon begins and he actually sounds kind of civil for once. "I know she's in love with you."
"Oh good," Edward comments sarcastically.
"But she's in love with me too," Damon informs him. "She just won't admit she still has feelings for me."
I think I am going to have to intervene.
"I can't tell if you're right," Edward says.
"Okay!" I say sitting up and Jake moves with me so my back is against his chest. "Let me give you both a twins perspective...," I wait for them to object but neither of them does so I begin to speak. "For years Elena was worried about having a boyfriend in case he dumped her... then you came along Damon... you two were together for two years. Then without any notice you dumped her. Now I know that wasn't your fault but you never told her... a few years later we move to Forks and you come into the picture Edward. She opens up her heart and lets you in even after what, James and then your brother did... and you left her. Now after this she is pretty much at breaking point, she barely eats, she won't do anything that reminds her of you Edward. Then Damon comes back and she finds out that he had a pretty legitimate reason for dumping her and she cannot help but wonder... where would she be now if you Damon had not become a werewolf. She begins to get close but Damon... she cannot get over Edward. Then you Edward come back and she has to deal with both of you being natural enemies, me not talking to her and her father being pissed at her. Now she has confused feelings and maybe she does still feel something for you Damon... but she loves Edward..."
I leave them to contemplate that as I begin to lay down again and so does Jake.
"Nicely said," he whispers in my ear his hot breath warming my ear lobe.
I try not to laugh but roll my eyes as Damon speaks.
"So let me ask you something..." Damon says to Edward. "If she chooses me..."
"She won't," both Edward and I say as even though I hate Edward... I can tell the way Elena feels about him.
"If she did..." Damon is adamant and I roll my eyes but wait and so does Edward. "Would you try to kill me?"
"That's an intriguing idea," Edward says and I shake my head as he scoffs. "But no... I couldn't hurt her like that."
"So you'd just turn her into a bloodsucking demon like you?" Damon asks trying to keep his tone casual.
"Damon," I say trying to control the men.
"I don't want that!" Edward frowns and I look up at him in shock. "I never wanted that!"
"You didn't?" I ask him always feeling he wanted her to be with him.
"No, Bella," he says glancing down at me with a serious expression. "I want her to stay human and be with me... and when she dies I plan on joining her... but she is adamant she wants to be one of me."
I stare down contemplating that.
"So stop her," Damon points out.
"I tried," he reminds all three of us. "I left."
"But you gave up too quickly," Damon tells him. "If you'd stayed away another six months... I could've made her happy once again. Trust me. You have to consider... that I might be better for her."
Why do I even try to explain to these boys that she doesn't feel that way for Damon anymore.
"I have considered that," Edward says sincerely. "I know you can protect her. That you can give her a life, a human life. That's all I want for her."
"And what about she wants guys," I point out glancing at my sleeping twin. "You need to consider what she wants."
"And that's what keeps me here," Edward continues smiling slightly at me. "I'm not... I'm not going to force her into anything ever again. The last time I tried, it almost killed us both."
Damon, Jake and I look down and Jake says. "We remember."
I glance at Elena again before turning to look at Edward. "When you thought she was gone... that you'd lost her... how did you... cope?"
"There are no words," Edward shakes his head at me but then he listens to Damon's thoughts. Glad he cannot read mine. "This might sound odd, but I'm glad you're both here."
"Meaning..." Damon begins smirking. "As much as I'd like to kill you both I'm glad she's warm and Jake's here to look after Bella."
Edward smirks and shakes his head. "If we weren't natural enemies... and one of you weren't trying to steal my reason for existing... I might actually like both of you... and Bella I do like you."
I feel shock but then think about it. "I guess you're not the worst guy I've ever met... but ever hurt my sister again... vamp or not I will kill you!"
He nods seriously but then Damon speaks.
"Well...," he begins looking down. "If you weren't planning on sucking the life out of the girl I love.. I might... no not even then."
They both chuckle.
"Hey what the heck I've had worse friends!" Jake laughs and I elbow him. "And I guess eventually we could be distant relations so I can try and get along with you."
And with that line I lay down and begin to go to sleep. But I hear the last of their conversation.
"But she could still change her mind you know," Damon points out to Edward.
"Then I'd let her go," is the only reply Edward gives.
*Elena Swan in Eclipse*
Elena's POV:
I wake up to see Bella sat looking at something.
"Everything okay?" I ask her and she jumps but turns to me. "What's wro-"
I cut off as I see what she is holding in her hand. My engagement ring. I sigh and get up before walking over to her. She seems a little shocked.
"Is this... what I think it is?" She asks and I hold out my hand which she places my ring into. "Are you engaged?"
I smile and nod and she pulls me into a hug. "I hope you know what you're doing... but let me be the first to say congratulations."
I give my gratitude before getting dressed and we head out into the now stormless air but the ground is covered in snow. I see Seth coming down. I only know its Seth as there's only three wolves on this mountain and I know the color of the other two.
"Hey Seth," I say gently and he whines while Bella walks over and pats his shoulder as Edward approaches. "Where's Damon and Jacob? Did they already..."
"Not yet," Edward reassures us. "They're checking to see if the woods are clear before they go."
Seth goes up the hill and over it. Bella holds out her hand and he shakes it. "Congratulations... and remember what I said last night."
I wonder what she means but Edward nods seriously.
"I'm really sorry about last night," I tell Edward gently feeling guilty. "That couldn't have been easy on you."
"Definitely won't make my list of top ten favourite evenings," he tells me.
I look down.
"You have a list?" I ask chuckling a little as I look back up.
"All ten I spent with you," he says and Bella rolls her eyes as he says. "Number one is when you said you'd marry me... Mrs Cullen."
Bella laughs as I cringe. "This is the 21st century. I wanna at least hyphenate my name."
"You're marrying him?!" A voice says from behind Edward and Damon is stood there.
" 'D'," I begin before realizing their is no way Edward let him know by accident. "You knew he was listening!"
"He deserves to know!" Edward informs me.
"Uh El..." Bella says and I glance at her to see her motion to Damon who's walking off.
"DAMON!" I call out and go to follow him. "STOP!"
Edward goes to pull me back. "Hey Ele-"
"DON'T!" I snap at him and I yank my arm out of his grip before running off after Damon. "DAMON STOP! DAMON! DAMON PLEASE!"
I catch up with him not far away but he seems pissed and ready to do something stupid.
"I'm done!" Damon says as he stands at the side of the cliff. "I'm so done!"
I begin to panic at how suicidal he looks. "What can I do?"
He just turns with a look on his face that's full of pain. "You can't do anything. I can! By going out there and killing something!"
No!" I yell trying to make him see sense. "Don't be stupid with the way you're acting you can't fight!"
"Maybe I'll get myself killed and make it easy for you!" He says glancing at me.
"DONT!" I yell getting annoyed now. "DON'T MAKE ME OUT TO BE THE BAD GUY!"
"Why?" He says. "Give me one good reason that you aren't the bad guy!"
"HOW ABOUT THE FACT YOU DUMPED ME DAMON!" I yelled as I got closer to him. "I WAS YOUR GIRLFRIEND AND FOR NO EXPLANATION YOU DUMPED ME!"
"That's not fair!" He snaps. "I became a werewolf. I never stopped loving you!"
"And I didn't know that..." I yell back with tears in my eyes. "I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WHEN I SPENT DAYS CRYING OVER YOU! WHEN I DIDN'T COME TO FORKS FOR FOUR YEARS! THEN WHEN I FINALLY COME BACK... I FIND EDWARD! IS IT SO HARD FOR YOU TO SEE IM HAPPY!"
He freezes as he seems to contemplate that. Then he comes over to me. He gets close, so close I thought he was gonna kiss me.
"Damon..." I whisper. "You will find someone one day... but we should hold onto the memories we had and be friends... is it so bad I still want to be your friend..."
"No it's not!" He says and he wraps his arms around me in a hug and I hug him back. "I did not realise how much I hurt you... and if I had come back before Edward came into your life. Do you think things would've been different?"
I smile but pull back. "We'll never know... but trying to force something that isn't there anymore."
He nods and he seems to look off into the distance. "I've gotta go... but you're right! We can be friends and I'll be here for you!"
He takes off and I am left stood there, shocked he finally seems to realise we will never be more than friends again.
QUEENC2020:
I hope the changes didn't upset people. I think if she had dated Jake things would've been different for Bella.