I'm not one to drag drama...so here goes the reunion.
Chapter 45: Reuniting
Arriving at the Denali clan took Edward fewer hours than the last time, but he was running and pushing his legs to run faster and faster.
The house was the same. Tanya opened the door when he knocked. She looked surprised.
Edward couldn't pick her thoughts because she was thinking of a thousand things at the same time.
Going inside, he found out that the Cullens and Bella had left about a year after his departure. The stories they had about their departure were heartbreaking. Edward wanted to turn back time.
They told Edward about no one being able to get Bella to move for months. She had stayed on the bed, unmoving, unblinking for a couple of months. She had hoped he was returning. Everyone had hoped that.
Alice had seen him returning so many times that in the end, she pushed the visions away, realizing they were all false alarms. It reminded him of the story with the boy who cried wolf.
"Where are they?" Edward asked between sobs.
"Somewhere in Montana. Clyde Park. It's close to Yellowstone and they have a variety of…game."
He nodded. "How do I get there?"
After listening to their instructions and thanking them a thousand times, he took off.
When the sign of Clyde Park greeted him, Edward couldn't help but chuckle. It had fewer people than Forks. He hadn't thought that was possible. Only 310 inhabitants.
Taking the route through the forest that Kate had told him about, Edward arrived in front of the house.
Best time to be home alone. When some errant vampire decides to drop by, Emmett thought grumpily. And I was really going to help little Amber with her room, oh well. Might as well send the fucker away.
Couldn't Emmett smell that it was Edward? He hadn't changed his scent over the years. He remembered Emmett's scent. It was the same. But Emmett was his usual unobservant self.
Edward leaned against the pole on the porch, waiting for Emmett to open the door and shout in surprise like everyone else had in the past few days.
"Where are you going, traitor?" Emmett asked, confused.
Then Edward heard a small heartbeat and the small door in the front door opened. Something furry jumped on him, catching himself on his claws to Edward's shirt. Ginger.
He hugged his cat tightly. He mewed, licking Edward's chin, smelling him, rubbing his head against him. Ginger had grown so much, Edward barely recognized him.
The door finally opened and Emmett stopped abruptly there. It can't be… But it's him. Then he realized Edward could hear him.
Emmett tackled him down. Ginger escaped unscathed.
You deserve a good beating, kid!
"Hello, Emmett," he greeted quietly.
They got up, wiping their clothes off snow. "Missed you, you know?"
"Oh, I know. I can't say how sorry I am for doing what I did," Edward said, looking down.
"Wait until Bella gets back!"
"Where is she?" he asked, picking Ginger up again.
"Out with the girls."
"Hunting?" he asked.
He boomed a laugh. "She wished. No, they dragged her shopping."
"Ouch." They stayed quiet for a moment. "How is she?"
"The truth? She is not well at all. But she's not letting it show. She's…living, but she's not really there."
"I'm such an idiot. I haven't been any better, but…I thought everyone would hate me. And well, you weren't making it any easier. Everyone pitied me, was disappointed and expected such a thing to happen…so I left."
Emmett hugged him again, telling him that he was glad he'd decided to return.
After going inside, Emmett dragged him into setting up Bella's room. It looked like a war zone.
"Yeah…I told her that well…you were obviously not coming back any time soon…and she should carry her ass down the stairs for Christmas….she jumped on me and…this happened. Esme told me to make it look as new by the time they get back."
"Sounds like you," Edward chuckled.
Soon, Carlisle arrived home from his shift at the hospital, and Edward wasn't sure how to feel. He was like a father figure.
He came upstairs and hugged Edward without a word. Then he slapped him, quite hard. "That's for hurting our little Bella. But I'm glad you are back."
That slap had been everything Edward needed to make him truly realize what he had done.
"Yes, I'm back. I'm truly sorry for everything, but that won't make it better."
"Bella should be back in a few hours. Do you want us to leave you two alone?"
"I want to see you all. Then I will talk to Bella. I promise."
Jasper had walked in minutes after Carlisle, and they moved to the living room. Edward told them in a few words what had he done and how sorry he was for everything.
"I feared you'd rebel. Everything that was happening pointed to that," Carlisle said, thoughtfully.
"I tried to stop what I was doing. I tried to come back so many times…"
"Yeah, Alice got so many visions of you returning."
"I bet she saw me coming this time, too."
"I wouldn't know," Jasper said, shrugging. "She gave up telling us because Bella would get her hopes up and nothing was happening."
That made Edward feel even worse. "Do you think…" He started then stopped. There was no need to ask it. He was certain Bella was never going to forgive him.
"What is it?" Carlisle asked, worried.
Jasper was the one to answer. "She may need time. But she will forgive you. Bella loves you too much to throw you to the curb."
"Although you deserve it," Emmett added quietly.
Edward hung his head, wondering if Bella could indeed forgive him. He was going to find out sooner than he was prepared because two cars parked in the driveway.
Ginger started moving his tail, slapping Edward's thigh rhythmically. He was happy they were back.
The girls were wondering who was visiting. How could they not recognize him? Did newborns smell different from grown-up vampires?
"Bella? Come on. We're home, you kept whining for hours to get home," Rose urged her.
Edward could see her through Rose's eyes. They were in front of the house, and Bella was looking toward the living room window with disbelief written all over her face. Then she moved.
He heard the front door slamming to the wall and Bella appeared in the living room's doorway.
"What's got into her?" Alice asked, following her.
Bella had recognized him, unlike everyone else.
Edward got up, forgetting about the cat that luckily fell on his four legs, hissing annoyed at his owner. It had nine lives. Edward carefully stepped over him and approached Bella.
The other women were inside the house, too, in his line of vision, looking shocked. But he didn't pay them much attention. Bella was his destination.
He stopped in front of her, unsure what to do.
Should I talk?
Should I fall on my knees and beg for forgiveness?
Should I just wait until she came to her senses and started hitting me?
The bags fell from her hands before she attacked. For a fraction of second, Edward was about to get defensive but he realized she was just hugging him. Her legs were tightly wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck, her fingers wound in his hair as she sobbed. He returned the hug as fiercely as he could, without hurting her.
When she moved a little, just enough so she could cup his cheeks in her palms and look into his eyes. Edward was glad for drinking from animals in the last couple of times. They weren't golden yet, but they weren't red either.
"Edward," she whispered.
"Bella." He brought her close to him again, hugging her tightly.
She fit perfectly against his body. Edward had missed her so much – her warm body, her scent, her voice, her face, everything about her.
Suddenly, she gasped, clutching to his neck tighter. A second later someone slapped the nape of his neck, hard.
"You bastard!" Rose screeched. "Get off him, woman! I want to kill him!"
Edward let Bella down gently before turning to Rose. She was angry, really angry. She had every right to be angry.
"How could you do this to her! To us! She loves you, you imbecile!"
He averted his eyes, feeling something like bile rising in his throat. Could he throw up? He wasn't sure.
Bella's small hands rubbed his back. He didn't deserve her. She was far too good to him. Edward glanced down at her and his dead heart broke into a thousand pieces. She looked horrible. He had done this to her.
"Let's go, talk," she murmured.
Edward nodded, twining their hands, allowing her to lead the way. They were at the front door when Ginger came between his legs, mewing.
"No, you stay here. I'll come back," he whispered, patting his head.
He seemed to understand because he disappeared to the left, probably the kitchen.
Edward couldn't bear the silence they were walking in, but he decided to wait on Bella. She should talk first. Maybe she wanted to get far away so no one would hear her screaming, or his screams when she was killing him.
They walked for miles when she finally stopped. "It looks like the little meadow from Forks," she said, looking around.
Edward took a look around them and nodded. From his fleeting look, he could see a small stream a few feet away and a few fallen trees. They sat on one of those trees.
"Why did you leave? Why did you come back? Why now? Are you staying? Damn it, Edward!"
"I was afraid you'd hate the monster I had become. I realized I couldn't live without my heart. I've wanted to come back for a while and after the past few days, I decided it was time to finally return. Yes, I'm staying. You have my promise on that one. I'll write it in blood," he answered every question.
He got a small smile from her with his last statement. Exactly what he wanted.
"What happened in the past few days?" Bella asked softly, taking his hand between hers.
"I went home," Edward admitted. "It was Christmas."
"Really? Did your parents…Are they well?"
"Yes, thank you." He smiled. "They're perfect. They had guests, like usual."
"It's good they kept in touch with everyone," Bella whispered.
"Just Seth and Leah were over. And a small addition," he said, chuckling.
"Did they find someone…"
"It's a long story, but Leah has a daughter," he explained. "She's so little, really adorable."
Bella searched her eyes for something, he couldn't tell for what. Edward groaned, not used to being unable to read minds. Her smile widened.
"I'd like to try something. Eleazar taught me, and promised it will work."
"Who's Eleazar?" Edward asked, confused. He didn't know any Eleazar.
"How did you know we were here, in Montana?"
Edward frowned at the change of subject. "Who is Eleazar, Bella?"
She laughed, throwing her head back. "Still hot-headed, I see. If you stopped by our friends in Denali, I'm sure you met him. He is Carmen's mate."
"Oh, the guys weren't there. They didn't mention anything."
"Oh." She shrugged.
"So what did he teach you?" he asked, squeezing her hand.
"Don't move. Let me concentrate."
Edward nodded. She closed her eyes, the skin between her brows plucking as she started smiling. Oh, how he missed her.
I missed you more than you'll ever know.
Edward's eyes widened. He had heard her and she hadn't opened her mouth.
I love you, Edward. My beloved husband.
"Holy fuck! I can hear you!" He shouted, jumping up.
"Now, you did it!" She groaned, rolling her eyes.
He wrapped her in my arms, twirling her around. "I love you, too! I missed you too. Always."
Edward told her about every place he'd been, what he'd done, and she didn't judge him for a moment. Because she reminded him that she had been like that once, and she knew how he had felt after drinking from that first human. If he had stayed, she would have helped him. He'd been impossibly reckless to just leave like that.
"Oh, and I've been to Europe," he added off-handedly.
She nodded, opening her mouth to ask something, but then she registered what he had said. Her face was a mask of shock.
"How could you stay in a plane full of people? And…where did you get the money?"
"About the money…I'm not really proud of myself, but I used to grab the wallets of my victims…as for the trip there…I knew I couldn't stay for hours in a crammed place with a hundred humans so I remembered Carlisle's story."
"What story?"
"Didn't he tell you too about the time he swam from England to France?"
"Oh, yes, but you…had to swim the whole Atlantic Ocean," she pointed out.
"I don't get tired." Edward smirked. "And…I gave some sharks pay back for killing people."
Bella giggled, leaning into him and kissing his cheek. "I was sure you'd be changed when you returned to me, but you're the same teenager I knew."
"Uhh…seventeen forever," he said playfully, pointing to himself.
The mood seemed to shift as her lips pressed against his. The electricity crackled around them and Edward's heart almost beat again. He'd missed her touch more than anything else.
"Tell me," she whispered against his lips. "Tell me what you did in Europe."
"Argh. Do I have to?"
"Were you a bad boy?" she teased.
"I tried to be good," he murmured, nudging her cheek with his nose. "In Germany, I tried for the first time to drink again from animals. It worked, but at night…I stepped wrong again."
"I'm not judging. I know how it is to be young and taste human blood. Edward, if I were you…well, I don't think I would have been able to abstain for as long as you had."
"I didn't know the alternative until I tasted it."
"You smelled your parents! I wouldn't have been able to abstain."
"You'd have hurt your parents?" he asked, shocked.
She laughed. "You're bizarrely moral for a vampire, sweetie."
"But…well, what was your conscience going to say?"
"We're supposed to be cold, hard, unyielding creatures not caring, compassionate, lovable."
"I've met my fair share of vampires and I can tell you that only a few of them are like you just described them. I wasn't aware of how many were out there," he added quietly. "I thought that once I was in Europe I wouldn't see one for a long time."
"And when was the first encounter?" Bella asked, amused.
"Well, there was this girl, Maggie, helping me out of the water when I arrived in England. I was too shocked to climb on the land."
Bella laughed. "I tried telling you that we're not many, but we are out there."
"Yes, well…" Edward sighed. "This Maggie and her friend, Siobhan, showed me all the United Kingdom. And talking, I realized they knew Carlisle. It was a strange feeling to be there, talking with people that knew Carlisle from his time there…so many centuries ago."
"I'm sure it was strange. What else did you see?"
"They warned me to stay away from Italy, and I wasn't ready to go anywhere near there. But after seeing most countries of Europe, I just couldn't leave without seeing Rome or Venice…"
"Ah, what am I going to do with you, Edward?"
"As I was visiting San Marco Piazza-"
Bella gasped her eyes wide. "You didn't realize how close you were?"
"Not really. No one told me where Volterra was," he reminded her. "I ran into my old friend, Jane," he said mockingly. "She was just as shocked to see me as I was to see her."
"Did she…?"
"Yep. I ended up in front of Aro and his brothers. They were just curious about what I was doing there alone, and proud of me for leaving Carlisle's side 'to drink what I was supposed to,'" he explained, quoting Aro's words.
"No funny business?" Bella asked skeptically.
"He insisted I stay with him there. I told him I was married to you and that I was meeting you when I returned to America. It wasn't exactly a lie so he didn't see past it."
"Is he aware of your gift?"
"Yeah. He left the invitation open, to join him."
"And he allowed you to leave?"
"Yeah." He shrugged. "Oh, and he told me to be careful about who I share my nature with. He was speaking of my parents, obviously. I promised they wouldn't talk and that no one else will ever know what I am."
"You can't promise such things!" Bella shouted. "I rolled my eyes at Charlotte when she made me swear I wouldn't tell humans about it, but then…I met you."
"Do you think it's possible for me to…meet someone similar? I mean someone that may smell like I smelled to you?" Edward wasn't making sense, although Bella understood him.
"The probability is there. Emmett met his singer twice."
He nodded. "I haven't thought about it."
She took him hunting after they finished talking. There was a vast variety and he liked it.
On the way home, Edward put her on his back and carried her. He kept craning his neck to kiss her every few seconds.
"Did you visit Dracula?" she whispered, kissing a spot behind his ear and making him shudder.
"That's just a myth, Bella. But yes, I visited Romania and met two interesting fellows."
"Fellows?" She snorted. "Oh, please!"
He pecked her cheek before winking. "Yes, Stefan and Vladimir, they're quite odd, but they've been around for probably longer than the Volturi." Edward shrugged. "I learned a lot of things from them."
Bella kissed the back of his neck, linking her arms over his chest, sighing. He kept his slow pace, loving the way she felt draped over his back. She pressed her cheek against his, glancing at him with the corner of her eye.
"How's the world treating you?" he asked.
"If I didn't know, I'd say you were from a century ago," she murmured. "Well, I don't have much to say…I was pretty upset after you left."
"So I've heard. I will never be able to apologize enough for that one."
"You can take me to Europe."
"Sounds great. We can have our honeymoon there because you can't say that week was a real honeymoon," he whispered.
"But it was!" She giggled. "We did exactly what people do on honeymoons."
"And what's that?" He mocked. "Have sex and have more sex?"
Bella flicked his ear. "We did some sightseeing too. You liked seeing the fish, I remember."
"We're going to Europe. There are so many things I want to share with you. Most of the time, I wished you were there. I found myself turning around, wanting to tell someone – you – my opinion on things… It was difficult."
"We will go, don't worry. There's time. We have all the time in the world. Besides, I just started high school again, this fall."
"Really?"
"Yeah, you can start with us in January, I'm sure we can pull some transfer papers."
