Chapter Thirteen

Willow's POV

Thanks to being in the hospital, I miss the entire week of spring break. I clumsily make my way out on crutches, Edward hovering over me and catching me when I start to fall. Alice is kind enough to help me at home, because the major portion of the bottom of my right leg is covered in plaster and I can barely move. I return to school on Monday to many whispers and sideways glances. My cover story was that I had simply tripped and fallen down a hill while hiking, but it was almost too simple, at least to me. Everyone else seemed to buy it, including Bella, who actually helped me around the house when Alice couldn't. Alice was slightly nicer, but it was nice to see Bella caring about me for once.

Charlie was obviously more suspicious, but he didn't ask too many questions. He was mostly grateful that I had help besides him. The week passed very quickly with me just trying to be able to move myself around without falling over. Crutches were not my friend.

When Alice came over on Saturday, I was expecting to just have her help me clean myself up so I could sit in my bed all day, but she came in saying that Edward had a surprise for me and she had a dress with her.

I heard her come in, and say hello to my father. He was very grateful to Alice for helping me when Bella wouldn't, and they were sort of like friends, really. "Hi, Charlie," I hear her say. She had started out calling him Chief Swan, but he had insisted she call him Charlie.

"Hi, Alice. Willow's upstairs," he says. "What's that?" he asks.

I hear something rustling. "It's nothing, just some clothes," she says, and I cringe, knowing I'm about to be her Barbie doll for the day. I hear her on the stairs.

"Hi, Bella," she says cheerfully.

"Oh, hi, Alice," she says. Bella and Alice got along alright, although not as well as I thought they would. "Is that for prom?"

"Oh, yeah, but it was supposed to be a surprise for your sister," she says, and I groan loud enough for them both to hear me.

Alice opens the door, holding a long black bag. "I'm not going," I say. "I mean, look at me."

She grins at me. "I can't believe you forgot it was this weekend," she says.

I run my hands through my tangled hair. "I guess-I just thought-with everything that's happened-you wouldn't care about stuff like that," I say.

She looks offended. "What's the point in putting up this act if we can't enjoy it a little?"

I roll my eyes and smile. I let her meticulously dress me up for three hours, letting her curl and braid my hair and put on all kinds of makeup and a light blue dress that cuts off around my knees, so I won't be tripping over it all night. I stand in front of the mirror, crutches under my arms. "Thanks Alice, it looks great," I say.

"You say that like you're a piece of artwork or something, but you're very welcome," she says. "Now, I have to go get ready, but Edward will be here for you in a bit. See you soon!" she says, and walks out, leaving me alone in my bedroom.

I sit down on the bed and take out The Return of the King again, opening it to the place where Edward had left off when he was sitting with me in the hospital. He stopped at the part where they've just finished throwing the ring into Mount Doom. I mouth the line I know so well. "I'm glad you're here with me, Sam, here, at the end of all things." All my life, I've dreamed of having someone as devoted to me as Sam was to Frodo, and maybe I have found it.

I hear the door open again a little while later, and I reluctantly put the book down and get up on my crutches. "Hi, Chief Swan," I hear Edward say. Unlike Alice, Charlie forced Edward to call him chief. I guess it made him feel in control.

"Hello," I hear Charlie say gruffly. He still seems to think that Edward had something to do with my broken leg. I stand at the top of the stairs, watching the entire interaction.

"Little help?" I ask, and Edward makes his way past Charlie to the top of the stairs.

"You look very beautiful," he says. He easily overshadows me. He could look incredible in anything, but he looks absolutely perfect in a suit.

"You look nice, too," I say, not able to find the right words. He helps me the rest of the way down the stairs.

"Willow, wait," I hear from the top of the stairs.

I turn to look back at Bella. "You look really great. Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

I smile at her. "Thanks, Bells," I say, and allow him to lead me outside to his car.

"How am I supposed to do this?" I ask as he helps me into the passenger seat.

"You can do it," he says, getting in the car.

"What if I fall? Have you noticed I'm wearing a cast?" I say.

"You're not going to fall," he says. "I'll catch you." We're quiet for a moment, and he's just pulling into the school's parking lot when I speak again.

"Thank you, you know. For taking a chance on me. I'm not exactly normal."

He parks the car. "No, Willow, thank you," he says, and kisses me. "I love you."

I smile back at him. "Yeah, love you too," I say. If there's one thing I've never been good at (among other things) it's being sentimental. It's not that I don't care, I'm just bad at expressing just how much I do care. And I do love him. Really.

He leads me into the overcrowded gym. People stare at me, but for once it doesn't really bother me. I've never really fit in in the real world, and it sometimes felt that there had to be some secret to fitting in; that there was something that nobody told me, a prank the whole world decided to play on me. With him, it feels like the whole situation has been flipped, that there was no secret and there never will be.

I catch glimpses of his siblings, and wave to Alice, who excitedly waves back to me. She looks ten times more beautiful, obviously, but she never seems to notice. We just sort of shuffle back and forth, me barely able to move with the thick cast on my foot. I'm mostly lost in the moment when I hear someone say my name behind me. "Willow? Can I talk to you?"

I turn around to see Jacob standing there. Edward frowns, and helps me to the wall where my crutches are leaning, and Jacob follows us. "Jacob, what are you even doing here?" I ask as I slide the crutches under my arms.

"My dad...listen, this is going to sound crazy, but he says he'll by me the part I need if I tell you, and-"

"Jake, what is it?" I say, getting suspicious.

"He says that you should be careful. He says you don't know what you're getting into with, well, you know," he says, jerking his head at Edward, who is leaning against the wall a few feet away.

My expression darkens. "Tell your father I know exactly what I'm 'getting into'. Have a nice evening, Jacob," I say, and turn away slowly, impeded by my crutches.

"What was that about?" I ask Edward, knowing he can read Jake's mind.

"Not much more than he said. He doesn't know anything," he says. "C'mon, let's get out of here," he says, helping me to the door.

The minute we're out in the cool evening, he picks me up, crutches and all. I don't object, mostly because I can barely walk.

He sets me down on a bench facing the treeline. I sit up, placing my hands on my lap, palms facing up. "I want to try something," I say. I let the blue light fill my hands for the first time since I killed someone with it.

I lift it up to my face, and blow it out in a cloud of blue sparks like some kind of destructive dandelion. We watch it flow into the sky, illuminated against the twilight.

"Beautiful," he says, and puts his arm over my shoulder. It brings me back to Sam's last words at the end of the Return of the King. 'Well, I'm back.'

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