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"They're one minute away!" Alice practically shrieked.
Rosalie glared at her sister and rolled her eyes. Esme finished up the details in the kitchen. If anyone looked inside they'd see the typical remnants of a family's breakfast: dirty dishes, half-eaten food, utensils strewn about. Esme was pretty proud of her handiwork. She was a teeny bit worried about the food though-she'd never cooked for anyone before. She didn't think she could accidentally poison Bella with her pancakes...could she?
Jasper stood by the window observing his family members. Alice was so excited...he had to smile despite his trepidation. Even if he wasn't an empath he'd be able to feel the anticipation in the room. They were about to welcome the first human into their home. Even Carlisle was a little excited.
"30 seconds!" Alice squealed.
Jasper just shook his head. He had to admit, he was very curious about Bella. Edward's reactions were worse than any he'd ever seen in his long life. Edward was a 100 years old, yet any mention of Bella or worse, a whiff of her scent and he acted like a newborn.
The family had a long discussion the night before. Edward tried to make the case for leaving, but he was stunned-and truth be told, Jasper was as well-when that notion was met by an almost violent denial from Esme. Jasper wished he could read minds too, because nothing explained how a few minutes with the girl brought out the emotions that were reeling from both Esme and Rosalie. Their emotions were still unstable...bonds, as he knew better than anyone, took time to build...but their attachment to Bella was painfully clear. Also clear was their protectiveness of the girl. It was especially jarring to feel these emotions from Rosalie, who had sat unmoving and silent through the entire meeting.
Not knowing how long Bella would be in the neighborhood, Edward decided to go to Denali. Jasper and Emmett had escorted him until they were far enough away from Bella's scent that Edward could continue on his own. Both he and Emmett hunted then, before Emmett went to find his wife.
He didn't know what the two of them discussed, though of course it wasn't difficult to guess at the topic. This morning when they heard Bella stir, Emmett ran in her direction before anyone could stop him. They stood frozen as they listened to their exchange. When Esme heard that Bella was alone and would be so for days, she shouted at Emmett to invite her for breakfast.
"Darling, are you cert-," Carlisle had started, but Esme was already preparing in the kitchen.
"It's not a bad idea," Alice said. "She's going to be in school with us. We'll all need to get used to her scent. And we're going to have to protect her from Edward."
"Or we could just move and be done with it," Rosalie grumbled through gritted teeth.
Jasper shook his head. Rosalie was, to put it mildly, driving him crazy. He had never experienced so many strong conflicting emotions all at once from one person.
"They're here!" Alice leaped down the stairs and skipped to the door.
Jasper smiled again at his wife. Then he looked at Carlisle. "Stay by my side?" He asked his adopted father.
Carlisle nodded.
Here we go, he thought.
Bella failed miserably at keeping her excitement down when she saw the house. It was gorgeous. Huge and obviously made of money, it was still tasteful and understated...a strange contrast to the outrageous cars she spotted in the open garage.
She tried not to dwell on this visit, tried not to attach too much significance to it but it was difficult. This would be her first time in someone else's home. Not just the first time since the incident, but the first time ever. She had never been invited to a friend's house. She'd never had any friends.
Emmet's not your friend, she quietly reminded herself. None of them are. You're a stranger. You're despicable and dangerous. Don't forget that. Don't let your guard down. You can't afford to make any mistakes now. This is the one and only chance you're gonna get with Charlie.
They parked her bike in the garage and with a deep breath from Bella, walked inside the front door.
Something small and very fast attacked her. Bella had just enough time to raise her eyebrows in surprise when she found herself in a tight embrace with the-person, she could now see.
"Hi, Bella! I'm Alice."
Aside from the eyes, Alice looked nothing like what she'd seen of the family. She was incredibly short. Her hair was also short and sticking up in every direction. She exuded energy that made it seem like she was more of a child, but no...no one would think she was a child judging by the clothing she wore. Bella knew next to nothing about fashion, but she could easily picture this girl on a runway.
"Hi. It's nice to meet you," Bella said.
"Hello again, sweetheart!" Esme said from the top of the stairs. "Come on up, there's plenty of food left!"
Bella couldn't help but smile up at her. "Thank you, Esme. You're very generous."
Esme beamed at her, and Bella followed Alice up the stairs with Emmett tailing behind her.
They stepped into the kitchen and Bella admired the detailing on cupboards and windows. Esme noticed her gaze and smiled again. "You like my handiwork?" She asked.
Bella's eyes widened. "You did this yourself?" She asked excitedly.
Esme's grin got even bigger. "Yes. Are you interested in interior design?"
Bella nodded hesitatingly. "Yes. And architecture. I'd love to build my own house one day." She knew she shouldn't reveal so much of herself, but she just couldn't help herself with Esme. Bella thought she could talk to her for hours.
"Well now you're officially my wife's favorite person." A man in a tweed jacket stepped towards them. He was obviously older than the kids but not by much, Bella was sure. His golden hair was cut short, though not as short as Emmett's. He too had honey gold in his eyes. He continued until he was right in front of her and held out his hand.
"I'm Carlisle Cullen," he said gently. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella."
"Likewise," Bella smiled, immediately comfortable in his presence.
"I believe you've already met Rosalie," he said, pointing at her direction where she was sitting at the couch. Rosalie nodded the slightest of nods, and pointedly went back to her magazine.
Bella smiled shyly then quickly looked away.
Carlisle continued. "And this is Jasper," he said pointing to the young man who hadn't moved from his spot by the window.
"Hello, Bella," he greeted her cordially. He smiled and waved. She returned the gesture with her own smile.
"Ok enough with the show and tell! Bella Bear's hungry," Emmett said, grinning and pointing to her stomach which, embarrassingly enough started to rumble.
Bella blushed as they all laughed-well, almost all. Rosalie remained still as a statue in her spot.
"It smells delicious," Bella said quietly. She was beginning to feel overwhelmed. They were so kind. And they really seemed to like her, though she couldn't understand why. She thought her heart might burst as she let Esme lead her to the kitchen table. She closed her eyes and counted a few breaths as Esme piled some pancakes onto her plate. She took a moment smelling it, touching it with her fork and with a finger, reacquainting herself with one of her mother's favorite breakfast meals. The pain flared up at the thought of her mom, but she quickly stamped it out.
"Thank you," she said again, looking up at Esme who was smiling brightly at her.
"You're welcome, my dear," she said.
Bella ate slowly at first, savoring her first taste of pancakes since her mother died. But she sped up when she realized the family was watching her with something akin to wonder and curiosity. She finished as fast as she could, trying not to be rude.
"It was delicious, Esme. Thank you."
"I'm so glad you liked it!" Esme exclaimed. "Would you like some more?"
"Oh, no. Thank you, I'm quite full," Bella said quickly, not wanting to encroach on the kind woman's hospitality anymore. "That was way more than I'm used to eating at one time. I'll burst if I have anymore," she said jokingly, but knew she had made a mistake when she saw Esme's and Carlisle' frowns. Uh-oh.
None of them said anything more on that subject, thank god.
"Bella's gonna be moving here," Emmett said brightly. "She's in the same grade as you, Alice!"
"Oh! How wonderful! Where are you moving from, Bella?" Alice asked.
Here we go, Bella thought. Be careful.
"Pennsylvania," she answered. "I lived with my aunt, but she passed away this summer. My dad lives here in Forks, so I'll be moving in with him."
"Who's your father, Bella?" Carlisle asked. "If you don't my asking."
"Not at all," Bella replied. "His name is Charlie Swan."
"The chief of police?" Carlisle asked, startled. "I didn't know he had a child."
Bella blushed, looking down. "We're not close," she said.
Carlisle got the hint and asked no more. But Emmett was frowning.
"Wait a sec," he started. "How did you get here?"
"To Forks?" Bella shrugged. "Biked."
The family stared at her. Even Rosalie looked up from her magazine.
"You biked?" Alice asked, incredulously. "From Pennsylvania? Alone?"
"Er, yes." Was it that strange? Bella wondered to herself. She'd biked and walked 100 times the distance they were so astonished at. "It wasn't hard, really. It was fun, sort of."
"Bella Bear's a bad ass," Emmett grinned.
"Really, Emmett!" Esme scolded. "Come on sweetheart, I want to show you the rest of the house. I have a feeling you'll appreciate all my hard work."
Bella smiled and nodded eagerly, thankful to move on from the topic of Bella. And she really was interested in seeing this house.
She helped Esme clear the table and let her hold her hand as they walked out of the kitchen.