I Do Not Own Twilight
Edward was furious when he finally came up to her room that night. "You said you were going home to help Charlie and Alice saw you by the reservation! Then you disappeared from her vision so I know you were around the wolves," He raged quietly so Charlie wouldn't hear.
Bella didn't answer she just watched him pace the room. Finally, she rolled her eyes, "I am over 18, you are not my parent, you don't get to tell me where I can and cannot go," she said flatly.
"Bella, love, you are the center of my world. You are the most important thing to me. You left and soon after Garrett left. I had to assume your blood was so potent he was going to go after you. I was so worried." He smiled the crooked smile she used to think was cute but today she found it irritating.
"If you thought Garrett was going after me then hanging around a pack of vamp hating wolves bent on their annihilation was probably the safest place I could have been," she deadpanned.
Edward threw his hands up in the air and muttered loud enough for her to hear, "She puts her life in danger and jokes about it." He scowled at her. "You are not to go to the reservation. I have told you countless times how dangerous they are."
Bella was ignoring him but suddenly perked up, "Hey why do you think Garrett is dangerous to me? What do you know about him?"
Groaning, Edward sat on the edge of her bed, "Did you not see his eyes? He is a human drinker!"
"I guess," she thought for a few moments, "when I get a chance to eat a slice of carrot cake, I jump on it and eat three because I never make carrot cake. I love cookies just as much but Esme makes them for me all the time so when she offers, I only eat one because I know I will have them later. Do you see what I'm saying?"
"I can ask Esme to make carrot cake."
She rolled her eyes, "No, I only like my grandma Swan's recipe. What I am saying is maybe your family has so much trouble with bloodlust because they never indulge and Garrett is in perfect control because even my yummy smelling blood is something he has all the time." She looked up to see his reaction. It was considerably worse than she was expecting.
"You want my family," he gestured to himself, "to 'indulge' in human blood to give us better control?"
She shook her head, "I didn't say that. What I was saying was maybe Garrett doesn't have a problem because of it and he is perfectly safe."
He jumped to his feet, folded his arms, and glared at her in indignation. "Why do you want to know about Garrett anyway?"
She sighed in exasperation, "He is the only nice vampire I have met who isn't in your family and I will be in your community soon and need to know!"
Edward screwed his face up in a fury, "You don't need to know him because you will never be a vampire. I will never allow that to happen to you. I won't change you! Carlisle won't change you!"
"He promised," she whispered looking in Edwards eyes trying to detect a lie.
"He said he would at the time," he spat. "You were so worried about the Volturi he wanted to make you feel safe. You are mine so I," he slapped his chest as he said this, "I am the one who decides your fate. You will never be changed," he roared.
"Bella!" Charlie called sleepily from the next room. Edward dove into the closet. Charlie threw the door open, "Did you hear that roaring?"
"Yeah, it woke me up. I think it was outside. Must be those bears you have had reported." She shrugged and sat back down on her bed as if she was going to bed.
Charlie scratched his head, "No more texting or being on the computer you need to go to bed." He shut her door and she could hear him shuffle across the hall to his own room. They waited until his deep breathing resumed and Edward came out of the closet.
He approached her bed slowly. "Love, I didn't mean to get upset. You have to…"
"Stop," her voice was a broken whisper, "just go."
"Bella, listen." He started to kneel down.
"No," she put her hand up, "just go."
Edward shoulders sagged, "Look, I'll be by tomorrow."
She shook her head, "I have plans to work on the Follies tomorrow. I'll be busy all day with Charlie."
He scowled, "Really, he is giving up fishing for the Follies. Not likely Bella."
"Just go!"
Edward scowled but he slid the window open and hopped through it. He knew she was just upset. He would talk to her and smooth things out tomorrow. He wished he didn't let slip she wasn't being changed. He had gotten Carlisle to agree to put it off for a while and he was sure he would be able to keep putting it off.
The next day Bella ignored Edward's calls and texts. She didn't lie to him, she went the Forks Follies committee meeting where they decided who was to do what. She told them what volunteers she had procured which caused a sensation. The Cullens were the most mysterious family in Forks and people would be excited to come to see them participate in something.
Doris, the committee secretary, gushed over how good looking the emcee would be this year. Charlie and Bella just chuckled. Charlie was supposed to oversee the stage set up and design. It was decided that Bella would continue handling act sign-ups and would be the stage manager for the evening.
"The one thing you have to do," Doris was waving her finger in Bella's face, "is have the best act at the very end. The others you should mix up but save the best for the finally. You should watch every act before hand to make sure they are appropriate and to see where to put them."
"What are the best types of acts?" Bella asked.
"It changes every year." Doris smiled, "Last year the traffic cops did a skit where they were various speeding drivers and all gave funny reasons for why they should get out of their tickets. That was really a hit. But anything different would be good."
When Bella got home, she began moving furniture out of the way in the living to create a big open space.
Charlie came in as she was trying to slide his chair across the floor and lifted it up for her setting it down where she pointed. "What are we doing?"
She laughed and her face turned a bright pink. "Well now I am very curious about what your up to?" Charlie quirked his eyebrow at her.
She rolled her eyes and turned away from him so he couldn't see her embarrassment, "I was asking people to do an act for the show and everyone just kept making fun of me. The Cullen's, the Boys at the Res. It hurt my feelings. Garrett, this guy who is staying with the Cullen's, noticed and he told me he could teach me to dance and that we should do an act together."
Charlie couldn't have been more surprised if Bella would have said she was a big fluffy dog, "You're going to dance," he tried not to even smile but Bella caught the twitch of his moustache.
"I told him I was helpless and the clumsiest person on the planet but he swore he could teach me. If it doesn't work out, we won't do it but I thought I might as well try."
He looked around, "So this is your dance floor I take it?"
"Until he figures out, he can't teach me yes!"
Charlie smiled, "Well I think I'm going to stick around here this afternoon." He grinned and his eyes twinkled mischievously, "This way I can drive you to the emergency room?" He laughed at his own joke, "Is Carlisle working today?" He shook his head guffawing out to the garage to get his gun cleaning equipment.
Bella sighed and finished moving furniture out of the way. When she heard a knock on the door. She ran to open it tripping and landing with a thud at the foot of the door. She groaned and stood up slowly. She heard Charlie's laughter from the kitchen. She turned to see him holding a rag and laughing at her. She rolled her eyes and opened the door.
Garrett's face lit up when he saw her. "Did you fall down when you came to answer the door?"
Bella's demeanor deflated. "Yes," she groaned.
He chuckled and waved at Charlie before Charlie went back to cleaning his gun.
Garrett went to her television and put a disc in the player, "I want you to watch what part we are going to work on today. It is the footwork and will be hardest part so it will take the longest to work out." He grabbed the remote and skipped to the scene he wanted.
They watched the section several times before Garrett asked if she was ready. She nodded although he could tell she was very intimidated. He places a hand in between her shoulder blades, "One of the reasons you're clumsy is because you have bad posture. You need to stand up straight and keep your shoulders in line with your hips." He began minutely adjusting her body, shoulders, and hips.
Immediately Bella looked down to see what he did. He laughed, "There is your other problem. Don't look anywhere but eye level, for now. If you look at the ground your posture is again thrown off and you lose your balance. So, keep your eyes up here," he waved his hand in the vicinity he wanted her looking.
"Now watch my feet." Very slowly he raised up on the balls of his feet and showed her just four simple steps. Now you." She nodded and moved her body back into position. Slowly she moved her feet along with Garrett. He grinned and motioned for her to do it again. "Now a little faster."
They did this for about two hours he would very slowly show he something and she would very slowly imitate his movements. Then they would speed up. By the end of the afternoon, she had learned how to do the footwork in one small section of the dance.
"See, I told you I could teach you." Garrett grinned at her as he helped her move the furniture back in place.
"You did. I'm surprised I didn't fall once."
Charlie called from the kitchen, "You and me both." He chuckled.
"So," Garrett rubbed his hands together, "when can I come back."
Bella thought for a moment, "Tomorrow is Sunday I'm free all day but don't make any decisions."
Garrett bowed his head to her, "Well maybe I'll see you tomorrow."
She walked him out and shut the door behind her. "Garrett is Carlisle planning to turn me?"
He frowned, "He told me this was his plan, why?"
"Never mind," Bella sighed. She shook her head. She wondered what Edward was up to.
Garrett frowned, "I've never met anyone who thought Carlisle a liar, well anyone who knew the secret, why do you think he wouldn't change you."
She took a deep breath but decided she was trusting him with her talent show aspirations so she might as well trust him with this. "Edward told me he isn't planning on changing me and he worked it out with Carlisle that I wouldn't be changed."
Garrett hummed low in his throat, "Being changed is a big deal. You can't change your mind you know."
"I don't have a choice. Did they tell you about the Volturi? Edward left me last September. There was a miscommunication and he thought I died so he went to Italy to have the Volturi kill him. Alice and I went there to save him and met the three rulers. They determined I had to change. We had to send them a plan just so I could stay human long enough to graduate. I have to be bitten by August fifteenth because the Volturi are coming to check on my change."
Garrett gasped, "Why on earth would he even joke that he wouldn't change you?"
"He has never wanted me to change. He says he likes my humanity. His plan is for me to die naturally and he will follow shortly after. That's why these Follies are so important because I can do something for my dad. They take place at the end of July so it is the last thing I can do for him before I turn." She looked into Garrett's eyes hoping he had an answer.
He took her hand and looked deeply into her eyes, "I promise you I won't let anything happen to you. I will turn you myself if Edward won't. I will talk to Carlisle and Jasper to see what they know about this. I promise you will be safe, Bella." Garrett wanted to pull her close to him and kiss away all of her fears. He knew this wasn't the time. She was in love with Edward therefore Garrett vowed to just maintain a friendship. If someday she realized he was her mate he would accept her instantly but until then he was her friend.
Bella smiled at Garrett, "Thank you for everything. I really trust you will help me. I'm really glad you came to Forks Garrett."
Garrett grinned at the girl and backed slowly into the tree line. Then he quickly turned and ran back to the Cullen's home.