The Journals
By Everleigh Allen
Chapter 15
*In loving memory of our fandom's Alec Frazier whom brought so much joy to those who were lucky enough to know him.*
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Edward placed Bella's hand on his arm and led her to the patio. In their absence, there was a plate of simmering food placed under a canopy of lights and flowing fabrics. There were large ornate mirrors that were seemingly placed so every angle of the couple could be seen.
Bella smirked. It reminded her of the scene where Christine had been in front of the mirror with the Phantom in the underbelly of the opera house.
White roses in countless jars framed the space, as petals lay over the floor.
"This is beautiful," Bella beamed as she looked around.
"Some of us enjoy a sense of drama," Edward scoffed and Bella gave a pleasing smile as she ran her hand over the soft fabric.
"Dinner?" She muses as her stomach announced its deprivation.
"Please," Edward situated Bella in her chair before sitting in his own. He lifted the plate cover revealing a small pork chop with a medley of peas and carrots. But it was the roasted potatoes Bella was excited about. It felt like forever since she had this very same meal with her father at the diner.
"You are all so welcoming." Bella grinned stabbing a potato with her fork and popping it in her mouth.
Edward grinned widely. "It has been a beat of time since we've been able to be hospitable. I'd dare say there's a bit of showing off taking place." Edward gestured around to prove his point.
"I am grateful for the kindness. Never have I felt so welcomed." Bella said genuinely before she cut her chop. It looked and tasted it was braised in garlic butter. "Mmm," Bella moaned, closing her eyes.
Edward stiffened, watching Bella's head tilt back and exposing the length of her neck.
"Guard your throats and hide your eyes," Edward whispered softly. "He's not dead you fools."
Bella swallowed the lump of meat in her mouth, "What?"
"I asked if you'd like me to read to you from the journals while you dine."
"Oh!" Bella heard Edward just fine, but she gasped with excitement at the thought of him reading his words. "Yes please."
Edward plucked a journal off the table that Bella didn't even register was there. He opened it up and began:
June 2008
California isn't my favorite place to reside. The whole state seemed to change overnight and from being there from time to time in the 1960's and again in the 1980's, I cannot fathom the disdain I have for the thoughts running through my mind.
"One hundred bottles of Moonshine on the wall, one hundred bottles of Moonshine… take one down, pass it around, ninety-nine bottles of moonshine on the wall,"
"Please stop."
"It's for your own good." Alice quips but doesn't explain.
"Then tell me again why we have a tent?"
But Alice doesn't. Her eyes shine bright and her mind clears of the thoughts of campers that almost slipped away.
I turn to Jasper and he's adding to his own songs, but replacing Moonshine with targets and pistols. All targets had Maria's face.
I roll my eyes.
"You only block me like this when the Denali's are coming. Please at least tell me they won't be coming."
"Nope!" Alice grins.
"Nope you won't say or nope they won't be coming?"
"Nope." Alice repeats but her mind slips with a small futuristic scene with Garrett mating with Kate.
That was curious.
"Match mating again?" I ask Alice and she only sniggers.
Rosalie perks up with my words. "Who's mated?"
"Garrett and Kate," I sigh, already bored with the topic. Whether it was a valid mating or to pass eternity was not my concern.
Alice's eyes narrowed, demanding to know what else I may have seen without a word from her mouth. I choose that moment to look out of the window. I can see the trees are slowly getting larger so we must be getting closer.
"Really?" Esme asks, turning from the front seat. Her eyes are dancing with jollity. "How lovely. Both have been waiting for a mate for a long time."
Emmett scoffs but Rosalie agrees with Esme. There are stories about the Denali succubae's around the grapevine. Some we've seen ourselves when we homesteaded in Alaska.
"Everyone is deserving of love," Carlisle says with finality and subject closes before it even started.
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Bella giggles.
Edward diverts his eyes from the journal and gives her a knowing smile. "Just wait til you meet them."
"I can hardly wait," She quipped back. "They probably have so many stories to share."
A low growl from Edward filled the patio as a sharp thrill rushed through Bella as they stared at each other for several moments.
She urged Edward to continue reading.
.
Esme agreed. They all deserved love and their mates.
"She's waited for over a thousand years maybe two for her mate-"
"Can you even call it waiting?" Emmett laughed, "When she's never shied from male attentions."
"Neither would've you all if you had to wait as long." Alice tapped at her mind. "Edward and Carlisle waited for their mates-"
"It's not up for debate." Esme hissed.
"Yes," Carlisle nodded. "Let's allow the little joys of companionships this long life offers us."
The subject was effectively closed and the distraction lasted long enough for Carlisle to park the car in a small cut out of the forest reserved for tents and campers.
"Please say you rented one for each of us. You remember the last time Emmett met a tent." Rosalie said as she looked out the window and shuddered.
There were at least five recreational campers placed around the grounds and several other tents propped up. People were laughing and drinking off to the side as Carlisle gestured which belonged to each couple.
I had my own that was closest to a tent that already looked occupied. There was a small fire built up with empty chairs sitting around and a table propped with food items and a grill. Ice chests lined the side of the blue tent.
I looked at Carlisle with confusion.
"Please trust me," Carlisle said as he pointed to a camper and handed me my key.
I respected Carlisle's plea for privacy and grabbed my bags before walking towards the reserved camper.
A tickled laugh broke the silence of the smoking fire and whispering trees but I missed where exactly it came from.
I looked outside just in time to see a small girl poking her head out of the tent, probably also curious about the laugh.
"Mom?" She called out into the woods.
I was curious and moved out of the camper and sat on the steps.
A small breeze flowed from the little girl to me. Her fragrant blood that rushed through her body and I took a deep inhale of the scent. It was different than other human, blood. It was floral, potent and made my senses scream as my body shuddered with a low, menacing vibration that I couldn't control.
"Knock it off," Rose hissed in her mind, glaring at me. "You're not biting the child."
"I'd never!" I sneered, shocked at her accusation.
"It's okay." Alice said. "I could see you weren't really going to bite her." But her visions showed me rushing at the girl before the others stopped me.
My eyes darted straight to Alice's in question. It then quickly changed into alarm. "Hold your breath if you need to, but you need to get used to the scent."
I cocked my head to the side in question, but before Alice could answer the little girl wrapped a quilt around her small frame fumbled around to go looking for her mother.
"Mom!" The little girl called out again.
I didn't like that she was seemingly by herself.
How careless of her mother.
We could've grabbed her up and ran off before she had been any the wiser!
I could feel my temper flare but before I could make a move I saw Rosalie, Alice, and Esme block my view of the little girl.
"Where's your mother, duckie?" Esme cooed.
The little girl's face pinched tightly. I could feel the heat instantly radiate off of her.
"I'm not a duck- I'm a swan!" She hissed at the three women before her.
"My apologies," Esme giggled. "Can we help you find your mama?"
The little girl's temper fluttered out in an instant. "She'll be right back probably."
Esme agreed. "We'll wait here with you so you'll be safe."
"Okay." The little girl then padded over the forest floor until she reached a pair of dirty tennis shoes. There were holes where her toes poked out on the top and they could tell they were well worn from her many adventures.
It was then I recall Alice loading clothing bags in the car.
It was all starting to make sense.
Alice put another log on the fire as the wind changed, bringing a chill with it.
"Does your mom often wander off?" Esme pulled some cookies out of the pocket of her jacket and handed one to the girl.
"Oh, yes." She replied happily. "She gathers supper around this time."
"Oh! Supper sounds delicious!" Esme grinned but it didn't reach her eyes. The little girl agreed with her stomach grumbling. "Do you- do you live here?"
"No." The girl said quickly eyeing Esme more closely.
"Well, I am Esme and these are my daughter's, Rosalie and Alice and we are all happy to meet you-"
"Bella," She mumbled through another cookie. "These taste like my grandma's cookies."
"How lovely," Esme beamed. If she could cry she probably would have. "Edward," Esme called me from Bella's fire. I popped my head out of the camper happy to get a closer look at little Bella. If I read Esme's mind right, this was Marie's granddaughter and Renee's daughter.
My eyes instantly went to the quilt and recognized it as the one I gave Marie.
I saw Bella's eyes dart to me but instead of the fearful stare my mother and sisters received, Bella looked curious but her thoughts were silent.
"Yes?"
"Please tell Emmett to start the family meal. We'd like to invite this little swan and her mama to eat at our camp tonight."
I nodded, listening to Esme's silent plea to find the little girl's mother. I had a feeling she was a few tents over with a male companion. I could see in his thoughts were starting to alarm when her heard Bella's call out to her mother. as he staring down at her while she slept. He was trying to figure out how to wake her before he packed up his camp and moved on during the night and back to his family. He was hopeful his wife wouldn't find out about the woman in his bed.
Renee had no idea he was married.
I whispered his intentions to Esme who gave a slight frown and a nod in understanding.
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"I remember that day," Bella sighed. "We camped often… usually when money was low. I didn't really notice it much but that's the last time I recall camping there."
"Well, I remember that day, too." Edward smiled softly. "It was hard to watch you leave but at least Renee left with a camper and monies from the kindness of some weird, random strangers."
Bella laughed. "My mom has always had that kind of luck. "I'd say the luck of the Irish but our family was-"
"English," Edward finished for Bella as Annie Marie's memory moved swiftly through his mind. "I remember."
"Yes." Bella grinned. "Well, dinner was lovely, but I've been finished for a while. Shall we go back in? It's getting chilly out here."
"Of course, where are my manners? Let's go in and warm you by the fire."
Bella thanked him and followed him back inside. There was already a fire going in the room and some hot cocoa with cookies on the table. There was a heaping pile of marshmallows in a bowl.
"I guess this is there way of saying that they remember you, too." Edward laughed pointing to the plate.
"They kept smuggling me marshmallows the whole time," Bella laughed. "I remember that. I didn't really eat them much after that, but when I did I always thought of them."
"So everything's coming together."
"Yes," Bella sighed. "And I remember that was the last time I saw the quilt until coming here. I can't believe I forgot about it."
"Yes. Alice saw the whole encounter and we came to intervene. We grabbed the misplaced quilt, too. It had your scent on it for a long time and helped me to acclimate to it."
Bella nodded because she wasn't sure what to say in response. Instead, she chose to change the subject. "Dare I ask what Alice saw if you hadn't intervened?"
Edward gave a slight shake of her head. "If it wasn't us who camped there, it would've been others and that's where the story changes in dire ways."
"Death trap," Bella pointed to herself. "Got it."
Edward also pointed to himself. "Death has followed you your whole life and it regrettably will until you the day you die."
"The same goes for everyone and everything living, I suppose."
"Some more than others," Edward agreed.
"So you gave my mother the best camper and we went on our way and you went on your way.
"Something like that, yes."
"And you've followed me and my family our whole lives."
"Yes."
"Because I'm your mate."
"As I am yours," Edward swallowed the venom pulling in his mouth. "Yes."
"Where does our story go from here?"
"Well," Edward grinned as he slowly leaned forward. His look was ominous and sent a thrill through her the moment his fingertips slid down the side of Bella's cheek. "That depends on you and what you want."
Bella nodded, heart racing. "And if I wanted you?"
"Do you?" He grinned, sitting back in his chair. His features darkened with the night as flames from the fire shadowed his skin.
"More than anything in my whole life," Bella whispered out.
Frigid fingers barely warmed in the fire moved to cup Bella's throat. His finger caressed over her vein as she tilted her head back.
"Shall I change you, love? Do you want this life?"
"Yes," Bella hissed. Her head felt heavy as if it would fall off with the slightest pressure. His breath eased all her senses as he slowly moved over her.
"Before or after I take you?" He grinned, and placed small kisses down her throat. She could feel his fingers moving over her clothing and moving it ever so slightly to get better access.
"Either," She sighed. She cupped the hem and pulled, baring her shoulder to him. Instantly she felt the rush of the cold, tingling feeling as his tongue glided over her warm skin.
"Oh, sweet Bella, floating, falling, sweet intoxication. Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation. Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in to the power of the music of the night."
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A/N: So, this is where I'll leave it. Does she take the plunge? Does she change or stay human? Do vampire babes run around? Lol.. we shall see. *Warning of future lemons.*
Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. As always, forgive the mistakes. I do my best to fix them eventually.
I apologize for the delay. I am still here and am thankful for those whom checked in on me.
It's been a difficult few months. Since my last update, my father entered hospice in October and passed away the last day of November.
Last month my friend of over 15 years dropped to the ground (unexpectedly) while holding her 1 year old She had cardiac arrest at 37.
The losses are still healing.
With the below freezing temps in Texas right now, I'm home from work and have the time to update. We fared fine. I should have more time in the next month to finish on a more regular timeline. Thank you for understanding. May you all be well and safe and sound! ~Musie
*"Guard your throats and hide your eyes," "He's not dead you fools." (AG Howard, RoseBlood)
* "floating, falling, sweet intoxication. Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation. Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in to the power of the music of the night." (Phantom of the Opera Andrew Lloyd Webber)