I read a story called 'The Different Lives of Bella' written by TwilightQueenMZ. Her idea to write different versions of Bella and her future was creative and I thought I would give it a try myself. So my story is heavily inspired by miss TwilightQueenMZ's.
Title credit goes to xXDesertRoseXx, which, by the way, is an amazing story (you should go read that, too). Title creds also go to Jason Mraz's song I'm Yours, as thanks to making my childhood.
"Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my bestest
Nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some"
This first chapter is the only one where I am using scenes from any of the Twilight books. Even though they will be watching the scene play out on a screen, I am going to use the break-up from the book New Moon rather than the one from the movie.
Disclaimer - I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.
"Where is he?"
The voice that rang loud and clear froze each and every one of the Cullens where they stood or sat in their living room. Slowly, they turned around to the source: a television screen that seemed to be growing larger by the second.
The screen was still dark, not yet warmed up enough to show them a full picture, but they could just barely make out the shapes and shadows of a person on a bike...maybe a motorcycle.
From the little they could see, the Cullens could tell that it was a paused video.
"What the-?" Rosalie didn't get to finish her question because a wispy voice interrupted.
"Hello, Cullens."
The female voice was behind them - as they had turned to face the screen - so they turned back around. The girl in question was so obviously not human. She looked almost as if she were made out of glass, nearly translucent with the slightest of blue tints to her 'skin'.
Whether it was conscious or subconsciously, each of the Cullen males stepped slightly in front of their mates in a defensive stance. Edward stood behind them, trying to get a reading on her mind, but she came up blank. So much like his...he stopped that thought as a pang went directly to his heart.
Everyone was so transfixed on the girl that they didn't notice that they were no longer standing in their living room. They now stood somewhere that resembled a movie theatre, but smaller. Eight black chairs were divided into two rows, dark grey walls, and a floor with a mix of red and yellow, the base color being blue.
Carlisle, being the curious and avid learner he was, opened his mouth to question where she came from or who she was, but the girl - who sounded and looked like a young adult - interrupted yet again.
"How about we get straight to the point and skip the questions? In a hasty decision, and without thinking of the repercussions, you have all put the life of someone each of you hold dear at risk.
"Now, there are two things you need to know. First, you cannot leave. You will be released upon my word, but for now, you'll remain right here."
One by one, each of the Cullens came to realize their surroundings. After a few minutes of questions swirling in their minds, and assuring themselves that there was no threat, they seemed to silently agree to sit down as they each settled into the black recliners.
Carlisle sat in the back row with Esme to his left, and Rosalie and Emmett to her left. In the front row, Edward sat against the wall in front of Carlisle, with an empty chair beside him. Jasper and Alice sat in front of Rose and Emmett.
After they settled down, the girl walked to the front of the room and stood with her back to the screen that now covered the entire front wall. She clasped her hands together and surveyed each of them before speaking.
"Alright, now that that's over with, I can move on to the second thing. As all of you have gathered, barring Edward as he's over there living in denial, this is about Bella." She paused, her eyes dimming for a split second before she hummed. "Before you ask, no I can't read minds, Edward. Like Alice, I can see the future. My 'gift' as you might call it works quite differently from Alice's. It's easier to see the future if you are actually from the future."
At this admission, Carlisle was mentally looking through all of the books and works he's studied, trying to find who or what this person is.
Jasper was uneasy. He didn't know this person. She may be acting all happy-go-lucky, but it could be an act. It didn't help that he couldn't read emotions from her, or anyone else for that matter.
Alice, Emmett, and Esme were only excited to hear about Bella.
"That being said, I have seen through the eyes of those Bella loves and Bella herself what her future is like, and for the most part, it is bleak. Not only have I seen solid visions, I have seen several different variations.
"I've brought you here so you can see what Bella's life was like after you left and the several possible futures she has from this point onward. Oh, speaking of which, we're in a space riff. To give you the cliff notes version, time doesn't move here." She sighed, seeing the protests ahead of time, most of them coming from Edward. "I can keep you here indefinitely so you might as well give in now."
Choosing to ignore her, Edward opened his mouth to speak, but there was no sound.
"Can you teach me how to do that?" Rosalie asked half-jokingly, successfully hiding the sincerity in her request.
The girl laughed before slightly shaking her head. "No, unfortunately, I'm the only one who can. If all of you had this power, Edward would never speak again."
"What is the point of this? Are we going back to Forks after we're done here?" Emmett asked hopefully, subconsciously gripping Rose's hand tighter.
"In the end, it's up to you. But yes, that is my goal." She sighed, running a hand through her crystal hair, which made a sound resembling wind chimes. "Any questions?"
"How many...visions are you going to show us?" Esme asked.
"Well, it all depends. If you decide to go back, I have to go through the potential futures after you've made that choice to make sure nothing will go wrong again. But I can tell you right now that it won't take much convincing after watching some of them. The first one alone, which is what's already happened, might be enough to send you running back."
The girl stiffened and glared at Edward, who stood up and made a move to step towards her. "I strongly advise against that. Not only will you succeed in getting yourself crushed into dust, but you'll also take yet another choice away from Bella if you get yourself killed. So sit back down in that chair before I lose my cool and accidentally pulverize you."
Something in the girl's tone made Edward sit down. He believed she was being sincere in her threat of crushing him into dust and/or pulverizing him. Absolutely terrifying.
Carlisle debated with himself whether to ask the strange girl his questions. He told himself to narrow it down to just one, but all of them felt so important.
Fortunately for Carlisle, the girl seemed to take pity on him. "Go ahead and ask, Carlisle. You know what you want to know."
"What are you?"
"There's no easy way to explain it. I'm almost like a...guardian of the future. There are things," she sneered. "who wish to corrupt the future, so I have to make sure that it remains intact. I have certain people that I have to look after, but it's only a couple hundred at a time. Bella's one of my charges and I was bored. Human life is so mundane, so my interest was piqued when I saw she had gotten herself wrapped up in the supernatural world."
She saw the next question coming and decided to move things along. "As for my appearance, well, this was the closest physical manifestation I could get to a person. It was either this or a ball of blue light. I don't really know what's up with the blue, but…" she shook her head. "Anyways, this will be beneficial to all those involved. For you, for Bella." The girl turned to Edward and glared menacingly. "This is about Bella and her future, not yours. These are her choices, which you have no control or influence over. Don't let your beliefs guide you. Keep in mind that a relationship takes two."
The nameless girl focused her attention to the rest of the Cullens who were absorbing everything she said. "Well, alright then." She turned and walked to the heavy black door, turning around just as she was about to open it. "By the way, the closest thing to my name in English is Calista. Also, Alice, I'm not trying to tell you something." At the pixie's confused look, she winked. "You'll think of the question later on. Goodbye for now."
With that, Calista disappeared out the door. Jasper got up and slowly walked over and opened it only to find a void.
"Well, alright then," he drawled, echoing the girl's earlier words. "I guess we'll be watchin' Bella's future."
Once he sat back down, Alice linked her arm in his and they waited patiently for the video to play. By now, the screen had completely warmed up and the video was paused on Bella riding a motorcycle in the night.
They waited with bated breath for the video to unpause, but it stayed frozen on the scene.
After a few minutes of tense silence, the screen went dark.
"She brings us here to watch Bella bear's future, but I see no future!" Emmett complained.
"Neither do I," Alice said sullenly.
"You can't see anyone's future?" Carlisle asked incredulously.
"I haven't been able to feel anyone's emotions, either," Jasper said, hugging his wife.
Edward spoke next, suddenly having the ability to speak again - much to the dismay of the younger Cullens, "No thoughts."
"She did say time doesn't move here. Perhaps that is why none of your gifts work," Carlisle mused.
Knowing that none of their abilities were working was unsettling to them. Rosalie was a bit smug, glad they finally knew how it felt to be a normal vampire.
Suddenly Esme gasped, breaking the tense silence that seemed to linger after that revelation. All heads snapped in her direction where she looked doubtful, but also ecstatic.
"The thirst. I can't feel it," she whispered, a hand touching her throat as she turned to Carlisle.
And she was right. For the first time since they all woke up as vampires, they didn't feel the unquenchable thirst for blood. This led to Emmett testing his strength on the arm of his chair - nothing. They had no thirst, no super strength, no stellar hearing, no gifts. The only thing that showed they were vampires were their still-golden eyes and pale skin.
They fed off of animal blood so they could integrate themselves among humans, but it was the closest they've ever felt to being one themselves.
If Jasper had access to his gift, he'd be overwhelmed with feelings of joy, euphoria, and happiness.
A low rumbling caught their attention. The screen was still dark, but they heard the rumbling of a motorcycle and the wind in the video. At last, they'll finally get to do what they were brought here for.
"Sorry," Calista's voice rang out, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Wrong vision. We'll come back to that one later." Silence. "Oh, here it is! Okay, this is Bella from when Edward broke up with her to early March."
The screen flickered back on, but this time it was Edward and Bella.
"Oh no. Please, no," Edward begged.
"They need to see this, Edward."
The rest of the Cullens were suspicious. Why did Edward not want them to see this? He only told her they were leaving for her protection. Right? Suddenly they weren't so sure.
Light filled the room, drawing each of their gazes to the large screen.
"Do you mind if I come over today?"
Edward's voice rang loud and clear from the screen and each of the Cullens in turn, glanced at him warily.
"Of course not," Bella replied, brightening at the idea.
"Now?" he asked again, opening the truck door for Bella.
"Sure," she replied in an even tone, but it was obvious she noticed the slight urgency in his voice. "I was just going to drop a letter for Renee in the mailbox on the way. I'll meet you there."
Edward glanced at the thick envelope sitting on the passenger seat of Bella's old red truck. He reached in and grabbed it.
"I'll do it. And I'll still beat you there." He smiled crookedly, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Okay," she agreed, unable to smile back. He closed the door and headed toward his own car.
Once Bella got home, Edward's car was parked in Charlie's spot, which was a bad sign. He didn't plan to stay long. She took a deep breath to gather some courage.
Edward got out of his car and Bella got out of her truck. He took her book bag. Normal. Then he shoved it into the back seat. Not normal.
"Come for a walk with me," he suggested in an unemotional voice, taking Bella's hand.
Alice took a deep breath. This was the last vision she'd had of Bella, but after he took her hand, she had been sucked out of it, trying to keep her promise to Edward. Obviously, whatever she was about to watch had her feeling as if listening to Edward had been a mistake.
An unsettling feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. This is bad, this is very bad, she repeated over and over again.
Edward grabbed her hand and led her through the yard in the direction of the forest. As they stepped into the forest, Bella reminded herself, It was what I wanted. The chance to talk it all through.
Charlie's house was still in view when they stopped only a few feet in the forest. Some walk, her mind thought wryly.
Edward let out a nervous but agonized chuckle. He was just as engrossed in the scene as his family members. He was scrutinizing Bella's reaction.
Edward leaned against a tree and stared at her with an unreadable expression.
"Okay, let's talk."
He took a deep breath before speaking. "Bella, we're leaving."
Bella, too, took a deep breath. She thought of Charlie and wondered how this was going to work. "Why now? Another year-"
"Bella, it's time. How much longer could we stay in Forks, after all? Carlisle can barely pass for thirty, and he's claiming thirty-three now. We'd have to start over soon regardless."
His answer confused her. Why did they need to leave if the family were going? She stared, trying to understand what he might've meant. With a roll of nausea, she realized she misunderstood.
"When you say we-" she whispered.
"I mean my family and myself."
Bella shook her head, trying to clear her mind. Her ability to speak seemed to have been lost, if only for a few minutes. "Okay, I'll come with you."
"You can't, Bella. Where we're going...it's not the right place for you."
Everyone was silent, alternating looking between the screen and Edward.
Then…
"You said you were going to explain why we had to leave! This doesn't sound like explaining!" Alice yelled.
Edward sunk slightly into his chair under the angry gazes of his family.
"Where you are is the right place for me," Bella replied.
"I'm no good for you, Bella."
"Don't be ridiculous," she said angrily. "You're the very best part of my life."
"My world is not for you," he spoke grimly.
Edward felt the angry gazes boring into his back and side.
Bella sucked in a breath. "What happened with Jasper - that was nothing, Edward! Nothing!"
"You're right," he agreed. "It was exactly what was to be expected."
"You promised!" Bella exclaimed. "In phoenix, you promised that you would stay-"
"As long as that was best for you."
"Edward, only Bella knows what's best for Bella! You can't make her choices for her!" Rosalie exclaimed, much to the surprise of the others.
He didn't acknowledge that he heard her, only staring at the ground hoping it would swallow him whole.
"No! This is about my soul, isn't it? Carlisle told me about that, and I don't care, Edward. I don't care! You can have my soul. I don't want it without you- it's yours already."
"She-" Emmett paused, momentarily speechless. "She was willing to give that all up for you?"
Edward didn't answer.
Edward stared at the ground for a moment. When he looked up, his eyes were colder. "Bella, I don't want you to come with me."
She processed the words in her head, although it took a few extra moments to actually register. Bella was searching for a hidden meaning.
"You...don't...want me?"
Esme sucked in a breath and glared at the back of Edward's head. If that boy says 'No'...
"No."
Cries out of outrage were sent Edward's way.
"You took the insecurities of that wonderful girl and brought them into the light. You stomped on them and her heart!" Esme fumed.
Jasper spoke up, surprising Edward with the anger in his voice, "Every time she was at the house, I felt every single one of her emotions. I felt how she couldn't believe someone like you would want someone like her. Bella already had incredibly low self-esteem, and just by those few words, you confirmed one of her worst fears."
Bella stared into Edward's eyes, seemingly looking for something. Perhaps to see if he was lying. Whatever it was, she must not have found it, as she sighed and looked down at the forest floor.
"Well, that changes things," she said, surprising herself with how calm she sounded.
Edward looked into the trees. "Of course, I'll always love you...in a way. But what happened the other night made me realize that it's time for a change. Because...I'm tired of pretending to be something I'm not, Bella, I am not human." He looked back at Bella, regarding her coolly. "I've let this go on much too long, and I'm sorry for that."
"Don't," she whispered. "Don't do this."
"You're not good for me, Bella." He had turned his words around, so Bella had no argument. She knew full well that she wasn't good enough for him.
"Exactly my point!" Jasper shouted.
She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. What do you say when the love of your life decides to leave you? "If...that's what you want."
He nodded. "I would like to ask one favor, though, if that's not too much."
"You crush her hopes and her heart and then have the gall to ask for a favor?" Rosalie asked incredulously.
"Anything."
The coolness fell away and whatever he said next meant much to him. "Don't do anything reckless or stupid. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
She nodded and in an instant, the coolness to his eyes was back.
"I'm thinking of Charlie, of course. He needs you. Take care of yourself- for him."
"So it's not enough to turn her world upside down, but you have to…" Emmett couldn't finish his sentence because a growl overtook him. Without Jasper's calming influence, he had to ride his anger without tearing Edward's head off.
She whispered her next words, "I will."
"And I'll make a promise in return. I promise that this will be the last time you'll see me. I won't come back. I won't put you through anything like this again. You can go on with your life without any more interference from me. It will be as if I'd never existed.
Bella's knees started quivering and she struggled to stand. She could hear the blood pounding in her ears.
"Don't worry. You're human- your mind is no more than a sieve. Time heals all wounds for your kind."
No one had any words. Instead, six distinct growls were directed toward Edward.
He cowered under their anger, sinking deeper into the recliner.
"And your memories?
"Well-" he hesitated. "I won't forget. But my kind...we're very easily distracted."
"Distracted?!" Alice screeched. "Distractions?! God, Edward."
Edward continued after taking a step away from Bella. "That's everything, I suppose. We won't bother you again."
Bella's head snapped up at 'we'. The surprise was clear on her face. "Alice isn't coming back."
"Even during all of this, she remembered me," Alice said quietly.
He shook his head slowly. "No. They're all gone. I stayed behind to tell you goodbye."
"Alice is gone?"
"She tried to say goodbye, but I convinced her that a clean break would be better for you."
"Clean break, my ass," Emmett muttered.
Even Esme was too angry to comment on his language.
"Goodbye, Bella."
"Wait!" she shouted desperately, reaching for him, but her legs refused to move forward. He pinned her arms to her sides and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Take care of yourself," he breathed.
When Bella opened her eyes, he was gone.
The sudden absence of Edward gave her the ability to move her legs again and she followed him into the forest, ignoring the fact that it was futile.
"Oh, Bella," Edward whispered agonizingly.
"You! Don't speak," Rosalie said fiercely, hoping that Calista had been listening in and would decide to help her out.
If I stop looking for him, it's over, Bella's mind whispered. Love, life, meaning...over.
"You see? Do you see what you did to her? What you meant to her?" Alice demanded.
"Do you know how hard it was to tell those lies to her? To watch her crumble?" he spoke, but it seemed more to himself than to anyone else. He looked up and locked eyes with Alice. "I just don't understand how she could believe me so easily."
"Don't you dare put the blame on her, Edward," Rose cried, infuriated. "She loved you more than life itself. She could never believe how you stayed with her. That's what she thought of herself, and you confirmed it. What else was she supposed to do? Beg you to stay when it would be helpless? It doesn't work like that, Edward! She knew you made up your mind and that nothing could make you stay." Rosalie plopped back into her seat and Emmett rubbed her shoulders, while glaring at Edward at the same time.
Bella walked deeper into the forest, ignoring the darkening sky. Hours had passed, but to her, it felt like only seconds. Time had frozen.
Bella began to fear she was walking in circles, but she continued on. She stumbled and tripped, but always got back up. When it was pitch black outside, she tripped but she didn't get back up. She lay on the forest floor, curled into a ball.
She lay there as the temperature dropped and her lips turned blue.
Each Cullen stared at the screen, concerned and worried for Bella.
"Any longer and she'll be hypothermic," Carlisle muttered.
She didn't sleep, she didn't pay attention to the time, and she didn't move an inch.
It was nearly dawn when voices broke through the trees. Someone was shouting Bella's name in the distance. It was muffled and she couldn't tell who it was. She didn't answer.
By the time she realized that she should have answered, the calling had stopped.
"Dear God," Esme whispered brokenly. She had a death grip on Carlisle's hand. Her grip was so strong, in fact, that it was hurting him.
She was woken up by the rain. Bella didn't realize she'd fallen asleep, but apparently she did. Maybe she hadn't really fallen asleep, maybe she was in such a state of numbness that it looked and sounded like she was asleep.
The calling resumed, further away. It varied from several voices to just one. She considered answering but wondered if she would be loud enough.
Another sound caught her attention, though she made no move to look for it. It sounded like an animal - a large animal. Bella didn't feel afraid. It went away just as soon as it had come.
There was a light in the distance that seemed to grow brighter and brighter as it grew closer. Someone emerged from the bushes with a lantern held above his head.
"Bella," he said with great relief and recognition. The voice was not familiar, though he had been the one to call the first time.
She looked up, searching for his face. He was looming over her with a face of concern, though there was a hint of coldness as he sniffed the air. Strange.
"Have you been hurt?" When she didn't answer, he continued, "Bella, my name is Sam Uley."
"Uley?"
"Is it possible that the wolves are back?" Rosalie asked and Edward growled. She growled right back at him.
"I'd say it was doubtful, but it's too much of a coincidence that there was an animal near Bella and Sam appeared half a minute later," Carlisle replied.
The memories sped up suddenly, but they still caught them.
Sam carried Bella through the forest back to Charlie's house.
Bella found that Edward had taken everything she had gotten from the Cullens. It'll be as if I never existed, Edward's words repeated in her mind.
The days blended together, and Bella moved through them on autopilot. She slowly lost weight and only moved when needed. Each night she'd wake up screaming, or worse, she'd gotten so used to it that her screams didn't wake her.
October, November, December, January; they all passed in a blur.
Some February morning, Bella wasn't sure, Charlie slammed his fist down on the table during breakfast. "That's it, Bella! I'm sending you home."
That woke Bella up. In an effort to get him to let her stay, she said she'd make plans with one of her friends.
So she did.
She and Jessica went to see a zombie movie. Afterwards, they were walking down the street deciding what to eat when a group of four men caught her attention.
"Please tell me she isn't..." Alice groaned.
Bella looked at the men with a sense of deja vu. Her mind flashed back to the night in Port Angeles and what could've happened if E- he hadn't intervened. She stopped on the sidewalk and stared at them curiously.
"Bella?" Jessica whispered. "What are you doing?"
She shook her head, "I think I know them…"
Almost as if her body moved by itself, she slowly approached the group.
Rosalie stiffened. She'd heard all about how Edward's stalkery trip following Bella to Port Angeles had ended with him saving her from those...vile things. Emmett rubbed her arm, trying to calm her down. It wasn't working.
Bella continued walking, ignoring, or she just didn't hear, Jessica's pleas to come back. After a moment, she recognized the strange feeling that had overcome her. Adrenaline.
She had scared Jessica enough that the girl in question had run up behind her and grabbed her arm. "Bella! You can't go into a bar."
"I'm not going in," she said absently. "I just want to see something…"
"Are you crazy?" Jessica half-whispered, half-screeched. "Are you suicidal?"
That gave Bella pause.
The Cullens froze; they had not thought of that.
She had been behaving similarly to Edward, who they knew would kill himself if Bella were to die. He had made it blaringly clear to Bella that he had no intention of coming back, which was as good as Edward dying.
So really, what is life without her mate?
"No, I'm not," she answered finally. Of course, in the beginning, it would've been a relief. But she had to think of Renee, of Charlie. She'd also made a promise not to do anything reckless or stupid. She felt a twinge of guilt, but she realized what she was doing didn't really count.
Bella turned back to the men and took another step forward but froze when she heard a voice. "Bella, stop this right now!"
"Edward?" Alice asked, confused.
"I didn't go back," he whispered, concerned for Bella.
When she heard his voice, everything was clear. The haze she had been living in lifted, and Bella was more aware of everything.
She quickly found out that to hear his voice, she'd have to do the very thing she promised not to. But she didn't care, not as long as she got to hear him.
In the days that followed, she had slowly become more aware again- started living. Thinking of him or any of his family still hurt her to think about, but she finally felt alive.
Bella became closer with Jacob Black, and the rest of the boys on the reservation. She rode motorcycles and he even said he'd take her cliff jumping.
Things were finally looking up, barring the encounter with Laurent where she almost became lunch, but luckily she was saved.
Until Jacob turned into a werewolf.
At first, she didn't know what he was, but she could only handle Jake ignoring her for so long. She went to confront him, punched Paul - who was also a werewolf - and he phased in front of her.
He lunged.
The screen went dark.
There were no words, and with the screen now dark, six pairs of angry eyes landed on one Edward Cullen.
It remained silent for the longest time.
Calista's voice broke the heavy atmosphere. "Okay, that is everything that has happened with Bella. What you saw is actually the present, anything after that is the future."
The light, airy voice had broken them out of their trance. Carlisle, Jasper, and Esme realized that everyone yelling at Edward wasn't going to solve anything when he was already feeling enough self-deprecation on his own. Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett were still plenty angry on their own.
"How could you say those foul things to Bella? How could you?!" Alice screeched. "You lied to us! You said you explained why we were leaving, but you didn't! Bella believes these horrible things about herself because of you."
Edward struggled to find the words to defend himself against the tiny ball of fury that was Alice. "I-It was the best thing for her. I thought she'd be safe!"
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe we aren't the only monsters out there?" Rosalie challenged.
"Oh, come on, Rose. You were all for leaving Forks!"
She sucked in a breath, "That was before I knew what she was willing to sacrifice for you! I know what you said to her were lies, but she doesn't. You'll be lucky if she ever takes you back, and if she does, I'll make sure you have a lot of groveling to do." Her sudden defense of Bella stunned everyone and she noticed the shock on their faces. "Alright, I know I haven't been her biggest fan, but she became one of us the second Edward told her the truth. Besides, you don't always like your siblings," Rosalie said, her anger slowly dissipating.
Alice had calmed somewhat too, along with Emmett, but he felt he still had to say his piece. "Eddieboy," he snarled. "You don't get to make any more decisions for this family. No more bulldozing over us and thinking you know better and manipulating us just because you can read our thoughts. That stops right now." He looked at the others and softened his tone. "I don't know about you, but I've had more than enough convincing to go back to Forks. There's not much choice to it. I say we go get her and make her a Cullen." A goofy grin grew on his face at the thought of seeing Bella again.
"Seconded," Rosalie said, slipping her hand into Emmett's.
"Third...ed. Oh, whatever. I just can't wait to see her again!" Alice squealed.
Edward looked at them, wondering how the argument had turned into a vote. He stood up and looked at Carlisle and Esme imploringly.
The doctor sighed, "They're right, son. We went along with you because you had never asked us of anything. But in doing so, we had to leave another one of our own behind. And in truth," he looked at Esme lovingly. "I miss her too."
"I second that notion," Jasper chimed in. "We may not have been close before, but I can work on...desensitizing myself to the scent of her blood. I do not wish to have a repeat of that night." He grabbed Alice's hand and brought it to his lips and kissed it. "Bella is the missing piece of this family. Without her, we've fallen apart. We need her to be whole again."
All eyes turned to Esme, who had yet to say anything. She locked eyes with Edward and he knew immediately that everyone was against him. "Edward, son, I love you. We all do. But...leaving Bella behind was a mistake. One I intend to rectify. We'll be complete with her, and she with us."
Edward sighed and collapsed in his seat. Against all he had done, he had felt the tiniest bit of relief and hope bubble up inside of him. He was going to see his Bella again. The thought caused a small smile to appear on his face.
A/N - So keep in mind that the Cullens don't know that Jacob saved Bella from Paul. I had to create some sort of motivation for the Cullens to come back.
I don't really like this chapter that much because I had to lay the groundwork, meaning the Cullens had to know what Edward said to Bella and how she dealt with it.
This story is really a 'write as you get an idea' type thing. I only have this chapter, the next, and the third all typed up, so anything after that depends on reviews. Love me some reviews, people! You know what to do.
14 - Written: 6/29/21
Posted - 7/19/21
