After Edward's mountain lion, he took down two more deer before he said he was full. His eyes were back to the light topaz I loved so much. We walked, a little faster than human pace, our fingers knotted together.
"Edward?"
"Hm?" He raises our joined hands to press a lingering kiss over my knuckles. My mind empties for a second while I enjoy the feel of his mouth on my skin.
"You can call me Love, if you want to," I tell him after gathering my thoughts. "I know I told you not to when we were in the cave, but I was upset. I noticed you've stopped yourself a few times since then."
Before he responds, the back of the house comes into view. We've barely stepped through the tree line when Alice and Esme release near identical shrieks of our names, and the whole family was outside, waiting to greet us. Esme reaches for Edward first, pulling him into a bone crushing hug. She pulls back and kisses his cheek before moving on to me, where I receive a similar greeting.
"Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry we put you through this," her voice is quiet and rough. "I hope you can forgive us someday."
Over her shoulder, I see Carlisle embrace his first son tightly, and though he doesn't say anything, I know by the look in Edward's face, that Carlisle is speaking to him through his thoughts. I look back at Esme with a small smile and nod my head. "It just feels so good to have everyone back, and to know the truth."
Carlisle comes up to stand beside his wife, his arm encircling her waist. "Welcome, Bella. Immortality suits you."
"Thank you." I duck my head a little.
Edward is greeted by his siblings, and turns to smile at me as they surround me. Jasper gives me a light hug, while Emmett barrels in and squeezes me so hard it almost hurts, but I don't dare say anything when his voice quivers as he admits how much I was missed. Rosalie quietly apologizes for her attitude while I was human and welcomes me into the family.
Emmett finally sets me down, and I spot a petite figure standing off to the side, her eyes sad and guilty. I run to her, wrapping my arms around her small body tightly. "You're still my best friend, Alice," I whisper softly in her ear, holding her tighter as she lets loose what sounds like a laugh and a sob, her arms finally coming up to return the hug.
"I'm so sorry, Bella, I never should have left. We never should have left, I should have seen how you'd react, but I couldn't get a clear enough reading. By the time I saw what it was going to do to you we were already gone. I'm sorry I didn't see Victoria. She was eluding me just as well as she was Edward. I'm sorry I just assumed you'd want to see me, even though Edward told us you wanted space… Bella… What are you wearing?" Alice pulls back to look at my clothes, taking in the too large, wrinkled shirt and my worn out sneakers, then her wide eyes dart to Edward, as if now realizing he was shirtless. "What happened- wait, do I want to know?"
I duck my head, watching the toe of my foot dig into the ground with the lightest bit of pressure. "Mountain lion," was my very quiet response.
"Whoo! Bella got her first mountain lion!" Emmett's voice booms over the small crowd, making us chuckle. "How was it?"
I look at Edward and grin, he cocks his head to the side, perhaps seeing the mischievous glint in my eye. "It was good. Fun. I liked it more than the bear I caught on my first hunting trip."
There was stunned silence, then everyone's faces slit in a grin. Emmett's large hands clasped over my shoulders, spinning me around quickly to face him. "You got a bear? On your first hunt?" I nod. "And you didn't like it as much as the cat?" I shook my head, biting my lip to stop my from giggling at his serious expression. He shook me slightly. "What is wrong with you? Bear always tastes better!"
I couldn't hold it in anymore, as I extracted myself from his grip, I started laughing, hard. I back up a step, right into Edward. He tenses for a moment, but relaxes when I lean into him, his arms coming up to surround me. His nose nuzzles into my neck briefly before he speaks to Emmett. "There's nothing wrong with her. It was a black bear, you know how those are. Besides, Rosalie doesn't even like bear."
"Only because it's messy, right, Rosie?" Emmett turns to his wife, his voice and eyes pleading.
Rosalie rolls her eyes and shakes her head before replying, her words thick with sarcasm. "Yes, Emmett, only because hunting them is messy." Emmett sighs, defeated.
"Let's get you some new clothes, Bella," Alice says, appearing by my side. Then, she sprints into the house, towing me behind her. The house hasn't changed, everything is still light and open. In the dining room, I catch a very light stain on the carpet, it would have been invisible to human eyes. It was the spot where I had flown into the table on my birthday, shattering the crystal vases. I shake my head to clear it of the foggy memory as we bolt up the stairs. The framed board of graduation caps catches my eye, 173 caps.
I'd expected Alice to lead me to her room, but she passes the open door without stopping. She walks to the end of the hall where she opens what I had thought was a closet door, revealing a steep, narrow stairway. "I didn't know there was an attic," I murmur as we take the stairs. The space we entered was small and cramped, even Alice had to duck her head as she walked across the room to a small pile of boxes. She opens it and begins searching for something, her eyes glaze over for half a second before she smiles and holds out a fresh change of clothes.
"No fancy dresses, Alice?" I tease her as I take the fabric off her hands. I had thought the top was cotton, but it was cool and smooth- silk.
Alice shakes her head. "When Edward first saw you, I had a vision. You were talking and laughing with Edward, and when you opened your eyes, they were red." She holds her arm out to the boxes, "ever since, I've been buying you clothes. Nothing really fancy, I knew you'd go through clothing fast as a newborn, just some basics. The more I got to know you, I started shopping for things in your style. Edward doesn't know… or didn't until right now, anyway."
The hug I give her is awkward since we're both crouching, but she embraces me back tightly.
For the first time in my vampire existence, I take a real shower. The icy water from the creek never bothered me, my skin would adjust to the temperature, and I never got cold. But the steaming water from the shower felt amazing. I sat under the stream doing nothing, letting the hot water warm my skin, enjoying the warmth before I started absentmindedly washing myself. I knew that Alice had had a vision of me as a vampire, but Edward was so opposed, I figured that the vision had vanished. But my future with red eyes never did waver, so Alice had been buying clothes for my newborn years in secret.
"Bella!" Emmett's voice booms through the house, "Edward's moping without you- Ouch!" The sound of stone against stone cute him off, followed by Rosalie's exasperated voice telling him I could hear him just fine if he used his inside voice.
I chuckle along with everyone else, quickly rinsing off and turning off the tap. It takes a few seconds to dress before I am heading towards the living room where everyone is gathered. All eyes turn to me, and I duck my head low, my skin prickling with an invisible blush. I move across the room to sit between Esme and Edward on the couch. Edward's arm immediately snakes behind and around my waist, settling in the curve of my hip. As his thumb strokes circles into my skin, I relax into his side.
Emmett's eyes zero in on us and Edward tenses, his breath halting. "So, everything's all good between you two now?"
"Emmett!" Esme and Rosalie hiss at the same time. With lightning speed, Rosalie's hand makes contact with the back of her husband's head.
"What?" Emmett asks, wincing and rubbing the back of his head. He looks around the room, avoiding his wife's glare, before settling back on us. "Everyone's thinking it."
The pressure on my hip lightens as Edward shifts in his seat, angling his body so there was hardly any contact between us. I could almost feel his anxiety coming off him in waves, as well as subtle hints of calm I could only assume were coming from Jasper. I look up to catch Edward's eyes, only to find that he has them closed. His throat bobs as he swallows.
"The way we feel for each other hasn't changed," I respond, keeping my eyes on Edward. "Trust will be built over time, for the both of us. We'll be okay."
Beside me, golden eyes open, hope shining bright.
A/N: Okay, so I said this story was finished- and it was. It was six chapters long but… new ideas struck me, and I just couldn't help myself. As of right now, I have two more chapters planned, but there might be more.
As always, I do not own the Twilight series.
