Hey guys! So sorry I haven't posted in awhile. My job that I started last year is pretty mentally taxing so writing urges were a little sparse the past couple months. But I have made a few chapters so far and am going to continue to write and post as much as I can.
Thank you all so much for the love and support of the story. I am so happy it has been so well received!
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And enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of the Harry Potter and Twilight franchises.
That night was spent back in Cullen's house. All the other vampires were off doing their own things while Edward and I were in his room. He was sitting on his bed already in his pajamas. He had lent me some for the night so I was in plaid red pants with the bottoms cuffed to fit my legs along with a gray t-shirt. It all practically dwarfed me but at the moment I didn't care. My hands were fidgeting.
"You ok Lia?" Edward asked. I felt myself go warm at the nickname, no one had ever called me that before. I found that I liked it incredibly when it came from Edward.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just not used to going a long time without it." I responded. Taking a deep breath, I slowly raised my right hand and disconnected the prosthetic. It felt like just a hunk of metal in my hand, but it also felt like the entire weight of my body was out of proportion. I looked around his room, trying to find a place to put it, but he was already one step ahead of me. Having already cleared a spot, Edward slowly took the arm from me before going over and placing it on his book case.
Although there weren't a lot of books on it, there were hundreds of cd's and records and they encompassed the whole wall of the room. Another wall was entirely made of glass, but had big thick blue curtains that could be drawn to cover them. His whole room was decorated in cool blue tones and gray. The bed was large, made of iron, and had four posts with lots of pillows and a thick comforter. There was also a white couch in the room next to a large radio and record player.
"My compliments on the choice of bed by the way. I didn't get to say that this morning." I teased. If he was human he would be blushing with the look he gave me.
Emmett's booming laughter from downstairs made me laugh too. It turned into a shriek when Edward picked me up off the ground and deposited me on the bed.
We settled down and I couldn't help but stare into his eyes.
"Your eyes look like butterscotch." I whispered, placing my hand on his chest. His whole expression softened and the way he looked at me made me want to cry.
"I'm not usually an emotional mess, but I can't tell you what having you in my life means to me." I said. He leaned down and our lips meant again. They were soft kisses, our mouths moving with one another, seeking the comfort and love we were both so ready and willing to give. I couldn't help the soft moan that left me when his arms tightened around me. But that caused him to separate from me, and instead bury his head in my neck.
"I really do love you Lia. So much. I was fighting it for so long, because I wanted to spare you from this. But I shouldn't have. Because you are the most amazing thing in my life and I'm going to prove that I can be a good mate to you." He said, so softly I nearly missed it. I gave a slight tug on his hair so he could look at me and the smile on my face.
"I've never loved anyone my whole life the way I love you. I feel at peace with you. The roaring fire that seemed to follow me everywhere I went before and after the war is tamed with you. You already are a good mate though Edward, don't doubt that." I said, running my fingers softly on his face.
I could feel the tiredness seeping into me. Now that I was with him, allowed to be relaxed with him, the strain of the past few days really hit me.
"Let's let you rest." Edward said, turning us around so that he was holding me from behind. I was laying on my right side and I tucked my left arm to my body as tight as I could.
"Relax. It's ok. I'm here and don't ever think your arm could bother me Lia." Edward said into my hair that he had buried himself into. His hand came around and linked together with my right. Snug tight into him with the cold of his body seeping into me, I quickly fell asleep.
Sunday morning came far too swiftly. When I woke up I didn't want to get out of bed. Edward had kept me cool all night and the iron grip he had on me seemed to keep all the nightmares at bay.
"Morning." he mumbled, pressing a kiss to the back of my head.
"Can we just stay here for a little?" I asked, not wanting to start the actual day yet.
"Of course we can," he said. We didn't talk much at all. Edward would ask me every now and again if I was ok, or if I needed anything, but otherwise he let me bask in the silence of the room. Now that I was wide awake, I kept glancing down at my arm and the bare space that was there. The scarring on it was palish pink now, but the phantom feelings never went away without the prosthetic being on. Edward never made any mention of my arm, never pushed me to talk about it quite yet, but even if he couldn't read my mind he seemed to know when the depressing thoughts of my arm would hit me. Every time, he would give me a kiss on the head or the cheek or even on my brow bone. I could hear the comings and goings of the rest of the family downstairs. I could even hear when Ginny, Bill, and Fleur came through the front door.
"Edward…can you play some music?" I asked. He quickly got up and threw a cd in the player before flashing back over to me. The familiar piano notes filled the room and it made me smile.
"Clair de Lune…" I said, turning in his grip to smile at him. He gave me a wide grin back.
"That was the first time I ever heard you play." I reminisced, thinking back on the first day of school.
"The best first day of school I have ever had." he mused. I slapped his chest playfully.
"I remember you singing with such abandon and such passion. You didn't care about anyone else in the room, just your own enjoyment. When you sat back down and took your jacket off I just wanted to come that much closer to you…I counted the strands of your hair to distract myself." he said, embarrassment coming at the end.
I couldn't help it. I snorted in surprise before I started laughing.
"You counted my hair?" I asked incredulously. He retaliated by digging his fingers into my sides and tickling me. Peels of laughter erupted from us both as I tried getting away and it took a few minutes for both of us to settle. I was panting from the exertion.
"Weirdo." I said, still breathless. Edward rolled his eyes before giving me another kiss. I quickly got lost in it. My right hand went up into his hair and I felt my left arm raise to join it when I remembered there would be no hand to join. Edward felt me tense horribly and pulled away concerned. I quickly brought both arms together, my right hand enclosing my left bicep to bring it closer to my chest.
I tried turning away, embarrassed, when Edward sat up and brought me with him, tucking me into his close.
"Hey hey hey no. Don't do that. Don't pull away. What happened? What's wrong?" he asked.
"It's stupid." I said, my emotions bubbling up in me. I felt embarrassed and silly. Embarrassed because I felt like I could be too different to do what normal couples did together and silly for even thinking those kinds of things in the first place.
"Nothing about you is stupid Dahlia." Edward soothed, rubbing a hand up and down my right arm. I sighed.
"I wanted to run my hands through your hair…but I forgot I didn't have the prosthetic on." I mumbled out the last part. He paused before tilting my head to look up at him. His gaze was warm and hungry and it made me blush horribly. It wasn't fair how attractive he was.
"That is certainly nothing to feel stupid about. And don't think for a second that your arm changes a single ounce of what I feel for you. Of how attracted I am to you. It feels like you'll burn me from the inside but I would gladly welcome the flames to be with you." he said so passionately I couldn't help it. I leaned up and captured his lips with mine. I turned so I was practically straddled in his lap as our lips continued to collide. My right hand once again buried itself into his hair and his arms wrapped around me tight. Showing some Gryffindor bravery I let my tongue come out and met his own. The growl that came from his chest made the warmth in me that much stronger and it made my legs clench together for friction. Our kisses went deeper and deeper and it was only when I had no breath in me that I pulled back with a gasp. His face went into my neck and he breathed in just as deeply as I tried to calm my body down.
"Wow…" I could curse myself for how breathlessly needy I sounded. Edward placed a small kiss to my neck and took one last deep breath before pulling away to look at me.
"I like kissing." I mumbled, causing us both to laugh, allowing us to come down from the high.
"Merlin imagine how bad we will be once I'm a vampire." I said, but that caused Edward's expression to darken.
I reached out and smoothed his brow with my right hand.
"Hey…it's certainly not happening anytime soon. But I am too selfish to only want one normal lifetime with you. I want forever, Edward Cullen." I told him. He could only nod, but didn't say anything in disagreement. Progress.
"Want to go down and face the masses together?" I offered, finally feeling ready to leave the safety that was his room.
"That sounds good," he said, getting up. I followed, going over to the bookcase to get my prosthetic back on. While I was proud of myself for going without it til now, I wasn't ready for the whole day. I quickly set it on and breathed a sigh of relief as it calibrated correctly. The metal fingers wiggled just as I wanted and I flexed the hand to make sure everything was good.
When we left the room, only Esme, Carlisle, Ginny, Fleur, and Bill were in the open family area. Emmett and Rosalie along with Alice and Jasper were out hunting or spending quality time together. My family from home was finishing up some food and Esme turned to us with a plate already ready for me and a smile on her face.
"Well look who decided to get out of bed." Bill teased but Fleur hit his chest while Ginny reached around and smacked him on the head.
"Good morning you two." Carlisle greeted. Esme came over and gave Edward a kiss on the cheek before setting down the plate in front of me. And then she too placed a kiss on my cheek. I probably looked a little comical. I had straightened in my seat and my eyes had gone wide, but the floral scent of Esme drifted to me and the motherly affection she left filled me. I ignored the burning in my eyes as I fought the tears from the first bit of motherly affection I had gotten in a long time.
"Thank you." I murmured. Edward scooted his stool closer to me so his arm pressed against mine.
Carlisle came over and placed the very familiar jar of my medicinal lotion in front of me.
"Chief Swan dropped this off earlier. He knew you needed it and got it cleared from the scene so you wouldn't have to go without it." he explained. "Thank you Charlie." I replied, before shoving a bite of pancakes in my mouth.
The scarring skin felt tight and stiff so after I finished my meal I quickly went into the restroom to apply it before coming back out.
"How are you doing?" Ginny asked me after we all settled in the living room.
"I'm better than I was." I said honestly. Edward and I were curled up in a love seat, me splayed out on top of him. The bond between us was trying to provide comfort after such a stressful couple of days and, at least for me, left me very needy.
"Emmett couldn't stop talking about Needlepoint last night. I'm so glad you all could enjoy yourselves. It's so rare for them to be able to experience such excitement after so many years of the same routine." Esme told us. I gave her a smile.
"I'm glad. I remember the very first time I walked into Diagon Alley. The London equivalent of Needlepoint. Besides Hagrid's displays of magic, I hadn't seen anything like it before. It was like everything that happened before finally had some meaning to it, I had some meaning to me." I said.
"Hagrid?" Carlisle asked.
Rubeus Hagrid! Keeper of Keys and the Grounds of Hogwarts.
"He was the groundskeeper at Hogwarts. And eventually our Care of Magical Creatures teacher." Ginny explained, knowing that I had gotten lost in my thoughts for a moment.
"He's the one who gave me my letter to Hogwarts. He brought me to Diagon Alley and helped me get everything I needed for my first year. And he gave me Hedwig as a present for my birthday." I reminisced.
My very first gift I could remember. It hurt how much I missed her.
"You guys are supposed to get your letters by owls though? Why did Hagrid bring it?" Bill asked, confused. I tensed in Edward's arms causing him to look down at me.
"My Aunt and Uncle…did not appreciate the fact I could do magic. They wanted to keep it a secret from me so they hid my letters. It wasn't until my birthday that Hagrid came to give me my letter." I explained. Edward tensed up but I simply rubbed my hand against his chest to calm him down.
"What was Hogwarts like?" Esme asked, trying to change to a happier topic.
"Amazing." I said with a smile.
"The very walls felt like they were welcoming me home. The portraits were always willing to say hello or help you find your way if you were lost. Which happens a lot when you first get there. The staircases could move and rotate." I explained.
"Beauxbatons is where I went to school. But I came to Hogwarts in my final year for the Triwizard Tournament. It had a very warm energy to it. The grounds are so vast and full of such greenery and wildlife. The castle was a very welcoming place. " Fleur said, remembering her own time there.
"Although not all of the greenery was your friend. We had the Whomping Willow which is basically this tree that didn't like anyone around it and would swat at you if you got near. In our last years my friends and I would make bets on how close we could get to it." Bill said.
"That damn thing sure packed a punch." I laughed.
"It didn't hit you did it?" Carlisle asked concerned.
"Plenty of times. But it was only because I had to be near it. There was a secret passageway under the tree that Hermione and I had needed to get to but the tree was not too happy with us." I said, my mood dampening when thinking of Hermione.
"The Triwizard Tournament? Is that how you met Dahlia first?" Esme asked, directing her question to Fleur.
"Yes. In history, the Triwizard Tournament was a test of your magical strength and knowledge through three separate tasks. This particular tournament was at Hogwarts and they placed a rule that only those of the age of 17 could enter." Fleur explained.
"But you said you were 14." Carlisle pointed out. I tensed in Edward's arms.
"We didn't know then. One of Voldemort's Death Eaters was posing as our Defense teacher. They entered Dahlia without her knowledge and when her name was chosen as a fourth champion, the law said she had to compete. It's not like she struggled too hard though." Ginny said, turning to teasing at the end. I scoffed.
"Merlin, I felt like I didn't know what I was doing 100% of the time." I said.
"I don't know Dahlia. If it weren't for everything that happened, if it had just been the tournament as it should have been, I think you would have won. Fairly" Bill said.
"Dahlia has always been a powerful witch." Fleur praised making me blush. Edward tightened his arms around me and placed a long kiss against my head.
"Oh oh!" Fleur exclaimed, her hand pressed against her stomach.
"Little one is feisty today huh?" Bill asked.
"The baby? Can I feel?" I asked, practically bouncing.
"Well of course you can, Dahlia." Fleur said with a smile. I scrambled off Edward before plopping down on the floor in front of Fleur. Slowly I placed my hand where she directed and waited for it. In only a few seconds I felt a fluttering against my hand.
"Oh wow…" I whispered, my heart warming at the feeling under my fingertips. I never got to experience this with Tonks, already having been in hiding before this part of her pregnancy. The fluttering happened again causing me to laugh.
"Hello little one." I whispered.
"She likes you." Fleur said with a smile. I gasped at her comment and looked at the two of them.
"She!" I exclaimed.
"Yeah. We wanted to tell you in person. Especially since we also want to ask you to be her godmother." Bill said gently. I was still in shock.
"We know you are already Teddy's godmother. But we can't think of a better person or a better protector for our baby." Fleur explained. I sniffed, holding back the tell tale sign of tears.
"Of course I will." I said.
"Teddy?" Esme asked. I slowly got off the ground and back into the welcome embrace of Edward.
"Teddy. He's Remus' son. He was only about a month old when the final battle happened. Right now he's staying with his grandmother Andromeda while I finish school. He's the cutest little baby boy imaginable. Most likely Andromeda will be coming stateside at least to visit with all this trial business."
"They will be." Alice said from behind us. She and Jasper walked hand in hand into the room. She must have seen a vision.
"Well there you go!" Bill said with a laugh.
Conversation continued into the afternoon. At one point Ginny and I were nestled together while Edward played the piano. He looked so at ease on the piano and completely in his element. I'm sure Jasper was paying extra attention to my emotions, because whenever I was feeling a little sad or lost in thought, Edward would come and check on me. This would be followed by a comforting word, a kiss, and even one time a cup of tea.
It was nice. Having both of my worlds together like this. It made Monday morning more bearable. I knew my house would be open for me to come back to after school so naturally Bill, Fleur, and Ginny would go while I was in school to make sure everything was good.
Alice let me borrow clothes this time. She put me in grey skinny jeans and a large baby blue sweater. I chose not to wear gloves today, only accessorizing with a fabulous pair of timberland shoes and stud earrings. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett would be driving to school in Emmett's jeep while Edward and I would go in his Volvo. I was insanely nervous for school to come. I was terrified of what people might say or how they might look at me. But I couldn't keep hiding this part of me anymore. I needed to stand tall and proud of who I was and what I had overcome. It was high time I started doing that in the first place.
And I had Edward with me. And with him, I felt like I could take on the world.
When we pulled up to school the parking lot was already crowded. I stared out at everyone and I could tell some were looking for my car. Edward took my left hand in his, making me turn to him.
"If you don't want to be here today, you don't have to." he offered. I gave him a grateful smile and reached over to kiss him. A kiss for courage.
"Thank you for the offer. But it is time to face the masses." I said. He nodded and kissed me again before we both got out of the car. I felt eyes on me as I swung my bag on my right shoulder. Edward quickly came around the car and threw an arm around my shoulder.
"We can do this," he murmured. It made me smile. "Yeah we can." I replied.
We started walking to the school, but we only made it about ten feet before I saw my friends hurrying over to me. Mike in the lead. His head looked better than Friday which was all I cared about. I broke away just enough from Edward for Mike to sweep me up in a hug. Jessica, Angela, Eric, Tyler, and even Lauren joined in. I felt practically suffocated, but I held on as tight as I could.
"Hey guys." I said. They all greeted me, but Mike stayed silent. His hug was just on the verge of being too tight, but I wouldn't dare tell him that. I simply rubbed his back with my hand for a moment.
"We got this Mike." I said.
"Yeah you do and you got us ok?" Jessica agreed from my side. He sniffed and nodded before we all broke away. He didn't look in tears, but he was far more solemn than the Mike I was accustomed to.
"So this is how the week is going to go. People are going to stare and whisper and try to assume things they have no knowledge about. It's not like most are doing it out of malice, but I would wager no one knows how to deal with this kind of thing. And why should you? We are kids. We all have each other. Hold your head up as high as you can. We are all safe. They are never coming back. And once the week is over, we can all come to my house for a movie marathon ok?" I said to them, I saw them all relax and start to look more like themselves again. Mike even smiled and nodded.
Edward finally came over and wrapped his arm around me again.
"So when did this develop?" Jessica teased, a smile gracing her face.
"Halloween, believe it or not. Edward came over and we kind of just…started going mad and finally expressing how we feel about each other. And yeah, we're dating!" I cheered. The girls squealed, Jessica practically bouncing up and down.
All the guys were giving Edward claps on the back and he looked far too amused from whatever they all must be thinking.
"Man, you should sit with us at lunch. If you're going to be dating Dahlia then we gotta get to know you a lot more" Mike said. Edward gave him a genuine smile and nodded.
"Nothing I would want to do more Mike. Now not to be the party crasher but we should probably all get to class before we are late." Edward said. All of them groaned, but complied. Soon enough I was in first period English sitting next to Alice.
"Not bad so far?" she asked, concern clear in her eyes. I gave her a smile and shook my head.
"With how many of you I have at my side? No, not bad at all." I said. She smiled wide in answer.
And it wasn't. I would have people come up every now and then, asking if I was ok. Asking about Ron. But no one dared mention my arm. And hey I will take what I can get. What got me was how the adults were handling it. No one dared mention anything to do with Thursday or Friday. Some even skirting around even a mention of the incident with Ron in the lunchroom. But it was like I told the others. People don't know how to handle this type of thing, and for the adults, the best way for them to handle it was to pretend it never happened. It left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth, but again…I will take what I could get.
Then came the period I was truly dreading going into. History. Both Jasper and Edward were waiting outside the door for me.
"Hi boys" I said gently, rising on my toes to give Edward a kiss.
"He's back in school today too. Are you ready for him?" Edward asked, concern and worry clear in his eyes. I saw the rage over the man hiding way back in his eyes, but I knew he was more worried about me.
"I'll have Jasper with me. And I have gone through worse teachers than him. So even if I don't quite like the man right now, I am more than capable of dealing with him." I replied. Edward nodded.
"His thoughts are nervous. Apologetic. He's a nosy human who shouldn't have-" "Edward" I cut him off, placing a finger to his lips.
"I'll be ok. And I am sure you will be outside the door as soon as class is over to escort me to lunch." I teased. His smile was back on his face, albeit small, before he nodded and gave me another kiss before leaving for his own class.
"Ready Dahlia?" Jasper asked. I turned to him with a sigh.
"Ready as I'll ever be." I said, giving him a smile. Fighting down the feelings inside of me I stepped into the room.
Mr. Harrison was at his desk, looking at papers. And it was very obvious he was making sure to not look at people as they walked in. Good, the little vindictive part of me thought. Merlin it felt like ages since I had my meltdown in this room. He looked like he hadn't slept much either. Jasper led me over to his usual spot and had me sit next to him like we had done on Halloween. Although this time, he took the chair I had been in last time, which I only now realized was a direct line of sight to Harrison. Now I was just out of view from the middle point of the room.
No one was really talking in the class. Everyone was kind of whispering hurried comments to each other. That's right. Harrison didn't have classes Friday either if what Jessica had said last time was true. So we were all in class for the first time together since Thursday.
When the bell rang the room went silent. Harrison looked like he aged five years before he took a fortifying breath and looked up to us.
"Hello everyone. A lot has happened since the last time we all saw each other." He began, suddenly standing up and seeming to wipe the sweat off of his hands onto his pants before coming around and leaning against his desk.
"There...aren't any words for my actions on Thursday. I am the adult and I chose to bring up topics and a situation that is far too volatile and far too present and painful for a lot of people. And Dahlia. I am so very sorry for what I said to you. I am so very sorry for the callousness I displayed and my behavior towards you on Thursday. History has always been my passion and I had heard rumors and speculations about what was going on and then became...obsessed. And then you showed up to Forks High and I got so focused on the history and the knowledge and the academics of Avalon and the political climate in England that I forgot about the very real people hurting from it, including you. I am still going to be teaching here at Forks High and I hope you can forgive me for what I have done and continue to be my student. I am truly truly sorry." The man apologized.
He was sincere. And scared. Probably didn't want me to lash out at him. But Jasper had sent me a wave of calm before he began which allowed me to focus more on him and what he was saying. But now everyone was looking at me. I stayed silent for another minute, trying to collect my thoughts before I finally spoke.
"I appreciate your words and your apology. Truly. And I don't want to be the person that holds onto anger and rage over an incident. And I was enraged. I can understand being intrigued by what happened in England and at Avalon. I can understand that it will be in history books and will be talked about by scholars and historians for the years to come, but it's not years to come yet and you weren't ther-re" my voice cracked as I talked.I felt the tears brimming in my eyes but I closed them and took a deep breath before I continued.
"You didn't live with it. You didn't live in the build up and you certainly don't live with the aftermath. I...I am blessed with how fortunate I was in the aftermath. A lot of people had it way worse than me. A lot of people...Alot of people didn't get to walk away." My voice was cracking again. Jasper put a hand on my shoulder and I felt another wave of calm go through me.
My right hand was pressing into the left hand and I wish I felt more than the slight feathery feeling. I knew I was gripping it hard and Merlin did I want to feel it.
"We all grew up far too quickly. And I hope that Ron's incident in the lunchroom is the only thing you all have to experience like that for the rest of your lives...I forgive you Mr. Harrison. But I will not forget and I can imagine neither can you." I finished.
The room was silent. Mr. Harrison took another deep breath before nodding.
"Why...Why don't we all pick up from where we left off? There are still projects that I haven't heard your proposals of yet. And Dahlia and Jasper, if that is still the route you want to go with your project, it is absolutely approved ok?" the man stated.
"Thank you Mr. Harrison." Jasper said, feeling that I didn't want to talk anymore. My emotions were all over the place I knew, and I was trying to bury them down to ease up on Jasper alittle.
"Ok...Andrew and Katie, why don't you guys start ok?" Mr. Harrison suggested, drawing attention away from me. Jasper leaned in a little closer to me.
"You don't have to bury. It's ok." He whispered. I only nodded. He kept sending feelings of peace and calmness to me every now and then as the class continued. Frankly I didn't pay attention, just tried focusing on not thinking too hard about Ron and Hermione in the middle of class. As soon as the bell rang Jasper led me out of the room and into the waiting arms of Edward.
"Hi" I mumbled, stepping into the hug he was ready to give. I felt my emotions and my magic settle more as he held me close. I knew actually acknowledging our feelings, beginning an actual relationship; all of that would make us terribly codependent in the beginning and while I appreciate it I hope it will settle out for the both of us.
"Dahlia and I will be sitting with her friends today at lunch." Edward told Jasper who only nodded.
"We figured. See you two later ok?" Jasper said before walking off to go find Alice. We started walking to lunch with Edward's arm wrapped around my shoulder. After grabbing lunch for myself we finally sat down with the gang. I had Edward to my left and Mike to my right. Jessica was sitting next to Mike, Angela was sitting on Edward's other side followed by Eric, Lauren, and Tyler completing the circle.
Everyone was having just small talk at first, asking about classes before it seemed Angela asked a direct question to me.
"Dahlia...if it's alright...Can I ask how...it happened? Your arm?" she asked, looking nervous and frightened over what my reaction would be. Edward tensed up terribly beside me but I placed my arm over his which allowed him to maneuver my left hand to intertwine with his. I let myself finish the bite of pasta I had before answering.
"It happened in February during the attack. I was running around, trying to find as many of the younger kids as I could. There was a place in the castle safe enough for them, but we just had to get them there you know? Anyway… I was looking for others when all of a sudden one of the fanatics went and bombed the wall that he was in front of. Which was the wall that I was behind. My arm and part of my side got hit really bad. I went unconscious instantly. And when I woke up...well...there was a man to discuss my options on what kind of prosthetic would be best…" I finished explaining. I hated lying to them, but there was no way I could tell them the truth. Nevermind about magic, but the truth of the battle would be too much for them in general.
"Oh my god…" Jessica whispered, looking close to tears.
"I don't want to think about sad things right now. I am here and I am healing. I have all of my amazing friends and my amazing boyfriend and I just want to live my life." I said kindly but firmly. They all nodded.
"Yeah we can definitely do that. You know LaPush is hosting a bonfire this weekend since it's getting colder. I know a couple of guys on the reservation and they said we could come if we wanted. It's like Saturday night." Mike suggested. The others seemed super into it, but Edward tensed up again. Not enough for them to see, but enough for me to notice. I would have to talk about that with him later, obviously there is something about LaPush I don't know about yet.
"I'll have to see when some of my friends from home are leaving. They came over to surprise me but ended up getting wrapped up in everything, but I'll let you know ok?" I said. Mike nodded with an easy going smile.
"How about you Ed-man? You in?" Mike said, reaching around to slap Edward on the back.
"Damn you're ripped!" he exclaimed, shaking his hand with a laugh and it made the rest of them too. Edward put an easy going smile on his face.
"Yeah, bonfires aren't really my thing, but don't let me stop you guys." he responded.
Yeah definitely will need to have a chat.
And that chat happened as soon as we got in the car.
"Hey Edward?" I asked as he started the car. He turned to me with a smile.
"Yes love?" he asked, very charmingly and he knew it worked from the blush that formed on my cheek but I also knew he was trying to distract me.
"What about La Push made you tense up at lunch today?" I asked, not deterred from asking the question.
"The La Push tribe have something special about them. Many of their ancestors were shifters...wolf shifters. And they protected their tribe from what they called Cold Ones." he started explaining.
"Vampires...do they know what you guys are?" I was alarmed.
"No. None of them currently do. Well, except for perhaps the Chief and the Elders, but they won't tell anyone. The current chief is Billy Black, and his grandfather Ephraim was the chief the last time we were in Forks. We didn't have Jasper or Alice yet. We made a truce with him. We would stay off of the reservation and they would let us stay on Forks territory and let us hunt in the woods peacefully. If we bite or attack any human, the treaty is broken, but we aren't allowed on the reservation no matter what." he explained. I nodded and let myself ruminate on it for a moment.
"Would that be the same for me? Since I'm your mate?" I asked. He shook his head.
"No. You're human so you are allowed there." I could tell he felt some type of way about that.
"What's got you so upset over the thought of me going on the reservation without you?" I asked, quickly determining the cause.
"I can't protect you there." he said.
"I understand that Edward, but you have to remember I can protect myself. And shapeshifters? I can easily handle myself with them, I've dealt with plenty before. Are there any that have shifted now?" I asked.
"No." he admitted grudgingly.
"Then there is no need to worry. I don't even know if I will be going on Friday, but if I am, you have to trust me that I can take care of myself." I said, making my point very clear. Of course I didn't mind his protectiveness, I knew it was because of being mates and the intensity of our feelings, but I was not going to let either of us keep an unnecessary hold on the other.
"They tend to shift when there are vampires in the area, it's only a matter of time before one of them does." Edward defended himself.
"I can completely understand your concern and I promise, if I am ever on the reservation and something doesn't feel right or sit right with me, I will immediately come and find you ok. But you can't dictate where I can and can't go." I said. He nodded after a moment.
"I know I can't. And I am really trying not to. Just...be patient with me?" he asked. I gave him a smile and leaned over to kiss him. His hand found itself in my hair and I hummed happily as the kiss carried on for a minute. The fluttery feeling never fails to also make me warm from the inside out.
"That I can do." I assured after we parted.
"How about we finally get you home?" he asked. I nodded eagerly and it caused a smile to go across his lips before he gave me another quick kiss and started driving away from the school.
Things were going to be ok.
