AN: I know I haven't been putting this on lately but I remembered this time!
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters (that applies to and previous or future chapters!)
I sat down and leaned into him. "I need to tell you something about Keith." And from that moment on I knew I wasn't going to have a good day.
"What?" I asked trying to sound prepared for whatever he had to say.
"Keith wants you, and he wants to beat me up, preferably in front of you." His face was solemn as he spoke. I waited for more.
"And…" I said expectantly.
"That doesn't matter?" he was instantly angry and pushed me back a little to look incredulously into my eyes. I was overwhelmed by the intensity in his eyes.
"Of course it does, but I knew that already. Tell me something else. What was he thinking?" I said carefully trying hard to not make him completely pull away from me.
"He was planning it – beating me up and winning you, that is. Apparently he knows you from before, when you lived here. I don't think he really knew you though – at first he thought your name was Becky. He was also surprised that you didn't instantly fall at his feet, he thinks highly of himself and isn't used to it when girls don't throw themselves at him. However, he likes a good challenge. He views our relationship as a challenge and wants to get you. I think that his prize would be bragging rights, at least that's how it seems." He said quickly his voice on the edge of fury. I watched as his jaw line grew harder and I wondered how on earth Keith thought he could compare to Edward; perfect-god-like Edward. However, as much as I wanted to reassure him and hold him close to me and tell him that nothing could ever come close to him, my mouth was, as usual, disconnected from my brain and blurted out my first thought.
"Bragging rights?" I asked resisting the urge to stroke his jaw and chin. He could make me dizzy even when he was angry.
"Bragging rights are – " I cut him off impatiently.
"I know what they are. But, what would he brag about. Ripping us apart?" His eyes grew solemn and he pulled me closer to him.
"Yes. It definitely sounds bizarre, but it's true."
"Why was he at the hospital?"
He shook his head. "I'm not sure. He wasn't thinking about it when we stepped in. He saw us before. But it does seem strange doesn't it." I nodded, looked up at him and watched his eyes. I could stare into his eyes forever, they seemed so full. Sometimes, I could honestly believe that I was seeing what he was thinking through his eyes. Now, they were like a sea during a storm. I could see the current and the waves of emotion in him.
"What are you thinking?" he asked quietly.
"That you are becoming more and more human everyday." I whispered back, my voice harsh to my ears.
"How so?" he gazed with even more intensity at me and I felt my vision fog over a little.
"Your eyes, I can see the emotion in them." I smiled and tilted my head a little. He blinked in surprise and I reached my hand towards his face, unable to stop myself.
"Don't blink." His eyes didn't move. Watching the war of emotions in his eyes made me realize just how much I affected him. I blushed slightly at the thought, and I saw a faint smile grow on his lips. Eventually I felt sleep pulling at me and I began to drift off. Half-asleep, I felt his arms wrap around me and carry me to my room. These same arms sent shivers up and down my spine from their coolness as he laid me down on my bed. I could feel his thick breath on my cheek, then, I felt a slight pressure on my lips as he gave me a kiss. Minutes later, I fell asleep to the sound of my lullaby.
When I opened my eyes I was on my bed, alone, in my dark room. I sat up quickly, my heart racing for no explainable reason. I looked around for Edward, he wasn't there. Calling out his name tentatively I gathered the covers on top of myself, as if for protection.
He didn't respond. I felt my heart beat faster.
I jumped out of bed and ran to the door; it was locked. I tried the light switch, it didn't work. I struggled with the door for a minute and then realized that it wasn't locked – it couldn't be, it locked on my side of the door – it was jammed. Panic rose in my throat as I ran across my room to my window; it, too, was jammed. I slapped my hand against it and it jiggled open a little. I pushed it up and removed the screen quickly and clumsily. I climbed out the window and ran into the street. Thankfully, the streetlight was on and I could dimly see my surroundings.
"Edward?" I called again. There was no response and I knew that it was a mistake. The hairs on the back of my neck rose intuitively. There was a cry from behind me; my mothers cry. I turned swiftly and saw my mother running towards me from the house. She was gesturing madly. Then, I saw why she was upset. Standing in the shadows near me was a tall silhouette. Edward, I thought, and walked towards the shadow. It seemed so familiar, so welcoming, that I almost ran towards it. I touched the shadow and it pushed me into the light and stepped towards me. Suddenly, I recognized my horrible mistake, the shadow hadn't been Edward; it was James.
I scrambled backwards and fell over. My mother was still running towards me, but she wouldn't make it in time. He was taking another step towards me.
"Edward!" I screamed, franticly. He was the only one who could make it in time. The demon smiled wickedly at me and shook his head sympathetically.
"He won't make it. He never will, shame he didn't change you when he had the chance." My heart nearly stopped. James couldn't be here, he was gone. They'd killed him.
"No." That was all I could say, I raised my hand, the same one he had bitten before, in defense. I could see that blood was already dripping from the scar he had left. His eyes turned blacker and I let out a shaky breath, preparing for my own death; when he stopped in front of me, confused.
I looked behind me and saw Keith, in vampire form, standing there, the next second he stood in front of me. He was talking to James. Protecting me? I waited, unable to move. I could barely hear them. Unfortunately, I heard the last line of their conversation.
"Edward?" James laughed. "Gone; his family, too. I warned them." I felt a wave of pain wash over me. Gone? Edward? I was shaking, I was screaming.
"Help, Edward. Please, help – " Then Keith turned and reached for me.
I opened my eyes; my body was being shaken, roughly, but gently. My heart was beating rapidly and erratically. I was covered in a sheen layer of sweat and, to my embarrassment, was screaming.
"Bella. Please, calm down. Bella." His voice was soothing and worried. I looked into his face, his eyes were light topaz. I swallowed hard.
"Don't worry I'm here, I'll help you." He repeated and pulled me close to him in a rough embrace. My arms hung limp at my side as I took in the pain of the dream that was slowly fading. He gently placed me back down.
He stared at me until he heard that my heart rate had slowly dramatically.
"Why did you need my help?" Normally, I would have lied in that situation. But the fear and pain of losing him – even only in my dream – hurt so bad that I couldn't think straight.
"I wanted help for you," I mumbled. "Not that I didn't need help myself."
"What was your dream?" I recapped it quickly and quietly, my brain growing hazy at some details. Who was it who had stepped in front of me protectively? Charlie? Emmett? Mike, even? Was it my hand or my head that had bled? How had I gotten into the street? I was frustrated at myself for forgetting.
"Is my mom home yet?" I asked while burying my head into his arm that was still resting on my shoulder.
"No." he was standing beside my small bed. I moved to the side so there was a small amount of space next to me. He shot me a coy smile and slid next to me. In a quick movement, I found myself on top of him. My head resting on his sturdy chest I looked into his eyes, they were filled with silent laughter. I realized I must've looked like a fish out of water for a second. I had been unprepared for that movement. I smiled and curled up slightly.
"What time is it?" I asked holding back a yawn.
"Nearly ten."
We lay together for a while until finally I knew I had to get up and I rolled off of him and stumbled over to the bathroom where I took a hurried shower. Then I quickly dressed in sweats, brushed my teeth, and went back into my room. He was sitting in my room rifling through my CD's.
"Hey." I said, surprised to see that I had startled him.
"Could you be a little louder next time?" he said shaking his head in disbelief.
"Well, how much louder can I get?" I teased him.
"You could start by turning off the faucet." He accused and I realized that I had forgotten to turn it off. Though it was barely running it had been enough noise to cover up my movements apparently.
"Seriously? That's all the noise I need to cover up my own noise?" I wouldn't let him live down the fact that I had surprised him.
"I wasn't exactly expecting you to come bursting in here while the faucet was still running. Besides, I was absorbed in your lack of a CD collection here." He said defensively.
"Oh, so that's how it's going to be?" I smiled and pulled my hair out of its ponytail and shook it out. Though it was still damp the smell had the same affect. His eyes narrowed slightly and in a second the CD he had been holding was on the floor and he was standing in front of me; his eyes playful. I sighed deeply and turned away from him, in a second I was sitting on my bed. I struggled to get up, he held me down.
"Fine then, you want to have a small peak at what that was like for me?" he whispered happily into my ear.
"No." I shook my head. Then he did something I'd never have expected, he tickled me. He pulled me down and tickled my stomach. I began writhing and laugh trying to duck away from him. Soon enough my stomach and face began to hurt from smiling and laughing so much.
"Truce!" I gasped wildly. "Truce!"
He stopped and I caught my breath. My face was bright red, and Edward enjoyed watching it fade back to its normal color.
I really did try to get angry, but his face was glowing with happiness at making me laugh. I couldn't help but let a wide grin slide across my face. In a second I was standing and he was whirling me gracefully around my tiny room. It rook me a second to realize that we were only graceful because my feet were about three inches off the ground. I started laughing again, I couldn't stop it. After an emotional night all I needed was an outlet to let me relax a little. Seeing me laugh he went into a few complicated twists and turns that left me out of breath and gasping for air as he spun me like a tiny top only to catch me again began flowing around my room like the wind was pushing us. I felt amazingly free, like nothing could touch me. He gave me a mischievous smile and then dipped me backward so far I was amazed I didn't just snap in half. I gasped and when he righted me and returned to dancing – all the time grinning an amused smile – and found myself sticking my tongue out at him. Then he began laughing, and it was so musical that I joined in. Soon enough we were just lying on my floor staring up at the ceiling; me, trying to catch my breath, and Edward, listening to my pathetic attempts. I was in a giggling fit and could barely breathe; just being near Edward had made so ecstatic I had nearly forgotten my dream.
As if attempting to spoil my morning – which had picked up nicely from last night – the phone rang and before I could jump up to get it Edward had it in his hand and was holding it out to me.
I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Give me a chance, would you?" and snatched the phone from his grasp. He smiled and flopped back down on the floor elegantly enough to shame any dancer.
"Hello?"
"Bella, its Mom." I instantly was reminded of the night at the hospital, and I felt ashamed of feeling so carefree before.
"Yes? How's Phil?" I asked my voice dropping an octave.
"He's fine; still knocked out. They say his lung looks about twenty times better." She said and I could hear the rawness of her voice.
"Good. Do you want me to go down there?" I asked slightly upset at the thought of returning to the hospital again – over the last year I'd had enough of them.
"No, honey, you don't have to come down here. I'm surprised you're even up this early. I thought I was going to get the machine. Anyways, I was calling to tell you that I'm going to stay here; I really don't want to leave him. I'm so sorry." She was trying hard to control her voice. I could see Edward's face tilt slightly towards me, but his eyes never left the ceiling.
"Mom, really, it's fine." I said soothingly, I would not be able to handle it if she started crying on the phone.
"I just don't want to leave you home. God, I hate ruining your vacation." She sounded so vulnerable and drained.
"Mom," This was making me angry, it wasn't her fault. "Trust me, this isn't ruining my vacation. I'd be just as worried if I was in Forks, only there I wouldn't be able to do anything. Besides, I'll call Edward and he'll take me out for a while to cheer me up a little." I felt hot, angry tears slide down my cheeks. I turned away from Edward to keep him from seeing me this pathetic.
We said our goodbye's and hung up both of us feeling worn out. I wiped away the tears and turned around to find myself face-to-face with Edward. His magnificence stunned me and I felt a small tear escape. He watched it slide down my cheek and drip off of my chin, into my lap. I wiped my cheek roughly with the back of my hand and looked down, ashamed of my angry tears. With his right hand, he raised me face so I was looking into his glorious eyes. He pressed his lips against mine softly and then stood up.
"You really don't need to be sad. It's all fine." I shook my head gently.
"I was angry, I tend to cry when I get too angry." I explained in a soft voice.
"Well, what do you want to do?" he asked, graciously dropping the subject.
"Um, let's watch a movie." I suggested. He glanced outside wearily and I clarified myself.
"In here. We have movies here you know." I looked toward the shelf where we normally kept the movies and instead found it full of pictures; some of my mom and Phil, but around half were of me, especially the ones I had sent them from Forks. A few even had Edward in them. Not knowing where to find the movies made me feel only slightly out of place. I didn't want to search for them and suddenly, watching a movie didn't seem that fun.
"Um, how about a little television?" I plopped on the couch and Edward sat down next to me. He propped me up so that we were almost lying across the couch, and I was resting my head on his chest. He flipped through the channels until he found the cooking channel. It was a cheesy show that was showing him how to cook steak with a red wine dressing. I found my stomach growling instantly.
"Let me get you something." He suggested innocently.
"You can't cook." I reminded him.
"Give me a chance." He slid out from under me and left.
"Thirty seconds of the cooking channel and he thinks he's Emeril." I grumbled sarcastically.
The first two times I tried to get up and see what he was doing, he had run out here covered in some substance that I didn't get a good look at. I wasn't even allowed to sit up.
After around fifteen or twenty minutes, during which I became increasingly crabby, he walked out carrying a steaming plate proudly. I looked at the dish, then at him, and then back at the dish. It was piled high with macaroni and cheese, especially cheese.
"Do you not like this? The show said everyone liked it." he seemed upset and held a hand to his head in frustration.
"No, no!" I protested. "I love macaroni and cheese. But," I paused and looked at the plate again. "How did you learn to cook it?" He smiled coyly and looked at the television.
"You've been watching the cooking channel." I said incredulously.
"Well, I have to learn how to cook for you somehow, and my family hasn't had to cook in a while so…" he trailed off.
I smiled and – much to his dismay – jumped up and gave him a kiss. Then quickly sat down and took a bite of my lunch.
I could feel his eyes watching me as I lifted the fork into my mouth. The second the food hit my tongue I shook my head.
"Bad?" he seemed surprised and deflated.
"Perfect." I said still shaking my head.
"How on earth do you do that? You can't even taste it and it is perfect." I mumbled and shoved another forkful in my mouth. He sat down wearing an almost smug smile and stretched his arm around my shoulders, nearly making me drop the fork. Hungrily, I wolfed down the food and then lay against him again.
"You need to sleep now." He commanded and as if in response my eyelids began drooping.
"No, I just need to lay here with you for a while." I fought back a yawn. He smiled and quietly hummed my lullaby and, despite my best efforts, I fell asleep.
When I awoke, the cooking channel was still on and Edward was watching intently as some woman with unnatural red hair showed him how to make the perfect sticky bun. I smiled and curled up into him.
He flipped off the television, muttering under his breath.
"What?"
"Those things looked repulsive." He faked a shudder and sat up. The clock on the VCR told me that it was past seven-thirty. Then I looked out the window and saw that the sun was, in fact, starting to sink closer to the horizon.
"I must've been really tired."
"You didn't talk much though." He seemed disappointed.
"What did I say?" I asked pretending indifference.
"You muttered something like, 'stupid perfect vampire' twice in the beginning and then you said that it smelled nice here, and nothing else."
"What did I say last night?" Again, I was feigning indifference.
"You were frantic and kept calling out my name, I couldn't wake you up. Then you screamed and asked for help." He told me quickly.
"Oh." He was staring at me so deeply I was afraid he could actually read my thoughts, that is, until he sighed in frustration and mumbled under his breath.
"What should we do now?" I asked to distract him. He glanced outside then back at me.
"Let's go out. You can show me Phoenix, your way." He promised.
"Does that mean I get to drive?" I smiled innocently.
"Fine." He agreed quickly and grumbled something about the police here. I ran to my room to get changed out of sweats and into pants and a short sleeve tank top. I threw my hair back and then I raced downstairs.
"Isn't hot outside?" Edward asked, eyeing my pants.
"Yes, especially after being in Forks for the last year, but I can stand it. Don't worry." I reassured him, and ran into the kitchen to grab the keys. No need to flaunt my scent, especially on a hot night.
In the car, in the dwindling sunlight, I looked at Edward and I couldn't have felt more safe or at home. I shook off any residual fears from the dream before and started the car.
AN: Read and Review! I love hearing from everyone, it's amazing. Comment or criticize, just please review!