Disclaimer: I dont own anything but the plot
Chapter 17 Interrogations
Bella POV
He loved me. Edward loved me. And he had kissed me. Our first kiss. My first kiss ever. I felt like I was floating on a cloud. I have never been this happy in my life.
When we got back to the house it was early morning. Alice and Esme ran to us and hugged us as soon as we entered the house. Alice had seen where we had gone in a vision and had told everyone that we were 'finally being honest with each other'. She hadn't told them about the kissing of course, she wanted us to tell everybody ourselves just how honest we had been.
Luke was so happy. He even made the little prickles behind my eyes, the ones that tell us if we would have cried, appear when he told me that he was glad not because we had finally become a couple, but because he had never seen me do anything for myself. So he was overjoyed that my life didn't just revolve around keeping him safe and running us from place to place anymore. But I had actually found a reason to smile other than encouraging him not to be sad. Edward and I hugged him so close between us and for so long, he actually blushed and told us not to get so sappy. I nuzzled his cheek with my nose and said for him not to start a subject like that if he didn't like me getting emotional.
Luke and I spent the entire weekend at the Cullens, only coming back home Sunday evening to finish up the last of our homework. Edward naturally came with us and helped us both out a bit. Back to school on Monday and the rumors were flying like crazy. Mike wasn't in school. He had been suspended and was grounded for the foreseeable future. Edward was livid that he didn't get any jail time, but since he hadn't actually managed to do anything, he only had to spend the night in a cell, and got off with a warning. The police department's secretary called me on Monday afternoon and told me that if Mr. Newton ever became a problem again or if I felt threatened by him, then I shouldn't hesitate to call. I told her I would if I needed it. But there was a pretty slim chance that Mike even dared to ever come near me again.
As the week went on, I started to get nervous. Even Edwards constant presence and reassurance couldn't keep my brain from dragging out old habits. We had been in Forks nearly a month now. By this time I would normally start looking for a new place to go. To hide. I kept looking over my shoulder whenever we were out of the house and sometimes scared myself by thinking I saw certain faces where they, after a second glance, clearly weren't. I ultimately started to absentmindedly pack some of our stuff one evening, and only realized what I was doing, when Edward asked me why I was packing up my clothes.
"I… Uhmmm."
He came over to sit next to me on my old bed where I had been putting the folded clothes from my closet in a suitcase.
"What's going on my love?"
I didn't look at him. Just stared at my hands. "I guess it's sort of a reflex. We've been here almost a month now. And my brain is telling me to flee. I didn't even realize I was doing it."
He took my hand and kissed the back of it. "Do you want to talk about it?"
I shook my head and leaned into his chest.
"You know if you don't feel safe here, you and Luke could come to my house. Remember, I got that bed put in my room for Luke, and Esme has stoked the kitchen full of food for him, so you can stay there as long as you want to."
I nodded. "Yeah I wouldn't actually mind being around a large group of friendly vampires at the moment."
"Alright. Let's go tell Luke."
We did and he was happy to come along. He too was feeling the effects of staying in place for too long. He was scared, and had begun to draw into himself a bit when he was at school.
I was standing in the Cullens kitchen peeling some carrots for Luke's dinner when I accidentally crushed the root between my fingers. I gasped and flinched. Everything in the house became silent. Edward came to stand behind me and put his arms on my shoulders.
"Bella?"
"I'm fine." I hurried to say. A little too fast. "Really, I'm just.."
"Bella." He interrupted me. "It's ok not to be fine. But he can't hurt you here. He can't touch you or Luke. We won't let him."
It hit me that I had never told him about the woman.
"They." I said a little hesitantly. "They can't hurt us here."
"They?" It was Jasper.
"I'm sorry." I turned around to face the room but couldn't look any of them in the eye. "I'm sorry I never mentioned the other one. But I've never really focused on her myself. He travels with his mate. She never actually did anything, just stood off to the side and watched. I think she is supposed to be back up or maybe his lookout or something."
"So there's two of them?" Jasper again.
"Yes. I really am sorry."
"It's alright, Bella." Edward put his arms around me. "You don't need to apologize. You've already said how difficult it is for you to talk about."
In the evening as I was singing Luke to sleep, I heard a hushed conversation from downstairs.
"We need to ask her." Jasper.
"She's worried enough as it is. Don't you go and make it worse." Esme. Ever the caring mother.
"It would be good to know some of the details. Like what they look like or their names." Emmett.
"You know there are things I don't understand and need to get the answers to. I promised I would wait to ask, but there are just too many holes in the story." Jasper.
"I told you to wait because Bella is not ready to talk about it." Edward.
"It took me a long time to talk about what happened to me too. But I don't think that I ever would have if you guys hadn't practically forced me too. And even though I didn't want to, I felt better afterwards." Rosalie.
"Son. You know that a wound so deep leaves an ugly scar. If you don't let it breathe, but just patch it up, it will never heal correctly. Maybe it's time for Bella to breathe and start healing." Carlisle.
A sigh. "I don't want to hurt her by asking." Edward.
"You don't need to. She's heard the entire conversation." Alice.
They all went quiet and I could almost feel all of their eyes looking at the ceiling in the direction of this room. "Maybe Carlisle is right. Maybe it is time to let it out. To let the wound heal, as he put it. And Jasper is right too. There are too many holes in my story. They deserve to know the truth about what happened. But how am I supposed to open this door? I've sealed it up so tight, I don't know how to open it."
I heard his footsteps before he reached the room. "Bella?"
I looked up to see Edward standing in the doorway. "I'm sorry about that. You don't have to If you don't want to. We just want to understand."
I took a deep breath. "Carlisle is right. So is Jasper. You've all been so kind and understanding. You deserve to know the truth."
I stood up and walked with him downstairs to the others. They had of course heard my response. They all sat at the long dining room table. Carlisle at the head, the others fanned out along the table. We sat down. Edward next to Carlisle and me in an open seat next to him. Another deep breath.
"Ok. Ask your questions and I'll try to answer the best I can."
It was Jasper who went first. "How can you hold Luke so close to you, and not be uncomfortable? I mean Esme has more than 80 years in this life and she can't do it for very long. You're barely out of infancy and should not have this much control."
I shrugged my shoulders. "Prolonged exposure, I guess. I've had Luke with me since he was born. Since I was 'reborn' if that's what you want to call it. I've grown desensitized to him. But don't mistake that for perfect control. If a human is bleeding somewhere closeby, I can barely keep myself from running towards them. It's only for Luke I have the control that I do."
"Were you born on the same day?" Carlisle asked.
"Yes… Well… How long does the transformation take exactly?"
"That depends on where you were bitten."
"On the forearm." I pulled up my sleeve to show them the scar.
"Then it will probably have taken somewhere between 2-3 days."
I nodded. "Okay, though I think it was a little less than that. Luke was born somewhere in that timespan. So I'm guessing there is about a day between us."
"Did you hold him on that day or shortly after?" Jasper
I blinked at him. "Of course I did. I was alone with a baby. He wouldn't have survived if I hadn't taken care of him." I didn't understand their stunned expressions. "What?"
"How did you do that without crushing him?" Edward.
"She couldn't have. Bella, you couldn't have. No newborn has that kind of control. Trust me, I know this." Jasper said, outraged.
"Are you saying I'm lying?"
"I'm saying that I know what newborns are like. I was in a warzone with them for 75 years. I trained them. There is no way you could do that as soon as you awoke. I'm not saying you're lying exactly, but you're not telling the whole truth."
Edward had stood up. "Don't talk to her that way."
"Edward, calm down." I tried to appeal to him, Carlisle and Esme were trying as well.
"Edward please. Jasper is right, I couldn't do that as soon as I awoke." I gripped his arm and pulled him to sit down again. I looked at Jasper then, who looked a little smug. Alice lightly slapped him on the back of his head. "I just didn't like his tone. I'm trying to be honest and helpful, Jasper. So it would be really nice if you didn't accuse me before you know the truth."
He looked down at the table and had the courtesy to look a little ashamed. "I'm sorry for raising my voice at you."
"Thank you." I sighed. "I didn't trust myself to hold him in my hands for more than a few seconds at a time for a couple of months. I didn't hold him on the day, but I had to the day after."
"Then how did you carry him?" Rosalie asked.
"A detachable car seat. It had a handle and a harness to strap him in."
"I still don't understand." Jasper was frustrated.
I sighed again. "Maybe it's easier if I just tell you the entire story."
They all agreed to that.
"I will try to explain everything, but I don't know if I can detail everything." I started.
"That's completely fine, Bella. Just try to explain as best you can." Carlisle gave me a patient smile.
I nodded and looked at the table. If I was going to do this, then I couldn't look at any of them. "Eight years ago I lived In Phoenix with my mom and stepdad…" And so I told them my story.
Please R&R, Thank you
