I don't own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.
Cheryl and Gabby, thank you for pre-reading, and April, thank you for editing. Any mistakes left are my own.
Ch. 20
"I won't apologize for protecting you."
I'd heard those words before, only for the first time, they weren't being spoken to me. There was an awkward moment before Edward suddenly quickened his steps and turned sharply into a room, on the left side of the hall.
"This is the Conservatory." Edward went on like we didn't overhear anything.
"The Conservatory?" I parroted, my mind was still on what I'd heard.
"Yes, a music room," Edward explained.
"I know what you meant. My mom was big on game night; Clue was her favorite." I smirked. "Is there a secret passage?"
"Not in this room." Edward snickered.
"Wait…but there is one?" My mouth dropped open.
"There's a panic room in my parents' bedroom. Inside there you can use a secret elevator to the gun range," he told me. "I can show it to you later."
"Cool. Now let's address the elephant in the room." I glanced at him.
His smirk dropped and his jaw tightened. I walked over to the piano and trailed my fingers over the smooth finish. I sat on the bench and faced him.
"You owe me a song." I patted the seat next to me. I was hoping to get his mind off what we'd heard.
His lips twitched and his eyes grew lighter. "I haven't played in years."
"Puh-lease. I bet it's like riding a bike," I said teasingly.
"I doubt that." He was full on grinning now.
"Come on. You promised me you'd play for me someday." I pouted playfully.
"Fine, but don't blame me if your ears bleed," he said sarcastically as he sat down and made a big production of cracking his knuckles.
Edward hesitated for a moment before he began to play. The song started off slowly, then picked up the tempo. I closed my eyes and tilted my head as I listened to the notes flow. I recognized the song as A Thousand Years. I opened my eyes to watch Edward. He was in his element as his fingers danced over the keys. When the song came to an end, there was a moment of silence.
"That was you rusty?" I asked, and he gave me a small shrug. "Edward, that was beautiful."
He stared down at me, and for a moment I thought he was going to kiss me.
"I agree. It's wonderful to hear you play again." Someone new entered the conversation.
We both turned our heads. A girl about our age was standing in the doorway with Jasper next to her. She appeared shorter than me with her black hair shaped into a pixie cut. She wore baggy clothing to cover most of her body. On the left side of her face were a couple of jagged scars.
I knew she had to be Alice. And seeing her in front of me made me realize how lucky I was with James. Alice would've been so young when he'd taken her and abused her.
"Thank you." Edward nodded his head to her. "Bella, this is Alice."
"It's nice to meet you. From what I have heard and seen you're quite the tech wizard." I stood and walked over to her.
Alice smiled shyly. "I have a lot of free time on my hands, so I learned everything I could. It's the perfect thing for me since I can do it all without leaving my room."
"You definitely have a knack for it," I agreed.
"I wanted to meet you before dinner. And also to tell you that I was able to get you three of your five classes online with Northwestern," she told me.
"Northwestern? Isn't that a hard school to get into?" My eyebrows raised.
"It can be. However, we had some pull since Carlisle is teaching there. Then I registered an Isabella Swan at Boston College and University of Washington, too," Alice explained. "Hopefully, all the different classes will buy us some time."
There was a knock on the door frame. Emmett stood there with a tired grin on his face.
"Ma wanted me to tell you dinner is ready," he announced.
"I thought you and Rose were skipping tonight," Jasper commented.
"Yeah. Uncle Tony and Peter wanted me here tonight." Emmett sounded annoyed.
"My mother isn't going to be pleased if he turned this dinner into work. That's probably why they were arguing a few moments ago." Edward frowned.
Jasper shook his head. "Alice, do you want me to take you home?"
"I'll be fine. I will talk with Tanya and"—she looked over at me—"perhaps, I can get to know Bella."
"I would like that," I told her.
Days
We headed to the dining room. An older woman sat in a wheelchair at the head of the table. She looked like an older version of Rosalie, with shoulder length blonde hair and light blue eyes.
"Mom." Edward went to her. "I'd like you to meet Bella."
I joined him and held out my hand. "I'm pleased to meet you, Mrs. Masen."
"Mrs. Masen is too stuffy. Please, call me Elizabeth or Beth. I've been looking forward to the day I met you. I've heard many great stories about you over the years. I can see why my son is so enamored with you." She gently shook my hand.
"Mom," Edward said in exasperation as I stifled a giggle.
"What? I'm not wrong. Am I, Tony?' Beth looked over her shoulder.
A tall gentleman appeared at her side. Recently, I had been picturing in my mind Edward's dad to resemble Lucious Malfoy. However, Anthony Junior appeared to be an aged Edward with streaks of gray in his hair and a few wrinkles. His stoic expression changed to a warm smile as he gazed down at his wife.
"You're rarely are, dear." He put his hand gently on her shoulder.
Beth placed hers over his hand and looked up at me. "Bella, this is my husband. He goes by either Tony or Junior, so no one gets confused in the house."
"It's nice to meet you. I would like to thank you for helping my mother and me. Also, I'm sorry for all the trouble I brought to your doorstep," I said to him.
He eyed me tentatively before giving me a stoic smile. "My family and I never need thanks for helping those who need it. You also need not to apologize—" Tony was interrupted by Edward's snort. He glanced at his son in irritation.
Tony frowned and focused back on me. "I can only imagine you've heard that I don't want you staying at the house. Please understand it's not personal. My wife's safety is my first priority, and this situation is different than most."
"I do understand completely. I'm grateful for any help you can give me," I said truthfully.
I saw Edward stiffen out of the corner of my eye. However, I didn't think his father was wrong to worry. Especially, how we were followed to the lake and what had occurred there. Father and son held each other's gaze
"However, speaking of apologies. Have you given one to your mother?" Tony demanded.
"Enough, Tony. I'm done arguing over this with you. He doesn't owe me anything. He is my son and not supposed to be my babysitter or protector. I'm fine, nothing happened. Isabella needed the help more than I. Now, I want to have a pleasant dinner, without any more discussion on the matter," Elizabeth spoke up.
"Beth, dear, we still need to find out more about this situation we're in," Tony said calmly.
"And you can after a pleasant meal," she said firmly.
"Yes, dear." He gave in, taking the seat to her right.
Edward guided me toward the middle of the table and pulled out a chair for me. He then took the seat next to me. I looked around the table, and the only person I hadn't met before sat at the end of the table nursing a glass of what looked like whiskey. Although his hair was a dark brown, he shared a lot of Jasper's facial features. He had to be Peter.
Esme entered the dining room with the last plate with Tanya behind her carrying a couple bottles of dressing. Esme set the plate with roast chicken on it in front of Rosalie before taking her own seat across from me. The only person who was missing was Carlisle.
"Thank you, Esme. I'm sorry for causing trouble for you by having you make me something different," Rosalie said gratefully.
"Think nothing of it. I remember far to well about food aversions." Esme winked at her.
"So do I," Beth agreed. "Your mother couldn't handle anything spicy. For me, it was chicken with Edward."
"Funny, I couldn't get enough spices with Emmett. Everything tasted like I was eating a spoonful of sugar," Esme said with a laugh.
"My mom says she couldn't stand fish and still doesn't like it. That was the reason why I learned to gut my own catch so young," I commented.
"You're still the only girl I know who does." Emmett snickered.
"Excuse me, but I do remember cleaning them for you and Anthony for years," Esme reminded him.
"Can we please talk about something else?" Rosalie looked green.
"Bella, do you still run? I remember how proud your father was of you. You went to State twice in high school, right?" Esme changed the subject.
"I did. I still run, but not for school anymore. I usually run every day on the beach, and I've entered a few marathons to raise money for charities," I answered her.
"Any particular charities?" Alice asked.
"No. I've done various ones. Like for the local children's hospital, muscular dystrophy, or cancer fundraisers," I said.
"Well, I know Chicago has plenty of marathons that you can run in," Beth said matter of factly.
I smiled in response, since I didn't want to disappoint her that I had no plans on staying in Chicago. Peter cleared his throat and glanced at me with a look that made me nervous.
"Jasper told me you're responsible for dislocating the arm of the guy who had held you at gun point," he said.
"Eww…can we not while we're eating?" Tanya complained.
"I agree, save it for later." Beth frowned.
Peter shrugged. "Just commenting, how proud her father must be. All her training went to good use. You know kickboxing too?"
I glanced at Edward's mother, who looked less than pleased at where the conversation went. "I only just started learning, I'm no expert." I then changed the subject. "Tanya, I heard you want to be a nurse. Do you have a certain field of nursing you want to get into?"
Tanya paused a minute before nodding. "I'm hoping for maternity, but from what I heard it's pretty popular so it's hard to find a position open. So my second choice is pediatrics or family at a clinic."
"What are you studying, Bella?" Esme asked me.
"I'm close to finishing a degree in Biomedical Science. From there I'm hoping to get into physical therapy," I told her.
"I'm sure Carlisle could get you an internship with his connections. Won't he, Esme?" Beth turned to her.
Edward answered her first. "Mom, Bella doesn't plan on staying in Chicago."
Beth appeared disappointed. "Oh I was hoping"—she looked between us—"that things have changed."
"I don't know where I will end up next. I'm going to search out a few grad schools. Which ever one I get in to, I'm going to need a scholarship," I explained.
"She's right, dear. Bella's life is elsewhere and Anthony's will always be here," Tony stated.
Edward grimaced and set down his fork. He stared at his water glass and I watched as his jaw tightened. My finger twitched to reach out and touch his arm to calm him down.
"The baby is the size of a raspberry," Emmett blurted out.
Everyone but Edward turned to look at him.
He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "At least, that's what the books says."
Edward got up from the table and started to leave. I placed down my own fork and wondered if I should go with him.
"Anthony, we still have a lot to discuss. Don't go far," Tony said sternly.
"I never do," Edward mumbled.
"What?" His father glared at his back.
"I said I won't, Father," Edward responded unemotionally and left the room.
Esme frowned before she turned back to Rose, forcing a smile. "Do you think you'll have twins?" she asked.
"What?" Rose's eyes widened.
"Well, they do run in the family." Beth's own frown turned into a sad smile.
"Especially, on the female side. I remember reading about it." Tanya nodded.
"I didn't even think about it." Rose touched her stomach.
"Would you all excuse me?" I got up from the table.
Days
I headed down the same hall as earlier. I wasn't sure if it was where Edward had gone, but I figured it was a start. I found him in the room we'd heard yelling from earlier. He stood at the window with his hands in his pockets. He peered over his shoulder when I entered.
"Did he say something to you?" He looked concerned.
"No. Esme changed the topic," I told him. "Are you okay?"
"Fine. I'm used to him. I'm usually better at hiding my irritation." He turned back to the window.
I walked up next to him and gazed out into the small backyard. A swing set sat in the corner of the yard, looking forgotten.
"You shouldn't have to hide how you feel," I said softly. "You never did answer my question the other night."
"Which one?" He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"If this is what you really want to do the rest of your life. You said it didn't matter what you wanted, and it should," I told him.
"Someone has to help those girls," he said evenly.
"And I'm not saying that helping them is wrong. However, the answer doesn't have to be violence to solve violence. Especially, if it's at the cost of your own happiness and sanity," I reasoned.
"Yet, you're ready to jump into it," he scoffed.
"I'm a hypocrite." I realized.
"Bella, I didn't mean it like that."
"No, I think I might be. I want my mother to be safe. If I could help her without anyone getting hurt, then that would be my first choice," I admitted. "But the chances of getting to her without a fight isn't possible, is it?"
"Not very likely," he agreed. "You're not wrong either. The guilt eats away at me that what I'm doing isn't much better. I know my cousins agree with me."
"You deserve to be happy, Edward," I told him, touching his arm.
Edward met my eyes. "There's only one thing that would make me happy, and I'm selfish for wanting it."
Before I could respond, the door burst opened, and Tony walked through with the male side of the family behind him.
"Let's get started, shall we?"
I was disturbed by the wild look in his eyes.
A/N: So what do you think of Anthony Jr.(Tony) now? I know BxE almost kiss was blocked. All I can say patience it will come in all in good time.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.
