Everyone still with me? What? I like a little...flair...to my stories. And "Plot Twist" is in the title for a reason...Haha!

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Ch. 42 So Much Trouble

"Iris, it's so good to have you back with us, dear. I'm so glad you're ok, and that Edward is smiling again." Esme cupped my cheek in one hand and Edward's in the other. She had venomous tears in her eyes. If any vampire could make themselves cry, Esme would be the one. She felt love so fully...

"I would have to agree with my wife on that point." Carlisle spoke warmly with his heartbreakingly beautiful smile.

"Yeah, it's good to have you back around. Do you fall down all the time in this body too?" Emmett asked eagerly. "Because it's hilarious when Bella does it."

"Hey!" Bella called to him with a frown.

Jacob only laughed. "He's not wrong..."

She sighed. "But still. It's not polite to say." Bella pouted.

"Don't forget me! I missed you too!" Alice danced lightly over to me, kissing me on the cheek before jumping into Jasper's lap. He rubbed her shoulders and kissed her hair. They were so wonderful together.

Rosalie looked like she could have been just fine without me, but at least she was keeping quiet about it. Edward frowned at me.

"And it's great to actually see you and speak to you. You have no idea how strange it was to have you controlling me for those months...and to have you thinking some not so nice things about me all that time..." Bella said in almost a whisper, blushing as she looked down to avoid eye contact.

"What were you thinking?" Edward asked looking between us with a brow raised. He really disliked not knowing everything all the time. He sighed and shook his head at me.

I ignored him. "Sorry, Bella. I hope there aren't any hard feelings. I'm sure you also know that I think you're really great. I just wish that you knew how great you really are too." I smiled at her, and she smiled slightly back while biting her lower lip. Ugh. The face of an angel crossed with an innocent baby doe...Edward laughed out loud, and kissed me.

"I love that I can hear your thoughts now. You're very...expressive." He smirked.

"All the better to keep you entertained, my lovely." I giggled, and he hugged me tighter to his chest.

I loved the atmosphere in the room. Jasper must be on cloud nine about now the way he was grinning. Lap it up, dude. I wished it could stay this way forever. Everyone was happy, celebrating our reunion and the fact that no one was dead...yet. But that was just it. I knew this couldn't last. We had work to do. The Volturi would be coming for us...for me. Edward sighed again, tucking me even closer into him. I know, Edward. I know.

"Umm...so when exactly is this?" I asked the room.

"It's April 2006. We just came back from the airport where we had to...end Demetri." Jasper spoke up.

"Is there still a vampire me out there?" God I hope not. She's probably freaking out, and I'm here making out with her Edward...

"No, I can't see anyone else...we saw you get captured. Then Aro asked Alec and Laurent to take you back to your chambers...then nothing." Alice said after a second of trying to "see." Thank God..."You were gone but suddenly appeared here. I really hate surprises, Iris!" She whined, but I could only laugh.

"Sorry, Alice. I'll try to be as predictable as possible from now on." I rolled my eyes.

"I'd take you both if there were two of you..." Edward hummed into my hair.

Seriously? "Ew. That's really creepy, Edward." I'm going to assume you meant that to sound more romantic than it did...

Edward laughed. "Sorry, Love. I'm just so happy you're finally here with me, and I don't have to watch you leave again. I've been without you for far too long." Then he sobered and said to me sternly, "I won't watch you leave again. Never. You will never leave my side again." Huh?

What am I? Your property? Oh hell no! "You—"

"Iris." He interrupted before I could ream him out. "Can I speak with you alone for a moment?" He looked to the rest of his family and then to me. Everyone—Bella and Jacob included—disappeared pretty quickly then.

"We'll see you guys later...come on Bella." Jacob awkwardly led her from the room.

When I heard the front door close, I narrowed my eyes at him. "Yes?" Is there a problem, Officer?

He sighed. "I don't want to argue with you, and I promise I don't want to control you, but you can't keep being so hypocritical."

Ex-squeeze me? Are you talking about me, mr. I-will-not-be-controlling-but-I-also-won't-allow-you-to-leave-my-side..?Mmhmm, yeah, ok.

He pursed his lips then spoke tightly, clearly trying to restrain himself. "You have been making decisions alone that we should have made together. It's the exact thing that you have accused me of doing. I'll admit that I may have been guilty of trying to have too much control in the past, but I've been trying very hard to change that part of myself for you. Now I have to ask the same of you. I can't lose you again. We spent over a year apart because you decided alone that our love wasn't real despite how many times I told you otherwise."

But I...he...ugh! Stupid, always-right vampire! "Fine...you may have a point..."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "You said we both were nearly killed before you returned to me."

"Well, technically Alec had numbed and blinded me until that point, and Laurent had me frozen...so I wasn't exactly actively doing anything. How do I know that you didn't do something to get yourself killed? If anything, I should be mad at you." I crossed my arms. No flaw in that logic. Hah!

"Iris..." Ugh! Flabbengavjeisjeknrmdl!

"Ok, so you definitely have a point! Happy?" I jumped up from my place beside him and tossed my hands up in the air theatrically. "We will...make decisions together." I quietly conceded, avoiding eye contact...But don't be smug about it.

"Thank you." He smiled, clearly trying not to laugh at me as he rose from where he had remained on the sofa and pulled me back into his arms.

"Don't try to dazzle me now, mister..." I won't have it. You can't do whatever you want whenever you want. I'm a strong, independent woman!

"Dazzle you?"

"It's what Bella called it when you used your vampire charm on her." I still wouldn't look at him.

"Oh, well, now that you're human again...no promises." He chuckled. "I do miss you blushing all the time."

I turned back to him finally. "Well, this body doesn't do that." I stuck out my tongue. Why would you do that? Was this 19 year old version of my body influencing me that much?

"I don't know about that." He leaned down slightly, so he could speak right into my ear in a low, seductive voice. "You know what they say...where there's a will, there will always be a way, and I am very willing, Miss McGee." Holy shit. My heart began racing as he chuckled, making his breath go down my shirt. He started trailing kisses down and back up my neck, across my jaw, and finally to my lips. Fuck. I'm in so much trouble...

"Yes, you are..." he whispered against my lips, pausing only a short, yet drawn out moment before resuming his previous actions...

"Ok, I won't ever leave your side again...you can shackle me to your bed. Have your way with me. Do as you wish..." I was rambling between our lips as I enjoyed every moment of his dazzling.

"You would have to be changed first for that." He said as he moved from my lips, back down my jaw and neck, but this time he continued down my chest which was thankfully exposed right down to my cleavage. I wasn't exactly dressed for cold weather that night at the movies...

What did he just say? Change me? Is he serious? I thought—

"I told you that I've been working on myself. I won't keep you from making your own decisions. If you want to be changed, you will be." He shrugged. "If not, you won't."

I pulled back from him, and looked back and forth between his eyes. "You're sure?" I'm not so sure that I believe this...what's the punchline?

"Only as sure as you are, my love." He answered with his crooked smile. He really looked serious about this...

"And...our...other point of disagreement...about our...intimacy?" I tried to broach the subject delicately, but I couldn't miss my opportunity while he was being so agreeable.

"Well, if I'm being completely transparent with you—which I am trying to be—I would prefer to marry you first, but yes, whatever you would like after that." He kept a poker face, but I could tell there was something he was holding back.

"Was that a proposal?" Shhh. Don't think out loud, Iris. Hold your cards close.

"No, not formally. But you should know my intentions. Once things have settled, and so long as you're willing, I do intend to make an honest woman of you." He smiled widely, showing off his blindingly beautiful, white teeth as if he was unable to hide his feelings any longer.

"I see." I tried to keep a straight face. P-P-P-Poker face, P-P-Poker faaaaace!

"What was that?" Edward was laughing again.

"Music."

"Does that happen often?" He asked amused.

"Singing music in my head?"

"Yes."

"Often, and I'll tell you a secret." I took a step closer to him.

"What's that?" He leaned in.

"I sing out loud a lot when I'm alone too. You might catch me if you hang around long enough." Show tunes are my jam. Eddy, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into. Maybe you're in trouble too...

"You can't get rid of me that easily...this is totally surreal to actually hear your real voice in your thoughts and out loud. It's different than Bella, of course. You move differently too. I can understand better what you meant about how frustrated you were when you were trapped in her body. You're so graceful, smooth, athletic...So..." His voice trailed off as his eyes darkened.

Continue..."Yes?" There was a smile in my voice.

"...sexy." He finished. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, and Edward purred. "There it is..." he whispered and pulled me into his arms again. So much trouble...

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