~ Washington - August 21, 2004 ~
I approached the Swan residence a few minutes before three. About a quarter mile down the road I could hear Bella chastising Charlie. I pulled over so I could hear the conversation without interrupting them.
"So I guess you just like the pain, huh? Or maybe you're shooting for a punctured lung?"
"Come on, Bells. I'm telling you I just forgot. The pain hasn't been too bad today and I just forgot. I promise I won't try and move the chair again. I'll wait until your boyfriend gets here and he can move it."
"Edward is not…he's…I don't know what he is, and you better not say anything like that when he gets here. He's…he's important to me. I mean, god! Its bad enough you went over there this morning and talked to him." Bella stomped around inside the house before continuing. "The last thing I'm going to say is I intend on asking him everything you said this morning. I better not get any surprises or so help me when you go to the station next, I'm going to gather up all you fishing gear it put down at the curb with a big sign telling everyone it's free to take!"
"You wouldn't!"
"Just try me, Chief. So if you have any last minute confessions, now would be the time."
I could see Bella in Charlie's mind. She was beautiful in her anger. Charlie shook his head. Bella glared at the chair Charlie tried to move, before sitting in it and crossing her arms. Charlie guessed she was going to remain there until I arrived so he would not attempt to move it again.
I waited a moment to ensure their quarrel was over before I continued on to their house. A minute later I was ringing the doorbell.
The door swung open to reveal Bella smiling brightly at me.
"Hi," She greeted me.
"Hi," I replied back.
"Listen I'm sorry about my Dad coming over this morning." Bella told me.
"Bella, it's okay. I didn't mind at all. I think we both needed to get some things resolved and we did."
"Okay, but promise me that later you'll tell me everything he said?" Bella did not wait for my answer before she reached for my hand and pulled me into the family room.
Charlie was sitting on the couch. His eyes drifted to Bella holding my hand and then up to me. We exchange friendly greetings to one another, before he motioned to his recliner.
"Edward, can do me favor and move the chair closer to the television?" he asked giving Bella an amused glared.
"Sure, no problem," I answered. I lifted the chair a good three feet off the ground and move it to the location Charlie requested. "There you go."
I looked over to Bella who just shook her head at the ease I moved the apparently heavy recliner.
"Thanks," Charlie replied before he got up and sat down in the chair I'd just moved. "Perfect. So what are you two going to doing this afternoon?"
Bella looked at me expectantly.
"Well, I know you wanted some answers from me Bella, and since Charlie and I talked and sorted out a few things, I thought we could just go for a drive and you can ask me any questions you may have. If after that you still want to spend the rest of the afternoon with me, I thought we could go back to my house so you could meet my family."
"Okay." Bella said in a drawn out voice. "Am I dressed nice enough to meet you parents? I want to make a good first impression." She asked.
"You look fine. More than fine actually." I answered. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah," Bella replied. She went over and kissed Charlie on the cheek. "You behave with Billy, Dad. By the way, I have my door shut upstairs and I hung those old Christmas bells on the back of it. If Jacob tries to go into my room, you'll hear them."
"Bella…" Charlie started to talk, but Bella cut him off.
"No, Dad. I don't trust him. I'm just letting you know so you can listen for them." Bella told her Dad before returning to me.
"No later than ten o'clock, Bells" Charlie called after her.
"Ten? No way…twelve." Bella countered.
"Absolutely not!" Charlie barked. "Eleven then, but not a minute later."
"Okay, see you later Dad." Bella blew her dad a kiss and opened the front door.
As we walked to the car, I heard Charlie call out to me in a soft voice that he knew I would hear. "Good luck, Edward. You're going to need it."
"So you're really going to tell me your big secret?" Bella asked excitedly.
"I am going to allow you to ask questions, and I will answer everyone of them." I told her as I pulled the car into the parking lot of a community park near Port Angeles, about a forty-five minute drive from Forks. "This way you can control how much information you receive, and if at any time you want me to stop or you want to go home, you just say the word and I will obey. Okay?"
Bella's excitement had changed to a look of worry. "Okay. Are you deliberately trying to scare me, Edward? Because you're making this sound kind of ominous."
"Come on," I said opening my door. "I'll let you decide."
Bella and I walked into the park and settled on a bench away from the few other people enjoying themselves.
"Okay." Bella started. "So I get to ask you questions. My first is…and no laughing, I'm being perfectly serious here...are you an alien?"
Actually her question was a good one. It demonstrated she had already accepted I was something non-human.
"No, I'm not an alien, but that wasn't a bad guess." I replied with no hint of amusement in my voice.
Bella gasped. "Oh, shit! I actually meant that to be funny, but you're serious." Bella paused and looked at me incredulously. "Wow! Okay. I don't really feel like playing twenty questions on this. Just tell me directly what you are, and then I'll ask questions afterwards, okay?"
"So you just want me to say it…out loud." I confirmed.
"Yes." Bella answered timidly.
This was the moment I had been dreading. Once I said the word, there was no way I could take it back. However, I thought it best to prepare Bella a little bit first.
"Before I just say it, humor me and tell me some of the oddities you have noticed about me."
"Okay." She answered before giving it some thought. "Your skin is hard, like…I don't know…like a stone I guess. And it's cold to the touch. Your eyes are a strange color. I've never seen anyone with eyes like yours." Bella paused for a moment. "Actually that's not true. I did once a long time ago. She was a substitute instructor at my old dance studio. I remembered thinking she had the most beautiful set of eyes I had ever seen. They were so unique. I even drew a very poor picture of her in art class complete with golden eyes. I still have that picture, in fact." Bella paused again as she tried to reconcile what I imagined was her vague memory of Rosalie from eight or nine years ago.
After a moment, she continued again. "You're fast. Just how fast I'm not quite sure…I suspect you've been holding back in that area. You're also very strong…way too strong for your size. Again, I suspect you're holding back in that area as well. You claim that you have a special diet, but I've never seen you eat or drink…or have to use the bathroom. You sometimes talk like you're either older or from another time period. You have mad skills on the piano and doing home improvement work...and kissing." The last part comes out almost like a whisper. Bella's cheeks are pink with embarrassment from her admission as she looks away from me.
I lift her chin so I can see her eyes again. "I'm glad you've enjoyed our kissing. It has been the highlight of my existence." I tell her honestly.
"And you say things like that. 'Existence'. Most people would just say life. Its almost like you don't consider yourself alive." Bella paused to gather more thoughts, or at least I assumed that is what she was doing. "I also think you were more involved with the barn incident than either you or my Dad are telling me."
"Is that everything?" I asked.
"Actually no, there is one more thing." Bella replied. "I think you sparkle in the sunlight." I cocked my eyebrow at her admission, which Bella took that as a request for to elaborate. "When we were at the beach, there was small break in the clouds and for a second the sun hit the back of you leg while you were walking on the sand. I swear I saw your calf sparkle. But then an instant later the sun light disappeared and I haven't see it since."
I hadn't known about the sun incident, but everything else was pretty much what I expected.
"Wow, that's quite a list. So this is your last chance to back out if you want, Bella. There are inherent dangers for anyone who knows about my kind. I will tell you, but just as I told Charlie, you can never tell another soul about this. It could mean death for you, Charlie, and my family. I'm not trying to be melodramatic or to needlessly scare you, it's just the truth."
"Wait!" Bella exclaimed. "Your family is like you too? All of them?"
"They are. None of us are biologically related, but we live together as a family because of what we are." I wait another moment to let her process everything. "Are you sure you want me to continue?"
Bella looked up at me, exploring my face with her eyes. She was looking for something. Finally, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them she answered me in a surprisingly strong voice. "Yes, I'm sure."