Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
This story has been adopted. The original was written and discontinued by Amiiix3. I was graciously given permission to continue the story as I saw fit. Thank you Amiiix3 for your trust.
I stepped through the snow carefully, though nothing could be done about the mush sneaking into my shoes. It melted, and I felt a sudden tug of deja vu. This was the exact place I had first met Edward, and because of the uncomfortable dampness in my shoes. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, wondering if he was remembering as well. My cheeks burned with mortification when I realized he was watching me watching him.
He only chuckled though and nodded his head at the house, much larger now that we were closer. "It looks like they were expecting us." I looked up to see the curtains swinging back into place. I slowed my pace, feeling the anxiousness clawing at my stomach, a million butterflies battering against my ribcage.
"Uh, I- I don't know anything about your family. Do they... should I know anything about them? Can you tell me something, or would that be rude?" A pale-skinned female swung the door open, watching us quietly from several yards away. Her light caramel hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves, and my heart jumped excitedly when I saw her sparkling topaz eyes crinkled in a quiet sort of happiness.
"That's Esme," Edward murmured his eyes focused on who I knew to be his 'mother'. "And Carlisle you met before."
"Who else?" My voice was high, and I twisted my fingers through the hem of my skirt with more vigor.
"Calm down, Bella." Edward's voice slowed my heart just enough to keep me from having a panic attack. "You can meet the Denali coven later and let them introduce themselves, but there is Eleazar, Carmen, Irina, Kate, and Tanya." His voice gave a little twist on the last name, but he refused to meet my curious gaze.
"All right," I sighed. We were a few feet from the doors. The entire family stood just inside, waiting and watching curiously. "I think I can handle this." Edward chuckled, and then something hit me. An iron grip had wrapped itself around my body, squeezing my lungs painfully. I felt Edward beside me and held on to his scent, which seemed to have a stronger flavor now that we were around other vampire scents.
The strong grip released me and I sucked in an unneeded breath, rubbing just beneath my ribs. Esme called us from where she was standing. "Oh, Edward!" she cried, clutching at him. "I have missed you so."
Edward buried his head in his mother's hair, his eyes closed peacefully. I turned away, feeling as if I were intruding on a private moment. Esme pulled back and her smile was wider than all of Alaska. She turned her beautiful topaz eyes to me and I was sure if she could cry, they would be filled with tears. "And who might you be?" For a moment I wondered why she was not put off by my villainous burgundy eyes, but I realized I had just had animal blood. Were my eyes now as lovely and kind as hers?
I took a shallow breath. "My name is Isabella- um, Bella." I was not sure how to word what it was I wanted, so I shut my mouth and gave Edward a questioning look. Esme's eyes darted between us, standing awkwardly beside each other and attempting to communicate inconspicuously. A grin began in her eyes and settled on her mouth.
Carlisle was suddenly beside us, his demeanor perfectly calm. He walked to Edward and they gave each other one of those strange, manly hugs. "I'm glad you're home, son."
"Thanks, dad." The humanly gestures, the words, the names they used for each other- endearments, I think they were called-it all confused me. Mom, dad, son; I had not heard those words for so long, and never from a vampire's mouth. I shook my head, wondering if I would suddenly wake up and realize that it was all a dream- though I hadn't dreamt for over four decades.
"Bella, I remember you." Carlisle held out his hand and I shook it, feeling a familiar tug.
"Why don't we all go inside. It might look suspicious if someone was to see us all standing out here without jackets on." Esme gave a fake little shiver and slipped one arm through Edward's. "You too Bella, dear." And to my shock, she took my hand, pulling me along into the large white house covered in snow.
We entered into an empty foyer and followed a quiet Carlisle through a long hallway into what I supposed was the back of the house. A kitchen stood to the right and a thickly carpeted room fell on the left, complete with many sofas, armchairs, and a large television. I did not know what I had expected, being a vampire myself, but this was certainly a shock as to a vampire's abode. It seemed as if, other than the blood-drinking, they were just normal humans.
"Have a seat, you two," Esme said softly. She and Carlisle sat together on the only loveseat in the room, caramel, a few shades darker than their eyes, I noticed vaguely.
I perched on the edge of a velvet-cushioned chair. It felt nice to be in a real home after such a long time. The closest I had been to a real home in the many decades since my change was a hotel every now and then on my endless wandering. Edward took a seat on the chair beside me. I caught his eye and he grinned. The smile made my flurrying heart steady a bit, but when I looked back at the expectant vampire parents, it sped up again.
I turned my eyes down to my hands, waiting for the conversation to begin and for me to perhaps be asked to tell my strange story- something I was not looking forward to. But for many long minutes there was perfect silence. I glanced up curiously to see the three of them staring into each others eyes. I was taken aback; I knew Edward was a mind reader, but maybe he could communicate the other way as well.
Esme nodded once. Carlisle smiled and shrugged. "Can you try at least?" Edward said so quietly I almost did not catch the words. I knew right away what they were talking about- me.
"Erm, I'm sorry. Are you... um-" I began, but my throat cut me off when all their heads snapped up to look at me.
Esme ducked her head, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Bella, that was quite rude of us."
"Oh, no." I shook my head enthusiastically. "That's fine. I was just not sure if you were talking... well- thinking, I suppose..."
Carlisle and Edward exchanged a glance and Edward nodded subtly. Esme turned and gave Carlisle a little slap on the shoulder. "Carlisle!" she chastised. "Didn't you just hear what I said. It's rude to hold private conversations about someone when they're right here. Now, why don't you and Edward tell Bella what you were just saying." Carlisle looked at me apologetically, but how could I not forgive those beautiful golden eyes, the ones that had given me my first taste of hope in half a lifetime.
"Carlisle was just wondering if Bella knew about my power. And I said yes," Edward jumped in.
"Thank you, Edward." Esme smiled at him approvingly and turned to give Carlisle a mock-glare. Mock, because a smile played around her mouth.
"Yes thank you, Edward, darling," I teased quietly. He gave me an embarrassed smile, one that made my heart leap. I chastised myself for feeling that way and turned my attention back to Esme and Carlisle.
"Did Edward already tell you the, uh, situation?" I asked nervously. Esme grinned warmly and even Carlisle cracked a smile.
"Of course, and you are welcome to stay with us as long as you like"- I opened my mouth to ask about the other situation, but she cut me off with an understanding, motherly smile- "and yes. Carlisle has volunteered to try to teach you our 'vegetarian' ways." She laughed a beautiful wind-chime laugh.
My anxious heart pounded happily and my tightened belly relaxed. "Thank you," were the only words I could find, but they held all the emotion and all the meaning I could not express. Esme stood up and, to my surprise, wrapped her arms around me in a motherly hug. She was a few inches taller than me and I was reminded of my own mother. I nuzzled my head against her shoulder and breathed in the calming scent, so sweet and nurturing.
"Thank you," she said, and although I did not know what I had done to deserve thanks, I knew she meant it with all her heart. Carlisle gave me a hearty handshake next, which was enough from him, for he had volunteered already to teach me what I wanted most, and I did not even have to tell them my depressing story.
"I thought... I was just wondering, but I thought Edward said there were more living here? Another coven, I think?" I looked at Edward questioningly.
"They went out," the three vampires said at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed happily. A sweet family reunion, and yet I did not feel left out, but as if I were part of it.
"They decided to give us some time alone, so they all slipped out the back door," Edward explained, looking down at me with a content smile across his ruby lips.
"Oh," I worried. "I hope they didn't leave just for me."
"No, dear. Eleazar and Carmen went hunting, they actually haven't been for a while. And Tanya, Irina, and Kate were excited to go to the market. They like it a lot there," Esme added.
"Hmm..." I nodded, though I was curious as to why these she-vampires liked going to the market. Surely it would be a real test of their strength to be around humans. And who knew what sorts of accidents happened in markets?
"Edward, would you show Bella to her room?" Carlisle interrupted my thoughts.
"A room? You don't need to do that, really. I can sleep anywhere."
"We have so much space in this house. It will be wonderful to have it fill up again, dear. Edward?"
"Right this way, Bella." Edward took my arm and steered me down the hall before I could protest any more. "Truly Bella. Carlisle and Esme are extremely happy to have you here, and after everyone else meets you, they'll be just as happy." He pulled me up a tall mahogany staircase.
"How do you know?" I shot back, skeptic.
Edward tapped the side of his head. "Mind reader."
"Oh..." I could think of nothing to say, and I did not know why I wanted to refuse to believe the fact that they were happy to have me here. So I forced myself to accept it, and it made me feel truly excited for this new adventure of mine: conquering the human world... in the kindest way possible.
"This is your room." Edward pushed open a dark, intricately carved door on the right side of the upstairs hall. I stepped inside and my eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.
The room was beautiful. Ornately lavished with a large- and unnecessary- bed settled in its center. Thick white rugs covered the cherry wooden floor. A floor to ceiling, wall to wall, window took up the whole left side of the room. From the door, I could see a beautiful forest view, and the market further ahead, everything resting beneath a blanket of white.
"Wow," I gasped.
"You're drooling." Edward chuckled. And I immediately shut my mouth, wiping my wrist across my mouth as inconspicuously as possible.
"Hmph," I huffed when I realized he had just been playing with me. He laughed again and pulled me into the room. The door creaked shut behind us and my frozen heart thumped unevenly.
But Edward simply led me further into the room, which, at first glance, seemed to be a square but actually had a tiny hall to one side of it. It was a narrow hall and had two doors, one on the right wall, and the other at the end.
"This is the closet." Edward opened the door on the right. The closet was quite deep, and I was sure I would never have enough clothes to fill it. "And this is the bathroom." He pointed to the other door.
"Lovely," I smiled up at him as brightly as I could.
Edward ran a slightly shaky hand through his glossy, bronze locks, still clean despite all the travel we had endured.
"Anytime," he said quietly. "Should we head back downstairs?" He turned to go.
"All right," I sighed. "But there is something I have to tell you."
Edward turned back to me, his expression wary. "And what might that be?"
"Are you mad at me?"
"What do you mean?" Now Edward looked confused. I danced over to the large bed in the center of the room and fell on to it. The mattress was quite comfortable and I allowed myself to stretch across it before sitting up and patting the spot beside me, indicating to Edward that he should sit.
He took the seat, but made sure to keep a space between us, which dismayed me- though I did not let him see that. "What do you mean?" Edward asked again. "I'm not mad at you."
"No, not right now. But you seemed quite angry before."
"When?" he demanded, and his child-like defiance made me smile.
"When we were traveling to here from New York. After we left the city, you seemed quiet and brooding, and angry- at me?"
"I wasn't angry." But he could not deny the guilty look now resting on his precious face.
"Oh, really?" I challenged him with my eyes, which I had not had a chance to look at yet, but was sure were golden as the sun on a bright summer day.
"Yes, really." We stared at each other for a long moment and as it grew longer, I felt my curiosity, my anger, just dissolving. Vaguely, I noticed that his once-frightening red eyes did not hold the same heart-clenching terror anymore, but only a warm feeling in my stomach.
I felt myself falling deeper, unable to look away from him. And then the door opened. "Edward!" the high voice squealed. "Oh... I'm sorry!" And then the door closed again and we were sitting with our shoulders touching, our faces half-tilted towards each other, but the mood had soured.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled and shot up. I was at the door within seconds. The vampire who had interrupted us had obviously bolted, and I did the same. I ran right out the front door, ignoring Esme's shocked face. I did not know why I was reacting so drastically, but something inside had snapped.
I ran far from the house, not noticing I had entered the forest until I was almost on the other side of it. I heard cars passing on a busy highway, their horns honking every now and then, and the humans' scents puffing from the exhaust fans.
I crawled beneath a tree's shade and settled with my back against it, feeling the bark scratch me through the thin, black shirt I wore. My skirt was torn in a few places, the twigs having ripped it at my quick speed.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked myself, shaking my head. I let my thick hair fall over my face, and buried myself in my own bubble for a long time.
I think it was two hours at the most before I decided to get up. I had not made any life-changing realizations, but I felt calmer- still a boiling worry beneath- but at least calm enough to analyze myself. I was worried. I couldn't afford to let someone see that I like them. It was weakness, something I couldn't afford. I promised myself, as I made my way out of the darkening forest, that until I knew Edward was steady in his promises I would not let him have me.