Chapter 2 – Explanations

BPOV

Carlisle, Edward, Emmett and Jasper walked into the house. Someone was coming towards up. My shoulders slumped as a beautiful strawberry blond vampire coming towards us. She was statuesque and immortally beautiful. She reminded me of Rosalie, but she had a darker color to her hair. "Please come inside. It is getting darker and I don't want the girl to get cold."

Esme lightly squeezed my hand and we walked towards the house together. The gorgeous vampire led us into the house. When we stepped inside, my eyes scanned the room. We were in a large great room that was painted sky blue. On the opposite side of the room were two tall white French doors. They had sheer white curtains in front of them. I couldn't make out the scenery behind the doors.

Looking around is room, it was clear Esme had a great deal of influence in the decoration. In the center of the room, there was a large sectional couch, with a matching separate couch. It was a creamy white leather couch. This is where Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett, Edward and the rest of the Denali clan sat.

All eyes looked up to us, mainly me, as we entered the room. I was the only human in the room, the only one in the house. The human that disrupted all their lives, again. The one that brought us inside went to sit with the rest of her family, while Esme, Rosalie, Alice and I went to sit by the fireplace. There were several decorative cushions on the floor in front of the fireplace. There was a fire blazing, making lights flickered onto the cushions. I had to admit, even without the warm fire going, the setting looked inviting.

As the Cullens and the Denalis talked, the four of us sat at the fire. Alice stroked my hair back, "Don't worry about Charlie and Angela. I called and told them that we had a family emergency and you came with us for support. Your father was a little upset that you left so abruptly, so he spoke to Esme. She told him that there was a death in the family. She contacted all of our teachers and gave them our fax information for our homework. Angela understood and said Ben would help her."

I half-smiled while looking into the fire, "Thanks. You didn't have to do that." "Honey, what happened?" Esme asked. "We didn't get the whole story." I closed my eyes tightly, unable to answer. My forehead leaned against my fists in shame. To my surprise, Rosalie placed her hand on mine, "Don't worry. We are just happy that you're alright. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. We'll understand." She smiled at me, when I braved to meet her gaze.


EPOV

I looked back at Bella's face and saw how upset she was. Of all people, Rosalie was comforting her. Ugh, this was bad. I knew she was angry with me, but I had to do it. She wasn't safe. She didn't speak for the entire ride. "Please, Edward," Carlisle tried to get my attention, "Son," my head turned back to him reluctantly. My eyes did want to leave Bella's face, "Tell us, what happened?"

With a heavy sigh, I began to explain my actions, "Alice called while we were hunting. She said Bella's future disappeared, that she couldn't see her. She said she saw that Mrs. Newton didn't need Bella at work. After that, her future just disappeared. I knew what that meant. She went to La Push, so I drove back to Forks. Bella and I have talked about it before. I don't like her going anywhere without protection and since we cannot go onto the reservation, I told her that I didn't want to go there. I was just trying to keep her safe. Werewolves aren't especially for her."

My chest ached at the thought of Bella being near them. How she had to put her life in their hands when we were apart. "I saw what happened to Emily Young, in Jacob's mind, how she was hurt. She was too close when Sam lost control and he scarred her face and arm. If that had happened to Bella, being close to Jacob Black….." I winced at the sounds of her screams. "I couldn't let anything happened to her. I know I jumped to conclusions and overreacted, but when Alice said she couldn't see Bella anymore, I panicked.

"I just knew I had to go get her; to make sure she was safe. When I found her, she was walking with Jacob on the beach and he mentioned their motorcycles. I was angry. Angry with him for not taking her safety seriously and for being close to her. And disappointed with her for being reckless on purpose." I looked up to Carlisle, "Please, don't blame her. It is all my fault, entirely. I uprooted us from our lives again because I jumped to conclusions."

My head fell into my hands. My voice was muffled against my hands, "I can't even imagine how she feels. Angry with me, upset because she had to leave her father and guilty because we had to leave. I just want her to feel better." Carlisle put his hand on my shoulder, "I understand why you did it. If I or any of us were in your place, we would have done the same thing. We're all protective of the women we love."

He really does love her, Tanya thought. Her head slumped a bit, seeing how deeply I did care for Bella. Don't feel bad. You did what you had to do to keep her safe. I can understand that, Jasper thought looking at Alice. "Edward, look. Things will be fine. Alice covered for Bella's absence and we'll think of something else. And I do admit, she does keep things fun around here."

Emmett said trying to lighten the mood. I slightly smiled at my big brother. Nothing bothered him. Tanya was looking to the floor. Well, seems that we'll be having a guest for a while. I should get her settled in. Tanya got up, with Kate behind her and they walked to the fireplace. Tanya offered Bella a room so that she could rest. Esme, Alice and Rosalie went with her.

Carlisle looked after them as they went upstairs. "Emmett's right. We'll get through this. We just have to figure out our next move, now that Bella is with us. Don't worry, we'll figure out a way to make her happy." "Thank you, Carlisle." My father has always been understanding with me, "However, let me worry about the last part. I'm the one she's mad at."

The sounds of Bella's heartbeat were slow while she was in her room upstairs. If was comforting how my family, even my extended family immediately took her in. Her heartbeat was steady, but her breathing too hard. She was trying to hold back from crying.


BPOV

After a few long moments, Rosalie was shaking her head and she smiled at me. "That's what happened. You went to see the dog and Edward got edgy. Going overboard as usual." I let out a single laugh, but this still didn't make me feel better. Her family, my family was driven from their home because of my actions this afternoon.

Esme was patting my knee, "Don't you worry, Bella. We'll take care of this whole thing and you." Alice was brushing her fingers through my hair, when two of the Denali clan came over. "Bella, we have a room upstairs you can use. You had a long drive and you must be tired," the beautiful vampire offered. She must be the leader of this clan.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm being rude. This is my sister, Kate," she patted the shoulder of the woman with her. She was gorgeous and blond too. My stomach twisted nervously. Her golden eyes matched perfectly with her straight, pale blond hair and pale face, with perfect angular features. "And I am Tanya," she rested her hand on her chest, "We consider ourselves Carlisle and Esme's cousins. They stay with us from time to time. Please come with us and we will get you settled."

I smiled at Tanya and Kate. They had no reason to be so hospitable to me. Esme helped me up and walked with me upstairs. Alice and Rosalie came with us. On the first level, Alice went down the stylish hall and entered a room. Being that were considered family, the Cullen's would have accommodations of their own in the house.

As we came onto the third level of the house, Rosalie and Kate walked into another room, which was two doors down from the one Tanya opened for me. Esme walked with me into my temporary bedroom. "I hope you like it." Tanya said, standing in the doorway. I smiled and nodded at her, "I do. Thank you so much." Tanya smiled and left the room.

In the room, there was a queen-size canopy bed. The bed had sheer light blue and white curtains hanging from the rods that went around the bed. The bed had a soft blue comforter, with several decorative pillows. Next to the bedroom door, there was a large dresser. In the room, opposite the bed, were two French doors that stood in front of a small balcony, which looked out to vast plains.

Next to the doors was a small vanity, with a matching dainty chair. The vanity stood in the corner, between the French doors and another door that Esme said was to my private bathroom. "Honey, I'm going to go to my room. I'll be right back." Esme said. She hugged me and left the room.

Looking after her, my body slowly dropped onto the bed. My weight sunk into the soft mattress, relaxing my tense muscles. It was a bit nerve-wracking being the only human in a house with more than 12 vampires.

The tiredness I pushed away was creeping up on me. I laid down on the soft bed, my head feeling the plush pillows. Looking up at the ceiling, through the billowy curtains, I could feel my held back tears fighting to be let out. I took in several deep breaths trying to keep them from escaping. After I fought back my tears, I went to the vanity to make sure my eyes wouldn't give me away.

There was a light tap on the door. When my face finally looked confident, I answered. "Come in." Rosalie came into the room. "Hi, Bella. Are you feeling better?" Concern was in her voice, making my weak barrier crumble. I squeezed my eyes shut and my tears flowed. She came to my side and hugged me. This was surreal. I was in Alaska and Rosalie was comforting me. I didn't care; I needed someone to hear my true feelings, even if it was Rosalie.

"You should hate me. You have every right to. Because of me, you were driven from your home again. If it weren't for me, Edward wouldn't have broken the treaty." My tortured confession poured out of me, "Because of me, all of you were in danger of the wolves. Some of them hoped that the treaty would be broken, just so they could hunt you and your family."

Rosalie sat me on the small bench at the foot of the bed, "Bella, those dogs wouldn't have hurt us. Emmett could've taken out half of them single-handedly. As for Edward," she gritted her teeth, "He overreacted, as he always does, especially when it comes to you. Bella, none of us are upset with you."

I looked at her glorious face, "No, Rosalie. It's my fault. I knew how he felt about me being around Jake, but I went anyway." Her cool finger brushed away a tear, "Bella, Jake's your friend. Alice told me how he was there for you when we left. He was a good friend and you have every right to see him, even if he is a giant mongrel."

I let out a small laugh and she smiled. "Yes, he's a werewolf, but he was there for you. Besides, you're an adult. If you say Jacob's safe to be with, then he is." Rosalie said as she patted my hair. I blinked out more tears. Listening to her words, sorrow was leaving me, being replaced with anger.

I looked at Rosalie's hands and my eyes focused on the gold band on her third finger. My fingers involuntarily extended, imagining one on my hand. "For someone who's supposed to be convincing me to marry him, this afternoon did not help." Rosalie looked back at me with shocked eyes, "What?"

"He didn't tell you?" That was a surprise, "The morning of the vote, when he took me home, Edward asked me to marry him. He said he would change me himself, but only if we were married. Either way, the treaty would've been broken because of me." Rosalie got up and walked to the doors. She stood motionless, staring into the glass. Finally, she looked back at me, "Let me get this straight, he proposed to you and I'm guessing you haven't answered him yet. So, when he's supposed to be showing you what your life would be like with him, he does this. Smart move."

The sarcasm was heavy in her voice. "Bella, I've been married to Emmett for more than 60 years. And speaking as a married woman, I'll tell you that you have to put your foot down on things that are very important to you. You did that today. Now he went overboard, but he's going to have to learn that if you marry him, you are not going to let him make all the decisions. He's going to have to respect you and the way you feel about things. You won't always agree, but he cannot shut out what you want because he doesn't agree with it."

"Thanks, Rosalie. I really thought you would be mad at me." She shook her head, "No, I'm not mad at you. But as for him…. That's another story." We laughed. I got up and went to the bathroom to clean my face. Back in the room, Rosalie made her way to sit on the small bench. There was a small knock on the door. "Come in."

Tanya came back into the room, with several pieces of clothing in her arms. Alice was right behind her, her head stopping just above Tanya's elbow. "I know you left your home quite abruptly. Alice said she knew what you liked. These are a few things we never got around to using and you're more than welcomed to them. Also, it's not too late. There are a few shops in town we could go to, to get you anything you wanted."

Alice beamed at the chance to go shopping. "Thank you, but I'm sure these will be fine." Alice's shoulders dropped, "Bella, you don't have any toiletries with you. We do need to get some things for you. And it would be better for you to get out of the house, to clear you're head." She had a point there. I took the clothes from Tanya and smiled. "Ok." Alice smiled, "Rosalie, let's go." Tanya was shaking her head, "Do you deal with this a lot?" "Not really. I hardly ever go shopping with Alice. But, she does have a point. I do want to get out for a while."

Tanya, Rosalie and I walked out into the hall. The three of us went down to the second level. Tanya entered another room and asked me to wait for her. At the end of the hall was a huge window that looked out to the Alaskan sky. It was breathtakingly beautiful. His approach was very quiet. My body turned to the top of the stairs and Edward was standing there, staring at me.

I looked back at him with indifferent eyes. Part of me wanted to run into his arms, but another part wanted to push pass him and leave. "Are you going out?" he asked me. I continued to stare him and simply nodded. Tanya appeared at my side, with Rosalie. "We were just heading into town to get some things. We'll be right back." Rosalie explained. She took my hand and headed down the stairs. I didn't allow myself to look, but I knew Edward was watching me as we left.

We spent more time shopping than I thought. It was actually fun. Rosalie, Alice, Tanya, Kate, Esme and Carmen; Tanya and Kate's sister; moved through the shopping complex swiftly. It was a little difficult to keep up. I was able to get toiletries and Esme got me new pajama. She selected nothing but satin ones and I loved them. Rosalie, Alice and Carmen all got new outfits. Alice, of course, tried to get me to pick some things out for myself.

Knowing how persistent she is, I agreed and got several outfits. Carmen, Tanya and I were looking at matching shoes for me. "Um, they're nice, but I still feel pain," they were looking at some scary selections and I had to remind about my frailties. I settled on a subtle pair that went with my new clothes. I just wanted this tragic day to end on a happier note.

When we got back to the house, it was after 10:30. Everyone was pulling their shopping bags from the trucks of the two cars, when Carlisle and a man; who must be Eleazar greeted us. Carlisle's eyes took in my smile. Edward would see that in his mind. Honestly, I didn't even feel mad anymore.

Shopping got me a little keyed up, evading my fatigue. Instead, I continue talking with Carmen and Kate. I really liked them. Carmen was telling me how she came to join Tanya's family and Kate was telling me about her ability to repel people. Even, Tanya and I were getting along.

She reminded me of Rosalie, with the way the two of them moved through the clothing stores and loved attention from men. Carlisle and Eleazar went upstairs while the rest of us were all talking. Maybe they wanted to get away from the talkative women. Carlisle had my bags in his hands as he went upstairs. All of us talked until about 2 in the morning.

Alice could tell I was getting tired and convinced me to finally go to bed. "Don't worry Bella. We won't do anything fun until you wake up." I laughed and gave up. It felt like I was a child that wanted to stay up, but couldn't fight back the exhaustion any longer.