Chapter 20 Dinner with the Cullens

We were driving through the green endless forest. Edward drove. His car was new: the silver Volvo became the part of the history, just like my truck turned into wreckage.

Edward's car was so fast that my vision was blurred. But I didn't mind - it only helped me to think. I was going to have dinner with the Cullens. Edward and I discussed it, mostly, as a joke, when I cut my hand and Edward finished dinner for me.

"You can cook?"

"You'd be surprised. Actually, we all talked about it quite recently…"

The conversation was reviving in my head again, and imaginary voices were getting louder.

"We discussed it some time before," said Edward. His moves were graceful; he cooked much better than me – there's no comparison. "Alice suggested adding something new in our lives – she's getting tired of watching the future all the time – "

Vampires seemed to get bored too.

"So… did she suggest you learn cooking?" I asked.

Why should vampire do that if they stopped eating normal food? I'd never thought how boring their life could be. Vampires had eternity for fulfilling their dreams and their hobbies.

Edward laughed.

"Not exactly. We've decided to practice in something that has already been forgotten. Who knows when we may need it? It wasn't planned to be a competition, but it looked like that in the end. It was… funny."

I really tried to imagine Edward's sister, Rose, making a salad, but it was impossible to do that.

"Who was the winner?" I asked.

Edward smiled again.

"You'll never guess."


"…What are thinking about?"

"What?" I asked absent-mindedly and looked around. We had already crossed the town border.

Edward wasn't watching the road. He was staring at me, trying to scan my face and read my thoughts. Obviously, his attempts weren't very successful. I smiled. To be frank, I always liked to keep my thoughts locked, especially when I was younger. I was so naive and stupid.

"Sorry, I scared you," Edward said immediately, noticing my expression. "But you looked so… far away. Are you all right?"

I shook my head. Edward would never change…

"It's okay. I was thinking about your cooking competition," I explained. "You still haven't told me about the winner."

Edward's face softened in a second. He chuckled and retuned to the road, calm and relaxed.

"You'll see. I promised to be quiet until the right moment comes."

I looked out the window again and suddenly realized that I almost forgot the way to the Cullen's house. All what I remembered was that long road – at least, when Edward and I were driving my old truck. I also knew that the house was big, beautiful, full of light, but I hadn't visited it since my break-up with Edward. Seven years had passed. I shivered, realizing how fast the time ran. I still remembered that house, but it became the part of memories, the part of something that must be forgotten. Could I return to that past?

"You're absent-minded again," Edward noticed. He was more attentive now. "Are you sure you're okay?"

I smiled. I missed his care and attention. Yes, I was angry when we met again, but I began to enjoy it anew. It's so great when you have somebody who cares about you. It cures every wound… I guess.

"I'm fine. It's going to be nice to see your house again," I answered. Edward was trying so hard to make my life easier, and I needed to do something for him too. "But the road seems to be shorter now. Your car is really fast."

It would be great if Edward considered his fast driving as the reason for my anxiety. Moreover, Edward was still driving like crazy. Some things never changed.

"I changed the car a couple years ago... It wasn't my idea," he added in a forced tone, and I guessed that Edward started thinking about our break-up too. "But Alice was so annoying. She doesn't like to keep old possessions; she had never regretted the past."

"I need to think about purchasing my own car too," I noticed, examining the passenger compartment. "Will you help me to make the choice when I save the money? I don't understand anything about cars…"

Edward smiled.

"Save the money? Sure…" he murmured.

I frowned and glanced at him. What Edward was up to? I wanted to ask what about it, but the moment was lost. Before I opened my mouth, said:

"We're home…"

Edward was parking the car in front of the house. My heart began pounding again.

The house looked big, peaceful and balanced from the outside. Forgotten memories filled my head again. It seemed like we didn't lose the years that had been lost. It seemed like I was a teenager again, and beautiful young Edward was going to introduce me to his parents. A second – and I would see both of them, pale and immortal, to stand in the hall, waiting to greet us…

… but it wasn't real, and I was a grown up now. The fairytale was over, even if I tried to forget about it.

We left the car and crossed the porch. As a gentleman, Edward opened the front door for me. To my surprise, the hall was empty, but quiet voices were coming from the kitchen.

The smell of cooking food completed that impression.

"They're so excited," I hadn't noticed when Edward came closer. He whispered those words to me, as if he was sharing a big, big secret. "They really wanted to amaze you. I don't know what they have cooked, but…"

"… but if it's bad, Bella will never acknowledge that!"

I turned and noticed Emmet standing near the stairs. He was wearing an apron which looked surprisingly small on his broad chest. Emmet spread his hands wide apart, smiling. Interesting, he was always that… big?

"Hi, Bella! I really missed you!" he confessed.

I had seen almost all the Cullens, except for Emmet, Rose and Jasper. We hadn't seen each other since my 18th birthday party that turned out to be a little sad tragedy. Weird, but we were coming back to the past again…

Still, I was happy to see Emmet. He stood motionless until I came closer and hugged me, just like it was normal for a vampire to do that.

"Nice to see you again," I said quietly, knowing that he would hear me.

Emmet's hug was so strong that he could count my ribs. Edward sighed theatrically behind us. Emmet grinned. He let me go and looked at me from head to toe.

"Age suits you. Are you still blushing like a garden rose?"

Or course, I blushed immediately after hearing his words. Emmet laughed again.

"Good!"

I turned and looked at Edward. He rolled his eyes, watching us.

"It's ridiculous," he murmured.

"We've cooked dinner for you, Bella" said Emmet, grinning. "Prepare to me amazed!"

The rest of the family was waiting for us in the kitchen. A few burred figures were dancing around the table, making last preparations. My heart began pounding again; it was too hard to get hold of myself.

Everyone pretended to me surprised to notice me, although they all had sensed my smell when Edward and I arrived there. Esme came closer and hugged me.

"Welcome back," he said in a mild, comforting tone. I noticed the smell of her caramel hair. "We have been waiting for you."

"We hope you'll like the dinner," Carlisle joined Esme. He kissed me just like an attentive caring father.

Rose was standing in the distance. She smiled, greeting me, but didn't get closer. I smiled back, realizing that I had already forgotten how astonishingly beautiful she was. Rosalie was perfect. She was a real work of art. I wasn't jealous, but…

Jasper stood near the kitchen table. His smile wasn't as forced as it used to be in the past, but, apart from that, he looked the same.

"Hi, Bella. It's great to see you again."

If Jasper recalled my birthday party too – he ignored that memory. I was even thankful for that.

"Hello, hello, hello!"

Alice appeared out of nowhere, jumped to my side, pushed Esme and Carlisle away and hugged me. Everybody laughed, although I seemed to see Rose screwing up her nose. She had never understood Alice's friendship with me.

Alice let me go and examined my look carefully.

"I knew that you'd choose something boring," she said, glancing at my clothes. "But I think we can fix that when you'll…"

"Alice…" Edward interrupted her suddenly.

Alice stopped talking. She and her bother exchanged looks. I felt anxious again. What was going on? It seemed like they had been hiding something from me.

But before I asked my question, I was interrupted again.

"Right… Dinner time?" Alice asked, changing the subject.

The Cullens leaded me to the dinner table. Only after examining it in full, I noticed that it was served for one person only. It was… awkward. How would it look? The Cullens were going to stand near and watch me eat?

At the same time I had to admit that the table serving looked great.

"It's beautiful," I touched tablecloth made of a heavy expensive fabric. The table was set perfectly, every detail matched, just like I was visiting a good restaurant.

"I've decided to recall my past memories," Rose confessed, surprising me. "I liked to serve the table at my house when I was human. It's a hobby I always liked…"

I gave her pitiful look. I didn't want to pity her, of course not, but I couldn't stop doing that when I noticed her look. Rosalie loked sad, she seemed to miss her human past, even now, when she had Emmet and the whole eternity of spending life together. My heart bled for her. I began to see the real Rose now. When I was younger, I saw only Rosalie's beauty, but her soul was beautiful too.


The dinner was great. The Cullens managed to cook an amazing three-course meal. Everything tasted really good and was cooked perfectly, especially roasted meat.

"So…" Emmet leaned on the dinner table, watching me. Rose gave him a dirty look. She really worried about Esme's favourite kitchen table. "Did you guess who actually cooked this?"

I stopped eating and looked back at him, wide-eyed.

"It's you?" I asked in astonishment. Emmet was the last person I would imagine cooking. What a strange world…

He laughed.

"Unlike the others, I had a normal life as human. I knew how to cook, and I still remember some part of that stuff," he confessed. "It's even easier now, when I'm a vampire. I can feel the dish's readiness by its smell."

I looked at the Cullens. They learned to find something new in every day of their immortal life. It's amazing how different persons with different habits and different past managed to live under one roof. When I was a teenager, I didn't think about that too.

Esme and Carlisle did a great job for having the life they had today.

When my dinner was over, Edward touched my shoulder gently. I looked around, realizing that almost everyone had vanished from the room, except for Edward and Esme. Mother and son exchanged looks. I frowned. What was going on?

"Don't you want to take a little walk with me?" Esme asked, smiling.

"Great idea," Edward added, pretending to examine the kitchen. "I think I need some time for clearing the table."

They both looked anxious, but vampires didn't worry about anything… Did they?

"I'm sorry for this little show," Esme said, smiling again when we went outside. "But we wanted to please you."

We were making lazy long steps down the road. I must have been so difficult for Esme – to be so slow, but she didn't complain. Edward's mother was calm and charming, just like she always was, and it gave me some comfort.

"Thank you for an invitation," I said. "The dinner was really great."

"I'm really glad to see you here," Esme confessed. "Everything must have changed for you now. You grew up, got married… Life changes people."

I suddenly remembered that Esme was married in her mortal life, before she met Carlisle.

Esme must have been thinking about her past too.

"I still remember my human life," she continued. "It's only blurred memories, but I still recall the moment when I realized that the time was running out. One day you get up and see that life differs from the dream in your head. It can be cruel and even ugly, but that's what life really looks like. It's the moment when you have to wake up."

I didn't know what to say, although I knew what Esme was talking about. I had the same feeling today when I saw the Cullen's house again.

"Life was cruel to me too," Esme added. "When I first met Carlisle, I was dazzled by him. He became the ideal of a man for me, and I had been dreaming about meeting somebody like him one day. But life… real life doesn't look like that, you know?" she sighed. "In the end, I married the man my parents chose for me."

I guessed that Esme had no desire to recall that part of memories. Her voice started sounding bitter.

She paused a little.

"That's why I was glad to know that you had been trying to build your life anew when Edward left you."

The end of Esme's speech sounded weird and unexpected. I stumbled, but managed to stay on my feet.

"Really?"

"Yeah," unlike me, Esme didn't feel uncomfortable. "You can't spend your life, waiting for a perfect man. Real life is much more complicated. I've told Edward about that."

The situation felt weird again. I was surrounded by vampires, ancient monsters from movies and books. I returned to the fairytale, as if last seven years had never existed. But, on the other hand, everything there reminded me that there was no turn back. I couldn't return the past.

I felt anxious again.

Esme suddenly stopped.

"Did Edward tell you why we invited you here today?" she asked evasively. She was smiling again, but her smile looked forced.

"No," I said. "I asked Edward about it once, but his answer wasn't very clear."

Esme chuckled nervously.

"I wanted to speak about something personal… about your husband, as you could guess…"

Oh. That's why Esme mentioned her human marriage. She wanted to begin speaking about Dave, but had no idea how to start the conversation.

"Do you want to speak about Dave?" I couldn't hide my surprise.

Esme laughed.

"Yes. I know it sounds strange. But it concerns Tanya, and…"

I tried to combine these parts together. Alice was watching visions about Tanya driving somewhere. Edward said that she would fall in love with somebody who lived not far away from Forks…

And then I got it.

"Do you think Tanya will fall in love with Dave?"

Esme shrugged apologetically.

"We can't know it for sure. That's why I wanted to speak with you - to get them a chance to find it out."

I didn't know what to say. I wasn't jealous, but Dave and I used to be married, and the idea of finding a soul mate for him sounded ridiculous. I hoped to leave that part of my life in the past without turning back. On the other hand, I always wished Dave to be happy. I wished him to find somebody who would see the beauty of his soul.

Esme was right- real life was cruel.

"Do you want me to introduce Dave to Tanya?" I guessed. I still couldn't believe what was happening. Strange, strange Wonderland…

Esme nodded.

"Sounds weird, right?"


Victoria was examining the room. The air was stuffy and dusty there, but she couldn't open windows – officially, the owners of the house had been on vacations. It wasn't hard to get inside or find out that the house was empty: mail box was filled with post. Moreover, Victoria didn't smell any fresh scent nearby. Only dust.

After a short examination, she sat in a chair, holding the phone in her hand. That's why Victoria was there. Apart from Laurent, she didn't have a permanent phone number. It was much easier for Victoria to make calls from empty houses.

"Hey, honey," Laurent seemed to be pleased. "I was waiting for your call."

"Do you have any news?" she asked. Victoria stood up and began waltzing around the room.

"Not that much. But I have something you'd like to hear."

"What did you find out?"

Victoria was staring at family's photos. Stupid tasty people…

"Well, you were right," Laurent laughed. "I have to admit that I was wrong about you. I didn't believe that you would be right about Chicago…"

"The Cullen boy and his human are going to be there?" she asked hungrily.

Actually, Victoria couldn't know it for sure, but her instincts were really good. Laurent got all the information she needed. Victoria knew everything about the Cullens now, and, especially, Edward. The boy appeared to be so introspective, so full of doubt, so connected to the past. He was constantly glancing back. After finding it out, Victoria guessed he would return in Chicago one day. But Edward couldn't do this alone…

"He's planning that," Laurent said. "His crazy sister watches it in her visions."

Victoria put smile on her face. She had been planning that for the last seven years, and her plan began turning into reality. Edward was so weak. He worried about his Bella too much, and that was his big mistake. That road café was the only place where his tiny human could eat and refresh herself before going to Chicago. Victoria knew he would stop there. Edward was an overprotective boyfriend. His obsession saved Bella then, in Phoenix, but it also killed James…

Victoria clenched her teeth.

"If you want to save your ass, I recommend you stay away from Chicago," she advised to Laurent. "I hope you're not afraid to leave Irina. I don't think she'll dally with you after all what you've done for me."

Laurent laughed again. He appeared to be much better friend that Victoria ever thought.

"I don't regret anything. The Cullens made this decade very funny."

Victoria was going to finish the conversation, when Laurent added:

"Can I ask you a question?"

She didn't answer, but didn't hang up, so Laurent considered that as "yes".

"How do you plan to deal the problem with the Cullens? Their coven is too big."

Victoria smiled. She didn't need to get her hands dirty - she had the Volturi for that. Victoria left their phone number to Daniel, the café owner, and he would phone them after seeing the girl. All what she needed to do was to bring trouble, big enough to make the Volturi come to America.

And Victoria had planned that too.

It was the hunt, and the deer was getting closer to the trap.