I'll keep this short and sweet so we can get to the good stuff, I just wanted to say thank you to the people who commented on the last chapter. Remember you are always free to drop me a review and let me know what you liked or didn't, or if you have a question - I make a point of responding to each of my reviews as I see them.
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Wherever you choose to read, I hope you enjoy!
Glitter x
Chapter 15: The Cullens
Muted morning light coming in through my curtains woke me as usual in the morning. It was a groggy, unfocused kind of waking up, the sort that happens after the deepest sleep, where you should feel rested but end up more tired than when you started. I was aware enough to know I had no school to get to today, so I rolled over and pulled the cover over my head, hoping to drop back off if I just stayed here with my eyes shut. And yet, something niggled at the back of my mind… something I was forgetting… had I had another weird dream that was still trying to make itself known?
Then I remembered everything that had happened yesterday – the meadow, the kiss, the dinner, and the conversation in the dark. I sat up like a jack-in-the-box, throwing off the covers and blinking into the clouded sunshine.
"That's a new look," an amused voice said from the corner, where Edward sat in my rocking chair, a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. "I like it though."
"Edward! You stayed!" I scrabbled out of my bed and practically leaped into his lap without thinking about the consequences. Almost instantly I was both wary and self-conscious, at once afraid that I might have crossed one of his carefully defined lines and embarrassed by how hopeless I was over him.
"Of course," he chuckled, seemingly pleased, at least for the moment. His arms wrapped around me tightly, and our position from last night was reversed as I put my head on his shoulder and he rested his cheek against my hair. "You asked me to, after all. It would have been churlish to refuse."
"Definitely," I agreed. "Did Charlie and Beau get up yet?" I hadn't even looked at the clock to check the time, too eager to get to him. At some point I was really going to have to organise my priorities a bit better.
"Charlie left an hour ago – after reattaching the battery cables on the truck. I must say, it's a little presumptuous of him to think that's all it would take to stop you leaving."
I hummed, quite content to stay where I was right now. "As if I could sneak out in that thing anyway. It's not exactly quiet. A very poor choice for a stealthy escape."
"Exactly," he agreed. "As for your brother, he's in the bathroom. And Edythe went home to get her car so we can all drive over to our house in a little while."
"Oh, right. Meeting your family." Butterflies went wild in my stomach.
Something – probably my racing heart – tipped him off to my nervousness. "Really, Bella, it isn't a big deal. I survived, didn't I?"
"Yes, but you're you," I pointed out. "You're effortlessly impressive, I have to work at it."
He laughed. "I'm impressive, am I?"
I rolled my eyes. "Endlessly. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and chase my brother out of the bathroom so I can fix all this." I gestured vaguely at my bed-headed state.
Much to my surprise, Edward actually pouted. "But I said I liked it."
"Well, I don't," I shot back. "Besides, I'm sure you can smell the morning breath much better than I can. I don't feel properly human until I've brushed my teeth."
"Alright," he said, giving a very long-suffering sigh. "Go on and have a human minute. I'll wait here."
It only took two bangs on the door before Beau stuck his head out, a towel around his waist and his own toothbrush hanging out of his mouth.
"Move," I ordered, pushing past him before he had a chance to respond. I tried to muscle him out of the room and shut the door on him, but he held it open and squeezed back in with me, hip-checking me so we could both stand by the sink together.
"This is why we had to build my room," he commented after spitting his toothpaste into the bowl. "You don't know how to share space."
"You were the one leaving your dolls all over the floor."
"Action figures!"
"Same difference."
Beau flicked his wet hair in my face, ignoring my protests as he finally left the room.
"Edward, control your woman!" he called as he made his way back downstairs.
"Couldn't if I tried," came the laughing response from my bedroom.
"Boys," I muttered to myself as I started taming my tangled hair. Once it was smooth and my teeth were sparkling, I hurried back to my room.
"Honestly, I'm going to kill him one of these days," I told Edward, settling happily back into his lap.
"Oh, you love each other really," he teased, supremely confident.
"Unfortunately," I sighed, putting my head back on his shoulder. We sat there for a minute, rocking softly back and forth, until I noticed that the fabric my head rested on was not the beige sweater from yesterday, or even the white shirt, but a pale blue t-shirt instead.
"You left," I stated, hoping he could hear the hurt in my tone, touching the edge of the fabric at his neck gently.
He took hold of my hand and kissed my fingertips apologetically. "Only for appearances' sake. We don't need one of your neighbours telling Charlie they saw me leave in the same clothes I had on yesterday." Then his eyes turned mischievous. "Besides, I'd already heard the performance."
"Oh no," I moaned, trying to bury my head but stymied by him taking hold of my chin gently. "What did I say this time?"
Now his smile was soft, his expression a little wondering. "You said you loved me."
I felt my cheeks go pink. "You had to know that already." How could he not, with how obvious I'd been making it?
"It's still nice to hear you say it, even if only unconsciously."
Well, I could do better than that. I locked my eyes on his as I whispered, "I love you."
"You are my life now," he answered simply, putting his forehead against mine and then leaning in slowly – so slowly – to give me a kiss. I was careful to stay very still, even as I enjoyed the delicious warm feeling that his touch set off in the pit of my stomach. I was unreasonably proud of myself when he pulled back without my having attacked him again.
"That went better than last time," I commented, pleased that my voice didn't shake.
"You're learning," he deadpanned. "And so am I, I hope. Breakfast time."
It was too easy; I clutched my neck with both hands and sat back in his lap, staring at him with my best startled-rabbit expression, wide-eyed and terrified. His eyes popped wide too, shocked, and he immediately started shaking his head.
"I'm kidding!" I assured him, catching hold of his hands quickly and rubbing my thumb across his knuckles. "Maybe my acting is better than you thought."
"That wasn't funny, Bella," he said, frowning sternly. "Let me be clear – breakfast time for humans. Beau is nearly dressed."
"Fine," I relented. "And it was very funny."
Before I could get a good look at his eyes and gauge whether I was really forgiven, I suddenly found myself upside down, held over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Hey!" I protested. "Put me down!"
He ignored me, striding out of my room and down the stairs as if my weight was nothing at all. As we passed through the hallway, the front door opened and Edythe appeared, also in fresh clothes and swinging her car keys deftly around one delicate white finger.
"Edythe, help!" I called, reaching out to her, too desperate for anything to get me out of this position to be embarrassed about her seeing me in it in the first place.
"What are you doing, brother?" she asked, a little too amused for my liking.
Edward was calm and assured as he replied. "Just bringing her down for some food, sister. They do need to eat, don't they?"
He set me gently into a chair at the table and I glared, putting my hands on my hips. I was sure I looked a state, my freshly brushed hair no doubt turned back into a mess by his antics, and certainly not a patch on Edythe in her pristine green button-up blouse and black skirt as I sat there still in my tatty pyjamas.
"I am perfectly capable of walking down the stairs by myself," I pointed out.
"But wasn't that more fun?" Edward teased.
"What did I miss?" Beau piped up, appearing in the kitchen entryway already dressed in jeans and a green checked flannel over a black t-shirt.
Edythe stepped into his arms and kissed his chin. "Our siblings are being adorable again. It's mildly nauseating."
"Pot, kettle, black," Edward commented dryly. Edythe just stuck her tongue out at him.
I couldn't help smiling, the playful banter chasing away my dark mood at last. Plus, I thought I had an idea to turn the tables on Edward.
"Well, since you're being so helpful," I told him, crossing my arms and legs, and sitting back more comfortably in the chair. "What are you getting me for breakfast?"
Finally, I'd found something that threw him off; he looked around the room, clearly lost as to where to even start. Edythe was hiding a smile behind her hand and Beau openly smirked. The pair of them just raised their eyebrows at Edward when he turned to them for help, and I couldn't help feeling a bit triumphant – time for Mr Perfect to feel out of his depth for once.
He turned back to me, his forehead creased into a frown. "Um, what would you like?"
I'd had my fun, and I couldn't stand to torture him anymore. "It's alright, I can manage. Come on, Beau, let's show them how we hunt."
My brother was grinning as we moved into our usual well-oiled breakfast routine; he whispered a soft, "Nice one," in my ear as he moved round me to get the bowls from the top shelf. I winked at him as I passed over the cereal, then went to the fridge for milk while he poured out the bowls. I could feel Edward's eyes on me, just like last night when we were cooking, carefully tracing each movement as I poured out milk and returned the bottle to the fridge. Beau had grabbed spoons and scooped the full bowls off the counter as he moved back to the table, setting one in front of each of our place settings; he passed me a spoon as I sat down and held his up with an arched eyebrow.
"Remember this one?"
I rolled my eyes but indulged him, tapping my spoon against his like we used to when we were little. Then we both took our first bite in unison; it was a little awkward since Beau insisted on using his left hand to keep up the mirror-image effect and he wasn't quite ambidextrous enough to pull it off. He ended up elbowing me in the bicep, so I made a disgruntled noise and bumped him back – unfortunately not before he'd switched the spoon to his other hand.
Edythe giggled at our antics, and I was suddenly painfully aware that the Cullen siblings were sat across from us with nothing to do but watch us eat.
"Can I get you anything?" I asked, knowing what the answer would be but feeling rude not to at least offer.
Edward rolled his eyes at me. "Just eat, Bella. Once you're finished and dressed, we'll be ready to go."
"There's no rush," Edythe added, probably in response to the panicked look in my eye as I realised that I was holding up the whole day's plans. "We aren't on a schedule or anything. Although Alice was practically bouncing off the walls when I stopped in to get the car."
Edward rolled his eyes and shook his head in exasperation. "Still? She was talking Jasper's ear off when I went home too."
"You can't blame her for being excited, Edward, she's just looking forward to having a new friend, especially a girl."
"She has three sisters, she's hardly starved for female companionship."
Edythe gave her brother a look that clearly said she thought he was being an idiot. "Sisters don't count."
"They really don't," Beau piped up around half a mouthful of food. "They're terrible friends."
I hit him on the head with my spoon.
"See what I mean?"
"Shut up, you love me," I shot back, taking another bite of cereal so I wouldn't be tempted to whack him again. "Besides, mild abuse is my sisterly prerogative."
One brown eyebrow raised quizzically. "I truly can't imagine why."
I gave him a look. "Because after sharing a confined space for 8 months, which I'm still convinced you took up most of, by the way, you owe me."
He leaned away from me in exaggerated shock, hand to his chest. "Still?"
"Forever."
Edythe and Edward watched this entire exchange with amusement, but I didn't think I was imagining the slight downturn at the corner of Edward's eyes when I said, 'forever'. I filed the observation away as a question for later, not wanting to spoil the mood with heavy talk.
Despite Edythe's reassurance, I did finish my breakfast quickly and left Beau to sort out the dishes while I went upstairs to change. Knowing that Alice was excited to see me had helped calm my nerves a little, but Rosalie's hateful glare refused to be forgotten. Then there were the completely unknown quantities to consider. Eleanor apparently took a more sympathetic view of the whole thing, but I hadn't actually seen anything that could tell me how she felt either way. Ditto Jasper; he had yet to approve or disapprove, at least to my knowledge. Edward had said they'd got in a tiff over the van incident, but he'd made it sound like that was all about his recklessness and the potential exposure – would that colour the view that his brother, or anyone else, would take of me? Could the power I apparently held to ruin them all in a moment, just by saying the wrong thing to the wrong person, really make him dislike me without even speaking to me? Not to mention his parents, beautiful Dr Cullen, and her as-yet-unseen husband, who was keen to meet me according to Edythe, but who had to have reservations about his son being with someone like me. I had lost my chance to make a good first impression on Carine – she'd seen my x-rays, for crying out loud – but I felt like I could salvage something if I could at least look presentable for this official first meeting. So, what was appropriate for going to the house of your vampire sweetheart to meet his vampire family?
In the end, I took my cue from Edythe and went for a skirt and blouse combo. Unfortunately, I only owned one skirt, a long khaki number that was still fairly casual, but once it was paired with my favourite blue shirt, I thought it had a little refinement to it. On a whim, I added the necklace I'd bought on the Port Angeles shopping trip; I'd been right about it matching the blouse perfectly. All the tipping upside-down and right-side-up again had left my hair a complete lost cause, so I just yanked my brush through it once more and swept it back into a low ponytail.
"Ready!" I called as I bounced back down the stairs.
Edward was waiting at the bottom, closer than I'd expected, so that I actually missed the last step when he caught me mid-air, holding me against him securely. Whether it was the sudden closeness or the weightless sensation of having my feet off the ground, I couldn't tell, but the room started spinning slightly.
"Beautiful," he murmured, a soft smile on his lips as he kissed me delicately on the forehead, then traced his nose down mine until he reached my mouth. This kiss went deeper than the other two; he must have been feeling more confident as he tilted his head to press closer and parted his lips slightly, breathing delicious cold air across the skin of my lower lip. It was heaven.
And then I felt my whole body go limp as spots of colour erupted behind my eyes.
"Bella!" Edward's voice sounded a bit like it was at the other end of a tunnel but was distinctly alarmed; though he'd already been holding me up, he couldn't fail to notice as I suddenly became a complete dead weight in his arms.
"What happened?" I heard Beau ask frantically, my eyelids fluttering dizzily and stubbornly refusing to open even as I tried.
"Is she alright?" Edythe chimed in.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," I insisted, finally forcing my eyes open. My head was still spinning, and I kept a tight hold on the fabric of Edward's shirt, though I was grateful that he at least put my feet back on the floor and that he didn't loosen his hold right away.
Edward's expression was quickly morphing from panic to exasperation. "We have got to figure this out, Bella. Yesterday I got attacked, today you pass out on me." He shifted to support my weight on one arm so he could touch my forehead. "Did you get sick?"
I shook my head, pleased that it no longer felt like it was going to fall off my neck. "No, I'm fine, really. I think you made me forget to breathe."
That made Beau start laughing. "Oh man, this is too good! So much for being good at everything, eh Edward?"
While her brother openly glared at mine, Edythe only gave him a mildly disapproving look. "Now, my love, don't tease. You've been known to forget a few vital bodily functions in the past. I'm sure I've made your heart stop before."
She ran her hand slowly from his hairline down the side of his face, on to his neck and down his chest. It was blatantly seductive, the sort of thing I would never be able to pull off, but somehow, I was sure it wasn't a fraction of the effect she could really have if she were actually trying to make him lose control; Beau was still grinning as he put a hand to his forehead and swooned dramatically. I was expecting him just to tip his head back a bit, so it caught me off guard when he threw his whole weight backwards. I cringed, ready for the thunk as his head hit the wooden floor of the hallway – or worse, the kitchen tile – but it never came. Instead, Edythe's shape blurred as she moved faster than I could follow, diving underneath him and taking his full weight on her slender arms before lowering him to lay across her lap on the floor.
"Would you stop doing that?" she griped. "Honestly, you're very lucky that it's physically impossible for me to have a heart attack."
"My hero!" he cried dramatically, ignoring her complaint, and pulling her in for a kiss. Her loose hair fell in a bronze curtain, hiding their faces, but I still heard her giggle and the wet sounds of their kisses from behind it.
Edward made a disgruntled noise and gently pushed my chin up; my jaw had dropped from seeing tiny little Edythe lifting my gigantic brother like he weighed nothing more than a feather pillow.
"We should stay here," Edward said decisively, still frowning darkly.
"I'm really fine," I insisted. "Besides, I've got all dressed up now, this is the best I've looked in weeks. No sense wasting it. Your family probably already thinks I'm completely insane, a little wooziness won't make a difference."
Edward looked like he still wanted to protest, but Edythe cut him off, rising elegantly to her feet and hauling Beau up along with her just as easily as she'd caught him before. "Yes, none of us understand how you can spend so much time with our dear brother and not be completely consumed with irritation. Come on, let's get going."
"I call shotgun!" Beau hollered obnoxiously and hurried out of the door, not even pausing to put on a jacket.
I shook my head at his retreating form. "He's such a child sometimes."
"Yes, but he does keep me young," Edythe sighed, an indulgent smile on her face as she hooked her arm into mine and pulled me away from Edward; he trailed behind us looking perturbed.
"Oh, wait," I said as the door shut behind us. "Let me lock up."
"I've got it," Edward assured me.
"Okay, the key's-"
"Under the eave, I know." He reached up without hesitation to pull down the key and slide it into the lock, securing the bolt before returning the key to its home. I decided it was best not to try and pinpoint when he would have seen me use it in order to know where it was so precisely.
Despite claiming the front seat, Beau was waiting at the driver's side door when we got to the car. He opened the door once Edythe unlocked it and made a show if bowing her in, prompting another adoring smile from her in response. Edward opened the back door on the driver's side for me, and I found myself unexpectedly charmed by the old-fashioned gesture. I caught Edythe's eye in the rear-view mirror as I slid into my seat; she winked, and I smiled bashfully back. Once both the boys were settled on the passenger side and both the humans had seatbelts fastened – the vampires didn't bother with them – Edythe started the engine, and we were off.
It was only once we were moving that I realised I had no idea where they lived. I'd never gone over whenever Beau had spent time there; even when I'd started to get more friendly with Edythe, she'd always come to our house to hang out, and hadn't ever invited me over. I realised now that this was probably intentional – clearly, it took a lot for the Cullens to let anyone in, and casual visits from humans not in the know were probably discouraged.
We left Forks proper, crossed the bridge over the Calawah, and followed a winding road north further and further out of town. The houses we passed got bigger and further apart, until at last there weren't any at all, just walls of green trees zipping past as Edythe drove. She kept to something resembling a reasonable speed, despite Beau's claims that she was a maniac behind the wheel. No one was really talking much, but it was a contented quiet. Beau hummed along to the radio that was on low – not singing today, thank goodness. Although he wasn't buckled in, Edward stayed on the far side of the back seat, but he had reached out to clasp my hand on the seat between us. I mainly watched the scenery, yet every time I turned to glance at him, he was always watching me. I was feeling less self-conscious under his scrutiny, but I still turned pink several times and prayed that my cheeks would behave themselves when we got to the house.
Eventually Edythe took a sharp, almost invisible turn onto an unmarked side track. The road surface was rough dirt, and the trees loomed over us on both sides, ferns packed in around the base of their trunks, making it hard to see what was ahead around the many tight bends. The relative calm I'd managed to settle into when we were joking around at home evaporated, leaving the nerves to come back full force and fill my whole awareness. I could feel my shoulders tensing and smoothed my skirt anxiously with my free hand. Edward registered my mood change almost immediately.
"Remind me," he murmured, leaning in for as much privacy as could be expected within the confines of a four-door sedan. "You're afraid, not because you're heading into a house full of vampires, but because you think that those vampires won't approve of you, correct?"
"That's right," I agreed. "I know you think I'm being stupid but..."
He was shaking his head before I could finish the thought. "No, I think it's very brave. I'm not sure I would feel the same were our roles reversed."
I snorted. "I don't feel brave."
"You are," he insisted. "Believe me, any other girl would have run away screaming by now. Part of me is waiting for you to do just that, but every time I think you might, when I'm sure something you hear or see will be too much, you just accept it so calmly and move on to the next thing. You're incredible, Bella."
I scoffed at that, which made him frown in a way I didn't like at all. Thankfully, Beau saved us by making an exaggerated gagging noise. The frown turned into a thoroughly unimpressed look directed towards the back of his head.
"I would remind you, Beau," he said in a low tone, outwardly bland but subtly threatening, "that I have been privy to everything you have thought about my sister for the last two years. You are in no position to comment on how I speak to yours."
"Boys, behave," Edythe chided gently, laying a hand on Beau's arm as he twisted in his seat, a militant look on his face like he might actually be planning to argue with Edward. "We're here."
Indeed, the woods had thinned out, and we were entering what appeared at first to be a large clearing. Unlike the meadow yesterday, there was no sudden bright blaze of light; for one thing, today was too overcast, and for another, there were six enormous ancient cedars edging the space, their branches spreading wide and shading every inch, right up to the walls of the house that nestled amongst them. It was nothing like what I'd expected – certainly not the grand brick mansion I vaguely remembered dreaming about the other night. It was clearly old and yet had a timeless quality, three stories tall and painted all white, with period windows and doors that were either original or very good restorations. There was a deep porch wrapping around the whole front of the house, though the shade from the trees made it completely obsolete as far as I could tell. There was no clear driveway or other parking area, and Edward's Volvo was nowhere in sight, but Edythe didn't seem to have any problem pulling up and coming to a stop in front of the porch steps. When the engine noise faded, I could hear the sound of the river rushing somewhere beyond the trees.
"Wow," I breathed.
"I know, right?" Beau said, his customary grin firmly in place, all disagreements apparently forgotten.
Edward had left his seat without me noticing; I just saw the blur of motion in the corner of my eye as he zipped around the car to open my door for me.
"Do you like it?" he asked, thankfully also smiling once more as he held out a hand to help me out.
"It's... not what I pictured," I said honestly. "But it's lovely."
The nerves were definitely back now; I combed my fingers through my ponytail, fidgeting with it as I tried to decide if it looked better pulled forward or hanging behind me.
Edward made the decision for me, reaching out to brush my hair back over my shoulder and gently tweaking the end. "You look fine."
That got him a raised eyebrow and a probably very panicked look. "Fine?"
"You're right, entirely the wrong adjective," he agreed, then leaned in so his eyes burned into mine and my heart went haywire. "You look perfect, Bella. Come on."
He pulled gently on my hand and with the state I was in, I was powerless to resist. That had probably been his plan, I thought as my head cleared a little. Beau and Edythe were out of the car but hung back to let us go first across the last little bit of lawn, up the porch steps and to the door. Edward opened it and led the way in; on instinct, I stepped up a bit closer behind him and took hold of his forearm with my other hand. He must have felt my nerves and started rubbing soothing circles into the back of my hand with his thumb.
The inside of the house was even more surprising than the exterior. The ground floor seemed to be almost entirely one large living space, with high ceilings, several wide couches and two comfortable-looking armchairs. The far wall of the room was a giant window, though comprised of several panes of glass, which gave a view down another massive lawn to the wide river, flowing smoothly at the edge of the denser trees. It was clearly designed to let in as much of the limited light as possible; even on this dull day the room was very bright, helped by the fact that everything, from carpet to ceiling to furniture, was decorated in shades of crisp white. A huge staircase dominated the west wall, and off to the side of the door was a small dais bearing a white grand piano and a music stand with a violin hanging from a special bracket mounted to the side, the dark teak of the wood standing out as the only note of colour in the room.
Also on the platform stood Dr and Mr Cullen. Of course, I recognised the doctor, but somewhere in the months since our last meeting I'd forgotten just how young she looked, and how stunningly beautiful she was. Earnest, the only one I had never met before, was about a head taller than her, maybe an inch or so shorter than Edward, with the same stunning good looks as all the others. Something about the shape of his face and the way his short caramel hair was styled that made me think of Old Hollywood leading men; he looked like he should be starring as some billionaire heartthrob opposite Marilyn Monroe, or twirling Ginger Rogers around a dancefloor. Instead, he was smiling kindly at me, his hands folded loosely behind his back. They both were dressed in casual, light coloured clothes, blending in with the house. Neither of them moved to approach as we came in, probably trying not to scare me.
"Carine, Earnest, this is Bella," Edward said, gently pulling me further forward. His calming presence was starting to settle the butterflies in my stomach.
"Welcome to our home, Bella," Carine said, approaching slowly and carefully. She put her hand out to shake, a gentle invitation, not a demand, but I found I had no hesitation stepping slightly away from Edward to take it.
"Good to see you again, Dr Cullen."
"Oh, call me Carine, please. We aren't formal here."
As if to prove her point, Beau stepped up with his hand out for a high five. "What's up, Doc?"
Carine chuckled and slapped his palm lightly. "Nice to see you too, Beau."
Earnest approached then and took his turn to shake my hand; I was pleased to find that I wasn't shocked by the cold of it.
"It is so wonderful to finally meet you, my dear. I must say, I feel almost as if I know you already, after all I've heard."
"Thank you, I'm glad to meet you too." And I really was. The nerves had completely gone as I felt embraced by the warmth of this house and family. It probably helped that Beau was clearly so comfortable here; he'd flopped down on one of the couches beside Edythe just as readily as he did at home. Even when we were growing up, I had often taken my social cues from Beau – people he liked were usually tolerable, while those he didn't were best avoided. That rule had got me through many a summer playground trip, and it seemed to be serving me well so far here too.
I looked back at Edward, wanting to gauge his feelings. He saw me looking, of course, and squeezed my hand, giving a small but genuine smile.
"Where are Alice and Jasper?" he asked, which was either excellent timing or some kind of cue, because they appeared at the top of the stairs as soon as the question was out of his mouth.
"You're finally here!" Alice cried excitedly, dancing down the stairs not quite fast enough to blur but very close, entirely ignoring the warning looks she got from her parents as she practically skidded to a stop in front of me. Even after all the talk about how excited she was to have a new female friend, I was still a little startled when she stepped in, barely pausing, to give me a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. Carine and Earnest looked just as surprised, and I felt Edward's hand go rigid in mine. Still, I couldn't help smiling just a little – here was one person, at least, who unquestionably approved of me.
Her head tilted slightly as she pulled back, a curious expression on her face. "You do smell nice, I never really noticed before."
"Um, thank you?" I said awkwardly, not entirely sure if that was the right response.
Beau tittered, and then all at once the weird atmosphere evaporated as Jasper came closer at a far more sedate pace than his partner. I caught Edward raising an eyebrow at him, but his tall, lithe brother didn't seem to acknowledge him. He kept a step back, not offering his hand, but it didn't make me feel odd or unsettled as such behaviour might have done if it were anyone else – of course, Jasper could control exactly how I felt about him. I had been struggling to imagine what the ability Edythe had described to me last week would actually be like in practice; apparently, the only way to understand was to experience it.
"Hello, Bella," Jasper greeted me, his voice soft and gentle.
"Hi, Jasper," I replied with a small smile, then, addressing the room at large, added, "This place is beautiful, by the way."
Earnest beamed. "Thank you. We're very glad that you've come."
I believed his words – hard not to when they were spoken with such sincere feeling – but I also couldn't ignore that Rosalie and Eleanor were still conspicuously absent. No one seemed to be making a big deal out of it, so I decided to ask later, if I found a chance. As I looked around the room for something else to say, partly hoping someone else would take up the conversational baton, my eyes were drawn again to the instruments raised up by the door. The piano in particular caught my attention. Renée had a piano back home, just a simple upright bought second-hand sometime before I could remember. She wasn't a virtuoso by any means but sitting there picking away at the keys clearly made her happy. It was one of the few pastimes she had consistently kept up all through my childhood, maybe because it settled her so much; teaching, even in kindergarten and the early grades, was a lot tougher than most people ever thought it was, in my admittedly limited and entirely observation-based experience, and after a tough day nothing relaxed my mom like half an hour at the piano. She'd tried to encourage my own musical talents, but they were sadly non-existent, and I don't think she was very surprised when I begged to quit my lessons. The big white grand was exactly the sort of instrument I'd dreamed about buying her when I was little. I had also always had a bit of a fascination with the violin, though I'd never seen one played in person. Something about the almost haunting sound it could produce made it one of my favourite things to listen to when I needed something calming.
Earnest noticed where my attention had strayed to.
"Do you play music, Bella?" he asked, gesturing to the instruments with one white hand.
I shook my head quickly. "Absolutely not. But the piano's beautiful. Is it yours?"
He chuckled. "No, that isn't mine. Didn't Edward tell you he's musical?"
I turned to Edward, who was looking down at my hand and seemed almost bashful. "No, he didn't mention it."
"Well, come along, play for her," Earnest insisted, moving behind Edward and gently pushing him toward the piano.
"Don't you always say showing off is rude?" Edythe piped up from the sofa.
"There are exceptions to every rule," he replied sagely.
Edward was looking at me as if for permission. "Only if you want to hear it."
"I'd love to hear you play," I assured him.
Apparently convinced, he towed me along as he crossed the floor to the piano, giving me room to sit beside him on the bench. There was no sheet music on the little lip inside the lid, making me wonder whether he could play from memory – probably, knowing him. His fingers flexed slightly, ran down the central keys once, and then were abruptly flying swiftly across the black and white stripes as the room began to fill with the most intricately woven piece of music I had ever heard. If I hadn't been watching, I almost wouldn't have believed that it was only one set of hands playing. I knew my expression must have been dumbfounded; I heard several people laughing, including my brother.
Edward looked sideways at me with an amused smile, his fingers never missing a beat, and gave me a wink. "What do you think?"
"Did you write this?"
He nodded. "It's Earnest's favourite piece. And it does have a duet part." The last was said just a touch louder and with a significant look over his shoulder at his sister.
Edythe rolled her eyes but stood and came over to join us; Beau was grinning, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees in anticipation. I wasn't sure at first what he meant by 'duet part' and was preparing to give up my seat in case Edythe needed to reach the piano keys as well, but instead she took up the violin, holding it securely between her chin and her shoulder, and raising the bow to join in as Edward reached the end of a phrase on the piano. It seemed impossible that the tune could get more complicated, yet the flowing tones of the violin wove into the composition perfectly, adding a whole extra level of beauty to an already mesmerising sound. Edythe's slender fingers danced across the strings just as quickly as her brother's moved on the ivory, the bow in her other hand sliding back and forth smoothly to tie almost every note to the one before it. Her eyes slid closed, an expression of bliss creeping seemingly unbidden onto her face. Edward was also smiling, and soon even the slight shifts of their bodies as they played seemed to fall into sync, turning the whole performance into a kind of dance. When I looked back at the rest of the room, Alice and Jasper had vanished, but Earnest stood holding Carine from behind, his head resting against hers as he watched Edward and Edythe play; she held his hands where they had settled on her stomach, their fingers woven together. Beau only had eyes for his girlfriend, and I could tell that as far as he was concerned, no one else was in the room anymore.
Piano and violin blended and danced, first one taking the lead, then the other, finally building to a crescendo and then softening into an ending full of quiet joy. Edythe ended the final draw of her bow with a slight flourish, and Edward built each note of the final chord one by one, leaving the sound slowly fading away into the air. I wanted to applaud but worried it would make me look silly; besides, the stillness in the wake of the music felt too precious to break.
"Beautiful, both of you," Carine said with a happy sigh. "I do so love to hear you play."
"Yes, it's been too long since you've made music together," Earnest agreed.
For some reason, the comment made Edward look almost guilty; he looked down at his hands, resting gently in his lap. Edythe lowered her instrument and switched the bow to her other hand, hooking it over one finger, then laid her now free hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly.
"We've both had other things on our mind," she said, kissing the top of his head. I couldn't help wondering what else she was saying that the rest of us couldn't hear. Whatever it was, it seemed to stave off the oncoming black mood; he raised one hand to squeeze her fingers gently, a crooked smile creeping back onto his face.
"Play her the new one, brother," she encouraged, returning the violin to its place on the stand and moving away.
I turned back to him, eager now to hear whatever he had in his repertoire. "What's the new one?"
"Just a little something I've been playing around with," he said with a self-deprecating shrug, but dutifully put his hands back to the keyboard and began to play again. This piece was softer, sweeter, and oddly familiar. After a moment, I realised that the melody was the lullaby he'd been humming to me last night, though of course the piano version had many more layers than his voice alone had been able to produce. My eyes drifted closed, this time just to better appreciate the beautiful blending of harmonies, but his next comment had them pinging back open in shock.
"You inspired this one."
There was nothing to say; even if I could form a thought, a lump had jumped into my throat that would have made it impossible to speak. The giggly, squealy girl in the back of my head had returned. He wrote a song for me!
"You've definitely passed inspection, by the way," he commented casually, eyes focused on the piano keys, perhaps sensing that I needed a moment to compose myself. "They all like you a lot. Earnest especially."
I looked back, but the room was empty now. "Where is everyone?"
"Oh, they're about. They're just trying to give us some privacy."
I sighed, unable to keep my mind from straying to those absent figures again. "I suppose you're right. But your other sisters…"
He shook his head firmly. "Don't worry about Rosalie, she'll get on board eventually. Eleanor's busy doing her best to calm Rose down, or she would have come to say hello too." He smirked. "She's dying to meet the little human who's apparently driven her brother insane."
He was trying to distract me from the point, but I wouldn't be deterred now. "Can you tell me exactly what I've done to upset Rosalie? I really don't want to get off on the wrong foot with her."
"You haven't done anything," he assured me, looking a little annoyed now.
"You said she was worried I would tell someone your secret," I insisted, unwilling to let go of the point now that I had finally summoned up the courage to talk about it properly. "How can I convince her I won't?"
"It's not really about that anymore."
"Then what?"
His sigh was deep and long-suffering, one of those times when all his years of experience were clear despite his youthful appearance. "Rose has always struggled the most with being… what we are. Truth be told, she's jealous."
"Jealous? Of me?" The idea was mind-boggling. Rosalie and I were practically on separate planets, we were so different. I couldn't believe there was anything about me that she could possibly be jealous of.
"Yes, you. And your brother."
"But why?"
"You're human. And she wishes that she still was too."
"Huh." I still didn't fully understand, but then I remembered him mentioning something similar before and saying it wasn't his story to tell. Besides, I had more pressing concerns at the moment. "What about Jasper? Has he come around yet, or is he still worried?"
Now Edward looked almost embarrassed; an odd expression, given how confident he usually was. "Ah, yes, well, that's a little bit my fault. Jasper is the newest to take on our... dietary preferences." He cringed a little, obviously still uncomfortable talking to me about his feeding habits. "He can have the most trouble maintaining his control, so I asked him to keep a bit of a distance, just in case. But really, he has no problem with you personally, and he's beginning to believe that Edythe and I were right to trust you with our secret. Really, after two years of Beau hanging around and nothing disastrous happening, both of us ought to have been a bit more charitable."
I understood what he wasn't saying – that out of all of them, Jasper was the most likely to snap and attack me – and shuddered just a little. But it was good to hear that he wasn't suspicious of me anymore.
"What about your parents?" I asked, hoping to take us away from the darker side of the family.
"They are very happy that I'm happy," he said simply, his expression morphing into a soft smile.
"They aren't bothered that I'm..." I wasn't quite sure how to finish the sentence. 'Human' was accurate but would definitely sound weird, and yet I was afraid 'all wrong' would upset him.
"Oh, they wouldn't care if you had a third eye and webbed feet," he chuckled. "Earnest especially. He would never judge or push, of course, but he's always been a little worried that I was too young when Carine changed me, that perhaps I wasn't able to love like the others. Seeing me finally show affection to someone, and having that affection returned... well, let's just say he's very appreciative of you."
"So, parental approval earned on both sides, then?"
He laughed. "Very much."
"Alice seems happy too."
"Well, as far as she's concerned, you're already best friends. She has a unique way of looking at things." The last part was said rather more darkly than I would have expected, and I couldn't help commenting.
"I want to ask what you mean, but I have a feeling it's one of those questions you're going to decide not to answer, right?"
"You would be correct in that assumption, yes."
"That isn't always going to work, you know," I warned him, Beau's encouragements to stand up for myself echoing in my memory. "You get a pass this weekend because I'm feeling nice."
"Thank you so much." His tone was sarcastic, but I was sure I saw a note of genuine relief that I wasn't pushing for answers flash in his eyes.
He was still playing the new song, my song, though it seemed to be coming to a close; the tone had shifted slightly, drifting from sweet and peaceful to a more melancholy mood. The final chord hung in the air, so sad and so beautiful that tears beaded in my eyes. Edward noticed before I could wipe them away, much to my embarrassment; he cupped my cheek and ran his thumb gently under my eye to catch the moisture as it fell.
"Don't cry," he whispered, frowning again. "Do you not like the song?"
"No, I love it," I assured him, dabbing at my other eye. "I just wish... well, the ending sounds so sad."
He nodded slowly, contemplatively, as he took my hand gently in his. "I want to change it. I just don't know what else it can be."
It was one of those times that I knew there was more to his words than he was saying, and this time I didn't want to dig deeper. I knew nothing good could come from delving down this particular rabbit hole, especially right now. The frown was still firmly in place – I'd decided I hated it with a passion. I pulled one of my hands free and reached up to press against it with my fingertips, trying to make the marble smooth again. I would never have been able to do it on my own, but my touch made his expression shift to one of surprise. His eyes were full of questions, but I didn't know exactly what to say to soothe him. So, moving slowly so he would have time to adjust, I leaned in and pressed my lips to his in the softest, most gentle kiss that I could. I held there for just a moment, then pulled away and curled into his chest; his arms came around me seemingly on instinct, his hold gentle but very much present.
"I love you," I whispered, because there didn't seem to be anything else to say. "I'm here, Edward."
His voice still held that ancient sadness as he replied. "For now."
I shook my head, sliding my arms around him and squeezing as tight as my meagre strength would allow. "Forever."
"Oh, Bella," he sighed, and I hated the pain that rang in his voice with two such simple words. "You have no idea what you're promising."
"Then tell me," I insisted. "You can't scare me off, Edward. I'm not going anywhere."
"I haven't been trying to scare you, not really. Not since I realised that I couldn't stand to be without you. But I still know it would be better for me to let you leave, to make you leave if I had to."
I pulled back, my own frown now firmly in place. "In what world would that be better? We both want to be together, why would we ever choose to be apart?"
"It might not always be our choice."
"I don't believe that. But even if you're right, doesn't that mean we should make the most of the time we do have, and not go looking for ways to make ourselves miserable?" I sighed heavily. "Where's Jasper when you need him?"
Edward smiled with absolutely no humour behind it. "He would probably tell you I'm a lost cause. Happiness and I are not very well acquainted, I'm afraid."
"Until now," I pointed out; perhaps with enough force of will, I could turn an assumption into the truth.
He did nod, slow and small, but still unmistakably there. "Until now, yes."
I squared my shoulders, feeling my jaw set into my most stubborn, determined expression, the one that always made Beau look a little bit scared because, in his words, "Anyone trying to argue with you when you're in that mood is in for the fight of their lives, and they're going to lose."
I was going to introduce Edward to happiness if it was the last thing I ever did. And woe betide anyone – even him – who tried to stop me.
"Would you like to see the rest of the house?" he offered, changing the subject abruptly.
I nodded. "Yes, please." And then, because there was still a shadow in his eyes and I had learned that macabre humour was the best way to get him laughing, I dropped my voice to a stage whisper and added. "Will you show me which closet all the skeletons are hidden in?"
No laugh, unfortunately, but I did get a wider smile. "Sorry, we threw those out in the last round of spring cleaning. Earnest is fastidious about the housekeeping."
"Darn. And you're sure you don't have any coffins lying about, just for the aesthetic?"
A quiet chuckle as he took my hand and pulled me up from the piano bench – progress! "Ellie's floated the idea a few times, actually. Rose always shoots her down."
I couldn't tell if he was bringing up Rosalie again on purpose, because somehow even the mention of her was still making me nervous. Trying to ignore the feeling, I changed the subject.
"There's so much light in here. I wasn't expecting that."
He shrugged. "This is our home. It's the one place we never have to hide, where we can always be ourselves."
I smiled. "That's good. Everyone should have a place like that."
We climbed the stairs together, where the white transitioned smoothly into pale gold wood panelling and floorboards, offset by a cream runner carpet down the centre of the hallway. As we walked along toward the next staircase up, Edward gestured to each door we passed, though all of them were indistinguishable honey-coloured wood; I was sure I would get lost if I tried to find my way around on my own.
"That one is Rosalie and Eleanor's room… Carine's office… Earnest's study… Alice and Jasper's room…"
He was ready to lead me on up the stairs to the next floor, but I had stopped to stare at perhaps the most unexpected item in this whole thoroughly unpredictable house – so far, at least. A dark wooden cross, maybe four feet tall and two feet wide, hung on the wall at the end of the hallway. My eyebrows shot up practically to my hairline and I finally managed to make Edward laugh properly as he turned back in confusion and saw my expression.
"Yes, yes, I know. Not at all the decoration most people would associate with a vampire house."
"I know you said that religious stuff doesn't bother you," I said, remembering our conversation about all the myths that humans had made up about his kind – or that had been made up for us. "But yeah, I wasn't really expecting to see that in here. Why do you have it?"
He shrugged. "It's a family heirloom, of sorts. It belonged to Carine's father."
"It looks very old," I commented, wondering whether it was as smooth and silky as it looked but afraid to touch it.
"About the early sixteen-thirties, best that we can tell. It's a little difficult to date it exactly."
"Please tell me Carine's father collected antiques."
Finally, true amusement returned to his eyes as he chuckled. "No, he made it for the church where he preached."
He was watching me expectantly, clearly anticipating my reaction; he claimed that he didn't want to frighten me, but he did seem to enjoy shocking me from time to time. For my part, I was struggling to fully grasp the concept of that much time. The sixteen-thirties would have been something like three hundred and seventy years ago, and yet even though he'd called it an heirloom, it was only one generation removed from Edward's mother. Maybe not even that much – perhaps Carine's father had made this after she was born. The idea that so many years could still be only one lifetime was mindboggling.
I almost didn't want to know, but I had to ask. "How old is Carine?"
"Three hundred and sixty-two. At least, that's what she's been able to count, assuming she started from the right age. People didn't track time quite as well when she was human. But she grew up in England, on the edge of London, around the time of their Civil War, and she dimly remembers Cromwell coming to power. Do you know much about that part of history?"
It was a question that could have sounded condescending but somehow didn't. As it happened, I had taken a World History class last year that covered the English Civil War, but I couldn't remember all of it; Literature and sometimes Science were always my best subjects, and while I didn't hate History like I did Math, I didn't always find it very interesting.
"I know they cut off the king's head," I told him. "And the puritans were a big part of it, I think. That's about it, sorry."
Edward shook his head. "That's alright, you don't have to understand all the politics. None of that part really touched Carine's life. She wasn't destitute, but she was hardly upper class either. Her father was an Anglican pastor for an insignificant parish in the city. Her mother died giving birth to her, so her father raised her by himself, and he had some very decided views about the world that made him difficult to live with. He believed that the devil walked abroad in the world, recruiting innocents to be his servants, making them witches, werewolves… and vampires."
Still, that word made me flinch just the tiniest bit. It almost made the story sound less real, even though I knew that he was being completely honest about the monsters in the story.
"Old Pastor Cullen was very determined to drive such creatures out wherever he found them," Edward went on, his eyes on the cross, speaking very much like a teacher giving a lecture. "And he wasn't entirely wrong – there were a few of them around. But they were far too smart to ever be caught by him, so they ended up burning a lot of people who hadn't done anything more than act oddly or perhaps upset one of their neighbours. Carine didn't necessarily believe in the same things as her father, even having been brought up with it. I suppose you could say she was ahead of her time, being fairly well educated and outspoken, and trying to convince her father to look for real evidence of a crime before he laid down his punishment. For all his strictness with her upbringing, he did love her and tried to keep her from expressing her views too openly, lest she be accused of sympathising or worse, guilt by association.
"Eventually, some of his persistence paid off, and he found a coven of real vampires living in the sewers below the city, coming out to hunt at night." He scrunched up his nose in disgust. "I can't imagine it was a pleasant way to live, but in the days when humanity still had some belief in our existence, in was the only way that many could survive and keep secret. Carine begged him to be careful, to not attack too hastily, and to his credit he did try. He made sure he was certain of where they were and their potential escape routes before he called in the mob with their pitchforks and torches. They'd found two exits, so they put hot tar down one in the hope of driving the monsters out through the other. Of course, human strength and human weapons would have been no match for vampires, but they weren't to know that, and they had faith that God would protect them."
Despite knowing that this couldn't have ended well, I was still enthralled. This was clearly a story he knew well, and he was very good at telling it, although I couldn't think when he would have done so before. Something had slowed him down though; he was gazing into the middle distance with a contemplative look on his face.
"What happened?" I asked when the pause got uncomfortably long.
He blinked once before refocusing his attention on me and starting up again. "Nothing, much to their disappointment. They reasoned that there must have been another way out or a more extensive tunnel system than they realised. The pastor was frustrated at having got so close only for the monsters to slip away with no clues for him to follow to find them again. But he needn't have worried, because one of them found him instead."
A little gasp escaped my lips, and Edward gently pulled me in to put his arm around me, squeezing the hand he was holding reassuringly.
"We don't always remember our human lives very well, but there are some things that you just can't forget. Carine remembers very clearly when her father came home in the small hours of the morning, ranting furiously about losing the trail. She had been worried about him and stayed up to wait for him to get back, and she was trying to calm him down when suddenly, they weren't alone. She remembers a beautiful man dressed like a beggar appearing as if out of nowhere in the middle of their one-room house. He spoke in Latin, which they both understood because it was the language most Bibles were still written in back then. He called her father foolish and said he would pay for what he had tried to do to them. The pastor moved to stand between him and Carine, trying to protect her and inadvertently revealing what was most important to him, giving the vampire the most effective way to hurt him. If he'd stayed put and not been so noble, all our lives might have been very different."
I followed what he meant. "He was the one that changed Carine?"
Edward nodded, but as he went on, there was a guardedness to his words, like he was choosing them very carefully, editing like he'd accused me of doing yesterday. "He told Pastor Cullen that what he most loved would become what he most hated. He made sure that it was clear what would happen to her, then killed him slowly while she watched, unable to do anything to make it stop, too caught up in her change. It's… a very painful process, and long, even when done right. And that vampire wasn't interested in doing it right. He abandoned Carine in the house with her father's dead body, uncaring what their neighbours would do if they found her. But Carine knew. She knew anything that the demon had touched would be destroyed, and in her agony, her only thought was to try to save her own life. Somehow she found the strength to drag herself down into the root cellar and hide herself there for three days, miraculously keeping quiet enough not to be found, even when people were moving around the house, carrying her father out and looking for any sign of what had happened to her.
"Initially she didn't really understand what was going on, and for a while she believed it was just a much slower way to die. But, once it was over, she quickly realised what had actually happened, what she had become."
Something in my face made him stop again; I couldn't say what, too caught up in the story to control my reactions to it.
"Are you alright?" he asked softly, starting up the soothing circles with his thumb again.
"I'm okay," I assured him. "It's a lot to take in, but I think I'm following. What did Carine do?"
He smiled at my curiosity and started to lead me back down the hall. "Come on. Let's go see if she'll tell you."