AN- Those reviews are still coming a bit slower than I'd like, but some are better than none guys! Here's a longer-ish chapter for you guys, to make up for the last short-ish one. And I promise a BellaxEdward chapter next!
CHAPTER FIVE - MY GUARDIAN
I'll be there for you through it all, even if saving you sends me to heaven.
Your Guardian Angel, by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
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We had eventually gotten the family together for a meeting. Rosalie wasn't pleased, and scoffed at everything that was said. But I could tell from the look on Edward's face that her thoughts were much gentler. I chuckled at the thought.
All that we had been able to figure out was that the werewolves had thought that I was Bella. Though I wasn't, Carlisle made it very clear that we had broken the treaty, and that as soon as the wolves found out we were all pretty much in deep.
After a while I was tired of hearing some options repeated over and over, and decided to try to get some answers out of Edward.
So, Edward. I have a question for you. I thought. His expression held no change, so I kept thinking the phrase over and over until he raised an eyebrow at no one in particular.
Okay. So Bella's story is that Jacob showed up, and she got away while you were distracted. But I know you. That conversation had to be something pretty bad for you to miss Bella like that. Would you like to share with the class?
He visually tensed as I mentioned Jacob, and then started to fidget uncomfortably. I saw Bella next to me look between us in confusion, and I had to let out a chuckle.
Okay, brother. Any day now would be lovely.
"Shut it Ang." He mouthed, too low for Bella or the other vampires, deep in conversation. I raised the volume in to my ears, and tested trying to only tune it to Edward. To my surprise, his voice was raised while the conversation on the other side of the room was still only a mumble in my ear. But here was an edge to Edward's voice, a sort of frantic desperation I hadn't failed to miss. My eyebrows pulled into a worried line over my crimson eyes as I watched Edward. Then he suddenly turned toward me, his tawny eyes filled with pity.
"It was pretty bad." He told me, again using the voice that wouldn't carry over to the others.
Will you tell me? Edward cringed, and I looked over to Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Esme, and Carlisle. I wondered if we were really as quiet as I thought we were being, but it looked as if no one had heard.
But just as I was about to look back at Edward, Jasper's head snapped up and his face turned to an expression of pain. I looked between Edward and Jasper- they both now had the frantic and wild look in their eyes, their faces mirroring the other's pain. Were Edward's emotions really that strong?
I reached over Bella to grasp his shoulder, but that seemed to throw him into a deeper current of dispair.
Edward! What is i-
My own thought was cut off as there was a sharp gasp and Jasper slumped to the floor, writhing in pain. Alice let out a cry and kneeled down beside him, as everyone's faces turned to one of shock.
"No! Stop, stop it!" Jasper was crying, coughing up dry sobs. I looked at Edward, and he shared a glance with me before realizing what he had to do. A calm rippled over him as he found Jasper's thoughts, then he was gasping in pain too. "He's having an emotional breakdown, so to say. I need everyone incapable of restraining their emotions to leave the near vicinity." He told us calmly, looking at Alice.
She looked up to her brother's face. "Me? I'm not leaving him in pain." She declared, setting her jaw.
"I'm afraid he has a point, Alice." I said quietly, then I got an idea.
Edward, do you think I could tune down my emotions? I asked him.
"Brilliant! Try it Angela." He told me, frowning slightly as Alice still refused to leave. He was just starting to reason with her as I tuned down my hearing for a moment, then focused on keeping calm. Then I tried remembering emotions, allowing them to come in turn and envelope me, then sending them off as I did so.
Once I had gotten that down, I again imagined the volume knob in my head and turned it down in my head.
I came back to the scene at hand, a new peace about me. I felt oddly dead in some way (even more dead than a vampire), like I'd lost my spark, and I looked down at Jasper. He was still in pain, but I didn't start as I gazed at his writhing frame. It would have disgusted me to see him like this and not react, if I had emotion.
Jasper started to calm, looking up at me with hope in his eyes. I kneeled beside him, and he curled up against me, clinging to the lack of conscience I had.
I patted his back calmly, knowing that I probably looked like a zombie, attempting to comfort him without being able to feel compassion.
Somewhere in my mind, I registered that we were the only three in the house. I looked to Edward. He had done a good job in getting calm, but I could still see the more complex emotions in his eyes.
"What should I do?" I asked, my voice an even monotone.
Edward watched me. "Could you maybe vent your power out to him, and turn down his emotions?" He asked slowly, watching me curiously. I shrugged, and picked up Jasper lightly, sitting on the couch and setting him in my lap, since he was still clinging to me. I had no idea how to go about this, and I was somewhat aware of Edward in my thoughts.
I tried first to breathing in rythym to Jasper, matching his slowing breaths. Once I had gotten it down, I leaned my head against his and held him close to me. I tried to imagine how his mind worked, and then suddenly a wave of ghastly pain and despair washed over me, along with plain emptyness, like a giant black hole, but comforting compared to the other emotions. I jumped and broke the connection with Jasper's mind as the realization of what I just did washed over me- I had just felt Edward's and my own lack of emotion from Jasper's mind. I noticed that my breathing was nearing hyperventilation, and I took a deep breath. Then I lowered my head to his once more, and repeated the breathing exercise. Once I felt myself in his mind again, I felt around for the similar tingling sensation that sparked down my spine as I felt contact with my power. Then I again imagined the emotional volume knob, and turned it down slowly, searching for some sort of sign that I had reached the normal limit. I had turned it down a fair amount where I felt a little snag in it, and went the other way until I felt it again. I stopped, and allowed myself a few more seconds in Jasper's mind, wanting to get used to the feeling for future use. It was then I realized, through Jasper's brain, that the body hold him was shaking with a leaf. I wondered who that was, then remembered that it was me who was holding him. I felt my way back to my own mind, then instantly regretted it.
The pain that wracked through my body was so intense that I didn't even have the will to scream. Suddenly I felt my cheek against the ground, and I registered that I was laying on the floor, multiple people standing over me. I whimpered, and heard someone calling Bella's name, Alice, Edward. It was now screaming for anyone. It said it needed help, it wanted out of here. I wanted to help whoever it was, put them out of their pain as I had done Jasper.
"I'm here, Angela. We're all here." I heard Bella saying, then realized that it was me.
It was me who wanted out of here, wherever here was.
Then it all just dissapeared.
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I felt horrible. My mind was achey from the pain I felt a minute ago... Was it really a minute? I had no way to tell how long it had been. I laid still for another few moments, letting the previous night sink in. I smiled a little as I realized how foreign my body seemed to me, after being in Jasper's mind...
Jasper! I needed to check on him. I rolled on my side and sat up so fast that I almost scared myself. After my eyes cooperated, I saw that I was in the living room, on the couch where I had been when I last remembered. They hadn't moved me?
That must mean that I hadn't been out for too long.
"Jasper?" I asked, knowing that if he was in the house he would hear me. When I got no reply, I called out everyone else by name, yelling when I got to Bella.
Still no reply. Where was everyone?
Okay, there was one last thing to try- Edward?
There we go. As soon as I finished thinking his name, I felt something vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and put it to my ear without looking to see who it was. "Hello?"
I was relieved as I heard some laughter in the background, then a familiar voice spoke. "Hey Angela, did you just get up?" Edward asked me.
I chose to ignore the question. "Where is everyone? How long was I out?"
Edward let out a small chuckle. "About a day or so. And everyone is in the baseball clearing. We were just about to start a game, lighten the mood just a bit. They're all extremely worried about you. If you're up to it, you should come."
"Okay," I nodded, not fully remembering that he wouldn't see it. "And Jasper?"
"Come and see." He said, then hung up. I sighed, then let out a stretch before I was out the door and running full speed towards the baseball field. I caught their scent and followed the trail. I saw the clearing ahead of me, and skidded silently to a stop, then walked out of the trees at a human speed. I barely had enough time to fully step out of the trees before something slammed into me, hard.
I gasped with shock, until I recognized the blonde head of hair in front of my eyes. Jasper had me in the tightest bear hug imaginable, and still refused to let go as we fell over lightly. Then his arms were quickly joined by another, and someone was kissing my cheek repeatedly.
"Guys, I can't breath." I complained.
"You don't have to." Alice replied stubbornly. It must have been her who was kissing me.
"We're on the ground." I countered, and heard her growl.
"Now, give me my minute. And by the way, you will never make me leave when Jasper is in pain again." She added, accusation in her voice.
"I promise, just let me go!" I told her, and Alice finally stepped away, but Jasper lingered a moment longer. Then he raised his head to whisper in my ear. "You're my guardian angel. My Guardian Angela." He said, his voice low so none of the others would hear. "Thank you so much." He added, then stepped back. I took in a deep breath, and smiled at Alice. I felt a giant rush of happiness and energy soak into my skin.
I turned to Jasper. "Is it back to normal?" I asked him.
He nodded, smiling big. "Yes, maybe a bit more enhanced, but I don't know if that's from sensitivity or from whatever you did."
It was then the scent of Bella came over me as she finally got over here from the other side of the clearing. She gave me a hug, and I was suddenly thankful she didn't have vampire strength, since she seemed just as reluctant as Jasper and Alice had been to let go. After a minute of slowly rocking back and forth, I reached behind me and unwound Bella's arms from me. She pouted lightly, but instantly forgave me and beamed up at me anyway.
"Angela, you are amazing." She said softly, and it was now my turn to pull her into a hug. Once I stepped back, I finally took the time to look at the other faces. Emmett was almost twitching in anticipation to pull me into a hug, so I smiled at him and opened my arms. I couldn't fully wrap my arms around his body-builder frame, and I laughed as he picked me up and spun around. "You are forbidden to do that to me ever again, little sis." He whispered into my hair. Then he stepped back, and Carlisle and Esme took his place. This was shorter and sweeter, thanks to the fact that everyone was itching to play.
"Alright, let's go." I told them, and was about to follow when an arm blocked my path. I looked to see, in amazement, that Rosalie was in front of me. My breath stopped for a second as I allowed myself to fall into a gaping hole of lacking self esteem as I looked at her beauty, but I soon brought myself back.
She was smiling, and she went to pull me into a hug, timidly and much more bashful than the others. It was soon brought to an end, but it certainly was a start.
"I just wanted to tell you this personally, Angela. I know I'm like this, so don't interrupt. I've been pig-headed about everything that has involved you with my... our... family, but after what I saw what you did for Jasper..." She stopped, and just let out one more sad smile at me. Then she turned on her heel to join the rest of the family, or what I thought was the last of it.
I turned and realized that Edward had been standing underneath a tree, leaning against it casually. As I caught sight of him, he approached me slowly, coming to a stop feet away from me, standing awkwardly with his hands in his pockets. I broke the tension by running forward and hugging him tightly. He chuckled, and I felt his breath fan over the top of my head.
"I'm so greatful for you Angela. The pain you went through... That was amazing." I stepped back to look at him curiously.
He grinned. "Remember, I was in your thoughts. That pain was only triggered in your own mind. It's the only way for me to explain it, since I felt it too."
I felt dread fall over me. "You felt that? Edward, you shouldn't have!" I said, hugging him again as what happened really sank in... All that pain, I had given it to Edward too...
"Don't feel bad. I needed to be there for you two." He told me.
And what about that story you still owe me? I asked him through my thoughts, feeling him stiffen in my embrace.
Then he returned to his relaxed state, and lay an arm over my shoulder as we approached the rest of the Cullens and Bella, finding a place to sit out of the way.
"Let's get away from Jasper before we do that. We can go hunting tommorrow." He said, and pulled him into an awkward one-armed hug before we found our places on the field.
