Bit late in posting this chapter and it's a shortish one, but I've had a lot going on recently. The whole story is written so no need to worry about it all being posted even if some chapters are a little later in coming than usual. I also don't really have time to reply to all the reviews at the minute, but I read each and every one of them and they are brighten up my day every time one comes through, so keep them coming, please.
I also reached over 100 followers for this story and I can't begin to tell you what that means to me. When I started writing this as a one shot that I just couldn't get out of my head, I never really thought anyone would read it, let alone have over 100 people interested in it enough to follow it. Thank you so much :)
A few people were worried that Esme hadn't said where they are, but don't panic, our Esme is thorough ;) Anyway, on with the story.
We sat wrapped in each others arms, mainly in silence, until the sun began to rise. I spent the night thinking about my parents and wondering about their lives since I'd seen them last. Where had they lived? Was Carlisle still practising medicine? Was Esme lonely without me for company while he was at work? I couldn't believe that they seemed so willing to welcome me back with open arms, no matter what. I had been certain that they would reject me and until I met Bella, I hadn't ever been able to fathom them reacting in any other way.
Bella had changed my life in so many ways. She gave me happiness I never thought I would experience and filled a void in my life that had been there since I was changed, even when I lived with Carlisle and Esme. My outlook on life had changed dramatically since meeting her. When I thought back to myself the night I met her, I couldn't recognise that person any more.
"So, Canada," I said, breaking the silence, thinking about the address Esme had included at the bottom of the letter.
"Yeah," Bella replied, "How are you feeling about it all?"
"Happy," I told her, "I can't believe they want me back. All these years I've been away from them, I just tried not to think of them. I never even thought their names; it was just too hard. But since meeting you, everything has changed. I love you." I pulled her closer into my embrace.
"Are you ready to go find them?" she asked, staring up at me.
"Yeah," I said, truthfully, "It's been too long. I really miss them and now that I can see that they actually want me back, I don't want to wait any longer."
"Looks like it's going to be a rare sunny day," she sighed, looking out the window, "We'll have to wait until sunset before leaving."
"Hmmm, how ever shall we pass the time?" I breathed into her ear, placing light kisses just behind her ear.
"I don't know, Mr. Cullen," she whispered, "Did you have something in mind?"
"I suppose we could read," I said, sliding my hands along her sides, "Or watch a movie," I continued, my hands ghosting over her breasts. A low moan escaped her, as my fingers found her nipples, already hard and prominent through her top. "What do you think?" I asked, my hands leaving her nipples to run down her stomach, dipping slightly under the top of her skirt to feel her skin.
"No," she breathed, wriggling under my touch.
"How about a board game?" I asked, my hands gripping the hem of her top and slowly pulling it up her body.
"Uh uh," she moaned, as I pulled her top off over her head, leaving her in only her bra and skirt, my length hardening as I remembered ripping her underwear off her in the car.
"Maybe a game of cards?" I suggested, trailing my fingers up towards her perfect breasts again, before quickly unclasping her bra and removing it. She shook her head, her breathing getting heavier as I circled her nipples with my fingers.
"I think I'm all out of ideas then," I whispered in her ear, as I began opening the button on her skirt and pushed it down her legs until she was lying naked, her back against my chest, "Unless..." I dipped my fingers into her folds, finding her sensitive nub and swiping my finger over it.
"Oh, yes," she gasped, "That's a good idea." I continued circling her clit with my fingers, while my other hand caressed her breast, pinching her nipple between my forefinger and thumb.
I quickly flipped her over so she was lying on the sofa before me and hooked her legs over my shoulders, so I was staring directly into her centre.
"We could also try this," I said, before running my tongue right up her slit, moaning at the taste of her.
"Fuck, yes," she screamed, my erection straining even more against my jeans. I delved my tongue into her centre, twisting and probing, as my thumb circled her clit. I slid my other hand under her hips, lifting her up slightly so I could push my tongue further into her depths and her moans got louder and louder until she came hard all over my tongue. I lapped up everything she gave me, intoxicated by her flavour.
Before she had a chance to calm down after her orgasm, I swept her up into my arms and carried her up the stairs to my bedroom. I had been very lonely living in this house, despite having Carlisle and Esme, and I wanted to wipe away my lonely memories, replacing them with memories of Bella. I laid her on the bed, that had never really been used as I'd had no need for it, and slowly unbuttoned my shirt, removing it before kicking off my jeans and underwear.
"I have many happy memories in this house, but this room was a very lonely place for me," I said, as I crawled up her body, "Now the only memory that I'll keep from this room is you lying naked on this bed."
I kissed her lovingly, running my tongue along her bottom lip, seeking entrance, which she willingly granted. She raised her knees on either side of me, allowing me to slowly push into her, hissing at the feeling of her warmth on my length. I slowly pulled almost all the way out before pushing back in. It wasn't mating or fucking or even just sex; it was making love. I worshipped everything about her, licking, kissing, tasting everywhere I could reach. I just couldn't get enough of her. We kissed slowly, softly, our tongues slipping languidly over one another. When I knew I was getting close, I slipped my hand down to where we were joined, pressing on her clit so that we both tumbled off the edge together.
Once the sun set, we were ready to leave. We had left the house sitting almost exactly as we'd found it the previous day, making sure to fix the broken lock so the house was secure. The only difference was that I had taken my trunk of personal belongings with me, not wanting to leave it all behind again.
It would take us about a day and a half to drive from Rochester to Alberta, Canada where Carlisle and Esme were now living according to the letter, however, I also had a stop I wanted to make along the way.
"Niagara falls?" Bella gasped, when she realised where we were, "What are we doing here?"
"I wanted to show you, while we were so close," I told her, helping her out of the car. I discretely pocketed the ring box from the glove compartment while she was busy looking around.
"Wow," Bella exclaimed, "I've only ever seen pictures before. It's so beautiful!"
I grabbed her hand and tugged her along, ignoring her questioning look when we weren't following any of the visitor signs.
"I want our own tour," I eventually explained, when we were getting near the water, "There are some perks to being a vampire. One of which is not needing to breathe. Fancy a swim?"
"Really?" she asked, "What about our clothes? What if someone sees us?"
"Don't worry," I chuckled, "We've got clothes in the car we can change into and it's dark, its quiet here and we won't need to come up out of the water until we are behind the falls, so no one will see us."
"Okay, let's do it," she said, looking around a little warily. I took her hand and pulled her into the water with me. It would have felt extremely cold to a human, but to us it was rather pleasant. I kept a hold of Bella's hand as we swam towards the falls. She looked majestic underwater, her hair flowing softly around her face. The water swirled around us, trying to overpower us with the force of the water falling above us, but we were much stronger than it and we continued through, emerging behind the falls in a small alcove.
"I didn't know you could even get behind the falls," she said in awe, spinning around to take everything in.
I walked over to her, pulling her into my arms. She was beautiful, even completely soaked from our swim, her hair clinging to her face. I lowered my face to hers, capturing her lips with mine, drinking in her flavour which was only enhanced by the water. I felt the desire rising in me and I had to use all the control I had not to take her, there and then, but I had something infinitely more important, and nerve wrecking, to do first.
"Bella," I said, as I tore myself away from her mouth, cupping her face in my hands, "Before I met you my life was nothing, dark and alone. I had no one, no joy in my life. From the moment our eyes met, I have loved you and you have brought light and happiness to my life. I feel like you were made just for me. You always know exactly what I need and you give me everything, some things I never even knew I needed. I love you more that I ever thought possible and I never want to be apart from you."
I knelt down on one knee in front of her, pulling the ring box from my pocket, Bella gasping as she realised what was happening.
"Bella Swan, will you do me the great honour of agreeing to be my wife?" I asked, looking up into her eyes, hoping beyond hope that she would say yes. My stomach was tumbling, a feeling of nausea taking over me for the first time since I'd become a vampire.
"Yes! Of course, I will," she shrieked and she opened her mind to me so I could see just how happy she was. Her mind was filled with surprise and joy. I stood up quickly, pulling her up into my arms and swinging her around in a circle.
Setting her down, I took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her finger on her left hand. I had never been more happy in my life that I was in that exact moment, looking down at the ring on her finger. This was everything I'd ever wanted since I was a human. She was staring down at the ring too, looking like she would be crying if she could.
"It's perfect, Edward," she whispered, "I love it."
She put her arms around my neck, pulling me down to kiss her, a soft, sweet kiss that quickly turned heated. It wasn't long before we were both panting heavily, our hands caressing everywhere we could reach. Her fingers ran up and down my back, finally settling in my hair, trying to pull me closer to her.
I pulled back from the kiss just long enough to remove both of our clothes, before picking her up, her legs wrapping around me as I pressed her back against the rocks at the back of the small alcove.
The sounds we were making were drowned out by the sound of the waterfall around us. It was the perfect backdrop. I entered her deeply, hissing at the feeling of being connected with her once again, a feeling that never lessened, no matter how many times we made love. This time though, there was something more, something deeper, as I thought of marrying Bella, making her my wife, my life felt complete.
Our love making began frenzied but turned slow and sensual, both of us pouring out all the love we felt for each other. Bella's mind remained open to me the whole time, showing me just how much she loved me and how good I made her feel. It only spurred me on, building my own climax quicker but I held off until I could tell from Bella's mind that she was close, before sliding my hands between us to where we were joined, pressing on her bundle of nerves. She came fiercely, biting down on my neck as she shattered around me, her spasms milking my own release.
We lay for a while, wrapped in each others arms, listening to the sound of the waterfall that surrounded us. Neither of us could stop looking at the ring on Bella's finger and there was nothing that could wipe the smile from my face.
"You know," she began, "I never thought I'd ever get married. My parents weren't exactly a great example. Marriage was kinda the kiss of death for their relationship, so I thought I'd probably never bother."
If her mind hadn't still been open to me, I probably would have spiralled with anxiety at her words, worrying that she'd changed her mind. Thankfully, her mind was filled with nothing but happiness that we were now engaged, so I could rest easy, knowing that she was just telling me her outlook before we met.
"But our connection," she continued, "is so strong, that I know this is it for us, for both of us. How many people can say that they know for definite that they will spend the rest of their lives together?"
"The opposite was true for me," I told her, "I've always thought I'd get married. My parents were very happily married, I wanted what they had. In the time I grew up, it was the convention to settle down and get married. I've always stuck by those ideals, even as a vampire. Though I always thought I'd wait for marriage too," I chuckled, "Our connection took care of that. From the moment I first touched you, there was nothing that could have stopped me claiming you, right there and then."
"Tell me about it," she smirked, "You mentioned something about stopping that night and I nearly died! I'm so glad you didn't try to make me wait. This," she said, gesturing between us, "is too good to wait for marriage." She giggled, turning slightly to look up at me. I nodded vigorously, letting her know I whole heartedly agreed with her.
She held her left hand up again and looking at her ring, "How long have you had this?" she asked.
"Since the day I went into town alone to get the human scent," I told her, "I've been wanting to ask ever since then, but I never found the right time. I wanted it to be perfect, but I will also admit that I was a little nervous about it." Little nervous might have been an understatement considering how I had felt as I waited the few seconds for her answer.
"Oh baby," she chuckled, "If you'd asked me the night we met, I think I'd have said yes. From the very second our eyes met, there's never been another choice. I love you."
"I love you too, baby," I sighed, burying my face in her still damp hair and breathing in her amazing scent, "More that I can even begin to explain."
The rest of the journey to Canada was fairly uneventful, apart from stopping a couple of times along the way to refuel, and more than a couple of times when the lust became too much for the two of us. The problem was that now anytime either of us caught a glimpse of Bella's ring, we couldn't keep our hands off each other.
It was mid morning when we neared the address from Carlisle and Esme's letter, which was situated on the edge of a forest not far from Calgary, Alberta. We were a few miles out when I pulled the car over.
"Again, Edward?" Bella smirked, looking over at me, "We won't be able to act like this around your parents, you know."
"Not this time, baby," I grinned at her, "Unless you really want to." I raised my eyebrow at her and she giggled, shaking her head.
"I'm just a bit nervous," I told her, "I know what the letter said, but I'm still worried about their reaction. I can't help it."
"There's no rush," she said, reaching over to run her fingers through my hair, "We can wait as long as you need before going to the house. Maybe we should hunt first."
"Yeah," I said with a sigh, thinking about how much I wanted my parents to see my amber eyes straight away, "Let's start with that and I'll see how I feel after."
We took off into the forest, hand in hand, running helping to clear my mind a little. We found a herd of caribou and each took one down, the rest of the herd scattering, but we both wanted more. Quickly disposing of the carcasses, I grabbed Bella's hand pulling her in the direction of a promising scent.
We had just reached the entrance of a cave that housed a couple of delicious smelling grizzly bears, when the scent of something else had me pulling Bella behind me and crouching in front of her defensively, a loud growl vibrating through my whole body. All of my vampire instincts reared within me, particularly the need to protect my mate from any danger.
I looked up, coming face to face with the largest vampire I'd ever come across in my life, his dark eyes glaring at us as he poised to attack.
Sorry for the cliffie again, guys! I promise to try not to leave you hanging for too long :)
Recommendation:
Sins of the Piano Man by solareclipses
AU. A reclusive vampire's swan songs for the victims he regrets draw in a young woman struggling with her father's illness. As fate brings them together, Edward's dark past threatens to tear them apart. ExB. Won 'Best Overall' 2011 Vampie Award.
