CHAPTER 11: THE FUTURE

Emmett POV

"This is where you use to live?" We were standing outside of what in Edward's day had probably been a mansion.

"Yes, this is where I grew up." Edward answered.

"I didn't know you use to be a Rockefeller" I joked. I knew that Edward had come from a well to do family but I also knew that his wealth was nothing compared to Rosalie's human families wealth and position.

"Funny Em" Edward smiled tightly. "Considering you're with a woman who thinks she still is a Rockefeller."

I just laughed it off. I knew that he was right. It was funny being here with half the family and one human instead of everyone. Carlisle and Esme would have loved this trip down memory lane even with Bella but Rosie would have been livid.

I hadn't been all that honest about how Rose was doing with Edward and Alice yesterday but I knew that between his mind reading and her sightseeing they both knew; Rosalie was still pissed. She wouldn't hurt Bella, at least physically, because Carlisle had forbid it but that wouldn't stop her from making sure Bella was as uncomfortable as possible. Which I would normally say wouldn't be too hard considering that she was a human surrounded by vampires but Bella seemed as at ease as if she was on a tour with all the generic kids from school.

I had never seen a human act so unfazed by what we were. Edward had told us this morning that Bella had figured it out last night which didn't go over great with Jasper but Alice had assured him that everything would be okay and he had let it go. Still it was one thing to know and another to hang in the middle not worried at all. Especially with the way that Edward was drawn to her.

But today it looked like he was more drawn to her body than her blood. He hadn't stopped touching her since she came out of her room and I was surprised that he hadn't gone inside just to say hi before that. In all the decades that we had been together I had never seen him act like such a boy because there was no way that I could call him a man with his behavior. You would think he had never seen a girl before.

I knew that Rosalie had originally been intended for Edward and that didn't bother me. Sure my Rosie was gorgeous but their relationship had always been hard at best and from what Esme had told me it had been like that from the beginning. Then there had been Tanya who had all but paraded herself in front of him naked and again he hadn't made a move. I had started to think that maybe he was gay or something but he never looked at me strangely and I knew I looked good so I put that out of my mind too.

Now here comes Bella and he's like falling all over himself to be near her. For goodness sake, he kidnapped her right out of her home just to keep her away from us and he's rushing to do anything that she mentions. Checking ever second to see if she's hungry, asking if he's holding her hand to tight, if she's too cold, if she's having a good time, if she can put one foot in front of the other. It's a little pathetic.

I heard Edward growl and I laughed. Well it is, I thought not wanting the others to hear. The last thing I wanted was to ruin his chances with Bella. Human or not, I could say that I had ever seen him this happy. Back off her a little and give her some space. You push too hard and you're going to scare her.

Edward nodded and I could tell that there were no hard feelings. He had to know that I wanted him to be just as happy as Rosalie and I were. I mean he might not be my biological brother but he had been more a brother to me than any of those other five ever had. They had been too old to hang out and play with their younger brother but from the first Edward had taken me under his wing. He had taught me to fight and wrestled with me all the time. He had listened whenever I had an accident and never once made me feel like I had done something wrong even though I knew that I had. Naturally I wanted him to find what the rest of us had.

I didn't understand the human thing though. If he knew that he loved her then why not just change her so that they could be together. This thought earned me another growl.

I'm sorry but it's true Edward, I told him. You're not going to be able to resist her forever and what are you going to do when she gets old and dies. Not to mention that the monk thing is going to get old. You can't really be with her without killing her and trust me; you don't want to miss out on that. I saw his eyes roll.

They all thought that sex was the only think that I ever had on my mind but it wasn't. I was more worried about what he would do if something happened to her. Not just if he hurt her but if life hurt her. After over seventy-five years on this earth I had seen my fair share of humans come and go. Their life didn't last long and the way that Edward was acting toward Bella I couldn't imagine his reaction if something where to happen to her.

I saw him acknowledge my thoughts but he said nothing and made no sound. He looked down at Bella as if his own world revolved around her. Poor guy. Maybe it would have been better if Jasper and Rosalie had attacked her. He could have rode in and saved her but not before the venom had started to spread and then he wouldn't have to feel so guilty about something happening that he wanted to happen.

His eyes darted to mine and I saw his teeth pull back. Sorry Edward but it's true. There is no way that you can love her and not what her with you forever.

Again there was no response to my words except that he turned back to Bella. I didn't want to hurt him anymore with my thoughts so I turned my attention back to the houses we were passing.

Jasper POV

I could feel the anger coming off Edward which was strange because he had been so content this morning. I saw a private conversation going on between he and Emmett and I guessed that whatever Emmett was thinking was the cause. Probably something about Edward and Bella in bed together. That was classic Emmett; always thinking about sex. He should be worried about Edward's relationship with Bella.

I didn't understand it and it bothered me. Vampires and humans weren't meant to be together. They weren't supposed to fall in love. There were too many complications; too many ways that she could get hurt; too many ways that we could hurt her.

Just being in the hotel room with her last night had been a challenge. Her scent was powerful. Just thinking about it made me thirsty. Not that I would act on it. Even if Alice wouldn't destroy me, there was no way that I could hurt Edward like that.

I had never felt the emotions coming from him that I have in the twelve hours since we showed up and not just him. What he was feeling was echoed in Bella just as strongly. If I hadn't felt it I wouldn't believe that a human was capable of feelings so strong. At first I thought that I was somehow projecting Edward's feelings toward her. But then I focused on her and realized that what I was sensing was coming straight from her.

I wondered what that meant. I mean if you combined the fact that Edward couldn't hear her and the emotions that I was feeling from her was stronger than humanly possible; was it possible that she was something more? Was it possible that she was destined to be something more? Could she be destined to be one of us?

Edward snapped his head away from Emmett and toward me. I didn't understand what could have upset him. He had to know that was were this was heading. He couldn't possibly think that she could remain human now that she knew. The Volturi would never allow such a thing and there was no way to be sure that they wouldn't find out. If anything it was more imperative that she join us now then it had been before.

He had to understand now that he had someone that meant to him what Alice meant to me. There was no way that he could let her live in danger and without the change she would be in danger. Not just from the Volturi or us but from him. The closer they became the harder it was bound to be for him to resist and even if he never bit her there were so many other ways that he could hurt her. He could crush her just trying to hug her. There was no way that he thought she could remain human.

And yet looking at him I saw that that was exactly what he was thinking. I wanted to grab him and shake some sense into him. How could he consider that this was the best way for her? To leave her vulnerable to all that could conspire against her. The only way to make sure that she was safe, that all of us were safe, was to change her.

Unless….did he plan to leave her in Florida and walk away. I saw him shake his head in agreement. That's crazy Edward, I screamed at him. I've never felt you so content and happy and you are simply going to walk away from that instead of changing her? Do you think that is going to keep her safe? She's been opened to the supernatural world now. No matter whether you are there or not there is still a larger chance that something will happen.

And are you thinking about how you will handle walking away from her? I asked. I knew how he felt knowing what could happen but still. Even if I thought Alice would be safer without me I couldn't leave her. There were some bonds that couldn't be broken. Maybe he didn't understand because he had never felt the pull of vampire love.

Mates needed to be together. We can't survive without the other. Alice hadn't been gone a full two weeks and I was going crazy without her. If he thought that he was going to be able to go back to how he had been before he was wrong. This would eventually destroy him.

That or he would give in and come for her. And when he did then her scent would hit him just as strongly as it had before but this time he might not be able to stop himself. Would he take her then? Could he stop himself before he killed her?

I saw the widening of his eyes and I hated that I had put that thought in his head but he had to understand. Bella was a part of him now and there was no way that he could live without her.

Alice POV

"I think I like Carlisle's place better." We had made it to where Edward's human life had ended. This was where Carlisle had found his first member of our family and as I looked at the other four standing beside me I couldn't help but think that now our family was complete. Even without Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie it felt right with Bella here. She had been the missing part. She had been what we needed to reach the happiness that we wanted. She was what was needed to make Edward happy.

I smiled deeply. This was my vision playing out in front of me. Edward smiling and happy and Bella looking just like a reflection of his joy. They were made for each other and it was so good to see them together like this. I had come to cherish Bella not just as a friend but as a sister and to know that I would get to spend eternity with her was just as wonderful as spending it with Jasper and everyone else.

I could just see all the great trips we were going to have together just like this one except that the whole family would be together. We could travel through Europe. I would bet that Bella had never seen all the great places we could take her. We would have to get a new wardrobe for her first of course but after that she would fix right in.

There would be shopping trips and sleepovers when the guys go off hunting. We could do each other's nails and watch movies all night long. I would have someone that I could talk to and really open up to. Not that Rosalie wasn't wonderful or that I couldn't talk to her but I just never felt as close to her as I do to Bella.

And the best part would be Edward. It was so wonderful that my favorite brother was finally happy. If I had known that Bella would make him this happy I would have kidnapped her myself years ago, but why dwell in the past. What was important was the future and we were going to have an amazing one now.

I let my mind wonder searching to see when Bella would become one of us when I saw it. I stopped walking the vision took me so by surprise. I had to be wrong. I looked again and it was the same. Bella curled up on her bed, not moving, her eyes staring blankly at a bare wall. It looked as if she had been in the same position for months maybe longer. I heard the others asking what was wrong but I couldn't say anything. I looked for Edward but he wasn't there. I couldn't find him anywhere so I went back and then I was on my knees. Edward in front of the Volturi, Edward in the sun, the Volturi acting out against him.

This couldn't be. What would prompt such a reaction? Where they going to find out about Bella? I looked at Edward and he was stiffly standing there. "Did you see?" He didn't say anything he just kept looking away.

I went back further searching to see if the Volturi took Edward before Bella could be changed and that was when I saw it.

"I can't stay with you Bella" Edward's face was hard and distant.

"Why?" Tears streamed down Bella's face. "Don't you want to be with me?"

"Whether I do or I don't isn't the point." He sniped at her. "You're human and therefore don't belong in my world."

"Then change me" Bella yelled. "Take me into your world."

"NO" Edward barked at her.

"Don't you want me?" I could see her heart breaking.

Edward closed his eyes for one short moment and I could see the pain resonate through his whole body. "No" He whispered, turned and walked away.

I stood up then completely in his face. You would do that to her, I couldn't say any of this out loud as I wanted. I wanted to scream at him but I didn't want Bella to know what could be coming. You would hurt her like that? Leave her like that?

He didn't say anything. He didn't even do me the courteously of looking down at me. Who do you think you are to that you can make that kind of decision for her? For me? How dare he take her away from us? She is family now. She is a sister to me. I love her too and I will not stand by and watch as you destroy both your lives. I don't care if I have to change her myself.

"YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING" he roared at me. I saw Jasper take a step toward me and Emmett stand in front of Bella. Neither of them knew what Edward might do when he was this angry but I didn't care. I had seen him do the worst thing imaginable next to killing Bella and I welcomed the fight to save his life and give her ours.

If you don't give a damn about my feeling then I don't give one about yours, I snarled at him. I had never talked to Edward like this and I didn't enjoy it now but he had to see reason. I'll do whatever I think is right and there isn't anything you can do to stop me.

"I'll take her away" He didn't back down and I didn't budge even with Jasper pulling me backward. I could feel people staring at us and I cared less.

You'll kidnap her from me too? I snapped. You'll run out of places to take her and I'll see where you're going.

He knew I had him there and he said nothing just glared at me. I searched the future and let him see everything that I saw. Him running with Bella on his back, his car forgotten, my finding them while he hunted, taking Bella to Carlisle and explaining the situation; Bella begging Carlisle to change her and him coming home to late to stop it; Bella smiling with honey eyes and pale white skin; the two of us laughing and him with his arm around her waist smiling down at her.

"No" he whispered backing away from me. "You can't"

"I can and I will" I couldn't look at him anymore. I won't give her up and you can't so just accept it.

I took Jaspers hand and I started walking back toward the hotel. Bella, Emmett and Edward followed but Emmett kept Bella next to him. He explained that Edward had a temper and it would be best if we let him calm down before she went with him. She nodded but kept her eyes on him and he kept his eyes on me.

He knew I would do it just as clearly as I did and he would thank me for it one day. Maybe it would take a hundred years but he would and so help me Bella would be around to see it too.

AN: Alright that is it. What will Alice do? How will Edward react? So many questions and only a few answers.

I was thinking about doing teaser's for next week on my new blog but I remember last time not that many people went and checked out Beyond The Past previews when I did that before. So I have a question for you and a challenge. Okay the first person to either become a follower on my new blog or leave a comment to any of the post over there I will send you a preview of next week's chapter. And the first person that tells me if they would or wouldn't read a teaser over there will get something equally special. Okay, again that address is mztspot (dot) blogspot (dot) com. Look forward to hearing from you soon and don't forget to review!!