A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed the first chapter. I'm not sure if I want to put this into full story mode, or if I just want to keep it one shots, so that I can skip the boring parts and get to the ones I like. –sigh-
Disclaimer- Do you really think the ownership status of Twilight has changed since the last one shot?
Bella may not have realized it, but I had been watching her for a good hour before the time came for me to actually alert her to my presence. The thought of seeing her face, hearing her voice, made me smile widely before I remembered what could actually happen. I felt my face fall from the happy smile, so it was now a sad frown, the thought of losing Bella seemed to cause me physical pain, what would I do if I had actually hurt her? An electric shock jolted through me. Not the kind I got when I touched Bella; that was the amazing kind, the kind that seemed to temporarily jump start my dead heart.
This shock was stronger, more intense, focused on causing me pain. It made me cringe, the thought of Bella, dead, white, cold, never to look at me and blush under my gaze, the feeling was unbearable. I had to compose myself before knocking on her door.
I heard her heart thud erratically from the other side of the door, and the venom I had been trying so hard to hold back, seeped in my mouth at the sound of it. I swallowed it angrily, feeling it burn its way down my throat before pooling in my stomach. I heard her make an exasperated sound as the dead bolt resisted her, but finally, she managed to pull the door open.
As she looked up at me, her expression changed. It went from frustrated, to worried, to relieved. She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of me, and I took pleasure in this. My face was still somber, as if I was picking her up to go to a funeral, until I looked her over. She looked delectable, but not in a way that made me want to bite her, feel her blood in my mouth, but in a way that made me want to scoop her into my arms and press my mouth to hers. Ha. Like that would ever be possible.
"Good morning." I said, laughing lightly. She was suddenly worried. A hand ran over her tan sweater nervously.
"What's wrong?" she glanced down at her clothes. Did she really not remember what she had been wearing? After a quick once over of her outfit, she glanced back at me, confused.
"We match." I laughed lightly again as she looked over my clothes. After a quick glance, she laughed along with me. I reveled in the delicious sound of it, but I couldn't help but notice that she was trying to hide something from me. I resisted the urge to ask her. She stepped out, coming close to me. I breathed in deeply, fighting the fire that scorched its way down my throat at her delectable scent. She turned and locked the door before walking with me to the truck. I made my way to the passenger's side of her ancient truck, my face agonized.
"We made a deal." She reminded me sternly, though with a hint of smugness. I felt the corners of my lips twitch into a small smile. That kitten-tiger voice was just so entertaining. Did she really think that she was being scary? She clamored into the driver's seat before leaning over and unlocking my door. I took a deep breath of clean air before delving into the cab of the truck.
"Where to?" she asked once I was situated. I glanced at her, she wasn't wearing her seat belt. Did she have a death wish or something? Knowing her luck we would be in a violent car accident before we even left the driveway.
"Put your seat belt on- I'm nervous already." I said quickly, hoping I didn't offend her, but at the same time hoping I'd offended her just enough so that she wouldn't want to come today. The thought of her not being there made my heart ache once again, so I banished the thought. She cast me a dirty look and I almost laughed. Bella could not pull off angry, I noted.
"Where to?" she repeated, sighing as she did. I took in a sharp breath and cringed at the feeling of the flames raking their way down my scorched, dry throat.
"Take the one-oh-one north." I commanded gently. I kept my eyes on her face, gauging her expressions, memorizing her face. Sure, I had it memorized the first time I'd seen her. My memory was like a camera, I could never forget, no matter how much I wanted to. Her heartbeat sped up and slowed periodically as she noticed my staring, before getting used to it for a short moment.
She drove slowly, taking more time than she normally would have. It frustrated me to no end. I felt my nose scrunch at the slow feeling. "Were you planning to make it out of Forks before nightfall?" The question slipped from between my lips before I could stop them. I sounded like a petulant child. I scolded myself, and waited for her defending response.
"This truck is old enough to be your truck's grandfather- have some respect." She said quickly, and I laughed too quietly from here. Of course she would be more offended for the truck than for herself. It really wasn't the truck's fault that Bella was nervous. I cringed inwardly. That blamed should be placed squarely on my stone shoulders. I stared at the window for a long moment as the small quaint houses morphed into moss covered trees and thick underbrush.
"Turn right on the one ten." I said before she could ask. She obeyed without saying a word. "Now we drive until the pavement ends." I smiled a little, thinking about what was at the end of the road. The small wooden marker that indicated the entrance to the trail would of course be ignored. Her heartbeat increased at the end of my simple sentence, and I could tell she was worried, even though I couldn't read her mind.
"And what's there, at the pavement's end?" she asked. I could hear the hesitation in her voice.
"A trail." I said simply, not wishing to get into too much detail. I was too far gone into this to have her turn back now.
"We're hiking?" she squeaked, worry thick in her voice. It made me anxious that she was worried.
"Is that a problem?" I asked. I knew we would encounter some difficulties with this part of the plan. She gulped loudly without really thinking about it. I took in another deep breath. It was getting easier with every inhalation.
"No." she lied. She was way too easy to read when she didn't want to be. A look of worry passed over her face like a dark cloud. It took everything I had not to reach across the seat and stroke her cheek as I had just the day before. I closed my eyes momentarily, reveling in the memory of her warmth.
"Don't worry, it's only five miles or so, and we're in no hurry." I assured her. Knowing her, she was probably wondering how I would react to her pace. I smiled at the thought. Always thinking of others when she should really be thinking of herself, typical Bella. Stick her in a truck with a vampire who is intensely attracted to her blood, sure, no problem, five miles of walking across a wooded surface however…
"What are you thinking?" I asked impatiently when she didn't say anything. She knew how it irked me that I didn't know what she was thinking. Oh the irony, the one person who's thoughts I wanted to know more than anything else in the world, was the one person who I couldn't hear. Go figure.
"Just wondering where we're going." She said simply. She was such a horrible liar. I didn't say anything about it though. Best let her think she's getting better.
"It's a place I like to go when the weather is nice." I stated simply, trying to be a little mysterious. There had to be some secrets I could keep from her, no matter how much I wanted to blurt them all to her. I glanced out the window at the sky. The clouds were beginning to get thinner.
"Charlie said it would be warm today." Bella threw out a line, inviting me in for conversation. I smiled.
"And did you tell Charlie what you were up to?" I asked, worry coloring my voice. She didn't notice thankfully.
"Nope." Anger flared inside of me for a moment before I remembered that she had told Jessica.
"But Jessica thinks we're going to Seattle together?" I was happy about this. I didn't like Jessica one bit, but if she helped me keep my Bella alive, if she gave me a reason to bring her home, I would be eternally grateful to her.
"No, I told her you canceled on me- which is true." She added lightly, trying to joke. Anger flowed through me in tidal waves.
"No one knows you're with me?" I asked, I couldn't hide the anger in my voice. Did she want me to kill her? I agonized at the thought, thinking of Alice's vision. My dead heart felt as if it were being torn to pieces at the thought of it.
"That depends…I assume you told Alice?" there was a quivering in her voice, and I was instantly contrite. I had frightened her. I agonized with myself for a moment. Debating on whether I should be angry, or upset. Anger won.
"That's very helpful Bella." I snapped shortly. She acted as though she didn't hear me, though I knew she had. I'd seen her flinch, much to my dismay. "Are you so depressed by Forks that it's made you suicidal?" I pressed when she continued to ignore me. Did I hated being angry with her, but what did she expect? She had made it that much easier to kill her without trouble. The monster inside of my roared in triumph at the thought.
"You said it might cause trouble for you…us being together publicly." She whispered softly, knowing full well that I would hear. I was battling internally again, this time between comforting her and telling her it was okay, and snapping at her once again. Anger won once again.
"So, you're worried about the trouble might cause me-if you don't come home?" I bit out sarcastically. Was she always this selfless? Was she really worrying about me in this situation? She should be worrying about herself. She should be scared out of her mind. I watched her nod, and I felt myself get angrier. "So backwards." I mumbled, to quickly for her to properly hear. I stared out the window for the rest of the ride, fuming quietly in the silence. The only sound was the roar of her truck as it came to the end of the road.
She parked on the shoulder of the small road and got out. I could feel her anxiousness from where I stood on the other side of the truck. It was muggy out, the air thick and wet. I pulled my sweater off, unbuttoning my shirt swiftly, letting the warm air caress my bare chest. "This way." I said, turning my head towards her, not shifting my body. I started walking into the forest, hyper aware that Bella wasn't following behind. I slowed slightly.
"No trail?" she asked meekly, her voice desperate. She had been counting on taking the well worn trail. It almost made me laugh at her reluctance.
"I won't let you get lost." I promised, turning as I spoke. She tried to hide her gasp, but I heard it anyway. She stared at me wide eyed for a moment, her face shifting from shocked, to agonized. I stared at her, confused by her, but when was I not confused by her?
"Do you want to go home?" I asked her. My voice was soft, pleading almost. I wanted her to say yes. I wanted her to yell at me to take her home, to leave her alone, to never speak to her again, but at the same time, I wanted nothing more than for her to tell me that she wanted to stay.
"No." She walked up beside me, like she was trying to rush me it seemed. I was so bewildered by her. I breathed in again, feeling the scent of freesia's roll down my throat, causing a rip of flames to roar its way back up.
"What's wrong?" I asked. I was desperate to know. I wanted to make it better. I didn't want her to hurt. I didn't want her to be sad. I almost laughed at the thought. I could very well hurt her if I couldn't keep control of myself. I could make her sad, just by denying her what she wanted. It was all too confusing.
"I'm not a good hiker." She answered, her voice carefully controlled. "You'll have to be very patient." She added, eyeing me doubtfully.
"I can be patient- if I make a great effort." I smiled, trying to hold her eyes with my own, trying to read what was really worrying her. She smiled back, her eyes betraying her. I stared at her forcefully, trying to decipher what she was thinking. "I'll take you home." I promised.
"If you want me to hack five miles through the jungle before sundown, you'd better start leading the way." She said harshly, and I almost stumbled back at her tone. Were humans always this bewildering? I frowned, scrutinizing her. No, only Bella. I concluded. I made my way into the forest, keeping track of her footfalls. As we made our way through the woods, I helped her along. When we came across a large fallen tree, I would gently gasp her bare elbow, a shock making its way up and down my spine, and help her over. Each time I helped her, her heart would start pounding. Every time I would try to determine whether it was from nervousness, or excitement. Any normal human would be scared to death, but Bella always did the last thing I expected. Excited, I reasoned with an edge of guilty pleasure.
She moved along slowly, but I found that I enjoyed it. I liked watching her facial expressions as she trudged through the thick woods. I smiled to myself at the sight of her, a look of determination coloring her face. Soon, the lighting changed, changing the color filtering in through the trees from a murky olive to a brighter color, like well watered grass. I almost laughed at the thought. Everything in Forks was well watered.
"Are we there yet?" she said with a teasing sigh. I smiled, barely surprised at her change in moods. I was starting to accept them, adjust to the sharp twists they made.
"Nearly." I told her. I motioned gently with a shake of my head to the bright circle of light we were approaching. "Do you see the brightness ahead?" I asked, her eyes narrowed, trying to see, what I then realized, she couldn't.
"Um, should I?" she asked.
I smiled at her. "Maybe it's a bit soon for your eyes." I said, a smug edge to my voice.
"Time to visit the optometrist." She mumbled, and my smile grew.
After another couple of minutes however, she did see it, her face lighting with excitement. She started walking faster, sending my dead heart into frantic palpitations. Don't trip, don't trip, don't trip. I chanted in my head, willing her to stay steady. She made it to the edge of the meadow without any injury and I smiled, happy. She stepped into the warm sunshine, her eyes alight with ecstasy. She stared in wonder at the flowers and trees. She listened to the gentle bubbling of the stream.
Suddenly, she was looking around frantically, her heart racing. When she spotted me, her heart slowed, her face breaking out in a relieved smile. Did she think I would leave her? Didn't she realize by now that I was obsessively in love with her? That I couldn't leave her, even if I wanted to?
She stepped towards me, a reassuring smile on her face. I stared at the sunshine spilling into the meadow reluctantly. She took another step towards me, her hand extended. I held mine up, and she stopped in her tracks. I took a deep breath, her scent mixing deliciously with the wildflowers in the clearing before stepping out into the sun.
A/N: Did I ever mention that I was the devil? Haha. Read and review please! I'll give you cookies in the form of fluffy Edward thought filled Twilight one shots! –tempts-