Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or plotlines of the Twilight Saga and the following is a form of fiction based on the brilliance of Stephanie Meyer's work.
Author: ToryD
Beta: Splendorous Night Unfurled (Super fast edit on this one, My Beta Rocks!)
Title: A Forbidden Forever
Chapter Six
Edward's hands clenched the steering wheel tightly as he surreptitiously studied the young woman's ordering pattern from the car before him in the drive-thru lane of one of the nation's most popular fast food restaurants.
"I'm really sorry to be such a bother," Bella apologized as she misread the tight expression on Edwards' face.
"It's no bother Bella," Edward gently rebuffed her apology as he silently chastised himself to be more conscious of his expressions as she seemed to have an uncanny way of telling what he was thinking; something that was out of the norm in his experience as he was usually the one to read peoples' thoughts. "Do you know what you would like?" he asked as he turned his stunning golden eyes to her.
Bella looked ahead at the brightly lit menu board. "I'll just take a number one combo," she advised offhandedly, not really caring what she ordered as she was still a little embarrassed by all of the drama she created back at Alice's house.
Edward looked at the picture of a hamburger teamed with fries and repressed a shudder at the revolting site. Inching his black Aston Martin V12 Vanquish up a few feet in the lane, he completed the order in much the same way the previous customer had and only stumbled once on the question regarding a beverage selection.
Pulling up to the window he nodded briefly to the teenage boy manning the window as he reached inside his tuxedo jacket to withdraw his wallet.
"DUDE! You're driving an Aston Martin!" he called out excitedly with a look of pure joy on his face. "Roy," he yelled back to another young man who was holding a bag of fries. "This guy's driving an Aston Martin!"
Edward frowned at the unwelcome attention his car was generating and drew in a breath in order to bank down his frustration.
Bella smiled at the site of the two young boys hanging their heads out the window in order to get a better look at Edward's car.
"That is one sweet ride Sir," the boy whom Edward assumed to be 'Roy' remarked with a look of complete awe upon his young face.
"Thank you," Edward replied quietly. "How much did you say our order was?" he asked in an attempt to bring the fawning boys attention back to the task at hand.
"Oh sorry," the first boy apologized as he shoved Roy back out of the window. "It's $5.67 Sir."
Edward fished out a crisp twenty from his wallet and handed it to the boy without comment.
"Here's your change," the boy said as he handed Edward back some bills along with some change that caused Edward to frown as he looked for a place to deposit the coins.
Bella watched with an amused expression as she guessed that Edward was the type of person who didn't quite know how to deal with such things as mundane as change. "Don't you like to carry change?"
Edward was a little startled that she had guessed his thoughts so correctly again. "No, I prefer not to," he acknowledged as he continued to search for a place to deposit the change.
"There's a contribution bucket below the window if you want to donate it," Bella suggested as she smiled at his discomfort.
Edward deposited the coins along with the bills that he had been handed into the plastic depository marked with the name of a well know national charity.
"Here you are," the boy announced as he held out a large cup and a white paper bag with two golden arches.
"Thank you," Edward replied as he took the cup and bag and handed then to Bella while trying in vain not to inhale the odious smell of the fried food.
"Thanks," Bella smiled at Edward as she took the bag and cup from him.
"Do you want me to pull over so you can eat?" he asked as he pulled out of the lane.
"No, I can eat while you drive," Bella said as she fished a hot french fry out of the bag.
Edward frowned as he pulled into traffic as he thought of the lack of nutrition in Bella's selection. "Do you often skip meals Bella?" he asked with an evident concern in his tone.
Looking up from her burger, Bella smiled at the worry in Edward's beautiful eyes. "Well such is the life of a college student. I just grab what I can here and there. I do try to at least have one good meal a day," she responded truthfully.
"I see," Edward commented while his mind was already feverishly calculating on how to improve Bella's meal choices.
Guessing that Edward was still focused on her lack of proper eating habits Bella quickly changed the subject. "So, tell me about your family."
Edward glanced at her as she took a bite out of her burger and couldn't help the smile that came to his perfect lips at how adorable she looked even while eating something so disgusting. "Well you met Alice and Jasper of course," Edward began as he pulled onto the highway that led to the hotel where the ball was being held. "Carlisle, my older brother and his wife Esme are sort of the grounding forces in our family. You already know that Carlisle is a surgeon. He specializes in cardiac medicine and Esme, to whom I didn't properly introduce you to, which I will soon remedy," he promised as he reached out his cold hand to adjust the heater, "is an architect. I also have a brother Emmett who is married to Rosalie."
"The fashion designer," Bella commented between bites.
"One and the same," Edward answered with a marked tenseness that Bella didn't quite grasp.
"And Emmett," Bella asked as she frowned at the large onion on her burger. "What does he do?"
Laughing slightly, Edward made a slight face. "Oh Emmett does pretty much whatever he wants." Seeing Bella's confusion he continued. "Emmet has tried about every profession but just can't seem to find something that will hold his interest for longer than a few months. Right now he's into extreme sports and has opened a sky diving school."
"Sky diving?" Bella repeated with a light of excitement in her eyes that had Edward instantly on alert.
"Yes," he answered warily as he promised himself to get Emmett's word not to take Bella up.
"Will they all be at the ball this evening?" she asked as she took a long sip of her soda.
"Yes, the whole clan," he answered with a wiry grin.
"I can't wait to meet them," Bella interjected as she continued to sip her soda.
"Were just about there," Edward commented as he took the exit that lead to the hotel.
"Oh," Bella said as she turned her attention to the last fry and then began to dispense with the food wrappers.
"There's Alice," Edward announced sardonically as he pulled up to the grand entrance.
Alice pulled Bella's door open before Edward had even placed the expensive sports car in park. "Are you okay now Bella?" she asked with an agitation that had Bella feeling a little guilty.
"I'm great! Edward fed me," she announced with a wink at her new friend.
Edward handed the keys to the valet and then crossed to the passenger side with a censoring look at his sister. "Move Alice," he growled low under his breath so that only she could hear.
Bella frowned at the hurt look that had entered Alice's eyes as Edward held out his hand to assist her from the car.
"Thank you," Bella said softly as she took his offered hand and instantly felt the strange flutter within her stomach that his touch had seemed to always generate. Reaching out with her free hand, she tucked it through Alice's cold arm and tugged her along with them. "Come on Alice, it's so cold out here."
Alice fell into step as Jasper followed quietly behind. "You look better," Alice observed as they walked through the gilded door so graciously held open by a uniformed door man.
"I'm fine," Bella smiled down at the pretty brunette. "Now smile."
Alice felt some of her guilt desolve as they walked into the grand hotel. "Jasper, can you please take our coats?" she called to her husband, her voice sounding more like its normal confident self.
"Sure," Jasper murmured softly as he gently took his wife's coat. "Edward, Bella?" he asked as he held out an arm for their coats.
Edward helped Bella and then proceeded to shrug off his own black cashmere overcoat. "Thanks Jasper. We'll see you inside."
"Carlisle and Esme are waiting for us," Alice advised Edward as they walked towards the ball room.
"And Rosalie?" Edward asked with a hidden meaning in his tone that Alice instantly picked up on.
'Ah, so you know,' she allowed the thought to cross her mind so she could silently communicate with her still slightly angry brother.
With an almost imperceptible nod of his head Edwards acknowledged his sister's thought.
'Maybe you could wait until later for your…ah, conversation." Alice brought the words to her mind as she read the future with a slight shiver to her tiny frame at the impending confrontation between Rosalie and her still very enraged brother. Seeing that her advice was not swaying her troublesome brother, Alice used her ace card. 'For Bella's sake then.'
Edward considered his sister's council and agreed for the moment that she was right and to spare Bella; he would wait to confront Rosalie until they were alone.
'Thank you,' Alice smiled up at his still tense features.
"Bella," Esme called out at she crossed the short distance between them.
"Esme," Edward greeted his mother/sister with a kiss on her cold cheek. "Bella, this is my sister-in-law Esme Cullen," he introduced formally.
"Bella," Esme greeted Bella warmly. "It's good to see that you are feeling better."
Taking Esme's offered hand, Bella was once again shocked at the coldness. "Yes, I'm much better thanks to Edward," Bella said as she glanced up at Edward with a look of total adoration.
Edward beamed at her praise and knew that he would move heaven and earth to keep that look in her beautiful eyes.
Esme smiled serenely at the joy so evident in Edwards's striking features. "Shall we go in then?"
Edward placed his arm gently around Bella's waist and led her towards the ballroom's entrance.
"Edward, Bella," Carlisle greeted at the opened doorway as he leaned down and bestowed a light kiss to Bella's cheek. "Feeling better I see. You look stunning."
Bella's cheeks filled with color as she was once again embarrassed for her fainting spell. "Thank you Dr. Cullen," she replied with a polite smile to the handsome doctor.
"Call me Carlisle," he insisted with an approving glance towards Edward.
Edward feeling her discomfort at all of his family's attention gently pushed her forward to the stairs that lead to the elegant room below. "Shall we?" he said as he held out his arm with an elegant bow straight out of an era long past.
Bella laughed lightly at his gesture and then tucked her arm in his and allowed him to guide her down the stairs.
"BELLS!" A familiar voice yelled out excitedly in sharp contrast to the extreme elegance of the evening.
Edward felt an instant feeling of threat fill his cold body as a big burly blond man came bounding up the stairs to grab Bella from him and then twirl her around as though she was a doll.
"Jasper!" Alice called urgently to her newly arriving husband in order for him to set about sending a sense of calm to Edward, who was currently debating on the best way he could kill the man who had just grabbed Bella from him.
"Mike," Bella answered with a smile that served to light up her face. "What are you doing here?"
"Same as you I guess," he said as he finally placed her on her own feet.
"How's your knee?" she asked immediately thinking of the injury he sustained in last Sunday's game.
"Fine Bells," he sighed with a long suffering tone that served to confirm their long standing relationship.
"And the doctor said it was okay for you to play on Monday?" she asked with her concern still very evident in her warm brown eyes.
"Yes Bells," he replied with a wry grin that caused her to raise an eyebrow. "Who's the stiff angry looking guy?" he whispered not knowing that Edward could hear his every word and thought.
"Oh," Bella said as she turned back to Edward with a small smile of apology on her pink tinted lips. "Edward," she said as she pulled Mike along after her. "This is my friend Mike Newton. Mike this is my," Bella paused not knowing how to introduce Edward, as boss seemed to be not quite an appropriate title.
"Edward Cullen," Edward supplied as he held out his hand. "I'm Bella's date." He said with an air of ownership that was designed to mark his claim.
Bella felt a flush of pleasure at the proprietor manner in which Edward marked their connection.
"Edward," a very pretty blond woman approached with a predatory smile gracing her red lips as she held out her arms for an embrace.
"Melissa," Edward greeted with a formalness that went unnoticed by the pretty woman.
"I've got us a table over in the corner," she whispered in his ear as she ran a hand suggestively down his chest to his flat stomach.
Alice and Jasper hid their laugh under the cover of a feigned cough at the picture of their brother trying to untangle himself from the woman who had pursued him relentlessly for the past four years. "I don't think you've met my date Melissa," he said as he held out a beaconing hand to Bella.
Bella tried to push back the urge to rip the woman's hand from where it rested on Edwards's flat stomach as she approached them.
"Bella Swan," he said as he took her hand and brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss. "This is Melissa Peyton, the hospital's administrator."
"Ms. Payton," Bella acknowledged as she leaned her body into Edward's in order to send out the message that he was taken, knowing that she had come face to face with the woman that she was here to deter.
Edward felt an instant almost human pleasure at Bella's closeness and he leaned down and placed a light tender kiss at her brow.
Melissa's eyes took on a shrewdness that didn't go unnoticed by Alice who warned Edward with a quick thought.
"Ms. Swan," Melissa returned the acknowledgment coldly. "So how did you meet Edward?"
"She just walked into my life one night and that was it," Edward said softly without once pulling his eyes from Bella's upturned face.
Bella wondered if he was feeling the same insane sense of belonging that she was as she gazed up into his hypnotic gold eyes. Smiling, she reached up and traced the curve of his perfect lips, totally unaware of the two sets of eyes within the room that held nothing but hatred in their depths.
Alice shivered as if a cold arctic wind blew across her, a sense of foreboding filled her being but for some reason her gift was failing her as if there were two events that were competing for her attention simultaneously.
"Alice," Jasper whispered with a sharp concerned light in his beautiful bronze eyes.
"I'm okay," she whispered but her eyes were on Bella who had now seemed to become the featured player in her mind.
"Mike Newton!" Emmett exclaimed as he pulled his reluctant wife in his wake. Holding out his hand he smiled at one of his favorite sports players. "Emmett Cullen," he introduced himself.
"Mr. Cullen," Mike acknowledged warmly as was his normal reaction to meeting an enthusiastic fan.
"I can't believe that I'm standing next to Mike Newton," Emmett said with a jubilation that caused Rosalie to roll her eyes in disgust.
"Edward," Rosalie greeted almost reluctantly.
"Rosalie," Edward returned icily. Wishing that he didn't have to introduce Bella to his bitch of a sister he sighed deeply. "Bella, this is my sister Rosalie."
"Hello Mrs. Cullen," Bella greeted with a genuine warmness.
"Bella, was it?" Rosalie responded with a bored tone that served to elevate her own self perceived status above Bella.
Edward let out a low growl under his breath so low that only his family was aware of his strong warning to his sister.
Esme sent a look of censure to Rosalie as she crossed to Bella's side to show her support. "Do you dance Bella?" she asked in an attempt to calm the tenseness of the moment.
"No, not really," Bella answered as she tried to push back the unsettling feeling that was pooling within the pit of her stomach.
"Well, that's about to change," Esme insisted. "Edward." She called out as she pulled Edward's unrelenting gaze from his silent war with Rosalie.
Promising himself that before the night was out he would corner Rosalie and let her know that Bella was now the most important part of his world and he would not tolerate any mistreatment, he finally relented and let Esme pull his attention back to her.
"Bella needs your dancing instruction," she advised with an encouraging, telling smile.
Warmed at the thought of having Bella all to himself and in his arms of all things, Edward brightened visibly. "Well then, Ms. Swan may I have the honor of this dance?" he asked with an exaggerated bow that served to send Emmett into a fit of laugher.
Bella ignored Emmett's laughter and smiled at Edward's gallant gesture as she took his offered arm and allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor.
Taking her tenderly into his arms, he began to sway slowly as he held her close to his unbeating heart. Closing his eyes he reveled in the knowledge that this was one of those few special moments that he would remember for the rest of his existence. How amazing she feels, as if she were designed especially for me, he thought as he looked down at her soft beauty. What he wouldn't give to have the right to call her his own.
Bella sighed contently as she laid her head against the wide breath of Edwards's strong shoulder. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to selfishly imagine that Edward returned the strong feelings that she herself was experiencing.
After several moments of contented silence, Edward spoke softly into her ear. "I don't think I've told you how beautiful you look."
Feeling a shiver of excitement race down her spine at the husky quality of Edward's tone, Bella leaned back to look up at his perfect face. "It's the dress," she responded with a forced flippancy that belied the feelings of longing coursing through her.
With a slight shake of his head, Edward looked deeply into her eyes. "No it's not the dress Bella, it is definitely not he dress," he whispered with a barely leashed desire that threatened to overcome them both.
"Edward?" Bella questioned with an answering desire unmistakable in her eyes.
Swallowing hard against the lump in his throat, Edward tried to bank down the rampant human desire that raced through his body at her nearness. "Bella," he began as if he wanted to ask her an important question. Abruptly changing his mind, he quickly took hold of her hand and led her to a secluded balcony. With both hands, he gently tilted her face up towards his. "God forgive me, but if I don't kiss you right now I think I just might die," he murmured huskily only a second before his lips took hers in a deep, soul-seeking kiss that transcended them both to a place of mutual euphoria.
Bella smiled softly as she laid her head back against Edward's broad shoulder, enjoying this one stolen moment that she could cherish the rest of her days. "You feel it too?" she asked almost hesitantly as if her whole world depended on his response.
Releasing a long pent up breath; Edward lifted his hands to her shoulders to slide them down her arms in a light caress. "Yes Bella, I feel it too," he whispered in her ear with a husky tone that caused her knees to buckle. Catching her slumping form in his arms, Edward smiled as a new purpose to his existence filled him a hopefulness he had never known.
Shaking her head in wonder, Bella continued to stare up at Edward with an unguarded look of complete love in her gaze. "This is crazy," she whispered softly.
Smiling down at her with all the love he felt in his soul, he simply nodded his head in agreement as words seemed to be so inadequate to be used to describe the depth of his feelings at this most important moment of his life, the moment when he found his one true love.
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A/N Oh that Rosalie is a mean one. Just wait until you see what she has up her sleeve. Next chapter more of the Ball and Edward and Bella getting to know more about each other.