A/N: Thanks for the wonderful reviews!
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or Angels & Airwaves lyrics.
Chapter Ten.
Shock filled his beautiful topaz eyes. "Your not real," he sobbed, trying to look away from me, but I wouldn't let him. "Your not real," he repeated.
"I'm real, I'm right here. I promise," I said my voice breaking. I was beginning to cry dry tears just as he was.
"Bella?" he whispered, looking deep into my eyes.
"I'm right here." I took his hand dragging him to his feet.
"Don't leave."
It tore my heart out to hear him say that.
"Never."
"Do you promise?"
"Always."
I buried my face in his chest, hoping that would let him know that I was real, and I was never going to leave him alone till the end of time.
"Bella?" I looked up into his adoring eyes, my heart melting. "Lay with me." I nodded, laying down on the bed next to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He pulled me as close as possible so our bodies were almost fused as one, keeping his arms secured tightly around my waist.
"I love you," I murmured in his hear, before planting a trail of kisses along his neck, then onto his cheek, finally reaching his lips.
He smiled my favorite crooked smile, before murmuring, "I love you too." I wasn't sure how long we lay there, but it was long enough for both of us to enjoy some peace with each other. At least that was until I sat up abruptly remembering something from earlier.
Edward looked up at me with a hurt expression on his face. I stared down at him, the shock plainly written on my face.
"You proposed," I gasped.
He smiled. "I suppose I did," he murmured, pulling me close to him again.
"But...but..." I was at a loss for words. He had proposed! To me! And he was taking this so lightly! "You proposed!"
He chuckled softly before kissing me tenderly. "I think, my love, that we have established that fact already," he said breaking our kiss.
"But don't you want to know what my answer is." Did he really have the nerve to think that I would just say yes without a proper proposal. I knew what I would say, there was nothing I could refuse Edward, this being no different. But still...
A hurt expression roamed over Edward's angelic face, his features turning nervous. He was off the bed in a flash and out the door, leaving me stunned in his wake.
"Edward?" I yelled in a panicked voice. I felt like I was drowning, he couldn't have just left me...
I sat, frozen, on his bed for a few minutes before racing down stairs to find Alice rushing towards me. "Bella, no," she said reading my terrified expression. "He'll be back, I promise, he just has to do something."
"Alice, please," I begged her, dry sobs racking my body. I was a complete mess without him, a puddle of nothing. Pathetic as I was, I couldn't survive even a few moments away from him. If he chose to leave now, I knew, I would be unable to live throughout the rest of eternity.
"Tell me where he is?" I pleaded with her, my body crumpling onto the floor. I hated causing scenes, and here I was creating a gigantic one in the middle of the Cullens living room.
"He'll be back in a few hours," Alice said, her voice soothing me slightly. "Now, your going to come with me, and I'm going to me make you my personal mannequin."
For the first time I didn't protest to what she was doing. She had to carry me up the stairs, with a little help from Arielle, and to my surprise Rosalie, and dragged me into her room.
I let them whisper together about something that slipped under my radar, each of them were blocking their minds from me. And for the first time I didn't attempt to find out why.
"Arielle will be doing your hair," Alice informed me, breaking away from the muttering circle. "I will take care of your make-up, and Rosalie will pick out your clothing."
I nodded meekly, hoping to get this over with, so that maybe I would see Edward again. Where was he? Why had he gone? We were perfectly happy, and then he had to run out at that incredibly fast pace and leave me to the cold dark thoughts of my imagination.
"Bella don't worry," Arielle whispered, laying my head into Alice's sink so she could shampoo my hair 'the correct way'. "Edward will be back, listen to Alize, she knowz everything."
I smiled wryly at her, and let her continue to scrub my hair down, listening to her hum a song that Gabriel played constantly at home. I recognized it as Symphony No. 40. A burning question spilled out before I had a chance to repress it.
"Arielle do you ever think that you and Gabe will..." I let my sentence hang, hoping that she would catch my drift.
Her reaction was definitely not an 'Arielle' reaction, the fiery temper I had expected to flare at my words, had completely vanished, leaving behind a shy and if possible embarrassed reaction.
"I do not know," she muttered, rubbing the floral smelling conditioner into my scalp.
"Why not," I pressed, surprising myself by prying into their personal lives. Never would I have done this before. "I mean, yes he is seventeen and you technically are fourteen, and there is a bit of an age gap to the blind eye but you've both been alive for over a hundred years."
"I-I..." She was at a loss for words, which astonished me. In all her glory Arielle had never been speechless, quite the opposite.
"And don't tell me you don't love him, because I know you do, and I know that he feels the same. Your perfect for each other, your the only one who can stop his sarcastic, cynical ways before they even begin."
"Your hair is finished," she snapped in a brisk voice. Instinctively I knew she was considering what I was thinking, but didn't want to let it show.
"Thank you, Arielle," I said giving her a wink, before speeding out to meet Alice.
The pixie-like vampire, met me before I could get very far, stuffing me down in front of a vanity full of a variety of make-up. Instantly as I sat down on the comfortable chair, she wheeled it around so I wasn't;t facing the mirror.
"Alice," I growled. She giggled lightly, but ignored me, and began to apply my face with make-up.
Through the whole terrifying experience, I mentally made a note of what she was putting on me. A blush that was labeled the color sunset and had a gold tint to it, light shimmering eye shadow, brown eye liner, a ton of mascara, and that was when I forced myself to stop or I thought I was going to have a heart attack, (if I could.)
"All right Bella," Rosalie said, the instant Alice was finished applying a sparkle gloss to my lips. "My turn." She grabbed my arm, pulling me over to Alice's horrifyingly large closet.
There were no apologies on either of our parts, but from that moment on it was an unspoken thing. Rosalie and I were friends...sisters. And the old icy glares and snarls were a thing of the past.
"I have picked out the perfect dress for you, and I swear Edward is going to have a heart attack. Stuttering and all."
I snorted, disbelievingly. "I don't think that's possible. Edward doesn't stutter."
"Oh he will," she reassured me.
"Especially after zis," Arielle entered, a mischievous grin playing around her pink lips. I knew that grin all too well.
"Arielle," I warned her from whatever she was planning to do. "What did you do?" She grinned, pulling glossy photo from behind her back.
I stared at it in horror.
"Where did you get that!" I hissed. She smiled, waving it in front of my face. "Give it to me that's mine!"
"It's Edward's now," she giggled, racing out of the room. I made to start after her but Rosalie held me back, an amused expression on her face.
"Nice photo," she commented trying to hold back her mirth.
I glared icily at her, before succumbing to her torture of trying to decide the right accessories for a dress I hadn't even seen yet.
Several thoughts crossed my mind, one stood out the most. How did she get that picture? I cringed mentally, remembering the very racy photo.
Arielle had insisted that she buy me something from Victoria's Secret, and no matter how much I had protested she had still dragged me inside. I ended up buying, on her orders, a set of black underwear, that were very scant. The boy shorts were so small that they barely covered anything, along with the bra that had matched.
When we had come home I took a shower to get all the smells of the mall out of my head, only to find my clothes were missing from bathroom along with all the towels. I wasn't' completely alone and my room was at the other end of the hall, across from Gabriel's, who would notice if I tried running. The only thing sitting on the sin counter were the under garments that Arielle had forced me to buy. In my haste to get to my room, I put them on, racing off into hallway, my hair a grudged mess. To my complete misfortune, Arielle was waiting for me with a camera. She snapped a picture of me in the lingerie in the doorway of the bathroom.
Only once when the picture was first developed had I seen it. It turned out extremely well, I looked the closest thing to a model that I had ever. The light coming out of the bathroom window flooded around my body causing me to glow slightly. The picture disappeared before I could get my hands on it.
"Bella!" Rosalie's demanding voice, snapped me out of my reverie. "Put these on." She held out a a few things that I would never get into again.
"No."
"Bella," she sighed. "I can get Alice in here to help me if you wish and then if need be Arielle and Esme." I took the hint and went into the bathroom to throw on the wretched pieces of underwear.
I came out wrapped in a towel, glaring resentfully. My breathe caught in my chest, as I saw Rosalie holding out a short Gold dress, with thin straps. It shimmered as it hit the sun---just like a vampires skin. It was above knee length hugging my body tightly, and it fit perfectly as I pulled it on.
Rosalie, sensing I was finished, pushed open the bathroom door, pulling me by the hand. "Hair." She said at my shocked look.
Once again I was seated in Alice's chair, hot rollers being piled onto my head by Arielle, where they curled my hair. She took them out several time, making sure they were the perfect type of curl. By the time she was finished my chocolate colored hair was curled to the point where it looked as if ringlets were surrounding my whole entire head.
Alice applied a bright red lipstick, and then an even brighter red lip gloss, and then stepped back to admire their handiwork. They gasped, obviously pleased with themselves for my complete transformation. Of course I had yet to actually see myself.
"Can I look now?" I pleaded, mildly wondering what brought this all on.
Rosalie nodded, letting me turn around only to have me stumble backwards in astonishment.
The girl in front of the mirror was not me. I had to admit I was pretty as a vampire but I looked...shocking. My hair was curled so perfectly that it fit my face like that certain style was meant for me, the red color it obtained in the sun shown more brightly than ever before. My face was even more amazing, Alice had done a superb job, taking the angel soft look and enhancing it so much I looked heavenly as my face glowed golden. But y favorite part was the dress, that had looked beautiful when I had first seen it, but now it's silky material clung to my body as if it was a second skin, the slight glitter coming off of it matching the sparkles that were emanating from my body.
"No time to gawk now," Rosalie whispered in my ear, I hadn't even heard her come up behind me. "Edwards back."
My dead heart did a flip-flop, as she handed me golden shoes that matched my dress, luckily they were only an inch high so I wasn't likely to trip.
Alice, Rosalie, and Arielle kissed my fore-head and raced downstairs, leaving me to walk down the stairs by myself. Alice said it was to 'make and entrance.'
EPOV
"But don't you want to know what my answer is." Bella asked, an unreadable expression on her face.
I was shocked, obviously displaying a face full of hurt, and then something I hadn't remembered ever feeling, exploded in my gut. Nerves of all kind ate away at my body.
I knew what I had to do, I was up on my feet in a flash, racing out of my room.
"Edward?" I heard Bella's tortured cry from my room. I couldn't tell her...not yet, just what I was doing.
I flew down the stairs, running into Alice on my way down. Quickly, I stopped, an idea forming in my head. "Alice, get Bella ready for tonight," I said in a fast hurried whisper.
Her eyes glazed over for a second, then she resurfaced a grin on her face. In a movement to fast for me too see she threw her arms around me, hugging me like there was no tomorrow.
"Oh, Edward she'll love it. I promise I'll have her looking beautiful by the end of the day!"
I felt more at ease after she had said that. "I'll get Rosalie and Arielle to help too." Now she was off in Alice land mentally plotting how Bella would look for tonight.
In a second I was back to my rushing, I grabbed Emmett and Jasper from the living room , not giving them an explanation. They followed, somewhat disheartened that they were missing a baseball game.
"Edward what are you doing," Emmett asked, as I clambered into my Volvo. I didn't answer as I revved the engine, Emmett and Jasper sliding in behind me. Speeding out of the drive way, I heard Bella sob then she was quiet.
I promise that you'll know later, Bella, I promise.
I was driving faster than I I thought was possible, the speed exhilarating to me. "Edward," Jasper said in a stern tone. "Your too excited." In truth I was too excited, my dead heart was ready to explode, my nerves were getting the better of me eating away at the pit of my stomach.
"I...," I started. "Emmett where are the best jewelry stores near here?" The car was silent for a few seconds as what I told them settled in. The I heard Emmett's bear like chuckle.
"You dog," he laughed. "Your going to ask Bella to marry you, aren't you?"
"Where are they Emmett?"
"Take a left on the nearest high way."
"Finally," I heard him mutter from behind me.
"You two are perfect for each other," Jasper said kindly. At least he wasn't acting the fool, unlike Emmett.
"When?" Emmett interrupted Jasper's compliments. I looked back at him to see a huge grin on his face.
"Tonight, I've asked Alice to get her ready, and then I am going to take her back to Forks for a few hours. Back to the meadow."
"Well Alice should have some fun," Jasper said dryly, hoping, like I, that she wouldn't suffocate Bella with her extreme measures to perfection.
The rest of the drive unto the jewelry store was filled with aimless talk, about random sports and how Emmett and Jasper knew all along that I would have Bella for all of eternity. Even when Bella had supposedly died.
"Pull up here," Emmett instructed, pointing to a quaint sign that read 'Evenson and Co. Diamonds.' "This is where I got Rosalie's last ring."
I nodded, knowing that I would not get Bella something as ostentatious as the giant diamond that was settled on Rosalie's finger now. Bella wasn't like that.
My brothers and I stepped out the car and then raced the distance between the car and the shops door in a few seconds. I won easily, being the fastest, though Jasper was a close second.
"How may I help you gentleman today?' A seedy looking man asked us, as soon as we entered the small shop. He was the only person on duty. To our entertainment he looked shocked to find such young boys in his diamond store.
"I'm looking for an engagement ring," I said flatly, hoping to convey that I wouldn't take any of the jewelers talk about how I was getting the best deal. That stuff worked on Emmett, not I.
An engagement ring? So young...probably a beautiful girl...hope she says yes, I know my Nellie would, if only she was on duty today. I wonder...
"Right this way sir." he motioned for us to follow him to the largest of display cases. Behind it sat row upon row of beautiful rings. None of them were right for Bella.
"Any more," I asked, his shocked look almost comical.
He barely looked at them! Those were the some of the best rings in this place...
"Right away sir." I followed him to the next case, Jasper and Emmett guffawing behind me. Once again I searched the display case finding nothing to my liking.
"Next one."
"Right. Away. Sir." He was becoming extremely frustrated with me, as I passed on the next four cases of rings. Finally at the last glass boxy full of rings did I find the perfect ring.
"Can I see that one," I said, pointing to the ring I knew that I was going to buy for Bella. The man seemed pleased that I had found something of interest.
"Certainly." He pulled the beautiful ring out of its case and held it before me. Without asking permission I took it from him, examining every inch.
It was perfect.
Perfect because it was topaz, the gemstone that Bella had said she loved---the color of my eyes. Her eyes too. It had a white gold band with small Onyx stones set on either side of the beautiful stone. It was perfect.
"I'll take it." The chintzy man grinned toothily, taking the ring from my hand, receiving a shock by how cold my hand was.
"I will put this in a black box for you. I do hope you have luck sir." I nodded once as he scurried out of the main room and was back in an instant holding a little black velvet box, the ring neatly encased in it's belly.
I put it on my credit card, not really caring what the cost was. I checked the receipt and made a mental note to throw it out the window on the ride home, Bella would not be happy that I spent this much on her. It didn't bother me, but for some reason it seemed to drive her crazy whenever I spent large sums of money on her.
No matter what the cost, she was worth it.
We piled into the car, speeding off, my dead heart feeling unbelievably alive in my chest. I was on my way home...home to Bella.
BPOV
My foot trembled on the heels as they stepped down the stairs slower than a snail. I was walking at a human pace, to annoy Edward further. I hadn't seen him all day, and he had left without any explanation. I was more than a little angry, he promised never to do that to me.
As soon as I came into view of the Cullens and my few family members, I realized Edward wasn't with them. I frowned ready to break down again, not paying the slightest attention to all of their astonished faces.
"My lord, Bella," Gabriel breathed, his jaw practically to the floor. If I didn't know any better I would say he was checking me out. "You look...magnificent."
"Why thank you Gabe," I snapped, uncomfortable by all of their staring.
"You do look wonderful, Bella," Esme complimented, coming over to kiss my cheek, before backing away gently to stare some more at me in awe.
"Edward's going to fall over," Emmett laughed evilly.
And sure enough, Edward entered, a nervous look in his eye. He was muttering silently to himself, practicing something he was going to say. I caught snippets of what he was saying, catching words like. 'beautiful' and 'cake.'
Cake?
He glanced up at me, his topaz eyes locking with mine. I heard his sharp intake of breathe, and watched as his jaw dropped and his eyes fill with amazement.
"B-b-bella y-you l-look so...I-d-do y-you...I..." I pursed my lips, to help from giggling violently.
Oh yes, Edward Cullen was stuttering, making his sentences run together, his beautiful words turning to mush.
"You left," I accused, pretending to be angry with him. In fact I was just as much in awe. He was wearing black a great contrast to his milky skin, no matter how much he hated it. A very expensive no doubt suit and tie.
What was going on?
He rushed to my side, taking my hands in his, looking down into my eyes wit such love that it was breath taking.
"I had to adjust a few things, before I could see you again."
I scowled. "You left and let Alice, Rosalie, and Arielle make me their personal Barbie doll."
He bent down next to my ear, holding me as close as possible, and whispered. "I will never leave your side again...not for an hour." He kissed my neck gently. "Or a minute." He did it again, intoxicating me this time. "Or a second." I let his lips trail down my neck, the familiar electricity grabbing at us.
"Edward, don't kill her again," Rosalie scolded, pushing both of us out of the house.
He pulled away smiling hugely. "We have somewhere to be," he said softly, leading me to his silver Volvo.
I didn't protest as he opened my door for me, and quickly sped off, nearing a hundred miles per hour as he did so. Speed was one of the things I loved about him, and I would have to love it just as much as he did.
"Where did you go?" I questioned, tracing patterns on the back of his hand.
"You shall see," he replied blankly.
I scowled. A surprise, he was taking me for a surprise! This was not going to be a good idea.
"Edward..." I growled.
"Bella, it will cause you no harm I promise," I glared, he was missing quite a few things that could go wrong with this surprise. "Or nor will it involve you having to exercise remotely. And please stop growling at me, I would never let anything happen to you."
I kept my frown inserted on my face, but it quickly faded as, Edward leaned over to kiss my cheek. The warmth in the wake of the kiss was amazing. "Better?"
"Better." I agreed, not bothering to tell him to keep his eyes on the road, for I knew neither of us would be hurt if he did make the car mincemeat around a telephone pole.
A peaceful silence filled the car, it was beautiful and I welcomed it. I hadn't been able to figure out what Edward had been planning all day. And Edward's surprises usually led to me getting something I didn't need, or tripping and falling on my face.
But as soon as I began to contemplate deeply about what this surprise could possibly be, the car stopped. For once I couldn't see what was beyond the tinted windows of the Volvo. That meant neither could Edward, or could he.
In an instant I had my answer, my door was being held open for me by my angel. I stepped out of the car, taking his hand still completely unaware of where we were.
And then I caught sight of a familiar bed of ferns, and the shapes in the darkness began to clear out. We were in Forks...we were at our meadow.
"Edward?" I breathed, my voice barely above a whisper.
I felt his cool breath on my neck, as he carefully lifted me in his arms, and began running at full speed. I didn't protest, still too shocked to form any real words. And then all of a sudden he stopped, setting me down on the ground.
I looked around the meadow, there was nothing different about it, except a small plaid blanket surrounded by a few white candles in the center of the clearing. I looked back at Edward who appeared nervous, he was fidgeting with his tie, until it was in a perfectly straight line.
"It's beautiful," I murmured, taking his hand and leading him over to the blanket. I sat down, leaning back onto his chest. My favorite sound played over in my brain as I listened to his easy breathing. Except now he was getting restless. I waited, thinking maybe he would calm down, but he didn't he grew more and more jittery as the seconds wore on.
"Edward," I asked, turning to face his anxious expression. I reached out, stroking the side of his face with my fingers. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he lied, standing up in a flash. I followed suit, standing on my tip-toes to look him in the eye. "Dance with me?"
Huh?
"But there's no music," I pointed out, already laying my head contently back down on the steady fall of his breathe.
"Yes there is." And as if on cue a song began to play from some invisible speakers. I recognized it faintly, as Edward hummed the tune.
I
wanna have the same last dream again
The
one where I wake up and I'm alive
Just
as the four walls close me within
My
eyes are open up with pure sunlight
I'm
the first to know
My
dearest friends
Even
if your hope has burned with time
Anything
that is dead shall be regrown
And
your vicious pain, your warning sign
You
will be fine
Hey
oh here I am
And
here we go
Life's
waiting to begin
Any
type of love it will be shown
Like
every single tree reach for the sky
if
you're gonna fall
i'll
let you know
that
i will pick you up
like
you for i
i
felt this thing
i
can't replace
when
everyone was working for this goal
where
all the children left without a trace
only
to come back as pure as gold
to
recite this all
Hey
oh here I am
And
here we go
Life's
waiting to begin
Tonight
Hey
oh here I am
And
here we go
Life's
waiting to begin
Tonight
Hey
oh here I am
And
here we go
Life's
waiting to begin
I
can not live
I
can't breathe
Unless
you do this with me
I
can not live
I
can't breathe
Unless
you do this with me
I
can not live
I
can't breathe
Unless
you do this with me
I
can not live
I
can't breathe
Unless
you do this with me
I
can not live
I
can't breathe
Unless
you do this with me
I
can not live
I
can't breathe
Unless
you do this with me
Hey
oh, here I am (do this with me)
Here
we go
life's
waiting to begin (do this with me)
Hey
oh, here I am (do this with me)
Here
we go
life's
waiting to begin
life's
waiting to begin
When
the song ended, Edward pulled us apart, looking deeply into my eyes.
I trembled as he traced my lips with his fingers. Slowly he knelt
down on one knee.
My eyes widened in shock, as he revealed a small black box, filled with the most heart-breaking ring I had ever seen. My breathe caught in my throat, then...
"Bella, I love you forever, will you make me the happiest man alive, and marry me?"
The nerves were clearly displayed on his face, as was the fear of being rejected.
I said the one word that had haunted me for twenty-five years. The one word that I loved besides 'Edward'. The one word that had brought Edward back to me. Brought the sun back into my cold existence. The word that kept me alive for years and dead at the same time.
"Always."
A/N: Yay! fluff mostly fluff I know but still...and for the rest of you fluff haters there is a bit more of a plot left, and some humor between Arielle and Gabriel. I love writing Gabriel! Review!
Till next time...
