A/N Phew! This took a long time to write! Hope you enjoy it though…
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"Kitten, how would you like to meet my family?"
Edward's POV
She gaped at me, mouth open, eyes wide. It was actually quite cute.
I waited patiently for her to comprehend what I had just said.
"Your family?" she asked at last. I nodded.
Then her shocked expression turned into genuine confusion. "Why?"
I chuckled , then shrugged. "Why not?"
She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again, shaking her head.
"Um…okay…I guess…" she murmured. Then she looked up at me. "When?"
"Right now," I answered.
Her eyes automatically dropped to her outfit.
"I'll take you home to change first, of course."
She nodded, seeming to still be in a daze. I got up and as soon as I was sure she could walk again, we headed back to the car.
We had been on the road for about 5 minutes when she finally spoke.
"They might not even be home. It is a school day."
I smiled, realising that she was finding any excuse to not go through with this.
"Actually, my family and I don't go out on sunny days like this. We normally go camping," I told her.
She looked out the window at the clear, blue sky above us. Not a cloud to be seen.
"Well, wouldn't they be camping then?" she asked.
I chuckled again. "I told them to stay home today because I would be bringing you over."
Suddenly her face scrunched up into a look of suspicion. "How did you know I would agree to come over?"
I smirked, looking directly into her eyes. "I can be quite…persuasive when I need to be, Kitten."
She took a deep breath and turned away from me just as we turned into her driveway.
When she remained sitting, I cleared my throat, snapping her back into reality. "Well, go on. Try to make it quick though."
She shook her head as she got out of the car.
Smiling, I watched her petite frame almost dance to the front door.
My little Kitten.
I had been sitting in the car for what must have been over 30 minutes when she finally emerged.
I gasped.
She approached me quickly as I got out of the car to get a better look at her.
"What do you think?" she asked, twirling.
She was wearing a sky blue alter neck dress, stopping just above her knees, black Converse and a lime green necklace. Her hair was styled in a messy bun, but a few strands hung loose, framing her face and cascading down her back. She had just a touch of lip gloss on, but other than that her face was clear of all makeup.
"I think my pants suddenly got too tight," I answered making her blush a deep crimson. "Let's go."
She looked panicked. "Are you sure? Is it too much? Is it not enough? Do I look okay?"
"Let's go, Kitten," I said a little firmer.
She quickly got into the car and, smirking, I got into the driver's seat and started driving.
The drive was silent. Every now and then my Kitten would check herself in the mirror or adjust her hair.
She could be so silly.
About 15 minutes later she looked at me. "Where exactly are we going?"
"My house," I told her, looking directly ahead.
She looked around. "It looks like you're taking me somewhere away from all civilisation so you can kidnap me and make me your prisoner."
I turned to her, and stared at her seriously. "How did you figure it out?"
Her smile vanished and her face became almost…frightened.
"I'm kidding!" I reassured her turning back to the road, a smile on my face. "Do you really believe I would do something like that to you?"
She shrugged, her face relaxing into a grin.
"I mean I could," I continued. "If I wanted to."
"Why would you want to?" she asked.
"Because," I whispered, leaning into her until my lips reached her ear. "I know you'd enjoy it."
She shivered and I pulled away, a victorious smirk on my lips.
We pulled into the driveway and the worried look appeared on her face again, causing me roll my eyes.
"What if they don't like me?" she stressed. "What if they hate me? What if-"
"What if all your stressing causes your head to explode?" I cut in, making her giggle.
"Okay, sorry," she said, flattening her hair.
I stopped her with my hand. "Don't worry. They're going to love you."
I was looking directly into her eyes and they seemed to calm down a bit.
We got out the car and, taking her hand, I led her to the front door. I let her go in before me, but followed in soon after.
"Esme! Carlisle! We're here!" I yelled. The sound echoed through the large house, causing Kitten to wince slightly.
"Your house is…big," she whispered, scrunching up her nose in the cutest way. I smiled, shaking my head. She is so adorable.
My Kitten.
Mine.
I love the sound of that.
Bella's POV
His house was…huge! Like, gigantic!
I was getting anxious to explore it. I wondered what Edward's room looked like?
I was about to ask him to take me to it when the sweetest voice stopped me.
"Hello, dear! You must be Edward's new friend! I'm Esme, his mother," I heard someone say.
I turned and saw the most beautiful woman…and there was an equally beautiful man standing next to her.
"And I'm his father," he said.
I smiled as warmly as I could. "I'm Bella, Edward's...friend." I wasn't exactly sure what Edward referred me as to his parents but it seemed as though they knew me as his friend. "It's nice to meet you Mr and Mrs Cullen."
"Please," the man said, "call me Carlisle."
"It's Esme, darling," the lady said. Something about her was familiar to me…
I nodded.
"The others will be here in a minute," Esme said to me. She directed us to what looked like a living room. "Please, sit."
I was about to take a seat on a single chair when Edward took my hand a guided me towards one of the two loveseats there were, then he sat beside me and put his arm around me.
I took a moment to observe the two inhumanly beautiful people in front of me.
These were the only two members of Edward's family I hadn't really seen yet.
I looked at the lady. Esme.
She was…amazing. A heart shaped face which was framed by the silkiest orange hair I'd ever seen.
She also had the softest brown eyes. I could automatically tell that she was the nurturing type. Those eyes were so familiar…
Then I focused on Carlisle.
He was…wow. There were no words to describe him. Handsome wasn't a good enough word. He had thick, blond hair and the brightest, deep blue eyes.
And they both had the exact same pale skin tone as Edward and his siblings did.
"Well, it seems the others are…delayed," Carlisle said, turning to us.
Edward groaned. "Great! It would be just like them to keep my friend and I waiting!"
"Easy, Edward," Esme said, sensing his raging temper. "They probably have a good reason."
Edward took a deep breath and moved to get up. "Well, I guess I'll bring her back another time."
"No!" Esme exclaimed, causing Edward to pause. "We have been waiting so long to meet Bella and it would be a shame for her to just leave like this, especially with your siblings coming soon."
"Well, what do you suppose we do?" Edward asked, frustrated.
I wasn't sure if they were too engrossed in their conversation to realise that they were talking about me with me sitting right in front of them.
I craned my neck to look at Edward, who was now standing at the foot of the loveseat.
This seemed to make Carlisle realise that I was still there.
"I think we can make good use of this opportunity," he said. "And get to know Bella a little better. Don't you think so, honey?" he asked, turning to Esme.
I said a silent prayer of thank you to Edward's father for saving me from the inevitable 'awkward silence' that was sure to follow their conversation.
"Yes, definitely," Esme said.
I heard Edward sigh and sit back down next to me. Then Carlisle and Esme sat down on the other loveseat, facing us.
"So, Bella," Esme started, "tell us about yourself."
I shrugged. "Ask me anything."
"Why don't you tell us about your family?" Carlisle asked. I gulped.
I should have expected this. They would obviously want to know about my upbringing.
"Can you…be more specific?" I stuttered.
"Well," Esme said, "how about your parents? Tell us about your mother."
I looked down. "My mother…she…um…she's passed away."
I looked up to see Esme with her hand over her mouth, and Carlisle with a sorrowful expression on his face.
I was afraid to even look at Edward's face. But I knew we would be talking about it later…
"I'm so very sorry, sweety," I heard Esme say. "Would it be forward if I asked about it?"
"Not at all," I said, my voice shaky.
"When did she pass?" she asked softly.
I took a deep breath. "Five years ago. I was 12. She died in a car crash. It was…hard…at the time…but I'm over it now."
I felt Edward's hand on my shoulder.
"I'm sorry," I heard Carlisle say.
"Don't be." I saw Esme was near tears, and noticed her eyes again.
"Your eyes," I said, "they remind me of my mother's. They were just like yours. Soft…caring…"
I was fighting tears. It was always hard, remembering my mother. I never realise how much I miss her until I actually talk about it.
"Well, what about your father?" Carlisle asked, trying to lighten the mood, not realising that that surely wouldn't help.
"Oh, you know…he's just like any father…" I cleared my throat, not prepared to lie about how 'perfect' my father is. I didn't want to lie to them at all.
"Give us some details, honey," Esme said, brightening up, "what's he really like?"
"He's…well, he's a dad…and he's…pretty unique…I guess…" I scanned the room, trying to find a way to draw the conversation away from my father.
Then I noticed a piano in the corner of the room. I saw Esme, Carlisle and Edward follow my eyes.
I turned to Esme. "Do you play?"
She shook her head. "No. Edward didn't tell you he was a musical?"
I looked at Edward. His face held a sheepish grin. "No, he never did."
"It never came up," he said, shrugging.
I rolled my eyes then got a thought. "Will you play me something?"
He scrunched up his face in an absolutely adorable way.
Then I heard a car pull into the driveway, followed by the opening of the door and the whispers of what must be Edward's siblings.
"Perhaps another time," Edward said.
"Kids!" Esme yelled. "We're in here!"
After a few seconds, I saw each one of Edwards siblings walk in one by one.
"Well," Carlisle said, "we'll leave you young ones to socialize then."
Him and Esme got up.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Bella," Esme said. Carlisle nodded.
"Likewise," I said. "You are both remarkable people. And now I know where Edward get's his…good looks from." Friends were allowed to say that…right?
They shared a glance, confused. "Didn't Edward tell you?" Esme asked.
"Tell me what?" I asked, looking up at Edward who was now looking away from me.
"We aren't Edward's, or his sibling's, biological parents," Carlisle explained. "They were all adopted."
I gasped. I looked up at Edward and saw that he was now staring at me.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
He shrugged again. "You never asked."
I groaned. Esme and Carlisle chuckled, before leaving the room completely.
Leaving me with Edward and his siblings.
I decided to introduce myself first. "Hello, I'm Bella. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
The beautiful blond one rolled her eyes but the brawny, dark haired boy standing next to her broke into a huge smile.
"I'm Emmett!" the big guy boomed, a voice like thunder. And it was so…joyous…I just had to smile. He was even bigger than I thought he was! And his eyes…
"And I'm Alice!" the small, pretty, pixie like girl said in a sing song voice. She was so…small. Tiny. Smaller than me, even.
After them, the rest of the introductions just filed on.
"Jasper," the lean, tall, blond guy told me in a sullen voice.
"Rosalie," the perfect blond girl snapped. She obviously didn't want me here.
The others were quite friendly though. For the rest of the afternoon and into the evening we sat and talked. It was really great to get to know them.
I found out a lot about them. Alice and Jasper were a couple and so were Emmett and Rosalie. And that Jasper and Rosalie are twins. And much more. It wasn't long before I felt absolutely at ease around them.
I'd never really had friends before.
It was nice.
In fact, Alice and I have become really close in the short time I've known her and we even have plans to go shopping the following weekend in Port Angeles.
She's amazing. They all are.
And I was absolutely happy. Until I heard a bit more about Edward's past than I needed to.
"So," Emmett started, "has Edward ever told you about Tanya?"
I saw Edward shoot him a death glare, as if trying to shut him up through telepathy.
"Who's Tanya?" I asked, interested.
"Edward's old girlfriend," he replied.
I raised my eyebrow. "Girlfriend? When?"
Emmett was about to answer me when Alice stepped in, probably trying to help out her brother.
"You know what?" she said. "It's getting rather late and I'm sure Bella's father is expecting her home."
I looked at the clock that hung on the wall. 11:42pm!
I hadn't even been paying attention to the time. I must have gotten carried away with all the fun in talking to Edward's family.
I turned back to Emmett and saw the cutest pout on his lips. "Alice! You always ruin my fun!"
I laughed. Hard. Harder than I ever remember myself laughing. I hadn't laughed in a very long time.
It felt…good.
The Cullens walked with me and Edward to the car.
"Bye Bella! Looking forward to Port Angeles!" Alice said, pulling me into a hug.
"Seeya later, Bells!" Emmett yelled, squeezing me in a tight bear hug. I could tell he was going to be like a big brother to me one day…
"Goodbye," Jasper said, courteously.
"Goodbye, sweety!" Esme exclaimed, kissing my cheek.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Bella. Hope I'll see you again soon. It's nice that Edward has some…company," Carlisle said warmly.
All I got from Rosalie was a bleak wave, but I didn't mind. I hadn't felt so loved since my mom died. I'd forgotten what it was like.
As soon as we were in the car and away from the house, I turned to Edward.
"Who's Tanya?"
He sighed. "Emmett." He turned to me slightly. "Tanya is my past. You are my future, Kitten."
I rolled my eyes. I wasn't buying that shit. "How long were you together?"
"A little over a year," he said thoughtfully.
"What does she look like?"
He groaned. "It doesn't matter-"
"What does she look like?" I cut him off.
He sighed. "Blond hair, blue eyes, fake tan…the usual."
I tried to picture her. And I didn't like what my imagination came up with.
Not at all.
"Did you love her?" I asked softly.
"No," he said slowly, "no…I was…infatuated in a way. But it wasn't love."
There were many questions on my mind as he neared my street. But there was one pressing me at the back of my mind.
"Did you ever do…it…with her?"
He laughed. He actually laughed. Not just a small chuckle but a real, booming laugh. As if he found it funny.
That made me pout.
"No…we never…did…it…" he said between laughs.
"Oh," I said, relieved.
Though there was still a hint of jealousy there.
We would pick it up another time. All I thought of for the rest of the silent drive, was how Charlie was going to kill me when I got home.
"Here we are," he said pulling into the driveway.
"Yay," I murmured with fake enthusiasm.
He chuckled. Before I could get out, he pulled my chin towards him and kissed me square on the lips.
Not a heavy make-out session. More like a 'goodnight' kiss. It was sweet.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he whispered.
I nodded, getting out the car.
When I got to the front door, I waved back to his car, opened the door, and walked straight into hell.
Edward's POV
She continues to amaze me. My Kitten. Here I was, dropping her off at her home, and then missing her 5 seconds later.
I'd just spent the whole day with her, but it didn't seem to be enough.
It wasn't enough.
I wanted to be with her for every second.
Was that romantic?
Or creepy?
Either way, I couldn't care less.
Though I knew that 'Tanya' story wasn't going to be over for a while.
She was at the front door now, waving at me. That was my signal to leave. I waved back and backed out of the driveway slowly, and then onto the road.
I missed her so much already.
I would see her in a matter of hours.
Just hours.
You can wait.
I was only a few minutes away from her house when I heard an earth-shattering crash, followed by a shrill scream.
A cry for help.
I stopped the car and listened closer.
"EDWARD!" I heard someone scream.
That cry was for me!
My Kitten!
She was screaming for me!
I turned the car around at top speed.
I was at her house in 2 seconds. As I approached the door I heard yelling and a lot of crashing from inside.
Wasting no time, I kicked the door down and followed the noise into the kitchen.
And there she lay. My Kitten. Battered and beaten and broken. On the floor in the corner of the room.
I could cry from just the sight of it.
Then I looked towards the monster that stood before her. A man that could only be her father, towering over her, drunk as ever, holding a knife in his hand.
A knife he aimed at my Kitten!
I didn't have time to comprehend what I was doing before I jumped into action.
And no-one could have seen what I would do next…
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A/N OOOOOH CLIFFHANGER!
What will he do? What will Bella say? What's going to happen to Charlie?
All in the next chapter.
The sooner you review, the faster I update…
Please R&R :D
