Nightfall
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Fallen Angels
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I could've sworn time slowed down as he closed the distance between us, but I can certify it completely stopped when he knelt down in front of me. Out of nowhere, he produced a black velvet box.
"I love you, in a way I never dreamed could be possible. You are my life. I am yours forever. Isabella, will you marry me?"
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On the outside, I looked merely shocked. On the inside, however, my mind was racing. For what seemed like an eternity, every possible thought crossed my mind; I was barely eighteen years old, I had never really considered getting married, let alone doing it so soon! And what were my parents going to say? But then I also thought, I had never even dreamed I'd feel for someone half the things I felt for Edward. He was the one and only person I would ever want for me. To be quite honest, I never really considered saying no.
My answer left my lips before I was even done thinking.
"Yes." I whispered softly.
Edward's eyes widened in surprise. He stood up, placed his hands on my waist and leaned forward to look me straight in the eyes. "Yes?" He asked excitedly.
"Yes" I said a little louder.
He let out the unnecessary breath he'd been holding and lifted me up in the air. I laughed softly at his reaction and allowed him to twirl me around a few times. He soon let go of me and leaned his forehead against mine. His trembling hands reached for the ring, which he then proceeded to slide up my finger.
I hadn't even looked at the beautiful piece of jewelry before then. It was made out of white gold and had little diamonds all around, with a larger one in the middle. It was by far, the most beautiful engagement ring I had ever seen.
"Oh Edward." I stared at my hand, which now sported the promise of our future together. He took my face between his strong hands and pressed his cold lips to mine, allowing me to part them slightly but never deepening the kiss.
When I came up for air, he took my right hand and led me over to the table. Edward handed me my glass of red wine and took his own, which was full of blood.
"Do you mind if we toast? I know the smell of my glass must be making you queasy." He placed a hand on my cheek, as if to check for any sign of faintness. I was feeling faint, but not from the blood.
"I don't mind." And to prove it, I clinked my glass rather forcefully against his. A few drops of blood made their way into my drink. I fought the familiar wooziness that I usually felt just by looking at the dark red liquid. Surprisingly, I found myself winning against the lightheadedness.
Edward looked shocked. "Bella, what are you doing?" I smiled at him warmly. "The whole tradition of clinking glasses began when people used to poison other people's drinks. The whole point of it is for a few drops of your glass to slip into mine so I can taste what you're tasting."
"In case you hadn't noticed, my glass is filled with human blood."
I choked on my reply. I had not even entertained the possibility of it being human. For a moment I stared at my red wine. Then, deciding that blood was soon going to become my sole energy source anyway, I raised my glass.
"To us." I simply said before taking a long drink.
All I could taste was the rich, dry flavor of the wine. Edward took a sip from his own glass, but still stared at me in shock. I couldn't help making a face after I swallowed.
"I knew you shouldn't have done that." In a flash, Edward had me sitting down on one of the chairs, probably afraid I'd faint on him.
"I couldn't even taste the blood. I'm just not much of a drinker." The understatement of the century. I had probably tasted alcohol only a handful of times in my life.
He sighed and looked away from me. He seemed... angry?
"Edward?" I frowned.
"Give me a moment." He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.
"What's wrong?" I sat very still, afraid I'd done something to make him feel uncomfortable.
"You drank blood." He said between gritted teeth.
I couldn't help rolling my eyes. "It was barely a drop, diluted on alcohol!"
"I know I just..." He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I just thought I'd have more time to get used to the idea."
I stood up and slowly walked over to him. I touched his back carefully and tried to lighten the mood. "It's not like I'd never had any, you know? I think I drank a few mouthfuls when James smashed me against the mirrors."
Edward did not find my comment amusing. He growled but didn't move away from me. I took that as a good sign and gently turned him around to face me.
"I did that to show you that I really am okay with this whole thing. I will gladly give up fish, chicken and stake for an eternity of bloody meals if it means dining with you."
Edward reached out for my face. His touch was light as a feather, but it still made my heart flutter. "You are insane, Bella."
"So, what else is new?" I winked at him. He let out a small laugh and guided me back to my chair. Then, he knelt down in front of me once more and took my hand. "We are engaged." He whispered so quietly I wasn't sure he was talking to me.
"I know." I smiled and kissed him again. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Where did you get the blood?"
He gave me one of his amazing crooked smiles "It took you longer than I expected."
"What?"
"That question."
"Oh. Well what's the answer?" I wasn't scared or disgusted, just curious.
"We have a stash of it at home to celebrate on special occasions such as this. Carlisle brings it home from the hospital whenever they get some that can't be used."
"Oh." It was a funny thing to think about. I was secretly glad I'd never ran into the fridge where they probably kept it. That would've been a shock.
Edward sat across from me and loaded my plate with stake and vegetables.
"I don't know if I can eat. I'm too excited." I said honestly.
He laughed wholeheartedly and touched my hand. "Have whatever you like."
I picked up my fork and speared a broccoli. "So, what do we do now? Do we set a date?"
Edward laughed again. "I think it might be a little too soon for that. We should probably wait a few years, at least until you're comfortable and used to your future vampire self. Besides, we don't want your eyes to look red in the wedding pictures do we?"
That last statement confused me, but I said nothing. Instead I shoved the vegetable into my mouth and sighed in delight. "This is wonderful. Did you cook all these?"
He smiled "I wish. I ordered it from a good restaurant in Port Angeles."
I took another bite and looked down at my ring. "What is Charlie going to say when he sees this?"
"Well I was thinking, we probably shouldn't tell him yet. It will only make him nervous if you get engaged while you're still in high school."
I looked up at Edward, disappointment written all across my face. "You mean I have to take it off?"
"Well not exactly, that's what the chain I gave you earlier is for." He reached across the table and lifted the delicate, long chain from under my dress. He undid it, took the ring from my finger and placed it inside the chain.
The engagement ring rested between my breasts. If I wore it under my clothes, no one would ever notice.
"Clever." I smiled.
"Why, thank you." He returned the gesture and slid the ring out of the chain. "I'd like you to wear it on your finger when we're alone. I love the way it looks on you."
I stared down at my hand, with the ring back in place, and laced my fingers with his pale ones. "So do I." I declared contentedly.
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After dinner, he cradled me in his arms and ran us to his car. I stared at him while he drove us out of the woods. The full moon reflected on his perfect features in such an amazing way he was leaving me literally breathless. That's why it took me a few minutes to realize we weren't diving to Charlie's.
"We're staying at your place tonight?" I frowned.
"Yes. I want us -well you- to sleep in our bed tonight. Is that a problem?"
"No. But isn't Charlie expecting me back?"
Edward smiled at me and ruffled my hair. "Alice and Jasper went over to your place a few hours ago to get permission."
I frowned again. "Jasper? Why him?"
"Well according to Alice, you father wouldn't have let you sleep over at our place tonight unless Jasper were there to sooth his mind."
I was confused. "Why? He's never said no before."
Edward was smiling before he even answered. "Well that's because he trusts Carlisle and Esme. But today, he thinks they might make an exception and let you sleep in my room, seeing as how you're turning eighteen and don't really need parental supervision anymore. Besides, my parents are not really that old. Or so he thinks."
I rested back on the leather seat, lost in thought. "No one in your house has ever objected to you sleeping with a seventeen year old." I was just thinking out loud, but Edward laughed and answered. "Well, I am over a hundred years old, Bella. I think I can make my own decisions and take care of myself. Besides, it's not like we can actually do anything yet."
I smiled up at him. "Yet being the key word in that statement."
He smiled, but looked straight at the road. "Exactly."
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That night we had the house to ourselves. I fell asleep under the white silk sheets with Edward's hands around me while staring at my ring. Pretending nothing monumental had happened the next day at school turned out to be a bit of a challenge, considering I couldn't wipe the idiotic grin off my face.
It got easier with time. I got into the routine of being the first or last one to change for gym so no one would see my chain and wearing loose clothes to prevent any lumps. Not that that would've been difficult if Alice hadn't insisted on buying an unnecessary amount of designer clothes for me. It took a great deal of effort to convince her of letting me wear my same old t-shirts to school.
The rest of September went by in a blur. By the end of October I started toying with the idea of telling Charlie about me moving in with Edward in December. I figured it was probably best to tell him at least a month before it happened, so he'd have time to get used to the idea.
Edward, Alice and I started having almost daily meetings to test out different plans. It took a considerable amount of time deciding whether to tell him about the engagement or just about the move. In the end, Alice though that it'd be best if I told him only about the living arrangements. She also commented that things would go over better if I told him by myself.
That started up a whole new argument with Edward. He felt it would be impolite to not be there when I told Charlie. The old fashioned vampire refused to let me handle the whole burden of telling my father on my own.
After many, many days of endless bickering Edward gave in, with one condition. He made me promise that I'd go with him to the Halloween dance. He claimed he wanted me to have that last human experience. I only agreed after Alice informed me that the night of the dance would be the best time to tell Charlie, although I'll never know if she was telling the truth or if she just wanted to dress me up.
The night of the dance I sat in my room, nervously waiting for Edward. Earlier that day Alice had curled my hair and painted my face. The makeup was very neutral and light, it made my pale face looked radiant and beautiful.
When she handed me the long, sleeveless, white dress I frowned. "What am I supposed to be?"
"An angel, per Edward's request." I protested no more.
The only problem was she'd given me no wings, just a very sophisticated and expensive looking halo. I sat in front of my mirror, applying a last touch of lip-gloss, and wondered if that was what Edward wanted. An angel with no wings, it seemed oddly appropriate. Even though I was going to have a hard time explaining my costume to everyone.
The doorbell rang then. I grabbed my high heels and ran barefoot down the stairs, holding the hem of my dress up. When I opened the door I was so stunned I dropped the shoes.
Beneath the porch light stood the perfect image of a dark angel. His black suit and black shirt contrasted beautifully with his pale skin. His eyes were almost black, a sure sign of his unwillingness to leave me alone, even to go feed. His head hung low, and he looked up at me from beneath his long lashes. To top it all off, he was wearing the most elaborated wings I had ever seen. Real black feathers made up the majestic ornament, completing the incredible costume.
I quivered on the spot.
"Are you ready to go, my angel?" He hadn't lifted his chin; his stare still came from beneath his incredible lashes. I was so bedazzled by him, I crumbled.
His hands caught me before I hit the ground. He steadied me by pressing my body firmly to his. His deep laugh only made my heart race faster.
"You're going to kill me one of these days." I gasped breathlessly.
"Well, that is the plan. Isn't it?" He joked.
"Oh my, that is one stunning costume Edward." Charlie appeared behind us out of nowhere.
"Thank you, sir." He pushed me gently away from his body, but didn't let go completely.
"What are you supposed to be, Bells? A bride?"
My hand automatically flew to my chest. I looked down quickly to check if the ring was still concealed under the dress. The plunging neckline of it made it impossible for me to hide the chain, but the ring remained thankfully out of sight.
"She's an angel too. I have her wings in the car." Edward answered for me.
"Oh well, have fun tonight! Don't come home too late."
"I'll bring her right back after the dance." Edward was already walking me down the porch steps.
"I'll wait up." I couldn't tell if that was a warning or just a comment. I shrieked in surprise when Edward bent down and lifted me in his arms. So was Charlie, I could tell from his sharp intake of breath.
"She's not wearing her shoes." Edward explained apologetically.
"Oh!" My father saw the high heels that I'd dropped by the door and handed them to me. "Put those on in the car Bella." That was definitely a warning.
"I will, dad."
Once we were a few blocks away from the house, I looked down at the death traps Alice called footwear and scowled.
"What's wrong?" I should've known Edward would be staring at me.
"I don't like high heels."
"Then don't wear them."
In a move too fast for me to catch, Edward had taken off his black shoes and socks and was throwing them to the back seat. The car didn't even slow down.
"Angels shouldn't wear shoes anyway." He winked at me and parked the car. We were at the school already.
When the Volvo stopped he undid my seat belt. "Wait there." He instructed and popped the trunk open. He produced a magnificent pair of white wings, not unlike his own.
"How do I wear those?" I frowned.
"Here, turn around." He helped me out of the car and stood me up on the car matt, which he'd placed right beside the door. I hadn't even seen him do it.
His hands caressed my arms and back while he attached the wings miraculously to the back of my dress. It was a corset, which probably helped support the weight, but I was still amazed at how the wings were held up without any straps on my shoulders.
He read my confused look well. "What? You've never heard of the term -light as a feather-?" When I raised my eyebrows he laughed. "Alice spent quite a bit of time making these so you'd be able to wear them with the strapless dress."
I asked no more. He noticed I was getting cold, so he cuddled me in his arms and carried me over to the gym.
He pushed the doors open with his foot and walked us in. At that exact moment, someone drove up to the building. The headlights of the car illuminated us from behind. It must have been a spectacular entrance, because everyone at the party turned around to stare at us.
I could understand why the sight would marvel anyone. A dark angel, barefoot and gorgeous, carrying a white angel surrounded by light. It was all very symbolic.
The gym doors closed behind us and ever-so-slowly people returned to their previous conversations. I briefly noticed Mike and Jessica sitting across the room. She continued whatever she'd been saying before we walked in, but it seemed to take an incredible amount of effort from Mike's part to turn back to her.
Edward took me right to the center of the dance floor before letting me down. And even then, my feet never touched the ground. He maneuvered around the wings with ease and held me up by my waist. It was only after he started dancing that I managed to take a look around the room. I saw Alice -fittingly dressed as Tinkerbell- dancing with Jasper, who looked very calm and collected, but I could tell he felt just a tad uncomfortable in his green, Peter Pan tights. Rosalie was dressed in a huge pink gown. Emmet wore a suit.
"Hey, what are you two supposed to be?" I asked Emmett when we waltzed by them.
"I'm Barbie." I was incredibly shocked when Rosalie answered my question.
"I guess that makes you Ken." I smiled at her partner's spray-painted blonde hair.
"I begged her to let me be the new surfer dude, he's way cooler. But she refused."
Rosalie just shrugged. "Barbie and Ken should've been together forever. What ever happened to true love?"
"It's right here." Edward smiled at me and kissed my forehead. Rosalie seemed to remember her hate for me then. She scowled and led Emmett to the other side of the dance floor.
After an hour of what could loosely be considered dancing, I eyed the punch table with desire. Edward noticed and guided me over to the refreshments. I sat on a bench, happily sipping away my punch, when the wind blew the gym doors open. I was so startled by the noise, I dropped the rest of the drink -which thankfully wasn't much- on my white, satin dress.
"Oh my God!" I jumped up and promptly tripped on the fabric that, thanks to my barefoot status, pooled at my feet.
Edward sat me back down on the bench. "Stay here, I'll go get some napkins."
I stared remorsefully at the four red drops. I was so engrossed by my clumsiness that I didn't pay attention to the person who sat down next to me not a second later.
"Wow, that was fast Edward. Even for your va..." I stopped cold in my tracks when I realized that the man sitting next to me was not my boyfriend.
Jacob, wearing a black suit that looked just a little too small for him, smiled down at me. "Hi Bella!"
"Jacob! Hi! Wow, it's been a long time!" I smiled sincerely at him.
"Too long." He was even taller than the last time I'd seen him. Somehow, he'd grown into that tallness and now looked all grown up. His long hair was, as always, tied back in a slick ponytail. I frowned when I noticed his skin looked a lot paler.
"What are you dressed as?" I asked curiously.
"A vampire."
If I'd had any punch left, I would've surely choked on it.
"Oh wow. Where are your fangs?" I tried to cover my surprise.
"Who ever told you that vampires have fangs?" He winked at me. I was so stunned by his reply my palms started to sweat. I stared stupidly at him.
"Oh I'm just kidding." He reached into his coat pocked and produced a pair of white, plastic fangs. I let out a very nervous laugh and looked around the crowd for Edward.
"Are you okay? You look a little... tense." Jacob frowned.
"I'm fine. It's just that these stains are going to set unless..." At that exact moment, Edward appeared by my side with napkins and club soda.
"Here you go sweetie. Hello Jacob."
"Edward." Jacob nodded in his direction. For some reason, he seemed to be a lot less uneasy around my boyfriend.
"Well, I think I'll go look for my date." Jacob winked at me again, said goodbye and left. Edward growled.
"What the hell was that?" I wondered out loud.
"That was a little pubescent rebellion and a lot of new found attitude." Edward growled again.
"It seemed like a lot more than that. He said..."
"I know what he said, I heard. You handled it well, by the way." I couldn't tell if that had been a compliment or just good old sarcasm.
"But how did he know about the fangs?"
"He didn't, he was just teasing you. It was a lucky guess."
"But the way he looked at you. He used to be intimidated by your mere presence!"
"Apparently, with adolescence comes invincibility."
I sighed. "I want to leave."
"Good." Edward lifted me in the air. "So do I."
I rested my head on his shoulder while he carried me back to the car.
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I cleaned my dress methodically on the drive back home. My talk with Jacob had been stressful, but the real kicker of the night was yet to come.
Edward wrapped a white shawl around my shivering shoulders before carrying me to the door. "I'll be waiting in your room." He whispered. I kissed him for support and nodded before going inside to tell my father the "good news".
Charlie was waiting for me on the couch, watching TV.
"Hi dad." I greeted him.
"Oh hi Bells! Nice wings."
"Thanks." I'd forgotten to tell Edward to take them off. There was no way I'd be able to do it myself and I'd waste too much time in running upstairs to change, so I sat down next to my dad -wings and all- to talk to him. I just hoped the costume wouldn't have any influence on his reaction.
"Dad, I have to talk to you about something."
I must have sounded serious, because he immediately turned off the television.
"What's up?" I could hear the weariness in his voice. He had reason to behave like that. After all, any kind of real talk we'd ever had ended with me leaving him for some reason. That night would be no exception.
"Well, you know how I turned eighteen last month?"
"I remember." His eyes narrowed. I'd prepared this whole speech, but at that moment my mind went blank.
"Well, Edward and I have been talking and..." I decided to get it over with quickly, just like ripping off a band-aid, "we've decided to move in together."
Charlie sighed. "Bella, I know you really like him and all but why don't you two try living in different dorms for a while? Even if it is at the same college. Don't you want to live on your own? Even if it's just for the first semester?"
It took me a few seconds to understand what he was talking about. "No dad, we're not waiting for college. We're moving in together next month."
My father stared at me as if I'd grown a horn. "Isabella, don't be ridiculous."
I sighed. "I'm going to get a job. He has a little money saved up to get us started. We'll probably live close to the Cullens, Edward prefers it that way and so do I."
Charlie was shaking his head. "I won't let you do this Bella."
I pushed my curled hair away from my face so he could see my eyes clearly when I said, "I'm not asking for your permission, Dad."
Different emotions crossed his face almost at once. First, anger at my rudeness, then despair and helplessness and finally, resignation. I could see he'd realized there was nothing he could really do to stop me if that was what I wanted to do.
"Bella, please think this through."
"I have, dad. I've been thinking about it for a very long time. This is what I really want."
He ran a hand through his tousled hair and groaned. "Renee is going to kill me. She warned me this might happen. I thought she was being ridiculous."
I couldn't tell if he was talking to me or not, but I answered just in case. "I'll call her in the morning to let her know."
When he looked at me again, his eyes were sad. I wish there had been something I could've done to prevent that, but I knew there was no other way of doing things.
"When exactly are you moving out?" He sounded as if he were waiting to wake up from an awful nightmare.
"As soon as the winter break begins."
"What are you going to tell the kids in school?"
His question caught me off-guard. "Nothing, probably."
"Why? Are you ashamed? You shouldn't do things that make you feel ashamed."
"I am not ashamed, dad. I just think it's easier to keep from people the things that they might not understand."
He sighed again "Will you at least promise me something?"
"What?" I asked wearily.
"Promise me you'll think about this some more." I could hear the defeat in his voice.
"I promise, but I don't think I'll change my mind."
He stood up and walked over to the stairs, but stopped before climbing up. With his back to me, he whispered, "I know."
I sat on the couch in my white dress and wings, and silently watched as he walked upstairs with his head down.
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I couldn't stop the few tears that fell on my dress as I sat on my bed.
"There is something very wrong with this picture." Edward's voice startled me, but I recovered quickly.
"What?" I didn't lift my face to meet his gaze. His fingers gently pulled my chin up so he could look at me properly.
"Angels shouldn't cry." He kissed away the salty tracks and sat down next to me. "Bella, if you're having second thoughts..."
"I'm not." I cut him off, "I just hate seeing my father so sad."
"He'll be okay." Edward kissed the top of my head and pulled me to him. "He knows I love you, and he knows I'll always take care of you."
I smiled gently at him and took in his appearance for the first time since he'd appeared in my room. He was still wearing the black suit and he was still barefoot, but his wings were gone.
"Let me help you out of these things." It took him less than five seconds to free me from the featherly contraption. I sat very still while he worked.
"Hey," he kissed my eyelids and stood up, "I want to show you something."
He offered me his hand, which I took. Then he guided me over to the window and wrapped my discarded shawl around my shoulders once more. When he opened the window I frowned, but I just had to gasp when he took me in his arms and climbed out.
I closed my eyes and grabbed on to his neck for dear life. I could feel his gentle chuckle at my actions but soon, way sooner than I expected, he instructed me to open my eyes. We were on the roof.
I frowned. "What did you want to show me?"
Edward sat down and pulled me into his lap. His cold arms surrounded me and stroked my satin-clad stomach. Blood boiled and raced through me, as it always did when he caressed me like that. In one quick move, he took the ring out of it's chain and placed it on my finger.
Even though I was quite comfortable, I still couldn't see what he wanted to show me. He took my chin in his hand and tilted it up.
I gasped when my eyes fell upon the magnificent full moon, surrounded by shining stars. "Oh wow." Was all I could manage to say.
Edward pulled me closer and whispered in my ear, referring to my talk with my father, "We are one step closer to eternity."
I rested my head on his shoulder and looked up at the silver moon. At that moment, eternity felt way more than close.
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Pure, unadulterated fluff! Sorry about that. I've had a very busy couple of weeks, which is why I couldn't update sooner (it's also why this chapter is so short, I'm sorry about that too!) Real plot is coming in the next chapter.
Oh btw, thanks to everyone who wished me luck on my TOEFL test. I got 116 out of 120, which is VERY good. Yay me!
I'll get the next chapter up ASAP, and I swear it's going to be a looooong one!