Nightfall
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Changes
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"Edward." I whispered urgently. He turned his face around to look at me, but I could tell he was still in too much pain to move.
"I'm dying." I mumbled.
His eyes flew open. He crawled to me, his pain forgotten, and pulled me into his lap.
"It's okay, my love. It's almost over. Let go, you're safe now. I'll be right here when you come around." And then he gave me my last human kiss.
My head rolled limply to the side. During the few moments it took for my heart to stop, I saw a pair of blue eyes staring at us from the edge of the forest. I'd seen those blue orbs only once before.
If you believe, like I do, that eyes can smile, then trust me when I tell you those eyes were not smiling. They were grinning.
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When I opened my eyes again I felt perfect. I was neither hot nor cold. I wasn't tired or drowsy. I didn't feel disoriented or dizzy. I looked up at Edward, who was still holding me close, and wondered how much time had passed.
My eyesight seemed to be a thousand times better. I could perfectly distinguish every inch of his concerned face. I could also hear everything. If I focused, I could hear the stream as if I were standing in it. I was aware of what felt like every cell of my body. I could genuinely feel everything touching my skin and distinguish it for what it was. The dirt, the snow, the grass, Edward...
The sunlight bounced off his godlike skin. When I reached out to touch his face I realized my skin glistened just as much as his. I could see his eyes intently analyzing me.
"Bella? Are you okay?" He sounded so worried.
I wanted to say yes, I wanted to tell him everything was just perfect, but I soon realized something was missing. I frowned.
"What's wrong?" Edward asked in alarm.
"I feel weird."
He raised his eyebrows. "Well... you're dead."
I rolled my eyes, "No, I know but... I don't know, something is missing."
We sat there in silence for a few seconds. Edward studied me closely. Then he smiled, leaned down towards me and whispered, "Breathe, Bella."
I inhaled deeply. Suddenly I was flooded with his heavenly scent in such a powerful way that, had I been human, I surely would've fainted. I could also smell everything else, the trees, the flowers, the snow.
"Thank you."
He was laughing when he answered "Any time."
I took another deep breath and smelled smoke, plus something that made my insides turn. I smelled my own, dried blood.
I was suddenly stunned with a thirst so strong it made my hand fly to my throat. The muscles on the back of my mouth clenched. I couldn't think straight. I couldn't even swallow.
Out of nowhere, Edward's strong hand covered my nose and my mouth. "Hold your breath, Bella. I'll get you out of here soon enough."
It was then that I remembered his injuries. With alarm I turned to him and ran my hands over his previously wounded chest. I found nothing but smooth skin.
"I heal quickly." He answered my unspoken question. Carlisle and Esme walked up to us before I could reply.
Carlisle took one look at me, lifted me from Edward's arms and started walking into the woods. "Come on, we need to get you out of here. I'll explain everything in the car."
"I can walk." I told him, while still holding my breath, with the little air I had left in my lungs.
"I know you can. But I'm not sure you're ready to handle your instincts. If a human happens to walk by..." He didn't finish his sentence. I instantly stopped struggling and allowed him to encase me in his arms.
"I'll carry her." Edward's voice was a little shaky. I turned around in time to see him painfully getting himself up from the ground. Apparently he was only externally healed.
"Edward..."
"No," He walked over to us and held out his arms for me, "She's my wife."
I raised my eyebrows in surprise at his words. He smiled and clarified, "Or she will be soon, anyway."
Carlisle smiled and handed me over. When Edward's skin came into contact with mine, I felt a jolt of electricity going through me just like that day, months ago, in the biology lab.
"I will take care of you." He promised. I covered my nose with my hand and allowed him to take me home.
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Once I was safely locked in the car, Carlisle began his story.
"Alice called. She had a vision of you two being attacked. She had it maybe an hour ago, but she couldn't get a signal for a few minutes. When she got through to me, we were afraid we'd be too late..."
"I knew the guy." I stated.
Esme and Carlisle both turned around to stare at me, the road completely forgotten. Edward, who was sitting on the back seat with me, simply gasped with understanding.
"What do you mean you knew him sweetie?" Esme's concerned voice matched her expression.
"Well, I didn't know him, know him. He was the vampire of my nightmares, the one that Alice saw in a vision a few months back, before we went to Alaska."
"The one with the coven that Alice saw attacking us back in September? The ones who never showed?" Carlisle was intrigued.
"No wonder the guy was so relentless. You appealed to him the way that you do to me." Edward's brow was furrowed in concentration. "He was a young vampire, I could see it in his eyes. He had no control over his hunger."
We'd reached the house by then. Edward opened the door, took my hand and pulled me out of the car gently. "The others are on their way back. They should be home tonight." I nodded at Carlisle and followed Edward inside.
"Bella?" His voice stopped me. "I just wanted to tell you how proud we are. We admire you for what you did, overcoming your pain to save the man you love." Had I been human, I would've blushed at his words.
"Letting him kill us was not an option." I simply stated. He nodded reverently.
"What my husband is trying to say," Esme walked up to me and opened her arms, "is welcome to our family, my child."
With my mouth wide open and my heart filled by her kindness, I walked into Esme's motherly hug.
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When Edward opened the door for me, I had to gasp. The living room was, for the first time since I'd met Edward, cluttered.
I wasn't a disorganized clutter. The many boxes that took up much of the floor-space were surprisingly clean and well labeled. Some of them were records, others were marked simply with a name. Most of them said Alice or Carlisle. But the boxes were not what caught my attention. The rather large machines next to the piano were the ones holding my interest.
"What is all this?" I asked Edward.
"The contents of our basement. We cleared it out so you and I can spend some time locked in there." His hand on the small of my back made me shudder with pleasure. Some things never change, I guess.
"Doing what?" I frowned. Not that the idea of spending any amount of time locked in a room with Edward displeased me in any way.
"I guess you could call it training." He was guiding me over to the basement. I opened the door curiously. "Training for what?"
"For the human world." He answered simply.
"What do you mean?" My frown deepened.
He gave me one of his perfect crooked smiles and pointed at my hand, the one holding the doorknob. I glanced down, still confused.
I gasped and released the cool metal as if it'd burned me. The shape of my fingers stayed perfectly imprinted on the handle. I'd dented the metal without even noticing.
"You have to learn to mind your strength, Bella." He explained casually while he stirred me in the direction of the basement stairs.
"Wait." I stopped.
"What is it?"
"Could I take a vampire minute first?"
His relieved laughter was music to my ears. "Of course." He took my hand again and walked with me up the stairs. "But let me prepare the bath for you. If you turn the water on, I'll probably spend the rest of the day fixing the pipes."
He took me to Alice's bathroom, the closest one he could find. While he prepared the water for me, I took the chance to look at myself in the mirror for the first time in over three days. My reflection startled me.
My face looked a lot like it used to, only my features seemed a little more refined, as if I'd lost the extra weight around my cheeks. My arms were toned, firm and pearly white. The pink dress that I'd been wearing since Saturday showed clear signs of the struggle. It was ripped where the vampire's teeth had slashed my now rock-hard abdomen. The skirt was torn from one side, exposing most of my slightly muscular right leg. My hair was a complete mess. That, apparently, hadn't changed. I untangled a leaf from my long strands and tossed it to the floor. It landed next to my bare feet. I looked beautiful and wild and, somehow, a little dangerous.
But what startled me the most were my eyes. They'd turned a vibrant shade of red.
"Thank the twenty first century for contact lenses." Edward caught me staring at myself, "When I went through it I had to fake blindness for a year."
"Why did this happen?" I leaned closer to my reflection.
"All the blood in your body makes your eyes turn red. Thanks to that impertinent vampire, you'll probably only have those for a few months." His voice sounded strained when he talked about my attacker.
I leaned back against Edward's chiseled chest and stared in wonder at our reflection in the mirror. His arms went around my waist instantly, pulling me closer. He rested his chin on my shoulder and smiled at the picture of us. We looked absolutely perfect.
"I still can't believe you did this." He thought out loud.
"Did what?"
"This! You died for me, Bella."
I turned around in his arms to face him. "No, actually, I died for us. I had my own selfish reasons."
He smiled at me and rested his forehead against mine. "Take your vampire minute, my love. I'll be waiting for you downstairs. There is much to talk about." He kissed the top of my head and released me. As soon as my body lost contact with his I felt wrong, disconnected somehow.
"Oh and Bella?" He added before leaving.
"Yeah?"
"Try not to break anything."
The hand soap that I threw at him punched a hole through the wall.
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I dressed in the comfortable sweats Edward left for me on Alice's bed and walked downstairs, careful not to hold on to anything. Carlisle, Edward and Esme were talking in hushed voices, but I could hear every single word from where I was standing at the top of the stairs.
"Should we be worried?" Esme asked.
"No, I see no connection between the two." Carlisle answered her.
"I'd rather just go..."
"Go where?" I asked Edward. He froze for a moment, but smiled immediately after. "I'm not used to you being so quiet! You actually startled me!"
"Couldn't you smell me?" In all the confusion, I'd forgotten to ask him about my smell.
"Yes, I could." He smiled at me but said nothing else. I guessed that was a conversation he wanted to save for when we were alone.
"So where are we going?" I asked again.
"To the basement. Carlisle and Esme have some things they want to discuss with us."
I nodded and followed them downstairs. The basement was almost empty except for a large table with matching chairs, a huge leather couch, a few boxes and a pool table. The walls were really thick, probably soundproof.
Carlisle sat down at the table and we all did the same. As soon as we were settled, he turned to me.
"So, Bella, how are you feeling?"
"Much better." Anything was better than the pain I'd felt for the past three days, and the burning thirst on the back of my throat had dissolved into a dull throb since we'd left the forest.
"Good. Look, Edward will explain to you the changes and precautions that you'll have to take. Esme and I want to discuss your options so we can get to work on that while you're down here."
"My options?" I frowned.
"Yours and Edward's. You see, it's not safe for you here. The best thing for you to do is to go someplace new, somewhere were no one will recognize you and notice a change. We can easily fake your death so your parents won't get suspicious."
I momentarily panicked. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to my parents yet. I knew things would have to change, but I never expected to cut myself from their lives like that so soon. The panic, however, lasted only a second. My mind immediately came up with a better solution to our problem.
"Actually, I think it might be better for me if we stay here for a while. At least a couple of years."
"No, Bella. Carlisle is right." Edward interrupted me but I cut him off.
"Not really. If my reaction to my own spilled blood today is any indication, I'm going to have a hell of a time overcoming my thirst. I think I might need some sort of external motivation. And what better motivation than keeping safe the people that I care about?"
Edward was shaking his head, but Esme and Carlisle seemed to understand my idea.
"Think about it, Edward! It's going to be a thousand times easier to resist if the only ones that I can kill are people that I know. If we go someplace new, I won't have those emotional attachments to help me."
"Bella, it's too dangerous." He took my hand and I squeezed it.
"Look, my main reason for staying on the wagon will always be you... well that and my respect for mankind. And I know that being with you will keep me strong. But can't we just stay here for a little while?"
"She's right, Edward. This might make things easier for her."
Edward's eyes snapped up to stare at his father. "Don't worry." Carlisle looked intently at him. I could tell he was speaking to Edward in his mind. "You have plenty of time to take her everywhere. Give her some time to get used to this life." I knew he spoke aloud only for my benefit, but it comforted me to know how he felt about my decision.
"Fine." Edward finally gave in. He turned to me and shrugged, "But since you're such a genius, you better come up with a plan so Charlie won't notice the differences in you."
"I'll think of something" I promised. He stared into my eyes for the longest moment before leaning in and touching his nose to mine. "You better."
"We'll take that as our cue to leave." Esme stood up, taking Carlisle with her. I barely noticed when they closed the door behind them.
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"So, how do we start my training?" I smiled at my godlike boyfriend.
"Come." He took me over to the large couch and laid down, taking me with him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close, with more force than ever before.
"Mmm, I like it already." I teased.
He rewarded me with a wide smile. "I thought we could talk for a while before we begin."
"Okay." I immediately thought of the hundreds of questions that I had for him and wondered how to start.
"I know you have a lot of questions, so go ahead. Ask me."
I stared at him in shock and asked, in a joking manner. "Can you read my thoughts now?"
His loud laugh made me smile. "Trust me, Bella. I would've told you that right away. I probably would've kneeled over from the shock first, though. Any more questions."
"How do I smell?" In any other context, that would've been a really gross question to ask.
He knew that one was coming, and he had his answer ready. He brushed a strand of hair away from my face. "The same, only different. It's still the same exceedingly luscious, mouth watering floral scent that you've always had. In fact, it's even stronger than before. Only it doesn't make my mouth water anymore. Does that make sense?"
"Sort of." I frowned, struggling to understand.
"Think of it this way. How did I smell to you when you were human?"
"Inhumanly delicious."
"And did that make you want to eat me?"
"Not exactly."
"Well, it's exactly like that."
I grinned. "So maybe if the roles had been reversed, if I'd been a vampire first, I would've lusted for your blood the way you did for mine?"
His gentle smile illuminated his face. "Maybe I would've been your brand of heroin."
"You already are." I pointed out, "I'm hopelessly addicted to you."
His smile widened. He ran his fingers along my spine until he reached my neck. I shivered from his touch, which made him smile even more. He cupped my cheeks with his hands and pulled me in for a kiss.
When his lips touched mine, the emotions that ran through made me feel like crying. It was so perfect, so delicious and right that I never wanted it to end. My lips parted against his and for a moment he froze, until he remembered he had no reason to hold back now.
His lips moved against mine in a gentle but passionate kiss. His tongue lightly traced the contours of my cold lips. Everything about him, the smell of his breath, the feel of his body, it was all driving me insane. I ran my hands over his firm chest and he deepened the kiss. One of his hands moved down to my hips.
And then we heard them. Carlisle and Esme were talking to Edward's siblings. Alice was running for the door. Even through the soundproof walls I knew exactly where she was even before she knocked.
"Bella!" She threw the door open before we even responded. I wanted to sit up and greet her, but Edward wouldn't let me go. He pressed me more firmly against his chest and buried his face in my hair.
"Bella! Oh thank god! You look so beautiful! I can't believe this happened! I'm so sorry, I couldn't see..."
"Alice, calm down." Edward finally said. He pointed to a chair in front of the couch and commanded. "Sit, tell us what happened." He allowed me to turn around in his arms to face his sister, but he still wouldn't let me sit.
"I'm not exactly sure of what happened, but from what I could see, I think this is the story. The coven that we saw passing through forks back in September never came here because you two weren't here. I believe they were going back south now. I'm not sure how that guy ended up alone, but the other ones are waiting for him a few towns away. When he doesn't show up, they'll just think he deserted them. They will not come looking for him. The guy was just running by, he wasn't even close to you guys, but he found something."
"What?" I asked, intrigued.
"A jacket. Your raincoat I think. He picked up your scent and forgot about everything else. He wanted you so badly, Bella! Just as much as Edward does... or did, I guess."
I slapped my forehead. "My raincoat! I left it on our way home on Friday. I took it off while I tried to change the flat tire after Jessica's accident."
"And that's what started all this? You really are a trouble magnet." Edward ruffled my hair playfully. Now that he knew I couldn't easily get hurt, he was much more comfortable talking about my accidents.
"Yeah. Well I'm glad everything is fine now. I do feel a little sorry for the other guy, though. He had no control over himself." Alice shrugged. "There was no other way of getting him off you, though. So..." She let her words hang. I stared uncomfortably at my hands.
"Well, I guess I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. Come find me when you're done here." Alice winked at me. Had I been human, I surely would've turned crimson.
Edward sighed. "We should probably start. I want to finish this as soon as possible so I can take you hunting."
"Did you do this when you became a vampire?" I asked him.
"No. Carlisle helped me through the first years but I never had anything like this. I'm just trying to make things easier for you."
I sat up and gave him a peck on the lips. "I appreciate that."
He gave me a crooked smile and lifted me by the arm. "Okay, let's see. First things first, do you see, hear or feel anything strange?"
I laughed. "If you're asking if I can read people's thoughts, have visions or control emotions the answer is no." I shrugged. "I feel different, but not that different."
His smile widened. "Good to know. Now, your speed is easy to control. Run around the room."
I frowned and ran around the room once. I did so at normal running speed. I didn't trip, which was the only major change, and I didn't get tired, but other than that nothing happened.
"Okay," He took my hand when I stood next to him. "Now run with me and try to keep up."
We zipped around the room in half a second. When I felt him pulling me I pushed myself to catch up and discovered with pleasure that it required no extra effort from me.
"You see," Edward explained once we were standing by the couch again. "Walking and talking do not depend on how fast you can do it, but on how fast you usually do it. You talk so people can understand you, but right now, if you wanted, you could speak too fast to be heard by humans. Same with the walking. Just be careful when you're excited or scared and always mind your actions."
I nodded at him. We ran around a few more times. He tested me to see how fast I could run. He was still faster than me, but I did fine. Edward was pleased.
"Your strength, on the other hand, is a lot harder to manage. With the amount of force that you used to apply to something like the door handle to get it open, you can now crush it." Edward reached into a box and produced a water balloon. He tossed it my way. My hand immediately reached out to catch it. It exploded between my fingers.
"Mind your strength, Bella." He tossed me another one and again, I crushed it.
After almost twenty balloons I managed to keep one intact. I was so surprised I squeezed it. Edward rolled his eyes.
"Let's try some solids." He walked up to me and held out a piece of wood. He asked me to put my thumb underneath it and my index finger on top. I did as he told me, barely touching the board.
"Okay, now press it between your fingers a little." I concentrated on the task. He let go of the wood and I found myself holding a long, heavy board with just two fingers. I couldn't even feel the weight.
"Press down a little harder and see what happens."
The wood shrunk like a sponge. I rubbed the corner of the board between my fingers and watched it dissolve like a sugar cube.
"Wow" I whispered.
"Wow would be correct." Edward, who was standing right behind me, rested his chin on my shoulder.
"Oh Edward, I'm so sorry!" I suddenly apologized. He frowned in confusion. "For what?"
"All those times I recklessly threw myself at you or made sudden moves... It must have been so hard on you!"
Edward rolled his eyes. "You are absurd. You're apologizing because I could've crushed you to death in an instant?"
"Yes." I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself up to kiss him gently.
He sighed against my lips. "If I got this for controlling my strength, I can't wait until we get to the blood part."
I slapped his chest playfully and he pulled me in for another breathtaking kiss. When we parted, I asked. "What now?"
"Now," his eyes glistened with excitement, "we shoot some pool."
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It proved to be harder than I ever imagined. Before my transformation I lacked the coordination to play something as elaborate as pool. Now, I lacked the restrain. The first time I tried it I broke the stick, chipped the ball and made a hole on the table. Edward laughed at me uncontrollably.
"This is not funny, Edward." I scowled.
"Of course it is, my love. Here, let me help." He stood behind me, wrapping his arms around my body to cover my hands with his own. I closed my eyes and concentrated on breathing. He was so close I felt tingly all over.
"Now shoot." He ordered.
I missed the ball by a mile.
"I see this is going to take some time." He kissed my cheek and I sighed.
"More than some, if you keep that up."
He laughed against my ear, "Keep practicing, Bella. You'll be an expert before you know it."
He was right, of course. After a while I was able to handle my strength pretty well. When he was finally satisfied with my progress, he sat me down on the couch again.
"Bella, this is going to be the hardest part of this so called training." He looked so serious I could do nothing except gulp and nod.
He walked up the stairs. Alice was waiting by the door with a small fridge. I knew what was in it immediately. Blood. Human blood.
The back of my throat tightened. My mouth overflowed with venom. My stomach shook with a hunger so deep I felt as if I hadn't eaten in days. With a startled gasp, I realized I actually hadn't.
I remained seated, very still and very frightened, while Edward opened the fridge. Inside, there was a syringe full of blood. I closed my eyes and stopped my breathing in an attempt to shut the craving out. I felt so weird and so wrong. How could I crave something that I'd despised my whole life?
"Just so you know." Edward stopped breathing too when he squeezed a small drop of blood on the table. "I will never let you taste this."
I launched myself at the red liquid before my mind fully understood what was happening. Just before my outstretched hands reached their destination, a powerful pair of arms held me back. I growled, roared and snapped at the person behind me. Every fiber in my being wanted to reach out and lick the blood off the flat surface of the table. I wanted nothing more than to satiate the thirst.
When I realized I couldn't disentangle myself from the person behind me, I started listening to the noise he was making. It took some time for me to calm down enough to hear him. Edward was talking to me, he was saying the same thing over and over again.
"Bella, think! Think! Think about what you're doing! Use your brain and your sense to overcome your instinct. Think Bella!"
I calmed down enough to stop breathing again. The coppery smell wasn't as strong then. My body relaxed a little.
"Edward?" I whispered.
The arm around my waist tightened, but the one diagonally covering my chest slid down a little so Edward could caress my exposed collarbone. "Yes, my love?"
"I'm scared."
He lifted me in the air and carried me to the couch, where he laid me down and rested his weight on top of mine. "You need to breathe, Bella. It will get easier, I promise. But you need to breathe if you're going to get used to the smell."
I took a deep breath and growled again. I tried to sit up but Edward held me down. He pressed me against the couch while I trashed around until I stopped.
My growls became soft moans, which then turned into whimpers. He held me the whole time, caressing my hair and whispering words of encouragement. Days and nights went by while we laid on the couch.
When Edward decided I could handle it, he sat up. I sat with him, staring at the syringe on the table, inhaling the salty smell of dried blood. I lost all track of time.
After a while he pulled me up. We took small steps towards the table, stopping several times along the way to let me adjust. It took us an eternity to get there. When the blood was within reach, Edward squeezed it all out on the table. I stood, perfectly still, next to the blood. The need that I had to reach out and taste it was unbelievable. Never in my life had I felt something so strong. I was in physical pain, standing so close to my craving.
I battled with myself. I wondered how it would feel to taste it, what it would be like to take just one sip. I tried to talk myself into believing I could handle tasting it once. Just like a recovering alcoholic, it was a battle of wills, my wills.
The rational part of me eventually won. I crumbled to the ground in surrender, completely determined never to taste human blood. Edward sat on the floor with me and pulled me into his lap. I grabbed on to his shirt and allowed a few tearless sobs to leave me.
"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm sorry for putting you through this." He whispered against my hair.
"All in all, I consider this a pretty effective training." I said between sobs. He let out a chuckle and pulled me closer.
"I meant for changing you, for forcing this way of life on you."
"Edward?"
"Yes?"
"If you say you forced me into this one more time, I'll konk you on the head with a toilet seat."
He stared at me, stunned, before erupting in laughter. "Why a toilet seat?"
"Because I could hit you with anything and it wouldn't hurt. At least a toilet seat has that gross factor."
"Come on." He stood up and unnecessarily offered me his hand.
"Where are we going?"
"I think we're done here, and I have a present for you."
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I stood in the living room, staring through the glass at the vast back yard, my eyebrows pulled together in a deep frown.
"Do you like it?" Edward asked.
"It's a cow." I stared at the spotted animal with confusion.
"No, it's a dinosaur. Yes it's a cow, Bella."
"It has a bow around its neck." I stated.
"Consider this takeout." Edward wrapped an arm around me and I raised my eyebrows.
"You want me to eat it?"
Edward rolled his eyes. "No, Bella. I want you to throw a stick and see if it gets it back to you."
"Feeling a little sarcastic today, are we?"
"Just a tad."
I never took my eyes away from the large animal that seemed to be staring at me through the glass. It mooed.
"Come on." Edward guided me towards the door. I followed reluctantly.
As soon as the cow spotted us, it mooed loudly and tried to run away, only to be pulled back by the chain around its neck.
"I think I just became a vegetarian." I announced over the animal's loud complains.
"Bella, my love, you already are."
I knew he was right, of course. I took a step closer to the cow and started to feel the thirst. It was nowhere near as strong as what I'd felt from smelling just a drop of human blood, but it was there.
"I thought this would make the transition easier. You ate stake all the time when you were human." Edward reminded me.
"Okay, how do I do this?"
He walked up to me, brushed my hair away from my face and kissed me. "Just let go, Bella. Let your instincts take over. You're safe here, and I'll be right behind you to help keep you in control."
I nodded and turned towards the animal. It was still a few hundred feet away. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and paid attention to the thirst.
My tongue started feeling heavy and dry as I walked closer to the panicking animal. I felt something inside of me pulling me towards it, taking over my movements.
I was still several feet away when I pounced. My teeth sank down on the first thing I could reach. I couldn't even hear the animal anymore while I tore at its stomach and gratefully drank the warm liquid emanating from the wound.
It tasted good, so unbelievably good, like a big glass of cold coke in a hot day only a million times better. I could feel the pricking on the back of my throat slowly dissipating, leaving nothing but a welcomed sense of calm.
When there was nothing left to take, I looked up. Edward was right there, next to me. He looked sad but also excited, and not just in the euphoric sense of the word. His eyes shone with muted passion and desire. I stood up and waited for him as he walked over to me very slowly.
His hand reached out to touch my face. It was only then that I realized I had smeared blood all over myself. I stared at my shoes feeling a little ashamed.
"Table manners come with time, my love." Edward licked his fingers clean. I had to close my eyes. The image of him was just too beautiful.
"I would like to get cleaned up." I mentioned. He nodded and took me upstairs to his bathroom. He sat on the bed and watched while I got some clothes from my drawer.
"Stay." I told him. He became a statue before my very eyes. Then, the statue spoke.
"I should probably make more room for you in the closet."
"Fine, do that. But don't leave."
"Yes ma'am."
I smiled on my way to the bathroom.
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I was pleasantly surprised to discover I didn't have to think too much about not denting everything I touched. It was as if my sense of touch had adjusted already.
The water cascaded down my back. I could feel every individual drop as it bounced off my hard shoulders. I stared at the pile of bloody clothes I'd peeled off me moments before and held back a shudder. It would get easier. I knew it would.
I scrubbed my body furiously with Edward's sponge, getting rid of all traces of blood. I took a moment then to examine my body more closely. My stomach had always been flat, but it had never looked toned or muscular. It was certainly hard now. I ran my fingertips over the strong muscles in awe.
When the water ran cold I turned it off out of habit. I wrapped a fluffy, white towel around myself and used Edward's hairbrush to untangle my long mane. I dressed casually in jeans and a light shirt before leaving the room.
Edward was resting on the bed, his arms behind his head. I sat down next to him and reached out to touch his chiseled face. He smiled against my fingers.
"Come here." He pulled me down next to him and tucked me under his arm, pressing me gently against his chest.
"Edward?"
"Yes?"
"Can I ask you a question?"
"You can ask me as many as you want."
"What happened outside, while I was... eating. What did you feel?"
He pressed me closer and mumbled. "Not that one."
"You said I could ask anything!" My voice was muffled by his chest.
"Ask me something else. I'll answer that one some other time."
"Okay. When you regret changing me -because I know it happens sometimes, I can see it in your eyes- why do you feel that way?"
He pushed me away a little to stare into my eyes. "Were you not there this past weeks? Did you not see everything I've put you through?"
"Yeah, but that's all over now. Small price to pay for an eternity with you. Even if the love factor wasn't involved, humans have searched for immortality since the beginning of time. What makes you think what you gave me is anything but a gift? Something people have killed in vain to obtain?"
"The ones who search for immortality are mortals." He stated.
I swallowed my sarcastic remark at his redundant comment and waited for him to continue. "No one who searches for immortality has ever tried it before. They don't know what they're asking."
"But you gave it to me."
"Because I love you and I'm selfish. And you bugged me about it too much." He ruffled my wet hair playfully before pulling me close again. While he showered my face with kisses I couldn't help but feel like there was something he wasn't telling me.
----------------------------------------
"Edward!" Alice danced into the room without bothering to knock. Both Edward and I had heard her coming, so it wasn't entirely a surprise. But that didn't keep Edward from complaining.
"Doesn't anybody knock anymore? We could've been indisposed." My eyes shot wide open at his words and I slapped his shoulder gently.
"Oh please, like I wouldn't see that one coming." Alice sat down on the leather couch, facing us. Even though I couldn't blush anymore, I was so embarrassed by the blunt discussion of my still non-existent sexual life I begged the earth to swallow me whole.
"We're all going hunting tonight. Do you want to come with us?" She asked.
Edward shook his head, "I want to take her alone. But first, we have some stuff to take care of here."
"You haven't hunted in weeks, Edward." Alice reminded him and I silently wondered how much time had passed since my transformation.
"I'll have a deer tonight. Don't worry, Alice." I muffled a laugh. That would sound so strange if it were taken out of context.
She rolled her eyes and got up in one graceful movement. "Fine." She danced out.
"What is it that we have to do here?" I asked.
"First, you should call your father."
I frowned and sat up. "Exactly how long has it been since I left his house?"
"Sixteen days."
My jaw dropped to the floor. "What? How?"
Edward touched my face gently. "The days tend to blend together when you don't sleep. Don't worry about it."
He handed me the phone and waited patiently while I dialed.
"Hello?" My dad's voice sounded loud and clear, as if he were standing right next to me. That threw me off for a moment.
"Hello?" He repeated.
"Dad?" My voice came out shaky. I wondered why I felt so nervous.
"Bella? Are you okay?"
"Calm down." Edward whispered to me. I took a deep breath and tried again.
"Yeah dad, it's me. We're back from our cruise and I was just checking in."
"How was it?"
"Very nice. We saw tons of cool places." I was glad when he didn't ask me anything else about the trip, but freaked out at his next words.
"Lets have dinner tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? Dinner?" My eyes shot wide open.
"Yeah, you, me and Edward. We can go to a nice restaurant."
Edward shook his head. "No crowds." He mouthed.
"Erm, well why don't we have dinner at your place instead? So we can talk and all..."
"Okay, great. I'll see you two tomorrow at seven. I'll cook!" I cringed at the thought but agreed quickly.
"Okay dad, see you tomorrow."
Edward was staring at me. "What?" I asked.
"Dinner should be interesting" He replied cryptically.
"Do you think I'm ready?" I tried to bite my nails until I remembered I couldn't anymore.
"Lets find out." He stood up and offered me his hand. I hesitated only for a second before getting up.
------------------------------------
As we drove into town I started to get nervous. What if I couldn't do it? What if I wasn't ready to be around people? But then I realized Edward would never let me hurt anyone and I started to relax.
I realized it was still very early. Only a few people walked down the sidewalks.
As we got closer to them, the dull tingling in the back of my throat got worse, a million times worse. I felt the now familiar churning of my stomach and the dryness of my mouth before we even passed next to anyone. I stopped breathing. That helped.
"You need to breathe, Bella." Edward scolded me. "You need to get used to this."
I nodded and took a few small breaths. Mind over matter. I repeated Edward's mantra over and over again in my head. He took my hand and squeezed it. We could do this. I could do this.
We drove around for an hour until we ran out of gas. By that time, I felt a little more confident about my restrain. Edward stopped for gas and got out of the Volvo. I waited patiently for him, sitting on my hands and staring into space.
I got bored soon and decided to people watch. Something strange caught my eye and I frowned. Edward, who was done filling the tank, asked. "What's wrong?"
"Men are staring at me." I mumbled.
Edward understood every word, of course, and he smiled. "Well, my love, you are now... how should I put it... universally beautiful. There is not a single person on this earth who wouldn't find you attractive. You better get used to the stares."
"I thought you'd be upset about this." I watched him close the door and start the car.
"Oh, don't get me wrong. The fact that other men are looking at you like that makes my blood boil. Figuratively speaking of cour..." Edward stopped cold. I followed his gaze to a man sitting on the bus stop.
"What's wrong?"
"The thoughts of that guy... he's thinking about all the horribly depraved things he could do to you." Edward's hands were gripping the steering wheel with such force I was afraid he'd break it.
Suddenly, his eyes shot wide open. "Oh that little pervert!" He looked offended. I had to laugh, specially when he made a disgusted face and whispered, "That's one sick little mind."
I giggled, "Poor guy, he probably has nothing more in his life than his fantasies." Edward shook his head. "He is pretty sick, but I wasn't talking about him anymore. I was talking about that teenager over there. He's done some pretty awful things in his life. And so has that other guy by that tree..."
I frowned. "Let's get out of here, Edward."
He sped off without needing further encouragement.
"Does that happen often?" I asked him.
"You mean, do I run into so many sick men thinking hideous things about my girlfriend? No."
He drove in silence for a few minutes and then turned around to look at me with surprised eyes.
"What?" I asked self-consciously.
"Maybe that's your gift."
"What gift?"
"The trait you bring with you from your other life."
I frowned, "What is my gift?"
"That! Attracting trouble! You used to do a lot of that, remember?"
I stared at him in shock. "Oh that's just great! That's peachy."
Edward took my hand and rubbed his fingers against my palm. "Aww Bella, it's a powerful gift!"
My jaw dropped to the floor. "I thought you of all people would be upset by this!"
"People can't hurt you anymore, Bella. It might come in handy sometime, who knows? I'm not saying I like it. To be honest it bothers me a little, but at least it's something we can handle."
"What do you mean?"
"Not everyone's gifts work to their advantage, Bella." He left it at that and I could tell he didn't want to discuss it any further, so I just sat there and sulked.
"Well I hate it. Why do the rest of you get the cool gifts? Why can't I see the future or read minds? Turn left."
I said that last part out of the blue and for no apparent reason. Edward was surprised. "What?" He asked.
"Turn left!" I took the wheel and forced him to turn. We were going over 100 miles an hour, if Edward hadn't had vampire reflexes, we would've turned the volvo into pudding.
"Bella, what the hell is the matter?" Suddenly, a police officer drove by the street we'd just been if. If I hadn't forced Edward to turn, we would've driven right by him. Edward seemed awestruck. "How weird, there are never cops on this street at this hour."
"No, but the dinner on Oak Street is closed today, we drove by it a few minutes ago. A police officer needs his coffee this early in the morning. He drove by the dinner, saw it was closed and had no choice but to drive up to the 7/11."
Edward was staring at me like I'd grown horns. "Why didn't I hear him coming?"
"You were busy listening to my rant."
"Bella... how did you know all these?"
I shrugged, "Common sense."
Edward's smile was slowly growing. "Well maybe that is your gift, common sense."
-----------------------------------------
"What are you talking about? There's nothing common about her sense! Most of the time she makes no sense at all!" Emmett crossed his arms and plopped down on the couch next to Carlisle.
"I'm not really sure that's it. Don't get me wrong. You were an intuitive person, Bella. That probably got intensified after the change. But something tells me there's more to it." Carlisle leaned back on the couch, lost in thought.
"Like what?" Edward asked his father.
"I guess we'll find out, eventually."
"Emmett!" Bella heard Rosalie yelling from somewhere outside.
"Uh oh." Emmett stood up in a flash. "Drove her car. Didn't clean. Got to go."
He dashed out the back door before I could even comprehend his concern. Rosalie materialized next to us wearing an oily but somehow fashionable overall. Strands of her hair had escaped the tight bun on top of her head. They were framing her face in the most beautiful of ways.
She pushed the hair back with the back of her hand, smearing oil on her cheek and not caring in the least. "Where is he?"
Edward pointed at the back door and she flew through it. I just stared after them.
Carlisle chuckled. "Edward, I'm sorry to bring this up but if you're going to visit Bella's father tomorrow, you should have a snack."
Alice came in then, holding several bags in her tiny hands. "You really have to, Edward." She joined the conversation. "I'll look after Bella."
"Do you want to come with me?" He asked me politely, but I knew he really didn't want me to go. He was probably afraid I'd lose control and attack someone if we were too close to town.
"I just had a cow this morning, I'm good." I smiled up at him. He smiled back gratefully. "Would you do something for me?"
"What?" I asked.
"Can you wait in the basement until I come back?"
I rolled my eyes. "Edward, I'm fine."
"The basement is the safest place in the house. Please?"
"Fine." I agreed quickly. The sooner he left the sooner I'd have him all to myself again.
He took me in his arms and kissed my forehead. "I'll take you downstairs."
I walked over to the basement door but stopped dead in my tracks. There was nothing there.
"What the..."
"Look closely, Bella." He guided me over to the wall and took my hand in his. My whole body tingled with sensations as he placed his hand on top of mine and gently guided my fingers over the smooth wall.
I focused hard, scanning every inch, and finally found what I was looking for. A tiny, invisible crack. I stepped back and realized the crack was actually the outline of a rectangle.
"Press the top right corner gently." Edward instructed in my ear.
I did as I was told and gasped when the wall sank backwards a few inches before sliding away. I ended up right in front of the basement door. I pulled it open only to discover a huge iron wall behind it.
I raised my eyebrows, which made Edward chuckle. "Slide your fingers underneath and lift it up."
The wall didn't quite reach the ground, so I hooked my fingers underneath it and prepared myself for the effort it would cost me to lift up an iron wall. It was, of course, light as a feather.
Once I got that open we were finally able to step into the now familiar basement.
"Nice security." I complimented.
"We try."
"I'll stay with you, Bella! We can talk and stuff!" Alice made her way into the room and plopped down on the couch.
"I'll be back in a few hours." Edward whispered. It suddenly hit me. He was leaving. We hadn't been separated in weeks!
He must've seen the despair on my face because he pressed me against his chest, lifting me up a few inches. Had I been human, he surely would've broken some ribs. I wrapped my arms around his neck and inhaled deeply the heavenly scent that irradiated from his body.
"Hurry back." I whispered against his shoulder.
He broke our embrace only to take my face firmly between his hands and press his lips furiously against mine. I returned his forceful kiss with as much passion and need, but it lasted only a second.
"Be safe." He whispered before leaving.
I stood there at the bottom of the staircase staring after him until Alice wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "What do you say we have some fun?"
"What did you have in..." I turned around to face her and stopped. "Alice, what is all this?"
The previously empty room was now full of stuff. I recognized a few boxes and large machines. They'd been in the living room when Edward first took me home after the transformation. I'd forgotten to ask about it.
"Ah just some old stuff. Forged documents, the old things we used to forge them. Some souvenirs and old memories..." She stared longingly at one of the boxes.
"What's in there?" I asked her and she smiled.
"My wedding dress." Her eyes shone bright with emotion, as if she were remembering the greatest day of her life. I wondered if I looked like that every time I thought about Edward.
"So anyway, how about that fun?"
-----------------------------------
I learned one thing that night. Never play scrabble, cards or dominos with someone who can see the future. I had a great strategy, but here's just no way you can beat someone who knows where all the vowels are. She offered to find the Twister, but I decided not to test my balance just yet.
"Well if you don't want to play, what do you want to do?"
I grinned, a plan slowly forming in my mind. "I have an interesting idea."
---
"Bella?" Edward called from outside Alice's bathroom.
"We're in here!" I answered.
"I know you're in there, but what are you doing?"
"Getting ready for tomorrow!"
Edward sighed, clearly aggravated. "May I come in?"
I looked down at myself. My body was completely covered by the bubbles. Only my plastic-wrapped head stayed clear from the water.
"Sure!" I shrugged.
He swung the door open in a blink. His startled expression sent us girls into a fit of giggles.
"What are you doing?" He asked again.
"We're painting her hair black." Alice, who was sitting by the tub, tried to read her brother. "Don't worry, it's not permanent."
"But why are you doing this?" He was confused and, I noticed with surprise, a little upset.
"Charlie might not notice my new, more refined look if there's something more obvious for him to stare at." I explained. "You told me to come up with something, so I did."
Edward's frown slowly turned into a smile. "And it'll definitely come off?"
"In less than a month." Alice answered.
"Well, aren't you the smart girl?" He leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose. I couldn't help myself, I buried my hands in his hair and pulled him to me for a kiss.
"Do you two want some alone time?" Alice's voice broke my trance and I giggled.
"I have a better idea." Edward said before leaning close to my ear. He didn't exactly whisper, it was more like he mouthed the words and I understood them because of the way the air vibrated against my skin.
"I'll wait for you in our bedroom."
I was still shivering after he left.
-------------------------------------
I walked into our room wearing a fluffy pink bathrobe that Alice had gotten for me weeks before. He was listening to music, a female vocalist singing a melancholic song. He was on the bed, barefoot and shirtless, and he was waiting for me.
As soon as my wet feet touched the carpet, his arms reached out for me.
"Can I get dressed first?" I asked in a small voice.
His eyes snapped open and he took in my appearance. The bathrobe was long and thick, but I could tell he was surprised to know I wasn't wearing something underneath. He stared at my well-manicured toes, past the floppy fabric and up to my face. His breath caught in his throat.
I'd seen myself in the mirror, I knew why he reacted the way he did. The black hair contrasted magnificently against my white skin. It was as dark as Alice's, only mine was long enough to frame my face and shoulders. I wasn't wearing the contacts that Alice had gotten for me, but the bright red eyes only made me look more... intense, not at all scary like I'd been expecting.
He was standing in front of me before I could even blink. His hand reached out gently to touch my neck, still wet and a little warm from the bath. He pushed the robe slightly away from my collarbone with his fingertips. I stopped breathing not because I wanted to, but because my body refused to function like it was supposed to.
I would've crumpled to the floor from the emotion of the moment if he hadn't handed me a pair of blue pajamas right then. "You change, I'll wait."
He went back to his position on the bed and I somehow regained enough control to make it to the bathroom.
I took a few deep breaths to calm myself while I brushed my teeth and hair. I went through the motions of preparing for bed automatically, not really paying attention to the fact that I could no longer sleep.
I dashed back into the room so fast I had a hard time stopping in front of the bed. Edward was still waiting for me, with his arms wide open and inviting. I snuggled against him and he pulled me close, pressing my face against his chest in a protective manner.
"Bella?" He ran his hands down to my waist, caressing the small of my back with his fingertips.
"Yeah?" I replied shakily.
He flipped me on my back and lifted my shirt up a little to stare at my navel. His cool fingers traced a line from my bellybutton to the waist of my pants and up again. I shivered uncontrollably and he never took his eyes away from my face.
"You are the most beautiful creature to ever walk this earth." He rested his head against my stomach. I ran my fingers through his heavenly hair.
"I guess death becomes me."
"No, my love. You've been this beautiful from the moment you came into this world."
I cupped his cheek and pulled him up gently. He covered my body with his own and leaned down to press his perfect lips against mine.
"Hey guys!" Emmett's voice surprised me so much I pushed Edward away with a little too much force. He flew off me and landed with a thud on the floor next to the bed.
"Oh God! Edward I'm so sorry!" Before I could even finish my apology he was back on the bed, his arms wrapped firmly around me.
"People are going to have to learn how to knock." Edward stared pointedly at his brother who paid no attention at all.
"I just wanted to let you guys know that we're leaving. We're going hunting, all of us, all night. You'll have the house to yourselves. There will be no one around to hear you in case you turn out to be a screamer."
Edward growled deeply. "Shut up, Emmett, before I tell Rosalie all about how you scratched her car."
"I did no such thing!" He crossed his huge arms over his chest. "The paint job is intact!"
"Well, you didn't exactly scratch it from the top now, did you?"
"What?" Rosalie's outraged voice had some sort of Doppler effect as she ran down the stairs and into the garage.
"I thought you guys never had any accidents." I teased.
"Oh, it wasn't an accident." Edward rumpled my nearly dry hair, "Emmett and Jasper were playing flying bumps."
"Flying bumps?" I frowned.
"Yeah. They go over a speed bump as fast as they can and the one who flies the furthest wins."
"Well Jasper won't let me play with my car!" Emmett defended himself. "He says it's too tall!"
"Hey! Leave me out of this!" Jasper's voice sounded loud and clear even though he was downstairs.
Rosalie's enraged roar could be heard all through the house.
"Dude, are you trying to get me killed?" Emmett complained to Edward.
"Well, are you trying to make me mad?"
"No, I was trying to get you laid!"
"Rosalie!" Edward's yell wasn't fast enough to cover Emmett's comment. I couldn't help but giggle at the whole situation, grateful that I could no longer blush.
Alice appeared out of nowhere. She dragged Emmett away with her, yelling over her shoulder. "We won't go too far! Have fun and call if you need anything!"
"Yes mom!" Edward rolled his eyes.
"Hey!" Esme complained.
I laughed and buried my face in Edward's chest once more. I could get used to having a big family.
---------------------------------------
We stayed in bed for hours after everyone left. While he stroked my hair I ran Emmett's words over and over in my head. Was Edward expecting something? Of course he was, we'd waited long enough. But was I ready for it? I knew I wanted it to happen, I just didn't know how to go about it.
"What are you thinking?" Edward interrupted my musings.
"Erm... nothing much." My embarrassed eyes alerted him, and he sat up with a sigh.
"I'm going to kill Emmett." He mumbled under his breath.
"No, Edward. It's not... I mean it is, but I'm not..." I stumbled over my words in an effort to express my worries.
"Bella, listen to me." He pulled me up by the shoulders and took my face between his hands. "We have an eternity to be together. Don't stress over this, don't rush it. When you're ready, you'll know. And I'll be right here waiting for you."
I nodded "I want this to happen, I just..."
He placed a cool finger over my equally cold lips. "Lets take your mind off this."
"What do you suggest?" I asked against his hand.
He gave me one of his boyish grins. "A walk."
-------------------------------
We walked along the creek behind the house, going deep into the forest surrounded by the cold snow and the faint smell of animal blood. After walking for half an hour I was pleased to realize I wasn't tired or bored. Plus, I hadn't fallen once.
Edward squeezed my hand when we reached some rock formations. I looked up into his penetrating stare.
"Can you smell that?" He whispered.
"What?" I panicked for a moment, immediately afraid we'd ran into something dangerous like an unexpected human with a scrape.
"The rain, Bella." He tried not to laugh at my reaction.
"What rain?" I frowned. At that precise moment, the sky opened and buckets of water came crashing down on us.
Edward pulled on my hand. "Let's run back."
Before I could even protest he was guiding me back at a blinding speed. I followed him, matching every step with my own. I saw the trees way before we reached them, turned to avoid them even before he pulled me away. My feet had a mind of their own, they jumped over fallen branches and rocks without any effort from my part.
Faster than I could've thought possible, we were standing in front of the house again, but even the dense forest couldn't keep us dry. By the time we stopped in the clearing of Edward's back yard, we were soaked through.
Instead of running inside, like I'd expected him to, Edward placed his arms around my waist and pulled me to him roughly. He pressed his nose against my hair and inhaled. A purr escaped his gorgeous throat.
"You smell so good in the rain." He growled at me.
"Still?" I looked up at him hopefully.
"More than ever before." He answered, "Only now it's a good thing, and only a good thing."
I had to blink fast to keep the rain out of my eyes, but when I caught sight of his face I froze, unable to do so much as breathe. He was looking down at me, his usually unruly hair clinging to his beautiful forehead. His warm eyes, full of love and devotion, were returning my stare. I looked past his chiseled cheeks to his mouth. Rain ran down his face and accumulated in the space between his perfect lips.
I couldn't help myself, I stood on my toes and gently pressed my lips against his. My tongue darted out to catch the moisture there. He tangled his hands in my hair and pressed me against him, deepening the kiss and pulling me even closer.
We stood there, kissing in the rain, until the storm picked up. When the lightning started he didn't even break our embrace, he just lifted me up by the waist and carried me back inside. I wrapped my legs around his waist, allowing him to take us back to our room.
He sat me down on the bed, but to my immediate disappointment he moved away. I reached out for him, hoping for his arms once more, but he remained at arm's length. He kept his eyes on me while he reached into his drawer for flannel pajamas. He took off his shit, making me breathless at the sight, and then pushed down his pants and replaced them with the pajama bottoms.
Never in all the time I'd been sharing a bed with him had I seen him wear anything remotely like that. He did walk up to me then, lifting me up to stand next to him. I knew what he wanted to do, so I lifted my arms and closed my eyes. He took the hem of my shirt in his hands and pulled the garment off me. I opened my eyes then, he was holding out the shirt that matched the pants he was wearing. I helped him pull it on me but let him button me up. When that was done, he reached for the button of my jeans. I bit my lip and concentrated on my breathing while he pushed the clingy fabric off me in one swift move.
He lifted me up again and laid me down over the covers. Then he walked into the bathroom. I used the few moments of privacy to remove my soaking bra and toss it under the bed. He returned with a hairbrush in his hands.
Edward turned me on my stomach and moved my face to the side so he could brush my hair against the pillow. My body tingled with the sensations that created, from the top of my head down my spine to my toes I shivered from the pleasure.
He noticed, of course, and discarded the brush after a while. He reached underneath me and, without turning me around to face him, unbuttoned the top buttons of the shirt. He then pulled the shirt down, exposing almost my whole back to him. His feather-like touch against the small of my back would've given me a heart attack if I'd been human still.
He caressed me gently, not leaving an inch of my exposed skin untouched. I was in heaven, more than that, I was in Edward's bed. After hours of his careful exploring I regained the ability to speak.
"Edward?"
My voice startled him after so many hours of silence and he froze. "Yes?"
"Don't you think this is all... too easy?"
"We can slow down if you want..."
"No!" I quickly explained. "I don't mean this, I mean... the whole thing."
I couldn't see him frown, but I could feel his hesitation. "Meaning?"
"Meaning sure, I was in pain for three days, we got attacked, we survived. I became a vampire, we came here, I learned to control myself. Everything seems to be going well, I seem strong enough to resist human blood..."
"So what's the problem?" Edward asked.
"Exactly! I just thought this would be... well... harder."
His hands left my back, much to my regret. But I soon forgot about that when I felt his bare chest pressed against my skin while he whispered. "You will have to live forever craving something that you can never have. You will no longer grow. You will not get pregnant or be a mother. You will witness the eventual death of everyone you care about because of your immortality."
"Not everyone." I replied.
The only acknowledgment to my comment was a kiss in the back of my neck. "What I mean is, the hard part will catch up with you eventually. The day will come when you regret becoming what you are now."
"Lucky for me, you'll be right there to remind me of why I did it." I pulled the shirt up so I could turn around to face him. He lingered on top of me, supporting his weight with his arms.
"Lucky for me." He mumbled before kissing me passionately.
"Can I ask you something else?"
"Sure."
"You never answered my question before. What happened when you saw me eating?"
He kissed me right behind my ear and whispered. "When you see me hunt, you'll know."
--------------------------------------
We were still kissing gently when the others returned. Edward shifted us, pulling the covers over our bodies before Alice knocked.
"Guys, can I come in?" I knew she knew we weren't doing anything, otherwise she never would've interrupted.
"Sure." Edward answered. The door swung open slowly and she danced right in, plopping down by the foot of the bed.
"Is everything okay?" Edward and I sat up to look into her light eyes.
"Oh yeah, the hunt went great. Lots of big animals. Emmett had a blast with this huge bear. Esme keeps telling him not to play with his food..."
"Alice!" Edward interrupted and looked down at himself. We were completely covered, but we weren't exactly properly dressed.
Alice glanced from her brother wearing pajama bottoms to me wearing the top and laughed. "I'm sorry. I just came here to tell you it's mid afternoon. You might want to get ready for dinner."
I groaned, remembering our plans with my father. Edward stared at Alice for a moment. She gave him an almost imperceptible nod.
"Get ready, Bella. I want to take a drive around town before locking you in with your father for an hour."
I nodded and got out of bed. Alice left the room gracefully while I looked for something to wear.
"Put on something you wouldn't normally wear!" She said.
Edward frowned and I explained. "Extra distraction from my vampire features."
He smiled "Of course."
I took a short brown skirt, a green blouse and a sweater that matched. I dressed in the bathroom by myself. Edward walked in while I was trying to put on my contacts.
"Here." He lifted my chin and squeezed a couple of drops into each eye. The lens slid right in.
"Keep these with you. You're going to need them." He handed me the drops and caressed my strands of black hair while I looked around for the chain that my engagement ring usually rested in. I found it in a jewelry box by the sink.
"So Alice thinks everything is going to be fine tonight?" I asked him.
"You noticed." It wasn't a question.
"Of course." I simply responded.
"Yes, she sees you father safely in bed after our dinner."
It was certainly comforting. I'd been pretty nervous about it up until that point. Alice's certainty relaxed me. Edward took my hand and I looked down at our intertwined fingers. With great regret I took the engagement ring off and looped the silver chain around it. Edward helped me get it on. "The time will come for everyone to see it on your finger" He whispered.
"I know." I hid it underneath my clothes and Edward took my hand.
"Come on." He handed me a pair of high-heeled brown boots that I normally wouldn't even think about wearing. "I don't want us to be late."
----------------------------------------
We drove around town for an hour. Edward carefully watched my every move whenever we drove by houses or stores. I felt the pull, the thirst, the need, but I controlled it.
Edward pulled up my father's driveway, clearly proud of my self-control.
"Bella, breathe as little as possible. If I see things are getting too hard for you I'll pull you away. Now the food, that's going to be a problem. Don't worry, I'll help you get it out later."
I nodded, panic starting to bubble in the surface. He ran the back of his hand over my cold cheek and leaned close. "Stay calm, Bella, and everything will turn out fine."
I nodded again and he kissed me gently before running around the car in the downpour to get my door open.
We huddled together by the door, trying to get away from the rain while I knocked. It felt so weird to do that.
Charlie must've been waiting in the living room for us, because the door opened less than a second later.
"Dad!" I greeted him enthusiastically.
"Bella!" He moved closer to hug me but then did a double take. He took in my appearance, the straight black hair and sophisticated clothes.
"You look... you look really nice!" He did hug me then. I tensed up, holding my breath and getting the now familiar pang of hunger instantly. Edward touched the small of my back, reminding me of his presence.
When the hug was over, I breathed again. "Alice used me as a guinea pig." I rolled my eyes to make it convincing. My dad laughed and ushered us in.
"Why are we standing in the rain? Come in! I have dinner ready!"
Edward shook hands with him. Charlie even managed to look a little happy to see him.
"So," Charlie asked as soon as we were seated, "How was the cruise?"
"Rocky" I smiled pointedly at Edward. "But really good at the end."
"I'm guessing you had fun."
"Tons."
My dad served us fried fish and chips. I got up to help him with the drinks. Once we were all settled he dropped the bomb.
"So, how are you liking this roommate arrangement you two have going on?"
Edward, who had just picked up his fork, coughed. I stared at my father in alarm.
"It's going great, dad." I made a face and he shrugged.
"Well, I'm happy for you, sweetie." You could've cut the tension with a knife right then.
To mask my discomfort, I took a bite of my fish. When my teeth made contact with the disgusting piece of so called food the fish dissolved instantly, pulverized in a second. I hadn't been expecting my teeth to be so sharp, so I bit down with the normally required force, which resulted in my teeth sliding past the food and grinding against each other.
It was like nails on a chalkboard multiplied by a million.
"Oh God!" I yelled, pushing my chair back and covering my mouth with my hands.
"Bella?" My dad stood up as well, clearly concerned.
Edward was by my side in an instant, pressing my face to his chest while unpleasant shivers still ran all over my body. "I think she bit her tongue."
I somehow managed to agree with his lie.
"Let me take you to the bathroom so we can take a better look." He guided me out of the kitchen, leaving my distressed father behind.
Once we were locked in the small room I let out a little yelp. "You should've warned me about the biting! The taste I was expecting, but the teeth..."
"Here," Edward opened my mouth and placed one of his fingers in between my teeth. "Bite down on that, it'll take away the nasty sensation."
I bit his rock-hard skin tentatively, relieved when it didn't pulverize like the fish had. It did feel good to bite.
"I'm sorry, Bella." His shoulders shook with laughter. I wasn't ready to open my mouth yet, so I slapped his arm gently, making him laugh even harder.
"Okay, tell your dad you got a nasty cut in your tongue and pretend you can't eat anymore because it burns. In about fifteen minutes fake a headache and I'll get us out of here."
I nodded. He opened the door and removed his finger.
"Edward? How do you do it? How can you swallow normal food?"
He grinned at me "Practice, my love."
------------------------------------
We drove away, waving at my father who was watching us from the door.
"Well, that was interesting." Edward mumbled. Charlie had relaxed a little, but that didn't make the air any less tense in the small kitchen.
"Just tell me how I'm going to get rid of that piece of fish and the absurd amount of water Charlie forced me to swallow." I could feel everything sloshing around inside, a sensation I don't recommend to anyone.
Edward laughed exuberantly but stopped abruptly when something weird happened.
The Volvo sputtered, shook and died.
His eyes widened in alarm. With the momentum we had from his fast driving we made it into a gas station. He frowned, his perfect eyebrows pulled together in concentration. Finally, realization hit him.
"Rosalie, she was messing with my car. I wonder what she did..." He got out and slammed the door shut. I got out too and met him by the hood.
"Go back inside, Bella. There are too many people around." He pointed at the little store behind the pumps. I could smell them, all of them, so I obediently returned to my seat.
He got one look at the engine and closed the hood. I rolled down the window to hear him better. "I need to go inside for a moment. It's nothing major and I'm fairly sure I can find it here. Will you be okay on your own for a minute?"
"Yeah." I nodded. He kissed my forehead and left. I closed the windows and locked the doors.
I stared at his godlike figure while he talked to the bored looking kid behind the counter. He told him they had what he was looking for in the back and the two of them went into the storage room.
I was so concentrated on staring at Edward that I never noticed the dark figure standing next to my window. The sound of knuckles against glass startled me to no end.
I jumped, a hand flew to my throat in surprise. But my fear soon changed into confusion.
"Jacob?" I frowned.
"Bella! Hi!" He motioned enthusiastically for me to roll my window down.
It would've been too rude to say no, so I held my breath and did as he asked.
"Hi there! How have you been? I've been looking for you."
"You have?" My frown deepened, but his smile only widened.
"Yeah! You are one hard girl to track down. I have something for you."
"You do?" I asked wearily.
"Yeah, come with me! It's in my car. Oh, did I tell you I finished my car?"
"Erm... no you didn't, but Edward should be out any minute and we really should get home..."
"Oh come on! That's my car right over there! I swear this will just take a second." He pointed at a small car just on the other side of the road, near the woods.
Jacob sounded too enthusiastic for me to say no, so I reluctantly got out of the car and followed him. He placed his hand on my elbow to guide me towards his car. His skin felt so soft and deliciously warm against my cold arm.
It was such a pleasant feeling that I freaked and snapped my arm away in one blinding move. Jacob froze and so did I. For a few endless seconds we stared at each other. "I'm sorry." He finally broke my eye contact. His skin turned scarlet and I got hit with a wave of thirst.
"No, I'm sorry Jacob. I don't really like to be touched. It was a reflex."
"You have fast reflexes." He mumbled under his breath.
I took a quick breath, just to get enough air in so I could speak. "You know, Jacob, this is really not the best idea... Edward..."
"I just want to give something back to you. I swear it will only take a second." I sighed but kept walking next to him.
"What is it?" I asked a little more harshly than necessary.
"You're not going to believe this, but a couple of days after that car crash I was driving into town and saw something black being blown away by the wind. It got stuck on a tree. I stopped out of curiosity."
We were by his car then. He opened the trunk and retrieved something.
"My rain coat!" I exclaimed.
"I took it to your house, but Charlie told me you were away on vacation and that you no longer live there..."
"Thank you, Jacob. That was nice of you."
"You're welcome." He stared at his feet and kicked a stone around with his toes.
I sensed there was something he wasn't telling me. "What is it, Jacob?" I asked.
"Could I... could I talk to you for a moment?" He looked nervous, fidgety. I'd seen him like that once before, at prom.
"You have another message from Billy." It wasn't a question.
He sighed. "Could we sit down?" He pointed at a fallen tree trunk a few feet away in the woods.
I sat as far away from him as the tree trunk would allow, but I could still smell him. I could still hear his heartbeat and almost see the blood rushing through the veins of his exposed neck.
"So, what was that thing you had to tell me, Jacob?" It was getting hard to concentrate. I knew I had to get away from him soon. No time for small talk.
He stared at me, studying me in detail. I wanted so badly to stop breathing completely but his scrutinizing gaze forced me to act normal. I caught a hint of something that looked like regret in his eyes when he answered.
"I really do like you, Bella." I smiled at him, but really I was just hoping the conversation wouldn't go the way I thought it was going to.
Suddenly, an acid but appealing smell filled my nostrils. I had smelled that once before, in a cow. It was fear.
"I'm sorry, Bella."
I barely had time to frown before I saw the sharp piece of glass in his hand. For a moment I went back to my human ways and covered my face with my arms. It took me a while to remember that he couldn't hurt me, but what really made me take my arms down was the sudden smell of human blood. I looked up in time to see Jacob slashing his throat open.