Chapter 7 – Endings Signal Beginnings

Hopefully you'll like this chapter, though it's a bit long. I had fun. Ha-ha. Sorry about the house in the last one. Just read. ENJOY LOVES!!!

EPOV

The first thing I noticed about Bella when she returned to where we were fighting is that she looked…sad. Esme, Carlisle and Rose all had the same sullen, sad look on their faces.

I didn't have time to ask what was wrong. Caius slammed into me. He reined back and I crouched. My lips pulled back and I roared, tossing my head back. It shook the trees and everybody's hands flew to their ears. I seemed to make people do that a lot.

Everybody stopped fighting.

Alice froze more than anybody. "The house." She whispered, looking past the frozen fight into the trees.

I turned to see what she was looking at. A short ways into the distance flames were burning, taking trees down with them. I blinked. Emmett and Jasper turned to the flames. Bella bit her lip and muttered something incoherent, even to me.

If she had working tear ducts, Alice would have been pouring tears, instead she took the sadness and made it into anger. She wheeled on Jane, taking her down. Jacob ran with her into the woods. Jane's piercing screams filled the air as they dragged her towards the fire.

I shook with anger as I thought of my beautiful, white piano that was now unplayable. I turned toward Caius, eyes burning with anger and hatred. He stopped laughing at our loss and a look of true terror and fear shadowed his face. He ran for it. Sam and Leah followed.

Bella spoke once more to the newborns before slowly gliding over to me. She stopped and a moment of speechless sadness passed through us. I couldn't take it. I embraced her and she sobbed dryly. I stared at the flames as more screams and barks pointed out the death of Felix. I saw Alec spring for the woods.

Sam and Leah pawed slowly back onto the dirt road.

Bella turned her lips to my ear. "I'm sorry." She sobbed.

I pulled back and smiled the crooked smile I knew she loved. I brushed an escaped hair from her dirt covered face and pressed my lips to hers.

"Don't be. After we clean this up, I have something to show you."

BELLA POV

Edward tugged on my hand anxiously. I may run fast, and un-klutzy, but I was still slower than he was.

After we had cleaned up from the fight and searched a few hours for Caius and Alec, Edward had rushed me from the commotion of werewolves and vampires arguing about Edward accidentally biting me. Jacob was actually arguing on our side. Saying that it was an accident. Sam had been a little tired and sort of ordered Jacob to go home. Of course, since Sam is the leader of the pack, Jacob had to do as he said.

About ten minutes after we took off from the edge of the reservation, Edward stopped. He put a thick black cloth over my eyes and worked to block me from his thoughts. (Alice had given him a short lesson on how, considering she always has to keep him from her mind, and he always did the mind reading, so he never had to worry about it.)

Still, I tried. All I managed to get was songs. He must really not want me to know if he's going to sing those same two songs again and again. I thought grudgingly.

I heard gravel crunching under our feet as we walked.

His breathing was ecstatic, excited even. Staccato breaths. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. And he stopped.

I heard a door open and we walked forward again. The ground was smooth, like marble, and I slid easily along it.

"Edward." I complained. My voice echoed. Like it did back at the house…before it burned down. My mood began to drop. The house.

"Alright. Alright." He chuckled.

His hands stopped me and carefully untied the blindfold. He tripped up on his thoughts while fumbling with the knot, which if he wasn't so wound-up he wouldn't have done. I hope she likes it. No, I hope she loves it.

I smiled. So sweet.

He took a deep unnecessary breath before letting the black cloth fall slowly to the floor.

The marble floor.

My mood shot back up.

The swirling gray and white marble floor led to a giant white staircase. Off to my left the marble floor ended and the ground went up about half a foot. I took a step forward to see what was on the raised floor and gasped.

A beautiful white grand piano, identical to Edward's sat gleaming in the middle of the raised room.

I bit my lip to keep from crying as I moved towards the staircase, gliding up it without a struggle. The white carpet lining the middle of the staircase was perfect. Just like Edward. I bit down harder on my poor lower lip, feeling the usual feeling of tears that I knew would not come. WAS THAT A WEIRD SENTENCE?

I kept going. At the top of the stairs I turned. Edward was still standing by the front door. The white door. I looked back and forth from him to the door in front of me. He smiled and flew up the stairs to stand next to me.

I took a breath by habit and turned the silver doorknob. I swear, if I was not a vampire, I would have fainted. I did fall back though, Edward caught me with a giant crooked smile on his face. I wanted to stare at his smile all day, but I also wanted to look at the beautiful room I was standing, or falling, in.

The room was of close resemblance to Edward's at the other house. A deep red paint made the black curtains, used for sound, pop. A giant stereo system leaned against the wall to my left. On my right was a giant black comfy looking sofa with more of the deep red on pillows. On the single wall without curtains in front of me was a gigantic shelf of CD's.

I blinked. "Amazing." I breathed the first word since he removed the blindfold.

"Do you like it?" he asked, pushing me up off his arms and moving to stand by me.

"No." I turned towards him as his face fell. His disappointment was palpable. I put a hand under his chin, making him look up at me. "I love it." the excitement returned.

"Really?" he brightened.

"Really." I whispered, leaning in for a kiss.

He pressed his lips against mine. I parted my lips, granting his tongue entrance.

His tongue traced my lips before it entwined with my own. My arms wound around his neck and one of his held my face. The other pressed against the small of my back, pressing me to him.

Finally we separated and I sighed. We leaned our foreheads together with another sigh.

"The piano." I said quietly. "And the CD's."

He smiled my crooked smile. "I was moving all this in while you guys were gone, its what I was doing when you called to warn me about Jane."

"Ah." I smiled back.

"Hello? Anyone home?" I heard someone call from downstairs.

"Its Jacob." I said. "I'll talk to him." Edward hissed under his breath something that sounded an awfully lot like 'filthy dog' before kissing me again. He was still mad about the argument due to the treaty and Jake taking our side. He thought he should simply stick with his pack and not try to help us.

"Be good." I whispered in his ear.

He groaned and nodded once.

I kissed him under his ear before gliding out of the room and down the stairs.

Jacob was peeking around the wall where the piano hid.

I danced up behind him and shouted "Boo!" in his ear.

He jumped about a mile. Give or take.

"Geeze Bells!" he exclaimed when he touched back down to earth, or my version anyway.

I smiled innocently. "What's up?"

"We came to an agreement." He said, instantly business-like.

"Have you now?" I smiled.

He nodded.

Edward. Come on down and hear this, I know your eavesdropping anyway.

I heard Edward chuckle next to me. "My bad." He smiled, weaving an arm around my waist. I leaned into him and looked up at Jake.

"What are you now…seven foot?"

He grinned, all trace of business gone for the moment. "Nearly. Six-eleven." He stated proudly.

I heard Edward choke. "Seriously?" he blinked.

I looked up at Jacob, towering over both Edward and I.

Jacob nodded. "Yep."

For a moment it seemed as tough they were getting along. Jacob had yet to call him a filthy bloodsucker, (he had brains enough not to ever call me that.) and Edward was pleasant as always. The moment ended as a black Aro and Marcus crashed through the back wall, which I noticed was all glass like at the other house.

I gasped.

Jacob spun around to stand on my other side and Edward dropped his arm and crouched. I growled and crouched next to him.

"Be right back." Jacob rumbled, bounding from the room.

I'm phasing. I'll call Sam and the others; they'll get your family. He informed us on the way out the door.

I looked at Edward quickly. I heard. He thought. I just hope they get here in time.

Aro and Marcus grinned as they spun into crouches, advancing slowly.