I'd like to thank those at Twilight Obsessors for reading. Hope it's worth your time!
Also, as you most have certainly noticed, I have been writing in third person for quite some time now. I will continue to do so until everyone - and I do mean everyone - comes together. For now, I will change a few things to, hopefully, make things clearer.
Dawn.
Chapter 9
EDWARD AND BELLA
"I can't believe you," Bella muttered as she stormed into the cabin.
"Bella, I don't see why you're being so childish about this. We can't possibly leave," Edward exasperatedly protested back.
"So you expect me to abide our staying here - while Dawn and Nikias need help?"
"Nikias can fend for himself." He crossed his arms and looked as defiant as he could.
"Is that what this is all about? Some feud you have with Nikias?"
"No, I have nothing against Nikias. He didn't know any better."
"Then why-"
"Bella," Edward took her - slightly rougher than intended - by the shoulders. "You have been taken from me before. I will not let that happen again." He pulled her into a soft, yet passionate, kiss- willing her anger to subside.
As it began to ebb, he took his advantage and deepened his kiss.
ALICE
Alice was still excited.
Visions had continued to appear in her mind, most including Bella with child. In the time of late, the visions had gotten clearer and more definite - she must already be pregnant.
She knew that Bella and Edward were only planning on being gone a week - and that they would be back soon… Today! Had it only been one week? While harbouring Bella's news, Alice felt it had been years.
She heard the door downstairs open, and ran down to see Edward and Bella. "Back home so soon?" she commented, trying to keep calm and not break into hysterics. Edward would most surely slap her if that happened.
"What are you hiding?" Edward heatedly replied, recognizing her veiled thoughts immediately.
Alice, trying to not give anything away - to either newlywed - motioned them to the piano. The husband and wife sat on the bench, while Alice stood and said, "While you were gone, I say something…" She looked to their eyes.
Edward's were rolling at her dramatics, but Bella's were eager with anticipation. She asked, "What did you see, Alice?"
She answered, revealing the secret in her mind.
Bella fainted.
NIKIAS AND DAWN
Nikias and Dawn had been silent, but she finally said, "That went well."
"You can't blame him. It is his honeymoon, after all." Nikias replied, knowing all too well where this discussion would lead.
Dawn did, also, and she was not going to let the opportunity pass her by. "Marriage…" She said, as if starting something.
Nikias sighed and rolled his eyes. "Dawn, we've gone through this before. Do you know how much of a risk you would be in if we were martially bound? I don't want to put you in danger like that." He added, "It's already driving me bloody insane with you coming with me."
"Have faith in me, Nikias. I can do this." Dawn reassured.
"What are we going to do about Erik?" He asked, trying to change the subject.
Dawn caught this, yet went along with it. She wasn't going to get anymore out of him, anyway. "I suppose we'll have to take him."
Nikias stopped walking, as they were now in a perfect area to fly. "Take him?" He said, disbelieving.
Dawn turned to him. "Yes, take him. Dominik gave you him, didn't he? What else could you do?"
Nikias shrugged. "I don't know… We could find an orphanage to take him, couldn't we?"
Dawn's eyes widened. "An orphanage?"
Nikias realized his mistake. Dawn had spent most of her childhood in a cruel orphanage. "I'm sorry. I-"
"No, no, it's fine." Dawn regained her composure. "But we are going to take him." She said, as if ending the matter altogether.
"Has it occurred to you what he might think, Dawn? I highly doubt he'll understand."
"You don't know that. Let's go see him. He just lost his father at the age of sixteen. He needs a man."
Nikias couldn't argue with her, and didn't see the worth in trying. "All right."
ERIK
Erik Kotov was sitting on his bed, a manila folder beside him and a Russian to English dictionary in his hands. He had been studying the book for quite some time, and he could now say a few lengthy sentences.
"Hello. Are you…" He referred back to the folder. "Nikias?" It took him a few tries to get the proper pronunciation of the name, but he felt a surge of confidence when he did.
Erik had known that his father was going to die eventually. And the constant hiding warned him that it was going to be soon. But the shock was still there.
They had finally reached some sort of normalcy in their life. They were living in the snowy city of St. Petersburg - among civilization yet again - when he had found them.
Erik remembered it quite clearly.
He had just returned home from a job, that his father had deemed safe, to find his father's body sprawled across the floor, mutilated and bloody.
He had run to the corpse, willing it to live, screaming. Erik had saw the phone by his father and picked it up, yet didn't dial the hospital. It was too late.
Erik was interrupted of his reverie by Dimitri, a young boy of twelve that had been at the orphanage his entire life. A childhood in which couples had chosen others over him had hardened the boy and made him bitter.
"Erik," he said, followed by a string of Russian.
Erik nodded and replied. "Thank you," he said, in English, trying his skills on someone other than a picture of Nikias.
Dimitri rolled his eyes and left.
Erik resigned from his perch and exited out of the room. He had only been in the facility for about a week - his neighbours that he had first stayed with had kicked him out, telling him they were going on vacation or some other lie like that - waiting for a friend of his father's to pick him up.
He couldn't believe that his father expected him to interact with this Nikias (what kind of name was that, anyway?) much less live with him until Erik came to a legal age to be on his own.
And, now, this man was waiting for him to come out.
Quite a long one, eh? Maybe this can hold off your ravenous lions you would most certainly unleash me if I don't update soon…