6. P L A N S
--
Edward was unusually quiet that night. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought that he had somehow caught the vibes of my thoughts; the desire to marry early, to run away, to become a vampire all the more quicker . . .
Dinner with Charlie had been uneventful; somewhat pleasant, at best. While Charlie hadn't been at his worst, he hadn't done all much more than exchange a few awkward words, grunting in response to anything that Edward had said.
I lay with my head on his chest, my body still and calm as he hummed my lullaby in my ear. I had never been more sure of such a decision – confident enough, even, to feel that Edward would not be able to refuse such an offer.
I gathered the right words, formulated the right responses to potential reactions . . . and then I cleared my throat.
"Edward . . . I've been thinking."
He hummed a note of acknowledgement, his fingers loosely playing with my hair.
I inhaled deeply. "It's just that . . . given the circumstances . . . I thought that maybe it'd be best to make the change sooner than later."
I heard him groan, and he shifted his body in a way that allowed me to gaze at his troubled face. "Bella, no. I've said it before, and I'll say it again; I'll never let you make a hasty decision, simply based on fear."
I bit my lip, stifling a giggle. Hadn't I predicted those words? "I'm not afraid, Edward. Not of that, anyway." I sighed, my hand reaching for his. "I mean, I'm scared for whatever Alice has seen . . ." I shrugged. "But I've wanted become one of you – to seal my fate – for a very long time now. If we do it just a tad sooner out of precaution, what's so wrong with that?"
"What's so wrong with that?" He shook his head at me, repeating my words scathingly. "Bella, what about your friends? Your family? You're not ready to say goodbye yet – I'm sure of that."
This was somewhat true. I thought for a moment, before shrugging carelessly. "I won't just leave without giving notice, Edward. I'll figure something out. But as of now, I think it's pretty stupid to wait a few months . . . when so much could go wrong."
I did not miss the flash of uncertainty in his eyes. "Nothing will go wrong, Bella. I'm sure of that. I will not let anything happen to you."
"You say that now . . ." I shook my head, my voice trailing off into a whisper. "And I know that you'll do everything in your power to protect me. But what if that's just not enough?"
And then Edward pulled me on top of him, his fingers tightly locked with mine, our foreheads pressed together.
"Never say that . . . never think it. The Volturi have no power over us; not now, when we've overcome so much. I swear to you, Bella; no harm will come to you." And again the strange confidence filled his eyes; he seemed so sure, and my doubts began to scatter.
We were both silent for a long time, and my eyelids grew heavy. As they began to drift closed, Edward set me down gently, pulling the discarded quilt over me. My last conscious thought was of his arms circling my waist, his hands cool on my skin.
--
"Something new," Edward commented lightly as we pulled into the Cullen's drive.
"Come again?" I hid a yawn beneath my hand; sleep had not been easy for me last night. I had had restless dreams of leering faces, pale beneath the folds of a dark cloak, dotted with searing red eyes.
"Alice," he said curtly, narrowing his eyes slightly. The corners of his mouth turned down, but he appeared more perplexed than upset by whatever it was that he was hearing.
Alice was sitting in nearly the same exact position that she had been in the day before, her eyes still closed; her pale face was serene enough to make her look as if she were sleeping. She nodded her head in acknowledgement to our arrival, one corner of her mouth twisting upward.
"Hi, Bella." Her eyes snapped open then, as weary as they were lovely. "How are you?"
I snorted. "Oh, you know. Impending doom. The usual."
Alice gave me a stern look, although she did smile after a moment. "It's always something with you, isn't it?" She shook her head, sighing. "Thankfully, I think we might be able to sidestep this one . . ."
My pulse quickened in anticipation. "Why? What's changed?"
"It's not so much that anything's changed as it is that more has been revealed . . . it's not the entirety of the Volturi that will be coming."
My shoulders slumped. I had hoped that whatever had suddenly fueled the Volturi's desire to come had died out.
"Let me finish." Her eyes briefly flickered toward Edward before settling on the floor. "It's actually not the Volturi itself that's coming, but its guard. Jane, Alec, Felix, Demetri . . ." She shook her head in puzzlement. "If it were something huge, everyone would be coming. Aro, especially."
"But . . ." I recalled the Volturi's recent visit, remembering how odd it had been when Aro had not shown up. Hadn't that been a large enough situation?
"No," Edward turned to me suddenly, his eyes intense with concentration. "That was different, love. If you recall, they everything but helpful." He considered that for a moment, chuckling lightly. "Had they really been interested in destroying the newborn army, had we not have been involved, we would have had quite a full visit."
"Why is that, though? Is there a common thread between this new visit and the last?" Alice stood, a contemplative expression on her face. Edward shrugged.
"Your guess is better than mine, Alice. But if the previous cruel intentions still remain strong . . . that could account for their sudden haste to take care of Bella's situation."
I grimaced. "Situation". An ugly word, in this context . . .
"When Carlisle returns from his hunting trip, I suggest you mention this to him. I'm sure he'll have his own input."
Alice frowned. "Why? Where will you be?"
"I'll be keeping close to Bella until then, Alice. Just in case."
"It's not going to happen for a while, you know . . . I can tell you that much."
They rattled on for a while, and I slumped down on the comfortable white couch. They had seemed so concerned the night before . . . why were they taking it so lightly now? I had been so sure of my plans . . . Eloping with Edward, transforming within the next month . . .
"Bella." Alice's voice was sharp, suddenly. "May I speak with you upstairs for a moment?"
Edward muttered something beneath his breath that was too low for me to hear. Alice laughed in response, yanking lightly on my arm. "Don't even think about listening, Edward. This isn't for you to hear."
She flew up the Cullen's staircase in a matter of seconds, crossing her arms impatiently over her chest while I took as much time as I could to tread up the steps. When I finally reached the top, she was tugging my arm again, leading me to her bedroom.
"Now," She closed the door firmly behind me, and then shot me a look of annoyance. "What's this about eloping?"
I groaned, sinking to the floor; Alice's bright pink carpet was as thick enough to serve as a cushion, and I was grateful as I rested the back of my head against her wall. "Alice, really. This really isn't the time."
"You're right, Bella. It isn't. Was this Edward's idea?" She muttered angrily under her breath, resting one hand on her hip. "No, no, this was all you. You haven't even told him yet, and I already see it happening . . ."
I felt a surge of hope. "Really? We're eloping?"
Alice scowled at me. "No, Bella. You will not. Are you insane? After all the preparations? The planning?"
I shrugged. "I figured we could have another ceremony later . . . when things were safe."
Alice snorted. "Right, Bella. I'm sure you'll be able to focus on your vows when your maddening thirst kills all of your lovely human friends."
Oh. Right. There was that. "Alice, please. I don't how much time I have left . . . if I even have enough time to make it to that wedding, bloodthirsty killer or not."
"Really, Bella. Haven't you any faith in my ability? If I see that they're coming, then, well . . ." She flashed me a bright smile. "I'll pay for your tickets to Vegas. But if you just wait a little bit longer . . . I can have everything pushed up a little." She sighed. "Although, that will be a bit of a pain . . . I'm sure it's nothing that a little bit of cash can't take care of, though."
I gaped at her. Was she losing her mind?
"Excellent. You can go now," She pulled the door open, smiling brightly at me. "Everything's right as rain now."
An approaching visit from the Volturi, my impending death, Alice's psychotic plans . . . this was all just too much for me to bear.