Of Curses and Cures
Chapter Five
December 3rd, 2008, 7:00 P.M.
It seems impossible that he's standing in her house for the second time today—a house he normally enters via a window in the dead of night.
He's making small talk with Angela in the dining room while Bella finishes getting ready. They mostly talk about how she's feeling, and if the meds are changing anything. But towards the end of the conversation, Angela's focus changes.
"I'm glad you're giving her a chance."
He hates the way she says this and wants to protest immediately that it's really Bella giving him the chance—a chance he doesn't deserve, but she continues before he can.
"You know, I've never seen her like this. You bring something out in her that I haven't seen in a really long time."
Not since Charlie died.
Her thoughts catch him off guard, and he has to stifle the inclination to begin asking questions. Who is Charlie? A father, brother, boyfriend? When did he die? How did it affect Bella?
Thoughts reel through his mind like a silent movie, each image worse than the last, and he forces himself to file the information away with the few things he knows about her.
"It's just nice to see her happy." She continues, and he realizes that he still hasn't said a word.
He is saved from formulating a response when Bella arrives. He can both hear and smell her presence behind him, and the anticipation is nearly incapacitating. He turns slowly and the sight of her is even more devastating than he could have dreamed. She wears a simple denim skirt, and a deep blue blouse—the same one she'd been wearing the day with the brownies. It looks better against her flushed skin than he remembered.
He has to stop himself from rushing forward and scooping her up into his arms. She blushes and he thinks she's never looked more beautiful.
He says she's breathtaking. And he means it, thankful that he doesn't really need the air.
She says goodbye to Angela, and he follows her out the door. He leads her to his Volvo, and she smiles.
"So you got it back then?"
"What?"
"Your car. It was still at the pier when Angela took me to get my truck. I worried that you didn't have a way to get to work."
He delivers his answer calmly, "Oh. I took the bus."
He waits for her to ask the next inevitable question: how he managed to get her back to her house after the accident without his car. She opens her mouth, and he prepares for the words to wash over him, words that could break him, his secret. But she doesn't ask.
"So tell me about yourself. Have you always wanted to be a doctor?"
He sighs, thankful for the change. "Not always, no. I've considered many things over the years, but my Father is a doctor. The work has been very rewarding for him, so I decided to give it a try."
"And has it been for you?" She asks, "Rewarding, I mean?"
She smiles coyly. There is a strong emotion behind his answer, and he struggles to keep it from bubbling to the surface. "I'm not sure 'rewarding' could even begin to cover it."
He listens to her heartbeat quicken, a vibrant melody of life, and grins.
"What about you? What brings you to Seattle?"
Her face suddenly becomes guarded, "School, currently, for Journalism. But… well, I actually used to live near here when I was younger."
"Really, where?"
She shakes her head, "I doubt you've ever heard of it, really. Forks, Washington?"
She catches him by surprise, as usual, and a blinding grin covers his face.
"Forks… really? Wow, that's where my family lives, where I lived before coming here. How long ago did you live there?"
He scans his memory for any appearance of her or someone resembling her, but finds none.
"I moved away when I was fourteen, so I guess it's been five, almost six years."
Well, that explains it.
"Oh." He finds himself wishing that they'd moved to Forks just a few years earlier, but then of course, he would be in quite a spot trying to explain why he looked the same now as he did when she was fourteen.
"We didn't move in until about three years ago. So where did your family move?"
She pauses and he can read the hesitation on her face, "I, uh, moved to Phoenix to live with my Mom."
Some of the light in her eyes seems to diminish, and he wonders if this has anything to do with what Angela was thinking about. Did she know this Charlie in Forks before she moved? She had been so young, so surely that ruled out Charlie as a boyfriend. He is reluctant to acknowledge the intense relief this realization brings.
He hates the forlorn expression that crosses her face, so he quickly changes the subject.
"So, what movie will we be seeing?"
She grins before replying, "Thirty Days of Night."
Not exactly up to date with current cinema, he asks, "And what is that about?"
"Vampires." She replies, grinning wickedly.
If possible, his face seems to pale even more. His jaw hangs slack, his eyes wide with something like horror. Can she know? Is this some kind of joke?
She doesn't seem to notice his panic.
"My Dad used to love horror movies. That and sports was really all he ever watched."
He watches as her eyes light up at the memory, deciding that Charlie must be her Dad. His body relaxes, his marble fists unclenching, knowing that her choice of movie must be just a coincidence.
"And what about you?" He asks, "Do you like horror movies?"
She makes a face before answering, "Occasionally. I mainly chose this one because it was the only movie that looked even remotely appealing."
What she doesn't say is that it's the only movie showing that isn't a romance, and she isn't sure she could handle sitting so close to his god-like presence during something like that.
The rest of the ride goes smoothly, he asks about her mother and she answers with a small smile on her face. In turn, she questions him about his family, and he replies, editing a few things here and there, of course.
They talk about Forks—things they loved and things they hated, places they both frequented, and people they both knew.
"Newton? You dated Mike Newton?"He asks, incredulous. He never thought he'd see the day when he would envy that fool.
"Don't judge me so quickly. I was only twelve, not exactly the pinnacle of reasonable decision-making."
He laughs, "I should think so. That kid absolutely loathed me."
"Really?" She asks, surprised of how assured his tone is, "And how do you know that?"
He wonders if he should lie, but decides a vague answer is best. "I could tell by his face when he looked at me. Most people are fairly easy to read, Bella."
"Most?" She grins, and for a moment he wonders if she's on to him.
"Yeah. You, I must admit though, are a little more confusing."
"I'm confusing?" She asks, bewildered. "I can't possibly be as confusing as you."
"How so?" He asks, but then immediately regrets it.
"Like for instance, the mere fact that you knew Mike Newton and the Forks High Teachers, when you technically should have been away at Med school by the time your parents moved to Forks."
He groans and tightens his hands on the steering wheel, feeling it bend underneath the pressure, "You're too perceptive for your own good."
"Or maybe you just underestimate me too much for your own good."
"Yes, that too." He responds.
The car is quiet for a moment, and he is thankful she doesn't push him any further. When she does respond, it's in a quiet whisper, barely audible.
"You know you can tell me, right? Whatever this big secret of yours is, it won't matter to me."
"It will." He assures her, "It should."
"Try me."
He lets out a strangled sigh, his posture abruptly rigid, "Perhaps another time."
She grins as they pull into a parking spot, "I'll be holding you to that."
He tries to push away the stress from her latest discovery and smiles, "For now, though, I'll be holding you to that movie you promised me."
He jumps out of the car and is opening her door in no time. Her breath stops when his cold hand wraps around hers. And he grins; knowing that he isn't the only one affected so strongly when they touch.
When they reach the front of the line, the girl in the ticket booth perks up, leaning towards Edward invitingly.
"Can I help you?" She asks, her stance a little too welcoming.
"Two to 30 days of Night, please." He says, sliding a bill thorugh the opening in the glass.
"Hey!" Bella objects, "I thought I was doing this to thank you… I'm pretty sure the thank-er is supposed to pay."
"Oops." He grins, again taking her breath away, "I guess you'll just have to thank me some other time."
She blushes, and a tingling sensation vibrates all the way down to the tips of her fingers. She isn't sure what it is about him that affects her so strongly, but she's determined to find out.
They take a seat around the middle of the nearly empty theatre, Bella snacking on the popcorn that Edward bought while she ran to the bathroom earlier. She had only protested once, before giving in, admitting that she was, in fact, a little hungry.
"So, how am I supposed to thank you now?" she grumbles.
"How about we just call it even… and if I'm ever in a life-threatening situation, it can be your turn to save me, okay?"
"Like that would ever happen, Hero Boy." She smiles, and it feels as though some void in his chest is suddenly filled. He decides that it will always be his ambition to see that smile as much as he possibly can.
"Hero boy?" His nose wrinkles slightly.
"It was either that or Boy Wonder."
"Ah… tough choice." He jokes.
She leans closer, preparing to say something else, but the theatre begins to darken. As soon as the lights go out, she's struck by a pulsing electric force seeming to radiate from somewhere in Edward's body into her own. She tenses, trying desperately to keep from reaching over and touching him. He's leaning away from her slightly, and she decides it's wise to do the same.
She completely misses the previews due to her concentration and barely pays any attention as the movie begins. She manages to grasp the basic premise—that a town in Alaska is about to experience 30 days without sunshine and a group of blood-thirsty vampires plan to use the darkness to their advantage.
Her body shakes with the effort to stay away from him when she finally decides it's not worth the effort. She leans closer to him slowly, and he his eyes grow wide, unsure. She takes her time stretching her hand towards him, giving him sufficient warning, and then she simply lays her hand on top of his. The current pulses stronger for a moment, but then relaxes to a bearable state. They both sink more comfortably into their seats, relaxing as well.
Edward takes her hand in both of his, cherishing the warmth. He watches her through most of the movie, expecting her to act as most girls do during horror movies but of course, she surprises him as usual. She never jumps or flinches, not even during the goriest, scariest parts.
At parts, he has to keep from laughing at the ridiculous characterizations of the vampires, but at other times, he winces as the movie plays out scenes eerily similar to mistakes of his past.
At one point, Bella leans toward him, her scent embracing him fully and asks, "Do you not like the movie?"
He leans towards her too and whispers, "No. It's fine."
"Too scary for you?" She teases.
"Hardly. I'd just rather watch you than the movie."
She blushes and turns back to the screen, but neither leans away. Their shoulders stay touching, and Edward spends the rest of the move alternating between watching Bella and tracing the lines of her palm.
She takes everything in the movie so coolly, and for a moment, he imagines himself telling her everything, but then he remembers that for Bella, Vampires are mythical creatures from scary bed time stories and ridiculous horror movies—nothing more.
The end of the movie comes too soon, the sun rises and all is well. There are times when Edward used to wish that death would be as simple as stepping into the sunlight. He is certain that if it were, he would have done it by now. But being here with her, feeling her tiny warm hand encompassed in his own, he is glad that his skin merely sparkles in the sun.
As they leave the theater, she holds on tightly to his hand, and he marvels at the wonder of it all. If Alice had told him a month ago, that his leaving to begin his career would result in holding this woman's hand, he would have thought her skills were failing her. He couldn't be more glad to be wrong.
"You know, I think I would make a wonderful vampire."
He feels as though his eyes might fly from their sockets as her words infiltrate his mind.
"W-what?" He asks, flabbergasted.
"I think I spent at least three, maybe more, Halloweens dressed as a Vampire. I made quite a good one, I'll have you know."
He can't help the mental image that flashes at him next. Bella, her skin even paler, the lines of her face slightly sharper, her muscles more defined. He sees himself beside her, no longer a danger to her, and it's literally painful how much he wants it.
Wrong.
He tells himself it's wrong, but it's not enough to get the image out of his mind.
He realizes they've stopped walking, and Bella is looking at him expectantly.
"Well?" She asks.
"I'm sorry, what did you ask?"
"I said, did little Edward Cullen ever play Vampire?"
Her smile is playful, and he hopes his is in return.
"No." He tries to force a grin onto his face, "I never really had the urge to wear fake fangs and a cape."
"That's too bad." She skips a few feet ahead of him, before spinning around to smile at him, "I've always had a thing for vampires."
He tries to stop the explosive joy in his chest from showing on his face, but for the life of him (or rather the lack there of), he can't stop the brilliant grin that lights up face, and now he isn't so sure he cares to try.
A/N: Okay, okay. So I couldn't resist taking them to see a Vampire Movie. I've never seen 30 days of Night, but I have read the plot summary, so I tried to keep it a little vague.
Thanks for all your votes on the Corny titles… I believe "The Cullen Cure" was the winner.
As for this story, I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with it. I've got a broad idea for the entire thing, but if anyone has any requests for things you'd like to see happen, I'd be happy to consider them.
Reviews make the world go round.