December 17th, 2008
Twilight
Three days pass before Bella's curiosity finally catches up to him.
"So you never did explain that apparently infamous meeting between the Cullens and the Quiletes…" She trails off quietly, and he can tell from her tone that she's trying to seem calm and understanding, but underneath the surface she's nearly bubbling with the desire to know his answer.
He sighs. "It should be easy enough for you to deduce what it was about, having the privilege of knowing what you know."
"Oh. So it was just another Vampire/Werewolf thing?" She slumps, apparently having prepared herself for something a bit worse.
He scoffs, "Oh yeah… you know, just your every day run of the mill mythological stand down. Sorry it isn't of more entertaining caliber."
"You know I didn't mean it like that." She grins. "Though now that you mention it, things have been dreadfully boring around here."
His head snaps up in response, but the smirk on her face is deviousness at its best.
"Are you asking me to spice things up a bit, Miss Swan?"
"Are you offering?"
It amazes him that only a slight touch from her fingers on his forearm makes his skin tingle with unfamiliar warmth. It almost makes him feel alive.
"If I am?" He steps closer, bending his head to allow his nose to graze her jaw.
"Then I would regret to inform you that I would have to decline." She whispers breathily.
"Decline?" He asks, pulling back to look at her face. "You would refuse me?"
He can't help the pout that comes to his face.
"Of course!" She smiles, "I can't have the Vampire/Werewolf standoff being the highlight of this town forever. I think it's high time that particular record was replaced. Which title do you prefer Vampire/Victim standoff or Predator/Prey? They're both accurate and alliterative, so it's really just up to preference."
"You silly little minx." He growled, "Just how long do you think this standoff can last?"
"As long as it takes."
He looks at her devilishly and steps closer until she's backed up against the side of his Volvo, very much like she had been in the restaurant three days ago.
She puts a hand on his chest to stop him. "Don't attempt your dazzling, because it won't work. I'm quite determined."
"As am I." He promised, moving in again, desperate to touch any part of her with his lips.
"You know, the way this is going, you're going to give Vampires quite a bad reputation… I mean, not that their reputation isn't already a little tainted, but the way you're acting, you'd think I was the one with dazzling skills extraordinaire."
"Perhaps we should work on tainting our reputations together."
"Why Mr. Cullen! Are you insinuating what I think you're insinuating?"
And he most certainly is. Even though he knows he shouldn't. He knows it's a promise (playful, though it may be) that he can't fulfill. But there is something about her that loosens his tongue and makes him act with reckless abandon.
He quickly tries to rectify the situation.
"If you're thinking about ending this ridiculous standoff, then yes. It feels like years since I've just been able to hold you."
She looks slightly disappointed that he's redirected their game of innuendo, but recovers quickly.
"I know Vampires view time differently and all, but my count you held me only two hours ago."
"Two hours without you in my arms is like a lifetime wasted."
Her eyes glaze over momentarily before she swats him on the arm. "No fair! Quit making me melt! How is the Victim/Prey ever supposed to win the standoff that way?"
He laughs before scooping her up in his arms and depositing her in his car. "All part of my master plan to take over the world one beautiful girl at a time."
"Yeah well… as far as you're concerned there better only be one girl you're taking over. And she's already tooken… or you know, whatever…words…meaning." She babbles, his closeness throwing her off.
He deposits a small peck on her lips before rushing to his side of the vehicle. She remains slightly dazed throughout the entirety of the car ride, and he thinks the standoff has officially reached its end. He takes her hand in his, dragging his thumb leisurely back and forth across her warm skin.
He's so caught up in the smell of her when they arrive home, that it isn't until he steps out of the car into the fresh air that he notices another scent on the wind. A smell that has his nose scrunching up in disgust, and his arms wrapping around Bella in a protective stance.
He can hear Carlisle pacing in the living room, Alice worrying away in her thoughts, and Rosalie thinking something about the consequences Edward's actions had brought on the rest of them.
He scoops her up in his arms quickly and rushes her into the house, disguising it as a playful attempt to get her up to his room.
"Later!" he whispers so that only his family can hear him.
There had been at least five of them in close proximity to his home within the hour.
He knows that Bella trusts them, but he's not sure he'll ever be able to do so. They're young and volatile and ruled by their unstable emotions.
They're werewolves for goodness sake.
He sighs inwardly. He just needs time to figure this out. He tells himself that he's looking out for Bella's safety, but deep down he knows it's his own fear ruling him now. He is by nature a rather selfish creature. And he knows if there is anything in this world that could possibly separate Bella from him, he knows it is the group of dogs lurking in the woods just outside his home. And old friends or not, he's not willing to let anything take Bella away from him.
December 19th, 2008
It had come to him on a whim really. His mind had been sorting through his memories of Bella as he often did. And he had remembered that she'd lied and told Mike, Lauren, and Jessica that they were spending Christmas with her Mom in Florida. And while the trip was sure to be atrocious for him with all that sunlight, it was the perfect excuse to get Bella away from Forks and the people, or rather creatures, that had taken to occasionally prowling around the perimeter of his home in the darkness of night.
He knows that he might possibly be making a grave mistake. But he has no intention of keeping her away from them forever. He can't do that. She's a caring person, and she loves those dogs, despite their flaws. He hates that he has to consider himself among the flawed creatures she loves. He just needs time to think. And he needs to know that she is absolutely positive in his feelings before he allows their relationship into such a strenuous situation. But he also knows that it's not entirely about her feelings and her perception of their relationship, but his own, too. He has to be serious about his intentions with Bella.
He knows he's never loved anything in his life like Bella. Even that euphoric rush of peace and excitement he receives from playing the piano can't compare to the way he feels when he just looks upon her. And then to feel her, to smell her, to hold her-- is something entirely different. Something he couldn't quite describe even if he tried. He just knows that he thinks things can't possibly become better than they are, but every second in her presence proves him wrong. But can he expect her to give up a normal life to spend it with him?
And then there is the thing he has been avoiding thinking about. They've never spoken openly about it, but there are times when she says something that makes him think she's thinking about it, considering it. And there are moments when he looks in her eyes and he knows she would be willing, that she would gladly become like him if it meant they had a lifetime together. And he hates that sometimes he likes seeing that in her eyes.
When he shows her the airline tickets, she thinks he's joking. Her eyes are wide and her expression blank, and he hates that he can't read her. But then her small body is pressed up against his. In the back of his mind, he knows that she has flung herself at him, but the impact feels lighter than a feather. But she's holding him, using more strength than he's ever felt her use. He smiles into her hair, happy that she is happy. She has seemed a little off since the visit to the cemetery. He only sees it in flickers, but when he does, her sadness makes him feel as though his granite body is being torn to pieces. He wishes he could hear her thoughts, because he could have done this for her sooner. He never knew she missed Renee so much, missed home.
He runs his fingers through her hair, and knows that he could never take her away from this world, from this life. It wouldn't be fair. If she missed home like this now, it would be infinitely worse as one of the undead.
"I told your Mother we'd be arriving tomorrow evening." He whispers against the nape of her neck.
"You called Renee?" She pulls back, her eyes wide. "What did she say? What did you say? Did you tell her about us?"
"Slow down, Bella."
She stops abruptly and takes a gulping breath.
"I told her that we had just started seeing each other."
"She's going to think we're getting too serious too fast."
He laughs, "She did."
"What? What do you mean, she did?"
He doesn't reply, only taps a finger against his forehead.
"But I assured her that I just thought you missed her and would like to be there to spend Christmas with her."
"She wouldn't have believed you." She shakes her head, and he is reminded of how observant his Bella is.
"You are correct."
She laughs.
He continues, "But when I offered to cancel my ticket and allow you to come alone, she gave in. I believe her last thought was something like 'They're not serious now, but I hope they will be.'"
She smiles and hugs him tightly. "You've won my Mother over without even meeting her, the world has officially turned upside down."
His fingers dance along her spine as he chuckles, "Because when you found out vampires were real, the world was merely on it's side. But your mother's acceptance sets it spinning."
"Trust me, out of the two of those, one was much more likely, and it is the former."
"Glad to know I could turn your world upside down, perhaps if I do this it will right itself?" He grins and trails kisses along her jaw.
"Oh, it's turning." She smiles, "But very slowly."
"Really, now?" He laughs, before wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her face up to his, until her feet are dangling a foot above the ground. He presses his lips tenderly against her own, just a few careful brushes, like a meticulous painter with his canvas.
She breathes in his scent, and he watches her eyes dilate slightly.
"You're not playing fair." She whispers against his lips.
"I'm fairly certain that they're are no rules when it comes to world-turning. Last time I checked everything was pretty much fair game."
"You realize we won't be able to do this around my mother." She presses her lips harder against his own.
He pulls back momentarily, "We'll just have to be sneaky."
"Hello!" She cries, "Not good at being sneaky! Stumbling, slipping, those are s-words that are in my range of abilities... but not sneaky."
"You forgot sexy." he whispers.
"Sliding, I can do that, too-- Wait, what did you just say?"
He grins crookedly, his fingers grazing her collar bone.
"I'm afraid I've already forgotten. Sweet? Does that sound right?"
She huffs and turns her face away from his questing lips.
His breath is hot on her neck as he continues, "Sensual?"
She sighs, shivering in his cold arms. "Closer."
"Seductive?"
His lips trail the column of her throat, leaving fire in his wake.
"So close." She shudders.
"Hmm... that's all I can think of, love."
She groans and pushes him away. "I think the s-word you're looking for is stupidity."
He laughs, "Don't be ridiculous, 'smart' fits you much better."
She rolls her eyes.
He steps closer to her, and she begrudgingly allows him to wrap his arms around her again. "Or perhaps stunning was the word I was looking for."
She doesn't reply, but she does relax a little more against him.
"Or I could move to another letter. Ravishing? Radiant?"
She smiles and lays her head against his chest, breathing deeply, completely content.
"Or maybe we'll stick with my original assessment."
He leans close, his lips grazing the shell of her ear.
"My sexy Bella."
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed it! I'm not sure when I'll be able to update next. My internet is kind of on the fritz... I'm currently uploading this at a friend's house, but I promise that as soon as I am able, I'll get you guys another chapter.
Next Chapter: Heading to the land of sun and suspicious moms!