THANK YOU!! To those of you who reviewed! And those of you who put the story on their favorites list! And alert list! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!! Thank you if you just read it and gave it a chance! I'm so excited and happy right now I can't even explain! I didn't know if anyone was going to like it, but some of you do! So thank you!
Sorry, just a little over excited.
DICLAIMER: DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT!!
If some of you were wondering why Edward agrees to a bottle of water you will find out in this chapter, it's in Edward's POV.
Edward POV:
"EDWARD!" I glared at the pixie standing in my doorway. "What Alice?" I replied with the annoyance apparent in my voice. "What are you still doing here?! You were supposed to go to Powell's to pick up my book!"
"I'm not your slave Alice, I'll go when I want."
"NO! YOU WILL GO NOW!"
"Alice-"
"Edward, if you want a music collection when you get home, I suggest you stop dilly-dallying and go, NOW!
I got up off the couch, pushed pause on the stereo, and pushed the pixie out of the way as I ran out of the house and into my Volvo.
I drive like a mad person, so I got there in about 10 minutes counting traffic. We don't live in downtown Portland. We live up in the hills in an old Edwardian style house (Yes, I am referring to the Pittock Mansion for those of you who have been to Portland, it's a museum/national park where the founder of the Oregonian newspaper lived, but let's just pretend it's not). Emmett won't shut up about how I have a style of architecture named after me and continues to ask how he can start one named "The Emmett". I finally got there and pulled into the parking lot across the street.
I walked past the register and into the stairwell leading to the upper floors. I went up to the info desk and asked the women for Alice's book.
"When did she reserve it?" she said in a bored tone.
"No, she ordered it online."
"When?"
"I don't know."
"Well, I'm sorry sir, we look up books by when they were reserved."
"But, she didn't reserve it, she ordered it." I said getting tired of this game, I had already been in a bad mood and this sorry excuse for a human being was making it worse.
"Well, when did she order it?"
"I don't know, she-"
"Doris, you can look it up by the name of the person who ordered the book." Said a rather slutty looking woman who had just walked out from behind a bookshelf. And I have to say her thoughts were more disturbing than her outfit, as she looked at me.
"Sorry, about that, sir, Doris can be a little spacey sometimes." She as continued to check me out. She was thinking some of the most disgusting things I'd ever heard, and I live with Emmett.
"Who ordered the book?" said the one called Doris.
"Alice Cullen."
"Here it is, sir"
"Have a nice day, sir." Said the one with the disturbing thoughts.
I tried to get out of there as fast as I could.
As I descended the stairs and walked by the flight of stairs that led to the children's section a little brunette girl with the most adorable brown eyes almost ran right into me and the only reason she didn't was because I managed to move out of her way fast enough. I started to laugh at her excitement, that's when I heard an angel's voice yell, "Rora!" I turned to look at who had called and she saw the most beautiful women I've ever seen running after the little girl. As she ran by me apologizing I went rigid. She had the sweetest, most tantalizing scent I'd ever encountered. The monster threatened to take over. But, she had already fled down the stairs after her daughter. I ran to the register as fast as I could without exceeding human speed. Lucky for me, and for the human with the disgustingly exquisite scent there was no line. I threw a 100 on the counter and ran out of the store as fast as I could.
I ignored the car I had sitting in the parking lot across the street and set off at quick-paced lope down the street. I needed fresh air; I needed to forget that scent; to smell the revolting scent of human food. Anything to get it out of my mind. So I decided to search the streets of downtown Portland for help.
I thought about the woman in the bookstore. What kind of demon was she? Sent here to destroy me and everything Carlisle had built for us. What sort of demon came disguised as an angel? Why me? Why now? And then I realized it, she had been chasing after her daughter with exasperation and… love in her eyes. Of course, of course she loved her daughter. She was an innocent human, not a demon, she was an angel. Here to watch over her baby. And then I remembered something else I had ignored when the monster took over, she had had another little girl in her arms. And I could only imagine what those girls meant to her, what she meant to them, what the three of them meant to their husband and father. I realized I was the demon. I was the one created to destroy lives, the soulless one, the evil one. What would those girls do without their mother? Her husband do without his love? I thought about the impact her death… no, murder would have on her family, not just her husband, or her children, but what about her parents and siblings and friends. I couldn't take her life, as much as I wanted to. I couldn't, I wouldn't.
By this time I was walking by the ice-cream shop across the street from one of the many Starbuck's in the city. The light had just turned red and the right lane was empty, as far as I could tell. That's when I heard the high-pitched scream of a little brunette girl; the one who had almost ran into me earlier. She was standing in the middle of the crosswalk, a look of pure terror on her face and blue Honda going about 70 mph headed straight for her. Then I heard that same angel from earlier screaming, "RORA!" I ran, faster than I should run in front of humans, but, then again no pays me much attention when I'm not standing right in front of them. The next thing I knew, I was on my back at the feet of the little girl's mother with the little girl crying in my arms. I handed the girl to her mother, the monster staying locked up after my revelation earlier. She took her daughter in her arms. "Rora! Baby, oh God! Never, ever do that to mommy again! Do you understand me, never do that again, baby, ever!" she cried.
"I promise, I promise!" cried the little girl into her mother's shoulder.
"Mommy, doesn't want to lose you, not yet, I can't lose you yet." She whispered to low for anyone to hear but herself, and, of course, me. But I have super sonic hearing. I knew she intended for no one but herself to hear, even without reading her thoughts. Then I realized something I hadn't noticed in the store. I couldn't read her thoughts. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't do it. I tried her wailing daughter. Nothing, not a single thought, whisper. Nothing! I even tried the infant in the stroller. Nothing! What is it with this family! She finally looked up at me, and the realization hit her that I was t
the man her daughter almost ran into, I didn't need her thoughts to know that, it was in her eyes. Deep, chocolate brown eyes and mahogany hair. She was gorgeous. "Oh my God, thank you so much, I can't ever repay you for this."
"No, really, it's no problem at all."
She nodded; she seemed incapable of coherent speech. She almost stumbled as she tried to get up, I caught her and it was so hard not to kill her while having her that close. And, yet, for some reason, it felt right to have her in my arms. I let her go as quickly as possible before the monster could get out. "Is there anywhere I an help you get to?" I looked down at the pavement and saw about 30 books scattered everywhere and noticed she was covered in coffee, that I was guessing belonged to the blonde guy standing behind her with an empty Starbuck's coffee cup. "No, really, I'm fine," she tried to stutter out. I insisted on helping her with the books and the stroller while she carried her eldest daughter, Rora, back home.
As we walked to her condo Rora fell asleep. And I heard an elderly woman saying to her friend what a cute couple we were and how adorable our children were. I wish. Where the hell did that come from?! I knew it was my thought, but where on Earth did it come from? It was completely irrational for me to feel this way. She had two kids, that weren't mine, and she was married! And then I looked at her left hand and realized it was bare. There was no ring there. She isn't married!
Wait! Back up, this should give you no joy, Edward! You should feel bad she has to raise 2 kids by herself!
But, what if she didn't have to do it by herself?
Stop it! You're being irrational! You can't help her raise 2 kids!
Why not!
Because she's human, you're a vampire! Plus, she has the sweetest blood you've ever smelt! Don't you think that's slightly problematic?!
I knew it would be selfish of me. To bring her into a relationship like that. But, as I pictured us together, raising her 2 little girls, that would be mine, I wanted it more than anything. I wanted to feel her lips on mine, her in my arms. I wanted to hear those little girls call me daddy. STOP IT!! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DO THAT TO HER!!
And I knew I couldn't, as much as I wanted to, I couldn't, wouldn't, do that to her. She deserved better than that. Better than me.
As we got to her front door she pulled her keys out of her pocket. "Thank you, again." She said awkwardly, and yet so sincerely.
"It was no problem, really." I insisted.
"I can't thank you enough."
"Really, it's no problem at all."
"Would you like water or a cup of tea or anything?" again with the awkwardness, yet I could tell it was more from embarrassment than her own sub-concious instincts on the fact that I was dangerous.
"Sure, if it's not to much trouble." Now, human food, and beverages, are all extremely revolting to me. But, I saw this as a chance to ask her about what she said earlier.
"No, not at all. Come in."
She opened the door and I followed her in. The condo was 2 stories. The entry was had a shelving system on the left with a coat rack to the side. On the right was a picture of her and her girls in Jamison Square (a little park in downtown Portland). There was a low shelf with little shoes in it and rain coats on the rack. It was homey, comfortable. The walls in the entryway were a coffee color and the walls in the living room to my left were green. The couch was brown suede with cream-colored throw pillows and a cream colored blanket bunched up in a ball on the floor. It wasn't spotless, the way Esme kept our house, I liked that too, but this felt homier. I followed her into the front room, still pushing the stroller.
"I'm going to put her upstairs," she said motioning to the sleeping angel in her arms.
I nodded and she told me to take a seat. I sat down on the suede couch. I turned to look at the infant smiling up at me from the stroller. She reached her arms up to me and I couldn't help but pick her up and sit her in my lap. She rested her head against my shoulder and I noticed how long her hair was, it was to her shoulders and that same wave to it that her mother had. She smiled up at me and I couldn't help but smile back at her. She was beautiful, like her mother, She had her big brown eyes, and her nose and her lips, and I couldn't help but imagine that this was just what … that's when it me, I didn't know her mother's name! I didn't know the name of the angel upstairs putting her daughter down for a nap. How rude of me not to ask! Stupid Edward! The little girl in my lap wrapped her hand around my finger and close her eyes, and I felt so elated, joyful. Why, why was I doing this to myself?! Didn't I already establish this wasn't going to work?! Edward, you're such a masochist! She walked back downstairs then.
"What would you like?" she asked. I looked up at her. "Water is fine, thanks." I decided water had the least taste and that would be the easiest to swallow and cough up later. She walked into the kitchen, pulled a water bottle out of the fridge, and came back into the front room and sat on the couch opposite me. "Sorry, how rude of me, I didn't get your name." She said as she looked up at me through her impossibly long lashes (I got that from Eclipse, Edward proposes to Bella, sorry, I just really love how Stephanie worded that). "Edward, Edward Cullen. Yours?"
"Isabella Swan, but I prefer Bella." Bella, how appropriate, beautiful was exactly how to describe her.
"Bella. It suits you."
"Thanks?" she replied with a puzzled on her face. Why, I couldn't imagine. Did she honestly think she was plain? It was blasphemous to even think so. I laughed and shook my head. She blushed the loveliest color and looked down at the coffee table. Not that the blush was helping my control or anything, it was just so lovely.
I decided to ask the question that had been eating at me since her daughter almost got turned into a pancake. "What did you mean?" she looked up at me with a confused expression. "Earlier, on the street, when you said you didn't want lose your daughter yet. What do you mean by yet?"
"What mother wants to lose her daughter at the age of 4? What mother wants to lose her daughter at all?" if that was her lying, playing dumb, she was horrible at it.
"I'm not saying that, you just sounded like you meant something else." I replied somberly.
She looked down again, and I smelled the salt of tears pooling in her eyes. When she looked up at me I could clearly see the tears threatening to leak out. "Aurora, has leukemia, she's dying and radiation isn't working anymore."
A/N: So? What you think? PLEASE REVIEW? I beg of you! Even If it's to tell me you hate it, please! I'll update as soon as I can. Even faster if you review.