Esme had stopped the bleeding but on Robin's arm with ease and had wrapped a towel around it in case it started again. Robin sat by the door watching as Esme cleaned the blood her arm had produced up. Robin's cold hands were wrapped around a mug of tea, her body still visibly shaking. The door beside her came open and Robin jumped spilling her tea.
Carlisle shook his head and sat his medical bag down by her side. "Robin." he nodded as if he wasn't angry, more disappointed. "Carlisle." Robin said quietly. "Now, lets take a look at your arm." he said stripping her of the cup of tea. At least she could have scolded him if he tried to lick it and now she had nothing. Shaking Robin extended her arm leaving the towel in her lap.
"Well it doesn't require stitches, a fairly clean cut." He said speaking to her as she had just come over after a kitchen accident. He opened the bag and started to apply iodine to clean it, not faltering as she winced. "Now, I put some liquid stitch on this just to be safe." He said opening a bottle of clear thick liquid. "So Jasper wont smell it." Robin said softly. If it didn't need stitches, he could only be sealing it off for any number of reasons, that one seemed the most likely.
"Yes, very clever." Carlisle smiled starting to paint over the cut. "How is your hand?" he asked meticulously sealing. "Right now it seems pretty ok, but I also just had a pretty large, uh fight or flight going on." she shrugged. "And now?" he asked closing the bottle now he was done. He then took out clean white gauze rolls to wrap the cut.
"Now, I am uh pretty freaked out." she said looking up at Esme. She was engaged in a full out cleaning war, but Robin guessed she had to remove all traces of blood. So when they kill you later there be no evidence, her debate voice piped in. "Well that is understandable." Carlisle nodded finishing his tight wrapping job. He took out a pen light and flashed it in her eyes presumably to check for shock.
"Are we just not going to talk about it?" Robin swallowed hard knowing she was poking a very deadly bear. "Well, from what I understand, you pieced together what we are. Then feeling as if there was only one way to know for sure you cut yourself somewhere you could easily hide and function with. Then when your blood hit the air Jasper lost control. Leaving us here, correct?" Carlisle asked. "Well give the man a prize he just did a sweet cliff notes." Robin said and then started to blush. Perhaps now wasn't the best time for her particular brand of humor.
Carlisle chuckled and started to put the things back in his kit. "Well, now that we are on the same page so to speak. I think I can answer some questions you may have." Carlisle nodded. "I guess the main one is are you going to kill me? Not to be insulting or anything, but I would like to know." Robin said pulling her arm into her lap.
"Well, my family does not kill humans." Carlisle pointed to his amber eyes, a shade darker then what they had been yesterday. Esme joined him now that her cleaning was down and sat at Carlisle's side. "How does that work?" Robin asked. "Well vampires normally have red eyes and they turn black when they are hungry and need to feed. A vegetarian vampires, that is a vampire who feeds off animals eyes are topaz." Esme explained, Carlisle actions of motioning to his eyes falling into place. Well that was a new one by her.
"Ok, so why did Jasper try to attack me then?" Robin asked. "Well as you have noticed, he is nervous around people. He finds our lifestyle rather difficult to adjust to. He was born into a difficult situation." Carlisle said softly. "What happened?" she asked and Esme shook her head. "That is Jasper's story, he tell you if he wants you to know." she said softly. More secrets, awesome she sighed. "Alright well then why did I want to go to him and help him. That is bugging me, he wanted to kill me and I would have let him. But once he was gone my fear kicked in and Esme who did nothing for me to be afraid of set my fear factor off."
"Well Jasper has a special power. In life people have certain traits that as a vampire are amplified. Jasper can feel and manipulate emotions. He basically was tapping into that power to make you want him, either through your sense of him being out numbered, or a lust for him." Carlisle explained. Robin bit her lip, sure Jasper was attractive, but he didn't make her want to crawl into bed strawberries in one hand and whipped cream in the other. She only could guess then it wasn't lust that had tugged at her. "So you all have a little bonus powers?" she asked after a few seconds of silence.
"No, it is rare, however, we do hold a large number of them. Alice, Edwards, myself, and of course Jasper." Edward, of course he had to have a power. After a second it clicked, he could read minds. He had been dialed into her since the seconds she had seen him. She had no real interaction with Carlisle that would give his power away. Alice, she bit her lip. She had warned Edward to get home, and had tried to warn Jasper. "Edward, is a mind reader. He always knows what I am thinking." she said sadly. That is how he had known when to distract her, and how he had known what to distract her with, himself. Esme nodded and grabbed Robin's hand to stroke it in comfort. Robin felt foolish, of course he had been toying with her.
She felt her heart wanting to break. She set her jaw, no she wouldn't let him make a fool out of her any longer. "Ali..Alice has like a spidy sense, she texted Edward telling him to get home, and she called Jasper. To warn him." Robin nodded. "Very perceptive, and fairly accurate. Alice has a touch of clairvoyance. She can see things in the future. When Edward informed us that you thought it wasn't impossible for vampires to exist she looked into the future. She didn't foresee this but something happened to change that." Finding Edward's cell phone, Robin was sure of it. "I found Edward's cell phone and saw a text from Emmett." Robin swallowed.
"Very good." Carlisle said nodding. It was almost as if he was praising her intelligence perhaps he was. She was about to disappoint him. "I am sorry, that is as smart as I get on this power thing Carlisle. I have no idea what you have." she shook her head. "Well, I have an immunity to human blood. It holds no sway over me. That is how I am able to work at the hospital." He smiled reassuringly at her. "Well that is a comfort." Robin said blandly. It made perfect sense, he had perfect self control.
Robin took a deep breath and put her head in her hands. "Are you feeling well?" Carlisle asked. Robin giggled, nodding her head. "Yes, Doc I am fine a little overwhelmed. This is a lot to take in. It is one thing to believe in vampires, it is another to know there is a family of them a hop, skip, and jump away." she sighed. Then panic seized her heart, what if they went away? What if Edward went away?
"Are you going to leave?" she asked quietly looking away. "Well, it is a strong possibility. If you go around and tell people we are vampires. At first people will dismiss it but as time passes others will also start to piece it together." Carlisle said matter-of-factly. "I wont tell anyone. I have to no friends or family, and as pathetic as it is. I sort of felt like…" Tears started to spring to Robin's eyes causing a lump to form in her throat. "Like your family was is a way.." Tears over took her now and Esme pulled her into a hug smoothing her hair. "It's ok." she murmured.
Carlisle moved closer and rubbed her back to comfort her. The compassion of the two vampires overwhelmed Robin and she started to cry harder. For a second she could allow herself to think that they did care for her. That she was not alone in the world, someone was there for her to just be a frightened seventeen year old girl too. She sobbed so hard she started to hiccup so hard her body was racked with it.
Esme released her and went into the kitchen. "I am sorry." Robin sobbed. Esme returned with a glass of ice water. "Sip this it will help." Esme said sitting back down. "You have nothing to be sorry for." Esme continued rubbing her back slowly in circles. Carlisle rose and set his face. "Well first thing is first, we should…" He was interrupted by Edward throwing the front door open. He tossed the keys to the Lotus onto the table.
Robin visibly cringed knowing it was about to hit the fan between them. "Could we have a moment alone?" Edward asked. Robin started shaking her head. "No I want Esme to stay." she said quickly. Edward sighed and crouched down on one knee. "I am not going to hurt you." he said softly.
Robin's mind was whirling with the events of the evening. FOOL! The words surfacing in her mind screaming itself at her. She did not want to be alone with him. "Esme…" she pleaded. Esme looked at Carlisle who stood because he had been asked to leave and not stay. "You will be fine, Edward will protect you." Esme reassured. It wasn't that she was frightened he wouldn't protect her, or even hurt her, psychically. Edward's face looked strained and she remembered he could hear her thoughts. "It's alright, you can go." Robin sighed.
"They are halfway to Counsel Bluffs up north." Edward told Esme and Carlisle who nodded and left through the deck door. Robin tensed the second she heard the door click closed. She bite her lower lip staying silent her eyes taking in Edward. What would he say to her now that he didn't have to try to hide his little secret.
"Robin…I" he started and shifted towards her sending her scrambling back spilling her water on herself. Edward sighed and held his hands up sitting down to be level with her. "I just wanted to make sure you were fine." he said slowly. "Fine? How can I be fine?" she asked her voice shaking. "I meant are you hurt?" he asked. Other then the self inflicted cut, no she was peachy keen. After a few seconds he sighed. "Could you please talk?" he asked.
"What is there to talk about? I already told Esme and Carlisle I wont say anything. I just want to go home." she said her voice graveled from crying. "I can't let you do that, there is a chance that Jasper could escape and circle back for you. He isn't thinking clearly." Edward said sharply. "So, then what? He kills me? Turns me?" Robin asked hotly. He didn't have a right to be angry he had lied to her.
"This is exactly what might happen! I have every right to be angry right now! Do you have any idea danger you put yourself in tonight?" he asked angrily. His handsome face didn't flush, just twisted. "If you had been truthful about what you are I wouldn't have had to do this!" she yelled. "Are you joking? This wasn't just my secret to tell. Not to mention how would you have reacted if I had said I was a vampire?" he asked.
"I would have thought you were insane and ran the other way when I saw you." she said as if it made perfect sense. "Exactly!" he said throwing up his hands if it was suddenly clear. "No instead you wanted to keep me close and pretend you were normal and had a crush on me! I don't like being made a fool of Edward." she shot at him. "That is not why I wanted to get close to you. From the moment I saw you, that was never my intention." Edward said shaking his head. "Then what?" she asked her face crumpling.
"I will admit I didn't want you to figure this out, but… I never meant for you to get hurt or find out." he said. "Well, I did find out. So now what?" she asked her jaw aching from clenching it so it wouldn't quiver. "Now, we will ride out the night. After Jasper feeds he will be free of blood lust for you." Edward said slowly. "Then we just all go to school tomorrow like nothing ever happened?" Robin asked. "Well Jasper and Emmett will be away for a few days just to be safe. But yes, tomorrow Alice, Rose, you, and I will go to school." Edward said softly.
"So, your just going to play human at school? Go with Anna to the dance? Do homework?" she asked hotly. "I guess if that is what you want to happen." he said softly his face looked pained. She didn't want him to leave, but she didn't know if she could bare to see him with some dumb girl. "If you want us to leave, me to leave I will." he said quietly. "You can read minds, you know that isn't what I want." Just because he had fooled her into falling for him didn't mean her emotions weren't real.
They lapsed into silence and Robin bit her lower lip. Was he just not going to address her feelings for him? "Robin… I wanted to keep you close to me. To protect you, to make you smile and laugh." Tears welled up in her eyes. What was he trying to say? "I fell in love with you from the moment I laid eyes on you." She blinked to stay her tears and shook her head. "Stop, Edward that isn't fair." How could he say those things knowing how she felt about him, or at least how she thought she felt. "You were so beautiful sitting there, and you just radiated confidence but underneath it there was just so much more. I could have let the things you were thinking pass if you had been anyone different." Edward said moving closer to her.
Was he being serious, or was this all just some ploy? Did he think that if he pretended that he cared she would keep the secret. Edward's face hardened and he backed away from her. The pain on his face, he had heard her thoughts and they had hurt him. Perhaps he did care for her, maybe he did love her. Or maybe he is embarrassed you figured his plan out, debate Robin chimed in. She was really going to have to kill her debate side. There was only one way to see which was true.
She moved to close the gap between them her hands cradling his cool face. He smelled like outside, wet leaves and mud, but underneath it was clean linen. Robin closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his her heart beat thundering in her ears drowning out any thoughts she had. Edward's cool lips worked against hers causing her heart to beat faster.
After sharing a few moments of kissing where normally she would have deepened the kiss by opening her mouth she pulled away. She opened her eyes to find Edward' closed as if he were saving their kiss. He meant it, he does love me! Her heart sang and she leaned to kiss him again. Edward stopped her and brought his finger to her lips. Her kiss swollen lips felt on fire around his perfect cool digit. "We can't, I could…" he swallowed hard looking as if he wanted to cry. "I could break you not just hurt you but break you." he said quietly. "Oh Edward, you will learn quickly that I do not break easily." She said nuzzling her nose against his and up to kiss his forehead.
"Are you so stubborn all of the time?" he asked grinning looking up at her. Robin laughed and nodded. "Just ask around." she said giggling. "I did, verdict came back yes." he said. Robin started laughing so hard she snorted for the second time that day. She moved away from him covering her face. "Oh My God, I am utterly lame." she groaned. He laughed and stood up sweeping her up in his arms easily.
"Come on lets get you upstairs, and out of your blood tee-shirt." Edward said looking down at Robin who was making a face at him. "I have legs you know." she said flatly. "I am quite aware." Edward said casting a glance at her long legs dangling out from her skirt. Robin blushed, was Edward checking her out? "Ok really set me down." she said looking at him. "With pleasure." Edward said setting her on her feet.
"Follow me, unfortunately Rosalie would kill me if I touched her clothes, you will have to deal with some of mine." Edward said walking up the stairs. Robin followed him and made a face, there were only three rooms up here. "This is my room." He said opening the door. Robin made a face, it was a pretty tidy room, modern comfortable looking couch, a killer stereo system, it's own bathroom, and a door leading to a closet. There was no bed. "You have no bed." Robin said looking at him.
"I don't sleep, why would I need a bed?" He asked opening his closet door. "Rose has a bed." Robin pointed out remembering the large princess four poster bed she had seen. "Well there are other things you do in a bed." Edward said from in the closet. Robin shuddered, three rooms meaning two of them belonged to couples. "Em and Rose?" she asked scrunching her face. She had thought of them as brother and sister, not lovers. "Yeah, we are a family, just …" Robin cut him off. "Ok, stop please this is freaking me out."
Edward laughed and remerged with a dark green button up shirt. "That is the part of all this that is freaking you out?" he asked handing her the shirt. Robin took the shirt and turned around pulling her shirt off of her head. She tossed it up and over her shoulder for Edward to catch. "That is one of my favorite tees too." she sighed and glanced over her pale freckled shoulder hearing the shirt hit the ground.
Edward's gaze was locked on her. "What's the matter? Is it my tattoo?" she asked worriedly slipping his shirt on over her head. She turned back around her brow raised. "I didn't know you had an aversion to ink." she laughed. Edward blinked and shook his head. "Then what is wrong with you?" She asked sitting down on his couch removing her ballet flats. "It was exquisite." He said picking up the tee shirt. "It was just a Billy Idol shirt." she laughed. She was perfectly aware he was speaking of her back, but it was embarrassing to admit it out loud.
"I will get you a new shirt." Edward said throwing it in his trash can. "Why, I can get my own shirt. It might surprise you to know I am very independent and capable." Robin smiled. Edward sat beside her and shook his head. "It might surprise you to know that you don't have to be so tough all of the time. You wont be taken any less seriously." he said softly. Robin sighed and closed her eyes. "I'll work on it, promise." She moved to lay down her legs handing off the edge of the couch looking up at Edward. There were a million things she wanted to ask him. How old was he, where was he from, how could he walk in the sun light…. "Robin, you know this is a bit distracting, you could just ask me." Edward cut in.
"Ok, well how old are you?" Robin asked looking up at him. She reached up and started tracing swirl patterns on his pant leg. "Seventeen." he said grinning at her. "Edward…" Robin said her brows knitting together. "I was born June twentieth in nineteen oh one in Chicago Illinois. My parents were named Edward and Elizabeth, my father was a lawyer. The year before I was old enough to be drafted the influenza epidemic ravaged Chicago. Carlisle was the attending physician, with her dying breath my Mother begged Carlisle to save me in his own special way. He changed me saving me from dying the same way my parent's had." Edward said looking down at Robin.
She bit her lip and made a face. "That makes you one hundred and seven years old." she said after a while. It hadn't taken her that long to do the math, but really she didn't know what else to say. "I came to terms with my parent's death a long time ago. It's alright." he said softly. "What was your name?" Robin asked turning to lay on her stomach her legs bent and bare kicking in the air. "Edward Anthony Masen." He said closing his eyes as Robin began to write the name against his leg with the point of her finger.
"What about the sun thing?" Robin asked quickly to change the subject. She did want to know after all. "Well, my skin reacts to bright sunlight. I'll show you sometime." he smiled down at her. "So the overcast sky doesn't cause this reaction?" she asked. "No, as long as it is cloudy we are fine." he nodded. "Hmmm, interesting." she laughed. Edward's fingers started to play in her hair and she sighed contently surprising herself. Her face crumbled in a questioning look. Had he really visited her last night or had it really been a dream. She looked up at Edward and raised her brow in question.
"If you want to know you have to ask." Edward said grinning at her boyishly. "Why when you know what I am thinking?" she asked tilting her head to give him more hair to play with. "Well if I just answered your thoughts all the time people would start to wonder at school. Not to mention I wouldn't be able to hear your voice if you stopped talking." he sighed. "Fair enough. Did you sneak into my house last night and carry me to bed, then play with my hair until I fell asleep?" she asked blushing looking up at him through her lashes. "Yes, I couldn't help myself. After you hurt your hand I had to see you." Robin swallowed hard blushing. "Did you stay?" she asked almost too quite to hear. "Wouldn't you have stayed?" he responded.
"If I had broken into a girl's house to watch her sleep while she was under the influence of a narcotic pain killer? Not a chance." She said laughing. "When you say it like that…" Edward made a face but it looked like a model pout from a Calvin Klein ad. "It makes you sound like a creeper." Robin nodded.
"No but I am glad, it makes me feel better somehow." she smiled at him. "You really aren't frightened are you?" Edward asked. Robin shook her head. How could she be scared when they all had been kind to her even when she had offered them scorn and hatefulness. "Robin stop, you have been through a lot. I understand, we all do. You should have heard Esme going on about how concerned she was about you after Rose told her you were living on fast food." Edward laughed.
"Well, I was sort of pissed about that. But after I got over being angry that someone had found out I am pretty much a hobo it was kind of nice. Like you know my Mom had gone shopping when she was home." Robin sighed sadly. "They were gone a lot?" Edward asked then shook his head. "You don't have to talk about it."
"It's ok. Yeah, my parents were the most in love people I had ever seen. When I was little they would alternate traveling for business, it was so sad for the one that stayed behind. When I got old enough to stay by myself they would go away for a day, two at the most. I could tell it was really hard on them being so rushed all the time. So as I got older and older they stayed away longer and longer as they needed. They emancipated me one my sixteenth birthday. You know because if I got in a car wreck I could consent to my own treatment. So I could just stay over night if I had to for debates. God debates…" she sighed. That was one thing she didn't do anymore that she probably would never do again.
"Debates? Why not, I saw a state championship trophy in the case with your name on it." Robin sighed thinking back to the day she had won that trophy. Tears would have sprung up if she had anymore to cry. "I love plaid love it, Burberry. I wanted more then anything a purple plaid Burberry scarf. I had made it all the way to state debate, and so my Mother decided she would get me one, because she was proud no matter if I had won or lost. So they went to the Burberry store in New York, and when they came out of the store they were mugged. The kid, my same age was holding a gun and it went off. He said he just got nervous after that and kept shooting." Robin paused taking a breath before going on.
"You know they were really proud because I was so smart and analytical like my Dad and so artistic like my Mom. A perfect blend of them. They were really proud, they kept calling me and calling me you know? So I was sitting there at the stupid table taking notes and my phone starts to vibrate. It was a New York number, so I just thought they were calling from the hotel or a restaurant to see how I had done. Well I am on a roll in my cross fire and my phone rings again and I just ignore it. Well during rebuttal I see my coach leave with her phone in hand and when she comes back she indicates for me to take prep time. I just kept barreling through and when we were done I was packing my brief case while the judges were laving. It takes a while for them to get all the sheets together and declare a winner. My coach comes over and just says 'Robin you should check your voicemail.' That was all she said to me."
"So I leave the room and call my voicemail. It was a Doctor calling to inform me that my parents had been mugged and shot. As the executor of their living will I needed to contact him immediately. I left, and got a cab to the airport and was on the next flight to New York. By the time I landed they had both died." Robin shook her head. "They were dying and I was arguing the Patriot Acts violation of the Constitution. To add insult to injury, I was in the airport with their coffins when my Coach calls to tell me I was State Champion for Cross Ex debate. She didn't ask me if they were alright, if I was alright. I will never debate again. It very well cost my parents their lives." Robin said her face twisted in sorrow a lump in her throat.
"If I had just taken that call I might have made it in time. I could have made them do something that could have saved them. Even if I couldn't I at least would have gotten to say good bye." Robin sighed. Edward cradled her face in his hand stroking it with his thing fingers.
"It's ok, I wanted to tell you." she said when he didn't say anything to her. "It was horrible, and I do have a lot of guilt over it. You know I don't do so many thing any more. I don't make art, or make waffles on Sundays, or go out. I just sit there and try to hold on to the things they loved." she sighed.
"Robin your parents loved you. That is what you should hold on too." Edward said softly. Robin nodded. Edward was right, she should hold on to who she was. No matter what, hadn't it felt good to just do a five minute sketch, to joke around about Lit class? She had almost pushed people away that she really was starting to care for, just to avoid feeling.
"Your right. I'll work on it I promise." she grinned a little. "You know what? Something else you should work on? The Tree book." Edward said grinning at her. Thankfully he was great at a seamless change of topic, brownie points for the boyfriend. Robin paused and made a face, was Edward her boyfriend? It's not like he had asked her to be his girlfriend or anything. On the other hand they had kissed and he had played with her hair and stroked her face. Did humans and vampires date? Was it weird for him being over a hundred and she was just seventeen?
"Robin…" Edward said chuckling. "Right, with the mind reader and all that." she sighed. "No, it is just a little amusing, you think a million things at once." he laughed. Robin blushed and scrunched her nose. "Well, this is a lot to take in. Excuse me for trying to sort it out. Geeze, if this is how your going to be I go home and take my chances with Jasper." Robin said sitting up. "That's not funny." Edward said shaking his head. "Sorry." she replied trying to sound appropriately earnest, but she had thought it was funny.
"Speaking of home, I really do need to go. Check on my ladies, thirty minutes tops." Robin said pouting out her lower lip. "I would say that you could do it, except I don't think they would like you there without me, and it would require leaving me alone, and I need panties for tomorrow. Are you ready for that sort of responsibility?" Robin asked trying to keep a straight face of the idea of the perfect gentleman Edward sorting through her clothes.
"Alright, you convinced me. We as in you and I will go and get some clothes, take the dogs out, and get your school stuff." Edward said carefully rising so he wouldn't pull her hair. "Maybe we should just stay there, you know where there is a bed. I sort of need sleep." Robin shrugged. "Don't push it. Trust me you will be alright on the couch for one night." Edward said pointing at her sternly. Robin laughed shaking her head. "Looks like you wont be doing the other thing that goes on in a bed tonight then." Robin teased. Of course despite Edward was amazingly beautiful she wouldn't have slept with him. She was still a virgin and planned to stay that way until she was absolutely sure she loved someone in a forever sort of way.
Edward raised his brow grinning at her. "Really?" he asked. "Oh fuck my life." she scoffed standing up beet red. "If it makes you feel better, I am one too." he offered taking her hand in his cool one. "But you're over a hundred years old. Not to mention the end all and be all of sexy. Your telling me that in all that time you never?" she shook her head. "Never." he nodded. "But your eternally seventeen, physically your body is like…" She shook her head in disbelief. "Well I want to be in love, and I have never had that feeling." he said shrugging.
"This is mind boggling." she said in disbelief looking at him. "Why? Your seventeen, your body has urges. Your incredibly beautiful." he pointed out. "Yeah, but ok point taken." she sighed giving up hope. "So do you like pleasure yourself a million times a day or what?" she asked giggling out the line from Zoolander. "I rather not talk about it." Edward said in a clipped voice, almost as if he were embarrassed. "Awww and probably with this hand too." Robin shook her head as if disgusted.
Once they were downstairs Edward grabbed the keys to the Lotus and Robin rolled her eyes. "We can't just walk?" she asked raising her brow. "We should take your car home, and if Jasper came back I could probably outrun him." Edward grinned. "Whatever, you just want to drive my car." Robin replied.
"That too." Edward admitted opening the door for her. "So did you leave your phone in my car on purpose?" Robin asked climbing in. "No why would I do that?" Edward asked puzzled. "Sometimes people do that… never mind." she shook her head figuring it was a generational thing.
Once Edward had pulled into her garage the dogs were barking loudly pawing at the door that opened into the house. "They really don't like me." Edward sighed. "Well they just don't know you yet." Robin reassured opening the door. They dogs started to run in circles barking around Robin as she walked to the deck door to let them loose. Once they were outside she joined Edward in the kitchen who handed her the keys for the Lotus.
"How did you get in the other night anyway?" she asked making a face. "Well, you don't lock your doors." he shrugged. "What are you talking about of course I lock the doors." she made a face, the front door was always locked, and to get in through the garage you needed the code or the remote. "The deck door, the door to the patio both are not locked." Edward said shrugging again. "Yeah, but you have to be in the back yard for those. Which is fenced, by a fence I can barely see over." she scoffed. "That I can jump over without braking a sweat."
"Well…" she bit her lip working a her Mother's house key off the ring. "Robin…" Edward started. "I know, I am giving you a large amount of trust with this key." she said holding it out in her palm. "I don't need a key to get in." he said shaking his head. "No, you don't and it probably is just as easy to use the key as it is to hop the fence." she bit her lip trying to pick her words carefully. "It's more that the key, the key represents that I am ready to let someone, to let you in. Look I am not saying lets get married, turn me into a vampire, or even lets have sex. Just you know your more then welcome to be here if you want." She said nervously. "But that is your Mother's key." he said softly. Robin grinned. "I know and she would want you to have it because you got me to draw again. Notice it isn't my Dad's because he would tell you he has a gun and a very big back yard." she laughed. "If your sure…" he said reaching out for it. "You already know I am. Besides, I can always take it back if I am not." She said spilling the cold key into his hand. "Besides, it will let Esme meddle easier this way. I doubt fence leaping is as easy when your carrying a grocery store." She shrugged leaving him.
She went to her room and tossed her book bag on the bed. Then she went to the closet and started to look at her clothes. She pulled out a pair of jeans and one of her Dad's button up black shirts, a purple pin striped vest to go over it. "You still have their clothes?" Edward asked from behind her standing inside the walk in's door frame. "Shit!" She jumped turning around. "Make a sound or something." she sighed. "But yeah, I still have their clothes." She said making a face. "This is an Armani Exchange shirt, I am not throwing it out. My Mom has Dior dresses in here." Albeit with her boob job none of them fit Robin right. "I know, it is sick, I should house clean. I am just not ready to give their things away." She made a face. "Well where are your clothes?" he asked. Robin blushed most of her clothes were in the abandoned part of the house. She had simply bought replacements of her favorite and most basic clothes.
"Are you serious? All of your things are upstairs and you just don't go up there?" he asked pushing himself off the door frame leaving. "Edward, where are you going?" Robin asked dropping the clothes in her arms on the floor. He didn't say anything and Robin knew where he was heading. "Edward!" she yelled started to walk after him. "Edward!" she yelled again. "I am going to liberate your clothes." he said from the stairs.
She started to run and skidded across the hard wood floor turning the corner to look up the stairs. She ran up them as Edward opened the door to the guest room. "Edward stop." Robin said as he opened the door to her room. She stopped dead in her tracks, she hadn't been up there since the day she had packed for State. On the wall was a painting of her favorite photo from beside her bed. She was about four swinging between her parents each holding one arm keeping her little feet from touching the ground.
"We shouldn't be up here." she said softly turning her head away from the picture. "We can't be up here." She said looking for Edward. The light was on in her room Edward's profile silhouetted in her closet door. "We can't be up here." she repeated. "Why it's your house, your room." Edward said softly. "I don't come up here anymore." she said shaking her head. "You're up here now." He said. "Just come out of there." she insisted. "Not until you come in here." Edward shook his head. "Why are you pushing this?" she asked.
"Someone has too." he said. "Fine." she replied stubbornly. If that was how he wanted to play it she would play it like that. She took a step into her room and was instantly hit with the smell of oil pastels and acrylic paint. "I am in here can we go now?"
"It isn't that bad is it?" Edward asked. Robin sighed looking at her wrought iron bed with a mountain of pillows on it. In the middle of the bed was a battered purple doodle bear she had since she was five years old. "Come on don't you miss Doodle?" he asked going to the bed picking up her bear. "Ok you leave Doodle out of this, she didn't ask to be… I am talking about my childhood bear." she groaned. Edward held her out to Robin who snatched her up. "I thought you were liberating my clothes?" Robin asked nuzzling her nose into the bear. "That is because I didn't realize there was a much more valuable captive up here." he grinned. "Hey, shut it. I love this bear, your just a boyfriend." she grumbled.
"Well, beings your up here, it will be easier next time." Edward said moving to envelope Robin in his arms. "I guess. Your totally ruining my moment with the bear here." Robin said sarcastically. "Oh now that your being defensive it is the bear, not Doodle?" Edward grinned into her hair. "Watch it you." She smiled up at him. She sighed in contentment and pecked his lips affectionately. "But seriously thank you." "Ok, well we should get back, I have to make a bed for you." Edward sighed. "Yes, damn me and my sleeping." She laughed as he let go of her.
She looked down at the bear in her arms and bit her lip. "Edward…can I bring my bear?" she asked in a small voice. "I think that would be alright." he grinned at her. "Ok, well, I will be ready in a few." she nodded looking at the photo on her bed side table. "I will go pack those clothes you left in the closet." he nodded leaving her alone in the room. Robin went to the picture and picked it up touching her parent's faces. "I'm sorry I abandoned you up here. I didn't even think to come get you. I miss you so much." She said caressing their forms over the glass. "I feel like, like this is my fault. If I hadn't been at state you wouldn't have gone to stupid Burberry. If I had just answered my phone, if I was less driven to win the coach would have called the debate. There are a million of things I could have done and you would still be here." She sniffed feeling her tear ducts starting to leak now that they had time to refill.
"That was Edward. He is, different really different. I think you guys would like him, well not so much you Daddy." she sniffed a laughing caught in her throat. "Actually you would like that he is a nice guy. Well, sort of, no he is. Just interesting. He pushes me you know, sometimes it is in my mind but others… he just I don't know. He is different." She closed her eyes and kissed the cool glass. "I think he is going to help me be alright again. I promise I won't forget you again ok." She tucked the frame against her chest and left her room leaving the door open.
She clomped down the steps and into her parent's old room and set the photo down on the bedside table. She raised a brow looking at Edward standing in front of the dresser. "We ready?" she asked. "Almost, your laptop and everything she ready, your clothes are good to go, just …' He said motioning at the dresser. "You don't want to open the drawer and be attacked by filly unmentionables?" She asked going to his side.
"Are you a mind reader now?" he asked making a face. She pulled open the drawer reveling pajamas and socks. "No, you just got excited at my bare back, I figure boy shorts and bras might be above your comfort level." She said grabbing a pair of boxer shorts, tank top, and socks. "Besides, those are in the next drawer." She said closing the top drawer and then opening the second one. "Which is not booby trapped to attack when someone opens it." she giggled scooping out a set before closing the drawer. "Not so hard." she laughed. "I know your not making fun of me." he said grinning at her. "Then you know wrong son." she shook her head holding in a laugh.
She took the pile of clothes in her arms and stuffed it on top of her school books. "Ok, well, I guess we are ready." she smiled. "I guess we are." He said walking over and grabbing her bag. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "You going to carry my bear too?" she grinned. "No, you can get her. Grab a jacket, it's getting cold and it might start to rain again." Edward shook his head.
Robin left the room and grabbed the track jacket from the back of the chair before letting in the dogs. "Ok ladies, I have to spend the night with Edward. No pouting, he is insisting and for some reason there is safer then here. I need you to protect the house incase someone tries to break in. No parties, no fighting, don't eat all the food in the house. No boys, I know I sound like a hypocrite but when your as old as I am you can make the rules." she said wagging her finger at the dogs before filling their bowls.
She turned and Edward was smiling at her shaking his head. "What?" she asked putting her hands on her hips Doodle hanging from one of her hands. "You are by far the strangest person I have ever met." he said shouldering her laptop bag and back pack. "Hey, the last time I left and didn't lay down the rules, they tracked in mud and water, and threw the breaker. If I don't make the rules clear they will run amok." she shook her head.
"Ok, strangely that made sense." Edward laughed. Robin nodded. "True life, now lets get out of this pop sickle stand." She laughed going to the front door. Once they were outside she grinned. "Edward, my key is at your house in my purse. " He locked the front door and started down the drive with Robin following.
Once they were back at Edward's and up in his room Robin got her laptop out and looked at him. "Wifi?" she asked. "Yeah, should be good to go." he nodded leaving the room. Robin took the opportunity to change into her pajamas. She neatly folded her clothes and put them on top of her shoes hiding her bra in her shirt by his door. By the time he returned with several blankets and pillows she was laying on his couch working on the Tree Book assignment iTune playing on shuffle.
"What are those for?" she asked looking over her shoulder. "I have seen you sleep you need more then the couch. Don't worry, it won't be bad." he assured. Robin snorted looking at the numerous comforters. "It might be better then some beds I've slept on." "Well, I don't want to offer up anyone's bed beings the idea creeps you out so much so this will have to do. I'll get one tomorrow." he said spreading the blankets out. "Aww but then where would we play Twister?" she laughed. "Well you should get one for the mere fact that you need a place to study, speaking of which are you going to work on Tree Book?" she asked. "I already did my half." he replied adding more padding to the pallet.
"What? Bull shit." she said sitting up. "I don't sleep." he shrugged standing up tossing a binder at her with half of the information in it. "All that is missing is your samples and work." he grinned. "Cheater." she grumbled. "I could easily do your half." he offered tossing pillows on the pallet. "That would make me a cheater or a bad partner." she shook her head.
"If you insist." he shrugged. "I do, I suppose you already have all of Dracula annotated and outlined for class discussion. " she said starting to type again. "I have read it I don't need to re-read it." he shook his head. "Well you have to make margin notes, you note annotate and turn it in when we are done, so you better get on it." she said saving her work. "Done?" he asked watching Robin as she closed her laptop. "No, we have like two weeks to do this. I am about half way, ok a quarter of the way. I need to do the chapters that were do today and the ones for tomorrow." She said sitting up to grab her book.
"Well can I sit with you and do some shopping for a bed while you read?" Edward asked. "No forbidden in fact your banished from my sight." Robin rolled her eyes and patted the couch where she had been laying. Edward sat down taking his own laptop and turning it on. Robin leaned aginst the arm of the couch book and purple RSVP pen in hand and draped her long legs over Edward's. He rested the laptop on her legs and started searching the internet. "Edward?" Robin asked a little uneasy in the quite. "iTunes?" He grabbed a little remote and pressed a button causing his stereo to fire up.
Robin smiled at started to read making notes in the margins. She jumped a little as Edward's cool fingers of his left started to drawl swirls on her calf muscles. It was nice and she hoped he wouldn't stop because of her surprise and he didn't.
"California King is what you sleep in now right?" Edward asked about an hour later. "Mmmhmm." Robin said not looking up from her book. "You know you stopped taking notes like five chapters ago." Edward said looking at her. "What, damn it." she said flipping through the pages. "Why didn't you say anything?" she cried finding the page she had stopped on. "You were very engrossed in the story. I didn't want to disturb you." he shrugged. "But you interrupt me about the bed? You suck." She sighed starting to take notes on what she had already read.
"Now your not enjoying it." Edward sighed a little while later. "Your not rubbing my leg. She teased closing the book marking her place with her pen. "Did you get the required chapters done?" Edward inquired rubbing her calves his strong fingers working on her tense muscles. She yawned and nodded her head. "I was trying to get a little ahead." Edward shut his laptop and took her closed book. "Well you should go to bed." he said softly as Robin rubbed her eyes.
"Kay." she nodded yawning again. Robin moved off the couch onto the mound of blankets and pillows. She crawled under the top most comforter and watched as Edward turned off the lights and the music. "I need the music." Robin yawned half asleep. Edward laid down beside her tucking her in. "No you don't." he said softly starting to play with her hair. She started to sleepily protest and he started to hum in a rich tenor voice.