Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.
I hate having to do those stupid disclaimers. . .
Well, sorry for taking so long to update, I was on vacation.
So, here you go. . .
PLEASE COMMENT
When I woke, there only two things I was aware of; that I was in the Cullen's house, and an odd throb was pulsing through my arm. The only things I remembered last night was basically that I had broken my wrist, and things were a little off. The throb in my arm was unlike any other pain I felt before. It was somehow numb, but I was still aware of the sharp stabs of pain. Then I remembered that that was how it felt last night, too.
I groaned, and rolled over.
Then I was mortified. Where was Edward? I turned to the table by the bed and clicked on the lamp, wincing as a small ache flared in the core of my wrist. Turning back to the other side of the huge bed, I began to panic when Edward wasn't there. It was stupid, I never was so needy, and I never really panicked when he wasn't with me. Something in the pit of my stomach told me that there was something wrong. I had noticed this last night, too.
He must have heard me, because at that precise moment I flung the blankets off of my legs. I turned to the door, and saw him standing in the doorway, arms extended towards me, an open invitation.
I half ran to him, and threw my arms around his waist. Held me tightly, and kissed the top of my head.
"How's the arm?" There was clear concern in his eyes, and, once again, something else that I couldn't quite figure out.
I only looked at him like he already knew the answer, which he did.
Then I was in his arms, and we were descending down the stairs. "This is so not necessary…" He only laughed.
"Bella, may I remind you that you tripped on these stairs last night and broke your wrist. I will never permit you going up or down the staircases in the house without someone with you." Humor played in his eyes while I rolled mine.
We were downstairs then, and Edward took me into the dining room where everyone was seated at the table. There was a plate of food at one place, obviously mine. He put me in the chair, and then sat right next to me. Everyone else was scattered in various places around the long table. Next to a glass of orange juice was a pill, Edward put it in my hand and I swallowed it with no complaints.
I looked at the food, picking at it. I was right, there was definitely something wrong.
Finally, I looked up at Edward, who was gazing at Carlisle, obviously paying attention to thoughts directed at him. He finally turned to me.
"Bella, we need to leave."
Oh no. I had been here before. I started hyperventilating, leaning my head on the table. Immediately, a hole in my chest festered into painful existence. I
grabbed Edward.
"No." I gasped. Repeating the word as it burned through my dry throat. Lightheadedness came with the hyperventilation, and I buried my face in his shoulder.
Immediately, Esme and Alice were right next to me, Esme patting my head, Alice holding my hand. I was turned away from them both, under Edward's arm.
"Shhhh, Bella, shhhh. It's not the same as last time. It's alright." He said. "Calm down. There is something you need to know."
I had already soaked his shirt with tears, and I looked up to see everyone looking at me, except for Jasper, who was staring down at the table.
"We wanted to know if you would come with us. To come live with us for a short time, until we came back in only about two years, nothing jurastic."
It was Alice speaking this time.
I managed to choke through my recovering hysteria. "W-what?"
I looked at her bewildered, but she turned her gaze to Edward. I did the same. His face agonized; he shifted his arm to my waist, concentrated on what to say.
"We are going up to Denali again," was all he managed.
I realized I had embarrassed myself by exploding in wild emotion; the raking hole in my chest immediately vanished.
Confused, I looked down at the food again, taking a long drink of the orange juice with my eyes on the antique table.
"Jasper?" Edward said.
I looked up to see Edward staring at Jasper, and Jasper staring at the table again, plain shame on his face. Alice fluttered to his side, her arms appeared around him.
"Jasper." Edward said again, but it was more of a command this time. There was sympathy buried in his voice, but I couldn't see his face: I was staring intently at Jasper, who finally looked up to meet my gaze.
Our eyes met, and mine widened, I gasped.
Jasper's eyes were a brilliant red.
He looked so ashamed, so helpless, that I stood, suddenly understanding, and ignored the ache in my arm as I walked to the other end of the table, where he looked at me with the most pained, apologetic expression I could ever imagine possible. I bent to level my face with his, and saw Edward stiffen out of the corner of my eye.
"It's alright, I understand." I whispered.
His eyes shone like he was about to cry, which was impossible for vampires.
It felt odd to feel so close to Jasper in this moment, to comfort him even though I barely knew him, knowing what he had just done.
I put my good hand on his should as Alice kissed his cheek. Esme, stroked his hair.
"I—I am so sorry, truly I am. I've ruined all things we have had here."
He broke down then, sounds of tearless crying echoing against the table as
he let his head fall on it.
I was horrified, but I knew what Jasper struggled. He once snapped at me because my blood spilled in front of him.
I quickly exited the room, running to the back porch where I sat and crumpled in on myself, letting all the emotion I had bottled up in that room to keep from hurting everyone spill. I was hyperaware of them watching me from the other side of the glass wall on the back of the house, and felt horrible for making them do this. To have to take care of me for Edward. I got an odd feeling that Edward felt the same way. I stood and started pacing the lawn, fidgeting with the ends of my hair, clutching it at the roots, tossing it out of my face as the wind blew it into my vision.
When I turned around to see Edward standing there, pain, understanding on his face. He grabbed my hand and paced up and down the back lawn with me.
I don't know how long we had, but the sun was high in the sky, and I decided to go inside.
Jasper was still crumpled in pain, but now he was sitting on the couch, face in his hands.
I sat across from him, Edward next to me, he kissed the top of my head, and Jasper looked at Edward hesitantly. Edward nodded.
"Bella," Jasper began, pain never ceasing its existence on his face. "I am so sorry. I am sorry to you all. We were hunting and—and we crossed a trail. I was so thirsty, which was my fault. Once I caught the scent of those hikers I lost control. I wasn't thinking." I shuddered, he turned to Carlisle. "I ruined everything you built for us, all things you have gained here." He let his face fall into his hands, Alice's hand rubbing circles on his back.
"That's enough Jasper. It's a miracle you made it this long." Carlisle's voice never failed in calming situations like these.
"I think me and Bella have some things to discuss." Edward said, but pulled me into his arms and sprinted to his room, where he set me on the bed.
Swiftly, he brought his face to mine. As he leaned in, I put my arms around his neck, and knotted a few fingers in his hair, his arms a snare around my waist. I was suddenly lifted again, and we were both sitting in the middle of the giant bed, our faces only inches apart. His lips were taut against mine but still unyielding. I sat cross-legged in front of him. I swiftly lifted myself to my knees my head angled down towards his, our lips moving in perfect, practiced synchronization. He pulled away, and I realized that his hands in my hair, gripping my head to his. I collapsed back onto the pillow. He stood, and walked to stand in front of the glass back wall. He turned to me, and I looked at him puzzled.
"I know that edge." I gasped.
He immediately knew what I was talking about. The last time he kissed me like that was when he left me for my own safety, only once did he kiss me like that before those events, when I was running from a tracking vampire that was bent on having me for dinner.
"It's not the same. I am just frustrated. I can't take you away from Charlie, form school, you have a whole life here." He obviously felt guilty because he knew that I wouldn't let him go without me, that he couldn't. "I just need to know that this is what you want. You are going to live with a coven of vampires"—he spat out the word like it was profanities—"in a strange place. I am sure I could find a way that me and Alice could stay here and pretend to finish high school."
I shook my head.
"No discussions, we are going to Denali, all of us." There was no way I would split up his family like that.
His crooked smile disturbed my recently recovered breathing. It didn't reach his eyes though, which stayed locked on mine. For a long moment we sat there. Finally he spoke.
"What should we tell Charlie?"
Ok, so it may be a little long, but I got a little carried away.
Ha ha.
I think that should make up for not updating as fast as I could.
Cliffhanger: What are they going to tell Charlie, how will he react, how will the Denali coven react???
Oooooooo.
Okay, so maybe my cliffhangers aren't amazing, but at least you got a lot of information in this chapter.
Thanks for reading!