The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. We would be leaving for Forks later today and I was dreading the unknown that we were walking into. Bella was sleeping peacefully for the moment, but it had been a rough night for her. She had a hard time falling asleep, and once she finally succumbed to slumber, she tossed and turned for most of the night. Which made my most recent decision all that harder to make, but I needed the connection with her and I knew we wouldn't get a chance once we were back in Washington. It wouldn't be long before Alice came over to rouse us anyway, and my version of a wake-up call was much more pleasant than my sister's.
The rest of the family had spent the night putting the finishing touches on the new house, wanting it to be done before we left. Our suite was ready and waiting for us, but Bella wanted to wait until we returned before we spent the night there. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. She was all warm and soft with sleep, her features relaxed and serene. One leg was thrown over mine and her knee mere inches my hardening member. The girl was asleep and still driving me insane with need. I delicately extricated myself out from under her and she rolled onto her back, dark hair spilling out on the pillow beneath her and one arm reaching out unconsciously towards my spot. After making sure she was still sleeping, I gently peeled the covers off of her sleeping form. Her thermal shirt had ridden up, revealing the smooth, pale skin of her stomach, and she had long since given up wearing shorts to bed. Her pale pink panties were not provocative by any means, but she could make anything look sexy. I wanted to wake her up slowly, so I began lightly stroking her thighs and hips, letting my fingertips trace the outline of her panties. Bella hummed in her sleep and a slight smile played on her lips.
I carefully ripped the panties at the sides and pulled the fabric away from her skin, leaving her completely exposed. Her scent swirled through the air and I inhaled greedily. This was the very essence of Bella. I was painfully hard now that my face was inches from her most sensitive area, and the venom pooled in my mouth at the thought of tasting her, not her blood, just her. Continuing with the slow torture, I lightly traced her lips with my fingers, watching her start to fidget and whimper in her sleep. When I grazed her nub with my thumb, her hips jerked and her brown eyes popped open, lids heavy with sleep and lust.
"Edward..." She whispered, her voice husky.
"Morning, beautiful." I murmured back.
She was wet for me now, and I couldn't deny myself any longer. Spreading her lips with my fingers, I began to explore her folds with my tongue. A low growl escaped from my chest as her taste flooded my senses. It was all I could do to stop myself from burying myself into her. I knew she would be tight and hot and wet, and I longed for us to be joined like that, but we were waiting for our wedding night before we finally consummated our relationship. Even then I wasn't entirely sure I'd manage to control myself. My greatest fear was hurting her, but I'd promised we'd try. For now, this would do. I continued to assault her with my tongue and lips, keeping my teeth carefully shielded from her delicate skin. Bella loved my mouth on her. It drove her crazy, causing her to writhe and moan in the most delicious of ways. I loved the way her hands gripped my hair when my tongue delved into her opening. The vibrations against her skin when I purred worked her into even more of a frenzy and it wouldn't be long before her release flooded through her and over my tongue. She was most beautiful in the throes of orgasm and seeing what pleasure I could bring to her made my heart, along with my cock, swell with love. I'd endured enough teasing from Emmett through the years to harbor some insecurity when it came to sexual activity, or lack thereof. Though I had seen almost ever erotic act known to mankind through the minds of others, I'd never actually physically done anything before Bella. We were learning together, and it didn't take long before we knew what the other liked most and how to bring each other the most pleasure possible under the circumstances.
Bella's legs began to tremble around me and I slipped two fingers inside her, knowing this would send her over the edge. I watched her come undone as I curled my fingers, hitting the spot that would cause her to shatter. As she came, her head thrown back in ecstasy, I slowed my tongue, keeping constant, but gentle pressure on her throbbing bundle of nerves, prolonging her pleasure. Her legs fell to the bed as she came down from her peak, and her breaths were labored. She twitched and shuddered with aftershocks as I pressed gentle kisses to her oversensitive folds. The smile on her face was breathtaking and I couldn't help but kiss her, knowing she could taste herself on me.
"I want you inside me so badly." She murmured.
"I know. I want to be inside you so badly, but I think we're doing the right thing by waiting."
She nodded, nuzzling her face into my neck, thoroughly sated. Her warm little hand trailed down my chest and grasped my shaft through my flannel pajama bottoms. I hissed in pleasure at the contact.
"I wish you'd let me taste you." Bella whispered.
"You know why..." I began, but she shut me up with a kiss as she began to stroke me through my pants.
Her fingers snaked inside my waistband and feeling her warm skin directly on my painful erection nearly caused me to lose it right then. It was beautiful torture. Bella continued to assault my lips and neck as she worked her hand steadily up and down my shaft, swiping over the head every so often. I would have loved for her to take me into her mouth, knowing it would feel exquisite. However, I was concerned about her ingesting any venom that may leak from my body and a small part of me felt like the act might be degrading to her. I knew my brothers and sisters had no such qualms about fellatio, but it was still hard to reconcile with my antiquated morals. It just seemed so vulgar, and Bella was made to be worshiped. Emmett tried to convince me that if that were to ever happen between me and Bella that I would forget my hesitation and be begging her to do it every day after that.
My body responded to Bella's touch like none other, and it wasn't long before I felt that familiar coiling in my lower body, my balls tightening in anticipation of my orgasm. I rolled to my back and locked my fingers behind my head, too afraid I might accidentally lash out in the throes of passion. She sat up then and pulled my pants down my thighs, pressing soft kisses to my hipbones as her hand found me again. The ends of her hair brushed sensually against my thighs and hips as she watched with rapt attention as her hand worked me over. The sight of her parted lips and glassy eyes as she saw what she was doing to me, pushed me over the edge, and I snarled and let loose a few expletives as I found my release. All my muscles tensed and released, leaving me panting for air I no longer needed. I felt like I had been immersed in warm honey and closed my eyes to enjoy the aftermath. Bella curled up against my side, softly caressing the planes of my torso and causing my stomach muscles to twitch whenever she hit a sensitive spot. I'd never been more content, more fulfilled, than in the moments following our lovemaking.
"I love you." I murmured. Her lips pressed against mine and she repeated the words against my skin, her breath ghosting over my oversensitive flesh. My joy was overwhelming. Bella was everything. And we were about to walk into an unknown situation involving an army of vampires created to destroy her and my family. Reality came crashing down around me and I heard Alice warning me through her thoughts.
"We have about ten minutes before Alice invades." I told Bella, who groaned as expected.
With one last lingering kiss, I disentangled myself from her and shoved her playfully towards the edge of the bed. Bella quickly gathered her clothes and toiletries and dashed off to the bathroom. After a quick clean-up, I dressed in clean clothes and moved to the kitchen to fix Bella something for breakfast. It wasn't long before Alice burst through the front door with a sheepish Jasper following behind her.
"Good morning, brother?" She asked, a playful glint in her eye. Alice was amazing considering the fact that she frequently saw her loved ones in compromising positions, not to mention the heavy burden she carried of seeing what was to come, whether good or bad. Despite all of this, she maintained such a bright attitude. Her zest for this life was infectious and I could see how good she was for Jasper, whose personality tended to lurk on the quieter, more conservative end of the scale. They were good for each other, actually, as he helped reign her in sometimes when needed. I also realized that I needed to spend more time with them both.
"As long as she's by my side, it always is." I replied, unable to keep the stupid grin off my face. Even Jasper was grinning, enjoying the lighter emotional atmosphere. He'd confided that Bella's presence in our lives made it easier on him, because everyone was much happier. I hoped that would always be the case. Even Rose seemed to be happier these days.
"She always will be." Alice advised knowingly, before heading into our room to pack our bags for the trip. We were more than capable of doing it ourselves, but Alice enjoyed doing these things for us, and since we had refused to let her play wedding planner, it was the least we could do to compensate. That didn't mean that we didn't find bridal magazines on our nightstand or pictures of cakes and floral arrangements taped to the mirrors and laptops. But that was Alice.
Bella emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam, her hair wet and skin flushed. The small cabin was flooded with her scent and I worried for a fraction of a second about Jasper's control and immediately felt guilty for doubting him. He acknowledged my reaction in his thoughts, letting me know it didn't offend him. I would feel the same if our situations were reversed. Even though I know Ali can take care of herself, I never stop worrying about her safety. That's just part of being in love. He flashed me an understanding smile.
Not even a minute later, Bella escaped from the bedroom, throwing her arms up in exasperation over Alice packing her clothes. She mumbled under her breath that there was no reason for her to take a pair of heels to Forks when there would be no occasion to wear them.
The truth was that none of us knew exactly how she was going to react to being back in Forks. Technically, she had died there and there was a headstone with her name on it in the cemetery. Alice could barely see anything about the time we spent there due to the proximity of the wolves, which meant they would somehow be involved. It made us all a bit nervous, going into this blind. We all relied on Alice's gift far too much. The numbers would be nearly even and we had seasoned fighters on our side, three of which had extensive experience fighting and training newborns. We should have been confident, but we couldn't help but consider the worst case scenarios.
~~**~~
The flight was long, and Bella withdrew further, the closer we got to our destination. She was silent during the drive to Forks, and it took her a full ten minutes to pull herself out of the rented Mercedes when we arrived at our old home. She was visibly trembling and I thought it might have been wiser to rent a hotel, instead of dredging up painful memories by bringing her here. However, we needed to remain inconspicuous. Word travels fast through small towns like Forks, and we couldn't risk anyone knowing we were back, especially Charlie.
Bella tried to hold it together as we approached the front door, but Jasper suddenly appeared at her other side, and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, helping her relax. I'd underestimated how difficult this would be for her, and I couldn't stop the guilt and remorse burning through me once again as I thought of how my selfish and idiotic actions had broken the person I loved more than my own life. The images of her pale, bloody, lifeless body were seared into my memory for eternity. I could never hurt her like that again. It was obvious we were meant to be together. Time and time again, fate threw us together, and I regretted ever trying to fight it. I could have saved us both a lot of pain if I hadn't been so stubborn. Never again would I take Bella for granted.
We excused ourselves and headed upstairs right away. My room was virtually untouched since I never left with the family to go to Alaska, and when I did leave, it was rushed. She noticed and sucked in a deep breath before putting all her effort into unpacking. Once that was done, Bella locked herself in the bathroom in a bathtub full of steaming water and scented oils. Deciding to give her some space, I turned on the stereo for her and headed downstairs to see if anyone needed anything. It didn't take Alice long to find me, her buzzing energy was palpable anytime she was close.
She's going to be okay. This is just a lot for her to take in at once. Just give her some space and let her be. She'll come to you if she needs to talk.
"I offered to stay back on the island with her, but she insisted we needed to be here...that the family needed me. I've caused her so much pain...I don't know how she can still love me."
That's the beauty of love. We're able to overlook and forgive our lover's mistakes. It's all going to work out, Edward. I've seen it.
I gave my tiny sister a one-armed hug and she danced off to her room to unpack the ridiculous amount of clothing that she insisted on bringing.
~~**~~
Kate, Irina, and Tanya had arrived, but we were still waiting for Peter and Charlotte.
There was definitely tension between the two families and Jasper did his best to relax everyone. Surprisingly, Tanya stepped forward and took Bella's hands in her own and offered a sincere apology. It shocked us to see the usually confident succubus so contrite.
"Bella, I can never apologize enough for my actions. My sisters and I chose to hunt animals because we respected human life. Yet, I have disrespected you from the very first time I learned about your involvement with Edward. I know I don't have to tell you how amazing he is. I've been attracted to him since the first time I've met him, and yet time and time again, he has politely turned down my advances. Being what I am, I'm not used to rejection, and when I learned that someone else had stolen his heart, I was jealous. The fact that you were a human upset me even further. I am ashamed of the things I've thought and said about you. You may be human, but you are still deserving of my respect, especially because you have brought Edward, our long time friend, such happiness. I looked down on you because you were human, and that was wrong."
She turned to address Carlisle and the rest of the family.
"I am deeply ashamed that I sided with such cruel vampires as James and Victoria against those I consider my family. There are no excuses. I simply saw another woman who lost the man she cared about, all because of a human, and I sympathized. It was wrong and I will never forgive myself for what I have done. All I can offer are my apologies and my unwavering support to your family. I will stand by you all." Tanya made eye contact with Bella. "Bella, from this day forward, I will consider you as one of my cousins, just as I do the rest of the Cullen family. If there is ever anything you should need, all you need do is ask. I look forward to getting to know each other better in the years to come."
Bella looked to me, probably wondering about her sincerity, and I nodded. She gave Tanya a small smile. "I'd like that."
The rest of the family's thoughts were wary of her intentions, but Jasper and I knew she was being honest. We would let them know later.
Still not finished, Tanya turned to Carmen and Eleazar. "I am so sorry for the way I behaved in our home and for the scrutiny I brought down on our family. I know you are disappointed in me, and I hope that one day we can look past all that and come together as a family once more. We've missed you both so much. The house has lost it's warmth without you there. Please come home soon."
Carmen embraced Tanya with much emotion and Eleazar patted her on the back. They both held somewhat parental roles in their family, much like Esme and Carlisle did in ours. Carmen couldn't help but forgive the girl she considered a daughter, but Eleazar was more hesitant. Tanya betrayal cut deeper for him because he knew firsthand what it could have meant for us all. That she sided with vampires who made a game out of hunting and torturing humans, was almost unforgivable in his eyes. His compassion rivaled Carlisle's.
The tension never really dissipated, however the atmosphere in the room did lighten and the family spent some time catching up with each other. The three sisters were eager to hear about the new house and were invited to come visit once this whole mess was taken care of.
Eager to get started on this new mission, Jasper, Alice and Eleazar went on the first scouting trip to find Victoria. Their gifts making them the obvious choice for the outing. I knew I could have added to that, but felt I needed to be there for Bella. Being in our old home and confronted with Tanya as well brought back too many unpleasant memories. We all waited with baited breath for our loved ones' return. Bella chewed each of her nails down the quick, and I held her hands in mine in order to keep her from chewing on the skin next. Esme eventually plopped down a basket of yarn and knitting needles between them, giving her a gentler outlet for her nerves.
Somewhere in the early morning hours, we finally heard them approaching the house. Bella had tried to stay awake, but eventually, the sandman pulled her under and she lay sleeping across my lap on the couch. Carmen had spent nearly an hour intricately braiding her hair and though she looked like a Grecian goddess, I missed being able to run my fingers through it as she slept.
"There is an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Seattle where fourteen newborns are holed up. No sign of Victoria, though her scent lingered. They are clearly untrained and were fighting amongst themselves. It seems she's just going for quantity and not quality." Jasper scowled as he shared his assessment.
"None of them have particularly remarkable gifts. Only two seem to hold any promise and I doubt they are even aware of it. It is not a trained army, merely a group of feral newborns that may or may not obey their maker. If they were let lose on a city, it would be a disaster. As it is, we can't let this continue any longer. The murders in Seattle have caused enough of an uproar and the Volturi will intervene soon, if they aren't already on their way. She has been completely irresponsible about this!" Eleazar added, his voice raising in volume as his outrage at the situation became obvious.
"If they cross our trail, they will most likely follow it. Which means, we may be leading them straight to Forks." Alice piped up. "But, this could work in our favor. I haven't seen anything, but will keep watching. It may be possible to take out a few more newborns if they decide to check it out. We should use the same trail each time so our scent is stronger and they get curious. Bringing them to us a couple at a time would be much better than walking into an unknown situation."
Jasper looked at his wife in awe. "Excellent idea. When Peter and Charlotte get here, we'll work out a plan." Jasper locked his gaze on me and showed me what just came to mind. I almost bolted up off the couch at the rage that consumed me. How could he even consider something like that? I'll take that as a no.
"Absolutely not." All eyes in the room were on us, minds filled with questions about our silent conversation. "Bella will not be used as bait." I spat out in order to satisfy their curiosity. They shared my horrified reaction, but wondered what Jasper's idea had been.
"Of course it's too dangerous. It was just an errant thought. If we brought Bella along on the trail, her scent would draw them out even more. The scent of human blood makes them crazed and it would be easier to win in a fight." Jasper explained sheepishly.
Alice tightened her grip around his arm and looked at me. Not going to happen, but what if...
"Can you see what would happen?" I asked her, the others around us frustrated once again.
"No, but they're newborns, it's a given."
I nodded and turned to Carlisle. "While it's too dangerous to take Bella with us, we might achieve the same effect if we were able to procure some human blood. We could use it as bait. As Jasper mentioned, the scent would drive them to distraction."
He took a moment to consider it, picturing the scene in his head. "Not a bad idea, but what about the rest of you. Would you also be distracted?" Carlisle turned the question to the entire gathering. Some were confident, others held doubts.
"Perhaps we could test it out first?" Eleazar questioned.
"Certainly. I can go by the hospital tonight. It's worth a try."
I heard a car slowing down and turning onto our driveway, the unmistakable thoughts of Peter and Charlotte invading my head. "Peter and Charlotte are here." I confirmed.
Jasper and Alice headed out to greet them, and Jasper was shaking his head in amusement as he led his old friends into the living room. It took a moment before I noticed that Peter was wearing a PETA shirt that read, I Am Too Sexy to Be Cruel to Animals. Charlotte's shirt said, Love Animals, Don't Eat Them.
"Very subtle." Carlisle chuckled as he welcomed the pair of non-vegetarians to the house. They had never felt the compunction to give up their diet of human blood as we had, and each time they visited, they were sure to make some kind of joke about it. The two white-blond vampires grinned broadly as everyone had their moment of amusement.
Their attention immediately landed on me and Bella. Their minds full of both questions and assumptions. The most prominent was the fact that I had not changed her yet. They couldn't understand why I wanted her to remain human, and I had no desire to try to explain it to them. We had moved past that now, and soon enough she would be one of us.
The last time they visited, I'd been rude and anxious for them to leave so I could guarantee Bella's safety. Peter wasn't known for his control and I was still apprehensive about them joining our group while she was with us. I carefully monitored their thoughts and Alice's. She was watching out for so much, but had taken it upon herself to add this new dynamic to her ever growing list. Still, they deserved an apology for my behavior last time. We had always gotten along before. Our differing dietary choices were easy to overlook before I fell in love with a human.
After everyone got reacquainted, Jasper filled them in on most of the details and discussed strategy. Peter and Charlotte had been trained by Jasper as newborns to fight in Maria's army, and would be of great help in this situation. They were extremely loyal to their brother, as he was the one who allowed them to escape from Maria. After the first year, newborn vampires lose their strength, and Charlotte's time was up. Jasper had been ordered to destroy her, but he saw how much Peter loved her and let them both go. They returned the favor by coming back years later and convincing Jasper to go with them. In a way, they saved his life. He would not be who he was now, if not for them. He would not have found Alice or our family, if they had not persuaded him to leave his maker.
I excused myself momentarily so that I could put Bella to bed. She would be more comfortable, and I didn't want our discussion to influence her dreams. She had enough nightmares already as it was. The idea of any of us fighting terrified her, especially when it was to protect her. She would much rather we let her walk head first into her death than for anyone else to be hurt on her behalf. My beautiful, selfless girl.
After making sure she was settled, I joined the group downstairs as we continued to assess strengths, weaknesses and strategies. All the males were concerned for the safety of their women, and the women were either amused or offended at the idea that they needed protection. All of us were changed during times when men were the protectors. Somehow the female vampires in the room managed to evolve through the years and we had not. Our caveman tendencies were rearing their ugly heads.
"What are we doing about the girl?" Peter asked in the wee hours before dawn.
"Bella." I glared at him.
"Excuse me. What are we doing about Bella?" He grumbled at my oversensitivity. Humans were food for him and having a relationship such as the one I had with Bella was unfathomable to him. I could easily have made my point by asking if he would like it if I referred to Charlotte as 'the girl,'but I bit my tongue and thanked him with a curt nod.
Carlisle took over the conversation then. "We haven't quite decided yet." He said with a sigh, looked at me. "Leaving her behind would require at least one of us to stay with her, and with the numbers not in our favor, we need everyone out there. Not to mention the possibility of any of them getting past us and finding her. One guard could be easily taken down."
"Why not leave her with the wolves?" Eleazar suggested. "You say it is their duty to protect the people of Forks. Surely, they would include her in that. They are already protecting her father."
Carlisle's eyes darted between me and Alice. "We will be meeting with them tomorrow to discuss all this. Their priority is to protect their tribe, and the people of Forks, yes, but because Bella had chosen to involve herself in our lives, they would probably not be very eager to guard her for us. There is no harm in asking, and considering the stunt they pulled, they do owe us."
I can't see them though, Edward! Alice expressed her concern to me silently and I offered her a small nod to let her know I understood. Should something go wrong, there would be no way for Alice to see it. The wolves blacked out her visions. Not to mention the fact that they kidnapped her and Jacob attacked us. I didn't know if I could trust them to watch her safely. Young werewolves were impulsive and dangerous. If one phased too closely to her...well Emily was still alive...but I had a hard time even considering putting Bella in that kind of danger. The question was would she be safer with the wolves on the reservation or with us as we hunted and battled newborn vampires?