You and Me
EPOV
Get home now. I just had a vision.
-Alice
Where are you? You and Bella need to get home NOW! The Volturi are coming. They want to meet Bella.
-Alice
Those were the messages. Those were the messages that set Bella off into panicked hysterics after I read them to her. She was currently bawling her eyes out with fear and shaking her head back and forth. She couldn't steady her hands enough to sign, and knocked the keys out of the ignition when she went to start the truck. I unbuckled my seatbelt and scooted over next to her. I grabbed her hands in mine, steadying them, and she let her forehead rest on my shoulder. She was trembling all over, but it seemed to lessen as I wrapped my arms around her and held her to me.
I sat there holding her for a few minutes, whispering to her, trying to calm her down. I told her it wasn't him, but it didn't seem to matter. She didn't react much at first, but she her trembling slowed until it was like constant shivering. I took my right arm from around her and fished around on the floor for the truck keys. I felt the cool metal against my fingers and picked them up. Bella's tears had pretty much stopped, and she was just laying against me now, her face in the crook of my neck. Her hands were lying limply in her lap. I heard her sniff every now and then, but there wasn't the steady flow of wetness hitting my skin like there had been.
"Don't worry, Bella. I won't let them hurt you. Everything's going to be fine," I said. I couldn't tell if I was trying to reassure her or myself, but I felt her nod slightly.
I moved her onto my lap and scooted over into the driver's seat. She stirred as I started the truck, but didn't lift her head. I put my foot on the break and put the truck into gear. I eased off the break, hesitant to be behind the wheel of a car after so long, especially with someone else in the car. I drove down the winding driveway at a steady fifteen miles an hour, not feeling confident enough to go any faster. My phone went off again, about half way to the house, but I left it on the passenger seat.
We finally broke through the forest surrounding the house and I parked in front of the garage. I turned the truck off with a relieved sigh and moved my head slightly so I could look at Bella's face. Her eyes were a dull gold, not the swirling molten color they usually are. Tear tracks fell all over her cheeks and I tried to wipe them away as best as I could. She didn't react to my touch, her eyes staying the no-one's-home shade they were. I sighed wearily and grabbed my phone from the seat, opening the new message.
They're here. Where are you?
-Alice
I hit reply and told her we were outside. Almost immediately, the curtains over the living room windows rustled, quickly followed by the door opening. Alice's head shot out and she beckoned us in with frantic waves of her hand. I nodded once and her head disappeared back into the house.
I looked down at Bella's slightly trembling form and put my hand against her cheek. I moved my thumb back and forth, my eyes searching hers for any sign of awareness.
"Bella?" I whispered. She didn't move and I tried again. "Bella, wake up." I spoke a little louder and saw something shine for less than a second in her eyes. I said it again, moving my thumb over her face as I spoke.
"Come on, Bella. You need to wake up." She convulsed once in my arms and blinked slowly. Her eyes were still the same. I saw one of her hands flinch, like she was trying to move it, and tried again.
"Wake up, Bella. No one's going to hurt you. I'm here." I gently pulled her face closer to mine and pressed my lips against her forehead. "He's not here, just me. It's just me," I whispered against her head. She jerked again, and her hand came up to mine. I pulled back and her grip on my hand tightened.
I watched as the gold in her eyes brightened, a soft light forming in the center as she came back to herself. The gold started swirling softly, and she blinked a few times. She turned her head against my shoulder, her gaze searching for mine once more. I smiled.
"Hey, are you okay?" I asked softly. She looked down at her lap and nodded, her hand still clutching mine against her. "It brought your memories back up, didn't it? That's what happened?" She closed her eyes tight and nodded once. I sighed and moved my thumb over her cheek again. She flinched, looking like she forgot she was holding my hand, but didn't let go. I rubbed her arm with my other hand and she sighed, looking up at me, defeated. I chuckled, knowing what she was thinking about.
"Come on. Let's get this over with before Alice has to come out and get us." I felt her tense slightly, but she nodded, letting go of my hand.
"Hey," I said, gently grabbing her chin and moving her head until she was looking at me. "I'm here, okay? I will do everything I can to make sure they don't do anything to you that you don't want them to. They're not going to hurt you, Bella."
She smiled sadly and nodded. I let go of her chin, wiping away a stray tear as she looked at me. She leaned forward hesitantly and I froze, my hand suspended in the air half way to Bella's lap. It had slipped my mind that she was in mine. She continued to slowly lean forward, her hand coming up to cup one side of my face. She paused for a moment, her eyes searching my face uncertainly.
I couldn't speak. My heart was pounding its way out of my chest and my breaths were ragged and uneven. I could feel her shallow breaths hit my face, making it even harder to even out my own. I knew what was going to happen, but it didn't help me in any way. I probably had the deer-in-the-headlights look, and was immensely glad that Bella couldn't see it.
What I didn't know was why I couldn't finish it. I was frozen in place, not able to do anything but breathe. Bella's face was only about an inch from mine now, and an explanation suddenly popped into my head.
I didn't want to mess it up.
This was the girl I loved, even if she didn't know it just yet. She hadn't given me enough time to wonder about her feelings for me, but I was happy about that. She was telling me, right now, how she felt, and I was frozen because I didn't want to mess it up.
Bella's thumb brought my mind back to the truck, my body in the same position it had been in. It moved from the corner of my mouth and slowly moved along my bottom lip, tracing it. It reached the other side and she traced the top all the way back. I inhaled sharply, not realizing that I had held my breath. Bella smiled, probably hearing the lapse in my breathing, and gently pressed her lips to mine.
Bright sparks exploded through my mind, leaving me reeling. Her lips were chilly against mine, her hand still cupping my face. I finally gained some control of my body and moved my lips against hers, my hand moving to the back of her neck. We moved slowly, tentatively, until we broke apart after what felt like a lifetime. I was gasping for breath, and Bella's were slightly heavy as well. My eyes searched her face. I wasn't sure what I was looking for, but she seemed to be doing the same. I moved my thumb along her neck under her ear and she smiled. I leaned in and kissed her once more, only pecking her. She laughed silently and shook her head. I managed to get my voice to work again.
"Now we've really got to get in there. We both know Alice saw that, and it would be suicide to keep her waiting," I said breathlessly. Bella laughed silently again and nodded. I took my hand from her neck and she draped her arm lazily over my shoulders.
I opened the door and felt her arm tighten as she kept herself from falling out. I remembered to take the keys out of the ignition and gave them to Bella before turning towards the door and sliding out, my arm sliding under her legs. I surprised myself when my legs held even with the extra weight. Bella seemed surprised as well, and kissed my cheek. She tapped my shoulder with her hand and I put her down. She threaded her fingers through mine as I shut the door and we walked up to the house.
Alice opened the door as I reached for the knob, glaring at me as we walked by. She shut the door behind us and headed into the living room. I heard murmuring voices, but they stopped as we got closer. We walked into the living room and were met by an older looking man, his eyes the only betrayers to his age.
"Ah," he said. "You two must be Edward and Miss Isabella. It is so nice to meet you." He nodded slightly to both of us, and I couldn't tell who he was more interested in. His eyes darted between Bella and me, not staying on either of us longer than the other. I didn't know what to say, not that I even knew who he was, and Carlisle stepped in.
"Edward, Bella, this is Aro. He is one of the leaders of the Volturi," he said, gesturing towards the man. Aro inclined his head again and I nodded warily. The blood red of his eyes was extremely distracting, and a little nerve-wracking.
"I received a call about the two of you and I must admit your stories piqued my interest. So here I am." My jaw dropped.
"Who told you about us?" I blurted out. Aro looked like he wanted to laugh, but kept it in.
"They did not give me their name, young one, but they sounded very sure of what they were telling me. And I see they were right." He looked pointedly at our entwined hands and my grip tightened on Bella's. Aro must have seen it, and a small laugh echoed out of his mouth.
"Oh, do not worry, little one. It doesn't look like I could take her from you without having to take you, too. But this is not what I have imposed on my friend for." He put his hand on Carlisle's shoulder. "I have quite a few questions for the both of you, if you would be so kind as to answer them." I glanced at Bella and she looked up at me after a second.
"What do you think?" I asked her quietly, knowing every vampire in the room could still hear me. Her brow crinkled together slightly as she thought it over.
Well…, she started signing slowly. I'll answer what I can, but there's a lot I don't know. Do you think he will? She looked back at me again, her brow still crinkled. I shrugged, knowing she would feel it through our hands and how close we were standing.
"Maybe. I don't know." She thought for a few more seconds before nodding her head. "You sure?" I asked. She nodded once more and I looked back towards Aro.
"We'll answer what we can, but we have some questions for you, too. Well, Bella does." Aro nodded.
"That is understandable. I will let you anything I can, but there are no guarantees that I will be one hundred percent correct." Both Bella and I nodded and all of us took a seat on the love seat. Aro sat down in the recliner next to us while Esme, Rose and Alice took the couch. Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper stood behind their other.
"So," Aro started. "There is no denying that the relationship the two of you have is like nothing I have ever seen before. Isabella, my dear, why do you use sign language instead of speaking to young Edward?" I felt Bella look at me and turned to her. I turned back to Aro.
"She can't speak," I said, getting straight to the point. Aro's eyes widened slightly, but he caught himself. He seemed to think about this for a second, leaning his chin on his fist.
"Then why don't you sign back to her, my boy? Especially when it is a private conversation?" he asked, looking like he thought he caught me with something.
"I can't. I know sign language and I've used it to communicate before, but I can't with Bella. She…Well, she can't see me enough to be able to tell what I would be signing. It might be possible with someone she could see better, but not with me." I squeezed Bella's hand in mine and she put her other hand on my upper arm.
"I see." Aro looked at Carlisle. "You have quite the mystery on your hands here, my friend." Carlisle smiled grimly and nodded once. Aro turned back to me. "What about you, my boy? I was told of your condition when Carlisle and Esme took you under their wing. I see it has greatly improved." I nodded once. "Do you want to explain how this came about?" I tilted my head to the side slightly, thinking.
"I really don't know. I had a pain attack at school, Bella drove me home, and I woke up…what, two days later? I kicked Jasper while we were talking about something and it's only been getting better since. I don't really know how it happened. Carlisle took x-rays and it showed my back was almost perfectly aligned again," I explained slowly. I looked at him. "Do you have to take more now that I'm able to move on my own?" I asked him.
"I probably should, just to make sure nothing else is going on. We're still not sure what caused it, but I don't think the x-rays will show much. They'll just be a precaution," he answered. I nodded and turned back to Aro.
"Fascinating…Did you think that maybe your friend here had something to do with it?" he said, gesturing to Bella with on hand. I shook my head slowly and glanced at her.
"No…no, I didn't." I turned to Bella. "Can you do that?" She looked down at her lap hesitantly, shrugging her shoulders. She took her hand from my arm and started signing slowly, like she wasn't sure what she wanted to say.
I…Well, yes, I can. I don't know if I did that to you, though. It happened on accident the first time, and I haven't really done it since my change. I gapped at her until Alice cleared her throat loudly. I told them what she said and they looked at each other, confused. Aro had a thoughtful look on his face. I turned to Bella when I felt her hand tense in mine.
I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just wasn't sure, so I didn't say anything. I thought it might have been me, since we were sleeping in the same bed, but I couldn't be sure. I don't have any control over this, she signed, her hands unsteady. I saw a tear slide down her cheek and wiped it away with my thumb.
"Don't apologize, Bella. If that's true, I have a lot to thank you for," I said, a smile on my face. She looked up at me, a small smile on her face.
Thank you, she signed slowly. I shook my head and kissed her forehead.
"I'm not the one who needs to be thanked, but you're welcome anyway." I felt eyes staring at us, and turned to see Aro watching curiously.
"May I ask what else you can do, my dear? This is the first time I have ever heard of a vampire having the ability to heal others, let alone a human," he said slowly. I looked at Bella and she leaned behind me slightly, like she was trying to hide herself from his view. She must have been able to feel his appraising stare. I turned my head towards her and she looked at me.
"Bella, is there anything else he should know about? Any other power?" I asked gently. She thought about it, but seemed hesitant to say anything. Finally, after about a minute, her hand came out from behind me and she started signing.
I…I don't know if this is an actual power, but I'm easily read. People have no difficulty finding out how I'm feeling. It's almost like I project my feelings towards others. I can't influence them in any way, but they can tell almost the exact emotion I'm feeling. I nodded, already knowing that from when we were in the clearing, and translated. Aro nodded silently.
"So it's like you have half of my power," Jasper said. Bella nodded, leaning her face against my back.
"Yes…this I have actually heard of before. It was a very long time ago, though. Is there anything else, Isabella?" he asked quietly. Bella moved her face so that she was leaning on my shoulder and I could see her face.
I have to go into a trance for at least four hours a day. Otherwise, I feel my powers going farther and farther out of my control. It's kind of like I'm sleeping. And…And I can see auras. I had been translating as she signed, but froze when I read this.
"What?" I asked rather brightly. The others started complaining, so I explained before saying it again. Bella smiled sheepishly.
I don't use it that often. Just when I'm meeting new people, she signed slowly.
"What's it look like?" I asked. She smiled.
Well, everything but the people and animals around me turns black and the people turn colors depending on what they're feeling. Animals, too. There's just always a hazy green hint around animals. I reiterated this for the others. Aro looked especially thoughtful after this new information.
"Hmm…You have quite the array of abilities, Isabella. This is sounding more and more familiar to me," Aro said slowly. "My dear, do you bleed?" he asked, leaning forward slightly. Bella turned her head to one side thoughtfully. She didn't answer right away, looking shocked at what he had asked.
How'd you guess? Aro smiled.
"My dear, I haven't seen one of you since my earliest years in this life, and that was quite a long time ago," he said his eyes losing focus as his mind went back to a time only he could see. Bella tugged on my hand and I turned back to her.
What is he talking about? I shrugged, moving our clasped hands to emphasize. Aro blinked, looking right at Bella.
"What about your healing? Can you store it in different things?" I looked at Bella, who nodded warily. "Do you have it in anything right now?" Bella nodded again and dug something out of her shirt. She pulled out a set of what looked like military dog tags and let them fall against her shirt.
"Ahh…they have sentimental value, don't they?" he asked. Bella smiled softly and nodded.
They were my father's from before he became police chief. He was in the army for a while, but he got injured. They sent him home and he worked in the police station after that, Bella signed. She wrapped her hand around the tags and looked at me. The action reminded me of something, the day I woke up after my attack.
"Is that what you were holding the day I woke up? Is that why you looked so worried?" I asked. Bella looked at her lap and nodded once.
Yes. I was pretty sure it was me, but I didn't think it came directly out of me. I was trying to see how much of my healing energy was still in them, to see if it leaked out of there. I felt a small absence, but it was nothing compared to how much I had stored. She glanced at Aro, and then back to me. Can you ask him what he meant before? About what I am? I nodded and turned to Aro.
"Yeah. She wants to know what you meant before when you were talking about what she is," I asked. He smiled and nodded.
"Well," he started, leaning back in the chair and threading his fingers together. "There is no exact name, but that is because of how few of you there have been. It is informally called being death-kissed." He looked at Bella, waiting for a reaction. None came, but he had her undivided attention.
"The powers of these beings revolve around the soul. You project your feelings, see auras, and I am sure you have no trouble forming some kind of connection, either good or bad, with people. You are a young one, though. It is highly likely that you will develop more powers as you age, but you also may not. No one knows much about you, but there is a small amount of information in the library in Volterra." He paused and looked down at his hands.
"To explain what you are, and not just give it a name, is much more difficult than with a normal vampire." He looked up quickly and I tried to keep myself from jumping.
"Isabella, it might be easier if I knew the exact events surrounding your change." Bella tensed, squeezing my hand. "You do not have to tell me. I can see it for myself if you would rather do it that way." Bella's brows crinkled in confusion and she tilted her head to one side.
"It is my power. I can read minds through contact. All you have to do is give me your hand and let me see. The only thing is that you will have to see it as well."
Bella tensed even more, her grip on my hand becoming borderline painful. I wrapped my other hand around hers, gently rubbing my thumb along the side of her hand. She jumped at the contact and her grip immediately loosened. She grabbed my hand with both of hers and felt over my fingers, seeming satisfied when she didn't find anything wrong.
"I'm fine, Bella," I whispered to her. She nodded once and re-intertwined our fingers before putting her free hand on my arm again. Aro smiled sadly.
"I know it will be difficult for you, but it is the last piece to this little puzzle that you are." He tried to sound compassionate, but his curiosity wasn't fully covered up. Bella looked at me hesitantly, not sure of what she should do.
"It's up to you, Bells. I'm right here either way," I reassured her, squeezing her hand in mine. She smiled and looked down at her lap, thinking. She raised her head after a few moments and nodded once, hesitantly.
I don't know if I'll be able to go through with all of it, but I'll try. I translated again and Aro smiled.
"That is all I ask of you, my dear. We can stop whenever you want." Bella nodded again, leaning farther against me. I wrapped my arm around her without separating our hands and she smiled at me. Aro smiled softly and extended his hand towards Bella.
"Shall we begin?" Bella nodded stiffly and placed her hand over his. She moved it more towards the middle, her shaking causing her to almost miss his. Aro closed his eyes and I gasped. Everything around me went black.
Flashes of images passed through my mind. A small living room, a second floor staircase, a single window, a hallway leading to a kitchen.
A body.
Another body.
And a scream.
A/N: So? Nice long chapter just for you! I know this was a really mean place to stop, but it was just too much information to put in one chapter. But I hope to get the next one out next week so you don't have to wait too long for the rest of Bella's memory!
The song is You and Me by Lifehouse.
Please review and let me know how mad you are at me for this! :P