Leia's POV
"Noooo!" Alice's shriek of denial jolted me right out of a pirouette. Alice had gleefully told me how Edward's proposal would go today and I hadn't been able to contain my joy. So I had thrown on my 'Happy Mix' CD to dance to. Jasper had compiled it for me last Christmas in an attempt to temper the depression I had been wallowing in at the time. Trust my empathic brother to know exactly what songs would lift my spirits even when I was missing my errant brother and my human best friend.
"What, Alice?" I asked without leaving my room. Two seconds later she was in my room, her tiny hands wrapped around my arms. We were alone in the house. Esme had started on the cottage she was creating for Edward and Bella, energized by Alice's reassurance that Bella would be Mrs. Edward Cullen in the very near future. Carlisle was at work and Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie had gone up to the lake for a swim.
"They're going to elope! They were making out. Stupid hormonal teenagers! They don't want to wait for…that." Her panicked tone should have sent me into a frenzy of my own, but instead I just smiled. Of all the things she could have seen, this was the least of my worries.
"Alice, they aren't going to elope," I said this gently. No matter what Alice had seen, I knew that Edward and Bella wouldn't run off to Vegas to get married. I knew Edward and Bella and I trusted them to cool off and make the right decisions.
"They are! That future is crystal. All my preparations will be wasted! All that time I spent finding the dress, and the decorations. And the cake. I'll have to cancel the cake." Alice was lamenting and I didn't have Jasper here to help me balance her out. So I hugged my sister and chuckled.
"Don't go canceling the wedding just yet, big sister. This is Edward and Bella we're talking about. They might think eloping is a good idea now, but they'll talk it over on the way home and I promise they'll rethink it. If not, we talk them out of it."
"You're right. I know you're right, it was just the shock of it after all those lovely visions of orange blossoms and twinkle lights." Alice immediately relaxed and I pulled away from her with a sigh of relief.
"Speaking of, Alice, didn't Bella say something about not turning the wedding into a three ring circus? I think you might want to rethink the menagerie you have planned," I teased. Alice shoved me away with a snarl and I laughed. I heard Alice muttering as she went back down the stairs.
"Its just some butterflies and a couple of turtledoves. And that horse for Bella to ride down the aisle on." I rolled my eyes. Bella was going to ask Charlie to give her away, obviously. Not to mention the thought of Bella trying to mount and dismount a horse in a wedding dress was ludicrous. Sometimes Alice was a little odd. I giggled, though. I wouldn't have her any other way.
My phone started singing right then and my brow furrowed. I hadn't assigned that as a ringtone for any of my contacts. I picked up the phone, a sneaking suspicion about both who was calling and who had been meddling with my ringtones. This kind of thing reeked of Emmett, but it was Jasper who'd been lingering in my room just before they'd left to go swimming. I flipped open my phone with a sigh.
"Hello?" I asked cautiously. I heard a soft sigh on the other end.
"Hi, Leia. You're powers of phone ESP slipping there, hun?" Yes, it was Adam and I wasn't surprised when he commented on my greeting. I had a special ringtone for him and always knew when he was calling so I usually greeted him by name.
"Oh, hey, Adam. Sorry, yeah. One of my brothers must have changed my ringtone on me," I explained. Adam chuckled wryly.
"Well, if they're playing pranks, that's a good sign, right? What'd they change it to?" he asked. I snorted softly.
"Uh, Little Red Riding Hood. I think it was more of an intended warning than a prank, though if it was Emmett I'm sure it was intended with some dark humor. Jasper, not so much," I said quietly. Adam sighed.
"So they know?" he asked, a nervous quaver in his voice.
"Not yet. I'm calling a family meeting tonight after Edward and Bella get back from their date," I said. So far, only Edward and Carlisle seemed to know about the imprint. My father had come to pick me up from the dance studio last night and I had confided everything to him. He'd seemed worried, but was hesitantly supportive of my decisions. All the rest of the family knew was that Adam and I had gone off together to talk last night. Rosalie had been spitting mad when I came home, refusing to say a word to me. Jasper and Emmett had both approached me separately this morning trying to coax information out of me. Even Esme had seemed extra concerned, hovering at the door of my room for almost an hour last night before Carlisle called her away. I felt a little guilty not telling her, but the opportunity to talk to her without the others hearing hadn't presented itself. And Alice, luckily, was so frustrated that my future kept disappearing because I was around Adam that she rarely even looked forward for me anymore.
I was still unsure exactly what Edward's feelings were towards the relationship with Adam and I. I hadn't bothered to hide any of the conversation in the dance studio from him when I returned home, but other than a round of near inaudible curses and a broken doorframe to my room (Esme had used fixing that as her excuse for hovering in my doorway this morning), he hadn't said a word about it other than to suggest it was best to break the news to the family as a unit. I was almost tempted to call the meeting in the backyard. I feared for the health of our new dining room table once Rosalie learned I was linked irrevocably to a 'dog.' Jasper and Emmett might happily help her pulverize furniture, too, if I couldn't convince them that Adam's intentions were completely honorable. Hopefully, Bella's presence would cut down on the violent reactions.
"So, he's finally gonna propose? How's that going?" Adam's voice drew me out of my thoughts and I giggled.
"Alice saw them eloping a few minutes ago. She nearly self destructed, but I managed to talk her down off her ledge."
"Eloping? Really? That doesn't seem like something Edward or Bella would do. I'm sure they'll change their minds," Adam said confidently. I grinned.
"That's what I told her. If not, we'll just have to talk them out of it," I said. Alice was still muttering about wedding plans downstairs, though the litany paused every thirty seconds or so as she undoubtedly checked Edward and Bella's future again.
"So, um...when are they supposed to be home?" Adam asked. I asked Alice.
"One hour and thirteen minutes. Oh, the wedding is back on!" Alice's squeal of delight made me grin as I relayed her response to Adam.
"Ah, good. So, do you think your family will have cooled down enough by tomorrow for us to go out? Forecast isn't calling for any sun, so I thought we could ride up to Port Angeles. One of the old theatres is showing all the Lord of the Rings movies. I thought maybe we could catch one of them, or all of them..." Adam trailed off hopefully. I grimaced.
"I'd love to, Adam, but I really don't know how things will go tonight. I'll call you back in a few hours. I really, really want to go though. I haven't seen any of those on the big screen," I said wistfully. Adam started to say something else but I heard Alice shriek again.
"Leia Rhianna Cullen!"
"Uh oh," I squeaked and Adam was immediately concerned. But the phone was snatched out of my hand before he could say anything.
"You...you...DOG! How dare you imprint on my sister! I'll shave you bald with my teeth, you overgrown..." Alice sputtered to a stop when I tried to jerk the phone out of her hand again. The resulting tug of war effectively crushed my phone and I cried out in disbelief.
"Alice!"
"How could you, Leia! With one of them! I can't see you when you're with him. Do you know how much that terrifies me?" Alice's voice was trembling with emotion. Evidently my phone conversation had prompted her to look forward and she must have gotten a preview of the family meeting. She had her hands around my arms again, shaking me violently. I was in shock. Of all the reactions I was expecting from my family about the news of Adam's imprint, this would probably beat them all hands down as the most surprising. At least I prayed it would, because if anyone else reacted this violently to the news I was in serious trouble.
"You trying to shake some sense back into the baby sister, Al, or did you just want to hear the rocks rattle around in her head?" Emmett's booming question came from my open window. I risked a quick peek out Alice's eyes and saw Emmett, Rose and Jasper just inside my room. I noted the looks of surprise on Rose and Emmett's faces and the look of fear on Jasper's. Then Alice dropped me. I stumbled for a moment as I heard her throw herself into Jasper's arms. Jasper immediately started uttering soothing sounds to his wife, who was no doubt wrapped around him like a clinging vine.
"She can't, Jazzy! She just can't." Alice was practically sobbing into Jasper's shoulder. "He'll take her away and I'll never be able to see her again."
"What the hell is she talking about? Does this have something to do with Wonder Dog?" Rose asked darkly. She had taken to calling Adam that of late. I sighed.
"I was going to call a family meeting tonight and Alice just had a vision about what I have to tell you," I said with reluctantly as I angled my face towards my siblings. I didn't want to tell them like this, not without the support of Carlisle and Edward, and even Esme. I knew my mother was at least willing to give Adam the benefit of the doubt. I felt a rising panic at the thought of telling them now, wondering if they would react as strongly as Alice. No doubt Rosalie would shake me as well. And I wouldn't put it past Jasper to hunt Adam down because he'd made Alice cry, however involuntarily. Emmett would no doubt try to soothe Rose, but he would probably follow Jasper's lead. I took a step back towards the door, the urge to flee the situation suddenly overwhelming.
"Don't even think about it, Lei-lei." Emmett's quiet comment came from behind me. I registered his move from Rose's side to the door due to the sudden shift in the air beside me. I barely resisted the urge to turn and snarl at him. Jasper had his hands full with Alice, obviously, since I didn't immediately feel his calming influence. My hands curled into fists at my sides, my fingernails cutting into my palms as I began to feel like a cornered animal. In yet another surprising scenario, it was Rose that came to my rescue. She shifted to my side and I could sense her hands hovering over my shoulders.
"Everybody just stop." Rose's voice was quiet. "Jazz, a little help here? One hysterical vampire is enough, I think."
Almost immediately, a wave of calm hit me and I relaxed minutely. Rose's hands came to rest on my shoulders and she pulled me over to my couch. She actually dragged me into her lap and I tucked my head under her chin. She stroked my hair in much the same way as Esme often did and I felt my body relax completely. Alice and Jasper were totally silent and still across the room. I heard the faint creaks as Emmett shifted from one foot to the other at the door. I leaned into Rosalie with a sigh and she echoed it with one of her own.
"Judging by Alice's reaction, I'm assuming you've fallen for the mutt," Rosalie said, her gentle voice hardening on the last word. She didn't stop stroking my hair, though, so I nodded.
"We didn't do it on purpose, I swear. It just...happened," I whispered.
"About time you admitted it." Jasper's muttered comment caused Rosalie's hand to tighten in my hair to the point it was almost painful, but her voice stayed calm. Okay, if I'd been shocked by Alice's reaction, Rosalie was scaring the crap out of me. I wondered if my sisters had switched personalities while I wasn't paying attention.
"He feels the same?" Rose asked. That caused a few seconds of near hysterical laughter from Alice. I cringed.
"It's a little more complicated than that, but essentially...yeah."
"What's a little more complicated?" Esme's voice was wary as she darted up the stairs and into the room. I would have been relieved, but after my sisters' odd reactions, I didn't know what to expect from anyone anymore.
"Leia and Adam are dating," Emmett said, my usually easygoing brother's tone was hard, containing an underlying hint of menace. I heard an answering rumble come from Jasper's direction and even Rosalie couldn't contain a growl of frustration. I heard Alice whimper against Jasper's neck. Esme came over and laid a hand on my shoulder.
"Oh Leia, do you think you're ready for that? I know you like the boy, but..." She trailed off. Rosalie watched her grimace. Evidently my dreams of Esme being completely okay with a relationship between Adam and I were not going to come true. At least she didn't seem angry. Just concerned.
"Like I said, it's complicated," I murmured, sitting up and pulling out of Rosalie's arms. "If I promise to explain everything, can we please wait until everyone is here?"
"It's probably for the best." Alice's voice was soft, almost timid now. I heard her tiny feet hit the floor as she let go of Jasper. "And, um...we need to get Leia a new phone."
"What happened to it this time?" Emmett asked. I heard him move forward and retrieve what was undoubtedly now a mangled ball of green plastic. I sighed and angled my head at Alice. She grumbled something about losing her temper that wasn't clear enough for even my sensitive ears to understand. I wasn't letting her off that easy.
"What was that? You might have to pick the fur out of your teeth so we can understand you, Alice," I said tersely.
"I might have overreacted a little. I'm sorry, Leia." Alice's tone was almost apologetic, but Rosalie was looking at Alice now and my sister didn't look in the least bit ashamed of herself. I didn't know if it was because Jasper was fighting that feeling for her, or if she really didn't feel remorse for yelling at Adam. I grimaced.
"Don't apologize to me. It's not his fault, Allie, and he's suffering enough for it already," I said. Rosalie snorted softly and I thought I heard Jasper mutter something about Aztec torture methods. I made a mental note to warn Adam never to accept an invitation to chat with Jasper alone.
"So, um, Jazz and I will run into town for a new phone. We'll be back before Carlisle gets home," Alice announced and then her scent and Jasper's disappeared from the room. I sighed.
"So, how did Eddie's proposal go?" Emmett asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence. I relaxed a little and managed to smile.
"Wedding is a go. Things were touch and go for a while. Alice saw them eloping," I said with amusement. Esme gasped, obviously not amused, but I heard Rosalie laugh darkly.
"It would serve Alice right if they did. She's been entirely too smug for her own good the last two weeks."
"But she's put so much thought into it. It would be such a shame for all her planning to go to waste," Esme said wistfully. She would be just as crushed as Alice if they decided to elope.
"Not to worry, they decided against eloping. The big white wedding is still on, butterflies and all. I think Alice is going to have to give up on the horseback riding bride thing, though," I said the last with a giggle and Emmett guffawed softly. After that, the rest of the family decided to give me a moment of psuedo privacy and dispersed to different corners of the house. I immediately went to my computer and composed a quick email for Adam. Then I hovered in front of the machine for five minutes, waiting for a response. Hoping for a response. I wasn't disappointed. My messanger window chimed and I pulled on my headset.
"Are you alright?" Adam's voice was only slightly distorted by the computer's sound processors.
"I'm fine. I'm sorry about Alice. She was just surprised." I knew my sister's tirade had probably shocked him, as it most certainly had me, but he had to know she would never hurt me.
"Yeah, well, considering the fact that you were expecting Alice to be the most supportive of your siblings, I'm quaking in my moccasins to find out how Rosalie will react." Adam's voice didn't hold a hint of humor. I sighed.
"Honestly, I'm beginning to worry that it's Jasper and Alice who'll have the hardest time warming up to you. I guess Alice is a little more unsettled by the fact that she can't see my future when I'm with you than I thought. And what upsets Alice..."
"Upsets Jasper. Trust me, I can understand that." Adam's tone was resigned.
"I guess it's like that for you and Sarah, right? You have a really special connection," I said thoughtfully. Adam made a rather odd sound then. It sounded almost like he was choking back laughter.
"I was thinking of a different kind of special connection, actually, but I guess there are two women in my life with the power to upset my delicate emotional balance." I was warmed by his words, realizing he meant me. After that, our conversation drifted to less serious topics until I heard Edward's car. I promised Adam I would call him again after the family meeting and signed off. I sped down the stairs, bouncing on the balls of my feet as I waited. Esme slipped in behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her head on my shoulder. Rose and Emmett were in the garage tinkering with the Jeep. I heard Emmett greet and congratulate Edward and Bella. I didn't hear anything from Rose and prayed she had at least pulled her head out from under the hood to acknowledge them.
"I can't believe Alice isn't here to smother us in her particular brand of enthusiasm," Bella said softly as Edward led her around to the front of the house. Edward hmmed softly, sounding just as surprised as Bella.
"Yes, that is a little...odd."
Alice and Jazz are in town replacing my phone. I thought this at Edward, putting the events of the past two hours in the front of my mind for him to see.
"Rose was the calm one?" he asked incredulously as he and Bella's stepped into the foyer. Bella frowned up at him in confusion and I grinned, shrugging.
"I know, right? I could almost hear the theme from the Twilight Zone playing in the background."
"Rose was the calm one for what?" Bella asked curiously. I grimaced as Esme's arms tightened around me comfortingly.
"A bit of unexpected news. Well, maybe not completely unexpected," I said. Through Esme's eyes, I saw Bella's eyes widen and she glanced up at Edward with a blush. Edward chuckled, leaning down to brush a kiss along her jaw.
"Not our news, Bella. Leia's news. I hate to say it, but our news is in no way unexpected." His wry tone made Bella duck her head and blush. She didn't play shy for long though, glancing up at me.
"What news, Leia?" she asked curiously. I giggled and shook my head.
"Not a chance, Bella. My news can wait for a bit. Yours is so much more exciting than mine!" I said, determined to deflect attention from myself. It was her day and I didn't want to ruin it by grabbing the spotlight. Not that she'd mind, but it was the principle of the thing. I saw Edward roll his eyes at me, but he didn't contradict me. Esme stepped up beside me and I could tell she was nearly vibrating with joy.
"Oh, Bella, I'm so happy for both of you. I already consider you a part of the family, but this is just so perfect." Esme didn't hesitate to pull both Bella and Edward into a gentle hug. I was bouncing on my toes again, awaiting my turn. I didn't get it until after Esme scolded the pair for even considering elopement.
You should have seen Alice. She was absolutely panicked! I thought at Edward as he and Bella hastily reassured Esme that they wouldn't be running off to Vegas. Edward then grabbed my hand and pulled me into a bone popping hug.
"Congratulations, Edward," I said happily.
"God, Leia. I'm so happy. She practically proposed to me, so I know she's okay with it," he murmured quietly against my temple, his lips curved into a smile. I flung my arms around him with a smile of my own.
"I'm so happy for you, brother mine. For both of you." As I said this, Edward released me and I found myself folded into Bella's warm embrace. Edward kept his hand on my arm so I could see that Bella was smiling brightly.
"Say you'll be my maid of honor, Leia." Bella looked up at me expectantly and I had to fight the urge to crush her against me in my excitement.
"Yes! Oh, yes, Bella, of course," I said with a giddy smile. Bella giggled.
"Good. That means I can count on you to keep Alice from turning my wedding into a spectacle of Cullenly proportions, right?" she asked in a stage whisper. I echoed her giggle.
"Um...thanks. Throw me under the bus, why doncha."
"Better you than me. The worst you'll get are a few tire tracks."
"Comforting, Bells, real comforting," I said with a laugh. Then I squeezed her gently. "Don't worry about a thing. I'll keep her from going completely overboard."
"Thanks, Lei."
"Anything to make your wedding day enjoyable, Bella. It should be a happy ocassion, not something you'll dread."
About that time, I heard Alice and Jasper returning so I knew Edward and Bella would soon be bombarded by a small, over excited vampire. I gave them fair warning and we all went to settle in the living room. Jasper stayed in the garage with Emmett and Rose, but Alice flashed to Bella's side with a squeal of delight. As I listened to Alice tell Bella all about the plans she'd already made, I noted carefully through Esme's eyes which things made Bella tense or grimace. Bella was too polite to say anything to Alice, but she was trusting me to champion her perfect wedding. I would be taking my job seriously.
"Anybody home?" Carlisle's voice carried through the house about the time Bella's stomach reminded us she was human and hungry. As Esme and Alice hurried her off to the kitchen for a snack, I gave my father a quick hug and a recap of the days events. He sighed.
"Well, what's done is done. Let us hope that they react as well to full disclosure."
"No furniture gets smashed, cracked or broken if that's any consolation." Alice's snarky comment made me roll my eyes but Carlisle cracked a smile.
"Well, that's a comforting thought."