A/N: These wonderful characters still belong to Stephenie Meyer. I'm getting attached to them, though. Hope she doesn't mind. ;)
BPOV
It seemed like there was no solution that could be reached easily, so Billy left after saying goodbye to Edward and Carlisle, and wishing us all well. I'm sure he would have said goodbye to me, too, but the way I sat on the porch with my head in my hands must have indicated that I wasn't really in the mood for pleasantries. I couldn't stop thinking about the awful events that were unfolding before our eyes.
Edward and I were alone again outside, and I wondered if he was feeling as outraged, as devastated, or as hopeless as I was. Our family was about to be hunted down to go to war with a bunch of adolescent werewolves, with my former best friend leading the way, and it was all my fault. If only I hadn't demanded that Edward change me so soon, maybe we could have found a way around the treaty and there would be nothing to start a war over. Maybe if I could have talked to Jacob before it was done, we could have gotten some kind of exemption or something. I doubted it, though.
As he slowly walked towards me I looked up to see his perfect face, and his expression puzzled me. He didn't look angry, or even sad. He had the same intense look of concentration on his face as when he and Alice played chess.
"Edward, are you okay?" I asked.
"Hmm? Yes, love." was all he replied, not looking at me, but staring at the tire tracks that Billy's truck had made in the ground. I watched him for a few moments, but he had stopped walking, and was just standing like a statue. Finally, my nerves had taken all they could. I needed to know what we were going to do, and how everyone inside was going to feel about all the trouble I was causing them.
"Edward? Please talk to me."
He looked up at me quickly, as if just realizing that I was there with him. "Bella, I'm sorry." He came over and put his arms around me then, cradling me to him. "This must be very stressful for you, but please try not to be upset." He lifted my chin to look into my eyes, which must have been revealing the terror I felt.
"You're joking, right? How can I not be upset?" I asked incredulously. "After hearing what the wolves are planning for us, and knowing that I'm the cause?"
"Bella, you are not the cause of this, not at all. Remember that this treaty goes back a long time, back to a completely different set of minds. Nothing you did made them come to this decision."
"I'm the one that insisted on being changed. Apparently that was enough of a reason for them."
Edward's gaze met mine, and I could feel the depth of his love to my very core. As to whether I deserved that love, well that was debatable at the moment. "Love, you need to understand that the young Quileutes who are making tribe decisions now play by a completely different set of rules when it comes to keeping peace. Their ancestors made treaties to resolve conflicts and avoid wars, and lived by a very high standard of ethics. The tribe today doesn't think treaties are necessary when you can eliminate a problem by force. Please believe that, although they are using your transformation as a catalyst, a war would have been declared anyway. They were simply waiting for an excuse to attack."
"I just can't bear the thought of losing anyone again. I still remember the feeling of loss so violently, even though the details are gone. I just don't know what to do." My tearless sobs made my entire body shake. "I feel helpless to do anything to save our family, and it's killing me, Edward."
Edward was quiet for a moment, keeping his arms around me and studying me as if I were a volcano about to erupt. Finally, he spoke. "Bella, you know we are going to do whatever it takes to avoid anyone being hurt. I need to talk to Carlisle and get his opinion on some things first, but I do have an idea that might avoid any violence."
"What is it?" I looked up and couldn't help but be slightly hopeful, although when Edward spoke he sounded as though he was torn between his idea and something else.
"I'm not ready to talk about it now, but I promise you will be the first to know once I've spoken to Carlisle." His voice was soft, and he seemed to be in the process of forming some plan. I found myself praying that whatever it was, it would work.
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Edward and Carlisle went running so that Edward could talk about his idea and get Carlisle's thoughts before he presented them to the whole family. Before he left, he brought me up to our room to try to get me to relax and listen to some music. He put on the CD that he made me of some of my favorite pieces that he composed on the piano. I had to admit it was working a little bit, I wasn't shaking any more.
They were back within 15 minutes, and when Edward walked into our room I thought I recognized the hint of a smile on his face. Without a word, he crawled across the bed and hovered over me, his eyes a smoldering dark topaz. Completely dazzled, I slowly wrapped my arms around his neck as he lay down on the bed next to me and began kissing my neck, working his way across my cheekbones and then finally touching his lips to mine.
I waited for Edward to begin telling me about his idea, but found myself quickly getting distracted and enjoying it. I found myself wanting two things very badly at that point. I wanted to just forget everything and be with Edward in a fierce way, and I wanted to know what he and Carlisle had discussed. The two things battled in my mind for a place as first priority as Edward continued kissing me, now working his way down between the buttons of my shirt.
"Edward?" I barely whispered.
"Yes, Bella?" he asked, not taking his lips off of my skin.
"Shouldn't we be talking right now instead of doing this?" There really wasn't a lot of conviction in my voice.
He just chuckled, and whispered reassuringly, "Everything is going to be fine, my angel. We can talk if you want, but I'm rather enjoying myself at the moment." And with that his tongue began tracing along the edge of my bra, sending my resolve somewhere over the rainbow.
Edward managed to finesse the buttons of my shirt with his teeth, and I was silently thankful that my bra hooked in the front as he swiftly undid the clasp, letting his hands and mouth fully explore my exposed breasts. Every nerve ending in my body was tingling and yearning for more, not wanting him to ever stop.
Slowly then, he worked his way down my torso, kissing my stomach as his hands grasped the waistband of my pants and slid them off of my legs one at a time and onto the floor, where his pants soon joined them. Looking at him kneeling in front of me, just his unbuttoned white shirt hanging off of him and nothing else, I had to wonder if there was ever a more perfect being on earth. As the shirt slid off of his shoulders and I could fully appreciate him, I knew the answer was no.
He hovered over me again, still kissing me lightly, parting my lips with a gentle sweep of his tongue. My mouth responded eagerly, wanting as much of him as I could get. I let my hands wander across his chest and down his back, resting on the perfect roundness of his buttocks. He brought his body down on mine, letting our legs intertwine while his hands roamed freely across my bare abdomen and down to my inner thigh.
Edward stared deep into my eyes from under his thick eyelashes and barely made a sound as he mouthed "I love you" before shifting himself over and making love to me with an enthusiasm and passion that words could not describe.
It wasn't until we were both totally spent and laying in each other's arms that I remembered what had been plaguing our minds so much over the past 24 hours. Now that I wasn't quite so distracted, our situation became more of a priority.
"So, are you going to tell me what you and Carlisle talked about now, or do I have to call Carlisle in here to tell me himself?" I asked, not letting him move from his current position in bed.
"Yes, I suppose you do need to know." He looked down at me with a serious expression, and suddenly I became anxious again.
"Is it terrible, Edward? Please tell me everything." I begged. I knew Edward's predisposition to protecting me, and I wasn't going to have him keeping anything from me now.
"I'm not sure how to explain it, but no. I wouldn't say terrible. It will, however, change almost everything." He had that thoughtful expression again, as if he were trying to determine if I were going to run screaming from what he was about to tell me, or if I would embrace it.
"Okay, so let's hear it. What's the solution?" I was getting frustrated. I wished for not the first time that I could just read his mind.
"You," he said as he kissed the top of my head.
I had no idea what he was talking about, but suddenly I was terrified.
Okay, that Edward just brings out the animal in me. Next chapter gets back to business, though!
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