A/N: This is an extremely long chapter and it took me a long time to get it right according to my standards. I hope it doesn't disappoint!
**All characters are © Stephenie Meyer.
Chapter 4
"Things No One Saw Coming"
The party was over and clean-up was finished. Bella had walked home to the cottage with Renesmee and Jacob in toe. Renesmee was fast asleep, exhausted from the day's events. Jacob was passed out cold on the floor next to Renesmee's bed having fallen asleep while reading to her from Great Expectations. Bella was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the fireplace, reviewing notes from her Introduction to Criminal Justice class. Not that she was making much progress… it was impossible to concentrate. Bella felt…lost.
She and Edward had not spoken in almost seventy-two hours. Not since he had left her curled up on the forest floor in the fetal position following the fiasco that was her 18th birthday party had they gone this long without speaking. And, she could never remember being this angry with Edward.
How dare he keep such a secret from me, Bella thought, seething. He is such an egotistical, male-chauvinistic, nineteenth century…
And then it dawned on her! Edward had, as was his usual custom, been protecting Bella – the weak, fragile, HUMAN Bella. She loved that part of Edward, but she was no longer THAT Bella. She was filled with remorse over her use of the silent treatment, but thought to herself with resolve. He simply has to learn that we are now equals.
It was then that an idea – a crazy idea – popped into Bella's head.
She would force Edward to see her as his equal. It would take nerve, but…
Bella stiffened as the door to the cottage flew open and the sweet magnificent scent of her husband filled the room.
Nerve, Bella! She thought as she stood to face Edward with a stoic expression.
Edward stood in the doorway gazing at Bella, imploring her to acknowledge his presence. Across her beautiful face was a mask of indifference, but her eyes told the true story. Fire shot from her usually soft ocher eyes, scorching Edward with their anger. Edward swallowed hard and opened his mouth to speak just as the cell phone in his pocket chirped to life.
Bella – knowing exactly who would be on the phone warning Edward of her latest decision – flew across the room and grabbed the phone from Edward's hand.
"You won't be needing this tonight. We have to talk. Now. Outside."
Alice grimaced and snapped her cell phone shut. Jasper looked curiously at her and rubbed the back of her neck methodically.
"Alice, Edward didn't answer because he is trying to talk to Bella. Everything will be just fine. They will talk things through and be back to normal by morning."
Jasper continued to massage Alice's neck and shoulders in an attempt to calm her. She twisted to look him in the eye before confessing, "Bella doesn't intend to TALK to Edward tonight, Jazz. She intends to physically FIGHT with him."
Jasper looked at Alice incredulously and grinned as comprehension registered. Alice smacked him on the arm and stood up with her hands on her hips, annoyed.
"And why does that seem to amuse you, Jasper Hale?"
Jasper chuckled and pulled Alice gently back down into his lap.
"Because, Sweetheart" – Jasper kissed the tip of Alice's nose – "Edward has this coming. It's high time he learned that Bella is as much a force to be reckoned with as the rest of us."
Alice sat quietly, staring blankly into the future, giggling uncontrollably after a minute or so. She jumped up, pulling Jasper by the arm with a mischievous grin.
"Come on, Jazz! Let's go watch!"
Jasper laughed boisterously and threw Alice's slender body across his shoulder.
"Oh, no, my little adventure lover. I have other plans for you tonight."
Alice squealed as Jasper tossed her playfully onto the bed and flopped down beside her, plucking his laptop off of the floor and placing it between them with a twinkle in his eye.
"So, where are we going, Jazz?" Alice asked excitedly.
"How about we go to the Aleutian Islands? I found a lot of interesting information about them. Take a look."
The Aleutian Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean Southwest of Alaska and Northeast of Japan, were the perfect place to get away.
With an average of 250 rainy days a year and a constant cover of fog, Unalaska Island was a vampire's dream. Alice and Jasper planned to climb Mount Makushin and hunt bison near Sand Point.
Alice suddenly sighed sadly and gazed, dejected, at Jasper.
"We can't possibly leave, Jasper. Bella's birthday is in two days."
"Alice, Bella doesn't want any birthday surprises. She would rather all of us just let it go by without so much as a mention. We are leaving tomorrow."
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Bella strolled silently deep into the woods. She didn't want to risk awaking Renesmee and having her witness what was about to take place between her parents. As soon as Bella reached the clearing, she took one steadying breath and turned on Edward, who had followed her, also in silence.
Bella delivered a front kick straight to Edward's stone chiseled chest, sending him flying backwards in astonishment, landing flat on his rear with an earsplitting crash. Edward rocked effortlessly up on his heels as Bella crouched into an attack stance, growling with all the vengeance she could muster.
"Isabella, are you mad?! I refuse to…"
Bella spun her body around into a reverse side kick, hitting Edward square in his rock hard abdomen. With a startled grunt, Edward doubled over in pain. Bella took advantage of the moment and swept his feet out from under him with one swift kick, sending him flat of his back with an earth shattering thud. Before Edward could react, Bella straddled his chest and held him fast to the ground in an iron clad grip.
Edward rolled over with a growl, pinning Bella to the ground, his cold granite hands locking her arms above her head.
"Isabella, stop this! Now!"
Bella threw her body into a forward roll, taking Edward along with her until she landed on top of him, slamming his arms into the ground with so much force that several trees were uprooted.
Between clenched teeth, Bella demanded, "Admit it, Edward! I am just as strong as you!"
Edward grimaced as he strained to roll his body over Bella's. Bella gritted her teeth and used all her strength to hold Edward steadfast beneath her.
"I mean it, Edward. Stop treating me like a WEAK! LITTLE! HUMAN!" Bella's voice was so loud, a boulder to her left split in half.
"All right. You win. Now, can we please discuss this like two rational human…I mean vampire adults?"
Edward smiled Bella's favorite crooked smile and turned the full power of his amber eyes on her. Her heart melted instantaneously and she released her vice grip on his arms hesitantly. So quickly a blink would have been longer, Edward had Bella pinned against the ground flat on her back. Edward's grin widened as he rolled over to a seated position and pulled Bella into his lap.
Edward rested his chin on top of Bella's head and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I am so sorry, Love. I should never have kept what happened with Leah from you. I was wrong to think that you needed my protection. I admit I was somewhat afraid you would lose your temper and kill her yourself. But, I was more afraid that she would hurt you in the process. It has taken a great deal of effort on my part, but I have finally realized that although I was the one to change you, I have not actually allowed myself to adjust to the new Bella. You must understand, Love. A man from my time takes care of the woman he loves by protecting her and providing for her every need. So, it is extremely difficult for me to stop being the man I was brought up to be. But, I promise…from now on, we are equals…partners. I will never keep a secret from you again, Bella. Will you forgive me?"
Bella twisted her body around to face Edward. Placing his face between her hands and searching deep into his fiery golden eyes, Bella pushed her shield out from her body, surrounding Edward in its radius. Edward's eyes opened wide with surprise as Bella's thoughts flooded his mind.
Part of the reason I fell in love with you is becauseof the man you were brought up to be. You are everything I ever hoped for and more. You provide for me and protect me in so many more ways than just physically. I will always need you, Edward. All I ask is that you allow me to fulfill your needs and protect you ever once in a while.
As Bella willed her shield to retract back into her body and dropped her hands from Edward's face, Edward nodded his head in assurance and kissed the tip of her nose.
He looked longingly into her shining ocher eyes and asked, "So, am I forgiven?"
Bella smiled and wrapped her arms around Edward's neck, kissing him softly in the sensitive spot just behind his right ear and running her tongue tantalizingly along the lobe before grabbing it gently between her teeth. Edward shuttered as a low tortured moan rumbled from deep in his throat. Bella chuckled softly as Edward allowed her to remove his shirt and lay him back onto the forest floor to show him just how forgiven he was as she unsnapped the button of his jeans with her mouth, picking up right where she had left off the night Jacob had interrupted them.
Bella was in an unbelievably good mood. It was her birthday and Alice was otherwise occupied due to a mini-vacation to the Aleutian Islands. She strolled to Renesmee's bedroom to awaken her for breakfast feeling absolutely confident in the fact that today would be just another day…no surprises and no parties!
As Bella opened the door to her daughter's room and stepped inside, Renesmee jumped off of the bed into her mother's arms, kissing her on the cheek.
"Happy Birthday, Mama!"
Bella laughed and kissed Renesmee on the forehead before putting her down and taking her hand to lead her from the room. That kind of surprise she could handle!
As the two walked into the tiny little kitchen of the cottage, Edward was standing at the stove preparing Renesmee's usual breakfast menu…fried eggs – always sunny-side-up – and very rare sirloin steak. He smiled as he remembered the cartons of eggs Bella had consumed while pregnant with Renesmee. It was no wonder the child loved eggs so much. Of course, the virtually raw meat was no mystery either…the blood being the star of that entrée! And the taste for blood was a gift straight from her dear old dad.
Bella wrapped her arms around Edward's waist and kissed the back of his neck.
"Good morning, Ladies!"
Edward turned to face Bella balancing Renesmee's breakfast plate in one hand and a black velvet box in the other.
"Happy Birthday, Love!"
Edward kissed Bella on the tip of her nose and held the box in his open palm, waiting for her to pluck it out of his outstretched hand.
Bella's bottom lip was caught between her teeth mostly to keep her from saying something she shouldn't. Her birthday was not supposed to be a big deal.
As if reading her mind, Edward chuckled quietly and turned to place Renesmee's plate of food on the table in front of her before stating, "No big deal. Just a small token to remind you how much I love my two favorite girls."
Bella opened the soft black velvet box pensively and gasped as she caught sight of what was inside. Shimmering brilliantly against the black background sat a large blue sapphire charm in the shape of a love knot set in at least fifty channel-set stones. Bella looked up at Edward in awe as he took her left hand and removed the bracelet that displayed Jacob's wooden wolf and his own crystal heart. In no more than a second, Edward had added the sapphire charm and placed the bracelet back on Bella's slender alabaster wrist. He lifted her left hand to his lips and kissed first her palm, then the back of her hand, and finally her wrist next to where the newest charm now hung daintily.
Bella opened her mouth to speak, but Edward placed one finger over her lips and reached into the pocket of his trousers to pull out a small white gold charm bracelet with one lone charm dangling from its chain…a miniature version of Bella's sapphire love knot sparkled in the sunlight streaming in the kitchen window.
Edward and Bella laughed in unison as Renesmee gasped and stretched out her arm waiting for Edward to wrap the bracelet around her tiny wrist. Renesmee stood in her chair and wrapped her arms around Edward's neck. Edward reached out to pull both Renesmee and Bella closer as both his wife and his daughter kissed each one of his cheeks simultaneously.
Edward Cullen, you are absolutely amazing. Thank you.
Bella had enveloped Edward in her shield while kissing his cheek so that he could hear her thoughts.
No more words were necessary. The moment was perfect.
And then the face of Emmett Cullen appeared in the kitchen window.
"Nessie? Are you finished eating yet?" Emmett's voice taunted.
Renesmee giggled and jumped off the chair where she stood hugging Edward and ran to the window to put her hands on Emmett's face.
As she allowed Emmett to see what happy occasion he had just interrupted, he looked at Edward with a twinkle in his eye.
"Awww! How sweet, brother! Sappy, actually."
Edward shot his brother a warning glare, shaking his head back and forth. Emmett grinned, undeterred, and turned his twinkling amber eyes on Bella.
"Happy Birthday, Bella! Get SOME…uhh…thing for your birthday?"
Emmett ducked as the plate Renesmee had emptied earlier sailed just a micro-inch over his head and crashed into the tree behind him, shattering into a million tiny pieces.
Emmett guffawed and ran for the Cullen's main house yelling, "Bring Nessie up to the house when you're ready! It's my day to play with her!"
Just as Alice and Jasper reached the summit of Mount Makushin on
Unalaska Island, Alice gasped and froze – a dazed shocked expression covering her thin white face.
Jasper was at her side in half a second, grabbing her shoulders to make her face him.
"What is it Alice? What do you see?"
Alice covered her mouth, a broken squeak forming where words would not come.
"Renee…Oh, no!"
Jasper watched as Alice broke free of her trance and grabbed her cell phone from her pocket.
"I've got to call Bella!" Alice punched buttons frantically and held the tiny machine up to the sky. "NO! I don't have service on this stupid mountain! Dammit!"
Alice continued feverishly trying to get the cell phone to pick up some dim hope of a signal. Finally, she slammed it shut and shoved it back into the pocket of her jeans.
"Come on, Jazz! We've got to go! Bella's going to need us!"
And with that, Alice began leaping back down Mount Makushin as gracefully as a gazelle running across the plains. Jasper leapt just as gracefully right behind her.
Bella was curled up cross legged on the sofa in the living room of the Cullen mansion reading Chapter 3 of her Intro to Criminal Justice book and listening to the latest CD that Edward had made for her of him and Renesmee playing piano together. Edward and Emmett had taken Renesmee out to hunt after the Taekwondo lesson had finished, while Esme and Rosalie had used the cloudy afternoon as an excuse to do some shopping. Carlisle had been paged to the hospital for an emergency, so Bella was happily taking advantage of a rare occurrence in the Cullen household – alone time.
Had she not been wearing the ear buds with the music pulsating loudly in her ears, she might have heard the sound of a human heart beat. Had she not been so engrossed with the reading material, she might have noticed the sweet scent of human blood.
As the car in the drive came to a stop, the driver slowly exited the vehicle and walked gingerly up the steps to the front door of the Cullen's mansion. One shaking finger touched the white button that sounded the doorbell. A couple of agonizing minutes later, there was still no answer. So, with a nervous sigh, the visitor pushed the button again.
Inside the house, Bella yanked the ear buds from her ears as she caught the sound of chimes that signaled someone at the front door. As she got up to answer it, Bella froze. It wasn't the flying heart beat or the burning in her throat that told her she was in deep trouble. She instantly recognized the unmistakable scent of vanilla and lavender. Only one person she knew wore that scent.
Outside the door, the human visitor, growing more impatient with each passing minute, wondered whether or not to ring the bell one last time or just open the door and walk right in. Opting for the element of surprise, a hesitant hand reached out and slowly turned the knob, opening the door and stepping in quickly.
"Bella? Bella, are you home?"
As Renee entered the living room from the foyer and caught sight of Bella, a joyous smile crossed her anxious face. Bella looked at her mother helplessly as the joy was replaced by first confusion and then by horror. Renee stood cemented to the floor, staring wide-eyed at her daughter, her breathing growing more irregular by the second.
"Happy…birthday…Bella."
Renee's breathing suddenly faltered and her body slumped lifeless towards the floor.
Bella sprang forward, scooping her mother up effortlessly in her arms to break her fall and carrying her over to the sofa, laying her down gently.
