Do You Believe In Fate?
Disclaimer: None of these characters etc. belong to me. They all belong to the wonderful and amazing Stephanie Meyer. I don't think I could ever be that creative. Lol. Stephanie rules!
Author's Note: Hey peoples! This chapter is about everybody's trip home, and both Edward and Bella getting some interesting questions from their parents. Oh, just to warn you, I know in Chapter 4 I briefly mentioned Phil, but I decided to take it out. So yeah. Bella's mom is single. An many many thanks to pen2paper93 who gave me my first review on this story! Thanks so much!!
Coming Home
On Monday, Alice, Rose, and I were packed and ready to go. I'd even gotten them to downsize to two suitcases each. It was a record for them. We were getting there early so we could hang out for a couple of days. Our flight left the airport at four, so we got there at two. After going through hell in security, getting my butt slapped by some random guy in the terminal, and fighting a near fatal battle getting our luggage into the overhead storage, we were finally settled in our seats. Through an amazing stroke of luck, we got three seats all next to each other. I took the window seat, Alice sat in the middle since she was smallest, and Rose sat in the aisle seat.
I put in my iPod headphones, and settled into my seat. I didn't usually sleep on planes, but it was nice to just close my eyes, and listen to relaxing music. Alice was watching the movie that the airline played, and Rose was flipping through a magazine. I looked out the window, and watched the world fall away. We flew up, above the clouds, and I sighed. It was beautiful. I thought of Edward, and how nice it had felt to wake up with him. Then I thought of my mom, and what on earth I would tell her. I couldn't decide whether or not I wanted to tell her anything at all.
My mother was very protective of me; when it came to guys at least. She was very adamant about not getting involved in a serious relationship until I was at least twenty five. She always said that she didn't want me to make the same mistakes she did. She said that the only good thing that had come out of her marriage with Charlie was me. It made me kind of sad. She told me stories of how right after I was born, she realized her mistake, and had taken me and driven from Forks to Phoenix. I had always felt bad for my dad. I used to visit him every summer, and it was easy to tell he was still in love with my mother. He had kept the house the same, and their wedding picture was on his nightstand. My mom never remarried either, but I was never sure as to why.
I sighed, and closed my eyes. What would I tell her? I decided not to say anything. She'd only ask a bunch of questions; questions I wasn't prepared to answer. Like where was the relationship going? How much did I care for him? I couldn't tell my mother the truthful answer to those questions. I knew where I wanted the relationship to go; I wanted it to go on for as long as Edward wanted me. I also knew that even though it'd been such a short time, I already cared very deeply for Edward. No way could I tell my mother that. She'd freak.
When we finally landed in Phoenix, it was six thirty. When we got off the flight and to the terminal, my mom greeted us enthusiastically. "Oh, there's my girls!" she cried, giving us all a hard hug. I smiled. My mom had always treated Alice and Rose like family. Even though she'd only met them a couple time in person, she talked to them often when she called to check in on me. Alice and Rose thought she was riot. Especially with all the crazy stories I told them about her.
"Hey, mom." I said.
"Oh Bella! How have you been?" she asked.
"I've been good." I said. Great actually; what with me dating the most amazing man I've ever met. What have you been up too? I snickered quietly.
"That's good. And what about you girls; anything new and exciting?" My mom asked.
"Actually –" Rose started. I jammed my elbow in her ribs, and stepped on Alice's foot, since she looked ready to spill the beans. I shook my head slightly. "Nope. Nothing new." Rose said, rubbing her ribs and glaring at me.
My mom gave us a suspicious look, but shrugged. "Alight. Come on then, let's go get your bags." She said. When we got to the baggage claim, while my mom was busy looking for our bags, Rose poked me.
"What was that about?" she hissed.
"Trust me, you do not want to tell her about the guys." I said.
"Why?" Alice asked.
"Because, she'll make the Spanish Inquisition look like a casual conversation over tea!" I hissed. "Then she will say that they aren't good enough for us, and give us a never ending lecture about how 'women have options' these days and how we shouldn't 'rush things'." I said. Alice rolled her eyes.
"It can't be that bad." She said. I just looked at her.
"Has she done it before?" Rose asked.
"Yeah. And it wasn't pretty." I said, shuddering at the memory of my later teenage years, when ever I'd mentioned, just mentioned, a guy and she'd gone on a lecture marathon.
"Okay, okay. We won't say anything. But I think she's onto us." Alice said, nodding towards my mother, whose head was tilted our way as if hoping to catch a snippet of our conversation.
"Okay. Just keep your cool, and we'll be fine." I said. God, I sounded like a murder suspect who was about to be interview by the cops.
On the drive home, my mom chatted happily about what she'd been up to while I was away, and asked us how school and work was going. We managed to keep from slipping up and saying anything about the guys. When we got home, I put my bags in my old room, and Alice and Rose were going to share the guest room. Tomorrow we'd be having Thanksgiving dinner, and as usual, my mom had forgotten to go shopping. So we headed out again, and loaded a cart full of food, and walked out with enough food to feed a third world country.
As we were putting things away, I hummed to myself, thinking of Edward. My mom got that look on her face. The look that told me that she was onto a lie I was telling. Not that I told them often, but when I did, she could almost always tell. "So, Bella." She said. I winced; I saw that coming.
"Yes?"
"Are you sure there isn't something you're not telling me?" she asked casually.
"No. Why would you say that?" I asked.
"Well, you just seem… different. Happier I guess." She said. I did my best to hold in an ecstatic smile.
"I am happy mom. I'm doing really well in Oregon." I said. My mom shrugged.
"If you say so." She said.
After everything was put away, it was already late, so I headed upstairs. After brushing my teeth and hair, and changing into pajamas, I went to bed. As soon as I turned the light off, I remembered I was supposed to call Edward. "Crap!" I kept the light off so my mom wouldn't suspect anything, and quickly dialed Edward's number.
"Hello beautiful." As soon as I heard his voice, I relaxed. All tension from my mom and the flight slipped away, and I sighed.
"Hi. Sorry I called so late." I said. He chuckled.
"That's okay. How are you?" he asked.
"I'm good. Better now." I said, smiling.
"Mmm, me too. I miss you already." He said. I sighed.
"I miss you too. Are you still on the road?"
"Nah, I just got settled at home." He said.
"That's good. I better go. I'll call you soon." I said.
"Alright. Sweet dreams."
"You too. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, my love." And then he hung up.
My heart raced. My love. He'd called me my love. I laughed recklessly. Good I'd never felt so alive! I laid on my bed in my happy little bubble for several minutes. Then I remembered my bed was empty. I sighed, missing him even more than usual. Then there was a knock on my door. "Come in." I called. Alice walked in, looking rather pouty. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"I just talked to Jazz. Now I'm lonely." She said. I pulled back the covers, an patted the spot next to me. Alice dove in, and snuggled into the blankets. A few minutes later Rose came in, and joined us in my bed.
"How sad is this?" Rose sighed. "One night away from the guys and here we are, huddling together because none of us can stand to sleep alone."
"We slept alone when we knew the guys before." I said.
"Yeah, but then last night we didn't, and know they've spoiled us. Not to mention before they were never more than a phone call away." Alice said, pouting. I laughed sleepily.
"Yeah. Well, we'll see them again soon. Don't worry." I said, yawning. Rose and Alice mumbled their agreement, and soon we were all fast asleep.
The next morning, I woke up lying across the foot of my bed, Alice curled up across the pillows, and Rose using my stomach as a pillow. I laughed, and stood up carefully. Rose just grumbled, and rolled over. I grabbed my clothes, and went into the bathroom to get ready. When I came back out, Alice and Rosalie were both awake, and rubbing the sleep from their eyes. "Morning sleepy heads." I greeted. They smiled.
"Hi. We didn't shove you off the bed or something did we?" Alice asked. I laughed, and patted her spiky hair.
"Nope. I managed to stay firmly on the mattress." I said. Rose stretched and yawned.
"That's good. Now I don't know about you ladies, but I'm ready for some coffee." She said. Alice and I agreed enthusiastically, so Rose and Alice got dressed and then followed me downstairs. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted from the kitchen, and I smiled.
"God bless you mom." I said, grabbing a mug from the cupboards. She laughed.
"You're welcome. Good morning girls." She said.
"Morning." Alice and Rose mumbled in unison.
"Don't worry; they're much better after they've had coffee." I said. My mom just smiled.
For the next few days were a blast. We hung out, watched movies, went on a shopping spree, and just had fun. And every night I called Edward, and talked to him for a few minutes before I went to sleep. And Alice and Rose still slept in my room, because we felt far too lonely by ourselves.
Thursday afternoon was crazy. We were all in the kitchen, busily cooking, mixing, and throwing ingredients to each other. But we were all laughing, and smiling, and having fun. I missed this; being with my mom, and just having fun. Once all the food was cooked, and the table was set, we sat down and sighed. My mom raised her glass of red wine. "To us." She said. We all followed suit (we only had wine on special occasions since alcohol didn't particularly appeal to us) and clinked our glasses together.
"To us." We repeated. Then we dug into the food. I smiled, and sighed.
"This is excellent." I said.
"We did pretty damn good if I do say so myself." Alice chirped. We made small talk, and laughed, and reminisced for a while, and then we all grew quiet. It was a comfortable silence though. Familiar, and easy. Until my mom opened her big fat mouth.
"If you won't tell me who he is, at least tell me whether or not you're being safe." She said. I had just taken a sip of my wine, and nearly sprayed it all over the nice table cloth.
"MOM!"
"What? It's a fair enough question. I know you're a young woman now, and you run your own life." She said. I eyed her suspiciously.
"No lectures about waiting until I'm twenty five to get into a serious relationship?" I asked. She grinned.
"So there is a relationship!" she said triumphantly. I froze. Shit.
"No. I never said that." I said. She laughed.
"Whatever you say, honey." She said. I sulked, and grumbled to myself. Damned fiend woman. I sighed, and wondered what Edward was doing.
EPOV
Thanksgiving dinner was even better than last year's. And that was saying something. My mother was an amazing cook. As was my Aunt Esme, who had come with my Uncle Carlisle for a surprise visit. We'd spent the last few days just catching up, and having family time. It felt wonderful, though I wished that Bella was here with me.
As if she could hear my thoughts, my aunt smiled at me. "So Edward, tell me about this mystery girl." Esme asked. I glared at my mom, who just smiled.
"She's not a mystery woman, Aunt Esme." I said.
"Liz tells me you're bringing her home for Christmas." She said. I flushed.
"Yes, that's correct." I mumbled.
"We'll have to drop by again and meet her. It's been so long since you've seen someone." Esme scolded me lightly. Carlisle grinned.
"So is she pretty?" he asked. Not for a brand new Austin Martin Vanquish, and a good kick in the ass, I couldn't have contained the grin that was brought on by that question.
"Yeah." I said. My father laughed, and clapped me on the shoulder.
"We can't wait to meet her." He said. I smiled.
I couldn't wait for them to meet her either. I was sure that Bella would have my father wrapped around her little finger in no time flat. You know what they say, like father like son. I knew my entire family would love her. How could they not? I sighed, and thought longingly of my Bella. I missed her already, and we'd only been apart for a few days. Those nightly phone calls just weren't enough. And while hearing her voice while being away was like drinking ice water on a hot day, I still missed her terribly. And even though I felt guilty about it, I couldn't wait to get back tomorrow and see her.
BPOV
After saying my last goodbyes to my mom, Alice, Rose and I got on a plane back to Portland. When I'd talked to Edward last night, he'd said that he and the guys would pick us up at the airport, so we were all itching to land. Alice bounced impatiently in her seat, Rose tapped her fingers, and I bit my lip. I couldn't wait to see him again. I wanted to smack myself, because I knew how ridiculous it was to miss him this much when I'd only been away for a week, but I couldn't help it. Even Alice, who hated looking desperate was a bit cranky in her impatience to get back to Jasper.
The flight to PDX seemed to last forever. And then we had to muscle our way through the crowd to the terminal. When we finally made it, we all craned out neck to find the guys. Rose, who was the tallest of us, kept look out. "There! I see them!" she cried. Alice and I spun around and looked were she was pointing. There were our sexy men, looking better than ever. Seeing Edward's face, and those amazing green eyes, my heart melted. God I'd missed him.
"Edward!" I shouted. His gaze snapped to mine, and my heart stopped in my chest. He smiled at me. I dropped my bag and ran forward to meet him. He laughed and caught me in his arms, then spun me around.
"God I've missed you!" He whispered. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, and I inhaled the amazing scent of his skin. He sighed, and pulled away slightly. "Did you have a good time?" he asked. I nodded, and smiled. I moved his hair out of his eyes, and kissed him. He returned it with tenderness, and gentle passion. I sighed against his lips, and smiled.
"I really missed you." I said.
"Me too. Come on, let's get out of here." He said. He walked over and picked up my heavy suitcase as if it were nothing. We waited patiently off to the side for Alice and Rose to finish their hellos with the guys with a bit of privacy.
APOV
When I saw Jasper, I rushed forward, and hugged him. He held me for a long moment, then pulled back and simply stared. "I missed you." He murmured. I touched his face lightly.
"I missed you too. How was your week?" I asked. He winced a bit, and sighed.
"Crowded. I have a big family." He said. I smiled, and kissed him softly.
"I'm sorry. At least you're here now." I said. He smiled.
"Yes. And I can't tell you how glad I am for it."
RPOV
The instant I saw Emmet, I rushed up and kissed him firm on the mouth. As usual, his lips made my bones melt, and my knees weak. Emmet grinned as I pulled away. "Miss me, babe?" he asked. I smirked.
"A little. How about you?" I asked. Emmet chuckled, and pulled me more firmly against him.
"You bet. How was your time in Arizona?" he asked.
"Pretty good. We did lots of girl stuff. And what about you?" Emmet frowned unhappily. "Aw, what's wrong, baby?" I asked. He sighed, and dragged a hand through his hair.
"I don't get along with my family very well." He said.
"Oh, I'm sorry." I said, and kissed him softly. He smiled.
"Come on, let's get out of here." He said. He took my hand, and we walked out of the airport, with Alice and Jasper, Bella and Edward flanking us.
Ending Note: Hey, I hope you liked this chapter. I'm gonna have one more chapter, and then the chapter with Christmas. Guess what Bella discovers when she goes to Edward's family home? Heehee. Anyways, the next chapter should be up in a couple days. Thanks again to everybody whose faved, alerted, read, and reviewed. You guys rock! But more messages and reviews are always welcome. Lol. Peace!!! ~~~~~~~~:D~~~~~~~~
