AN: See? You will never know when I update, so don't even try to guess! I found time so here it is!
I know that this story has been neglected in a big way considering my other stories. You can all see that and I can see it, too. So this chapter is going to be the longest chapter that I have ever written for this story because I feel this story has been neglected by me and it tears me apart because this is my first fanfic ever; it takes a special place by default. I expect this story to have 20 chapters total but it may have a little over that depending on what happens. Enjoy this chapter because it will be long!
"You, Bella Cullen, are going to try on the designs I have made just for you as a special tribute and you WILL LIKE IT," Alice said with her sickly sweet smile.
"And I am going to help Auntie Alice to make you!" Renesmee added.
"THAT'S my girl, Renesmee; now get your mother out of here."
"Yes, ma'am," Renesmee said with a salute, "Come on, mommy." With one last glare at Alice, I was taken away to my personal jail.
Help me, someone.
15. Returning Home
It was all finally over! I didn't think it was possible for a vampire to be exhausted to the point of sleeping but every one of us was. Edward had even closed his eyes as he was sitting next to me. The werewolves were all passed out in their seats. Even Alice was sitting with her head leaning on the window of the plane. We were on our way back home, to Forks. It had been such an eventful and crazy time:
FLASHBACK:
"Alice, I don't think this is necessary; you already know my size so it is going to fit whether I try it on or not!" I complained.
"I want to see what it looks like, Bella! Come on! Be nice to me! I should at least get that," she added in a low tone looking into my eyes. I closed mine and took a deep un-needed breath. "Alice, you know that it would make Rosalie happy," I stated. The others, including Renesmee, were all gone and exploring Italy. We were alone in the large house and free to talk about anything, and she was torturing me with clothing and guilt.
"Rosalie has changed since you became part of the family, Bella. Yes, she wants so badly to be human, but I don't think she is so selfish as to want you do die so that you can give her that! You can't do this to Edward! He has done so much and given up so much to be with you, for you to have what you have, to be together! He has been so patient and caring. He has held back his lust for so long. Bella, you can't do that to him; you can't be so selfish. And not just him! Renesmee, too; you would be subjecting Renesmee to an eternity without her mother!" My heart broke as I realized how true her words were. Edward had done a lot, more than I had. Renesmee didn't deserve to lose her mother.
"Maybe I could do it without dying," I said. She shook her head.
"I have thought about how we could do that, Bella, but I still see you there, laying still, not moving," she said. "Slip this over your head," she added. I looked into the mirror as the silk slid down my body. It was a pretty lavender color with dark midnight blue seems and a belt of the same blue color. It was floor length and hugged my curves. The top part was a square cut and fell on the top end of my shoulders perfectly. It was flawless and graceful with intricacy and complexity on every stitch. "Wow," I stated. "Yes, I know," she said.
"It's beautiful," I added.
"It came to me one night when I was with Jasper," she said. I gave her a look and said, "Wow, a little too much info, Alice; I could have lived a little longer without that mental image."
She laughed. "It was just the belt that I saw but I sort of branched out and added the lavender. The midnight blue reminded me of twilight skies. Midnight blue is sort of the theme with the designs that I created in 'My Bella'," she finished.
"Why did you decide to call it that?"
"Actually, Edward was the center of the name. He has always said how you are beautiful always and he called you 'my Bella' and Bella means beautiful so it just kind of came as 'My Bella' like 'My Beautiful'," she explained. It made sense. And it made me feel less creeped-out by the name.
"Well, I didn't thank you really for doing this," I said.
"I know this is hard for you, Bella. Knowing as I do that you are selfless and would do anything for anyone makes you selfish in this case. You want so badly for Rosalie to like you and for her to be happy, but you are being selfish by wanting that. You should be selfish about keeping your life that you have now, not trying to throw it away for something that someone else wants," she said.
"That was in no way confusing," I said under my breath. She laughed.
"Honestly, Bella, you wanted for so long to be a vampire like Edward and like us and now that you are you are trying to do something that will take it all away. I don't want you to die," she said sadly. "Lift the dress over your head," she added.
"I'm sorry, Alice," I said as I slid the dress over my head. She handed me a mini skirt that was made of silk and looked as if it wrapped around in folds. It was magnificent and it was comfortable, too. The shirt that she slid over my head was short-sleeved and it was the color blue that Edward liked to see me wear when I was human. It had midnight blue bows tied at the ends of the sleeves and at the bottom of the shirt. In the center of the shirt, there was a single tear-drop in the same midnight blue. "Alice, this is gorgeous!"
"Thank you, Bella. See this isn't so bad? This one was actually the first one that I created. I designed it in my head after we left you," she said and I nodded. "I pictured that this was the tear you cried every night," she added.
"Well, it's beautiful," I said.
"It looks wonderful!" she said clapping her hands. "Take it off, time for the next one!" The next one left me speechless. It was a mini-dress, sleeveless. It came to about an inch below my butt. It was the color that Edward liked on me and it had a bust.
"Speechless? Good," she laughed. "This one is meant to make you blend in to the twilight," she said.
"Blend in? It is practically underwear, Alice, but it is comfortable," I said.
"Should be because it's lingerie," she said. Anticipating my reaction and seeing it in my wide eyes, she continued on, "I got the idea because after you were turned, you and Edward were into it, if you know what I mean. It just seemed to fit together," she said shrugging her shoulders.
"You are so weird," I said under my breath. She heard, of course, and laughed.
The next dress was more on the simple side. It was an emerald green and had intricate patterns in midnight blue going down my left side. It was sleeve-less and went to my knees. I tried on what seemed like an entire year's worth of clothing and Alice explained how she came up with each design, where she was, everything. The emerald one came to her because Edward's eyes had been emerald and of course she had to incorporate the midnight blue. Every design that I tried on seemed to tell a story without words. They were all pieces of art and they were based on my life, human and vampire wise. It was amazing how much time and effort Alice had spent on "My Bella". I was shocked and guilty and happy at the same time. She was really amazing, Alice was.
When we were finished dressing me in all of the designs, Alice showed me her sketchbook with the lengths, colors, designs, etc. in it. They were fabulously designed and flawless in the way that only a vampire could grasp. I was so amazed.
Edward, Renesmee, and everyone came back later that day and told me of all the things they had seen in Italy. Renesmee was especially excited to be here as she hadn't traveled any. She told me of the buildings she had seen and Edward smiled down at her. She played what she had seen by looking into my eyes and touching my face. It was true that Italy was a spectacular place, but much to the family's surprise, I told them that I had had fun as well.
"You had fun trying on clothes with Auntie Alice?! And I missed it?! That is awful," Renesmee said shaking her head.
"You got to see Italy," I reminded her. This seemed to get her animated again as she told me several times that she had had fun. I thanked everyone for taking her and they said it was awesome for them, too. Emmett had made a scene in many places but what else could you expect from my brother-in-law? He was the life of the party.
That night, Alice told everyone, again, what we would be doing the next day. She and I were going to talk to the Italy Fashion Heads about the fashion show, interviews, and the other stuff along with that. I was nervous, extremely, but I had a dormant excitement as well. As long as everyone was here with me, I could do this. I was confident.
The night was spent with everyone talking about random things and how excited they all were. Alice and I were planning how tomorrow would go and she told me to be excited. I told her that I was and she smiled and hugged me.
The next day, Alice dressed me in the emerald green dress with the midnight blue intricate patterns running down the left side. "It's perfect; it is formal for the occasion but also business-worthy and stylish," she had said. She curled my hair and told me I looked like a model. Thank goodness I was more graceful now because it would have been my death to wear three inch midnight blue heals when I was human.
It didn't take long to drive to the Center Of Italian Fashion Heads. When we arrived, we were treated like royalty. I guessed the designs were a huge hit here.
There were three men and two women in the business room we were ushered into. Two of the men had blonde hair that was spiked up and the other was a tan man and he was bald. The two women wore glasses and they looked like interns. One of them was blond and the other was a brunette. They looked excited but apprehensive as to what would happen here.
"That," the tan bald guy started, "Is an extremely beautiful piece of work, Mrs. Cullen. You can call me Mr. Drew," he finished. "These are Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Rimes," he said pointing out the two other blond men. Mr. Mitchell had a go-T and Mr. Rimes had no facial hair. "These are our interns," he said and pointed to the two women. "The blond is Jenny and the brunette is Ana."
"Hello," Alice and I said together. I was nervous and she told me it would be fine. I relaxed slightly.
"The dress is quite gorgeous, Mrs. Cullen," Mr. Mitchell said.
"Call me Alice; I am the designer, as you know. And this is Bella," she said in a business tone and pointed to me. They all stood up.
"Ah, this is the inspiration, correct, Alice?"
"Yes, Mr. Drew. This is Bella, my sister, the inspiration for 'My Bella'," she said with a smile.
"Your sister?" Mr. Rimes asked. He was looking at me slowly, raking me in.
"Yes, Mr. Rimes," Alice said.
"It is nice to meet you," Mr. Rimes replied. "Well, ladies, please be seated so we can begin," Mr. Drew said. It was clear that he was the president of Italian Fashion.
"The design of this particular piece is stunning and intricately designed. I am very impressed," he went on. "This one wasn't in the designs we came across."
"It is a newer design," Alice confirmed.
"Beautiful," Mr. Rimes said. He was still looking at me in a way that made me feel flattered but uncomfortable.
"My brother, Bella's husband, thinks that this one is stunning on her," Alice said. She could see the helplessness in my eyes and I nodded slightly so she could see my thanks. Mr. Rimes flipped on his business mode after he learned that I was married.
They discussed with us what Alice had already foreseen and told me of. Tomorrow I would have an interview with a representative from an Italian Fashion catalogue. The day after the interview would be the fashion show and pictures for the catalogue.
"Actually, Mr. Drew, I would like to have some of my family to model, too, with your permission," Alice asked innocently. There was no way she wouldn't get what she wanted.
"That would be alright, Alice. You designed men's suits too?" he asked.
"Actually, yes, and that line is inspired by Bella's husband, Edward," she said. "Ever suit coordinates with a dress that I designed previously," she said. I was so proud of her, how professional and controlling she was in this instance. She was Alice Cullen.
We left and the rest of the day was spent just strolling around the streets of Italy. Renesmee insisted that I see everything that she had seen. It was all very pretty and I was having fun. The day was over faster than I thought possible and we all sat in the main room of the mansion, talking. The wolves all slept while the vampires talked about the upcoming events. I was nervous, but Alice said that was only to be expected.
The next day, I found myself in a simple midnight blue halter top and a pair of comfy jeans. I was sitting in a couch seat in front of Mr. Rimes who was the representative of the Italian Fashion catalogue. I wondered what he was going to ask me and what he already knew about me.
"Hello, Bella," he said.
"Hello, Mr. Rimes-"
"Please, Bella, call me Ray for now," he said with a smile. My family- all eighteen of them- were sitting just outside the room so they could hear everything we were saying, but Ray, being a human, didn't know that.
"So, Ray, what questions are you gonna ask me?"
"Well, we want the buyers of your sister's line to relate to you and get to know you as a person. So I am trying to get inside of your head so they can all see. First off, what is your full name?"
"Isabella Marie Swan Cullen," I replied with a smile. I could hear Edward outside the door telling me he loved me and I smiled again.
"What is it like to have the clothing line 'My Bella' inspired by you?"
"It is very strange, but I love Alice and I know her so well that everything she does is strange," I said. I heard Alice growl playfully outside the door and I laughed. Ray gave me an odd look and smiled.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Oh, I was just seeing what Alice would say if she heard me call her a strange pixie," I explained and laughed again.
"She is a pixie?" Ray asked.
"She looks like one, doesn't she? And she can be pretty evil like one when she doesn't get her way, Ray," I said.
"It sounds like you love her very much," he said. "What do you think about her designing a line for you?"
"It seems like something Alice would do. I don't like attention and I never have, but Alice likes to place me in the spotlight every chance she gets. She said that the reason she named the line 'My Bella' was because my husband, Edward has always said that I have always been beautiful and he calls me his Bella. He says 'my Bella' and Bella means beautiful so the line is 'My Bella'."
"It seems that your husband loves you very much," he said. "But you don't look old enough to be married," he said.
"I am older than I look," I said and it wasn't a lie. I was twenty but I only looked nineteen.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty," I said. He raised an eyebrow.
"You have a daughter, do you not?"
"Yes, her name is Renesmee."
"That is an unusual name," he said.
I laughed. "Well, it is a mixture of my mother Renee's name and Edward's mother Esme's names. She is so much like Edward," I added.
"How old is she?"
"Only a year," I said. This was all flowing easily, but some of it was partly true and partly not.
"When did you find out about this line?"
"Less than a week ago," I replied with a sigh.
He asked more questions about me and my family and how things were. I answered as honestly as I could on many of the questions. I was getting input from my family in the hallway and it earned laughter from me and everyone else. I was glad to be out of the interview and Ray thanked me for my time and coming to speak about my life with him. He shook Edward's hand and left. That night, everyone was anticipating the fashion show and I found that I was less nervous.
The next day was the big day. Emmett was so excited that he could be a model! Everyone laughed as he practiced his model walk. It turned out that Edward and I, Rosalie and Emmett, Alice and Jasper, Esme and Carlisle, Leah and Seth, Renesmee and Jacob would be partnered together to model. The other werewolves refused because they wanted to watch the fun. You can't even imagine Alice's excitement about the whole thing. She was doing make-up and hair for everyone. She had already seen what everyone would be wearing and she was helping us all the dress. She showed us how to walk and turn and Emmett was surprisingly good!
Edward already looked like a model and he caught me watching him. He kissed me and told me I looked beautiful. Alice had me wear the midnight blue lingerie piece so I was feeling self-conscious. I would be going out very first and last and several times in between. I would go out in a different dress each time and I would be modeling more than anyone else. After all, I was Bella in "My Bella".
When I went out the first time, it was alone. This outfit didn't have a male version, unfortunately. I would've liked to have seen Edward in something like this. I walked out and was graceful in my movements. There was a loud applause from the audience when I came out. I thought I heard several cat-calls, too. I was smiling widely. It was amazing. I did a turn and earned more applause. When I was done and went backstage, Alice told me I did amazing and then Rose and Em went out. Emmett got a lot of laughter when he model walked and pointed at the people. He even did a few air kisses and Rosalie actually smiled at it! They did amazing! Alice and Jasper were even better when they went; they were gorgeous and everyone knew Alice Cullen because she was the mind behind it all. She was given many rounds of applause. Carlisle and Esme were the ones that shocked me most. I had never seen them do anything like modeling before; they were mesmerizing.
The catalogue had gone out quicker than I had thought. Italy knew who I was and everything about me and my family. We were an instant hit. We all got applauses. No one knew that Renesmee was my daughter, however. She didn't look one and we couldn't risk people finding out about her, but we said that she was adopted- we gave them the version we originally gave Charlie. So Renesmee was my adopted daughter and Jacob was her grown-up best friend. When they went out, they got just as much applause as Alice and Jasper had. Jacob got many cat-calls and Renesmee glared. Edward and I just laughed. Leah and Seth were better than I expected. She was smiling and earning applause from many of the men. She couldn't wipe off the smile.
It was time for Edward and I to go out together this time and we were almost turned deaf by the sounds when we came out. I couldn't believe how popular we were; it was so unexpected. Edward decided to do something drastic and kissed me in front of the audience. They went wild as he took my hand and led me backstage.
The show went on this way and it was a huge success. Alice was thrilled and everyone was worn out! We had all stayed up- even the werewolves- and talked about how awesome it all was. I couldn't stop smiling about it all.
The next day, we departed for home.
END FLASHBACK:
Wow. It had all gone by in a blink. There was happiness in the air, but it was also quiet. Alice looked up at me and we smile about it all. She was just happy to have some quiet. She allowed us all to sit where we wanted and it all worked out perfectly. Leah was happy with it all, too, and I was happy to see her loosen up.
I decided to "do an Edward" and close my eyes. It was so peaceful. It was nice.
"Say, Paul-"
"What, Emmett?"
"Knock, knockā¦"
AN: You guys don't even know! I smiled throughout this whole chapter! Ha, ha, ha! I hope it was worth the wait! I really, really do! Tell me what you think!
REVIEW.
