Chapter 23:

376 Blue Dots

BPOV

"NO!" laugh, giggle "Never!" laugh, giggle, laugh "Will" laugh, giggle, "Come on" laugh, giggle, laugh "I" laugh, laugh, laugh "Will!" laugh, giggle, laugh, giggle "Fine" laugh, laugh "I surrender" I heard Nessie try to say between laughs. Finally. Where were they? I heard gasps for air as Nessie finally breathed.

"Are we forgiven" Alex asked. Forgiven?

"Well . . . ok, yeah. I was just upset at being taken against my will" she said lightly. Against her will? What in the world is going on.

"Nessie, do you even feel anything?" Will asked.

"Maybe" she joked as she walked in the house. She saw me and her eyes lit up.

"Mom!" she yelled as she ran to me. She tried to give me a hug but it was weird. As if her arms were restrained.

"Hey honey, hey guys, how was school" I asked worriedly as I ruffled Nessie's hair. What happened? How were the Cullens.

"Bells, you look a lot better" Alex said avoiding the point.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I broke down on you guys, I'm supposed to be the strong one" I said as I chuckled.

"It's okay to be the one in need of comforting sometimes. You can't always be Superman, err, woman" he joked.

Flashback

"I'll be the first to admit that I have no experience with relationships," I said.

"But it just seems logical . . . a man and woman have to be somewhat equal . . . as in, one of them can't always be swooping in and saving the other one. They have to save each other equally."

He folded his arms on the side of my bed and rested his chin on his arms. His expression was smooth, the anger reined in. Evidently he'd decided he wasn't angry with me. I hoped I'd get a chance to warn Alice before he caught up with her.

"You have saved me," he said quietly.

"I can't always be Lois Lane," I insisted. "I want to be Superman, too."

End of Flashback

I shook my head trying to forget the memory. "Come on, I have questions" I said as I ushered them to the living room. They all sat down.

"Wait mom, before you begin, I want to know 1 thing. What did you do today?"

I twitched nervously. Should I tell her about the rooms? Or that I was sobbing over her father? NO! Are you crazy the rational part of my brain argued. Probably.

"Nothing really, just hung around the house, cleaned it up a bit and went for a hunt a little bit ago" I said sticking as close to the truth as possible.

"Okay first, Nessie, what do you need to forgive them for?" What happened?

"Nothing, just that I tripped and scraped my shoulders and they made me go, against my will, to the nurse. Crazy" she muttered. They are always overprotective of her. They consider her their little sister.

"Honey, are you okay" I said as I got up. On the other hand, Nessie, like . . . Edward *wince* never said everything fully.

"Mom, I'm fine, chill" she said as I relaxed and sat back down.

"Okay, so how was your day with the Cullens" I asked.

"Mom, were you composing?" Nessie said as she saw blank music sheets scattered across the piano. She wasn't a good distracter.

"Yes, a little, now, what happened? Was it that bad?" I asked getting worried.

"No mom. They played a bit rough and teased and pranked us" Oh, why, I feel terrible. "by reading our thoughts and seeing our futures and all. I actually want to go hunting" Oh! I totally forgot.

Well . . . "Oh, okay"

"Can you put up a shield. In case I bump into them" she begged.

"Okay" I finally said.

"We'll go with her" Mel and Will said as they got up. Of course.

"Great, I'll drop my stuff off and be right back" she said as she headed up.

Everyone scattered around the house. I decided to start reading. I opened my Wuthering heights that I have had for years and put a blue dot on the last page which were normally blank. I did every time I read it. I have 376 dots.

"OH. MY. GOSH!!! Mom!" Nessie screamed.

Ah. She finally noticed the changes. The first guest room had been totally transformed into a huge game room..

Everyone ran up. "Oh! Wow" Melinda said.

"Bells, where did this come from" Will asked.

"Cool!!" Alex yelled as we started playing Dance Dance Revolution.

"Amazing" Sophie said.

"Well, all our old stuff finally arrived today so I thought I should set it up" I explained.

"Wait! Does that mean" Sophie said as she and Alex ran to the next door and opened it. The both screamed. This was their old building room.

"Thank you Bells" They said in unison as they attacked me in hugs.

"You're welcome" I said, happy that they would enjoy it.

"Wait mom, what's in the last room?" Nessie asked.

"Oh, that's our arena/exercise room" I said. I always wanted one.

"Cool" she said, excitement obvious in her voice.

"Awesome!" Will said as he ran in, grabbed a paintball gun and pointed it at me.

"Will, don't. You. Dare" I threatened. He wouldn't

"Oh come on, please Bells" he whined.

"Well. . ." I started. Oh! " . . . wait! No to shooting me but we can play paintball tag. Or we could play laser tag at night"

"PAINTBALL TAG!!" they all yelled.

"Ok" I chuckled. "Paintball tag it is. I'm going to be reading downstairs" I said as I left them to have fun.

I went down and grabbed Wuthering Heights and settled down to read. I hadn't gotten past the first page before I heard Alex yell.

"Hey Bells, do you mind if we go hunting with Mel and Nessie and Will" ?? O-Kay?

"No, not if Nessie doesn't mind. I'll shield all of you but keep it close to your bodies so you can hunt" I said quietly.

He doesn't have to yell. I heard as the thump as they jumped out of the window. I settled more into the couch and began to read. I was interrupted by I knock at the door. I looked up and the smell lingered to me. I almost broke down. That smell only belonged to 1 bronze-haired god. Edward. I quickly made myself seem like Sophie.

"Coming!" I yelled as I got up and walked to the door. My hand lingered on the knob for a second before I opened it.

"Oh! Hello Sophie?" he said as he sniffed the air and got a puzzling look on his face.

"Yes" Let it go. Please, let it go.

"Is Bella here?" he asked.

"That's none of your business" I said trying to act like Sophie.

"Really . . . hmm . . . " he said as he looked me over casually sniffing the air. Finally, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Bella, I know it's you, I can smell you" he said trying to dazzle me. I concentrated on a tree right next to his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm Sophie, now leave before I frighten you so bad you just might crawl into the ground" I said calling my bluff.

He looked around my hand to the inside of the house.

"Can I get you anything" I asked and immediately cursed myself for saying it when Edward looked at me a small smile on his lips.

I realized I had asked him the same thing when he first came to my house 30 some years ago. He continued to look until his eyes landed on something and he chuckled as a smile spread across his face. I followed his gaze to the Wuthering Heights book on the couch. Crap.

"Again?" he said as he shook his head. "Bella, can I please come in" he said in an irresistible voice.

I lowered my hand and allowed him in. He walked to the couch and sat down. He motioned for me to join him. I just shook my head.

"Can I at least see you and not Sophie" he pleaded.

I let out a sigh of defeat and removed the illusion.

"Thank you. Now . . . Bella . . . we need to . . . talk" he said struggling for the right words.

"No, we don't. I know your reasons. I don't want to do this now. Will you please leave" I said as calmly as I could manage while pointing to the door.

"Please Bella. Everything I told you that day in the forest was a lie. It killed me you accepted it so easily. Please believe the truth not the lie. Please Bella. It's killed me not being with you. Not knowing if you were okay. I just wanted you to have a normal human life. Please Bella. I lied" he pleaded. "Forgive me" he begged.

I looked away and pointed to the door.

"Can you promise me something" he asked.

"Yes" I said automatically and knew I'd regret it. I was out of shape. I should have said, it depends.

"Will you at least think about it" he pleaded.

I took a couple of deep breaths.

"Fine, I promised, now, leave please" I said trying with all my might to say it calmly.

He nodded sullenly and ran off. I sat down to read again, trying to calm myself and loose myself in a different world. A couple minutes later, Nessie ran in.