Chapter 3 : Counterpart
coun·ter·part [koun-ter-pahrt] - one of two parts that fit, complete, or complement one another.
AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist-AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist
Seeing how shy she was, Edward's siblings let Bella get away with merely telling them to call her Isabella, and how nice it was to meet them. For the rest of lunch, she stayed cuddled into Edward's chest, hiding as much as she could. The others didn't mind, and neither did Edward; of course, he might have been a little biased – after all, he did have his mate pressing as close to him as she could get for nearly an hour. The warmth that practically radiated from her body into his simply would have made him happy, not coupled with the fact that she was his, and she was perfect, and beautiful, and adorable, and wonderful... the list could go on with how he felt about her.
With two more classes in the day, the two eagerly walked out into the parking lot. They had silently agreed that Bella would be coming with him to his house, and so they headed towards her car. Knowing they wouldn't be able to be separated for long, Edward willingly threw his keys towards Alice, and grabbed Bella's keys from her hands. She pouted a bit, but all he had to do was smile and she was fine again.
"Are you ready to really meet my family, Bella?" He asked her softly.
She looked nervous, but knew that it wasn't something she could easily avoid. They both knew that it was impossible for a mated pair to sleep without the other near them, so she saw many sleepovers at the Cullens house in the near future, seeing as Charlie probably wouldn't mind. Edward had already assured her that his parents would adore her. She took a breath, to calm her racing heart, and breathed "Yeah, I'm ready, Edward."
He smiled at the way she said his name, and then took off towards home – now both his home, and Bella's home.
AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist-AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist
Esme Cullen was nervous. So nervous, in fact, that she couldn't help standing up and pacing, wringing her fingers. She was happy for her youngest son, don't get that wrong, but she was also worried for him.
In all the books about mating and such, there had never been a single pair like this. A lion and a lamb? Sure, sounds cute in books and movies, but in real life, there are so many problems that come with that. Lions are possessive and protective, dominant, strong, fast... essentially, almost everything a lamb is not. If her son wasn't thinking for just one moment, he could seriously hurt his mate, and that would hurt him in return. Even though Esme had yet to meet Edward's mate, she already loved her simply for being who she was, and that made her all the more worried; worried for both Edward and his mate.
Esme decided that she would just have to see how the couple got along together. After all, if they had gone through the mating process, then they were meant to be.
AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist-AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist
Carlisle Cullen was watching his mate pacing back and forth in their living room. They were waiting for their children to return home, so that they could all meet the newest addition to the Cullen family.
From the phone call they had received from a very excited Alice, Carlisle knew that it was nothing but the absolute truth that his son had mated with someone who was seemingly the opposite of him, and while this made him curious – as many people had already said today, 'this had never happened before' – he couldn't deny being excited for Edward, either. His youngest son had been seemingly distancing himself more and more from his family, and he hoped that now that Edward wasn't the only one without a mate at his side, his son would let himself be happy again.
He sincerely hoped that his new daughter had a positive influence on his son. But, then again, lambs are known to be something like pushovers.
AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist-AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist
Bella couldn't believe how beautiful the house in front of her was. No, she decided. It is not a house; it is a mansion; a lovely, off-white, Victorian style mansion, at that. But, then again, there were seven people living in that house – it would have to be pretty big if you didn't want to be tripping all over each other all day.
Edward, who had been raised to be a gentleman by both of his parents – and his older siblings had helped a bit, as well – walked around the car at a fast speed, and opened her car door for her. Already knowing just how clumsy his Bella was, he also did not hesitate to wrap and arm around her waist to steady her. They smiled at each other.
Bella was confident in the fact that Edward was her mate, but she was probably the most nervous person on Earth when it came to meeting Edward's family. At lunch, it had been different. Edward's family had known she would most likely be shy – as she is a lamb – so they let her get away with hiding her face, and hardly saying a word. They had been in a cafeteria full of people, who were all looking with amazement at the odd new couple, after all, and Edward's siblings were not emotionless beings; they knew when to leave someone alone.
But, now that it would only be Bella, Edward, and the rest of the Cullens, it was inevitable that she would be talking in the near future. She couldn't avoid meeting her mate's family forever, and she was guessing from how excited Alice had looked at lunch that it would be hard to avoid it for another five minutes, at the most. She could see Edward's Volvo parked close to the garage doors, so she knew that the others had made it here before them; she also knew that it was very probably that they were all standing around inside, waiting for them. While she was happy that they seemed to like her already, she was also one who nearly loathed attention.
Edward broke her out of her thoughts. Her expressions had been getting increasingly more worried, and he decided that a face as beautiful as hers shouldn't be unhappy in any way. He lead her up the front stairs carefully, and opened the door, to see, as expected, his entire family sitting in the living room, eagerly waiting for them.
AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist-AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist
Alice Cullen was many things – beautiful, fashionable, and energetic, to name a few. But, unfortunately, patient was not one of them. She had let Bella get away with hiding at lunch, because she knew that if Bella was shy, then the room full of people staring at her was not helping one bit.
She had heard the car pull up the driveway, and park. She had heard two car doors closing. She had heard the soft footsteps of her new sister, and the slightly heavier ones of her brother on the gravel. She had heard every step they took on the front porch. She had heard when they seemingly hesitated before her brother opened the door.
Immediately, all eyes in the room moved towards the couple standing in the doorway. Edward had his arm gently wrapped around Bella, keeping her steady while still keeping her close, and he had hardly glanced towards them yet. He only had eyes for Bella; his Bella.
Alice could also hear the quiet, joyful sob her mother let out at seeing the pair.
AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist-AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist
All Esme could think about at that moment was how right they looked together. She could tell by the look in their eyes that they were truly mates – not that she had doubted the fact before, but still – and that they were content with each other.
She had never seen her son happier then she saw him now, even when they were younger and it had only been him, Alice, and Emmett together. There was no doubt in her mind that the soft, warm, beautiful creature that her son was holding onto belonged to him, and he to her. She could see it in their eyes.
AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist-AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist
Carlisle was happy. He, too, could tell from their eyes that they were in love. It wasn't so much just the mating process that made them love each other, but he could tell that his son had found some reasons during the day to truly love her.
But, Carlisle could not help worrying as well. The curious man he is, always looking for new information, could not let him keep his eyes on their faces. His eyes travelled up and down the couple, looking for anything. And, he found it. At first glance, Edward's arms seemed to be merely protecting her, ensuring her safety in the fact that he didn't want her to fall and hurt herself.
And Carlisle, with his vast knowledge, could tell that by the way his youngest son had his fingers slightly curled, and had her body slightly angled away from everybody but him, that Edward was also silently claiming what was his. The lion's possessive and dominant part was coming out. It was natural for a lion, but Carlisle wondered – and worried – how this part of his son's nature would work. Edward would have to work twice as hard to protect her, being as weak as she was, and he wondered is his son would be able to find the balance between being protective and being possessive.
All the same, Carlisle was happy.
AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist-AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist
Bella looked up into the faces of her new family members. From the moment Edward had opened the door, she had felt the burning sensation of eyes taking in her appearance.
She recognized Edward's siblings, and rightfully assumed that the remaining two were his parents. They were as beautiful as the rest of his family, but Edward was the most beautiful in her opinion. He was perfect for her, and she hoped that he felt the same about her.
AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist-AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist
Edward watched Bella carefully, but in from the corner of his eye he was watching his families every move. He trusted them, but he knew that Bella was fragile and had to be looked after carefully. If Alice hugged her too tightly, she would most likely be bruised; if Emmett decided he wanted to play a game, then that would probably end with her injured in some way. He loved his family a lot, but ever since this morning ,when she had stepped out of her car in the school parking lot, Bella had become his number one priority, and there would be no stopping him from getting revenge is anything should happen to her. He didn't care if she merely fell. If someone had been close enough to catch her and hadn't, he would make sure they knew to take care of his most prized possession; his Bella.
AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist-AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist
Jasper took in how his brother and new sister were standing. Like Carlisle, he noticed the possessive posture Edward had taken. But, he also knew that there was no way Edward would upset Bella in anyway. He imagined trying to hurt Alice, and automatically cringed away from the thought.
Just this one thought had him looking over at her, seeing for himself that she was still as happy as she had been all day. Reassured, he backed up his thought that Edward would never harm Bella. She may be fragile, and he knew the personality traits of lions and lambs, and Edward may be possessive, but the fact remained that they were mates. Edward would always be the dominant one in the relationship, but is Bella so much as became uncomfortable by something he was doing, Edward would most likely yell at himself in his thoughts, and do almost anything to fix the situation so it was to her liking.
Edward was also the one in the family known to overreact, so Jasper found himself idly wondering how Edward would react to simple situations that might even slightly unnerve Bella; he imagined Edward freaking out if a bug crawled on her skin, and that made him chuckle nearly silently. He shook his head when Alice looked in his direction.
If she asked, she would tell him later. Now, they would be introduced to the newest addition to their family.
AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist-AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist
Edward, noticing there was no way Bella would speak on her own, and his family seemed to be waiting for one of them to speak, decided to take matters into his own hands. He led Bella carefully – he didn't want her to trip – over to an open loveseat that no doubt his family had specifically left for them. He sat down first, and brought Bella down into his lap. She curled into him easily, nearly duplicating their position from lunch, except she knew she couldn't hide her face away this time. Her eyes were darting from face to face, taking everybody in.
Encouraged by the movement, they decided it was safe to talk now. "Well, Edward. Aren't you going to introduce us properly?" Alice asked impatiently. Like mentioned earlier, patience was not one of her characteristics, and she had been waiting all day for this moment.
"Of course," he replied without taking his eyes off Bella. "Mom, Dad, this is Bella, my mate." He moved her a little bit, so that his parents could see her face better.
"It's wonderful to meet you, dear." Esme said sincerely.
"Thank you." Bella whispered. Everyone had to strain their ears to hear her. "It's nice to meet you, too. You have a beautiful home, Mrs. Cullen."
"Thank you." A sure way to win Esme's heart was to compliment her house. She's an interior designer, and took pride in keeping her house clean and organized. "And please, Bella. We're family now. Call me Esme."
"Esme." Bella said. She was becoming more confident the longer the spent there. Edward was helping a bit my rubbing small circles of her arms.
"And call me Carlisle." He smiled gently down at her. He could see that she needed to be treated gently.
"Okay, Carlisle." She smiled brightly at him. Edward smiled as well; both because of her smile and the fact that she had spoken in a normal tone of voice. She was comfortable where she was, and she let him know it by turning herself completely to face his family, while still leaning close to him.
AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist-AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist
Bella had been accepted as a member of the Cullen family, and she knew it. She could feel it in the atmosphere around her, and could hear it in the gentle tones of their voices. She had never felt more comfortable than she did then, not even when she was in Phoenix with Renee and Phil, or when she had started getting used to Charlie's routines and habits. Here, in the Cullen house, surrounded by Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle, Esme, and sitting in Edward's embrace... she felt like she was home.
AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist-AnimalInSpirit-TierInGeist
AN/ Just in case many of you don't visit my profile, two things I want to tell you :
I now have a blog that will have information on new updates or stories, or just anything in general that relates to FanFiction.
On my profile, there is a poll that I would like people to take. It is about which two stories of mine people would like to see updated and finished right at the moment, so I can get a good idea about which stories I should focus on.
Review, please!