Chapter Thirteen: Safe With Me
After spending forty-five minutes in Alice's bathroom getting my hair and makeup redone, she, Rosalie, Emmett, and I were in the convertible driving back to my house. While they were grooming me, I got to ask my questions I found out that Carlisle was over three hundred years old and that he grew up in medieval London. He was so compassionate that when he became a vampire, he rebelled against it. He tried to destroy himself until he discovered that he could survive and not kill humans by living off the blood of animals. Later, he became a doctor because he enjoyed saving people's lives. He got lonely with his solitary lifestyle so he decided to create someone who shared his vision. He found Edward, alone and dying of Spanish influenza, in 1918 and turned him into a vampire. Soon after, Carlisle found Esme. Edward found Rosalie in 1935 and had Carlisle change her for him. Rosalie refused to talk about it though.
I also found out that Emmett had an ability. Because he had to survive on his own during his human life, his survival instinct increased into his vampire life. As a result, Emmett knew when anything would be dangerous to him or the people around him he cared about. He said that I was now included in that sphere of survival instinct because he loved me so much and didn't want to lose me. I felt even safer with him now that I knew that.
Rosalie parked in front of my house, now empty. Charlie must have left again.
"You guys wanna come in for a little while? Charlie isn't home." I asked them, hoping Emmett at least would come.
"Sure." Emmett said and got out. He buzzed around the car, opening Alice and Rosalie's doors for them before coming to open mine. I got out and put my arm around his waist after he slung his arm around my shoulders. We walked up the drive and Emmett opened the door for us.
Alice and Rosalie proceeded inside but I paused in the door. "It was unlocked?" surely my dad wouldn't be that careless.
"No, I used the key under the eave. I was curious about my little bunny." He explained, grinning.
"You spied in me?" I tried to sound angry but it was diffused. I was kind of flattered, actually.
"What else is there to do at night?" he shrugged, unrepentant.
In the kitchen, I started pulling things down to make dinner. They watched my as I sliced some vegetables for a chicken skillet dish. We continued to talk while I cooked. I learned more about their past, like where they had lived before they moved here. Emmett kept coming up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my neck or face. One time when he did that, I was so distracted that I came inches from chopping my finger of. He stopped doing it when I was using the knife after that.
Charlie got home at 6:30, enough time for me to cook dinner, eat mine, and make it look like they had eaten too. The four of us were in the living room, watching music videos on TV when Charlie came through the door.
"Hey, dad. Dinner is on the stove." I called to him. I still heard his boots head this way. He stopped in the door and looked around. Charlie smiled at me and nodded to Alice and Rosalie in greeting. His eyes locked onto Emmett sitting next to me and frowned.
"Hey, girls. Who's this?" Charlie feigned politeness.
"Dad, you remember Emmett, right? He's my biology partner at school and the guy who saved me from the van. He wanted to come with his sisters to hang out." I explained, trying to look like we were just friends. Charlie nodded and shuffled off to the kitchen. He was back in two minutes with a plate of food.
"So did you have fun today, Bells?" Charlie asked and leaned against the door jamb. I knew he wasn't going to leave us alone.
"Yeah, it was great. What do you think?" I asked, standing up to show off Alice and Rosalie's handiwork.
"You look great, kid." He said, admiring my outfit. I could feel Emmett's eyes on me, checking me out. I smiled and sat back down next to him as Paramore's Decode came on. I sang with it.
How can I decide what's right
When you're clouding up my mind
I can't win your losing fight
All the time
No cover ever over what's mine
When you're always taking sides
But you won't take away my pride
No not this time, not this time
How did we get here
When I used to know you so well
And how did we get here
Well, I think I know how
The truth is hiding in your eyes
And its hanging on your tongue
Just boiling in my blood (nudge Emmett here)
But you think that I cant see
What kind of man that you are
If you're a man at all
Well I will figure this one out on my own
(I'm screaming I love you so)
On my own
(My thoughts you can't decode)
How did we get here
When I used to know you so well (yeah)
How did we get here
Well, I think I know how
Do you see what we've done
We're gonna make such fools of ourselves
Do you see what we've done
We're gonna make such fools of ourselves
(Yeah yeah)
How did we get here
When I used to know you so well (yeah, yeah)
Well, how did we get here
When I used to know you so well
I think I know
I think I know
There is something
I see in you
It might kill me
I want it to be true
For the next hour, it was like a karaoke concert in my living room. We sang to our favorite songs and laughed a lot. They all had really nice voices. At a quarter to eight, they got up to leave. I walked with them to the door, Charlie not very far behind.
"See you tomorrow Bella." Alice hugged me and walked out. Rosalie hugged me too before following Alice out.
When Emmett hugged me, he leaned down and whispered, "Leave your window open, love."
I nodded and smiled.
"Good night Chief Swan. See ya later Bella." Emmett said casually before leaving.
"hmmph." Charlie closed the door.
"So how was your day, dad?" I asked, walking to the kitchen. Time to clean up dinner.
"Fine. Had to come back at noon briefly to get another pole; lost mine in the lake. Phone was ringing when I got in." he said and sat in a chair at the table.
"Who was it?" I asked, knowing he wouldn't bring it up unless there was a point. Maybe it was my mom.
"Mike Newton, looking for you. He seemed a little upset when I told him you weren't here." He grinned. I knew he liked Mike but I wasn't interested in him the way my dad thought I should be, not that I was going to tell him that or what I was really interested in. he would flip a lid.
"Yeah, he's a good buddy. I'm going to go get ready for school tomorrow. 'night dad." I said, glad that I cleaned fast.
"Night kid." He said and headed to the living room.
As soon as I was in my room, I went to open the window as wide as I could. I figured he wouldn't come until Charlie was asleep so I went to take a shower. I couldn't believe all that had happened to day but I knew it was real. I tried not to think about the crazy turn my life had taken, letting the familiar scent of my shampoo ease me. My pajamas were rather pitiful. I wore an old tee shirt and black shorts to bed. Too late to regret not bringing the Victoria's Secret pajamas by mom bought me tow birthdays ago that still had the tags on in a drawer back at home.
I ran downstairs when I was dressed to say good night to my dad. And so he could see me with my wet hair and pajamas. Charlie seemed startled to see me so maybe he wouldn't check on me tonight. I tried to make my steps sound slow and tired as I went back upstairs.
Emmett was lying across my bed, taking most of it up because he had his huge body sprawled out over it, looking like a perfect statue of ease.
He looked at my pajamas and smiled. "Nice."
"Thanks. Now scoot over." I said, rolling my eyes.
"No really, on you it works." He insisted, rolling to his side and sliding to the wall to make room for me.
I lay down next to him and pulled the blanket around me. I didn't want to sleep, not that I thought I could, with him there. His arm came around me and pulled me tightly against his chest so I snuggled against him.
"Will you stay?" I asked shyly, my breathing heavy.
"I do every night. There's not much to do at night and I like watching you sleep." He said and I felt his lips on my neck.
"You don't sleep?" I was wondering about that. That was why there was no bed in his room.
"No, not at all."
"How long have you been spying on my?" I teased after a minute.
"Since the accident. I came to make sure you were ok but I couldn't make myself leave. I love watching you sleep; you talk." He chuckled quietly.
"Oh, no." I groaned, horrified. Of course I knew I talked in my sleep; my mother was constantly teasing me for it. But I didn't think it was something I needed to worry about here!
"What's wrong? I don't sense any danger. You're safe Bella. What's wrong, love?" he asked anxiously, his hand stroking my face.
"What did you hear?" I asked angrily. I was embarrassed that he eavesdropped on my night talking.
"Hey, it's ok." He tried to calm me. When I refused to talk, he continued. "You miss your mother. You worry about her and her safety. You used to talk about home a lot but it's less often now. The rain makes you restless." He paused. "You said my name."
"A lot?" I asked, cringing away from the probable answer.
"Yeah but don't be embarrassed by it. If I could dream at all, they would all be about you and I'm not ashamed in the least of it." His voice was soft and warm, his lips cold as he nuzzled my neck. He was so affectionate that it made me relax into him.
"I love you, Emmett. I said as I rested my head against his chest.
"So I've heard." He teased, stroking my cheek. "Go to sleep, love. You're safe and you need your sleep. Today was a hard day for you. You're safe with me." Emmett started humming the song he wrote for me.
I felt so safe and peaceful in his arms that I quickly fell asleep. The last thing I heard was the music and him whispering, "I love you," against my ear.