Always You
continued…

Bella

I open my eyes and smile to the sweet, rare, wonderful sounds of songbirds chirping cheerfully in the early dawn of a milky blue, yellow and white sky of a seemingly cloudless new day. As I turn myself from my side to my back I keep my eyes centered on my window and run my fingertips gingerly across my lips and think back to the perfectly wonder dream I had awoken from, and my smile fades just as quickly as it had come. I had dreamt Emmett had driven me home after the both of us witnessed Edward and Rosalie's affair. But instead of leaving me when we arrived, he had come noiselessly into my room – we spent the night together until at last my drowsiness had won over and I fell asleep in his arms. I shiver and pull my eyes away from the morning, now seeming to be too bright – too cheerful and full of hope – I wrap my arms around myself and pull the covers up to my chin while closing my eyes. The sounds of the birds are loud and endless and I knit my eyebrows together and will myself to fall back into the blissful dream of comfort and love, of promises and tenderness.

My tense body relaxes as the bed beside me sinks slightly, and I smile knowing I have succeeded in falling back asleep. But more so, in falling back into the same dream – it happens so rarely – it is a miracle it happens now. His arm wraps around my waist and my smile spreads with the feeling of him beside me, holding me, once more. His lips touch my cheek softly as he kisses me, and kisses me, and kisses me. Long, tender, loving kisses as I turn my body to face his and pull down my covers to snake my arm around his torso. I reach up my opposite hand and lace my fingers through his hair and pull his lips into mine. Full, soft, tender lips massage wonderfully against mine. I smile again as his lips part from mine and his hand reaches up and cups around mine, pulling it to his chest where he then brings it to his lips and kisses it a dozen times over, drinking in and savoring ever kiss, I dare not open my eyes to ruin this perfect moment – this perfect dream.

He slowly pulls his lips from my hand and brings it up, opens it and rests it softly against his cheek, leaning into it and holding me tighter. "Bella," His voice sings softly, almost mutely, "I have loved you for so long, I have wanted this since the moment I first saw you." He tells me, and I let out a small breath but dare not speak. I will be awoken by the volume and harshness of my own voice sounding in my sleeping ears. "Bella," He breathes as he turns his face beneath my hand and kisses my palm firmly, tenderly, twice, "Bella – I love you so much, oh, God, how much I love you." He tells me as he pulls me closer still and lands his lips lovingly against my forehead before leaning his own against it.

I tilt my lips foreword and meet with his halfway. "Bella," He asks softly with a light chuckle as his fingers brush away loose strands of hair that have fallen over my eyes. "Why won't you say anything?" He asks. "Why won't you open your eyes?"

"I can't," I chance whispering, my eyes still glued shut.

"Why?" He wonders before his lips touch down to my forehead, and his nose plays Eskimo with mine.

"If I open my eyes," I softly breathe, "Then I'll wake up, and you'll be gone." I tell him as our noses continue kissing lovingly.

"I love your eyes, they're so beautiful. Please let me see them Bella, please let me look into them," He asks as our foreheads now touch along with our noses. "Please." He begs softly, gently. His thumb rubs the back of my hand as our fingers become intertwined and I suck in my lips and bite down on the inner side of them softly. "Please," Comes his voice again, softer and more full of longing as his lips brush against mine, nudging at them softly.

I riskily give in, willing my subconscious mind to have mercy and allow - if only just this once – me to open my eyes and remain asleep.

I open my eyes and his face does not fade away. "It wasn't a dream," I breathe and turn away from him to look out the window, now holding a brighter and happier sky than I had condemned it to be. The sounds of the songbirds never left, I think while turning back around to face him once more. I pull my hand away from his torso and run it up the side of his neck and jaw line, and slowly caress his cheek and graze my fingertips along his barley-parted lips. I feel him watching me as my eyes scan over and drink in every inch of his wonderful face, until at last my eyes meet with his and we lay contentedly looking into each other. I slide my hand slowly away from his cheek and run it to the back of his neck, where I pull myself slowly into him and kiss him gingerly, savoring ever moment our lips meet.

The sound of our lips slowly meeting and parting, parting and meeting, fills my ears and I draw in my body as close to his as I possibly can. His arms encircle me and hold me tightly.

"I love you, Emmett." I tell him as we lay holding each other – I in his arms, and his head and shoulders held tightly in mine with my head nuzzled at the crook of his neck. He runs a hand slowly around the contours of my back while holding me still with the other as I wind my legs tighter and tighter within his. I can't get close enough to him. I squeeze my arms around him until I can squeeze no tighter, and he whispers my name again and again like a prayer. I inhale his scent and beg him softly to never leave me; to never do what Edward did. He tells me, "No – no – no," He loved me all along, and his heart was always mine, even if I didn't realize it. "I am yours; I'd rather be ripped to shreds than be without you." He promises before kissing a slow trail along my neck, and finally touching his lips back to mine.

I turn the key and kill the engine of my truck, deciding I have sat long enough with the heat blowing to fill the cab. I wipe my hand across my forehead before folding my arms along my lap, taping my fingers rhythmically – and somewhat nervously – as I wait for the shiny and familiar silver Volvo to pull up and park beside me. I don't usually park here, but after Emmett explained to me of the conversation he and Edward had, I can't help but feel as if he, Edward, owes it to me to tell me to my face of himself and Rosalie.

Leaving for school early was both difficult and necessary. Difficult because it meant pulling myself away from Emmett that much sooner; necessary because it meant the sooner school was over, the sooner I could be with him again. Being with Emmett made me feel things I had never felt with Edward. He made me feel alive, he made me feel… loved - wanted. I knew it sounded so high school and puppy love, but it was more than that. The feeling of being in his arms was so natural, so amazing. It was like the moment he looked at me and our eyes met and he drew me into him nothing could ever happen to me because I was complete. It was right. It was natural. I could lay awake beside him for hours, not speaking, not kissing… not doing anything but holding each other and breathing. When I looked into his eyes it was like falling into a whole nother world that was just us, even if we were surrounded by a thousand other people, all I would be able to see or hear or feel would be him. I could just close my eyes, feel his arms around me and his legs knotted within mine and his lips gently kissing my neck, jaw line, cheeks, lips, forehead… hands… He made everything right, he made everything perfect. His voice alone could send me falling deeper and deeper into the love that I had fallen so hard with him without even realizing it. When I looked into his eyes it was like I had looked into them a thousand times…

A single knock sounds on my window and I jump - being pulled from my thoughts and back into real time. I gather myself and turn my head to see Edward looking in at me with sorrow in his eyes, and the backs of Alice and Jasper walking hand-in-hand towards the school together. I swallow a small lump in my throat before reaching across the seat to gather up my backpack and lunch, and quickly unzip my bag to drop in the brown paper bag. I inhaled a deep, slow breath and let it out quickly while zipping up my bag and shoving my keys into my pocket.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Edward says as I push open my truck door and slide out to the pavement. "But I said your name three times first; I guess you just didn't hear me."

"No," I say as I pull my bag over my shoulder and push shut my door. "It's alright."

He is silent for a moment, pulling his eyes from mine he looks down at the ground and slowly digs his hands into his front pant pockets. Sucking in a breath of air through his nostrils he looks back at me, "I don't really know how to begin." He says slowly.

"Then don't say anything," I tell him. "There isn't anything you could say that I don't already know. If you're worried that you may have hurt me – the only thing that hurt me was the way I had to find out. Other that that… I'm actually happy it happened. If it didn't then I would have never realized how much I care about – love – Emmett. And you would have always had to keep your and Rosalie's feelings for each other a secret. So whatever you do don't say you're sorry – because I'm not." I tell him honestly. "And I know you're not either. So," I add as I look down at the ground, and then quickly back up at his face. "Let's just start over; pretend we were never even together. It was you and Rosalie who have been, and shortly after I moved here I met and fell in love with Emmett Cullen, and have been with him ever since."

"Well I guess that beats reality, especially since Rosalie and Emmett have been divorced since 1956." He reveals, and I look up at him curiously. "Don't get me wrong, they were still together, but it was Rosalie's idea. She said it made her feel trapped and old – I know, a hell of a thing for her to say seeing how the time period she came from girl's were often married before their twentieth birthday – but Emmett agreed to it without debate, and the rest of us didn't really question it, and just went on like nothing had changed. But, Bella," He adds, tilting my chin with his finger so my eyes meet with his. "I don't want you to think that I never loved you – I did – it's just that I could see you didn't really love me as much as I had thought. Especially the way you and Emmett would look at each other… Let's just say there was more than one reason Rosalie disliked you. When she was human she was used to getting the attention of every man, and once she turned I didn't want to have a thing to do with her. Then Emmett came along, and contrary to popular belief it even took some convincing for him to even stand her at first.

"There marriage was more for show, I mean don't get me wrong, they did care for each other, but not nearly as much as Alice and Jasper, and Carlisle and Esme. It was really always me she wanted, and Emmett just happened to be being mauled by a bear when she was off sulking in the woods, pouting and having a little tantrum that I didn't want her. I think Emmett must have known that, because when they were together Rosalie only really seemed to even be interested in him to make me jealous. And it didn't at first; I went on resenting her as much as ever for the next few decades.

"Then, just as soon as I thought she would give up and turn devoted and loyal to Emmett, you came along, and both Emmett and myself fell for you – you fell for Emmett, thinking you'd fallen for me – I was torn, confused. I was torn because I didn't know if I should really put myself through the torture of staying with someone I loved so much, but didn't love me back. And confused because of the way Rosalie would still look at me, and how I realized I began looking back at her in the same way – how Emmett would look at you, and not at Rosalie, and how Rosalie would look at me but not at Emmett – well, nothing really new there – how you would look at Emmett and not at me, and how Emmett never really looked at Rosalie.

"I was so torn because I didn't want to be unfaithful to you, but I could help but notice how Rosalie and I began to look at one another with the longing that Alice and Jasper shared, and Carlisle and Esme – you and Emmett. It was so clear that it was love all of you saw for each other, but the only difference was that you and Emmett held back – or more, Emmett – you still hadn't realized your feelings for him yet. But it made me really open my eyes to how much hatred I had had for Rosalie, and thinking about it I realized that somewhere along the line… I loved her. I hated that I loved her, and it just made it that much harder to accept.

"Then one night; early morning, after I came back from staying with you while you slept, I got home and Rosalie was the only one there – everybody else was out hunting – she was sitting on the couch reading one of her magazines. A strand of hair had fallen over her eyes, but she was so into what she was reading she hadn't noticed, and I brushed it away. The next thing I knew she was in my arms.

"We were in her and Emmett's bedroom when the rest of the family started arriving back, first, Emmett. He walked in on us, quietly. I heard him of course because of his thoughts, but I just pretended to not notice, and ignored him to not give Rosalie anything to worry about.

"And then it happened again… and again… and again. Until finally you saw us.

"I wish you could have found out in another way – I wish I had just been honest and told you about it the first time it happened, but I didn't."

"Because you were a coward," I finish for him, quoting Emmett with a small smile over my lips. "It's okay Edward; I forgive you, and Rosalie. At least we can all be happy now, be with the people we truly love, rather than lie, sneak and pretend otherwise."

He smiles, and I kick off my feet and head to class.