CHAPTER 39: Emily's House

After lunch, I let Edward drive us back to La Push to visit First Beach, the place where a lot of us go to hang out. Back in Volterra, Angela mentioned she loves Orcas while we were chatting on set and I thought of her as the ocean came up to the rear.

She'd love it here because on good days when the tide was nice and high enough to go surfing or boogie boarding, you can often see them in the distance.

A part of me wants to send her a postcard of Orcas from the local souvenir shop but I never got the chance to get her address before she left. Not even a cell number.

"That's a big…tree trunk," Alice comments as she stares out the window.

There are rays of light cascading on the water, the sun mostly hidden behind clouds. Jacob told us to bring a light jacket since it's been cold and windy down by the water. Today probably wasn't a good day to wear a dress.

"It was an old tree that legend says has been around for centuries before it was struck by down lightning," Jacob explains. "Somehow it ended up near the shore and it's been there ever since. It's too big and heavy for the tide to wash away."

The tree trunk is located near the shore where the swell comes up. If you aren't careful you can be trapped for hours. A safe place would only be on top of one of the leafless branches until the water receded again when the tide drew back into the ocean.

It looks like a huge monster from the distance and even more enormous up close. People look like ants standing next to it. Tourists would often take picture with the massive trunk while trying to avoid the waves.

Today is especially windy so we immediately put on our hooded jackets and sweatshirts. Jacob put gloves on Renesmee, which I thought was sweet. Alice pulled out her camera and started taking pictures as soon as we left the graveled parking area.

"Are you warm enough?" Edward asks, putting his arm around me and rubbing my arms to keep me warm.

"Now I am," I smile, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Alice walked ahead with Jacob and Renesmee who are holding hands. My friend talking excitedly with Renesmee from the way she's explaining something with her hands—very animated-like. Jacob doesn't seem to care but the Hobbit has his girlfriend's full attention.

"Have you thought about it some more?" Edward suddenly asks, breaking my gaze away from the three in front of us. We've finally hit the beach, walking alongside the waves.

"About what?" I ask with a clueless expression.

Before he can answer, I trip on something and land near twigs and seaweed brought in by the tide, scraping my knee.

"Are you okay," Edward bends down to check on me. He looks amused. Jacob is laughing a couple of yards away from us. Renesmee hits him on the arm with a scolding look while Alice just shakes her head.

I inwardly sigh knowing I was bound to have an accident here sooner or later.

"I'm fine…" I reply grumpily, shaking the wet sand off my bare legs and arms with Edward's help. "What were you saying earlier?" I ask to make my accident a thing of the past. I've scraped my knee but I've had worse.

Edward chuckles, obviously meaning I should have been paying attention from the beginning. "To moving in with me."

"Oh. Well…no…not really. I mean, things are just kind of happening all of a sudden, ya know?" I shrug indifferently.

Moving in with him wasn't in the forefront of my mind. And honestly, with everything that's gone on lately, I forgot about it.

"I see," he says coolly. He's good about hiding his emotions so I can't tell if he's disappointed with my answer.

"My answer isn't a 'no'," I clarify.

He takes my hand and kisses the back of it. "I know. I thought I'd just ask. No rush."

I stop to face him, letting the others continue ahead of us without disturbing their walk. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Us moving in together?"

"Me moving in with you."

"Of course it is." He says without hesitation.

Taking a deep breath, I look away momentarily. "So you don't think we're moving a little...too fast?"

Edward looks at me with a curious expression. "Why? Do you?"

"Well…no. Not really," I shrug again. "I just…I just don't want you regretting anything."

He gathers me in his arms for a brief hug. "Bella, we've been over this. Nothing I do with you I regret. The only thing I regret is not being there for you as much as I should and giving you the attention you deserve." I peek up at him, savoring his words. "I plan to make a life with you someday and this is the first step, whether we do it now or later. Either way, I'm not letting you go so easily—you know this. If you'd rather wait…so be it."

"You just seem so…sure about everything."

I love him and I don't doubt my feelings for this man, but the future is always so uncertain. What happens when the honeymoon phase of our relationship gives way to reality? Will he and I still feel the same for each other? Will things still work out the way we think they will? Or will the reality of the both of us constantly travelling get in the way of having a normal relationship?

Even though we never had a normal relationship to begin with…I'm scared of things changing. I guess that's why I've pushed it in the back of my mind—because I didn't want to deal with the uncertainties.

"I'm not sure of anything," Edward says with a warm half-smile, caressing my cheek softly. "The only thing I'm sure of is you and how I feel about you. I understand your apprehensions and some may say we are moving a little too fast, but they don't know what we have. No one can determine what's best for us because…well, they're not us."

"Yeah…you're right."

Hearing him say that give me some sort of comfort. I thought I was the only one who didn't know what they were getting themselves into. It's nice to know he feels the same.

Edward's a romantic, that's what I love about him. He's the type of man who believes love conquers all and would fight to the death to win his love's affections if another man tries to capture her heart. Well, if this was the mediaeval times, that is.

He has a very old soul like he should have been born in another time where they wore fancy outfits, bowed to each other, and the men stood whenever a lady leaves the table.

"Hey, you two…get a room!" Jacob yells from where they've stopped. Alice and Renesmee are chuckling at either Jacob's comment or our behavior. I can't be sure. At least it's nothing stupid I've done again.

Edward and I eventually join in. He kisses me on the cheek and whispers in my ear. "Take your time."

I I I

"Your home is amazing!" Alice does a 360-spin in the foyer at Renesmee's huge house.

Jacob wasn't kidding about the open space and open windows. It's a little after four-thirty with a lot of natural light still seeping into the house giving it a nice warm glow. It's a nice modern type of home with dark wood paneling, granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances, while still giving it a very comfortable, homey feel with pastel colors for the main décor, and fresh flowers.

Very different from the small homes around Forks that have been around for years, most of them requiring some kind of house repair.

It's also not as eerie as Jake described it. There are small porch and walkway lights placed all around the property so that one can see enough outside to know if someone is suspiciously lurking around.

The gated property also makes me feel a little safer. We can see cars approaching down the long gravel driveway and hide if necessary, so that was a plus. And although I don't think the paparazzi would dare climb the black metal gates with arrow tips at the top, they've surprised us more than once.

Before coming here, we stopped by the house again so I can tell Charlie where we'll be staying in case he freaks out if he tries to call the hotel and we're no longer there. I also told him I'd see him again before we leave, and so in case we went straight to the airport tomorrow if things got a little too sticky to be hanging around.

Surprisingly, Charlie agreed it was a better idea that we stay here, after Jacob convinced him we'd be safer from the prying eyes of the public. The last thing he needs is complaints of a bunch of celebrities and his daughter disturbing the peace in his small town.

We also omitted the part that Renesmee's parents are out of town for the weekend.

"You can choose any bedroom you want to your right—third floor. The bedrooms there should be furnished," Renesmee tells us with a smile. She looks genuinely happy to be sharing her home with us.

"Thank you, again, for letting us stay here," I say to her.

"Thanks for keeping me company," she grins back.

"Hey, what about me?" Jacob looks hurt. "I keep you company, too."

Renesmee giggles at his childish behavior, wrapping her arms around his waist, giving him a brief squeeze. Jacob hugs her back with one arm.

Edward glances at me with a small smile. I think deep down he's relieved that Jacob's affections are steered elsewhere even though I've told him numerous times we're just best friends. I did mention Jake used to have a crush on me—but that was ages ago. No romantic feels have sparked between us and Jacob's never tried anything because he understands the boundaries of our friendship.

"I get first dibs!" Alice practically runs up the stairs, leaving her suitcases at the base.

I give Renesmee an apologetic smile for Alice's excitement on exploring the rest of the house. She merely smiles back, amused by my friend for acting like a five-year-old on Christmas.

"What about you, Jake? Are you staying here tonight, too?" I asked because he didn't bring any overnight bags with him…unless he already has clothes here?

"Yeah…I'll be back later," he says.

"Later?"

"I told Emily I'd help out with the dinner tonight. So, actually…I gotta go."

I forgot Jacob mentioned Emily wants us over for a group dinner. Her and Sam, her fiancé, also lives in La Push on the Reservation near Jacob, but closer to the woods in a small cottage. She's a very sweet girl who loves to bake. Emily makes the best blueberry muffins.

"If it's cool…can you bring Nessie with you?" he asks Edward. "I'd come back and get her but since I'm already there and ya'll are headed over there anyway…"

"Not a problem," Edward nods.

"Thanks," Jacob gives him a small appreciative smile. "I'll see you later," he turns to Renesmee, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Bye," she says quietly as she watches him leave.

After he closes the door, I turn my attention to her. "Nessie?"

Renesmee blushes. "Yeah…it's a nickname he has for me."

"But your name is so pretty!"

I don't like how Jacob calls her the Loch Ness monster. It doesn't sound right every time I hear him he call her that and I can no longer help but say something about it.

"I really don't mind," she shrugs. "I kind of like it. It's…different. No one's ever called me that before—not even my parents—and Jake makes it sound…special."

"But it—"

"That's great," Edwards cuts in, placing his hand on my shoulder. "It's always nice to be called by a nickname that means something to you. Right, Isabella?"

My eyes go wide for a moment. Edward's never called me by my real name, not since we've been together. And it sounds strange and I don't like it! I have to stop myself from giving him a cold stare. Only Aro calls me by that name. Coming from Edward it feels foreign to my ears.

"Yeah…that's great," I finally agree.

I get the point he's making so I keep my mouth shut. If Renesmee likes the name he calls her, then who am I to tell her to have her boyfriend use her real name. I, myself, don't like being called Isabella. And Edward knows that.

Cringe.

"You two should pick out your room," she says after a beat. "I'm assuming you'll be sharing one?"

This time, I blush. "Umm…yes."

"Don't worry, I won't tell your dad," Renesmee smiles knowingly. "But only if you don't tell my parents that Jake comes over when they're not at home."

"Deal."

"Shall we go upstairs and check on my sister?" Edward asks me. "Make sure she hasn't redecorated anything."

"Sure," I roll my eyes with a smile. Alice loves to decorate like her mother when she can. It's in her blood.

"I'll fix us some lights snacks while you guys get settled in since dinner won't be for a couple more hours." Renesmee heads to the kitchen without waiting for a response.

Upstairs, Alice is looking at the different pieces in her room, mostly trinkets on the dresser and random pictures on the wall. The view in the room she picked also overlooks a creek behind the house. It's very peaceful and calming.

"I see you've found your room," I interrupt her wanderings. Edward is standing by the doorway, leaning against the doorjamb with his arms crossed. "I also think you forgot something."

Edward kindly brought her belongings upstairs for her.

"Oh, thanks, Eddie," she says, continuing her gaze outside. "I was going to go back down and get them but I got distracted. Her parents sure do know how to decorate. There are antique and second-hand things in their modern décor. A nice mesh that makes it look ultra-modern and old-fashioned. Our mothers should get together. I think they could create an awesome home."

"And I'm sure you'll mention it to Renesmee later," Edward knowingly replies.

"Oh, you bet!" Alice nods back. And as if suddenly snapping out of her trance, she snakes one arm around mine. "So, where's your room?"

"We haven't picked one yet."

"Well, then…let's get the picking!"

Edward moves out of the way while she yanks me out of the room she's chosen.

I I I

"Bella! I was wondering when we'd see you again," Emily smiles at me with a warm hug. The aroma from the kitchen smells heavenly. I can tell she's been cooking all day. "What happened to your knee…and your dress?"

"I'll explain later," I mutter.

Emily Young is from a different tribe than Jacob. She comes from the Makah tribe, and Sam Uley's fiancée.

The interesting thing about Emily's feature are the three deep scars that run along the right side of her face that's pulled down the corner of her eye and mouth. She was out camping in the woods with her cousins and was accidently mauled by a bear, which she luckily survived.

No matter what happened to her or how she looks, Sam still looks at her with love in his eyes.

I've asked Edward and Alice not to stare at her because it bothers Sam.

"Hey you," Sam gives me the next hug. "Long time no see."

"Hey, Sam…"

Sam Uley is the oldest of Jacob's friends and more like an older brother figure to him and the other boys. Jacob and Sam's grandfathers were friends growing up and Jacob pretty much followed Sam everywhere when he was younger, idolizing him. He has long, rounded muscles, a very deep voice. Tall like Jacob, too.

The others who greet me are Leah and Seth Clearwater, who are second cousins of Emily, and Paul and Jared who are also like family. It was good to see them all.

"Who are your friends?" asks Emily, peeking around me.

"This is Edward Cullen…my boyfriend, and his sister Alice Cullen," I introduce them to the group.

Handshakes were exchanged all around. Leah just sort of nods as she stares at the siblings. Neither one pushed their greetings with her. I later explained that it takes Leah a while to warm up to people. She was like the Rosalie in the group.

When I started hanging out with Jacob and his friends, she barely spoke two words to me and had a sour face permanently plastered on her whenever I was around. It wasn't until months later when we talked about a common book we both liked that she began smiling more and inviting me to do things with her and Emily. We both love the written word.

And I'm hoping it's the same case with Rosalie—find a common interest.

Renesmee made a beeline toward Jacob who she gave a hug to. Jacob sweetly gave her a kiss on the temple. They still seem pretty shy about showing real affection in public. Even I still feel weird sometimes when Edward kisses me in front of others, mostly because I'd rather not see our lip-locking sessions on TV or in magazine.

"Can we eat? I'm starved," Jacob says.

We all look to him, smiling and rolling our eyes. He's always the first one to bring up the subject of food.

"Come to the table everyone," Emily motions us to the kitchen. "Sorry if it's a little crowded. We haven't had this many guests before."

The first to the table are Jacob, Seth and Paul—the three who normally can eat for an entire army.

After the plates have been passed and everyone has their food, Paul looks up from his chicken wing at Edward. "So…Edward is it?" he asks, slightly curious and still chewing. "You do a lot of movies?"

"Mostly theatre and a few small independent films," answers Edward coolly. "This current movie is the biggest role I've played so far."

"You gonna make more movies?"

Eyes around the table dart to Paul then Edward. Leah rolls her eyes, her attention on her plate.

"I hope to."

"Got other stuff lined up already?" Paul continues with his questions.

"I do as a matter of fact. A few guest appearances and going over a few scripts I've been given." Edward's a pro with answering questions. He doesn't look a bit nervous with the spotlight on him.

"So you're that good?" Paul playfully scoffs.

Edward chuckles. "I wouldn't necessarily say that…"

"Paul, don't be rude," Emily eyes him.

"What?" he shrugs.

"Bella and her company are here for dinner, not to be interrogated," Emily smiles apologetically at us—mostly at Edward and Alice.

"Not a problem. I don't mind the questions…or comments," Edward smiles back.

"Well, I'd love to tell you what I do," Alice chips in with her own bubbly smile.

"Great…fashion…" Leah mutters under her breath. Leah isn't one for fancy clothes, makeup or complicated hairstyles. She's very simple with short, cropped black hair.

"Well, I'd like to hear what you do," Emily gives Alice the attention she's looking for.

I can tell most of the boys are inwardly groaning at the 'girl talk' that's about to happen when they'd much rather be talking about sports or action films. They all sped up their eating so they could be excused much quicker from the table after dessert.

Leah is the first to leave, lounging on the sofa, flipping through the channels. Emily, Sam, Renesmee, Edward and I seem to be the only ones with patience tonight.

After dinner, the girls helped Emily clean up the table and wash the dishes. The boys planted themselves in the living room watching sports, even Edward.

I I I

"Thanks so much for having us over!" I say to Emily with a hug. We were standing by the doorway saying our goodbyes.

We need to pack tonight and want to make solid plans before our flight tomorrow, maybe go cliff diving and hiking—even fly fishing—if the weather cooperates. Most of the group is down with coming with us, but Emily and Sam had Sam's cousin's wedding to attend to in Port Angeles so they declined on the day adventure.

"You're always welcome here—all of you—so don't be a stranger," Emily smiles warmly at us. "I hope you guys have fun with whatever you get yourselves into. Just be safe."

I know that last bit was directed toward me. My clumsiness isn't a big secret around here.

"Oh, we will," Alice answers, as if to say she'll be the one taking care of any mishaps I might get into.

"You guys staying here?" I ask Renesmee.

She nods shyly. "I think Jake wants to finish the Mariners game so we'll see you back at the house in a little while. Do you remember the way?" She turns to Edward.

"Yes," he says. Earlier, Renesmee had given us a spare key in case we separated...or got separated.

"Take care of that knee of yours, Bells!" Jacob yells from the living room.

He's smirking at me but still has his eyes glued to the TV. I'm not going to bother making Jacob give me a formal goodbye because once the game is on it's hard to get him to focus on much else. And Renesmee clearly knows that.

Emily rubs my arm with sympathy. "It's really just a scratch. The medicated herbs I put on it should help it heal faster."

"Thanks," I half-smile appreciatively and embarrassed for having Emily play doctor at dinner. Thanks Jake for bringing it up…jerk.

"We should get going. We still have a lot to plan," says Alice. She loves to plan things and has been itching all night to work on the details.

"Thank you again for your hospitality," Edward shakes Sam's hand and is about to do the same with Emily but she pulled him into a hug.

"Oh, don't be so formal," she chuckles. "Bella's like family and now, so are you."

Emily also gives Alice a hug. Both siblings look happy to be accepted by her. Sam isn't a man of many words so Emily's done most of the talking. She's a good judge of character so Sam trusts her opinion of others. And if the Cullens are all right by her, then they're all right by Sam.

I finally open the door after saying a million goodbyes to my friends. I'm still waving at the boys in the living room so I haven't faced forward in the doorway.

"Who the hell are they?" Leah says out of nowhere. We turn to her wondering what she's talking about. She's staring out the front window with a coffee mug her in hand and not looking very pleased.

"Who's…who?" I ask confused and turn to face the open door, walking outside on the porch.

Suddenly, I'm blind. Some kind of light hits my eyes, catching me off guard.

"Bella!" I hear Edward say in a panic.

Next thing I know, he grabs my arm, pulling me toward him. Luckily, he did, because I couldn't feel anything beneath my feet when I took another step forward.

Edward slams the door shut, closing the blinds with Sam helping him.

"What's going on out there?" I can hear Jacob's voice.

"Oh, great," Alice rolls her eyes.

Getting my blurry vision back to normal, I peek out the window and see people with cameras snapping pictures and video footage being taken of the cottage. I can faintly hear our names being called as well.

I groan. "How did they find us?"

Author's Note: Finally! I've been working on and off on this chapter with too many distractions! Thank you for the reviews and continuing reading this story!