Thank you again to Pienuniek and Chandra for helping write it and keeping it pretty.
SM owns it, we just want to keep them living forever.
Without anymore fanfare:
Chapter 07 – The Windy City
It was once again Friday. Bella and I had been left alone for the last few weeks and it had been wonderful.
My family had taken the hint, more so because Bella had left Rosalie frozen for the entire weekend. Esme had called me the day after we'd gone shopping in a panic because she was still frozen. Bella had taken the phone from me and explained that Rosalie needed to learn a lesson, that things were beyond her control and that she had to learn not to try to control them. She told Esme that she was a self-absorbed, self-centered person and that we had condoned her behavior long enough, but she wasn't going to and the sooner she learned that, the better.
Once Bella handed me back the phone I could tell that Esme was unsure of what she was supposed to say. Esme asked if I was sure this was necessary, if I truly believed that Rosalie was this kind of person. I told her that she was always that way, even as a human. She'd been taught that she was entitled, that the world owed her, and the way to get anywhere in life is to control the entire situation. But then I told her that these were my thoughts and observations and that I thought Esme should take a few days and look back at Rosalie's entire life.
After that there had just been one other run-in with my family and that was with Carlisle. He'd come to the school to talk to us because he was concerned we were all falling apart. Esme still wasn't speaking to him, even after a couple of days, which coincided with the phone call that she made to us. He told us that she'd come out of her drawing room once, seen Rosalie, panicked and called us, then she went back into her drawing room and she hadn't been seen since.
Bella and I told him everything that we had told Esme; we also told him how betrayed she felt by everyone in the family. When he couldn't understand why I laid it out to him.
"What you did that night, what you all, except her and Emmett, did was the ultimate betrayal to her. Family is everything to her, but she knows that every family has secrets. She accepts that Bella cannot tell us who she is as yet, because she knows that I would never bring someone into the family that will hurt us.
"She feels that you all turned your back on me; you may have some remorse, but I don't believe it's genuine. You feel sorry because Esme is mad at you, Jasper wasn't sorry at all. He stood by his opinion and he wasn't going to change it. You all need to take a good look around you, evaluate your feelings and your opinions, and talk about it for all I care. Just realize that I won't be coming home now, if ever, unless you can accept that you need to prove yourselves before we tell you anything."
Carlisle looked shamefaced at my admonishment. He still wasn't sure that he was wrong, but he conceded that he may have jumped the gun, even if only in his mind. He nodded to us, opened his mouth to say something to Bella, but changed his mind and left the classroom.
I sighed as Bella grimaced. 'He's not going to change his tune any time soon, is he?'
"I'm afraid not, love. They feel justified in their right to know and control everything because it pertains to their mates. While I understand their concern, my priority is you. What you are is bigger than they can imagine and I agree that until they have been vetted by you and whoever needs to then we keep it secret."
She didn't look placated by that, and as the students filed in for the next class she sent me one last parting thought. 'I'm sorry, Edward.'
I shot her a look telling her we'd talk about it later, because right now wasn't the time, but I had to reassure her that this was the way it had to be and I was happy with that.
When the last student filed out of the door I turned to Bella and pulled her to me. Wrapping my arms around her I held her and comforted her. Her thoughts all afternoon had killed me; she felt so bad that her presence in my life had caused this upheaval.
"Bella, sweetheart, please stop worrying about this. Families all over the world go through this problem every day. Majority of those families though keep their thoughts to themselves and just be there for the member when they need to be. We know that everything between us will be fine; we're mates, destined to be together forever.
"Esme and Emmett accept this with no problems, in fact they love you. The others will get over it, I promise…"
'I know, Edward, and I'm sorry for causing you to worry. I know that you love me, that Emmett and Esme love me too, but to know that the other members of your family have a grudge against me hurts. I am sorry that they are fighting with you, but it would never be enough for me to leave you… nothing would be,' she promised.
"While that is a good thing to know, do you think I'd not try to find you if you did leave me?" I asked seriously.
Bella looked up at me then. 'I promise, I'd want you to find me, Edward. I love you; there's nothing more important to me than that.'
I leaned in slowly and kissed her with all the passion in me. "I love you too, Bella. I'm not unhappy with how things are going right now." I kissed her again. "They have to prove their worth, it's a simple as that. I understand that and I support it, what you are is not to be told until they earn it." I kissed her again just because I could.
'Thank you, Edward. Your support means everything…' She lost her train of thought as I kissed her harder. There was no need for thanks, I knew how much it meant to her.
We stood there kissing for quite some time when I was rudely brought out of my happy bubble by three of my very unhappy siblings.
'HOW DARE SHE LEAVE ME FROZEN FOR TWO DAYS?! She cannot be allowed to pull our family apart. Esme isn't talking to anyone, and Emmett, while talking, seems disappointed in me. ME? Can you believe it?' I guess Rosalie didn't learn anything
"Edward, what's the matter?" Bella asked when I stopped kissing her. I placed my finger to my lips in a shushing motion while I pulled out my phone to send a text to Emmett and Esme.
The others are making their way here and they aren't happy. Please do me a favor and go to the Blackforest B&B, pack up our stuff, and send it to my house in Chicago. I think we need to leave for a little while. ~ Edward
Oh, Edward, I wish it hadn't come to this. Of course I'll do it for you. ~ Esme
Bro, I'm sorry. I'll give Mom a hand. Come back when you can. ~ Emmett
I showed Bella what I had been doing and she sighed that we had to leave. Then she looked again and realized where I had asked for them to send our stuff.
'You have a house in Chicago?' she asked. When I nodded she continued, 'Oh, was it your parents'?' After I nodded again she commented, 'I'll bet it's beautiful.'
'I can't see Edward anymore at all after this confrontation. In fact, we all clear up from what little I see. This can't be right unless something goes terribly wrong. But she has to conform. I MUST shop for everyone. It's what I do. Besides, how can I make her my best friend if she doesn't like what I like?' I rolled my eyes at Alice's thoughts. Teenage bratty vampire didn't cover it. I think she and Rosalie need to do the most changing.
Jasper's thoughts, however, were interesting. 'There's a 53.5 percent chance that this confrontation is going to change everything.' Damn right it is. 'While I think we need to know what Bella is, I don't think this is the way to go about it, or what we did the other week. Edward was right about that. We're supposed to support each other, not push when we don't get what we want.'
My eyebrows rose at that. It was interesting that he had changed his mind on some aspects but not on others.
Bella jumped into my mind again then. 'What is it, Edward, what do you hear?'
"Just something interesting, someone almost changing their mind," I told her. Her eyebrows furrowed instead.
'So one of the ones coming here has almost changed their minds or has about some things, yet is still in on this little ambush? That makes no sense,' she thought with a derisive snort.
"I know it doesn't, Bella. But it is, what it is. We'll deal with it no matter what they throw at us, okay?" I asked.
'Yep. Besides, we have a plan, and if all else fails, I'll freeze them again.'
I laughed at her wry smirk as she thought that. It's a very handy talent that, one that I'm glad she has. It's easier on my mind knowing that she can get away if need be. I decided that I was going to ignore my approaching siblings and just kiss her again. She was my drug, one I was happy to indulge in all the time.
They burst through the door as I was going in for another. I was going to address them, but when Bella's lips met mine I forgot all about them. Her mouth was addictive, tasting like honey, feeling like silk against my lips and tongue and calling to me at all times of the day. Eventually they got sick of waiting for us to come up for air, so they interrupted us – rather rudely I might add. I mean, I was happy where I was.
"Edward," Alice fumed. "I know that you know that we're here. Don't ignore us, it's childish."
At that Bella pulled out of our kiss, snorted, then burst into hysterical laughter and I couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. The others were just staring at her while she tried to get herself together but she was having a difficult go of it. Every time she calmed down, she'd look at Alice and that would start it all over again. In the end she had to curl into my arms with her head on my chest, looking away from her.
When I looked around at them all, I noticed that they had blocked all the exits bar one. Each classroom that was upstairs had a roof access door, so in the event of fire, flood, or the like we could get to the roof for help. I'm not sure that they knew this, though, because it looked like a door to a closet. The good thing about it was that it locked from both sides by a key, and I kept that key on me at all times.
"Yes, Mary Alice," I acknowledged in a condescending manner that I knew she hated. "I know that you know that I know that you're here," I said. wanting to see if I could confuse her. It would have worked a little on Emmett to start with. "But I chose that kissing my mate was far more entertaining than this discussion we are about to have. Again."
While I had been talking, I'd manage to maneuver us so that our back was to the door but we were closer to it than they were.
Rosalie was beyond mad at this point. "Don't be an ass, Edward. We have a right to know what she is."
At that Bella snorted again, making it hard for me to keep my composure.
Rosalie continued, "We all will not be leaving here until we've gotten some answers. Then you WILL be coming home, with or without the little…" She trailed off at my look; she knew if she pushed too hard that Emmett was not here to save her. I'm not so sure he would at this point anyway.
Bella looked up at me at this point. I could see how much their attitudes were hurting her, and not just because it was upsetting me. My Bella had a big, beautiful, sensitive heart, and to know that these people – and I use that term lightly – had a dislike for her, for no reason, cut to the bone. I flickered my eyes to the door behind me and that's when she realized where we were standing. She moved around behind me as I started moving backwards.
"Where do you think you're going, Edward?" Jasper asked. "There's nowhere for you to go."
Because Bella and I had spent our lunch breaks up there she knew where I kept the key. She pulled it from my pocket and reached behind her to unlock the door.
I shook my head at Jasper, saying, "There's plenty of places we can go, especially because they'll be far from you. I wish I could stay and see Esme's face when she learns that it was the three of you that pushed us out the door."
Their faces were shocked at my statement, but they were even more surprised when Bella and I made a run for it out the door, locking it behind us. We ran up the stairs to the number-keypad locked door at the top of the stairs. We were out of it and had locked it before they even thought to move. The good thing this time was that they weren't going to cause any damage to the school to follow.
I saw Bella standing at the edge of the roof, letting out that shrill whistle of hers that called Merril. She placed a note in his tube then told him to fly. She pulled her little blue cardigan off; I was about to ask her why when I saw the slits on her back open and her wings came out. I was still struck dumb at them.
"C'mon, Edward. I've slightly frozen everyone in our three mile radius. Let's see if I can break the sound barrier carrying you," she joked as she held her hand out to me. "What I'll do, so you can see where we're going, is hang on piggy back, okay?"
I nodded, running over to her and crouching down. She climbed on my back, but instead of wrapping her arms around my neck, she looped them under my arms, up my chest, and then hooked them over my shoulders. Bella still wrapped her legs around my waist though; stretching her wings out as far as they could go, she sighed.
"That feels good. I'm going to have to find a way to do that more once we get to Chicago," she commented. "Now, Edward, jump as high as you can to get us a head start, or you can back up and give us a running start."
I thought about it for a minute. "How about both. I'll run from back there then make a giant leap at the end."
Bella indicated that would work, so I backed up as far as I could go and took off running. I made a great big arc at the end in which Bella spread out her wings and started flapping. They weren't fast flaps like I thought they would be, but were great big graceful ones that caught the breeze, had us gliding first before raising us higher. By the time we'd reached the three mile mark and she let everyone go, we were well above the clouds and moving almost as fast as the sound barrier.
The feeling of flying was extraordinary.
The weightlessness was like the short moment after I'd jumped from a cliff before the plummet to the ground, where I felt like I was suspended in midair. I've always enjoyed that, and the scared, nervous, excited feeling in my belly as I do it.
The taste – the air is so clean, there's no pollution to damper the effects of it. I wish it was like this everywhere.
The wind – this part feels the most like running, only it's amplified by like a million. It's one of the best feelings in the world because it feels like I'm free, like nothing can touch me.
The quiet – It's so quiet up there. There are no birds; because we can't go near any planes there are no engines or thoughts to hear. I can relax and just listen to my Bella.
"This is one of the best experiences I've ever had in my very long life, Bella. I'm so excited and happy that I get to spend it with you," I told her, meaning every word.
'Me too, my love. Me too.'
We made fantastic time to Chicago. Once we made it to the outskirts, I had to show her where to go. I was once again grateful that my house was in the historic part of town, where houses had large blocks and were far apart.
I had to admit that the home that I'd grown up in was beautiful, and different for its time. While most of the ones that surrounded it were made of two levels, most of them had turret like rooms attached to them. It was either that or they were one level, and made to look like cabins.
My house, however, was all clean straight lines. It had two floors with an attic, a wraparound porch, and a wide front door. There were large windows all the way around for lots of natural light, and it was painted a slate grey color. Most houses from that time were painted in the heritage colors.
Inside was just as large. My mother was never known for having clutter around the place. She didn't buy for the sake of buying and she wasn't interested in acquiring antiques. When you walked through the front door you walked into the parlor, which housed an end table, where keys and the like were stored, and the stairs to go up to the second story.
To the left, in one of the largest rooms, was the family room. It also held my piano, a beautiful, black Steinway Grand Piano. It was once my mother's. The living area continued until it butted up against the kitchen. If you turned right from the parlor there were the formal living and dining areas, my father's office, and a small water closet.
Upstairs was, of course, the bedrooms. Mother and Father had shared a room then, even if it was a new practice. It was evident that, even though their marriage was an arranged one, theirs was also one of love. So upstairs was their room with its own bathroom, my room, a guest room, and another bathroom. There were also pull-down stairs in the ceiling for the attic.
When we got closer to our destination, I guided Bella around to land in the backyard; it was large and surrounded by high fences. There was also the building that the servants used to sleep in, which I had turned into guest quarters.
Bella flew around in a circle, picking the best spot to land in Mother's garden, then slowly lowered us down until I was standing on solid ground. Well, I knew the ground was solid but I was a little wobbly, a funny feeling for a vampire, let me tell you. She climbed off my back and settled down onto the ground, panting a little.
"Are you okay, Bella?" I asked. "Was that too far for you to fly, or was I too heavy?"
She shook her head but answered in her thoughts. 'No, Edward, I'm always a little worn out after flying. It takes a great deal of energy, plus I like to sit when I reach the ground again.'
"Oh, okay then," I faltered, not sure what to say to that. Besides, her wings were calling to me; she hadn't put them away yet and I just wanted to touch them. I could feel myself getting hard remembering the result the last time I was smoothing them out.
Bella looked up and smirked at me; she knew what she was doing to me sitting there with them stretched to full capacity. Then she started to groom the feathers closest to her.
I growled at her, I couldn't help it.
"That is my job, Bella," I growled. "You do not get to do that anymore. They are mine like you are MINE."
If Bella was startled or disgusted at my behavior she didn't let on. In fact, I could detect that her scent became a little darker, a little deeper, so I made my way behind her and sat to smooth out her feathers.
The more I groomed, the more turned on she became. It was a heady feeling knowing I could do this to her. Her scent had consumed me by the time I got around to the front. When there, I pushed her onto the grass, ripped all her clothes off and started to feast on her delectable body. My mouth was on her breasts, moving from one to the other while my hands were searching out any feathers that needed grooming within my reach.
Her hands were in my hair and starting to become insistent that I move down to where she wanted me. Then came her voice. "Oh gods, please, Edward, more. I need more."
While she continued to beg, my mouth and hands moved further down across her belly and over her feathers. When I reached her pussy I pulled one hand away from her wings and opened her up wide. Her legs were bent up and pulled back to her chest and, there were no other words for it, I just dove in.
Licking from bottom to top, I growled at her flavor. One of my hands was still grooming her feathers, the other was rubbing and maintaining pressure on her clit, while I drank deep from her. I could live on her flavor alone.
I could sense that Bella was just about incoherent. There were no thoughts and most of her sounds had gone quiet; she was screaming in silence. I could sense that she was close but wasn't quite there, so I let loose a loud growl that vibrated her entire body. That made her scream my name as she came on my tongue.
'Oh...my…goodness…' was all I got from her. That made me just the tiny bit smug. She looked down her body at me and saw me smirking at her. Giving me her own smirk she demanded, 'Stand up now, Edward.'
I did as I was told because there was no way that I could disobey that tone of voice. I could tell that she was coming out of her shell.
Bella stood and she started undressing me, only she was a little more careful. Then she knelt back down on the ground in front of me. I'd seen this position in the minds of others and I couldn't say I wasn't intrigued, but I wasn't sure I wanted Bella down there. I opened my mouth to argue but was cut off before I could start.
'Don't even think of voicing that, Edward. I don't want to be on your pedestal, and while I'm an angel, don't think that I haven't thought about you taking me EVERY. WHICH. WAY.' She emphasized her words by undoing the buttons on my pants. She pulled them and my boxers down my legs; I stepped out of them and kicked them aside.
My head dropped back and a long moan left my lips.
'Uh, uh, uh, Edward. Look back at me, baby.' I looked back down at her as she grabbed my hands, placing them in her hair. One of her hands grabbed my ass and the other held onto my cock. 'I want you to watch as YOU…mmm… fuck… my mouth.'
"Oh god, Bella," I groaned.
Bella guided me into her warm, wet mouth as another loud growl rumbled through my chest.
Watching her take me in like this was… no words… just no words. I watched, how could I not, as my cock went down her throat and she hummed around me like I was the best treat she had ever tasted.
'That's it, Edward. Fuck my mouth. Use longer, harder strokes, baby. You aren't going to hurt me,' she thought to me. 'How about I take these wings you love so much and wrap them around us like a great, big, erotic hug? Hmm… stroking your back with my feathers as you plunge that huge cock down my throat?'
"Jesus, Bella," I groaned again. Then her wings wrapped around me and I could feel the feathers rubbing against every part of me, my arms, legs, back, and ass. It felt sensational, and on top of it all Bella was getting more turned on by the minute because it was also stroking her feathers.
'Oh god, Edward, I think I'm going to come again. I need you to come with me.'
I realized I had shut my eyes, so I opened them and looked back down. There was Bella with her swollen lips wrapped around my cock, looking back up at me with the most devilish look in her eyes. That look alone was going to make my climax come barreling through at top speed, then she thought to me, 'I love you, Edward,' and that was all it took.
I shouted out at the top of my lungs, "I love you too, BELLLAAAAA!"
When I had released my last drop, I pushed Bella back onto her back and fell on top of her. She managed to keep her wings around us as I rolled us onto our sides. The lust that had consumed us before had abated and left us with nothing but love. And that is what I kissed her with now: all my love and devotion. I pulled back a little to let her know what she meant to me.
"I love you, Bella. With all my heart and soul. You are just everything to me."
'I know, Edward. You are everything to me too. I'd be miserable here on earth if it wasn't for you.'
We laid there in our little bubble of her wings for a bit longer. Kissing and talking. Laughing and loving.
But that all came to a screeching halt when we heard a female voice call out, "Oh Bella and Edward, you may want to put some clothes on before the others get here!"