My cell rang and I took it, my eyes still in the ceiling.
"Hello"
"Bella" Edward said happily.
"Hey" I smiled.
"I'm so glad to hear you. I called you last night"
"Sorry, I was so tired I got home and went straight to bed"
"That's alright, love… Are you okay? Anything happened?"
Should I tell him I almost got tortured by werewolves? No, he would panic. I couldn't tell him what happened. And I definitely wasn't going to tell him about Elijah fooling me and that in the end I would die to break a curse. I didn't want anyone else in danger.
"Yes, I'm fine. No, nothing happened, the Tea Party was boring…" I said. "What about you? How was the wedding?"
"Beautiful" he said and I could hear his smile. "Kate and Garrett are really happy"
"That's great… How about… Irina? You said she might be a little mad about Laurent"
"She is alright. Carlisle and Tanya talked to her and although she is unhappy by what Laurent did, she agreed that it was because of it that he died… Everything will be alright"
"How did they take your new looks?" I asked smiling.
"Well… They were surprised" he said hesitantly.
"They want my help too" I mumbled frowning.
"Yes" Edward said. "But I explained to them how exhausting and dangerous it is and they agreed it is not the best idea…"
"Oh" I said surprised. "Thanks"
"You're welcome… Any plans for the day?"
"No… I'm just laying in my bed, staring at my ceiling" I said and glanced down at my pajamas. God, I would sound even more pathetic if he knew I hadn't got up since I woke up. "I wished you were here"
It wasn't a lie. While I didn't want Edward to know what was going on around here, I did want him with me. I missed the peace of just laying in my bed with him.
"Me too, love" he said. "In fact… I'm coming back tonight"
"Already? I thought you were only coming back tomorrow" I said surprised.
"Well, I miss you too much, so I got a flight for this evening. The rest of the family is staying"
"What time do you get here?"
"After ten… A little late. See you in the morning?"
"No, no" I said sitting up. "I want to see you tonight"
"Wonderful, there's something I want to talk to you about" he said happily.
"Okay… See you tonight then"
"I love you"
"Love you too. Bye"
"Bye"
I hung up and looked at the clock. It was past noon. I decided it was time to start the day. I had already made dad and the boys cook their lunch, that was enough disaster in my house. I had to go grocery shopping for the week, refuel the car, and had homework. I wanted to get everything done so I could use the night to focus on Edward. I grabbed clean underwear and went to take a shower. I hummed in the shower, deciding to use that day to relax and forget all problems from the past week. From now on, Sundays were days to restart the week, clean slate. After drying myself, I put on my underwear and bralet and walked out drying my hair.
"Ah!" I screamed.
I put a hand over my chest and glared at Damon. He was laying on my bed, arms folded behind his head.
"You scared the hell out of me, Damon" I snapped. "What are you doing here?"
"Nice" he said with a whistle.
I looked down at myself. My breasts were popping from the bralet, and my underwear was simple yellow boyshorts. I rolled my eyes at Damon and went to the closet.
"What are you doing here?" I asked again. "Will I have to ask Charlie to put the house in my name so I can control who comes in? Or will I have to spell a seal on the house?"
"But then my dear brother, Barbie and your sparkly boyfriend wouldn't come in" he retorted.
"I can still ask Charlie to change the house's contract" I smirked while pulling the jeans up my legs.
"In a bad mood, are we?" he said rolling his eyes.
"Why would I be in a good mood, Damon?" I said bitterly. "My friend can be sacrificed to break a curse. I trusted Elijah. I was fooled. My week was too long and it sucked bad. So, yes, I'm in a bad mood"
"Eddie should do something about it. A woman sexually satisfied is a happy woman" he said teasingly.
"Edward is coming back tonight, I'll be sure to give him your advice" I smirked and put on the black poncho.
"Tonight?" he said frowning.
"Yes, he misses me and is getting an early flight"
"Sweet" he said sarcastically. "But you already have plans"
"Do I?" I asked scowling grabbing my boots.
I slapped his shoe-clad feet from my bed and sat on the edge. Of course, he put his feet back up.
"Yes, see, I talked to Katherine today and she confirmed what John said. She also said that if we kill Elijah, the compulsion won't wear off and she will be stuck in the tomb"
"Basically you found another reason to kill him" I mumbled.
"Yes… And John has the dagger and ash. Isn't it wonderful? We just need an opportunity"
"Elijah shows up when he wants. You'll have to be patient"
"Smart people, like me, create an opportunity, Bella" Damon said smirking. "I'll be throwing a dinner party tonight, to thank Elijah for his help to the Historic Society and to us"
"And how are you going to invite him?" I said standing up and pushed his feet off my bed again.
He stood up and stood behind me as I looked in the mirror.
"A pretty girl who seems to have conquered his undead heart could invite him to the dinner party"
I frowned. Damon was so wrong. Elijah wanted to kill me. But he was right in a way. If I invited Elijah the chance of him showing up was way bigger.
"I got his cell from Jenna" he said.
"Give me. I'll text him" I said.
I got to the boarding house and found Damon in the kitchen. He was dressed up but with a apron while he cut vegetables.
"I got the dagger from John. Jenna is getting ready to come here" I said and got wine glasses.
"Ric is on his way" he said and smiled at me. "Elijah?"
"He answered my text saying he would think about it. He's coming" I said confidently. "I'll set the table"
"Bella?" I stopped and turned back to him. He arched an eyebrow. "Is there a problem with what we are doing?"
"Should I ask you the same? Won't you hesitate knowing Katherine will be doomed by Elijah's death?" I shot back.
"You will not ruin the plan" he said narrowing his eyes.
"I won't" I said firmly. "I thought of him as an ally, a friend. I was fooled. Let me be nervous with this and don't worry. I'll fucking help you push the dagger myself" I said.
I turned and went to the dining room to set the table. Alaric showed up and we talked about the plan, step by step. Jenna and John arrived and we all drank wine while waiting for the guest of honor. Jenna seemed a bit surprised by my presence, after all, I supposedly had nothing to do with anyone there. She started a conversation with me about Elena and eventually it went to Edward and the Cullens. We sat together in the couch talking, and the men staying aside talking, probably about Elijah. Eventually the doorbell rang. Damon asked me to get it while he went to get a bottle of wine. I fixed my blue dress and my heels clacked on the hardwood floor as I went to the door. I opened it with a smile. Elijah gave me a questioning smile.
"Elijah" I said. "Come in, I'm glad you made it"
"Well, for what I understood, the party is for me" he said arching an eyebrow as he entered.
"Well" I said and took his coat from his arms and put on the closet. "We needed to thank you in some way for yesterday" I touched his arm. "Thank you, really. You don't know how relieved I was when I saw you"
"I told you I would keep you safe" he said.
"Yes… And I really appreciate" I linked my arm with his and led him to the living room. "I talked to them and they agreed that we are on the same side… This is a celebration. And an opportunity to behave as normal people"
He chuckled and as we joined the group, my arm unlinked from his as he turned to greet Jenna.
After dinner we went back to the living room to talk and drinks. The group broke into conversations and I finally had my opportunity to talk to Elijah.
"Do you know why my magic didn't work yesterday?" I asked quietly.
He took the wine glass from my hand and put it on the side table. I looked at him questioningly as he took my hand and turned it palm up. He pulled the bracelet down from my wrist and tapped the light bruise there.
"Because you helped one of my kind" he said and I frowned at the bite. "I told you to be careful with that and was responsible for your need to do it" he said rolling his eyes at himself. "Sometimes, I'll fail to protect you, Isabella, and I am sorry for that"
"You can't apologize for what you can't control" I said shrugging. "I'm just graceful for your help"
He smiled and his eyes traveled around my face, settling in my eyes. I avoided his eyes, fearing he would see the truth in mine. Damon asked Jenna to get another bottle of wine from the kitchen and I got up to go with her. Damon had made sure to hide the corkscrew, so Jenna would take some time.
"You know, you shouldn't be drinking, you have school tomorrow" Jenna chuckled as she looked at the big wine selection. "And your father would probably arrest all of us for giving you alcohol"
"It's alright, I'll stop now… I have to go soon anyway…" I trailed off as my phone rang. I got it from my bag I had left in the counter and saw it was Stefan. "Hello?"
"Bella! Stop Damon!"
"What?" I frowned.
"If a vampire uses the dagger he will die too!"
I walked calmly out of the kitchen so Jenna wouldn't get alarmed and as soon as I was out of her sight I ran to the living room. I pushed Damon away from Elijah taking the dagger from his hand and with just a second of hesitation, I stabbed Elijah in the heart. He gasped, his eyes fixed on me. I gasped as my heart clenched painfully and then it started to beat frenetically. I let go of the dagger as if it burned me and Elijah fell on the floor, lifeless.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Damon asked as he and Ric moved to take Elijah away.
"If a vampire used the dagger he would die too" I mumbled and then glared at John. "Stefan warned me"
"You're lucky you can't show up dead to Jenna and that nothing happened" Damon said threateningly to John.
He seemed frustrated that his plan went wrong. Something was itching in my chest and I looked down. My necklace. The vial was cracked and a petal fell from the rose. Ric and Damon came back before Jenna and Damon came to me with a worried frown.
"Bella, are you alright?" he asked softly.
"My necklace…" I mumbled.
He looked down at it and frowned at the same thing I was frowning at.
"What happened?"
"Elijah died. I killed him. It hurt and… it was like this" I said and looked at him with tears in my eyes. "I think it's some kind of message, from my ancestors… We shouldn't have killed him"
"He was going to kill Elena and break the curse" Damon reminded me. "Your ancestors don't want that, they want balance… We'll figure out what happened to the necklace"
"I should go" I mumbled.
"Are you sure you are ok, sweetheart?" he asked cupping my face and making me look at him.
"Yeah, I just… I want to rest, this week seems to never end" I said with a sigh.
He nodded and let go of me. Ric had told Jenna that Elijah had an emergency and had to go. I said that since the guest of honor was gone, I should be going too. I said goodbye to Jenna and Ric and ignored John. Damon walked me to my car and said he was going to call Stefan to assure him everything was alright. We stared at each other for a long moment. His eyes were still full of worry, and I gave him a weak smile, trying to reassure him I was going to be alright. He kissed my forehead, surprising me with the gesture, and when he pulled back he was frowning as if he didn't know why he had done it. I said bye and got in my car. It was eleven and I had told Edward I would meet him at his house. I drove there slowly, trying to put my head back in place. The pendant's vial's crack was fixing but still, by the time I got to the Cullen's mansion, the petal was still at the bottom, dying. Edward got out of the house and in a blink he was opening the door of the car for me. I smiled at him as he pulled me into his arms. I giggled as he spun me around in the driveway, telling me how much he missed me. He put me down, cupped my face gently and kissed me passionately. When he pulled back so I could breathe he had a beaming smile.
"You look beautiful, love" he said and taking my hand he twirled me. "Too stunning for your own good"
"I know you like blue on me" I said fixing the dress' skirt with a smile.
"I love it" he said and kissed me again.
I locked the car and he took me inside the house. When we entered the living room, I was surprised. He had champagne flutes in the coffee table, strawberries and music on the background. There were roses around the room in different colors, red, white, pink, yellow… And candles. Lots of candles.
"Edward…" I breathed.
"Do you like it? I know it's a bit cliché. I wanted to take you to the creek, but it's late and…"
I put my fingertips over his lips with a smile. He smiled against my fingers and gently kissed them.
"It's perfect" I said and he led me to the couch. "But why…?"
"Because I love you" he said shrugging.
I chuckled and sat down on the couch. I reached for a strawberry and took a bite.
"Have you drank wine?" he asked pouring champagne on the flutes.
"Yes, a little during dinner"
I had told him there was a special dinner with the Gilberts. It wasn't a complete lie. John Gilbert was there and Elena's aunt.
"Hm… I could taste it" he said smirking and kissed me softly.
"Do you like it?" I asked wrapping my arms around his neck and scooting closer.
"Your lips? Always love them" he said against said lips.
I giggled and he kissed me again. The kiss was gentle, soft, full of emotion. He poured all his love in it. When I pulled back to breathe he continued kissing my jaw, and after a moment of hesitation, my neck. My heart started to race. Was this it? Had he changed his mind about intimacy? I pulled his lips back to mine in a passionate kiss, but when I tried to deepen it, he pulled away. Maybe not. I sighed as our foreheads rested against one another and gave him a smile.
"Bella, I love you" he said.
"I love you too" I whispered.
"You are everything to me, my reason to exist" he said seriously. "And I don't want to spend another moment without calling you mine"
I pulled back a little with a smile and gave him a questioning look. My smiled faltered as he pulled a small velvet box. Holy fucking shit.
"At the wedding… I realized that was what I wanted for us. I'll be forever yours… Would you give me the honor of making our love official, Isabella?"
The ring was beautiful. A silver band with encrusted diamonds and rubies all over it. It screamed 'expensive', but in a way, it was simple, probably for not being a huge solitaire diamond.
"I know it's simple, but I thought you would like it" Edward said nervously. I was probably staring at the ring for too long with a 'what the hell' expression. "I got rubies because they would match your necklace…"
I cut him off with a kiss. I couldn't think of doing anything else.
I loved him, but… did I want to marry him? We were young… Well, I was. And I had all my life ahead of me…
My life. My life would end eventually. I would grow old and we would have to hid our wedding rings from people. I would die and he would live on…
"Edward" I said pulling back. "Have you thought this through?"
"Of course" he said calmly.
"I'm human. I'll grow old and die eventually…"
"And I'll go with you" he said seriously.
"What? No. Edward, stop saying stuff like that" I said angrily.
And then it hit me. If he changed me, we would have all eternity. Klaus couldn't break the curse because I wouldn't be human anymore and I didn't have kids, a bloodline, so there wouldn't be any doppelgangers of me in the future.
"Edward… change me" I whispered.
"What? Bella" he sighed. "No… I want you as my wife, but I don't…"
So I told him. Everything. Blaire, Elijah, Tatia, Klaus, the real curse, doppelgangers, Elena and I, sacrifices…
"Bella" he said frowning. "Do you see on how much danger you are?"
"Exactly" I said. "If you change me, Klaus can't break the curse and we would have eternity together"
He stared at me. He was considering. I begged him with my eyes and he looked down. I followed his gaze and smiled as he slid the ring into my finger.
"After the wedding" he promised.
I kissed him, and moved to straddle his lap. He held me tight to him and soon things got heated.
"Bella, no… I can hurt you" he said.
"Edward, I'm a witch, I can defend myself…" he continued to shake his head. "What is wrong?"
He tried to push me away gently, but my arms around his neck tightened and I looked him in the eye. He tried to avoid my gaze.
"Is it… Is it because I have… ahn, been like this with Damon?" I asked frowning. "I'm sorry, Edward, I thought you wouldn't be coming back…"
"Oh, love" he said softly cupping my face. "It's not that… I know what happened and I want you, I truly do, but…"
"But what?" I asked when he didn't finish.
"I want it to be perfect for you" he whispered.
I smiled at his silliness.
"Silly, it's us – you and me. It can't get any more perfect. You are perfect"
"I think you're getting it wrong… You're my angel" he whispered kissing my jaw.
"Edward?"
"Hm?"
"Make me yours" I whispered.