"Kids! Come down for dinner!"
Esme's voice carries up the stairs surprisingly well. I look over at Edward, hesitant. I don't really want to go down there. I'm meeting Edward's brothers, and the thought makes me sick with nerves.
"Edward, is there any way we can -"
"Now!"
I blanche, and Edward laughs.
"How did she know?" I ask, slightly terrified.
"She always knows," he states in an ominous tone. I laugh despite myself and then go to seek out some dinner appropriate attire as Edward ruffles through a duffel bag for the same thing. I like that Edward has belongings here. It makes me feel like he won't have to leave.
Although he will eventually.
I push back the frightening thought and focus on my task. It takes me a while, because I want to look nice like Esme always does, but I have no idea how to do that. She's so dainty and perfectly groomed and I'm... not. Eventually, I just reach in and grab the first things my hands touch, hoping they'll be ok. They're a bit too big, but there's nothing I can really do about that.
Once we're both dressed, Edward takes my hand and we leave the bedroom. I can hear loud laughter and unfamiliar voices. I slow my pace on the stairs, to the point where Edward is nearly dragging me down them. Halfway down, I come to a complete stop, jarring him slightly.
"I don't -"
"Bella," he cuts me off. "They're my brothers. They won't do anything other than embarrass me and crack shitty jokes. I promise, you'll be perfectly safe."
"You promise?"
"Of course. I'll be right beside you if anything happens."
I start moving again, albeit reluctantly. He squeezes my hand and smiles. If he says it will be ok, it will. He's never lied to me before.
We arrive at the large dining room to a completely unfamiliar sight. The table is covered with food and perfectly set. Charlie and I rarely eat together, and if we do, it's at the kitchen table, definitely not in here. It feels strange to see it like this.
Even more strange, there are 5 people at the table already. My father at one end of the table, Edward's dad at the other, Esme on his left and two men I haven't seen before are on her side of the 8-seater table, leaving Edward and I with our own side. I know immediately who they are.
The blonde, who I know to be Jasper, is sitting quietly, taking in the conversation as it flows around him. From what Edward has told me, this is normal behaviour for him. He's actually Edward's half brother, and five years older than he is. He's tall and blonde, and has his mother's green eyes, the same ones as Edward.
Next to him, chattering wildly while fiddling with an iPhone, is Edward's younger brother, Emmett. Emmett is 14 years old, and according to Edward, the biggest attention whore the world has ever seen. He's gangly and skinny, far too tall for his weight. He has sandy brown hair, a combination of his mother and father, but his father's blue eyes.
I look to Charlie, who seems just as overwhelmed by all of this as I am. Strangely, I take some courage from that. Knowing that your feelings aren't completely irrational makes you feel a lot better about them.
"Bella!" Esme cries happily, and I realise that we've been loitering in the doorway. "You look so pretty, sweet thing! That skirt is just adorable."
"Thanks," I mumble awkwardly. She jumps out of her chair and darts over to us, sliding her arm around my shoulders. Edward's grip tightens on my hand, letting me know that it's ok.
"These are my lovely sons, Jasper and Emmett." Jasper smiles and waves. He has the same easy smirk as Edward, and I relax a little. Emmett however, jumps out of his seat, knocking it back with a loud bang.
"Hi, Bella!" he crows, and I flinch back into Edward's side.
"Emmett, calm the fuck down," Edward hisses. Emmett looks crestfallen at my rejection, so I gather my resolve and try to be normal.
"Hello, Emmett. How are you?"
His smile is huge, just like his mother's when she gets her way.
"I'm great!"
Carlisle gives his youngest son a quick glance and he reseats himself, making me feel slightly more comfortable. Esme gestures to the two remaining places at the table, and Edward and I take our seats. Our hands dangle, intertwined, between us. I look up to see Jasper studying us intently. It makes me nervous, but I try my best not to show it. He looks away, so I think he can tell anyway.
I look to my left and see Charlie, who looks uneasy. I can empathise. My father and I have always been very low key, and this is far, far out of our normal range.
"Hi, dad," I say quietly.
"Hi, baby," he murmurs back. "How are you doing today?"
"I'm ok."
His look tells me that he doesn't believe me.
"Alright, I'm not ok just yet, but I will be." I'm not entirely sure how true the words are, but he looks slightly appeased.
Dinner is a pleasant affair, and Edward's family absolutely lovely, if not a little overenthusiastic. I think Emmett inherited that trait from his mother. Jasper has her southern drawl, having lived in the south long enough to develop a charming accent. It isn't as pronounced as his mother's, but still, it's lovely.
After dinner, Esme instructs Jasper to drive Emmett home, citing that he has school tomorrow. I have a bad feeling about this. They leave, and then there are five of us left at the table.
"So," Charlie starts, and then there's an extended period of silence. If I wasn't so nervous, I'd have laughed.
"We need to talk about the situation that seems to have developed between the two of you," Carlisle says, taking the lead on the conversation. Edward's hand tightens around mine, which only makes me more worried.
"What do you mean, the situation?" he asks warily. There's anger under the surface of his voice. The tension in the room is stifling, and my breathing gets shallower under the strain.
"Sweetie, you don't need to stress." Of course, Esme is eager to diffuse the situation. I pull Edward and my hands into my lap and fidget with his fingers as a distraction. "You two are… we're just…"
"Just what?"
No one will tell us what they're thinking, and while I find it terrifying, Edward is quickly getting angry.
Carlisle takes a deep breath and then speaks.
"Look, you two have obviously developed a very strong bond while you were… away. When you were separated last night, neither of you handled it in an acceptable manner. We need to talk about some kind of therapy in response to everything you've been through."
"No."
Edward and I say the word in perfect unison.
"No?" Charlie asks, shocked. "Bella, what happened last night… that's not good for you. We need to deal with this."
"I…" Edward squeezes my fingers until the table while I try to articulate my thoughts. "I can't."
"You can't?" Carlisle prompts. Esme is uncharacteristically silent.
"I don't think I can… talk about everything. Not yet."
"And I'm not going to let you guys try and force her into anything," Edward pipes up from my side. I squeeze his hand, grateful for the support. Charlie looks pissed.
"Listen here," he starts, but Carlisle holds up a hand to stop him.
"Charlie, we can't push them into anything they're not ready for. It'll just do more harm."
I sigh with relief when Charlie backs off, looking irritated, but resigned.
"Therapy aside, we still have some other issues to deal with. It would seem that the two of you aren't able to be separated at this point in time, and we need to deal with this development."
I'm confused. I don't understand why they're uncomfortable with Edward and my need to stay together, to protect each other.
"I don't see what the problem is…" Edward apparently shares my confusion.
"Edward, sweetheart," Esme chimes in for the first time, "you can't be living out of a duffel bag in Charlie Swan's house for the rest of your life now, can you?"
"Ok, so he brings over some more clothes," I suggest.
"And what, we leave the two of you unsupervised in my house together? That is not acceptable."
Charlie is angry, and I slide further down into my chair, away from the ire in his voice.
"I'm not leaving her here," Edward says back, his voice just as strong as Charlie's. "God only knows what could happen if I'm not here to protect her." I'm starting to panic. Edward challenging authority only brings bad things.
"Are you saying that I'm incapable of looking after my child?"
"How did that go for you last time?"
Edward drops my hand, shoves his chair back and stands up. Charlies does the same. I'm torn between my desire to run and my need to make sure Edward doesn't get hurt. My hands slide up into my hair, tugging on the strands in an attempt to distract myself from what's going on before me. Edward is going to get himself in trouble. I've seen this side of him before, and it never ended well for him.
"Fuck you," he spat at the French man. The blonde laughed. And then punched him in the stomach. He was sitting in a chair, hands tied behind his back. I was cowering in the corner, completely unable to do anything. Sometimes they'd make me watch. They seemed to enjoy my terror almost as much as his pain.
"You know what, kid? You must be even stupider than you look if you think that you can talk to us like that."
"I can talk to you however I want, you're fucking scum."
The blonde laughed again, but the sound was different this time. Not gleeful, but vacant. It was more frightening that anything he'd said before. He reached behind him and produced a gun. I cried out, unable to verbalise my fear. The blonde turned, smiled cheerfully at me, and then pistol-whipped Edward.
The cracking sound would haunt me for the rest of my days.
Edward spat out a mouthful of blood, and smiled at the blonde.
"Does this make you feel like a big man?" he taunted. "Beating the shit out of a teenager who's tied to a chair?" He laughed derisively.
"Yes, it does, actually," the blonde said with an easy smirk.
I closed my eyes before I heard the next crack as the metal collided with his jaw.
I can hear the noise ringing in my ears, as if it's happening again. My body begins to tremble under the weight of the memory.
"Both of you need to stop this, right now!" Esme cries. "Look what you're doing to her!"
Edward and Charlie both snap their gazes down to me, looking weak and panicked in my seat. Charlie looks horrified. Edward drops to his knees beside me, snatching my hands up in his.
"Shit. I'm sorry, Bella. I'm fucking sorry. They were talking about splitting us up, and I can't let that happen. I didn't mean it."
I whimper as the sound reverberates around my skull. He inhales sharply and his hands move from my hands to my cheeks.
"Look at me, Bella." I force my eyes open. "It's ok. We're ok. I'm so fucking sorry." He continues murmuring apologies to me until Esme loudly clears her throat behind us.
"Evidently, you're uncomfortable with them being here on their own," Carlisle states. I'd almost forgotten he was here during the melee. "And clearly, they won't be separated. You're a busy man, Charlie, and I understand how important your work is. This leaves us with one option, as far as I can see. Until we can get Bella and Edward into some kind of treatment for their ordeal, I think it would be best if Bella came to stay with my family."
Charlie thinks hard for a short while, furrowing his brows together. Eventually, he nods.
"Ok, Carlisle… but I have some ground rules about this."
"Of course," Carlisle quickly agrees.
"Let's discuss it in my office."
Charlie stands and gestures in the direction of his office. Carlisle stands as well.
Esme claps her hands together gleefully and jumps out of her chair to smack a loud kiss on her husband's cheek.
"That's a brilliant idea! Oh, you clever man of mine! Come, Bella. Let's get you packed!"
"Wait!"
Edward's voice interrupts the newly excited atmosphere in the room.
"What is it, sweetheart?" Esme coos. Clearly, she's thrilled to have her son coming back home.
"Have any of you noticed that no one's asked Bella if she's ok with this? Because I sure as shit have. I'm not going to force her to go somewhere she doesn't want to be, and I'll be damned if any of you think you can."
I smile at Edward. Despite the good intentions of our parents, he really is the only one who thinks of me, and wants to protect me at all times.
"I'm happy wherever, as long as we're both there," I tell him, and Esme claps again.
"Good! Now come on, sweetheart. Let's get you all packed up and ready to go!"
An hour later Esme has packed the majority of my wardrobe into bags, which Charlie and Carlisle are dragging down to their car. As one of Charlie's stipulations, I'm taking my car with me as well, just in case I ever want to come home and no one can drive me. The idea of driving it makes me a little nauseous, but I understand that he wants me to have freedom. Luckily, Edward is more than willing to drive us back to his place.
I stand in the doorway of my room, trying to think if I've left anything behind. Edward comes up behind me and rests his head on top of mine.
"Are you sure you're ok with this?"
"Yeah, of course I am. It makes sense, what with Esme being around all the time. Charlie's never here, and god knows you can't be trusted at home alone."
He sniffs and pulls away from me. I turn to see his arms crossed and a petulant pout on his face.
"Whatever. You're not invited anymore."
"Liar. Your mom loves me."
"… Well, that's true."
We laugh and descend the stairs and Edward climbs into my car, starting the ignition. I hug my father goodbye, although it's awkward and stilted.
"You can call me, or come and see me anytime you like, ok baby?"
He sounds uncharacteristically forlorn.
"Of course. Love you, dad."
"Love you too. Be good for the Cullens… and try not to get too overwhelmed."
"They're a colourful bunch, aren't they?" I say with a gentle laugh, and he smiles in a way that makes his moustache twist and his eyes crinkle. I haven't seen that smile in so long. I hug him once more and he opens the passenger side door to my car. I slide in, and he gives Edward a stern look. Edward nods, and Charlie closes the door.
I look out the back window as we pull away from my house, amazed at how it no longer feels like home. I jump when Lady Gaga blasts through the car.
"Shit!"
Edward is fiddling with the car's sound system, and I laugh before readjusting it to a more appropriate song and volume.
"Sorry, Alice was in the car the last time I drove it."
"She seems like the type," he muses with a smile.
I like that my best friend makes him smile, it makes me think that we might actually be able to make life work now that we're free. I need him, the compulsion to have him around is undeniable, but there are other people I love, just as there are other people he loves. If we can bond our lives together, we never need to be separated.
That thought makes me deliriously happy.
"So, because I'm sneaky, I eavesdropped on a lot of what our fathers were talking about." He has a proud and mischievous smirk on his face.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I know the conditions they agreed on."
"Alright, what are they?" I'm eager to hear them.
"Well, you have to have your own room, and we'll be strongly encouraged to sleep in our own beds."
I blanche at the very idea. He reaches out and squeezes my hand reassuringly.
"Don't worry, I won't let them do that. But, it's probably best that you have your own room, because I don't have room in my closet for all your crap."
I smack his arm, but I'm smiling. I know that Edward wouldn't agree to keep us apart. And he's joking around, so he's obviously not worried about it. That thought relaxes me.
"Any other requirements?"
"A strict open door policy, but that's pretty standard. Charlie will get regular updates from Esme, and they will keep trying to convince us to go to therapy."
And immediately, I'm tense again.
"I don't want it." I know how petulant I sound, but I can't help it. The idea of being forced to talk about our time away, to a stranger no less, makes me physically ill.
"I know. Me neither."
"I get that eventually they're going to make us do it, but I just… I don't want to."
"I'll buy us as much time as I can," he says decisively. "Don't worry, I'll look after it. Now, let's see what kind of music you listen to when you're in here. What a person listens to when they're alone in their car says a lot about their character."
"Then I think you'll find that it says I'm phenomenal." I'm talking a big game, but I know he's going to think I'm a loser. One of my favourite songs fills the car, and he looks at me in shock.
"Is this who I think it is?" He sounds shocked.
"Possibly," I mutter.
To my intense surprise, he's impressed. He hums along to the music, and I beam the rest of the way to his place.
AN: So now the most frequently asked question I've received is answered. Our lovely duo will be residing with Edward's family until further notice. Let's see how this plays out, shall we?
Also, twitter me up, because I love inane chitchat, especially in microblog form. netrasexual. get on it.
Smooches for all.