Edward and Bella decided to take a break and returned to their cottage shortly after Bella's first forays into testing her shield. She had wanted to stay on to help clear up the mess she had created, but Esme wouldn't hear of it, tasking Emmett and Jasper to straighten the furniture and assuring Bella that any repairs or redecoration required could be easily achieved when their guests had departed.
The following day, the two of them had met with the rest of the family and their visitors to, once again, experiment, but this time they wisely opted to do so outdoors. They had all witnessed the potential offensive power of Bella's gift, but Eleazar was keen to test her defensive power, and they set about trying to see if she could pull others into her protective bubble.
For hours, they tried different methods to help Bella push out her shield without repelling those around her, without success. Edward tried wrapping his arms around her, and then telling her to push, but his close proximity merely meant that the power of her shield had him soaring twenty yards into the trees.
"Jeez, Eddie, you will never be able to piss off this woman; you know that, right?"
Edward glared at Emmett as he stomped back from the forest, picking leaves and bits of shattered tree bark from his clothes. "How many times do I have to tell you, Emmy; do not call me Eddie!"
Emmett merely snickered and moved behind Bella, judging it to be the safest place to be under the circumstances.
Eleazar and Carlisle had returned to the house and were holed up in the study, intent on doing more research. Meanwhile, Esme and Carmen sat out on the porch chatting, leaving Edward and the "kids" to continue working with Bella.
Several hours later, Bella was finding it a little easier to hold out her shield without it snapping back but had started to believe it simply wasn't possible to bring anyone inside it. Sighing, she rubbed her temples. She knew it was impossible for her to have a headache, but she couldn't help but feel the stress of her constant failures beginning to affect her. The tension dropped out of her, however, when she felt Edward pull her against his chest.
"Keep the shield tight, babe, I don't want to destroy any more trees!" She felt his chuckle against her back and turned to face him, sliding her hands around his neck.
"I'm sorry, hon; I wish I knew how to do this." She frowned and rested her cheek against his chest.
A moment later, Edward slid a finger beneath her chin and lifted her face, forcing her to make eye contact.
"Stop apologizing, my beautiful girl. You've been a vampire for barely a year, you just found out yesterday that you have a gift and what that gift is, and you've been practicing using it for less than a day. Have patience; you're doing so well. I was running around like a lunatic for weeks trying to get the voices out of my head when I was first changed and it took me years to really get a grip on it. Let's call it a day and come back tomorrow. I have some great tension-relieving skills I can employ to relax you."
She grinned up at him. "That sounds perfect," she whispered, pulling away in order to let him lead her back to the cottage.
"Hang on a second, guys, maybe we're going about this the wrong way."
It was Jasper who spoke, and as they all turned toward him, Alice suddenly stilled, her eyes glazing over. A moment later, she pumped her fist and grinned. "Yes, that's it. Oh, Jazz, you're a genius!" she exclaimed.
Edward frowned, and then rolled his eyes. "Ahh, fuck, Alice, you've got to be kidding me."
Bella looked between them, confused. "What?"
"Oh, it's too perfect"—Alice laughed—"and it will work."
"What will work? Alice, stop being a pain and tell me," Bella demanded.
"Ha, pain is the point!"
Bella shot across the clearing and grabbed Alice by the shoulders. "Alice, if you don't tell me right now what your plan is, I swear to God you're going to be on the receiving end of this damned shield!"
Dancing away, Alice laughed with delight. "All right, all right, don't shoot the messenger. Jazz thinks it might be that someone close to you should be in danger in order for you to activate the defensive element of your shield."
Bella shook her head. "But that doesn't make any sense. We're all vampires; how is one of us going to be in danger? Talk sense, Alice."
"No, she's right, Bella." Jasper looked excited as he turned to the Denali sisters. "Kate, I think this is where you could really help. Why don't you zap Edward—"
"Hang on a minute. Say what?"
Kate stepped forward. "Bella, it's okay. I won't hurt him … well, not too much."
"Hurt him? What the fuck?"
"Uh, yeah … what the fuck, Jasper?" Edward was looking decidedly alarmed at this turn of events.
"Don't worry; it's just for a second. Kate, you do need to hurt him in order to trigger Bella's shield, but, like, just for a second—maybe not full strength, okay?"
Bella shook her head vehemently. "No, no, no. I don't know what's going on here, but I can tell you now, I don't like—"
The next thing she knew, there was a sort of fizzing sound and a blueish flash, and Edward gasped in genuine physical pain—something he hadn't experienced in nearly 200 years.
"What the fuck was that?" he yelled, grabbing his left hand with his right.
Jasper grinned. "Oh, yeah, Kate can manifest electricity; it's so cool. That was just a small jolt to warm you up."
Bella felt anger welling up inside, but her first thought was to go to Edward. As she approached him, Kate skipped around her and shot her arm up, palm out. Once again, Bella heard the fizzing sound and saw what looked like a blue-tinged lightning bolt streak across the space between Kate and Edward. Still ten feet or more away and without conscious thought, Bella zeroed in on Edward just as the bolt sizzled and crackled toward him.
Time seemed to stand still, and yet it was a mere fraction of a second later that Kate's attack on Edward was stymied by an invisible barrier that was momentarily lit up like a plasma globe.
Inside it, Edward felt nothing.
As those around them cheered and high-fived one another, the dawning realization that Bella had succeeded in protecting Edward from harm brought triumphant grins to both their faces. In a flash, they were in each other's arms before Edward lifted his mate high and swung her around.
"You did it, babe! I'm so proud of you."
He let her slide back down his body and immediately captured her lips with his own.
A slap on his back jolted them both and Edward glanced around to see a smirking Emmett. "Proud and grateful you didn't get your sorry ass handed to you by the girl with the electrifying personality."
Laughing at his own joke, it was nevertheless clear that Emmett was as thrilled as everyone else that Bella had been able to expand her ability, and Edward was too delighted to take umbrage at his friend's cringeworthy sense of humor.
Energized by her success, Bella was keen to try again, wanting to be sure that it hadn't just been a fluke. She wasn't sure what had changed, but she knew it had felt different this time. As she tried to get her mind around just what that difference was, Jasper approached her, smiling broadly, and put his hand on her shoulder.
"That was incredible, Bella. Do you know how you did it?"
She returned his smile, but then punched his arm lightly.
"I should kick your ass for that stunt, Jasper," she exclaimed, tempering her words with a wry smile.
Jasper laughed. "Yeah, I know—but it worked, didn't it? But seriously, Bella, are you able to analyze what you did? We really need to try again to make sure it wasn't a one-off."
"Yeah, I was just thinking the same. But it's hard to put it into words. It did feel different, but I'm not entirely clear on how or why. The nearest I can get is that it didn't feel like pushing this time, more like … I don't know … like, kind of … flinging my shield? I don't know if I can explain it any better, I … have you ever fished, Jasper?"
The others had now all gathered around them and were listening intently as Jasper nodded, understanding dawning.
"Yeah, with my daddy back when I was a boy, up at Cedar Creek Lake. Do you mean like fly-fishing, casting a line?"
"Yes, that's exactly it," she told him excitedly. "I fished with my dad too. I mean, I wasn't as into it as him, but it was one of the few things we could do together and he taught me to fly-fish. I got pretty good at it actually."
For a moment, Bella was taken aback by a sharp, achingly poignant memory of standing in the shallows of a crystal-clear river, glancing upstream to where her father was casting his line out over and over in a kind of slow-motion ballet, the only sounds being the breeze rustling through the trees and the song of a lone whippoorwill. If tears had been possible, her face would be awash. Then, right when she needed him, Edward was there, pulling her close and rocking her gently. After a moment, she pulled back and smiled up at him, mouthing a silent "thank you".
Looking around at the assembled vampires, she sighed and shook her head as if to clear away the bittersweet memory. Jasper, in particular, looked wretched. "Sorry, guys, that kind of snuck up on me without warning, but I'm fine. Sorry, Jazz."
He smiled kindly at her. "No problem, Bella. Most of us struggle to remember our human past, but every now and then, these little slices of our former lives can manifest themselves, and if they're good memories, I say embrace them."
"Yeah, it was a really good memory." She gulped an unnecessary breath and extricated herself from Edward's arms. "But you've got the picture, and I think putting it into words has helped me visualize the technique. So, let's try again. I want to see if I can get a handle on it now so I can spend the day tomorrow testing how far I can expand it."
Jasper nodded, pleased with Bella's determination. As they resumed, Irina and Tanya wandered back to the house with Rosalie, leaving Bella to work with the others. Over the next few hours, having finally conquered the how and why, Bella found it easier and easier to manipulate her shield, both as a weapon and a defensive mechanism. The boys took it in turns to play the victim, and, at the very beginning, Bella would be lying if she said she was really trying when Jasper got a nasty jolt from Kate—her smirk pretty much gave her away as the blond vampire swore while Alice licked his forearm to soothe and repair the burn with her venom. His devoted mate was not best pleased.
"Behave, Bella. I love you, but don't push your luck!"
Bella couldn't help laughing as her friend pouted. "Aww, come on, Alice, he's had worse—and it was all his idea. Besides, you should have seen it coming."
Alice growled. "You know you didn't decide until Kate was throwing her charge, so don't give me that!"
Bella conceded, kissing her friend on the cheek. Turning to Jasper, she patted his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jasper, it won't happen again."
He shrugged and smiled at her. "No problem, Bella, I'll give you that one. And you're right; I have had a lot worse … see, it's all better. Now, come on, let's see what you can do when you are trying."
It was dark when they decided to pack it in for the night, returning to the house to debrief and discuss the day's events.
~o0o~
The Denalis stayed another couple days before returning to Alaska, and both Bella and Edward were quite pleased to see them go. For the most part, they enjoyed the break in routine, and, as they got to know them better, they had to admit they liked them all, even Tanya in the end, who had performed a complete volte-face where Edward was concerned after witnessing the power of his mate's gift, but it was nice to get back to the normal routine and not feel they needed to be entertaining others all the time.
The Masens intended to spend the next month with the Cullens, taking them through the Christmas and New Years period, after which Edward had planned to travel with Bella to Europe, where he was keen to show her all his favorite cities. However, during a lengthy, late-night conversation with Carlisle, the older vampire urged caution.
"I know Europe is a big place, Edward, but the Volturi have spies everywhere on the Continent and I think you should avoid Italy completely."
"But Italy is one of my favorites countries and Bella's so excited to visit. Rome, Florence, Venice—she's got a wish-list, and I'd hate to disappoint her."
"I know, I know, and I'm probably being paranoid, but I'm worried about Aro. If he finds out—"
"But that's just it; why should he find out about Bella? It's not like she's going to go around catapulting people out of her way, is she?"
Carlisle chuckled at the image Edward's words conjured up, but he remained anxious. "Of course not, but one slip in front of the wrong person could spell disaster. And it's not just Bella; it's you as well."
"Me? Why would he be interested in me?"
"I don't think you understand how unusual your gift is, Edward. I've heard of very few vampire telepaths, and, as far as I'm aware, they all need to be very close to the person who's mind they're reading, even if they don't need physical contact like Aro. But your range is extraordinary and means you can be privy to the thoughts of others without them knowing you're even in the vicinity. Aro would value that ability very highly, and to have a pair of such talented vampires would delight him, especially as he could keep you both in check by threatening the other."
"I'd like to see him try to harm Bella; her shield is way too powerful," Edward snorted.
"Ah, but don't you see? Bella is, indeed, a hugely powerful vampire, but her one weakness, I'm afraid to say, is you, Edward. If Aro used you against her, she would agree to anything, and it just wouldn't be possible for her to keep you inside her shield all the time. No, you must avoid any chance of Aro finding out about either of you. He already knows about Alice and would give his eye teeth to snag her, if he could."
"So, they never come to the States?"
"Well, as I said, he has his spies everywhere, but the Volturi Guard seldom venture this far, and Aro's unholy trinity rarely even leaves the castle, let alone the country."
"Okay, maybe you're right. I would never want to risk leading Bella into harm's way. We'll give Italy a miss—for now—but we're still going to the rest of Europe and the UK."
Carlisle nodded and smiled. "Yes, of course, you must. I'm sorry, Edward; I didn't want to put a downer on your trip … just be careful, please."
Later, curled up on their couch together, Edward explained Carlisle's concerns and although she was disappointed, Bella had no problem agreeing that, for the time being at least, they should keep clear of Italy. After all, they had an eternity to explore.
~o0o~
Following the Denali's departure, the Cullens continued to work with Bella, and as the chilly days and nights flew by, they all became more and more impressed with her ability. On one particular night, as a violent storm blew in across Lake Michigan and howled through the eaves of the house and under several loose rooftiles, the boys had been sent by Esme to secure them before the torrential rain could find ingress. There was little risk to them, of course, because even if they fell, they remained unharmed, but the freezing rain made everything slippery, hampering attempts to make the necessary repairs. As Emmett once again scampered up to the mansard, from which he had already fallen twice, all three men looked up as the downpour suddenly stopped, only to discover that it was still coming down in stair-rods everywhere except under the canopy of Bella's shield.
"Well, will you look at that!" exclaimed Emmett, shaking his head in awed wonder. Leaning over the parapet, he looked down at Bella, standing on the drive. "Hey, Bells, you could have saved me a lot of trouble and effort if you'd done that half an hour earlier. Esme is going to be pissed about that crack in the front steps where I fell the first time!"
Bella grinned up at him, flipping him the bird, but said nothing. She wasn't really confident enough at that moment to try speaking while expanding her shield to the extent necessary to envelope a large, two-story house while, at the same time, it was being battered by a storm. Fortunately, she didn't have to hold it for long because now that they weren't being drenched, the guys were quickly able to make the repairs needed to keep the house watertight. Withdrawing her shield as they jumped lightly to the ground, Bella merely shrugged at their approbation, still a little embarrassed at all the compliments that had become a daily occurrence.
Edward approached her as the others went inside, and, almost without thinking, she enveloped the two of them within her sheltering protection. He smiled, glancing around. He was still in awe of his mate's incredible gift, which was all the more in evidence as the rain pounded down around them, pouring over Bella's shield like a hose on a greenhouse. Edward was soaked to the skin, and Bella laughed as he pulled her close and shook his head, much like a wet dog, making her squeal.
"Dammit, Edward, you're making me wet." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she giggled at her unintended double entendre, but the giggle died in her throat as she watched his eyes darken and his lips stretch into that sexy grin that turned her insides to mush.
"Oh, baby, just wait 'til I get you home, then you'll see how wet I can make you."
"Oh my god, how can you be so cheesy and so sexy all at the same time?" She laughed, even as a shiver of pleasure ran through her.
"Who knows? But if it's working, I say we go with it."
With that, he grabbed her hand and led her, at vampire speed, down the path and through the door to their home.
Before they'd even made it through the small entrance lobby into the house, their lips and hands were all over one another. Clothes and shoes were abandoned in a flash, and then, still kissing, they stumbled gracelessly into the sitting room, their passion all-consuming.
Edward picked Bella up, allowing her to wrap her legs around him, and immediately sat on the couch. Releasing her hair from the tie that held it in a high ponytail, he fanned it out around her shoulders, loving the silky feel of it as it cascaded down her back and over her breasts. It had to be said, the Cullen women were all very envious of the fact that, having chosen this life, Bella had had time to get plucked, shaved and waxed and have her hair done in a style she knew she could live with forever. Upon emerging from the very expensive beauty salon, Edward had been bowled over to discover that she could be even more beautiful with a little pampering, and he had wasted no time in whisking her home to do much the same as he was doing now.
Sliding down onto him, Bella groaned her pleasure, wondering, not for the first time, if she would ever tire of this. As she rode him, slowly at first and then, as she felt her orgasm begin to coil out from her belly, harder and faster, she knew the answer was no. With her head back and Edward's large hands spread across her back, Bella's pace increased to vampiric speed, and they both shouted out in ecstasy as they came together. Dropping her head, Bella captured Edward's lips in a scorching kiss, and mere moments later, she was on her hands and knees on the floor as Edward thrust back inside her. It was raw and dirty and hard. They both reveled in their lovemaking, but they also embraced and relished this side of their relationship when they just wanted to fuck each other's brains out.
Much later, as the first hint of a new day began to lighten the sky, Edward pulled out of his woman, letting her legs slide off his shoulders, and took her upstairs to take a shower. There, they slowly washed and dried each other before climbing into bed and showing each other the tender, sweet side of their love.
A weak sun was high in the sky when they walked, hand in hand, to the Cullen house and slipped in through the patio doors.
Moments after their arrival, a loud crash in the hallway had them streaking through the house, only to find their vampire family crowded around little Alice as she stood amid strewn flowers, shards of crystal and a spreading pool of water on the burnished wooden floor.
"What the hell, Ali," Bella cried, more because she was shocked that her friend could be capable of such a clumsy act as dropping a vase.
But Edward was as still as she. "Fuck, Alice, no!"
All heads turned to him, but he was already grabbing Bella and running with her back the way they had come.
"Edward, what the—"
"We have to get out of her, Bella, come on."
In the house, the bewildered family stared at Alice, whose eyes were wide. Finally, she drew in a breath she didn't really need and spoke.
"Stop them, Emmett. Something bad is coming and we … we need them."
A/N: Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for the incredible reception you have given this story and my return to fan fiction - it is one of the great joys of my life. I have tried to respond to everyone, but if I missed you it's because I ran out of time, but please know that your feedback is precious to me.
Huge thanks to Alice's White Rabbit, who is so patient with me and so assiduous in her editing duties. I am endlessly grateful for her time and assistance.
So ... shit, as they say, is about to hit the industrial-sized fan!
