Chapter 11
The Reasons
"So, you and my sister."
"Hello to you too, Stefan." I chuckled and took my seat next to him. "It's not going to be awkward now, is it?"
"Only if you two continue on your PDA all the time." Stefan shrugged.
"Then you better start getting used to being awkward." That earned me a scolding look but I couldn't care less about it.
It took me almost a century to find her, I would be damned if I waited longer to show Bella exactly how much I loved her. I wanted to tell her about my feelings every day we spent together, but I knew it would be too soon. After overhearing her conversation with Damon about Bella's previous relationship, I was afraid to be completely honest.
Being so close to someone was a new thing for me, but Bella had already experienced it. I never brought it up, fearing I would not only upset her but also make her regret giving me…giving us a chance. It was selfish, and I stressed about it every day, but she was Bella. My Bella. I knew what a mate relationship was, I'd seen it form in front of my own eyes and could hear the thoughts of the people. I'd never even hoped it would be the same for me, but somehow it felt better, stronger. The bond tying me to Bella was indestructible, eternal, and absolutely ethereal.
"How 'bout we just get this project done?" Stefan asked.
"I can email you my part, can you put it all together?"
"Sure. You want to do a practice run before the presentation next week?"
"It wouldn't hurt."
"Come over tomorrow. Bring Alice with you, Caroline's leaving, she wanted to say goodbye."
"The two shopaholics are breaking up?" I snorted. "What a shame."
Alice and Caroline seemed to have more in common than I first noticed. It's been two weeks since the night all the truth came out, and a lot of things changed between my family and Bella's.
Caroline and Alice became fast friends, gossiping about Bella's and my relationship, taking shopping trips to Seattle, and just annoying all of us with their cheerful all-is-well attitude at times.
Stefan, Emmett, and Jasper spent many hours discussing football and playing video games together. Stefan let Carlisle take his blood to see how exactly it was different from the human one and where their healing properties came from.
Damon was unrecognizable when he met Esme, the only person from my family he seemed to like. A few days ago my mom insisted the Salvatores and Caroline be invited for dinner.
*Flashback*
"Mrs. Cullen." Damon greeted my mom with a lovely smile. I didn't know he was capable of that.
"Please, it's Esme." She was falling for it…Unbelievable. "You must be Damon."
"Guilty." The man chuckled throwing his hands in the air. "Your house looks wonderful, and it smells even more pleasant."
"I'm very glad you like it! I finally have an excuse to use the kitchen."
What kind of game was he playing? I looked at Ali, who just shrugged her shoulders. Her thoughts told me she also found Damon's behavior unexpected but couldn't see it leading to anything bad. I looked over at Bella then, who just giggled.
"He has a thing for moms." She explained, making me feel very uncomfortable until she corrected, "Oh no, not in that sense. He respects mothers, he had a really strong connection with ours."
"That's…understandable," I spoke unsure, still trying to get used to the fact that Damon was physically able to smile.
"I know my brother can be a total dick. But if you give him a chance, I think he'll impress you."
"I'm open to chances, I just don't think we have anything in common." I shrugged, observing Damon's behavior.
Jasper was following his every step as well, reading his emotional state as he talked to Esme. Out of all of us, he was the most protective of her. It was a little strange, but from the first day, my brother was enamored by our mother. With time, I managed to figure out from his thoughts that he felt the constant grief Esme was feeling, and it was something that he could understand 100%. He saw a little bit of his own pain in her and was enchanted that she put on a genuine smile for all of us, never letting us see how hurt she still was after losing her baby.
"Maybe you could tell me something about him later." I offered.
"I think I should tell you a lot more than just Damon's favorite color." Bella chuckled sadly.
"Why do I have a feeling it's going to be a difficult conversation?" My eyebrows furrowed, as Bella bit her lip and looked away.
"It probably will, but let's just enjoy tonight. We can have the conversation later."
I nodded, wrapping my arm around Bella's back and leading her toward the dining room. The entire family, from both sides, was already gathered. Damon tok a seat next to Esme, I noticed him winking at Bella before patting an empty seat next to him. That's where both of us went.
"So, you boys have anyone special?" Esme asked with a smile after the dinner was served.
Bella choked on her salad and used her glass of bourbon to clear her throat. Jasper felt emotional pain coming from Damon and rubbed his temples. It must have been bad, barely ever did Jazz react to emotions this way.
"Damon has a girlfriend." Stefan cleared his throat, looking rather uncomfortable.
"Oh, well that's wonderful." Esme turned to the oldest Salvatore. "What's her name?"
"Esme…" I shook my head, trying to stop her.
"Edward?" Esme asked, confused, at the same time as Damon said, "Elena."
"My son's reaction tells me not to disturb that topic. Would you rather we talk about something else?" Esme asked politely.
"She's under a spell, lying in a coffin in my family's crypt. Will be there for the next 50 to 70 years, depending on how long my best friend gets to live. End of story." Damon took a sip from his glass. "Let's not do the teary eyes or other expressions of sympathy. At the end of the story, I get the girl."
"Way to rub it in." Stefan snorted playfully.
"She was Stefan's girlfriend first." Bella spoke in my head, I almost stood from the table at that. I felt her presence there still and after a quick look at her, I could see she was laughing. "Scared you?"
"Yeah, you could say that." I chuckled.
"After the last time I entered your head, I assumed it would be hard, but it's like your barrier is completely off now."
"Probably because I trust you fully." I contemplated.
"If that's the case, thank you."
"Would you like to share your secret conversation with the rest of us?" Rosalie huffed.
"I think that's why it's called secret, blondie." Damon smirked. "Oh to be young and in love, are you sure you want to know what they're talking about?"
"It's time Eddie got some action." Emmett laughed, I shook my head, feeling quite embarrassed.
"You want to go for a walk?" I pleaded.
"Please." Bella's cheeks were barely pink, but I could tell she didn't feel comfortable at that moment. "The dinner was lovely, Esme, thank you."
"I'm very sorry, Bella." Esme gave both of us sympathetic looks. "Emmett is just…"
"As bad as my own big brother." Bella gave Damon a killer look.
"Oh little sis, you gonna break my neck again? It's getting tedious."
*Flashback ends*
Bella and I were going to the meadow after school, just like we did most of the days. Stefan had to take his Porsche out since Bella was the one driving us. I left my Volvo in Rosalie's care, hoping Alice wouldn't let her abuse my car too much.
Today was the day Bella wanted us to have that serious talk, and I was getting a little antsy. On the one hand, I was hoping to get more information about her, on the other I was afraid she was going to leave.
From what I gathered in the first few days of our meeting, the Salvatores came here looking for someone. What if they were going away now since my family turned out to be something else? I would follow her, wherever she would travel next. The thought of leaving her side pained my heart.
"I wanted to tell you something the day the truth came out." Bella started.
I looked over at her, she looked so peaceful sitting in the middle of the meadow. The light wind made her hair flop from side to side, covering her eyes from time to time. And the tall grass covered her legs as she sat criss-cross-applesauce on the ground.
"Whatever it is, you can tell me." I offered, taking her hand in mine. "I think I might know a little about what you're going to say."
"Stalker." She chuckled slightly, making her eyes crinkle in the corners. "It's about the reason my family came to Forks. Remember Elena?"
"Damon's girlfriend." I nodded. The picture of Stefan and the brown-haired girl that Jasper dug up on the Internet shot through my head.
"My brothers and their friends are trying to find a way to get the spell off her." Bella continued. "That was the reason for our Europe trip. Damon was frantic, it was supposed to be a holiday vacation to help him get his mind off her just a little. Instead, he spent every moment away from me, Alaric, and Bonnie trying to find a way to lift the curse."
"Did he?" I asked anxiously.
"He thinks so." Bella shrugged. "People are willing to do crazy things for those they love."
"How crazy are we talking about?"
"There was one witch who told him about a powerful transferring spell. I've always been the "don't knock it 'till you try it" girl in heart, but the spell she was talking about sounded impossible even for me."
"What does it require?"
"A restless immortal who shall not fall under the curse." Bella glanced at me. "Elena's curse is a sleeping one, and what creatures are always restless, and cannot physically fall asleep? I couldn't think of any. Besides, they would have to have something in common with Elena in some way, the second part of the spell. And third, the most bizarre one, in my opinion, they had to be able to feel the danger of the curse beforehand."
"So you think the person who can take on the curse without falling under it themselves is one of my kind?" I asked bemused. Why did they choose Forks then? How could they know a vampire family would take their residence in the small town?
"The witch gave Damon a talisman, it's supposed to bring a person wearing it to something they desire most." Bella took one of her hands out of mine and reached into her pocket. "Whenever Damon tried to use it, it just brought him to our family crypt, to Elena. So I offered to use it for him. There was nothing in the world that I desired more than to see my brother finally at peace. Even if it meant he had to spend an eternity with Elena." Bella cringed.
"And the talisman led you here?"
"It led us to the Washington state, after that, it started changing directions, so Damon and I got out of the cars and ran on foot. But then my brother decided to act like his usual dickish self, and I couldn't stand it anymore. So I told him to fix his attitude or I'm going to throw this thing out."
Bella twirled the round golden disk in her hands. The machine made little vibrations as it spun in her hand.
"You broke his neck." I guessed. That was the first time I saw Damon.
"I have a little bit of a temper," Bella spoke sheepishly and then chuckled. "It's a good thing you're unbreakable."
"Lucky me." I chuckled back. "So you think the vampire you need is someone from my family?"
"No." Bella shook her head, glancing down at the talisman in her hands. "I still think it's one of your kind. Elena is a vampire as well, so there's a connection between you and her. And you're restless and can't sleep. But after learning about your abilities, I can't help but think we need a special vampire whose gift is somehow connected with ties or danger or...I don't know."
"But why would the talisman lead you here then? There are no other vampires besides my family in this area."
"I think I know the answer to this question too," Bella whispered, pulling my hands to the talisman. The vibration became intense as both our hands lay on top of the little disk. "My biggest desire turned out to be you, Edward."
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