HE HELPED HER DOWN FROM THE COUNTER, carried her to the table, sat her down on a chair, then went to go get her dinner, along with cutlery, had it in front of her in less than a second, steam rising, the aroma of the food mouth-watering. Bella cut a piece of eggplant, blowing on it to cool it down, was aware of Edward behind her, shifting her hair to the side, placing sweet, soft, cold kisses along her throat and neck, the perfume of his breath washing over her skin. "Ah, Bella, I'm really going to miss this, cooking for you, I think. I should be sorry to take away your humanity, and part of me, a very, very small part, is, but the rest of me is ecstatic that soon you'll be like me and there will be nothing in this world that can ever tear us apart or harm you."
Bella ate the piece of eggplant she'd cut, which, again, was perfectly seasoned, chewed, then swallowed before she spoke, lifting her left hand, running it over his hair, the texture so soft and velvet, it was akin to the finest of silks. "No part of you should be sorry to 'take away' my humanity, you're giving me everything I want and all the things I didn't even think to ask for, a child. Plus, I get to be with you," she turned slightly, kissed him, soft and fleeting, "the love of my existence, forever, build our own, little family of three."
Bella shivered, then, but the cold, it wasn't coming from the temperature in the room, but from deep within her, her heart giving a panicked beat at the mere thought of ever being separated from him. "I shudder to think what I would do without you, though I have a pretty good idea thanks to Alice." She shook her head, clearing it of all cold, disturbing thoughts of ever being separated from Edward, because that was never going to happen, not now that they were engaged, getting married in around five weeks time, planning on having a family, a child, together, though whether it was a girl or a boy remained to be seen—her eyebrows knitting together, a little vee marring her forehead as something occurred to her. She turned to him, a little self-conscious, found him patiently waiting, something which was very hard for him, she knew, because he was used to knowing what people thought all the time. "What am I going to wear tomorrow and tonight for pajamas, when I packed, I only brought clothes for one day and one night?"
His eyes glittered, became impossibly more beautiful. "Eat while we talk, Bella, I don't want your food getting cold." Edward waited for her to cut another piece of her food, this time of the avocado, pop it in her mouth, before he spoke again. "I asked Alice to go to your house last night, pick up some clothes for you. She dropped it off while you were sleeping so there's another dress waiting for you to wear tomorrow in my closet, and, of course, undergarments, too, though those are in a small bag, and Alice was thinking of other things when she handed it over to me so I didn't see them, after all, you're not my wife yet." His frame shook with quiet, ghostly laughter. "She was a little upset, of course, says that when she looked in your closet, she saw some new clothes, mostly blue dresses, that you went shopping without her, muttered to herself about keeping better tabs on your decisions, not just being on the lookout for whatever danger is going to hunt you next."
He shook his head, still laughing quietly to himself, then became serious. "So, my Bella, it would seem you're not totally adverse to shopping?"
Bella felt hot, too hot, blood coloring her cheeks in the form of a blush. Still, she had to answer him, had to tell him the truth, because she loved him. She ate four pieces of food, two of eggplant, and two of avocado, before she finally gathered the courage to speak. Her heart pounding inside her chest and her blood roaring in her ears, she said, "No, I'm not totally adverse to clothing shopping, though if you'd ask me that when I lived in Phoenix, I'd have told you you were crazy. I like looking nice for you, wearing dresses when we're alone, away from the prying eyes of our classmates and the whole school, because I noticed that when I do, your hold on your self-control, it tends to get a bit loose, and I like that—getting under your skin, when you kiss me without overthinking it." She winced, playing around with a piece of eggplant, pushing it around and around on her plate. "Alice's tastes are a bit too exotic, expensive for me, though."
Edward waited for her to eat the piece of eggplant mixed with avocado she had on her fork, swallow, tilted her chin up with one cool, gentle finger, then he was kissing her, and this kiss, it had an edge to it, was hard, but soft, deep, and loving, left her breathless and disoriented when he pulled away, left his forehead pressed against hers. He exhaled softly, the sweet perfume of his breath washing over her skin. "Bella, Bella, Bella, what am I going to do with you, Love?"
She set her fork and knife down, wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her fingers in his hair, pulling gently at the soft silk strands. "Mary me, have a family with me, spend forever with me."
He took her face between his hands, fingers stroking her cheeks, looked deep in her eyes, his own serious and mesmerizing. "Yes, that is exactly what I'm going to do, but right now I'm going to go sit across from you so I stopped distracting you and you can eat faster, then we'll move on to the next part of the night, get some wedding night practice."
She ate quickly as she could, and when she was done, Edward picked up the dirty dishes, washed them using his usual speed, then came back to her, lifted her into his arms, like how a groom carried his new bride. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressed sweet, soft, warm kisses along his throat, to his jaw, until her lips finally, slowly, shaped themselves around his. "I like this, you know, being here with you, seeing you first thing in the morning, not being separated from you but for very brief periods of time, wish we could do it every weekend." Bella shook her head even as she spoke, aware that what she wanted, longed for, and reality were too very different things. "Alas, it can't be that way, else, Charlie would become suspicious, and we can't ask our family, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle, and Esme, to get out of the house every weekend, it might get tiresome for them, and Emmett might begin to tease us . . . more than he already teases you when I'm not around."
He shifted her weight so he held her with naught but one arm, stroked her hair away from her face, traced the shape of her face, her eyebrows, her lips, leaving a trail of fire in his wake despite the cold temperature of his skin. "Patience, my Bella, my beautiful bride-to-be, soon, within a couple of weeks time, we'll be married, live together, and there will be nothing that can keep us apart should we not want to be. Of course, I still will need to hunt every now and then, and since I won't be changing you right away because you'll be getting pregnant, you can't come with me, but those periods of time will be short and brief, and you'll have Alice, Esme, and Carlisle to keep you company in the meantime."
They were upstairs, in his room, in less than a second, Edward gently laying her down on the bed, his body—already shirtless, coming over hers, stroking her hair, her face, and further down, to her throat, his cold fingers moving, light as a feather, over her skin. "My Bella, my love, my beautiful bride-to-be, my future wife, I love you so much, will spend every single day of forever, every single second of every day of forever, both day and night, showing you just how much." His lips, hard, but soft, came down over hers, and when he kissed her, tender and loving, it was as if nothing else in the world mattered to him, not his siblings, not the fact that Emmett probably teased him relentlessly, not comprehending the depth of their love, the strength of their emotions, because it was very different from what he and Rosalie had, or the fact that this, their time alone, would end soon, within a couple of hours.
It made tears, happy tears, tears of love, spring in her eyes, want to hold him tighter to her. She experimented, tried to pull him even closer. To her surprise, he went, using one hand to explore the curves of her body, from her head, to her shoulders, down her arms, to the dip of her waist, and lower still to her hips, in a very polite, gentlemanly fashion, his other hand braced above her, on the frame of the bed, likely clawing and tearing at the furniture, resisting the urge to pull her closer to him, crush her to him with all his strength, but she didn't hear the sounds as he tore the furniture further apart, or cared, for that matter, all that mattered was him, the two of them, this moment, tonight, the rest of the world could wait.
She stroked his back, his shoulders, everywhere she could, her lips doing the same to his skin, Edward, too, kissing her and stroking her everywhere he could, all the while being respectful, for he was old-fashioned, her fiance, careful not to hold her too close, crush her too tight, allowing her not quite free reign over his body, but as close as they could get without taking their clothes off. When the clock struck midnight, the witching hour, Edward didn't stop, tell her that it was getting late and she should get some sleep, continued caressing and kissing her, allowing her to do the same to him, for hours and hours on end.
Eventually, though, because Bella was still human, needed to get some sort of sleep, they did stop, Edward dropping her off at the bathroom, handing her the bag containing her things, waiting for her to change in his room, bringing her back to his room with him when she did, letting her sprawl herself over his chest, arms coming around her. He began to hum her lullaby and it wasn't long before she fell asleep, but not before she told him one very important thing, her voice sleepy and her eyes droopy. "I love you."
He paused in his humming. "As I love you."
A gentle kiss pressed against her lips, strong, cold, gentle fingers running over her hair. "Wake up, Bella."
"Hmm." She kept her eyes closed, used her hands to search for him in the darkness behind her eyelids, pull him down to her so she could kiss him again. "Good morning, my beautiful fiance and future husband."
"Good morning, Love."
Something in his voice made her open her eyes, sit up slowly. It took her some time, because she had just woken up, but she slowly, meticulously, looked around the room, registering every detail that she could. The first thing she registered was, of course, because he always held her attention, Edward, standing over her, dressed in a white button-up shirt and tight dark blue jeans. The second thing she noticed was a small, delicate tray containing what seemed to be an omelette, along with a very healthy-looking juice. "Thank you for making me breakfast. What time is it?"
He went over to the trey, brought it over to her, set it down in front of her, then sat beside her on the bed, taking her left hand in his, his thumb tracing small, soothing circles on her skin. "Almost noon." He lifted her wrist to his mouth, pressed a kiss to her pulse, then released it so she could eat her breakfast before it got cold. "I didn't have the heart to wake you earlier, though I wanted to take advantage of every second of our time alone, I kept you up really late last night, until three in the morning."
Bella tensed, began to eat her breakfast faster now, wanting to spend as much time with Edward as she could, kissing him, planning their wedding, not taking care of her human needs. "How long until everyone gets back?"
A shrug. "About two hours or so." She was about to stuff another forkful of omelette into her mouth, but he stopped her, placing a hand over hers with the fork in mid-air. "Slow down, Bella, I don't want you to accidentally choke on your food or get a stomach ache later. Besides, we still have sometime to spend alone after you're done taking care of your human needs, it may not be as much as we like, but it's still time nonetheless."
She did, but her speed only decreased slightly, and she finished her breakfast in record time, Edward carrying her to the bathroom with a sigh so she could change, handing her the bag containing the change of clothes Alice had brought for today. She took a deep breath, praying Alice hadn't decided her clothes weren't pretty enough, played switcheroo with her clothes, before she opened the bag. Thankfully, Alice hadn't decided to play switcheroo after all, had actually—and Bella didn't know whether this was accidental or not, chosen the second dress Bella had been debating whether or not she should bring to spend the night.
It was beautiful, but simple, her dress, a little on the expensive side, though still nothing compared to what Alice would have no doubt spent, but it was just too perfect and Bella had had to get it. It was blue, of course, because Edward loved the way the color blue looked against her skin, and the whole reason why she'd gone shopping in the first place was so she could look nice for him, a mixture between baby blue and pastel blue. Unlike yesterday's dress, this dress, it was almost entirely made up of lace, had tiny white beads embedded into it, flawlessly worked into the fabric to create a soft, delicate pattern. The sleeves were long, the skirts reaching to just below her knees, keeping Bella modest while still elegant. Around her waist went a thin silver belt decorated with small roses and forget-me-nots, flattering her figure and highlighting her curves.
She slid on her shoe, a simple flat that matched the color of her dress perfectly, then went through her quick, comprehensive, skin care routine, before brushing her hair, using the same methods she used yesterday, and calling, "Edward," when she was done, her voice no louder than if he'd been standing right next to her.
His reaction was similar to the one he'd had yesterday, but not at all the same.
His intake of breath was audible, and, the look in his eyes when she turned away from the mirror, faced him . . . it took her breath away, left her speechless. His golden eyes, they were blazing, as if a fire burnt behind his irises, filled with love and hunger, hunger not for her blood, but to hold her, kiss her until she couldn't breathe, claim her as his. Slowly, deliberately, he walked over to her, backing her up against the sink, but rather than braising his hand behind her on the mirror, he lifted her effortlessly, as if she was naught but a feather, onto the sink, parted her legs, gently making space for himself between them. When he spoke, his voice was soft, seductive. "Oh, Bella, Love, you look stunning, truly beautiful, are a siren, can tear through even the most disciplined man's self-control." He let his lips brush over hers, soft as a whisper. "You're lucky I wasn't born in this modern times, else, I'd have already ripped off your dress, regardless of whether or not we were married yet."
Her mouth dropped open. She was expecting him to like her dress, but not this much, certainly not so much that he'd want to rip it off her. Before she could say anything, he helped her down from the sink, cradled her to his chest, fitting her to him, holding most of her weight. "Come, there's something I want to show you, a song I started to compose shortly after you agreed to marry me, before everyone gets here and we're no longer alone. It's quite long, but it's not complete yet, there's something missing, though I know not what yet. Perhaps I'll have it finished by next weekend, can play it for you when we go to Chicago, in my family home, where I, like you, was human."
Bella blinked once and she was sitting on the piano bench, Edward beside her, his long, strong, pianist fingers, gracefully, expertly, moving over the keys, music filling the room. It was beautiful, intricate, and complicated, the melody. In some ways, this song mirrored her lullaby, because Bella could feel Edwards love for her through the music, just like in her lullaby, but in others, it was completely different, because this melody, unlike her lullaby, didn't have any sad, melancholic notes, was filled with nothing but pure love and radiant, ecstatic joy, so strong, tears of happiness and love began cascading down her cheeks. Edward glanced over at her, not needing to look at the piano to know which keys to press, was about to stop playing when he saw Bella was crying, but then a smile tugged at her lips and he knew she wasn't sad, only the total opposite.
He hadn't been joking when he said the song was long, because they sat at the piano for what seemed like hours, but Bella didn't mind, leaned her head against his shoulder at some point, and when the song was "finished,' she heard Edward take a deep breath before he turned to her, beaming and anxious at once. "Like I told you, it's not complete yet, there are several pieces missing, and I'll find out what they are, hopefully before we go to Chicago next weekend, but do you like it?"
She threw her arms around his neck, lunged herself at him, tears yet cascading down her cheeks. "Oh, Edward, no, I don't simply like it, I love it, it's beautiful, thank you." Before he could speak, say anything, she kissed him, soft, sweet, and deep, deep as he would allow her to, her tongue darting out to take in the taste of his skin, his tongue doing the same.
She wasn't sure how long they kissed for, but, eventually, very faintly, through the buzz in her head, she heard a male voice, one she recognized immediately, that wasn't as welcome as Edward's voice was. Emmett. "And here I thought you two were waiting till marriage, but please, don't let us interrupt, continue on with the show, it's very entertaining."
Bella immediately began disentangling herself from Edward, her face bright red and her heart beating a million miles per minute, but he didn't let her, simply shifted his hold, their position, so she could bury her face against his chest, one hand running soothingly up and down her back, over her hair. Edward ignored Emmett, his words directed toward Carlisle. "Carlisle, Bella and I would like to talk to you about something important, can we go to your office?"
Bella heard Rosalie let out an angry huff, and she must have left, darted out of the house, along with Emmett, quickly as she could, because when Bella finally turned to face their family, only Esme, Carlisle, Alice, and Jasper remained, and Jasper, he had a contented, happy smile on his face, was holding Alice close, had an arm around her waist. Carlisle smiled with pride and what Bella thought was relief at Edward. "Of course, Edward."
Alice pulled away from Jasper, disentangling herself from his embrace, pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "I'll be right back, this will take only a couple of minutes." She turned to Carlisle, Edward, and Bella, then. "I'll go with you, help you figure out what the best way is to tell Charlie about your engagement."
Edward shifted his hold around Bella, stood up, holding her firmly in his arms, pausing only so Esme could say hello, kiss her on the cheek, before darting to Carlisle's office, Carlisle and Alice following close behind. Soon as they were inside, Carlisle shut the door, Alice setting a chair down on the other side of Carlisle's desk. Carlisle waited for Edward to sit with Bella in his lap before he asked, "What's going on, Edward, what would you like to discuss?"
Edward didn't say anything for several seconds, shifted Bella on his lap so she was sitting sideways, able to look at both him and Carlisle and Alice. He looked deep into her eyes, linked the fingers of her left hand with his. "As I'm sure Alice has already told you, because Esme knows, is helping Bella with her wedding dress, Bella and I want to get married in around five weeks time, soon after you take off the brace from her leg."
Carlisle's smile was soft, filled with pride and fatherly love, even as he raised an eyebrow, confused. "Yes?" It was both a response and a question.
Bella looked at Edward for encouragement, felt him squeeze her hand lightly, before he leaned in, kissed her, quick and fast, the kiss just a peck. Bella took a deep breath, her words tumbling out in a rush, so fast, that, if she'd been with humans, they wouldn't have been able to understand her. "We were wondering if you could go talk to the teachers or the principal, see if we don't have to do senior year, can just graduate now, along with Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper." Bella wrinkled her nose. "I don't want to have to go to school for the majority of our first Year of marriage, want to be able to spend it like a newlywed couple without having the pressures of having to go to school, pretend. Edward said this will probably involve taking some sort of test, but I really don't care, all I want is to spend our first year of marriage in peace. This is not traditional, I know, but Edward and I," she made eye contact with her fiance, "we're not traditional in any way, shape, or form."
Carlisle drummed his fingers in the armrests of his chair, quiet and thoughtful. "Yes, it definitely won't be fair to you if you have to spend your first year of marriage as High School students rather than enjoying your new union, celebrating your love. Besides, I don't think you'll be ready to go to school right away after you get married, after all, Edward will change you soon after and you'll be a newborn, have to learn to control your thirst, be around humans again. I'll go to the school with you tomorrow morning before going to the hospital, talk to the principal, the teachers, see what solution we can come up with so you won't have to go to school next year, can graduate early."
Alice spoke up for the first time since entering the room. "And after you take the test, if you do end up taking some sort of test, before you graduate, it will be the perfect time to tell Charlie about your engagement. You could tell him you're taking a year off school, traveling across the world to immerse yourselves in new cultures, learn new things, and since you'll be living together, you want to get married before you go, make your union legally and spiritually binding, enjoy a period of doing nothing before you start traveling around the world. Speaking of Charlie, we should probably be getting you home soon, Bella, you know, so you can cook for him, make him dinner."
She turned her gaze to Edward, glared at him. "No, Edward, it's not necessary for you to follow us on foot, I can keep Bella safe just as well as you can, and if you wait for her in her room, she'll try to hurry with dinner so she can come up to you as soon as possible, and there's a very high possibility she'll trip. Best to give her a couple of hours to spend with Charlie, then you can go to her. I'm going to go get her stuff, you can get her to the car in the meantime, say goodbye."
Before Bella could object to Alice's instructions, she went out of the room, so fast, she was invisible to Bella's eyes. Carlisle followed her out, however, he, unlike her, walked slowly, like a human, pausing to give Bella a hug and a kiss on the forehead, just like a father would. "I'll see you tomorrow morning." A pause, Carlisle's eyebrows knitting together, a little vee marring his forehead. "You have my cell phone, call me if your leg starts hurting because of your movements, though you should still try to move around as less as possible, especially since Edward won't be there for a while to take most of your weight or simply carry you."
Despite Alice's instructions, Edward didn't move after Carlisle left, simply sat on the chair, Bella sitting on his lap, shifting so they were completely facing each other, his arms coming around her, began to hum the new song he'd composed. After a couple of minutes of this happy, content silence, Bella sighed audibly, buried her face against his chest. "I really don't want to go home because it means I'll have to take my ring off, leave it here with you, pretend not to be engaged, and I hate that."
A hand running soothingly over her hair, a soft kiss pressed against her lips. "Don't worry, Bella, my beautiful bride-to-be, I'll bring your ring with me when I go to your house, put it on the ring finger of your left hand soon as you walk into your room."
She looked up, met his eyes, saw they were warm, their depths endless. "Promise?"
A nod, another soft kiss. "Of course." Edward rolled his eyes. "Ah, Bella, much as I would like to keep you here, delay you're leaving for as long as possible, Alice is busy throwing playful, mental insults at me in every single language she can think of, telling me that the sooner she drops you off and you cook dinner for Charlie, spend some time with him, the sooner we can reunite." A blink and they were in the garage, Bella already sitting in Alice's car, the door open, Edward leaning in. Gently, he took her left hand in his, slit her engagement ring off of her finger, placed it back in it's Black velvet box, then placed the box in the back pocket of his jeans. "I'll give your ring back to you as soon as possible."
His words made her smile, lean out of the car, fist his shirt in her hand, pull him down for a soft, sweet kiss that wasn't exactly a peck.
A clearing of a throat, followed by Alice's voice. "Uh‐hmm, the sooner we go and I drop you off, Bella, the sooner you and Edward can be reunited."
Edward let out a long breath, the sweet perfume of it making Bella shiver from pleasure. "Fine, Alice." He gave Bella another kiss, this one quick and fast, just the barest brush of lips against lips, shut the door, Bella automatically rolling the window down, leaning over to take another kiss. "I'll see you soon, my beautiful bride-to-be, and, of course, I love you, take care of my heart, you take it with you wherever you go."
Alice barely waited for Bella to put on her seat belt, say, "I love you, too," before stepping on the gas, speeding away so fast, Bella would have been worried if she'd been with a human.
The ride to her house was quiet and fast, Alice not saying anything, discussing her wedding dress or going away outfit, likely because Esme wasn't here and it wouldn't be fair to her, and because she was looking ahead to the future, specifically her and Jasper's future, trying to decipher what surprise he was planning for her. Bella was fine with that, totally content to remain within her own thoughts, though perhaps she should feel guilty about not involving her mother in her wedding plans. Just as that thought crossed her mind, she winced internally, in her head.
No, her mother couldn't be involved in planning her wedding, especially not her wedding dress, because, as Edward had told her, her mother's thoughts were loud, almost obnoxiously so, and if she came to Forks, was within a five mile radius of Edward, he'd be able to hear her, have an idea of what Bella's dress looked like, what they were planning, and Bella wanted to keep it a surprise. If you would have asked her two days ago, she'd have told you she didn't care, whether or not Edward saw the dress till the day of, but now, now that she'd seen what reactions he could have when she was dressed in a dress and he was surprised, she wanted to surprise him. Hopefully, Edward wouldn't want to rip Bella's wedding dress off her soon as he saw her in it, would wait until they were alone, in their honeymoon, wherever he was taking her. The mere thought of Edward wanting to rip her wedding dress off her made tiny internal muscles low in her body clench, making her really, really glad Jasper wasn't here, couldn't feel her emotions, because she would have been really embarrassed.
Alice parked the car, turned off the engine, making Bella jump, she'd been too absorbed in her own thoughts, hadn't been paying attention to the road. Alice, too, it seemed, was too absorbed in her own thoughts, but her vampire mind, it had extra room, hence why she was able to drive without the least bit problem. Not saying anything, she moved fast, too fast for Bella's eyes to see, went to the trunk of her car, got Bella's crutches, along with her stuff, was in front of her, the car door open, helping her out, then handing her her things. Once she was sure Bella was steady on her feet, wouldn't fall, she leaned in, gave her a quick, light hug. "I'll see you tomorrow at school." She got back in her car, however, just like Edward had before her when he'd dropped Bella off, she didn't leave until Bella went inside her house.
Bella took a deep breath in preparation for dealing with Charlie, having to pretend not to be engaged, before she opened the door.
"Bella?" Charlie's voice coming from the living room, over the sound of the TV.
Bella walked to the kitchen slowly, careful not to accidentally hurt her broken leg or trip over her own two feet, opened the fridge, took out several ingredients to make Charlie's dinner, a quick chicken stir fry with noodles, along with her own, a simple chicken salad and some fruit for dessert. "Yeah, Dad, it's me!"
Shuffling sounds, a click, the TV being turned off, Charlie coming toward her, his footsteps loud in the quiet hallway. He did a double take when he saw she was dressed in a dress. "Wow, Bella, you look beautiful. Did you have fun with Alice, go somewhere fancy?"
Bella blushed, was thankful Charlie would probably attribute her reaction to her being shy and because he'd complimented her, and not because she was about to lie to his face. "Yeah, Dad, I had lots of fun with Alice." A pause, Bella touching the skirts of her dress, a nervous gesture. "No, we didn't go somewhere fancy, mostly stayed inside, but Alice loves to dress me up, treat me as her own, personal model or life-size doll." A shrug. 'I'm going to go get changed, shower soon, but I wanted to ask you if chicken stir fry and noodles is okay for dinner?"
A nod from Charlie, then a guilty wince. "Chicken stir fry and noodles sounds good." he looked pointedly at her broken leg. "Do you need any help? I don't want you to hurt your leg."
Bella's heartbeat increased at the thought of Charlie helping her in the kitchen. Charlie and the kitchen . . . well, they simply didn't get along. Last time he'd "helped" her, tried to make a simple dinner of pasta with marinara sauce from a can while she was doing her homework, the whole house had filled with smoke, smelled like burnt food and metal, and when Bella had gone downstairs to investigate, she'd found Charlie'd placed the can of sauce directly on the microwave, hence the smell of burnt metal. The pasta hadn't fared much better, was a congealed blub. Bella had tried to save it, of course, but in the end she'd just given up, served it like that, hard and flavorless. "No, Dad, it's fine, I've got it."
Charlie nodded, his face filling with relief. "Okay, then, I'm going to go watch some TV, call me when dinner is done."
Bella nodded, and, soon as Charlie was out of the kitchen, she went upstairs, first to her room, unpacked, then to the bathroom, showered, using a comb to gently brush her hair when she was done, changed into a t-shirt and jeans, because there was no point in wearing a blue dress, not when Edward wasn't here to see it, and she didn't want Charlie to start questioning her, though she doubted he would, before coming back downstairs, cooking dinner. She cooked quickly, as quickly as she could without hurting her broken leg, mindful of Carlisle's words. She didn't want to risk having an accident, what with her luck, ability to trip over her own two feet even when she was walking across a flat surface, and she didn't want to have to push her wedding further away.
When she was done, around 6:30, she called Charlie and they ate dinner together, each absorbed in their own thoughts, Bella's mind filled with wedding plans and Charlie's filled with either work or something else, like fishing or the upcoming game, if there was an upcoming game. Thankfully, Charlie, unobservant as ever, didn't ask her why her dinner was different than his. Bella ate quickly, wanting to check if Edward was waiting for her in her room yet, while being mindful that she couldn't eat too quickly, else, she'd raise Charlie's suspicions.
Bella was washing the dishes, Charlie already back in the living room, watching TV, when she heard a knock at the door, followed by Charlie getting up, opening it. "Billy, Jake, it's good to see you!" Charlie's voice was way, way louder than it needed to be, ecstatic.
Bella dropped the plate she was washing with a loud clang, didn't bother to see if she'd broken it, the blood draining from her face, her heart beating a million miles per minute. she had to call Edward, Alice, or Carlisle soon as possible, had to get out of here, but what excuse could she use? Very faintly since her blood was roaring in her ears and she felt dizzy, about to faint, she heard Billy's voice. "It's good to see you too, Charlie, I wanted to drop in on a surprise visit, see if we could watch the game together." A pause, Billy rummaging around for something. "Also, I wanted to drop off this in person. It's your favorite, Sue Clearwater's fish."
A crinkle of the brown paper bag as Charlie took it. "Thank you, Billy. Why don't you go on in, Jake, Bella's in the kitchen, washing the dishes, I'll take your father to the living room so we can watch the game."
Bella's heart beat even faster, her breathing, too, speeding up, to the point where she was nearly hyperventilating. She took three deep breaths, closed her eyes, even as her mind raised, trying to come up with a plan so she could get out of here quickly as possible, all in preparation for dealing with Jacob, what could be a very dangerous situation without Edward or any of the Cullens, for that matter, here to protect her, keep her safe, Jacob's footsteps getting louder and louder as he got closer and closer. When she turned away from the sink, to face Jacob, she saw he was different, no longer the happy-go-lucky boy she'd tried to flirt with to get more information about the Cullens.
He was taller, more muscular, and his hair, it had been cut short. Bella didn't know whether or not this was because the werewolf gene was active in him, but she wasn't planning on sticking around long enough to find out, after all, with her luck and unintentional tendency to draw all things dangerous to her, Jacob could get angry, face in front of her, tear her to shreds, and she wasn't going to let anything keep her from marrying Edward.
Jacob's eyes, once filled with nothing but happiness and calm, were violent, held a believe in the stories he'd once called silly. Those eyes, they narrowed in on Bella, his mouth turning into a sneer and his nostrils flaring, as if he was getting ready to attack. "You shouldn't be hanging around with the Cullens, Bella, I know I told you they weren't supposed to be dangerous, but that doesn't mean you should risk your life by hanging out with them. Think of Charlie, what would he do if their self-control slipped and they decided to drink your blood, killing you?" Jacob's voice was soft, too low for Charlie or Billy to hear, but no less threatening and menacing.
All of Bella's fear was pushed to the back of her mind, replaced with anger. How dare he insinuate that the Cullens, her future family, could kill her? As if what? He was the safer option? Keeping her voice low, but using the same tone Jacob'd used, she said, "Don't you dare tell me who I can't and can't hang out with, or who is and isn't dangerous, for that matter, It's my life, my choice." Bella hadn't realized she'd been leaning heavily on her broken leg until it started throbbing, really, really hurting, as if it was on fire. She hoped to God she hadn't caused any further damage, because if she had, had to push her wedding further away because of some werewolf, she'd be really pissed. "Ow!"
Bella's loud exclamation of pain caused Charlie to walk into the kitchen, still pushing Billy's wheelchair. Billy didn't say anything, simply placed a calming hand on Jacob's shoulder. Charlie, however, was a different story. He looked confused and a bit guilty. "What's wrong, Bella, did you hurt your leg?"
Bella didn't even have to bother to pretend, try to come up with an excuse, a lie. "Yes, Dad, I think I put too much weight on it. I'm going to go call Carlisle, see if he can come get me, bring me to his house to take a look at my leg." A pause, then, because she was sure Edward wouldn't want her in the house while Billy and Jacob were there, she added, "He'll probably want me to stay at the house so I don't strain my leg more than I already did, Alice will come by later, pick up some clothes for me."
Before Charlie could have a chance to argue or Jacob could open his big mouth, say something, trying to "warn" Charlie, Bella turned, headed to her room fast as she could, careful not to hurt her broken leg anymore than she already probably had. Once she was safely in her room, the door shut and locked, she dialed Carlisle's number, which, thank God, she had on speed dial. It rang once before Carlisle answered, but Bella didn't even give him a chance to speak, greet her. "Carlisle, is Edward with you?"
"Yes."
A pause, the phone being placed on speaker so Bella could talk to Carlisle and Edward at the same time, then Edwards beautiful voice, her fiance's voice, coming through the line. "Hello, Bella, Love." She could hear a smile and pure, absolute love in his voice.
"Edward." Bella didn't even manage to get his whole name out before her voice broke, tears cascading freely down her cheeks.
"Bella, Love, what's wrong, did you hurt your leg?" Edwards voice was concerned, filled with worry.
Bella tried to keep her crying as quiet as possible so none of the people in the house would hear. "Maybe, I don't know, I may have put too much weight on it, but that's only part of the reason why I called, though . . ." She took a deep, calming breath, her words tumbling out in a rush. "Can you and Carlisle come get me, please? Billy and Jacob are here, I feel as if I'm in danger, and Jacob, he was very menacing, threatening. I told Charlie that you, Carlisle, would come get me, bring me to the house to take a look at my leg, would probably want me to stay there so I didn't move around too much."
Carlisle and Edward's intake of breath was audible even through the phone, and it was Edward who spoke, his words coming from the two of them. "We'll be there in a couple of minutes, Love. I'm assuming you're already in your room with the door closed and locked so the rest of the people in the house didn't hear you calling us, listened to part of our conversation, stay there until Carlisle knocks at your door, gets you out." A pause, Edward taking a deep, calming breath. "Stay on the phone with me, too, until you're with Carlisle, on the way to my car—I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you, if Billy or Jacob hurt you."
Bella was quiet for several minutes, her mind raising, trying to come up with a safe topic she could discuss with Edward on the phone while he and Carlisle got here, picked her up, Edward beginning to hum the new song he'd composed for her, likely attributing her silence to the fact that she was either in shock or scared. When Bella finally did speak, her voice was soft, a whisper so none of the people in the house accidentally overheard her. "You know what I was thinking while I ate with Charlie, cooked for him?"
A soft, quiet, musical laugh, and Edward's laugh, it was beautiful, inhuman, even through the phone. "No, fondly enough, you're the one person whose thoughts are a mystery to me even should we be within a five mile radius of each other. Tell me, what was going on in that beautiful head of yours while you cooked for Charlie, ate dinner with him?"
Bella was sure Edward could hear the smile in her voice even through the phone, for even when she was hurt and afraid he could make her smile, her fiance. "That perhaps my honeymoon wardrobe should consist almost entirely of blue dresses and nightgowns so I can get the same reactions from you, or maybe something similar, to the ones I got yesterday, along with today."
Edward's voice, when he spoke, was feather soft, seductive. "Like I told you yesterday morning, you," she could hear pure, blatant love and desire in his voice, desire not for her blood, but to be together with her as only husband and wife should be, "are the most dangerous creature on the planet, siren that you are."
Footsteps, Charlie's voice, followed by, thank God, Carlisle's. They were still too far away for her to make out exactly what they were talking about, what with her having the door closed, and her own, loud breathing, but a couple of more seconds and she could hear them clearly. Charlie's voice, sheepish and a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry you had to come all this way to get Bella, Carlisle, I shouldn't have let her cook, move around too much, should have helped her." A pause, and Bella could imagine Charlie biting his lower lip, not unlike what she often did when she was nervous. "Maybe she should stay with you and Esme until her leg is a bit more healed, you know, so she has someone who can cook for her, take care of her while she heals."
Carlisle's voice, calm and reassuring. "It's fine, Charlie, I don't mind checking in on Bella, seeing her is always a pleasure. As for her staying with us until her leg heals a bit more, yes, perhaps that's best, though we should still ask her if that's what she wants to do." Carlisle was doing a great job pretending, as if he didn't know Bella would rather stay at the house with them, spend every second with Edward that she could, than be here.
She was sure Edward could hear the relief coloring her voice when she spoke. "Carlisle's almost at my bedroom door."
She could hear relief in Edward's voice, too. "I'll see you soon, my beautiful bride-to-be."
"I love you, my beautiful fiance and future husband."
There was nothing but pure love and joy in Edward's voice when he spoke. "As I love you."
Bella hung up, sat up on the edge of her bed, grabbed her crutches in preparation for standing up to open the door when Carlisle and Charlie got there. A couple more seconds, a few more footsteps, then a knock came at her door, followed by Charlie's voice. "Bella? Carlisle is here to take you to his house, take a look at your leg."
"Coming, Dad!" Slowly, gingerly, she got up, walked to the door, her broken leg still hurting like hell, though a little less than when she'd first come up here. Maybe Carlisle would tell her to put it in ice when they got to the house. The thought made her smile, because it meant that for once, Edward wouldn't loathe his cold skin, would actually be grateful for it. She took a deep breath before opening the door, her heartbeat slowing down, aware that with Carlisle here and Edward outside, she was safe.
Carlisle took one look at her, the way she was standing, and immediately put one arm around her waist, taking most of her weight and practically caring her, making the crutches obsolete, which, in turn, made Bella sigh internally with relief and gratitude. "Hello, Bella, so listen, since you told me your leg hurt a lot, your father and I were talking, and we think it's best if you stay with me at the house, not just for the night, but until your leg heals a bit more." Carlisle turned, very subtly, away from Charlie so he couldn't see his facial expressions, winked at Bella. "This way, Esme can cook for you and you don't have to move around too much, but what do you think?"
Bella tried to hide her smile, the relief and happiness on her face, was very, very thankful that Charlie was as unobservant as ever. "Yes, I'd like that very much, thank you."
Carlisle and Charlie both nodded, but it was Carlisle who spoke. "Alright, then, let's get you home."
Charlie's mouth dropped open at the way Carlisle'd very subtly, but so openly, called his house Bella's house, too, as if she was already a part of the family, but Bella didn't care, simply wanted to get out of here quickly as possible, be in Edward's arms, away from Billy and Jacob, a possible werewolf—safe. She let Carlisle slowly, gently, tow her out of her room, to the living room, ignoring Billy's and Jacob's stares, Billy's full of fear, while Jacob's was full of hatred and violence—then out of the house, Charlie following behind them, though he stayed on the porch, looked after them.
They walked slowly for a couple of blocks because Edward likely hadn't wanted to park his car so close to her house, what with Billy and Jacob both being at the house and Jacob's very real, as she'd seen earlier, anger management issues, his first priority to get Bella to the house so Carlile could look at her leg, not a possible confrontation and fight with Jacob—Carlisle, gently, patiently, guiding Bella. Then she saw Edward's car, and he was there, the love of her existence, sitting on the driver seat, tapping his fingers impatiently against the steering wheel, his face scrunched up in concentration, likely because he was busy monitoring everyone's thoughts. Soon as he saw Bella was able to see him, he moved, not even bothering to do so at human speed, there was no point in doing that, pretending, no one was here, the street deserted, got out of the car, had her encircled in his arms, in less than a second.
The feeling of Edward's arms around her, the knowledge that she was safe, would soon be far, far away from Billy and Jacob, a possible werewolf—made all of the emotions Bella'd been holding back, the anxiety, the fear, the anger, rise to the fore. She sunk to her knees, Edward going with her, yet holding her in his arms, the floodgates of tears opening with a vengeance, her sobs, loud and unladylike, wrecking her body. She fisted his crisp, white button-up shirt in her hand, buried her face against his chest, his neck, inhaling the sweet, intoxicating perfume of his skin. "Oh, Edward!" Bella's words were a loud sob.
He gathered her to him, brought her onto his lap, his hands stroking up and down her back, over her hair, trying to soothe her, gentle her. "It's alright, Bella, Love, I have you, you're safe, Carlisle and I will get you home." Edward rose slowly, still holding Bella in his arms, moved so fast, they were in front of the car in less than a second, Edward shifting his hold around Bella so he held her with naught but one arm, opening the back door, getting in with her, not even bothering to place her beside him, or put on the seat belt, simply holding her, Carlisle getting in on the driver seat, starting the car, speeding away fast.
However, when Edward shifted his hold, unwrapped one arm from around her, Bella tightened her hold around his neck, so much so, she'd been choking him if he'd been human, her eyes wide and full of panic, she didn't want Edward to let her go, not even for a second, not until they were at the house, far, far away from the possible danger that was Jacob. He shook his head, immediately guessing her thoughts, because though Edward couldn't read her mind, they were quite obvious, ran his cool forefinger over her lips, igniting a small fire there. "No, Bella, Love, I'm not going to let you go, not anytime soon, I'm just going to keep my promise to you, give you your ring back." Bella eased her hold around him slightly, and Edward took out her ring, kissed each of the fingers of her left hand, then the ring, before sliding it onto her finger. "There now, that's better."