A Rising Sun, Ch 2

[jacyevans]

Title: A Rising Sun, Ch 2
Rating: (eventual) NC-17
Pairings: Edward/Bella (all canon pairings)
Summary: BD AU - The Denali clan arrive two weeks early for the wedding, bringing mischief and trouble in their wake. But Tanya and Irina are the least of Bella's problems. When the Volturi and the werewolves both remind the Cullens of their promises, Bella realizes that she will ignite a war, no matter which choice she makes. What no one will realize until too late is that Aro wants something - and he will do anything to get it.
A/N: Thank you, once again, to cinnamon_kisses and kaiwynn for all of their support <3 All chapters can be found here. Slight BD spoilers - nothing from the plot, just small details.



After Alice was finished pinning my dress, we moved on to color swatches for linens, discussions on whether or not we’d made the right choice of caterer, seating arrangements, the growing guest list, flowers… By the end of the night, I was exhausted and hungry.

Esme fixed me a sandwich and left it in the kitchen for me. Edward was gone, out hunting with Emmett and Jasper.

“He needs time away from Tanya,” Kate told me, grinning. She perched herself on the counter so she could watch me while I ate. Her gaze was more than a little unnerving, but she seemed friendly enough.

“Yeah, that and his eyes were black as pitch,” Alice muttered. “I wonder why that is,” she said sarcastically, throwing a look my way. I blushed, hearing the insinuation, and suddenly became very interested in my food.

“Aw, I think it’s sweet that he doesn’t want to spend any time away from her,” Kate said with a smile.

Alice rolled her eyes. “Yes, it’s adorable. And nauseating.”

“I am sitting right here, you know,” I snapped, narrowing my eyes.

Kate laughed and the sound was like tinkling bells. “Oh, I like her. I like her a lot.”

I blushed, but secretly, I was pleased. At least one of the Denali sisters liked me.

The phone rang, but Alice pointed at it, not moving from her spot in front of the oven, legs crossed at her ankles. “It’s for you,” she told me.

I arched my eyebrow, but knew better than to question her. There weren’t many people who would call me here rather than at home - the short list being Charlie. Still, I felt strange picking up the phone in someone else’s house.

“Er- Hello?”

“Bella?”

“Seth?” I’d recognized the voice on the other end immediately. “How did you know I was here?”

“Charlie told me.” He was speaking fast, even for Seth. “Leah is on her way home, and I had to tell you, but I couldn’t wait.”

“Tell me what?” It must have been important if he couldn’t wait until the next morning, or even night, when I would be home. I was a bit worried.

“I have news about Jacob.”

My breath caught and I squeezed the phone a bit tighter. Seth hadn’t had anything new to tell me about Jacob’s whereabouts for a week, and everyone else in the pack - including Billy - would be purposely vague whenever I asked. I suppose I deserved it. They all knew it was partially my fault he was gone. “Is he okay?”

“He’s somewhere in Canada right now, close to Alaska. He called to check in with Billy, and Billy told Sam. I thought you would want to know.”

“But he’s okay?” Seth seemed to be avoiding the question, and I needed to know the answer. Desperately.

“He’s fine, Bella, as far as we can tell. He seemed tired when he spoke to Billy, but the rest of the pack have tried talking to him and he still won’t come home.”

My chest ached, and I wished Alice and Kate weren’t in the room with me right now so I could let the tears I had in my eyes fall. More than anything, I wanted Edward’s arms around me to give me strength.

Seth cursed. “Leah’s home. I have to go.”

“Thanks for calling me, Seth.”

He hung up without saying goodbye, but I wasn’t mad. I knew how Leah felt about me. She made Tanya seem positively angelic.

“What did the dog want?” I spun around. Rosalie was standing in the doorway. Tanya was standing just in front of her with her hand on Irina’s shoulder. Irina looked livid.

“Jacob called Billy,” Alice answered for me, and for once, I was glad - the look in Irina’s eyes was absolutely terrifying. “Seth wanted Bella to know that he’d checked in.”

“He couldn’t wait until she was home?”

Alice glared. “Rosalie.”

The door slammed and I jumped. Irina was nowhere to be found. Tanya glanced at me, the look in her eyes neither kind nor unkind, simply indifferent as she went after her sister.

Kate sighed and jumped down from the counter. Her feet were silent as they touched the floor. “Damn it, Irina,” she muttered, following both of them out.

Rosalie folded her arms across her chest and glared at me before turning and silently leaving the room.

I slumped back against the wall and ran a hand through my hair. This was not going to go as well as I’d hoped it would. I knew Irina still hated the werewolves, but I was hoping her presence here meant that she was dealing with her feelings towards them, or at least that she would be able to remain civil. Apparently, I was wrong.

A wave of exhaustion passed over me so suddenly, I was tempted to look over my shoulder for Jasper. Why couldn’t things go smoothly, just once? I may not have been as invested in planning this wedding as Alice was, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want things to be perfect, for Edward’s sake. He’d been waiting for this moment for so long. I didn’t want anything to screw things up for him - for us.

A hand wrapped around my shoulder and I turned my head to see Alice smiling at me sympathetically. “Come on Bella,” she said, gently pulling me away from the wall, “Let’s get you up to bed.”

I trudged up the stairs slowly; if Alice had any problems with my snail-like pace, she didn’t say anything. She stayed by my side until we reached Edward’s room and waited outside while I changed. I stole one of Edward’s t-shirts to sleep in. It reached my knees and it smelled like him, which was a comfort.

Alice arched my eyebrow and smirked when she saw my sleepwear. “You sure that’s all you want to wear to bed, Bella?”

I blushed, tugging at the bottom of the t-shirt self-consciously as I sat down on the bed. “It’s not like anything is going to happen,” I mumbled. I doubted anything would happen even if I wore the skimpy lingerie Alice had forced me to buy for my wedding night - even though she knew, as well as I, that I had no intention of wearing it. Ever.

Alice sighed and sat down next to me. “Bella…” She paused then shook her head. “Never mind.”

“What? Alice what is it?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” She patted my shoulder as she stood up. “And don’t worry about Irina either. She wouldn’t have come if she was just going to start trouble.”

I sighed. “I wish I could believe that, Alice, but after the way she reacted to just a phone call from Seth… how is she going to react when he’s here?”

“Bella, haven’t you noticed by now? Vampires are drama queens. Irina is purposely making a big deal out of nothing.” She kissed the top of my head. “Everything will be fine.” She winked at me. “I’ve seen it.”

“I thought you couldn’t see werewolves.”

Alice rolled her eyes at me and closed the door. “Goodnight, Bella.”

I was in a much better mood as I fell asleep.

Then, the dream started.

I was walking through a clearing. The air was thick with fog, but I could still see in front of me. Everything was quiet - too quiet. There was a crackling in the air, like logs burning.

I realized it wasn’t fog I was seeing, but smoke. How hadn’t I realized that before? The smoke was purplish in color, but didn’t smell like fire. It smelled sweet. Like vampires burning.

The smoke began to clear, but I didn’t get a chance to see anything. The sound of Edward’s door opening then shutting again woke me. I must not have been sleeping too deeply - that or someone shut the door harder than they’d intended.

I opened my eyes a fraction and could see Edward and Alice standing by the door. They were whispering so quietly that I couldn’t hear them, but I could tell they were arguing. Alice was gesturing wildly with her hands. Edward kept shaking his head, his arms crossed over his chest. I could see the tension in every muscle of his body.

Finally, he slumped and ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll wake her,” he said and Alice nodded. The look on her face was somewhat grim. I wondered what had happened in the few hours I was asleep to make both of them so worried. My heart pounded.

As Edward turned to “wake me,” I closed my eyes, feigning sleep. I felt him lie down in bed behind me, molding his body to mine. He pressed his lips to the back of my neck.

“You’re a terrible actress,” he whispered against my ear, and I sighed, giving up the charade. I reached my hand around to run my fingers through his hair.

“So you’ve told me.” I turned to face him, continuing to run my hand through his hair, down the back of his neck, trying to keep him calm. “I saw you talking to Alice. What’s happened?”

Edward exhaled deeply. I was surprised at how easily he was telling me what was going on - usually, I had to beg, cheat, or wrangle the truth out of him. “Alice saw the Volturi coming here.”

My hand froze on his neck, my heart instantly picking up speed. “Did she see what they wanted?”

He brought my hand around so he could press a kiss to my palm. “To talk,” he said, his arm around my waist pulling me closer. “And to give us a wedding present.”

“They couldn’t just send the message by mail?” I muttered, trying to lighten the mood just a bit. He didn’t find me funny. I sighed and reached my other hand up to stroke the side of his face. “Everything will be okay, Edward.”

Edward looked down at me and I let my hand linger on his cheek. He sighed, leaning into the touch. “I wish I could be so sure.”

Suddenly, he stilled, and my heartbeat only accelerated further. “They’re close,” he murmured, his lips pressed back against my ear. “I can hear their thoughts.”

A horrifying thought occurred to me and I pushed away from Edward for a moment. “They’re not passing through La Push, are they?”

He frowned and then seemed to listen for a moment. “Alice can still see them, so I don’t think so.”

Relief passed through me. The last thing we needed right now was for the Volturi to be attacked by the pack.

“They’ve probably realized there are other vampires in the area,” I told him, remembering how easily they’d found Laurent, and how diligently they’d tracked Victoria. I didn’t want to think about any of them going up against any member of the Volturi.

“We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it. We’ll just have to trust that Sam won’t attack unless he’s provoked.” He kissed me and I grasped onto his shirt, trying to keep him close for as long as possible.

He easily pulled out of my grasp and stood up. “They’re almost here. They’re passing by the river.”

I sighed and stood up and Edward froze, his eyes taking me in from head to toe. I flushed. “I didn’t have anything to wear to sleep,” I told him.

His lips quirked. “Believe me, Bella, I don’t mind. But you may want to change.”

“Or at least put some pants on. No one wants to meet the Volturi in their underwear,” I joked, still beet red.

His smile widened and he reached over to cup my cheek in his hand. I stood on my toes, closing the distance between us to kiss him. I felt his hands roaming down my back and tentatively sliding across my hips, slipping lower.

Then, he pulled away, and I groaned, frustrated. He smiled, but his lips fell instantly. “I’m sorry, Bella, but they’re here.”

My heart practically skidded to a stop, and my breath wheezed out. I shook myself and grabbed my clothes from his couch. “I need to change.”

He nodded and left the room. I chose to leave his shirt on and just slipped back into my jeans, hands shaking the entire time. I tried to calm myself as I met Edward out in the hall, but I seemed to be fighting a losing battle.

Edward kept his hand firmly around my waist as we walked down the stairs. My heart pounded in my chest the entire time.

A sudden calm washed over me, and I glanced over at Jasper as we walked into the living room. “Thanks,” I whispered, and he nodded.

“Esme’s gone to wait for them,” Carlisle told Edward, and he nodded. “Do you know who’s coming?”

“Felix, Jane, and Demetri.” I shivered at the sound of Jane’s name. This did not go unnoticed by Edward, and he wrapped his arm more firmly around me. “Don’t worry,” he whispered just against my ear, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“None of us will,” Alice amended.

“I know that,” I told them, “Jane is just a little… terrifying, is all.”

“Don’t tell her that,” Emmett muttered.

“I think my heart is a dead giveaway, wouldn’t you say?” I grumbled and he chuckled. Edward glared at him.

When the three members of the Volturi stepped through the doorway behind Esme, Edward and the rest of his family stilled. I could see their defenses were up in the way they were standing. My heart hammered in my throat.

I recognized Felix and Demetri. Their cloaks were a dark grey, marking them as high in the Volturi guard.

When my gaze shifted to Jane, I had to fight back a shudder. She was small and childlike, but her eyes held a malice that said she would kill me, or any of us, if she ever had the chance.

“Aro sends his greetings,” Jane said, her voice high like a bird. Much too angelic for a person I knew could inflict pain with a thought. “He wishes you luck in your coming marriage.”

“He couldn’t tell us this from Volterra?” Edward asked, not bothering to mask his hatred for the small vampire. Carlisle placed a warning hand on his shoulder. Jane hissed.

Felix stepped forward, purposely keeping Jane out of our line of sight - or perhaps keeping us out of Jane’s. “Aro wanted us to deliver a gift to your new wife.”

My head snapped up, my heart speeding, if possible, even faster at being addressed directly. I could feel Edward’s hands tightening at my waist.

Felix reached into the folds of his robe, and for a moment, I think I stopped breathing. A burst of calming energy helped me relax - I could feel my muscles unwind, and I was able to take one long, deep breath. He reached out his hand to give me what he had retrieved, and my hand shook as I took the gift from him. I could hear Edward inhale sharply at whatever it was, but I hadn’t worked up the nerve to look down yet.

He smiled and I jumped in shock as Edward growled. “That is my wife.”

Felix chuckled quietly, and I could only imagine what he had been thinking. “She’s not your wife, yet.”

Edward took a step forward, and I placed a hand on his wrist. He closed his eyes. I could see the effort it was taking him not to attack Felix.

Carlisle hummed interestedly, trying to bring our attention back to what I held in my hands. “I always wondered where the crown jewels disappeared to after John of England pawned them,” he said. He smirked at Felix. “I suppose it doesn’t surprise me that the Volturi have their share.”

Felix laughed, and when I finally looked down, I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped my throat. The box I held was wooden, ornately carved - I didn’t want to fathom how old it was. The wood was inlaid with precious stones, and my fingers shook as I opened the box to see what lay inside.

“Oh,” the word fell from my lips on a loud breath. The necklace that lay inside the box looked simple enough - a thick, gold, chain that looked more like a rope, from which hung a diamond the size of a golf ball.

“A token of Aro’s approval of your marriage,” Jane said, clearly bored with the entire situation, but an underlying tone of excitement had leaked into her words.

I had no reason to be afraid, but for some reason, the sight of the gift made my pulse beat wildly, and I stared up at Felix with wild eyes as I realized that Aro hadn’t just given me this to congratulate Edward and me on our marriage. He wanted to give us a message.

I wasn’t the only one who came to this conclusion. “This isn’t all you’re here for,” Rosalie snarled, stepping forward. The moonlight shone through the wall of windows and glinted off of her face. She looked like an angel - a wild, terrifying angel of death, but an angel nonetheless.

Jane smiled sweetly - too sweetly. “Of course not.” She nodded her head in my direction. “Your fiancée is still human. You know the rules as well as anyone.”

“Not human for long,” I found my voice to say. Edward winced beside me.

Demetri laughed. “Well, Aro will be most pleased with this news. Of course, he will expect a visit from the new Mrs. Cullen when she is changed.”

“We’ll be sure to let him know, Felix,” Carlisle told him, trying to dissipate some of the tension that had arisen. “As soon as she is changed, you will all be the first to hear from us.”

“Be sure that we are,” Demetri told him, and all trace of humor had left his eyes. “But be sure that it is soon. Aro is not fond of waiting.”

He turned to leave and Felix grinned. “We look forward to hearing from you.”

Jane turned silently, malice in her red eyes as the three of them left. I waited until they were out the door to breathe normally again.

Edward was still staring off after them. “Edward,” I whispered, clutching his arm. “It’s all right.”

He turned his gaze to me and my breath caught in my throat as he stared at me. His eyes were fierce, but behind that was what I recognized as guilt and a deep sadness. Edward hated that he’d dragged me into this part of his world.

“We’ll leave you alone,” Esme said quietly. I noticed a blur out of the corner of my eye, and his family was suddenly gone.

I reached a trembling hand up to his face. “Edward.”

Instead of responding, Edward crushed his mouth to mine. I gasped and then groaned, fisting my free hand in his shirt. One of his hands tangled in my hair, and I shivered at the feel of his cool fingers caressing the back of my neck. His lips moved from the corner of my mouth to my jaw, trailing down my neck to my shoulder. I could feel him whispering words against my skin, but I could not make them out.

When his hand skimmed across my shoulders and down my arms to cup my breasts through my shirt, electricity rocked through me, and I dropped the box I was clutching in my hand.

The sound of Aro’s gift hitting the floor seemed to shake Edward from his stupor and he pulled away from me, practically gasping. He wasn’t the only one who was having trouble breathing. The wildness had faded from his eyes, but some of the desperation was still there as he bent down to pick up the necklace, which had fallen out of the box as it fell. The large diamond glinted in the small bit of sunlight that was beginning to poke through the windows. I had to admit, it was beautiful, if rather grandiose - though nothing could compare to the sight of Edward shining in the rising sun.

Edward placed the necklace back in the box and shook his head. “I promise, Bella. No matter what, I’ll keep you safe from them.”

“Edward, they’re gone. They’re gone and I’m here.” I slipped my hand in his and gently pried the box out of his other hand - he let me take it.

Edward lifted my hand to his lips, his fingers brushing over my engagement ring. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you, Bella, but I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Good,” I said playfully, trying once again to lift his mood. “Because I don’t intend on ever letting you go.”

He smiled, wrapped his arm around me and kissed my temple. Then, he lifted me in his arms and flew up the stairs, gently placing me in bed. I handed him the box, which he placed on his dresser without looking at it. I smirked as he averted his eyes so I could slip my jeans off and climbed under the covers. He was at my back instantly, wrapping his arms around me. My eyes were already falling closed, but I was afraid that I would continue my dream from earlier. I didn’t want to know how it ended.

“Sleep, my Bella,” he said, kissing my cheek. “Sleep and dream of me.”

I let myself drift to sleep, still afraid to dream of fire, of vampires burning.

But I didn’t dream at all.