Fanfiction: Another Life, Chapter 10
Title: Another Life
Chapter: 10 - Things Slowly Changing
Characters: Bella, OCs, Rosalie, Jasper, Edward, Alice, Emmett, Jacob
Relationship: Bella/Edward and all canon pairings
Rating: T
Summary: After Edward left, Bella was changed by another vampire and joined his coven. 30 years later her coven meets the Cullens
Spoilers: Bits and pieces of all 4 books
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Stephenie Meyers does. I'm just playing around with her world
A/N: Apologies for the late update. Real life unfortunately got in the way.
A/N 2 - Thanks to those who read and reviewed.
Chapter 10
Things Slowly Changing
“I’m going for a run,” I said, flying down the stairs and to the door. I was stopped as Jenny put her hand out to stop me from opening the door.
“One of us will go with you,” she said, worry and concern in her eyes. Her blonde hair was unusually messy, looking like she had been running her hand through it repeatedly, her pale skin looking, impossibly, paler. I looked into her eyes and shook my head. I knew she was worried, but if I didn’t have some time by myself, outside, where I didn’t feel trapped, I was going to scream. I knew it was selfish and that I would feel bad about it later, but right now I needed space.
“I need some time by myself,” I said, trying to pull the door open again. It remained closed, as Jenny kept her hand in the centre.
“Bells, Victoria knows you’re here,” she said quietly. “I don’t want you going out by yourself.”
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I could understand why she wouldn’t want me going off by myself, but another part of me was annoyed.
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “You haven’t seen anything, have you?
She shook her head and took her hand off the door.
“No, I haven’t seen anything. But that doesn’t mean that something won’t happen,” she replied, moving away from the door. Leaning against the wall, she pinched the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes, sighing, and looking oddly vulnerable. When she opened her eyes again, I felt my throat thicken at the pain I could see there. I often forgot how hard it must be for her, to see those you loved hurt. She wasn’t like Alice. She only ever saw the bad things that happened to the family, never the good. Walking over, I pulled her into a hug.
“I’m going to be okay,” I said, squeezing her tightly. “I’ll stay in the area, okay? There’s this place I know. Not far away. Close enough for you to hear me if I talk. I won’t be gone long okay?”
Her arms came up and squeezed me back.
“You’ll call if anything seems off?” she whispered, as she pulled back to look into my face.
“Promise,” I replied, giving her a kiss on the forehead. “I’ll be fine.”
She nodded again and stepped away. Giving me a weak smile, she walked off into the kitchen.
“She’ll be okay,” Mark said, appearing suddenly at my side. “I’ll … read her a poem … or something.”
I bit my lip, at Mark’s attempt at trying to do something that would make her feel better and would be ‘romantic’. The last time he had tried reading a poem, he had picked one about school. Will and I had laughed so hard that our stomachs had hurt. Jenny had loved it, recognizing what Mark had been trying to do for her. It hadn’t stopped her from laughing though.
“I’ll be back soon. Promise,” I said, giving him a peck on the cheek, before running out the door. It didn’t take long to find the place I had in mind. As I slowed to a walk, I felt my heart lighten as I took in the flowers covering the meadow, looking eerily beautiful in the pale moonlight.
It was even more beautiful than I remembered.
Walking into the center, I laid down and looked up at the starry sky, taking a deep breath and feeling myself relax for the first time today. There was something about looking up at the stars, wind blowing in the trees, which always seemed to settle me. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, wishing for the thousandth time that vampires did sleep. It would’ve been nice to forget all my troubles for a little while.
I wasn’t sure how long I lay there, but the peace I had found was broken in an instant, as I heard a twig snap. Up in a flash, I turned toward the sound. Body tense, as I let the rest of my senses come into play. I straightened as I recognized the unusual smell coming from the woods.
“Hello?” I called, looking at the spot where the sound and the smell came from. There was a rustling and a tall, dark figure walked out into the open.
“Hells, Bells. I know you’re a magnet for trouble, but wandering off by yourself, that’s just asking for it.”
I took a step forward, my heart feeling lighter, as I recognized the voice.
“Jake?” I asked, eyes drinking in the sight of my old best friend. He gave a sheepish smile and shrugged.
“I was in the area,” he said, coughing and shuffling his feet a bit. “Just checking if there was any of those blo- … other vampires around.”
I nodded, looking around and clearing my throat.
“Nope, just me,” I said, blowing a breath out. He ran a hand through his hair and nodded.
“Yep … well … I’ll see you,” he said, turning and starting to walk back into the woods. I frowned and shook my head. Jake must have known that it was just me here, that there wasn’t any other ‘bloodsuckers’ around, which meant that he had wanted to talk to me.
“Jake! Wait,” I said, moving to stop him, appearing in front of him. He looked in shock and I saw his entire body start to shake. He gritted his teeth and took a few steps back.
“Damn it, Bella,” he growled, taking deep breaths through his nose, he continued to take steps back. “Do you really want to be hurt?”
“Sorry,” I said. “I wasn’t thinking.”
He rolled his eyes and nodded, body finally stilling.
“What do you want, Bella?” he asked, eyes shifting off to the side. I took a step forward and tried not to flinch as he took another step backwards.
“Why are you here Jake?” I replied in question. He rolled his head on his shoulders, not looking into my eyes.
“I already told you,” he said quietly.
“I don’t believe you. Try again,” I said, taking a step forward again. Jake sighed, finally meeting my eyes.
“I don’t know, maybe I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” he said, shrugging again. “Can’t be easy being back here.”
In the moonlight, the scar on his face seemed to stand out more, a deep black line running down the left side of his face. Taking the few steps that separated us, I reached out and ran a finger down along the scar, feeling a sadness run through me as he flinched.
“Does it still hurt?” I asked quietly. He shook his head, catching my hand and pulling it away from his face.
“Sometimes,” he replied.
“I’m so sorry, Jake,” I whispered. Looking into his eyes, I could still see the pain of our time together in them.
“It’s in the past, Bella,” he said, head turning quickly to the side. He stared off into the woods for a few minutes, before turning back. “I have to go.”
I took a few steps back and nodded.
“I’ll see you around?” I asked, hopefully. He looked at me, studying my face, before turning away and walking into the woods.
“Yeah,” his voice answered me, drifting on the wind.
**
“Well, I vote no,” George said vehemently. “I mean we can get along fine, without having to hang around them.”
“I’m interested in what they’re like. I think it’ll help a lot if we can all get along,” Sandy replied. It was the first time I had ever heard the two disagree so openly. After I had gotten home, we had informed the boys of the invitation the Cullens had extended. George was dead set against meeting the Cullens tonight, while Sandy was all for it. The two were sitting across from each other, both with their arms crossed over their chest and staring hard at the other.
“What do you want to do, Bella?” Mark asked, looking over at where I was leaning against the wall next to Will. Shrugging, I looked down at the floor. I wasn’t sure. Seeing all the Cullens, at the house that had been a second home to me, I wasn’t sure whether I was ready for it. I looked at Will, as I felt his hand grab mine and squeeze.
“I … I think we should go,” I replied, looking at Mark and resolutely not looking at George. I couldn’t help but want to give the Cullens a chance to make things right, to make up for what happened, to help the healing process. But I wouldn’t if it wasn’t something my family wanted to do. My loyalty was to them. “But only if it’s what everyone else wants to do.”
“I’m with, Bella,” Will responded instantly. “I think we should at least meet them once. Let them know that we’re here, we’re looking out for Bella and she’s a part of our family.”
Sandy beamed at the both of us. She was one of those people who saw the good in everyone and she always wanted to give people a second chance.
“Sweetheart?” Mark asked, looking over where Jenny was standing at the window. “What do you think?”
Jenny turned from gazing out of the window, a frown creasing her forehead, shaking her head.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “I think that Will has a point, but so does George. I’m just not sure I can be friends with the people who hunted us, who hunted Will. What would’ve happened if Bella hadn’t gone looking for him? But then, maybe they can shed some light on why they can’t seem to use their powers on us. And then there’s Victoria …”
Mark nodded and ran a hand through his black hair.
“I think this may help us. Having them on side, especially with Victoria showing up, would be a good thing. Not to mention they’ve dealt with the shifters before this, they may be able to tell us the rules before we meet with them and make the treaty,” he said.
“So we’re going?” Sandy asked, looking around. Everyone but George nodded.
“You don’t have to come, George,” I said, finally looking at him. He looked at me with confusion written on his face.
“What do you mean?” he replied frowning. “Of course I’m coming, Bells. I just don’t think they deserve a second chance is all.”
I couldn’t help but smile as he punched me lightly on the arm and walked out of the room.
**
The next morning found my family all watching the door and listening for the approach of a vehicle. After discussing whether or not we should accept the invitation, I had told them that Edward had visited me the night before, had asked if he could drive me to school and that I’d said yes.
It wasn’t long until we all could hear the purr of the Volvo engine pulling up to the house and I felt nerves run through me. The car door opened and closed, and I could hear feet jogging up the steps to the door, where there came a light rapping.
We all sat there and stared at the door. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a smile cross Sandy’s face. The knocking started again and Sandy was the first to snap out of the staring, jumping out of her chair, she walked out of the room to answer the door.
“Hi, Edward!” her voice chirped.
“Hello,” Edward replied, his voice smooth. “I’m here to pick up Bella?”
“Sure, I’ll just go see if she’s ready.”
She came back into the room and winked at me, as I stood up and grabbed my bag.
“See you at school,” I said, waving to the others as I walked out of the room and into the hallway. Edward smiled as I walked to the door and I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face.
“Hello, Bella,” he said, crooked smile dazzling me for a moment. “Are you ready to go?”
“Um, yeah,” I said, snapping out of my daze and walking to his car. He got there a moment before me and opened the door.
“Thanks,” I said, sitting in the car and watching him get in. He smiled at me again, before starting the car and driving away.
“So, I’m surprised your family wasn’t waiting to talk to me,” he said, voice sounding amused, as he put his sunglasses on. I nodded my head and then shrugged.
“They’re probably just going to wait until tonight,” I said, turning to look out the window. I heard him take a deep breath in and turned back to see the dazzling smile cross his face again.
“So you’re accepting our invitation?” he asked. I nodded again and frowned as I looked at the speedometer. He was going ten kilometers under the speed limit.
“Since when do you drive under the limit?” I asked, noticing that the landscape was going by very slowly. He gave a small cough and shrugged one of his shoulders.
“Uh,” he said, embarrassment laced through his tone. “I … um …”
I tried to hide the smile that wanted to cross my face as I realized that Edward didn’t want to get to school too fast. I didn’t try to help him as he stumbled over an explanation. If he had been human, I knew he would’ve been blushing.
“I think you’re enjoying this far too much,” he finally said. I grinned and cocked my head to the side, noticing a serious look cross his face. “Bella, I think we should talk about what happened after I left.”
I pulled my bag to my chest and shook my head.
“I …” I said, the words getting stuck in my throat and my hands tightened on the bag. I heard the sound of ripping, but ignored it as I stared out the window, images of the past filling my head. I felt a hand grip mine, Edward looking at me in concern, as the images slowly faded away.
“Bella …” he said, worry and concern seeping into his voice.
“Please, Edward. We can talk tonight, just not right now,” I pleaded, turning to look out the window again and trying not to feel the pain run through me. I looked down, as Edward squeezed my hand tightly.
“When you’re ready,” he replied, letting my hand go and putting it back on the steering wheel. I ignored the part of me that wanted to reach over and take the hand back.
We fell into silence and I tried to ignore the tension in the car. Edward reached out and turned the CD player on and I couldn’t help but relax, as I listened to the soft melody playing out of the speakers.
“This …” I started, recognizing the song. “This is one of the songs on the CD that you gave me last night.”
Edward looked over at me, surprise crossing his face, before he grinned.
“You listened to it already?” he said, sounding pleased. I shrugged and looked out the window.
“Well, I didn’t have a lot to do last night. So I may have listened to it,” I said, glad Edward couldn’t read my thoughts and know that I’d listened to it more than once. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the self-satisfied smile cross Edwards’ face.
“So,” I said, wanting to change the subject. “What’s the plan for tonight?”
“Well, Carlisle and Esme want to have just a nice quiet gathering. You know, music, nice atmosphere, talking,” he replied, leaving the clear but off the end of the sentence.
“But?” I supplied.
“But, it’s supposed to be stormy tonight,” he replied, rolling his head on the head rest to give me a grin. I felt butterflies in my stomach as I took in his perfect face and had to force myself to focus.
“So?”
“So,” he said, “do you remember the last time it was stormy and you met my family?”
I frowned and looked out of the windshield, a smile slowly crossing my face as I remembered ‘vampire’ baseball.
“Baseball?” I asked. Edward chuckled.
“Prepare to be pestered by Emmett, all day,” he added. “He’s dying to play tonight.”
The rest of the trip was spent in comfortable silence, as I remembered the baseball portion of that afternoon so many years ago. As we pulled into the parking lot, I wasn’t surprised to see both of our families, those who went to school anyway, standing in the parking lot. Will had obviously timed it so that he, Sandy and George got there just before us. He gave me a quick smile, before walking into the school. Sandy was watching with a smile, as Edward opened the door, while George was in some kind of glaring contest with Emmett.
I couldn’t help but laugh a little at that and Edward chuckled, as he followed my line of sight.
“Looks like Emmett might have met his match as far as competitiveness goes,” he said. I had to bite my lip to stop the laugh. George was the kind of person who would never back down from a fight. With his still young face, people always underestimated him. But he was one of the quickest and strongest vampires I had ever seen. And there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for family.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that he and Emmett were very similar.
“Maybe Emmett should just challenge George for baseball tonight. Looks like neither would back down from a dare from the other,” I whispered quietly to Edward.
As we walked into the school, being watched by six pairs of eyes, I tried to ignore the way I felt as I heard Edward laugh. Like I had finally come home.
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Chapter: 10 - Things Slowly Changing
Characters: Bella, OCs, Rosalie, Jasper, Edward, Alice, Emmett, Jacob
Relationship: Bella/Edward and all canon pairings
Rating: T
Summary: After Edward left, Bella was changed by another vampire and joined his coven. 30 years later her coven meets the Cullens
Spoilers: Bits and pieces of all 4 books
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Stephenie Meyers does. I'm just playing around with her world
A/N: Apologies for the late update. Real life unfortunately got in the way.
A/N 2 - Thanks to those who read and reviewed.
Chapter 10
Things Slowly Changing
“I’m going for a run,” I said, flying down the stairs and to the door. I was stopped as Jenny put her hand out to stop me from opening the door.
“One of us will go with you,” she said, worry and concern in her eyes. Her blonde hair was unusually messy, looking like she had been running her hand through it repeatedly, her pale skin looking, impossibly, paler. I looked into her eyes and shook my head. I knew she was worried, but if I didn’t have some time by myself, outside, where I didn’t feel trapped, I was going to scream. I knew it was selfish and that I would feel bad about it later, but right now I needed space.
“I need some time by myself,” I said, trying to pull the door open again. It remained closed, as Jenny kept her hand in the centre.
“Bells, Victoria knows you’re here,” she said quietly. “I don’t want you going out by yourself.”
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I could understand why she wouldn’t want me going off by myself, but another part of me was annoyed.
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “You haven’t seen anything, have you?
She shook her head and took her hand off the door.
“No, I haven’t seen anything. But that doesn’t mean that something won’t happen,” she replied, moving away from the door. Leaning against the wall, she pinched the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes, sighing, and looking oddly vulnerable. When she opened her eyes again, I felt my throat thicken at the pain I could see there. I often forgot how hard it must be for her, to see those you loved hurt. She wasn’t like Alice. She only ever saw the bad things that happened to the family, never the good. Walking over, I pulled her into a hug.
“I’m going to be okay,” I said, squeezing her tightly. “I’ll stay in the area, okay? There’s this place I know. Not far away. Close enough for you to hear me if I talk. I won’t be gone long okay?”
Her arms came up and squeezed me back.
“You’ll call if anything seems off?” she whispered, as she pulled back to look into my face.
“Promise,” I replied, giving her a kiss on the forehead. “I’ll be fine.”
She nodded again and stepped away. Giving me a weak smile, she walked off into the kitchen.
“She’ll be okay,” Mark said, appearing suddenly at my side. “I’ll … read her a poem … or something.”
I bit my lip, at Mark’s attempt at trying to do something that would make her feel better and would be ‘romantic’. The last time he had tried reading a poem, he had picked one about school. Will and I had laughed so hard that our stomachs had hurt. Jenny had loved it, recognizing what Mark had been trying to do for her. It hadn’t stopped her from laughing though.
“I’ll be back soon. Promise,” I said, giving him a peck on the cheek, before running out the door. It didn’t take long to find the place I had in mind. As I slowed to a walk, I felt my heart lighten as I took in the flowers covering the meadow, looking eerily beautiful in the pale moonlight.
It was even more beautiful than I remembered.
Walking into the center, I laid down and looked up at the starry sky, taking a deep breath and feeling myself relax for the first time today. There was something about looking up at the stars, wind blowing in the trees, which always seemed to settle me. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, wishing for the thousandth time that vampires did sleep. It would’ve been nice to forget all my troubles for a little while.
I wasn’t sure how long I lay there, but the peace I had found was broken in an instant, as I heard a twig snap. Up in a flash, I turned toward the sound. Body tense, as I let the rest of my senses come into play. I straightened as I recognized the unusual smell coming from the woods.
“Hello?” I called, looking at the spot where the sound and the smell came from. There was a rustling and a tall, dark figure walked out into the open.
“Hells, Bells. I know you’re a magnet for trouble, but wandering off by yourself, that’s just asking for it.”
I took a step forward, my heart feeling lighter, as I recognized the voice.
“Jake?” I asked, eyes drinking in the sight of my old best friend. He gave a sheepish smile and shrugged.
“I was in the area,” he said, coughing and shuffling his feet a bit. “Just checking if there was any of those blo- … other vampires around.”
I nodded, looking around and clearing my throat.
“Nope, just me,” I said, blowing a breath out. He ran a hand through his hair and nodded.
“Yep … well … I’ll see you,” he said, turning and starting to walk back into the woods. I frowned and shook my head. Jake must have known that it was just me here, that there wasn’t any other ‘bloodsuckers’ around, which meant that he had wanted to talk to me.
“Jake! Wait,” I said, moving to stop him, appearing in front of him. He looked in shock and I saw his entire body start to shake. He gritted his teeth and took a few steps back.
“Damn it, Bella,” he growled, taking deep breaths through his nose, he continued to take steps back. “Do you really want to be hurt?”
“Sorry,” I said. “I wasn’t thinking.”
He rolled his eyes and nodded, body finally stilling.
“What do you want, Bella?” he asked, eyes shifting off to the side. I took a step forward and tried not to flinch as he took another step backwards.
“Why are you here Jake?” I replied in question. He rolled his head on his shoulders, not looking into my eyes.
“I already told you,” he said quietly.
“I don’t believe you. Try again,” I said, taking a step forward again. Jake sighed, finally meeting my eyes.
“I don’t know, maybe I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” he said, shrugging again. “Can’t be easy being back here.”
In the moonlight, the scar on his face seemed to stand out more, a deep black line running down the left side of his face. Taking the few steps that separated us, I reached out and ran a finger down along the scar, feeling a sadness run through me as he flinched.
“Does it still hurt?” I asked quietly. He shook his head, catching my hand and pulling it away from his face.
“Sometimes,” he replied.
“I’m so sorry, Jake,” I whispered. Looking into his eyes, I could still see the pain of our time together in them.
“It’s in the past, Bella,” he said, head turning quickly to the side. He stared off into the woods for a few minutes, before turning back. “I have to go.”
I took a few steps back and nodded.
“I’ll see you around?” I asked, hopefully. He looked at me, studying my face, before turning away and walking into the woods.
“Yeah,” his voice answered me, drifting on the wind.
**
“Well, I vote no,” George said vehemently. “I mean we can get along fine, without having to hang around them.”
“I’m interested in what they’re like. I think it’ll help a lot if we can all get along,” Sandy replied. It was the first time I had ever heard the two disagree so openly. After I had gotten home, we had informed the boys of the invitation the Cullens had extended. George was dead set against meeting the Cullens tonight, while Sandy was all for it. The two were sitting across from each other, both with their arms crossed over their chest and staring hard at the other.
“What do you want to do, Bella?” Mark asked, looking over at where I was leaning against the wall next to Will. Shrugging, I looked down at the floor. I wasn’t sure. Seeing all the Cullens, at the house that had been a second home to me, I wasn’t sure whether I was ready for it. I looked at Will, as I felt his hand grab mine and squeeze.
“I … I think we should go,” I replied, looking at Mark and resolutely not looking at George. I couldn’t help but want to give the Cullens a chance to make things right, to make up for what happened, to help the healing process. But I wouldn’t if it wasn’t something my family wanted to do. My loyalty was to them. “But only if it’s what everyone else wants to do.”
“I’m with, Bella,” Will responded instantly. “I think we should at least meet them once. Let them know that we’re here, we’re looking out for Bella and she’s a part of our family.”
Sandy beamed at the both of us. She was one of those people who saw the good in everyone and she always wanted to give people a second chance.
“Sweetheart?” Mark asked, looking over where Jenny was standing at the window. “What do you think?”
Jenny turned from gazing out of the window, a frown creasing her forehead, shaking her head.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “I think that Will has a point, but so does George. I’m just not sure I can be friends with the people who hunted us, who hunted Will. What would’ve happened if Bella hadn’t gone looking for him? But then, maybe they can shed some light on why they can’t seem to use their powers on us. And then there’s Victoria …”
Mark nodded and ran a hand through his black hair.
“I think this may help us. Having them on side, especially with Victoria showing up, would be a good thing. Not to mention they’ve dealt with the shifters before this, they may be able to tell us the rules before we meet with them and make the treaty,” he said.
“So we’re going?” Sandy asked, looking around. Everyone but George nodded.
“You don’t have to come, George,” I said, finally looking at him. He looked at me with confusion written on his face.
“What do you mean?” he replied frowning. “Of course I’m coming, Bells. I just don’t think they deserve a second chance is all.”
I couldn’t help but smile as he punched me lightly on the arm and walked out of the room.
**
The next morning found my family all watching the door and listening for the approach of a vehicle. After discussing whether or not we should accept the invitation, I had told them that Edward had visited me the night before, had asked if he could drive me to school and that I’d said yes.
It wasn’t long until we all could hear the purr of the Volvo engine pulling up to the house and I felt nerves run through me. The car door opened and closed, and I could hear feet jogging up the steps to the door, where there came a light rapping.
We all sat there and stared at the door. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a smile cross Sandy’s face. The knocking started again and Sandy was the first to snap out of the staring, jumping out of her chair, she walked out of the room to answer the door.
“Hi, Edward!” her voice chirped.
“Hello,” Edward replied, his voice smooth. “I’m here to pick up Bella?”
“Sure, I’ll just go see if she’s ready.”
She came back into the room and winked at me, as I stood up and grabbed my bag.
“See you at school,” I said, waving to the others as I walked out of the room and into the hallway. Edward smiled as I walked to the door and I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face.
“Hello, Bella,” he said, crooked smile dazzling me for a moment. “Are you ready to go?”
“Um, yeah,” I said, snapping out of my daze and walking to his car. He got there a moment before me and opened the door.
“Thanks,” I said, sitting in the car and watching him get in. He smiled at me again, before starting the car and driving away.
“So, I’m surprised your family wasn’t waiting to talk to me,” he said, voice sounding amused, as he put his sunglasses on. I nodded my head and then shrugged.
“They’re probably just going to wait until tonight,” I said, turning to look out the window. I heard him take a deep breath in and turned back to see the dazzling smile cross his face again.
“So you’re accepting our invitation?” he asked. I nodded again and frowned as I looked at the speedometer. He was going ten kilometers under the speed limit.
“Since when do you drive under the limit?” I asked, noticing that the landscape was going by very slowly. He gave a small cough and shrugged one of his shoulders.
“Uh,” he said, embarrassment laced through his tone. “I … um …”
I tried to hide the smile that wanted to cross my face as I realized that Edward didn’t want to get to school too fast. I didn’t try to help him as he stumbled over an explanation. If he had been human, I knew he would’ve been blushing.
“I think you’re enjoying this far too much,” he finally said. I grinned and cocked my head to the side, noticing a serious look cross his face. “Bella, I think we should talk about what happened after I left.”
I pulled my bag to my chest and shook my head.
“I …” I said, the words getting stuck in my throat and my hands tightened on the bag. I heard the sound of ripping, but ignored it as I stared out the window, images of the past filling my head. I felt a hand grip mine, Edward looking at me in concern, as the images slowly faded away.
“Bella …” he said, worry and concern seeping into his voice.
“Please, Edward. We can talk tonight, just not right now,” I pleaded, turning to look out the window again and trying not to feel the pain run through me. I looked down, as Edward squeezed my hand tightly.
“When you’re ready,” he replied, letting my hand go and putting it back on the steering wheel. I ignored the part of me that wanted to reach over and take the hand back.
We fell into silence and I tried to ignore the tension in the car. Edward reached out and turned the CD player on and I couldn’t help but relax, as I listened to the soft melody playing out of the speakers.
“This …” I started, recognizing the song. “This is one of the songs on the CD that you gave me last night.”
Edward looked over at me, surprise crossing his face, before he grinned.
“You listened to it already?” he said, sounding pleased. I shrugged and looked out the window.
“Well, I didn’t have a lot to do last night. So I may have listened to it,” I said, glad Edward couldn’t read my thoughts and know that I’d listened to it more than once. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the self-satisfied smile cross Edwards’ face.
“So,” I said, wanting to change the subject. “What’s the plan for tonight?”
“Well, Carlisle and Esme want to have just a nice quiet gathering. You know, music, nice atmosphere, talking,” he replied, leaving the clear but off the end of the sentence.
“But?” I supplied.
“But, it’s supposed to be stormy tonight,” he replied, rolling his head on the head rest to give me a grin. I felt butterflies in my stomach as I took in his perfect face and had to force myself to focus.
“So?”
“So,” he said, “do you remember the last time it was stormy and you met my family?”
I frowned and looked out of the windshield, a smile slowly crossing my face as I remembered ‘vampire’ baseball.
“Baseball?” I asked. Edward chuckled.
“Prepare to be pestered by Emmett, all day,” he added. “He’s dying to play tonight.”
The rest of the trip was spent in comfortable silence, as I remembered the baseball portion of that afternoon so many years ago. As we pulled into the parking lot, I wasn’t surprised to see both of our families, those who went to school anyway, standing in the parking lot. Will had obviously timed it so that he, Sandy and George got there just before us. He gave me a quick smile, before walking into the school. Sandy was watching with a smile, as Edward opened the door, while George was in some kind of glaring contest with Emmett.
I couldn’t help but laugh a little at that and Edward chuckled, as he followed my line of sight.
“Looks like Emmett might have met his match as far as competitiveness goes,” he said. I had to bite my lip to stop the laugh. George was the kind of person who would never back down from a fight. With his still young face, people always underestimated him. But he was one of the quickest and strongest vampires I had ever seen. And there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for family.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that he and Emmett were very similar.
“Maybe Emmett should just challenge George for baseball tonight. Looks like neither would back down from a dare from the other,” I whispered quietly to Edward.
As we walked into the school, being watched by six pairs of eyes, I tried to ignore the way I felt as I heard Edward laugh. Like I had finally come home.
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