To Mend a Butterfly's Broken Wing, 12: A New Year's Eve Party
Title: To Mend a Butterfly's Broken Wing
Author: exquisite_ugly
Rating/Warnings: M (language, sexual situations)
Summary: After the newborn fight things take a different turn with the Volturi. Edward goes missing, the Cullen's leave to search for him, and Bella flees town from the pain of loss. Can Jacob help her deal with the grief a second time? AU, M for language, sex
*~*~*
Piano from a window played/Gone tomorrow, gone yesterday/I found it in the street/At first I did not see/Lying at my feet/a trampled rose
*~*~*
I mixed a batch of sugar cookies, absentmindedly stirring the batter as I pondered what to do on New Year's Eve. We had decided to invite the pack up to visit, but I wasn't sure what to do or where to put them overnight. Dana solved my problem when she came bounding into the kitchen from her office.
"I can have the house!" she proclaimed and everyone in the kitchen cheered.
Confusion must have been evident on my face as Dana turned to me excitedly. "My sister owns a place at the beach in Ocean Shores. She said I can use it for New Year's Eve! We're all going. Do you, Jake, and your friends want to come, too? It's a big place."
"I don't know…" I hedged. "We're having quite a few friends coming. Plus they're all huge with appetites to match."
Dana laughed. "Well, we're all chipping in on food and an overnight stay there. As long as they can handle that it's not an issue."
I bit my lip. It sounded like a good idea, but I wanted to run it by Jake first. Dana told me to let her know as soon as I could, so as soon as I got home that afternoon I asked Jake. He gave me a resounding yes and was excited about going.
"Don't you want to ask everyone first?" I asked him.
He called everyone and it was unanimous. We were going to Ocean Shores for New Year's Eve.
New Year's Eve day Jake and I went grocery shopping to get what we needed for our overnight stay. I pushed the cart and pointed to stuff on the high shelves for him to grab. We were in charge of the snacks, so we bought some big bags of chips, boxes of crackers and cheez-whiz, pretzels, and cheese curls. Everyone was bringing drinks so we grabbed a few bottles of soda. As Jake was reaching up to grab the bottles, I couldn't help but notice how his shirt rode up to reveal a strip of the russet skin of his back.
His skin was so smooth and I had the urge to place my fingers there. After the kiss at Christmas he hadn't said anything about it and neither did I. I felt a bunch of conflicting emotions when he did it. Guilt was one of them because I had enjoyed the kiss. Fear and grief were some of the other emotions. He hadn't meant it to be serious, but I kept thinking about it and it freaked me out.
I knew I loved Jacob, but I was afraid of hurting him. How could I move on when things were still so uncertain? These thoughts had plagued me after the kiss and I was so unsure of what to do.
"Bells? You okay?"
I focused and realized Jake had turned around and was watching me watch him. Except I was no longer looking at his back…
I jerked my head up to see him raise his eyebrows, trying not to laugh. I sighed and said, "Sorry, I was thinking about what else we would need," I muttered.
"Well, I think we got everything we're supposed to bring. We should probably go so we can pack up the rest of our stuff and head out in time."
I agreed and we hurried to pay for our purchases and head home to pack. It didn't take long to get everything together. I got Tinker's food out to put extra in her dish to hold her over until the following day. I hated to leave her, but she did fine alone most of the day, so I figured it wouldn't be an issue. She did fine in the car, but in a strange house with a lot of other people… I just wasn't willing to chance it. I paid extra attention to her until it was time to leave.
Jake had given the guys' directions and we planned to meet them there. It didn't take long to get there - straight out on 109 - and we were driving through the town of Ocean City. We passed bowling alleys, a bunch of shops, and some beautiful homes until we reached the beach house that had spectacular views of the water and cliffs.
"Wow, its three stories," I said with surprise. The two upper levels had wide, wrap-around decks and it faced the Pacific Ocean.
We hauled our stuff out of the car and met up with Dana, Clarissa, Jaime, Samantha, Elijah, and Brian who had carpooled and followed each other.
We dragged our stuff up and gaped at the view from the decks. Jake whistled softly. "Damn," he said. "This is a nice place and really nice of your sister to let us stay here."
"Yeah, I love coming here," Dana said. "We've always had little vacations here for as long as I can remember. I was so glad when my sister bought a place."
We hurriedly unpacked the food and when we finished the pack had arrived with their girlfriends. Emily gave me a long hug. "I'm really glad to see you," she said. I realized she had been worried about me, and I felt bad that I hadn't tried harder to stay in touch with her.
After everyone was introduced and the food was put away, Dana divided the rooms up. She gave the couples' a room first, and then split up the solos to bunk with a friend or two. We were a little over-capacity, but everyone had brought sleeping bags and would sleep where they could. I felt strange being given a room for me and Jake because we weren't a couple, but Dana found out not long ago that we shared a room. It was a beautiful, light-colored room and had a nice-sized bed.
Everyone wanted to head outside since it was a dry day so we went out to the beach. I sat in the sand, watching the guys racing around in the sand, playing some version of tag that involved tackling.
I just shook my head and laughed as Jared tackled Paul into the sand. Chuckling, Dana and Samantha sat next to me. "Damn, all of Jake's friends are huge. And beautiful," Samantha said with a grin.
I laughed. "They're all good guys, too. They're close, like brothers."
"It's kind of painful seeing so many good-looking guys' all in one place," Dana said. "Too bad they're all a little young for me. Early twenties just don't mesh with the barely legal," she said with a giggle.
"Oh, but they'd be energetic enough to keep a girl satisfied," Samantha said leaning back on her elbows a wicked grin on her face.
"They are," I heard a voice that sounded like Emily say behind me.
They were all laughing as my cheeks warmed. My gaze strayed to Jake taking Sam down. I was becoming more aware of him, my thoughts straying into dangerous territory, and it scared the hell out of me. A part of me wanted to try, but that other part kept nagging at me that I could hurt him worse than I already had.
"I bet Jake would be a firecracker," Clarissa said as she sat with us.
I laughed, too, as if this didn't make me even more aware. I had considered sex with Edward and while I had wanted it I had never thought much about inexperience. I realized I was surrounded by women more experienced than myself, though, and I didn't want to be called out on it. Thankfully, Jake took that moment to bound over, give everyone a charming smile, and haul me up.
"Jake… what…" I started to say.
"We're done playing. Now you're going for a walk with me," he said as if I had no choice in the matter. His fingers curled around mine and we walked down the beach in silence. It was a quiet beach; wide enough to lay out in the summer and swim, but it was still a bit on the wilder side. The waves were tumultuous, the dunes high, and a breeze whipped a little salty spray toward us as my hair waved in a banner behind me.
"It's so quiet here," I said idly.
He smiled. "It reminds me of First Beach."
I swallowed hard. "Jake? Do you miss being in La Push?"
He pondered that for a bit, coming to a stop and picking up a rock and skipping it out over the choppy water. "I do, in a way. I miss the guys' and my dad, but I also go back now and again to see them. I like being in Hoquiam, too, with you. As long as I can see them sometimes its fine," he said giving my hand a squeeze.
"I do, too," I admitted. "I… it's still too hard to think about going back yet, though."
He nodded. We were both quiet as he slipped an arm around my waist and we watched the gulls swoop low over the water searching for fish. Finally he turned to me with a sly smile.
He swooped me up and darted toward the water, making me squeal in surprise and throw my arms around his neck. "Jake, don't you dare," I warned.
He chuckled and lowered me right near the water's edge. He offered me a piggy-back ride and I couldn't help laughing as he darted all over the beach as we headed back. A little dizzy, I slipped down to find everyone anxious to eat. There was a grill on the deck of the house so the guys' started grilling burgers and hot dogs while the rest of us dumped the snacks into bowls and got out the salads and side dishes.
I noticed a few of the people I worked with drinking beer or wine. Dana leaned over to me at one point, looking a little worried. "Bella? Do your friends drink?"
"I don't think any of them are big into drinking," I said truthfully.
"Okay. I mean, we bought some champagne to toast, and obviously some other drinks but we didn't go too crazy because I knew there would be underage here as well. I mean, I'm okay with a beer or two or a glass of wine if they want something, but I don't want to get in trouble…"
I agreed with her. "I'll mention it to Jake," I said. "I doubt it will be an issue."
The night wore on, music playing in the background, as everyone laughed and chatted. A couple of the guys' had a beer or two, but everyone seemed fine with soda so there weren't any problems. Everyone moved out onto the cold beach again to play charades; I couldn't remember laughing this much as I watched Quil mime mooing like a cow.
I went back into the house for a little quiet, and I gave a squeak of surprise as I nearly bumped into the sofa and saw Jamie and Brian making out on it. "I… I'm sorry," I muttered. "I was just… leaving…"
"Its okay, Bella," Brian said with a soft chuckle. I smiled a little spastically.
"It's almost midnight, isn't it? We should probably get back out there," Jamie said. Brian stood and taking Jamie's hand pulled her up into his arms. Feeling out of place I watched them exchange a quick kiss and head back out to the beach.
Feeling a little pang of loneliness, I decided to try a little champagne. I remembered my wine drinking all too clearly, so I poured less than half a glass. I took an experimental sip; it tasted good, but I refrained from drinking too fast. The only sound in the house was the soft hum of the heat and the ticking of the clock.
As I stood in the kitchen - which was pitch dark and quiet - I couldn't hear him, but I felt Jake's heat at my back. I swallowed hard, unsure of what I wanted.
"Champagne Bells?" he said quietly. "Just don't over-do it; I don't want to be cleaning up after you," he teased me.
I turned around and he was right there. We both glanced over at the clock and it was three minutes until midnight. The minutes ticked by and when it struck twelve we heard a loud cheer rise outside and we both laughed. He tapped his one and only beer against my glass and we both took a sip.
"Happy New Year," he said. He set my glass down and pulled me up into his arms in a big hug.
"Happy New Year," I said wrapping my arms around his neck.
I felt his lips press against my cheek and somehow when I pulled back his lips had slid from my cheek to my mouth. We both paused, our breath whispering softly against each other's lips. He kissed my lower lip lightly, and I felt a tickle along my spine.
I cleared my throat and he lowered me back to the floor. Everyone came barreling inside and I was swept away from Jake into numerous hugs that ranged from the standard to the bone-crushing hugs. My champagne flute was pushed back into my hands and was refilled. I now had a little over a half glass, but I knew I was done when I felt the slight hint of spinning in my head.
Everyone seemed to be winding down anyway, so I took the opportunity to slip into the bathroom to get ready for bed. I crawled into bed, drained and a tad fuzzy. I was almost asleep when I felt Jake slide into bed with me.
"Please tell me you aren't going to barf in the morning."
That set off a wave of giggles.
"No, I don't think it's quite that bad," I said. I rolled over and draped my upper half over his.
Comfortable and content I soon drifted off to sleep.
*~*~*
APOV:
The lights twinkled on the Christmas tree, bright and perfectly color-coordinated with the shiny silver and gold ornaments. Presents were wrapped and piled up underneath. The garland lined the steps leading upstairs, twisted gracefully around. We didn't eat like humans did, but Esme and I certainly enjoyed setting a nice table full of the best china we had.
My dress criss-crossed over my chest, emphasizing the cleavage I had, only to fall gracefully down my body and hug it in all the right places. I loved the feel of silk and satin from high-end boutiques. It wasn't to show how rich we were; it was just to enjoy the beauty of perfect fabric against my skin, the perfect look of gleaming china against a backdrop of a beautiful home. I barely remembered living in an asylum, being turned into a vampire, but I felt the urge to surround myself and my family in beauty to make up for all the ugliness from before.
Emmett and Rose were upstairs keeping each other occupied with hands and mouths, while Carlisle and Esme smiled affectionately at my need to beautify and helped me. Jasper, my true love, was nearby ready to help me if I needed it. Edward, my closest brother, was teasing and annoying me about my obsession of making things just so.
Edward sat down to play the piano, the swell of the music soft and lilting. Jasper took my hand, kissing the back of it.
"It looks lovely, darling," he said wrapping an arm around me.
The perfect New Year's Eve party faded into black nothingness.
I blinked, trying hard to focus in the dark Huarango forest of Peru, as I perched on the stump of a long-dead tree. The forest had gone through centuries of deforestation and was now near extinction as a natural ecosystem.
My mind was invaded with thoughts of New Year's Eve's past; they kept creeping in, haunting me with how my whole family was together. This New Year's Eve found me and my family - minus my beloved brother - crouching in the forests hunting for food. We tried to stay inconspicuous only staying in actual homes or hotels occasionally.
I closed my eyes, trying to stretch my mind, to will a vision of Edward to come. I missed him beyond words, as did everyone, and the lack of easy-to-track visions as of late were frustrating. I felt useless for the first time in a long time.
I felt Jasper's presence behind me, and I turned into his embrace needing the feel of him against me. He wound his arms around me. "Alice, are you okay?" he asked.
"It's nothing different than what we've all been feeling," I said resting my head on his chest.
I heard Rose and Emmett's footfalls as they ran back from their hunt. It was still a shock to see Emmett's normally laughing expression gone - in place of it a hard mask. "Anything?" he asked me. They had been asking me relentlessly as if I wouldn't tell them immediately.
I shook my head, feeling that urge to cry, but never having the satisfaction of actually doing so. It was an agony all in itself.
"Dammit! Why the hell not?"
Jasper snarled in warning, his eyes fixed on Emmett.
"Sorry," he said to me with a sigh. "I just..."
"Miss him," I supplied quietly. "I know. We all do. I don't understand, but I keep trying."
Jasper kissed my forehead and we just stood there, arms around each other for support, the weight of how long we had been searching pulling all of us down.
We heard Carlisle and Esme returning and turned expectantly to hear what they found out.
"Chief Swan is much more determined than I gave him credit for," Carlisle admitted. "His searching has extended to different countries. There was talk of a family searching for their son with some description. I don't think it's anything that can really pin us down, but we need to be even more careful."
I knew Charlie loved Bella, but I had no idea the lengths he would go to find the family that ultimately destroyed her yet again - unintentionally or not. I pursed my lips, feeling the sadness of losing Edward and having to leave Bella. She was a sister to me, and I loved her.
"How is Bella?" Esme asked softly reading me clearly.
I swallowed hard, remembering the visions of too frequent crying jags she would have, only for her to disappear from my sight when Jacob went to comfort her. The few I had of her more recently were better; she'd occasionally have a smile on her face or would laugh, and she apparently enjoyed baking a lot since she always looked content at work. She was also making some new friends. The sadness never quite left, though, and I could see it too clearly sometimes.
"She's...improving. She gets set back sometimes. She often seems sad and quiet, but I've seen her laugh and smile as well."
Esme sighed. "I'm glad. I've been worried about her."
Everyone agreed unanimously on that. We all knew that there would be a difficult conversation coming up, something we had agreed on in another conversation, but I was taken from that worry right into a vision. I stared off into space as the images came.
Edward's back was bare, his head stooped as he moved along in an almost shuffling motion. There was no coiled tension, just a simple acquiescence in the lines of his body.
The sun was bright overhead, but he moved in the shadows. His purpose was unclear. Sounds of nearby laughter and merriment wended its way through the area and a very brief glimpse of his face showed no emotion. Then the faces of Caius and Marcus appeared, cold smiles stretching their mouths grotesquely.
"Alice?" Jasper's hands were cradling my face as he crouched in front of me.
My eyes slowly focused on him and I rested my forehead against his.
"A cobble stone pavement," I mumbled. "Bright sun, a lack of emotion, and the sound of laughter."
They all looked at each other, confused by my ramblings. It was something I was used to. Frowning, I tried to recall more details, but it was hard to move past the expressionless look on Edward's face.
I explained what I saw, and we all stared at each other in confusion, but elated that he hadn't been destroyed. "They've gone to great lengths to keep us confused," Carlisle murmured. "They couldn't have taken him back to Volterra, could they?"
"The cobble stone streets did remind me of that," I said.
"And there is a festival going on now, isn't there?" Rose asked.
We all pondered that. "We should get in touch with the rest of the covens willing to help," Esme said.
Carlisle nodded. "The Denali's are helping and the Irish coven as well, but we need more. We'll have to travel. We'll ask them to pass the word that we need them so we're not taking too much time out of where we need to go."
A breeze blew the scent of humans nearby, so we had to relocate. As we ran, the trees barely rustling as we flew past, I couldn't help but fear for Edward. He was still unharmed physically, but I had no idea of what was happening, why he looked so blank. It scared me more than anything.
The soft sounds of the Pacific Ocean and the chattering of animals were left behind as we left the dark Huarango forest. I knew Edward wouldn't have deserted us, but we had to figure out what happened to him and why he didn't come home. My worry for Bella was strong, too. I was glad Jacob was with her, to help her through the past months and to be what she needed him to be. I wasn't looking forward to the call I would soon have to make, but deep down I knew it was for the best even if it hurt.
This was going to be a damn long search, but come hell or high water, I would find Edward and we would destroy whoever took him.
*~*~*
AN: First time doing a Cullen POV… so hopefully that turned out well.
There IS a Huarango forest in Peru by the way… and deforestation has been going on a long time there in case you're curious.
House I found for NYE in Ocean Shores: http:/www.oceanbeachfronthomes.com/champagne.html (actual rental property). And the headquarters for the Quinault Nation (a federation of seven tribes including Quileute) is in Taholah, which isn't far from Ocean Shores. Random fact.
Chapter 13
Author: exquisite_ugly
Rating/Warnings: M (language, sexual situations)
Summary: After the newborn fight things take a different turn with the Volturi. Edward goes missing, the Cullen's leave to search for him, and Bella flees town from the pain of loss. Can Jacob help her deal with the grief a second time? AU, M for language, sex
*~*~*
Piano from a window played/Gone tomorrow, gone yesterday/I found it in the street/At first I did not see/Lying at my feet/a trampled rose
*~*~*
I mixed a batch of sugar cookies, absentmindedly stirring the batter as I pondered what to do on New Year's Eve. We had decided to invite the pack up to visit, but I wasn't sure what to do or where to put them overnight. Dana solved my problem when she came bounding into the kitchen from her office.
"I can have the house!" she proclaimed and everyone in the kitchen cheered.
Confusion must have been evident on my face as Dana turned to me excitedly. "My sister owns a place at the beach in Ocean Shores. She said I can use it for New Year's Eve! We're all going. Do you, Jake, and your friends want to come, too? It's a big place."
"I don't know…" I hedged. "We're having quite a few friends coming. Plus they're all huge with appetites to match."
Dana laughed. "Well, we're all chipping in on food and an overnight stay there. As long as they can handle that it's not an issue."
I bit my lip. It sounded like a good idea, but I wanted to run it by Jake first. Dana told me to let her know as soon as I could, so as soon as I got home that afternoon I asked Jake. He gave me a resounding yes and was excited about going.
"Don't you want to ask everyone first?" I asked him.
He called everyone and it was unanimous. We were going to Ocean Shores for New Year's Eve.
New Year's Eve day Jake and I went grocery shopping to get what we needed for our overnight stay. I pushed the cart and pointed to stuff on the high shelves for him to grab. We were in charge of the snacks, so we bought some big bags of chips, boxes of crackers and cheez-whiz, pretzels, and cheese curls. Everyone was bringing drinks so we grabbed a few bottles of soda. As Jake was reaching up to grab the bottles, I couldn't help but notice how his shirt rode up to reveal a strip of the russet skin of his back.
His skin was so smooth and I had the urge to place my fingers there. After the kiss at Christmas he hadn't said anything about it and neither did I. I felt a bunch of conflicting emotions when he did it. Guilt was one of them because I had enjoyed the kiss. Fear and grief were some of the other emotions. He hadn't meant it to be serious, but I kept thinking about it and it freaked me out.
I knew I loved Jacob, but I was afraid of hurting him. How could I move on when things were still so uncertain? These thoughts had plagued me after the kiss and I was so unsure of what to do.
"Bells? You okay?"
I focused and realized Jake had turned around and was watching me watch him. Except I was no longer looking at his back…
I jerked my head up to see him raise his eyebrows, trying not to laugh. I sighed and said, "Sorry, I was thinking about what else we would need," I muttered.
"Well, I think we got everything we're supposed to bring. We should probably go so we can pack up the rest of our stuff and head out in time."
I agreed and we hurried to pay for our purchases and head home to pack. It didn't take long to get everything together. I got Tinker's food out to put extra in her dish to hold her over until the following day. I hated to leave her, but she did fine alone most of the day, so I figured it wouldn't be an issue. She did fine in the car, but in a strange house with a lot of other people… I just wasn't willing to chance it. I paid extra attention to her until it was time to leave.
Jake had given the guys' directions and we planned to meet them there. It didn't take long to get there - straight out on 109 - and we were driving through the town of Ocean City. We passed bowling alleys, a bunch of shops, and some beautiful homes until we reached the beach house that had spectacular views of the water and cliffs.
"Wow, its three stories," I said with surprise. The two upper levels had wide, wrap-around decks and it faced the Pacific Ocean.
We hauled our stuff out of the car and met up with Dana, Clarissa, Jaime, Samantha, Elijah, and Brian who had carpooled and followed each other.
We dragged our stuff up and gaped at the view from the decks. Jake whistled softly. "Damn," he said. "This is a nice place and really nice of your sister to let us stay here."
"Yeah, I love coming here," Dana said. "We've always had little vacations here for as long as I can remember. I was so glad when my sister bought a place."
We hurriedly unpacked the food and when we finished the pack had arrived with their girlfriends. Emily gave me a long hug. "I'm really glad to see you," she said. I realized she had been worried about me, and I felt bad that I hadn't tried harder to stay in touch with her.
After everyone was introduced and the food was put away, Dana divided the rooms up. She gave the couples' a room first, and then split up the solos to bunk with a friend or two. We were a little over-capacity, but everyone had brought sleeping bags and would sleep where they could. I felt strange being given a room for me and Jake because we weren't a couple, but Dana found out not long ago that we shared a room. It was a beautiful, light-colored room and had a nice-sized bed.
Everyone wanted to head outside since it was a dry day so we went out to the beach. I sat in the sand, watching the guys racing around in the sand, playing some version of tag that involved tackling.
I just shook my head and laughed as Jared tackled Paul into the sand. Chuckling, Dana and Samantha sat next to me. "Damn, all of Jake's friends are huge. And beautiful," Samantha said with a grin.
I laughed. "They're all good guys, too. They're close, like brothers."
"It's kind of painful seeing so many good-looking guys' all in one place," Dana said. "Too bad they're all a little young for me. Early twenties just don't mesh with the barely legal," she said with a giggle.
"Oh, but they'd be energetic enough to keep a girl satisfied," Samantha said leaning back on her elbows a wicked grin on her face.
"They are," I heard a voice that sounded like Emily say behind me.
They were all laughing as my cheeks warmed. My gaze strayed to Jake taking Sam down. I was becoming more aware of him, my thoughts straying into dangerous territory, and it scared the hell out of me. A part of me wanted to try, but that other part kept nagging at me that I could hurt him worse than I already had.
"I bet Jake would be a firecracker," Clarissa said as she sat with us.
I laughed, too, as if this didn't make me even more aware. I had considered sex with Edward and while I had wanted it I had never thought much about inexperience. I realized I was surrounded by women more experienced than myself, though, and I didn't want to be called out on it. Thankfully, Jake took that moment to bound over, give everyone a charming smile, and haul me up.
"Jake… what…" I started to say.
"We're done playing. Now you're going for a walk with me," he said as if I had no choice in the matter. His fingers curled around mine and we walked down the beach in silence. It was a quiet beach; wide enough to lay out in the summer and swim, but it was still a bit on the wilder side. The waves were tumultuous, the dunes high, and a breeze whipped a little salty spray toward us as my hair waved in a banner behind me.
"It's so quiet here," I said idly.
He smiled. "It reminds me of First Beach."
I swallowed hard. "Jake? Do you miss being in La Push?"
He pondered that for a bit, coming to a stop and picking up a rock and skipping it out over the choppy water. "I do, in a way. I miss the guys' and my dad, but I also go back now and again to see them. I like being in Hoquiam, too, with you. As long as I can see them sometimes its fine," he said giving my hand a squeeze.
"I do, too," I admitted. "I… it's still too hard to think about going back yet, though."
He nodded. We were both quiet as he slipped an arm around my waist and we watched the gulls swoop low over the water searching for fish. Finally he turned to me with a sly smile.
He swooped me up and darted toward the water, making me squeal in surprise and throw my arms around his neck. "Jake, don't you dare," I warned.
He chuckled and lowered me right near the water's edge. He offered me a piggy-back ride and I couldn't help laughing as he darted all over the beach as we headed back. A little dizzy, I slipped down to find everyone anxious to eat. There was a grill on the deck of the house so the guys' started grilling burgers and hot dogs while the rest of us dumped the snacks into bowls and got out the salads and side dishes.
I noticed a few of the people I worked with drinking beer or wine. Dana leaned over to me at one point, looking a little worried. "Bella? Do your friends drink?"
"I don't think any of them are big into drinking," I said truthfully.
"Okay. I mean, we bought some champagne to toast, and obviously some other drinks but we didn't go too crazy because I knew there would be underage here as well. I mean, I'm okay with a beer or two or a glass of wine if they want something, but I don't want to get in trouble…"
I agreed with her. "I'll mention it to Jake," I said. "I doubt it will be an issue."
The night wore on, music playing in the background, as everyone laughed and chatted. A couple of the guys' had a beer or two, but everyone seemed fine with soda so there weren't any problems. Everyone moved out onto the cold beach again to play charades; I couldn't remember laughing this much as I watched Quil mime mooing like a cow.
I went back into the house for a little quiet, and I gave a squeak of surprise as I nearly bumped into the sofa and saw Jamie and Brian making out on it. "I… I'm sorry," I muttered. "I was just… leaving…"
"Its okay, Bella," Brian said with a soft chuckle. I smiled a little spastically.
"It's almost midnight, isn't it? We should probably get back out there," Jamie said. Brian stood and taking Jamie's hand pulled her up into his arms. Feeling out of place I watched them exchange a quick kiss and head back out to the beach.
Feeling a little pang of loneliness, I decided to try a little champagne. I remembered my wine drinking all too clearly, so I poured less than half a glass. I took an experimental sip; it tasted good, but I refrained from drinking too fast. The only sound in the house was the soft hum of the heat and the ticking of the clock.
As I stood in the kitchen - which was pitch dark and quiet - I couldn't hear him, but I felt Jake's heat at my back. I swallowed hard, unsure of what I wanted.
"Champagne Bells?" he said quietly. "Just don't over-do it; I don't want to be cleaning up after you," he teased me.
I turned around and he was right there. We both glanced over at the clock and it was three minutes until midnight. The minutes ticked by and when it struck twelve we heard a loud cheer rise outside and we both laughed. He tapped his one and only beer against my glass and we both took a sip.
"Happy New Year," he said. He set my glass down and pulled me up into his arms in a big hug.
"Happy New Year," I said wrapping my arms around his neck.
I felt his lips press against my cheek and somehow when I pulled back his lips had slid from my cheek to my mouth. We both paused, our breath whispering softly against each other's lips. He kissed my lower lip lightly, and I felt a tickle along my spine.
I cleared my throat and he lowered me back to the floor. Everyone came barreling inside and I was swept away from Jake into numerous hugs that ranged from the standard to the bone-crushing hugs. My champagne flute was pushed back into my hands and was refilled. I now had a little over a half glass, but I knew I was done when I felt the slight hint of spinning in my head.
Everyone seemed to be winding down anyway, so I took the opportunity to slip into the bathroom to get ready for bed. I crawled into bed, drained and a tad fuzzy. I was almost asleep when I felt Jake slide into bed with me.
"Please tell me you aren't going to barf in the morning."
That set off a wave of giggles.
"No, I don't think it's quite that bad," I said. I rolled over and draped my upper half over his.
Comfortable and content I soon drifted off to sleep.
*~*~*
APOV:
The lights twinkled on the Christmas tree, bright and perfectly color-coordinated with the shiny silver and gold ornaments. Presents were wrapped and piled up underneath. The garland lined the steps leading upstairs, twisted gracefully around. We didn't eat like humans did, but Esme and I certainly enjoyed setting a nice table full of the best china we had.
My dress criss-crossed over my chest, emphasizing the cleavage I had, only to fall gracefully down my body and hug it in all the right places. I loved the feel of silk and satin from high-end boutiques. It wasn't to show how rich we were; it was just to enjoy the beauty of perfect fabric against my skin, the perfect look of gleaming china against a backdrop of a beautiful home. I barely remembered living in an asylum, being turned into a vampire, but I felt the urge to surround myself and my family in beauty to make up for all the ugliness from before.
Emmett and Rose were upstairs keeping each other occupied with hands and mouths, while Carlisle and Esme smiled affectionately at my need to beautify and helped me. Jasper, my true love, was nearby ready to help me if I needed it. Edward, my closest brother, was teasing and annoying me about my obsession of making things just so.
Edward sat down to play the piano, the swell of the music soft and lilting. Jasper took my hand, kissing the back of it.
"It looks lovely, darling," he said wrapping an arm around me.
The perfect New Year's Eve party faded into black nothingness.
I blinked, trying hard to focus in the dark Huarango forest of Peru, as I perched on the stump of a long-dead tree. The forest had gone through centuries of deforestation and was now near extinction as a natural ecosystem.
My mind was invaded with thoughts of New Year's Eve's past; they kept creeping in, haunting me with how my whole family was together. This New Year's Eve found me and my family - minus my beloved brother - crouching in the forests hunting for food. We tried to stay inconspicuous only staying in actual homes or hotels occasionally.
I closed my eyes, trying to stretch my mind, to will a vision of Edward to come. I missed him beyond words, as did everyone, and the lack of easy-to-track visions as of late were frustrating. I felt useless for the first time in a long time.
I felt Jasper's presence behind me, and I turned into his embrace needing the feel of him against me. He wound his arms around me. "Alice, are you okay?" he asked.
"It's nothing different than what we've all been feeling," I said resting my head on his chest.
I heard Rose and Emmett's footfalls as they ran back from their hunt. It was still a shock to see Emmett's normally laughing expression gone - in place of it a hard mask. "Anything?" he asked me. They had been asking me relentlessly as if I wouldn't tell them immediately.
I shook my head, feeling that urge to cry, but never having the satisfaction of actually doing so. It was an agony all in itself.
"Dammit! Why the hell not?"
Jasper snarled in warning, his eyes fixed on Emmett.
"Sorry," he said to me with a sigh. "I just..."
"Miss him," I supplied quietly. "I know. We all do. I don't understand, but I keep trying."
Jasper kissed my forehead and we just stood there, arms around each other for support, the weight of how long we had been searching pulling all of us down.
We heard Carlisle and Esme returning and turned expectantly to hear what they found out.
"Chief Swan is much more determined than I gave him credit for," Carlisle admitted. "His searching has extended to different countries. There was talk of a family searching for their son with some description. I don't think it's anything that can really pin us down, but we need to be even more careful."
I knew Charlie loved Bella, but I had no idea the lengths he would go to find the family that ultimately destroyed her yet again - unintentionally or not. I pursed my lips, feeling the sadness of losing Edward and having to leave Bella. She was a sister to me, and I loved her.
"How is Bella?" Esme asked softly reading me clearly.
I swallowed hard, remembering the visions of too frequent crying jags she would have, only for her to disappear from my sight when Jacob went to comfort her. The few I had of her more recently were better; she'd occasionally have a smile on her face or would laugh, and she apparently enjoyed baking a lot since she always looked content at work. She was also making some new friends. The sadness never quite left, though, and I could see it too clearly sometimes.
"She's...improving. She gets set back sometimes. She often seems sad and quiet, but I've seen her laugh and smile as well."
Esme sighed. "I'm glad. I've been worried about her."
Everyone agreed unanimously on that. We all knew that there would be a difficult conversation coming up, something we had agreed on in another conversation, but I was taken from that worry right into a vision. I stared off into space as the images came.
Edward's back was bare, his head stooped as he moved along in an almost shuffling motion. There was no coiled tension, just a simple acquiescence in the lines of his body.
The sun was bright overhead, but he moved in the shadows. His purpose was unclear. Sounds of nearby laughter and merriment wended its way through the area and a very brief glimpse of his face showed no emotion. Then the faces of Caius and Marcus appeared, cold smiles stretching their mouths grotesquely.
"Alice?" Jasper's hands were cradling my face as he crouched in front of me.
My eyes slowly focused on him and I rested my forehead against his.
"A cobble stone pavement," I mumbled. "Bright sun, a lack of emotion, and the sound of laughter."
They all looked at each other, confused by my ramblings. It was something I was used to. Frowning, I tried to recall more details, but it was hard to move past the expressionless look on Edward's face.
I explained what I saw, and we all stared at each other in confusion, but elated that he hadn't been destroyed. "They've gone to great lengths to keep us confused," Carlisle murmured. "They couldn't have taken him back to Volterra, could they?"
"The cobble stone streets did remind me of that," I said.
"And there is a festival going on now, isn't there?" Rose asked.
We all pondered that. "We should get in touch with the rest of the covens willing to help," Esme said.
Carlisle nodded. "The Denali's are helping and the Irish coven as well, but we need more. We'll have to travel. We'll ask them to pass the word that we need them so we're not taking too much time out of where we need to go."
A breeze blew the scent of humans nearby, so we had to relocate. As we ran, the trees barely rustling as we flew past, I couldn't help but fear for Edward. He was still unharmed physically, but I had no idea of what was happening, why he looked so blank. It scared me more than anything.
The soft sounds of the Pacific Ocean and the chattering of animals were left behind as we left the dark Huarango forest. I knew Edward wouldn't have deserted us, but we had to figure out what happened to him and why he didn't come home. My worry for Bella was strong, too. I was glad Jacob was with her, to help her through the past months and to be what she needed him to be. I wasn't looking forward to the call I would soon have to make, but deep down I knew it was for the best even if it hurt.
This was going to be a damn long search, but come hell or high water, I would find Edward and we would destroy whoever took him.
*~*~*
AN: First time doing a Cullen POV… so hopefully that turned out well.
There IS a Huarango forest in Peru by the way… and deforestation has been going on a long time there in case you're curious.
House I found for NYE in Ocean Shores: http:/www.oceanbeachfronthomes.com/champagne.html (actual rental property). And the headquarters for the Quinault Nation (a federation of seven tribes including Quileute) is in Taholah, which isn't far from Ocean Shores. Random fact.
Chapter 13