School is such a drag. But I finally got time to write :) Just for a reminder, the story contest's entries are due in less than a месяц now! (Sept. 20)
Chapter 10: Legends
After speeding away from the La Push boundary line, I drove aimlessly for a few minutes, not knowing where to go. I didn’t feel like going home, as I would end up staring at the clock impatiently, and would certainly end up making everybody else anxious, particularly Jasper. I thought about waiting at Bella’s house, but quickly decided against it. I was already crazy with worry, and being surrounded by her scent wouldn’t make things easier on me. Besides, Esme was watching the лебедь house tonight, looking after Charlie, and I knew how worried her thoughts would be if I went there. She couldn’t help the motherly instinct she had, and I knew she meant well, but her thoughts mixed with my own would most likely drive me mad.
So finally, after much internal debate, I chose to go to one place I knew would be the best bet for helping me relax. I went to the meadow; our meadow. The sun was just setting below the horizon, and I didn’t know how long Bella would be out, so I took my time running through the forest to the place that meant so much to me. Finally breaking through the trees, I ran to the center of the трава and sank down, laying flat on my back in the tall grass. The rain had stopped earlier, but the ground was still damp, as it usually tended to be. I was busy with my memories, and hardly registered the wetness clinging to my clothes.
Some of the еще important events in my existence had taken place right here, in this meadow, and even in this particular spot. I had brought Bella here before we had any relationship to speak of, and here is where we had first realized how completely in Любовь we were. I could replay that entire день like a movie in my mind. Bella hadn’t run away screaming like I had expected her to when I had finally explained to her what I was. She was accepting, almost unnervingly so, and at that point I couldn’t help but let myself fall in Любовь with her. Being here always brought us back to those early days, and so we came often.
Of course, I couldn’t remember the good times without remembering the bad. Bella had almost been killed here as well, by Laurent. I hadn’t been here, but the mutt had kindly replayed portions of that день in his mind during our encounter with him when we had returned Главная from Italy. He took the opportunity to rub it in that he had been the one to save her, and that I had left her in danger. Gloating was a specialty of Jacob Black’s.
I sighed, sitting up. I had come here to think about good things, to try to relax, and I was getting myself worked up again. I supposed I should give thanks for the distraction, no matter how short-lived it had been. I checked the clock on my phone, and resisted the urge to groan out loud. It was barely six o’clock. I didn’t know when Bella would be calling, but I was assuming it wouldn’t be until nine или ten, as she had promised to come Главная early. My mind raced, trying to come up with something to do to pass the time. I had just convinced myself that it was a good idea to wait at the boundary line when my phone vibrated in my pocket.
The small hope I had that it was Bella, ready to come Главная already, vanished when I looked at the screen. Carlisle.
“Hello, Carlisle,” I said, allowing some of the disappointment drip into my tone.
“Edward, am I interrupting something?” He asked.
“No I’m just…thinking.”
“I assume Bella made it to La Push?” he guessed sympathetically.
“Yes,” I сказал(-а) simply. My tone sounded flat, even to me.
“Why don’t Ты come home, Edward?”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything stupid,” I promised, thinking he wanted to keep an eye on me.
“I know Ты won’t, son. Actually, we need to have sort of a family meeting. I talked to Sam today, and we still need to talk about what’s going on in Seattle…” he trailed off.
Jacob had talked to Sam right after he had gone back to La Push, much to my surprise, and Sam had agreed to meet with Carlisle. I hadn’t been Главная to hear the details of their meeting yet.
“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” I said.
“See Ты then,” he replied, and I snapped the phone shut.
Well at least I didn’t have to look for a new distraction now. I took in the meadow a final time, then turned and ran at full speed back to where I had left the Volvo. I drove extremely fast back to my house, as I was anxious to hear what Sam had to say. When I arrived home, everyone was sitting around the dining room table, where we typically had these meetings. Esme wasn’t present, as she was still looking over Charlie, but Carlisle assured me he had updated her already.
Carlisle began speaking as soon as I sat down. “As Ты all know, I spoke with Sam Uley today. The La Push pack is also concerned about Victoria’s return, particularly about the safety of Bella and Charlie. It was a short meeting, but Sam has decided to make Forks a part of their patrol area.”
“Great, so when Ты force me to watch Bella’s house, I have to deal with Волколаки as well?” Rosalie asked, annoyance in her voice. “How is them patrolling the same area we are, at the same time, going to help us exactly?”
“Well, I think most of their patrolling would be during the night, so Edward would be the one dealing with them,” he glanced at me, gauging my reaction. I rolled my eyes, but сказал(-а) nothing. “And they would be watching out for all of Forks, not just Bella’s house. It can’t hurt to have as many…people…watching for Victoria as possible.”
“Okay, fine, whatever. If it makes them feel like they’re doing something important, еще power to them. But what are we doing about Seattle?” Emmett smirked, cracking his knuckles. Rosalie growled slightly at him, and the smirk disappeared, but his thoughts were practically giddy at the prospect of a fight.
“We do nothing, Emmett. Not yet,” Carlisle said. “Until Alice can see more, and we figure out exactly what is going on, we can’t do anything. We have too much going on here. We don’t need to go looking for еще trouble.”
“But what about the Volturi?” Jasper voiced. “If they go to Seattle, Ты know they’ll stop here to check on Bella. And I’m sure when they find out she hasn’t been changed, they’ll be еще than happy to do it themselves.” He glanced at me, and I’m sure my expression was murderous. Sorry, Edward, but it’s true. We need to be prepared for everything.
“Alice is watching the Volturi. She’ll see if and when they decide to come. Bella plans on being changed after graduation, so all we can do is hope they don’t come before then,” Carlisle explained. I cringed as Bella’s change was mentioned. It was too soon.
“And if they do?” I challenged.
“Then we’ll have to figure something out.” He shook his head. “Honestly, I think the Volturi are the least of our worries right now, and we shouldn’t put all of our energy into coming up with a plan for dealing with them if it may be unnecessary.”
I had to agree with that. We would be better off dealing with one problem at a time, или we would become overwhelmed, and something would slip through the cracks. And right now, Victoria needed to be our number one priority.
Everyone seemed to be in agreement, minus Emmett who still wanted to go to Seattle to fight off newborns. However, I knew he would do as Carlisle сказал(-а) so I wasn’t worried about him. “So, is that it? I mean, we just…wait?” he voiced.
Carlisle sighed. “I’m afraid so, son. Until Victoria decides to Показать her face, there isn’t anything we can do but watch and wait.”
Everyone fell silent after that, Остаться в живых in their thoughts. Emmett was thinking about Seattle, and wondering if he would have a chance to fight Victoria if he couldn’t fight the newborns. I wanted to tell him that Victoria was all mine, but decided against it. Alice, who had been oddly silent through the meeting, was worried about how her visions were going to be affected even еще by having the Волки around еще often. She hated not being able to see things. Jasper was by her side, desperately trying to calm her fears. Rosalie was thinking about Rosalie, of course. Carlisle was worrying about all of us, hoping that everything would work out for the best.
We sat that was for quite some time, but slowly my siblings started drifting away. Jasper and Alice retreated to their bedroom. Rosalie and Emmett decided to hunt nearby, and they quietly slipped out. It was only after they left that I realized Carlisle was staring at me. I met his eyes.
How are Ты holding up?
I gave him a small smile, but it didn’t reach my eyes. “About as well as to be expected,” I replied.
“I have to say, I’m proud of you, Edward,” he voiced out loud. “You’re handling things much better than I thought Ты would. Letting Bella go must have been very hard for you.”
“That’s a bit of an understatement.”
“But Ты did it. Ты let her make her own decision, and I promise it will pay in the end.”
“I hope you’re right,” I сказал(-а) doubtfully.
He gave me a small smile and patted my shoulder. If you’ll excuse me… he thought, and then made his way up to his study. I was alone, once again. The clock showed eight o’clock; I had successfully wasted two hours. Unfortunately it was still early. I took the phone out of my pocket and held it in my hand, willing it to ring. My mind chose that moment to go into overdrive, as I considered all the things that could go wrong at a werewolf party. Bella probably had at least broken something by now. I sighed and stood up, looking around for something to take my mind off things.
I sat at my Пианино a moment later, hoping it would help calm my nerves, as it often did. My hands glided over the keys skillfully. I wanted to play Bella’s lullaby, but that would probably make me miss her even еще right now, so instead I played Esme’s Избранное composition of mine. It was a soothing tune, and I felt some of the tension go out of my muscles as I played. Sitting at the piano, I was reminded of the first time Bella had sat on the bench Далее to me, listening to me play a song she didn’t know at the time was intended for her. She had spent hours since then sitting here, listening silently, encouragingly. I smiled as I thought about her awed face every time I played.
I played for a long while, going through all of my original compositions, and even coming up with some ideas for future songs I would write down later. When I had finally had enough playing, I closed the cover over the keys, feeling еще relaxed then I had since Bella had decided to go to La Push. I took out my phone to check the time again, expecting to have wasted another hour. I was surprised when I saw it was half past ten, and then anxious when I realized Bella hadn’t called yet. The relaxation I had felt just a минута назад was gone, and my muscles again tensed up. It was getting late, where could she be?
Every possible situation that could cause her harm whirled in my mind. I wondered if that mutt would even have the decency to call me if something went wrong and Bella needed me. Somehow I doubted it. I was still gripping the phone, and loosened my hand so I wouldn’t turn it to dust. I flipped it open and dialed the number of the phone Bella had in her possession. My finger hovered over the send key, but I stopped myself. She’s probably just having fun and Остаться в живых track of time, I thought. If Ты call her now she’ll think Ты don’t trust her, and you’ll be back to square one. I definitely didn’t want that. I had made a lot of progress with being еще tolerant, and I didn’t want to ruin it. [i]But what if she really is in trouble? Another part of my mind chimed in. If Ты don’t call and she needs you, she could be seriously hurt…or worse.
I considered the options for a long минута before flipping the phone shut and shoving it hastily back into my pocket. I would give her another hour, and then I was calling. I would rather her be mad at me then be in danger. I had no idea what I was going to do around the house to occupy my mind for a full hour, so I made the decision again to go wait at the boundary line. I told myself I was in control enough to not do something I would regret, but I didn’t really know if that was true.
I made it there in record time, and immediately felt stupid for coming. Being here was not going to calm my nerves any, if anything it made them worse. I suddenly wished I had asked Jasper to tag along, but Alice needed him еще than I did right now. I turned the engine off and got out, and began pacing back and forth between the trees. This wasn’t exactly calming either, but I needed to do something.
I found it hard to believe how human I felt. I had never felt completely helpless before. I was a vampire; we were far less than helpless. But here I was, pacing an invisible line I was forbidden to cross, while the Любовь of my life was putting her life in the hands of my enemy on the other side. Besides the helplessness, I had experienced еще human emotions since meeting Bella then I ever thought possible. And although not all of those emotions were pleasant ones, I owed her so much for helping me feel anything at all.
I took my phone out for the hundredth time, and it was only 11:15. I glared at the numbers, pleading with the phone to ring before I went completely off the deep-end. To my surprise, it did. I answered immediately.
“Bella?” I asked, flooded with relief.
“Umm…not exactly…” a voice came from the other end. It wasn’t my Bella’s voice, it was his voice.
Panic immediately set in. Something was wrong. I knew I never should have agreed to this. I shouldn’t have let her anywhere near werewolves. Carlisle was wrong, it wasn’t going to be okay. I had made a huge mistake, and now I was going to pay for it. I couldn’t even gather the strength to be angry with the mutt as I spoke. “How bad is it?” I asked, desperation taking over my voice.
“How bad is what?” he asked, sounding genuinely confused.
“Bella! How bad is she? She better not be seriously hurt, или I swear I’ll rip your head off!” I managed to sound fiercer this time.
“What are Ты talking about, bloodsucker? Bella’s fine.”
“Oh,” I said, relief washing over me, but almost immediately replaced with confusion. “I just assumed that since Ты were calling me rather than her…”
“Yeah, well, Ты know what happens when Ты assume,” he stated. “Look, she fell asleep, okay? And I didn’t want to wake her up, so I thought I’d be all noble или something and call Ты for her. I called Charlie, too.”
“Oh,” I сказал(-а) again. “Well…thank you?” It came out as a question.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Listen, I hate this just as much as Ты do, okay? So just meet us at the boundary line in ten минуты and we can pretend this never happened. Unless Ты just want her to stay here…” he trailed off suggestively.
“No!” I roared, much louder than I intended. I lowered my voice, “No, ten минуты is fine. I’ll be waiting.”
“Yeah, okay….fine,” he said, and hung up.
It took me a минута to get over the shock of Jacob Black calling me, but I quickly composed myself and resumed pacing. I was feeling immensely better knowing Bella was безопасно, сейф and on her way back to me, but I wouldn’t be completely satisfied until she was in my arms again.
Of course, it took longer than ten минуты for them to arrive, and I thought it was probably a deliberate Переместить on Jacob’s part to make me еще worried. He pulled up and parked about thirty yards away from where I was. I stopped my pacing and listened as he woke her up.
“C’mon, Bells. We’re here.”
Bella sat up straight and looked around, seeming confused. It took a moment for her to get her bearings, but when she did she started to panic, her сердце rate increasing greatly. “Oh crap! How late is it? Dang it, where’s that stupid phone?”
“Easy. It’s not even midnight yet. And I already called him for you. Look –he’s waiting there.” She’s always worried about the stupid bloodsucker.
She stared out the windshield, squinting her eyes to make out the shape of the Vovlo.
“Here,” he said, handing her the phone I had дана her.
“You called Edward for me?” she asked, sounding both relieved and concerned.
“I figured if I played nice, I’d get еще time with you.” He smiled.
“Thanks, Jake. Really, thank you,” she sounded touched that he had called. “And thanks for inviting me tonight. That was…Wow. That was something else.”
“And Ты didn’t even stay up to watch me глотать, ласточка a cow,” he said, and I assumed that was some kind of inside joke. “No, I’m glad Ты liked it. It was…nice for me. Having Ты there.” She’s so beautiful God, I wish I could Kiss her. If that stupid leech wasn’t here, I would. I know she wouldn’t stop me, either...
I didn’t want to hear that. I knew he wouldn’t be stupid enough to do anything in my presence, but even that he thought about Поцелуи my Bella made me furious. I tried to push that emotion to the side for now, just wanting them to say goodnight and for her to come back to where she belonged. I picked up my pacing again.
“Yeah, he’s not so patient is he? Go ahead. But come back soon, okay?”
“Sure, Jake,” she promised, and opened the car door.
“Sleep tight, Bells. Don’t worry about anything –I’ll be watching out for Ты tonight.” [i]I will always protect you
I glared at him, but unfortunately he wasn’t looking toward me. Apparently Jacob was assigned to patrol Forks tonight, much to my chagrin. Bella stopped with one foot out of the door and turned back to him. “No, Jake. Get some rest, I’ll be fine.”
“Sure, sure,” he said, but we both knew he wasn’t agreeing.
“Night, Jake. Thanks.”
“Night, Bella,” he whispered as she shut the door. I Любовь you. Luckily he didn’t voice that particular thought out loud, или I wasn’t sure I would be able to maintain my composure any longer.
She hurried in the dark towards the boundary line, and I caught her there. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her as tight as I could, never wanting to let go again. “Bella,” I breathed. Her scent was overpowered by the stench of werewolf, and I wrinkled my nose. She didn’t notice.
“Hi. Sorry I’m so late. I fell asleep and –“
I cut her off. “I know. Jacob explained.” We started walking towards the car. She was still a little groggy. “Are Ты tired? I could carry you.”
“I’m fine,” she replied sleepily.
“Let’s get Ты Главная and in bed. Did Ты have a nice time?”
Her eyes brightened a bit as she answered. “Yeah – it was amazing, Edward. I wish Ты could have come. I can’t even explain it. Jake’s dad told us the old legends and it was like…like magic.”
“You’ll have to tell me about it. After you’ve slept.”
“I won’t get it right,” she said, then let out a large yawn. I chuckled softly.
I helped Bella into the car and buckled the seatbelt around her, all the while receiving angry thoughts from Jacob Black, who thought that he was the one Bella should be going Главная with. I chose to ignore him, for now, and he finally drove away when I closed Bella’s door.
I dropped Bella off with Charlie, assuming she would be asleep before I returned. I drove Главная as fast as I could to drop off my car so I could return to Bella and relieve Esme, who was still watching the house. I ran back, making a stop at the place in the woods where Esme was hidden.
“You can go Главная now, Esme,” I told her. “And thank you. For helping out tonight.”
Don’t be silly, Edward. There’s no need to thank me. Bella’s family. I want to help watch out for her. She smiled at me, and I smiled back, but hers quickly faded and a frown creased her forehead. “You look weary,” she voiced out loud. “How was your night?”
“It was….difficult,” I managed. “But she’s Главная now, and she’s safe. And еще than that, she’s happy. I will gladly go through a million nights like tonight as long as she keeps smiling.”
Esme’s smile returned, and she сказал(-а) a quick good night before turning and running back toward our house. I briefly registered the werewolf scent permeating the air as I ran to Bella’s room. She was standing there, the cold and rain hitting her face as she stared out the open window. I entered her room effortlessly, and pulled her into my arms, causing her to shiver.
“Is Jacob out there?” she asked.
“Yes…somewhere. And Esme’s on her way home.”
She sighed. “It’s so cold and wet. This is silly.” She continued shivering.
I laughed. “It’s only cold to you, Bella.”
She frowned, but didn’t complain further. She was exhausted, and it took less time than usual for her to fall asleep, although she was still shivering with cold. I had two blankets between us, but that didn’t seem to be enough to warm her tonight. I considered moving across the room, to the rocking chair, but having not been with her all evening, I wanted to be close to her. If she asked me to move, I would, but until then I needed to be near her. I watched her sleep for an immeasurable amount of time. I craved to touch her, but only allowed myself to lightly brush her cheek или stroke her hair, so as not to wake her. Seeing her in her most peaceful form, I couldn’t believe that his beautiful creature was meant for me.
Bella stretched and turned over, facing away from me. I gently stroked her back over the blankets, looking around the dark room. Wuthering Heights was on the nightstand beside me, and I picked it up to scan through the pages. I had read it once, and remembered the story well. I still didn’t really see the appeal, but Bella seemed to enjoy it enough to read it again and again. I quickly flipped through the pages, not really reading, when my eyes caught a page that made me stop. The words seemed to remind me a lot of my own situation. The character Heathcliff, whom until then I felt was one of the most uninteresting characters in literature, suddenly became еще relatable as he said:
[b]And there Ты see the distinction between our feelings: had he been in my place and I in his,
though I hated him with a hatred that turned my life to gall, I never would have raised a hand
against him. Ты may look incredulous, if Ты please! I never would have banished him from her
society as long as she desired his. The moment her regard ceased, I would have torn his сердце out, and drank his blood! But, till then — if Ты don’t believe me, Ты don’t know me — till then, I would have died by inches before I touched a single hair of his head![/i]
As I read the passage, I wondered if Bella saw the similarity in this story and our life. I assumed she would, and that was probably the reason she enjoyed the story so. A dark chuckle escaped my chest as I re-read the line: The moment her regard ceased, I would have torn his сердце out, and drank his blood! I had considered doing something along those same lines many times, it was true.
Bella started to stir as she slept, dreaming about something. “…third wife…” she mumbled, and seemed uneasy. It was a nightmare. Sure enough, a gasp escaped her lips, and her eyes opened wide, trying to see in the dark. She turned back toward me, burying her head in my chest. I quickly closed the book and let it fall to the floor.
“Did I wake you?” I whispered. I tightened my arms around her.
“No. I had a bad dream.” She replied, not quite sounding awake.
“Do Ты want to tell me about it?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Too tired. Maybe in the morning, if I remember.” Her eyes were already closed.
I laughed quietly. She was quite adorable when she was tired. “In the morning.”
“What were Ты reading?” she mumbled.
“Wuthering Heights,” I replied.
Her brow creased, even though her eyes remained closed. “I thought Ты didn’t like that book.”
“You left it out. Besides…the еще time I spend with you, the еще human emotions seem comprehensible to me.” The jealousy I had felt many times the past few weeks flashed in my mind. “I’m discovering that I can sympathize with Heathcliff in ways I didn’t think possible before.”
“Mmm,” she replied.
“I Любовь you, Bella. I’ll do anything to make Ты happy.” But she was already asleep.
I tried asking her about her dream in the morning, but she couldn’t remember most of it. She told me she was just glad I was there when she woke up. Emmett was standing guard while I ran Главная to change and get my car, and I kissed Bella passionately before sliding gracefully out the window. When I arrived, Alice was waiting for me. She seemed to be in a much better mood, but was guarding her thoughts carefully.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Edward, I’m so excited! I get to plan a party!” she exclaimed.
“A party? For what?”
“Graduation, obviously,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Alice, why in the world would we have a graduation party?” I asked. We had graduated hundreds of times between all seven of us, and never once have we thrown any sort of graduation party.
“It’s not for us, Edward. It’s for Bella!”
I frowned. “You know she’s not going to go along with that.”
“But I already saw it,” she pouted. “She’ll go along with it, because it will make me happy. She’ll only be upset if I try to surprise her. Please, Edward, get her to come. I really need the distraction.” She gave me her щенок dog face, and I sighed.
“Fine, Alice. I’ll try to get her to agree. But Ты have to tell her, no surprises. And please, please, try not to go overboard.”
Alice squealed with delight and hugged me. I smiled despite myself. She really did need something else to put her mind on, with all of her worries about her visions not working properly. And she did Любовь planning parties. Now all we had to do was break it to Bella.
Chapter 10: Legends
After speeding away from the La Push boundary line, I drove aimlessly for a few minutes, not knowing where to go. I didn’t feel like going home, as I would end up staring at the clock impatiently, and would certainly end up making everybody else anxious, particularly Jasper. I thought about waiting at Bella’s house, but quickly decided against it. I was already crazy with worry, and being surrounded by her scent wouldn’t make things easier on me. Besides, Esme was watching the лебедь house tonight, looking after Charlie, and I knew how worried her thoughts would be if I went there. She couldn’t help the motherly instinct she had, and I knew she meant well, but her thoughts mixed with my own would most likely drive me mad.
So finally, after much internal debate, I chose to go to one place I knew would be the best bet for helping me relax. I went to the meadow; our meadow. The sun was just setting below the horizon, and I didn’t know how long Bella would be out, so I took my time running through the forest to the place that meant so much to me. Finally breaking through the trees, I ran to the center of the трава and sank down, laying flat on my back in the tall grass. The rain had stopped earlier, but the ground was still damp, as it usually tended to be. I was busy with my memories, and hardly registered the wetness clinging to my clothes.
Some of the еще important events in my existence had taken place right here, in this meadow, and even in this particular spot. I had brought Bella here before we had any relationship to speak of, and here is where we had first realized how completely in Любовь we were. I could replay that entire день like a movie in my mind. Bella hadn’t run away screaming like I had expected her to when I had finally explained to her what I was. She was accepting, almost unnervingly so, and at that point I couldn’t help but let myself fall in Любовь with her. Being here always brought us back to those early days, and so we came often.
Of course, I couldn’t remember the good times without remembering the bad. Bella had almost been killed here as well, by Laurent. I hadn’t been here, but the mutt had kindly replayed portions of that день in his mind during our encounter with him when we had returned Главная from Italy. He took the opportunity to rub it in that he had been the one to save her, and that I had left her in danger. Gloating was a specialty of Jacob Black’s.
I sighed, sitting up. I had come here to think about good things, to try to relax, and I was getting myself worked up again. I supposed I should give thanks for the distraction, no matter how short-lived it had been. I checked the clock on my phone, and resisted the urge to groan out loud. It was barely six o’clock. I didn’t know when Bella would be calling, but I was assuming it wouldn’t be until nine или ten, as she had promised to come Главная early. My mind raced, trying to come up with something to do to pass the time. I had just convinced myself that it was a good idea to wait at the boundary line when my phone vibrated in my pocket.
The small hope I had that it was Bella, ready to come Главная already, vanished when I looked at the screen. Carlisle.
“Hello, Carlisle,” I said, allowing some of the disappointment drip into my tone.
“Edward, am I interrupting something?” He asked.
“No I’m just…thinking.”
“I assume Bella made it to La Push?” he guessed sympathetically.
“Yes,” I сказал(-а) simply. My tone sounded flat, even to me.
“Why don’t Ты come home, Edward?”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything stupid,” I promised, thinking he wanted to keep an eye on me.
“I know Ты won’t, son. Actually, we need to have sort of a family meeting. I talked to Sam today, and we still need to talk about what’s going on in Seattle…” he trailed off.
Jacob had talked to Sam right after he had gone back to La Push, much to my surprise, and Sam had agreed to meet with Carlisle. I hadn’t been Главная to hear the details of their meeting yet.
“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” I said.
“See Ты then,” he replied, and I snapped the phone shut.
Well at least I didn’t have to look for a new distraction now. I took in the meadow a final time, then turned and ran at full speed back to where I had left the Volvo. I drove extremely fast back to my house, as I was anxious to hear what Sam had to say. When I arrived home, everyone was sitting around the dining room table, where we typically had these meetings. Esme wasn’t present, as she was still looking over Charlie, but Carlisle assured me he had updated her already.
Carlisle began speaking as soon as I sat down. “As Ты all know, I spoke with Sam Uley today. The La Push pack is also concerned about Victoria’s return, particularly about the safety of Bella and Charlie. It was a short meeting, but Sam has decided to make Forks a part of their patrol area.”
“Great, so when Ты force me to watch Bella’s house, I have to deal with Волколаки as well?” Rosalie asked, annoyance in her voice. “How is them patrolling the same area we are, at the same time, going to help us exactly?”
“Well, I think most of their patrolling would be during the night, so Edward would be the one dealing with them,” he glanced at me, gauging my reaction. I rolled my eyes, but сказал(-а) nothing. “And they would be watching out for all of Forks, not just Bella’s house. It can’t hurt to have as many…people…watching for Victoria as possible.”
“Okay, fine, whatever. If it makes them feel like they’re doing something important, еще power to them. But what are we doing about Seattle?” Emmett smirked, cracking his knuckles. Rosalie growled slightly at him, and the smirk disappeared, but his thoughts were practically giddy at the prospect of a fight.
“We do nothing, Emmett. Not yet,” Carlisle said. “Until Alice can see more, and we figure out exactly what is going on, we can’t do anything. We have too much going on here. We don’t need to go looking for еще trouble.”
“But what about the Volturi?” Jasper voiced. “If they go to Seattle, Ты know they’ll stop here to check on Bella. And I’m sure when they find out she hasn’t been changed, they’ll be еще than happy to do it themselves.” He glanced at me, and I’m sure my expression was murderous. Sorry, Edward, but it’s true. We need to be prepared for everything.
“Alice is watching the Volturi. She’ll see if and when they decide to come. Bella plans on being changed after graduation, so all we can do is hope they don’t come before then,” Carlisle explained. I cringed as Bella’s change was mentioned. It was too soon.
“And if they do?” I challenged.
“Then we’ll have to figure something out.” He shook his head. “Honestly, I think the Volturi are the least of our worries right now, and we shouldn’t put all of our energy into coming up with a plan for dealing with them if it may be unnecessary.”
I had to agree with that. We would be better off dealing with one problem at a time, или we would become overwhelmed, and something would slip through the cracks. And right now, Victoria needed to be our number one priority.
Everyone seemed to be in agreement, minus Emmett who still wanted to go to Seattle to fight off newborns. However, I knew he would do as Carlisle сказал(-а) so I wasn’t worried about him. “So, is that it? I mean, we just…wait?” he voiced.
Carlisle sighed. “I’m afraid so, son. Until Victoria decides to Показать her face, there isn’t anything we can do but watch and wait.”
Everyone fell silent after that, Остаться в живых in their thoughts. Emmett was thinking about Seattle, and wondering if he would have a chance to fight Victoria if he couldn’t fight the newborns. I wanted to tell him that Victoria was all mine, but decided against it. Alice, who had been oddly silent through the meeting, was worried about how her visions were going to be affected even еще by having the Волки around еще often. She hated not being able to see things. Jasper was by her side, desperately trying to calm her fears. Rosalie was thinking about Rosalie, of course. Carlisle was worrying about all of us, hoping that everything would work out for the best.
We sat that was for quite some time, but slowly my siblings started drifting away. Jasper and Alice retreated to their bedroom. Rosalie and Emmett decided to hunt nearby, and they quietly slipped out. It was only after they left that I realized Carlisle was staring at me. I met his eyes.
How are Ты holding up?
I gave him a small smile, but it didn’t reach my eyes. “About as well as to be expected,” I replied.
“I have to say, I’m proud of you, Edward,” he voiced out loud. “You’re handling things much better than I thought Ты would. Letting Bella go must have been very hard for you.”
“That’s a bit of an understatement.”
“But Ты did it. Ты let her make her own decision, and I promise it will pay in the end.”
“I hope you’re right,” I сказал(-а) doubtfully.
He gave me a small smile and patted my shoulder. If you’ll excuse me… he thought, and then made his way up to his study. I was alone, once again. The clock showed eight o’clock; I had successfully wasted two hours. Unfortunately it was still early. I took the phone out of my pocket and held it in my hand, willing it to ring. My mind chose that moment to go into overdrive, as I considered all the things that could go wrong at a werewolf party. Bella probably had at least broken something by now. I sighed and stood up, looking around for something to take my mind off things.
I sat at my Пианино a moment later, hoping it would help calm my nerves, as it often did. My hands glided over the keys skillfully. I wanted to play Bella’s lullaby, but that would probably make me miss her even еще right now, so instead I played Esme’s Избранное composition of mine. It was a soothing tune, and I felt some of the tension go out of my muscles as I played. Sitting at the piano, I was reminded of the first time Bella had sat on the bench Далее to me, listening to me play a song she didn’t know at the time was intended for her. She had spent hours since then sitting here, listening silently, encouragingly. I smiled as I thought about her awed face every time I played.
I played for a long while, going through all of my original compositions, and even coming up with some ideas for future songs I would write down later. When I had finally had enough playing, I closed the cover over the keys, feeling еще relaxed then I had since Bella had decided to go to La Push. I took out my phone to check the time again, expecting to have wasted another hour. I was surprised when I saw it was half past ten, and then anxious when I realized Bella hadn’t called yet. The relaxation I had felt just a минута назад was gone, and my muscles again tensed up. It was getting late, where could she be?
Every possible situation that could cause her harm whirled in my mind. I wondered if that mutt would even have the decency to call me if something went wrong and Bella needed me. Somehow I doubted it. I was still gripping the phone, and loosened my hand so I wouldn’t turn it to dust. I flipped it open and dialed the number of the phone Bella had in her possession. My finger hovered over the send key, but I stopped myself. She’s probably just having fun and Остаться в живых track of time, I thought. If Ты call her now she’ll think Ты don’t trust her, and you’ll be back to square one. I definitely didn’t want that. I had made a lot of progress with being еще tolerant, and I didn’t want to ruin it. [i]But what if she really is in trouble? Another part of my mind chimed in. If Ты don’t call and she needs you, she could be seriously hurt…or worse.
I considered the options for a long минута before flipping the phone shut and shoving it hastily back into my pocket. I would give her another hour, and then I was calling. I would rather her be mad at me then be in danger. I had no idea what I was going to do around the house to occupy my mind for a full hour, so I made the decision again to go wait at the boundary line. I told myself I was in control enough to not do something I would regret, but I didn’t really know if that was true.
I made it there in record time, and immediately felt stupid for coming. Being here was not going to calm my nerves any, if anything it made them worse. I suddenly wished I had asked Jasper to tag along, but Alice needed him еще than I did right now. I turned the engine off and got out, and began pacing back and forth between the trees. This wasn’t exactly calming either, but I needed to do something.
I found it hard to believe how human I felt. I had never felt completely helpless before. I was a vampire; we were far less than helpless. But here I was, pacing an invisible line I was forbidden to cross, while the Любовь of my life was putting her life in the hands of my enemy on the other side. Besides the helplessness, I had experienced еще human emotions since meeting Bella then I ever thought possible. And although not all of those emotions were pleasant ones, I owed her so much for helping me feel anything at all.
I took my phone out for the hundredth time, and it was only 11:15. I glared at the numbers, pleading with the phone to ring before I went completely off the deep-end. To my surprise, it did. I answered immediately.
“Bella?” I asked, flooded with relief.
“Umm…not exactly…” a voice came from the other end. It wasn’t my Bella’s voice, it was his voice.
Panic immediately set in. Something was wrong. I knew I never should have agreed to this. I shouldn’t have let her anywhere near werewolves. Carlisle was wrong, it wasn’t going to be okay. I had made a huge mistake, and now I was going to pay for it. I couldn’t even gather the strength to be angry with the mutt as I spoke. “How bad is it?” I asked, desperation taking over my voice.
“How bad is what?” he asked, sounding genuinely confused.
“Bella! How bad is she? She better not be seriously hurt, или I swear I’ll rip your head off!” I managed to sound fiercer this time.
“What are Ты talking about, bloodsucker? Bella’s fine.”
“Oh,” I said, relief washing over me, but almost immediately replaced with confusion. “I just assumed that since Ты were calling me rather than her…”
“Yeah, well, Ты know what happens when Ты assume,” he stated. “Look, she fell asleep, okay? And I didn’t want to wake her up, so I thought I’d be all noble или something and call Ты for her. I called Charlie, too.”
“Oh,” I сказал(-а) again. “Well…thank you?” It came out as a question.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Listen, I hate this just as much as Ты do, okay? So just meet us at the boundary line in ten минуты and we can pretend this never happened. Unless Ты just want her to stay here…” he trailed off suggestively.
“No!” I roared, much louder than I intended. I lowered my voice, “No, ten минуты is fine. I’ll be waiting.”
“Yeah, okay….fine,” he said, and hung up.
It took me a минута to get over the shock of Jacob Black calling me, but I quickly composed myself and resumed pacing. I was feeling immensely better knowing Bella was безопасно, сейф and on her way back to me, but I wouldn’t be completely satisfied until she was in my arms again.
Of course, it took longer than ten минуты for them to arrive, and I thought it was probably a deliberate Переместить on Jacob’s part to make me еще worried. He pulled up and parked about thirty yards away from where I was. I stopped my pacing and listened as he woke her up.
“C’mon, Bells. We’re here.”
Bella sat up straight and looked around, seeming confused. It took a moment for her to get her bearings, but when she did she started to panic, her сердце rate increasing greatly. “Oh crap! How late is it? Dang it, where’s that stupid phone?”
“Easy. It’s not even midnight yet. And I already called him for you. Look –he’s waiting there.” She’s always worried about the stupid bloodsucker.
She stared out the windshield, squinting her eyes to make out the shape of the Vovlo.
“Here,” he said, handing her the phone I had дана her.
“You called Edward for me?” she asked, sounding both relieved and concerned.
“I figured if I played nice, I’d get еще time with you.” He smiled.
“Thanks, Jake. Really, thank you,” she sounded touched that he had called. “And thanks for inviting me tonight. That was…Wow. That was something else.”
“And Ты didn’t even stay up to watch me глотать, ласточка a cow,” he said, and I assumed that was some kind of inside joke. “No, I’m glad Ты liked it. It was…nice for me. Having Ты there.” She’s so beautiful God, I wish I could Kiss her. If that stupid leech wasn’t here, I would. I know she wouldn’t stop me, either...
I didn’t want to hear that. I knew he wouldn’t be stupid enough to do anything in my presence, but even that he thought about Поцелуи my Bella made me furious. I tried to push that emotion to the side for now, just wanting them to say goodnight and for her to come back to where she belonged. I picked up my pacing again.
“Yeah, he’s not so patient is he? Go ahead. But come back soon, okay?”
“Sure, Jake,” she promised, and opened the car door.
“Sleep tight, Bells. Don’t worry about anything –I’ll be watching out for Ты tonight.” [i]I will always protect you
I glared at him, but unfortunately he wasn’t looking toward me. Apparently Jacob was assigned to patrol Forks tonight, much to my chagrin. Bella stopped with one foot out of the door and turned back to him. “No, Jake. Get some rest, I’ll be fine.”
“Sure, sure,” he said, but we both knew he wasn’t agreeing.
“Night, Jake. Thanks.”
“Night, Bella,” he whispered as she shut the door. I Любовь you. Luckily he didn’t voice that particular thought out loud, или I wasn’t sure I would be able to maintain my composure any longer.
She hurried in the dark towards the boundary line, and I caught her there. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her as tight as I could, never wanting to let go again. “Bella,” I breathed. Her scent was overpowered by the stench of werewolf, and I wrinkled my nose. She didn’t notice.
“Hi. Sorry I’m so late. I fell asleep and –“
I cut her off. “I know. Jacob explained.” We started walking towards the car. She was still a little groggy. “Are Ты tired? I could carry you.”
“I’m fine,” she replied sleepily.
“Let’s get Ты Главная and in bed. Did Ты have a nice time?”
Her eyes brightened a bit as she answered. “Yeah – it was amazing, Edward. I wish Ты could have come. I can’t even explain it. Jake’s dad told us the old legends and it was like…like magic.”
“You’ll have to tell me about it. After you’ve slept.”
“I won’t get it right,” she said, then let out a large yawn. I chuckled softly.
I helped Bella into the car and buckled the seatbelt around her, all the while receiving angry thoughts from Jacob Black, who thought that he was the one Bella should be going Главная with. I chose to ignore him, for now, and he finally drove away when I closed Bella’s door.
I dropped Bella off with Charlie, assuming she would be asleep before I returned. I drove Главная as fast as I could to drop off my car so I could return to Bella and relieve Esme, who was still watching the house. I ran back, making a stop at the place in the woods where Esme was hidden.
“You can go Главная now, Esme,” I told her. “And thank you. For helping out tonight.”
Don’t be silly, Edward. There’s no need to thank me. Bella’s family. I want to help watch out for her. She smiled at me, and I smiled back, but hers quickly faded and a frown creased her forehead. “You look weary,” she voiced out loud. “How was your night?”
“It was….difficult,” I managed. “But she’s Главная now, and she’s safe. And еще than that, she’s happy. I will gladly go through a million nights like tonight as long as she keeps smiling.”
Esme’s smile returned, and she сказал(-а) a quick good night before turning and running back toward our house. I briefly registered the werewolf scent permeating the air as I ran to Bella’s room. She was standing there, the cold and rain hitting her face as she stared out the open window. I entered her room effortlessly, and pulled her into my arms, causing her to shiver.
“Is Jacob out there?” she asked.
“Yes…somewhere. And Esme’s on her way home.”
She sighed. “It’s so cold and wet. This is silly.” She continued shivering.
I laughed. “It’s only cold to you, Bella.”
She frowned, but didn’t complain further. She was exhausted, and it took less time than usual for her to fall asleep, although she was still shivering with cold. I had two blankets between us, but that didn’t seem to be enough to warm her tonight. I considered moving across the room, to the rocking chair, but having not been with her all evening, I wanted to be close to her. If she asked me to move, I would, but until then I needed to be near her. I watched her sleep for an immeasurable amount of time. I craved to touch her, but only allowed myself to lightly brush her cheek или stroke her hair, so as not to wake her. Seeing her in her most peaceful form, I couldn’t believe that his beautiful creature was meant for me.
Bella stretched and turned over, facing away from me. I gently stroked her back over the blankets, looking around the dark room. Wuthering Heights was on the nightstand beside me, and I picked it up to scan through the pages. I had read it once, and remembered the story well. I still didn’t really see the appeal, but Bella seemed to enjoy it enough to read it again and again. I quickly flipped through the pages, not really reading, when my eyes caught a page that made me stop. The words seemed to remind me a lot of my own situation. The character Heathcliff, whom until then I felt was one of the most uninteresting characters in literature, suddenly became еще relatable as he said:
[b]And there Ты see the distinction between our feelings: had he been in my place and I in his,
though I hated him with a hatred that turned my life to gall, I never would have raised a hand
against him. Ты may look incredulous, if Ты please! I never would have banished him from her
society as long as she desired his. The moment her regard ceased, I would have torn his сердце out, and drank his blood! But, till then — if Ты don’t believe me, Ты don’t know me — till then, I would have died by inches before I touched a single hair of his head![/i]
As I read the passage, I wondered if Bella saw the similarity in this story and our life. I assumed she would, and that was probably the reason she enjoyed the story so. A dark chuckle escaped my chest as I re-read the line: The moment her regard ceased, I would have torn his сердце out, and drank his blood! I had considered doing something along those same lines many times, it was true.
Bella started to stir as she slept, dreaming about something. “…third wife…” she mumbled, and seemed uneasy. It was a nightmare. Sure enough, a gasp escaped her lips, and her eyes opened wide, trying to see in the dark. She turned back toward me, burying her head in my chest. I quickly closed the book and let it fall to the floor.
“Did I wake you?” I whispered. I tightened my arms around her.
“No. I had a bad dream.” She replied, not quite sounding awake.
“Do Ты want to tell me about it?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Too tired. Maybe in the morning, if I remember.” Her eyes were already closed.
I laughed quietly. She was quite adorable when she was tired. “In the morning.”
“What were Ты reading?” she mumbled.
“Wuthering Heights,” I replied.
Her brow creased, even though her eyes remained closed. “I thought Ты didn’t like that book.”
“You left it out. Besides…the еще time I spend with you, the еще human emotions seem comprehensible to me.” The jealousy I had felt many times the past few weeks flashed in my mind. “I’m discovering that I can sympathize with Heathcliff in ways I didn’t think possible before.”
“Mmm,” she replied.
“I Любовь you, Bella. I’ll do anything to make Ты happy.” But she was already asleep.
I tried asking her about her dream in the morning, but she couldn’t remember most of it. She told me she was just glad I was there when she woke up. Emmett was standing guard while I ran Главная to change and get my car, and I kissed Bella passionately before sliding gracefully out the window. When I arrived, Alice was waiting for me. She seemed to be in a much better mood, but was guarding her thoughts carefully.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Edward, I’m so excited! I get to plan a party!” she exclaimed.
“A party? For what?”
“Graduation, obviously,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Alice, why in the world would we have a graduation party?” I asked. We had graduated hundreds of times between all seven of us, and never once have we thrown any sort of graduation party.
“It’s not for us, Edward. It’s for Bella!”
I frowned. “You know she’s not going to go along with that.”
“But I already saw it,” she pouted. “She’ll go along with it, because it will make me happy. She’ll only be upset if I try to surprise her. Please, Edward, get her to come. I really need the distraction.” She gave me her щенок dog face, and I sighed.
“Fine, Alice. I’ll try to get her to agree. But Ты have to tell her, no surprises. And please, please, try not to go overboard.”
Alice squealed with delight and hugged me. I smiled despite myself. She really did need something else to put her mind on, with all of her worries about her visions not working properly. And she did Любовь planning parties. Now all we had to do was break it to Bella.
Renesmee's engagement ring
