Edward kept his arms around her tightly. Bella was sleeping peacefully and he was happy for that. He was afraid her experiences from earlier would give her nightmares, but she truly was in a deep calm sleep. He kept humming her lullaby and tried to concentrate on that, but his thoughts kept drifting to the way her soft, warm lips felt on his skin or the way her perfect body felt in his arms and on his chest. She stirred slightly, unconsciously brushing her lips over his skin. He held his breath and closed his eyes tightly, trying to focus on something else, anything else. He didn't understand where these sudden feelings came from.
He tried to analyse it. He loved her, no surprise there, but was there more? He suddenly was unsure. All he knew was that he could stay like this forever and enjoy every minute of it. Hours passed slowly, but not nearly slow enough. Every small movement she made, every breath she took, every small sound she made, sucked him in deeper. He had seen her sleep many times before, but there was a completely new dimension to it, when he held her this close.
Much too soon he could hear Carlisle's thoughts enter the house. Carlisle had news and he wanted to talk to Bella about it. Edward would have left her sleeping, but he had to promise Bella he would wake her as soon as there was news, to get her to sleep in the first place. She still had her face snuggled in the side of his neck and he would have given anything to keep it that way. He had promised though and Bella wasn't going to like it if she discovered he let her sleep too long. It was getting light anyway. He sighed and softly caressed the back of Bella's head.
'Bella, wake up.' He said gently.
She made some half-asleep sounds and pressed her body even more against him. He had to take a few deep calming breaths, before he could resume his wake-up call.
'Bella sweetheart, wake up.' He waited and gently shook her.
Finally she stirred and took a deep breath.
'Edward?' She mumbled.
'Yes, you have been asleep for a few hours, but Carlisle has returned from the hospital, so I figured I should wake you.' He explained.
Her eyes opened and she looked up at him with a small blush on her cheeks. Her heartbeat sped up a little bit again. What was she thinking?!
'Thank you.' She answered softly. 'I am glad you did.'
They got up and walked downstairs. Carlisle smiled to them.
'Bella, sweetheart, I am happy to tell you that Liam under the circumstances is better than expected. His parents are with him.'
Bella sighed relieved.
'I will go and visit him.' She said decided.
'I will take you soon, but I think you should let him stay alone with his parents a few hours longer.' Carlisle suggested. 'I have talked to them for a long time. Strangely enough they were not angry, just very sad and concerned for Liam. I think they are good people.'
Bella's eyes were pointed to the floor and Edward could see she was fighting tears again. He placed his arm around her.
'I have arranged a solution for Liam and his parents and I hope it is alright with you. I have talked about it with Liam's parents and they have already agreed. I am going to buy them a house close to the Denali's and asked them to keep an eye on Liam. They have promised to protect him.'
Edward was very happy with his father. It was the perfect solution. Liam would be safe, because he would be not too close to the potential danger Bella brought with her, but he would still be close enough for Bella to visit him.
'Liam's parents believed me when I said they would be safe there and they promised to move as soon as possible.' Carlisle continued.
Bella gave him a smile.
'It is perfect. Thank you so much.'
Carlisle shook his head.
'It was my responsibility to keep Liam safe not yours and I failed. I will not fail again.'
They returned home to Forks the following day.
'Bella, over here!' Emmett shouted from across the field.
Edward smiled when Bella passed Emmett the ball, giving several werewolves a reason to jump Emmett. Bella laughed, when Emmett disappeared in a mountain of wolves and Quileute boys. Edward was awestruck, watching every move mesmerized. He stood a little distance away, enjoying the sight. Bella was wearing a blue dress, that fitted her body perfectly and fell playfully just above her knees. She was running barefoot over the grass of their garden, trying to free Emmett from the wolves, laughing joyfully. They were playing some kind of soccer game with their own rules. Seth, their newest member, which had shocked everyone, Seth was even younger than Jacob, was in his wolf form and accidentally ran down Bella. She lay in the grass on her back, laughing hysterically, because Seth was licking her face. Jacob, in human form, pushed Seth off her.
'Jeez Seth, don't act like a real dog!'
An incredibly broad smile lighted up Edward's face. He couldn't describe what he felt, but it was overwhelmingly strong. Jacob pulled Bella up and she immediately rejoined the game, running after the ball. Her hair blew around her face and Edward asked himself again how there could exist such beauty. The light of the sun seemed to follow her around, emphasizing her beauty, as if she was the only one who deserved to be touched.
I felt that.
He turned to see Jasper smiling at him.
'You felt what?' He asked confused.
Jasper raised his eyebrows at him.
Oh come on, Edward. Figure it out!
He turned back to Bella, not willing to be diverted from her and the phenomenal view any longer.
Wow, this is amazing, isn't it?
Edward simply nodded, not even glancing in Jasper's direction. Bella had somehow managed to play the ball to Emmett, who scored and pulled Bella in one of his bear hugs to celebrate. The wolves on their team jumped excitedly around them. It enchanted him all over again.
Carlisle joined them in their staring.
'I come home from work to a sight I didn't think was possible until I saw it with my own two eyes.'
Jasper laughed.
'Astonishing, isn't it? Look at Emmett! I guess we are getting used to each other.'
Carlisle nodded, but Edward had a sudden epiphany.
'No, it is all Bella.' He said softly. 'Everything she touches inadvertently becomes attached to her, overcoming everything else.'
I never thought about it in that way, but I think you are right. How anyone can know her, truly know her and not love her is beyond me. Jasper thought affectionately.
'Precisely.' Edward answered.
'Do you think it is one of her gifts?' Carlisle asked Edward.
'Even after everything she went through, she loves and trusts everyone around her with her whole heart, I suppose you could call that a gift. Returning the favour is the least we can do.'
Of course, a good old imprint helps a lot!Emmett thought from across the field, listening in on their conversation.
Edward laughed and Bella heard it. She looked at him smiling. He felt a surge of love flow through his body. He walked towards her and pulled her in a heated embrace, holding her tight to his body. She was astonished for a moment, but then wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the hug, kissing his cheek. When he released her, her face was lit up in a smile and he felt his breathing speed up from the effect she had on him. She ran away from him, when the ball accidentally came in her direction and Emmett urged her to take this opportunity. He stared after her.
I most definitely felt that.
He gave Jasper a small smile. Yes, so did he.
The next day they were back at school, sitting around their usual lunch table. Mike Newton was staring at Bella from his table. Alice had dressed Bella, as usual, but today she looked even cuter than normal, although that was hardly possible.
She is just so hot! Her legs underneath her skirt are so sexy. What am I saying?! Everything about her is sexy. She is licking her lips. Uhmm, maybe I should lick her lips for her.
Edward tried everything to keep the following images in Mike's head from his own. His resentment from those images was even worse than normal. He couldn't stand it. He was seriously thinking about hitting Mike and throwing him across the room, when Alice placed her hand on his arm.
Behave!
He smiled when he saw himself grab Mike on the collar of his shirt, hold him over his head and throw him over three tables. That image was like heaven. Alice arched her eyebrow at his broad grin.
'Don't worry, Alice. I won't actually do it.' He whispered to her.
Now that he had realized he felt something more than brotherly love for Bella it was even more difficult to deal with the thoughts of boys like Mike and Tyler. Especially now that he wanted her for himself. He wanted her touches, her smiles and he wanted to feel her lips on his own. He cursed himself for having these thoughts, for having her stir all these desires inside him. While he played with the thoughts of how it would feel to kiss her, he suddenly turned his eyes to Alice. She was talking quietly with Rosalie and Edward was shocked so badly he could hardly breathe.
If he was thinking about being with Bella, why hadn't Alice seen this possibility in the future? He was very sure she didn't. He followed most of her visions and even if he somehow missed this one he was pretty sure Alice would have told him. She was not that good in keeping her thoughts from him.
It strangely scared him out of his wits that this future was somehow not a possibility. He had to ask Alice to check it out, he had to know for sure, but this was not the place. He sucked it up and looked at Bella.
He was surprised to catch her staring at him, her look concerned.
'Are you alright?' She whispered, leaning towards him.
Of course she had read the panic on his face. Bella knew him so completely. He smiled to her nodding, trying to wipe away her concern. Alice had heard Bella's concern and checked the near future for them both. What he saw made him growl deeply in his throat.
'You are fine, Edward, but Bella sweetie…' She sighed and gave Bella a pitiful look.
'I am going to dream again, aren't I?' Bella asked.
'I am so sorry, sweetie.'
She closed her eyes, trying to shake off the future. Millions of images flew by her, always shifting, always changing. The future was never sure and always hard to understand. She could see so far now and the world would change even faster than it was already doing now. It was hard to keep up. She was growing old, although still as young as she had been, her soul was tired. To live more in the future than in the present was wearying.
She had lived for so long now, so many ages had gone by her. She saw all the faces of the earth. Past, present and future where united in one being and she would live to see all of the future go into the present and become past, immortal as she was. It suddenly felt like a burden weighing too heavily on her shoulders. She was never-ending and never-changing, but wasn't she changing now? Was her gift finally too much for her?
Seeing the future had kept her alive, she could always see the danger coming, but it had also kept her from living. Strangely enough she ached for a change, for another life.
For a long time now she wasn't alone in her race anymore, other immortals had joined her, but they lived their lives filled with danger and adventures and death could be around every corner. They didn't know immortality like she did, nobody did, only she knew its true meaning.
She looked around her to see the sun, but the future intruded in her brain again, louder than before. She gasped when suddenly all the images reframed around one occurrence. She zoomed in on it as if she was looking through a telescope. The entire future shaped itself around this event.
A strange feeling surpassed her normal stoic reaction to the future when she saw the dazzling child run through the fields. The coming of the child, she thought with shock. This was it, the change she had been waiting for. Suddenly the ever-changing future was rock fast. She studied the images for days, but every time she got the same result. The child would come and she would be everything. She tried to get more information, but it was still so far away. It was only on the edge of her sight. Even for her distorted sense of time it would be a very long wait.
She waited and every year the future came closer the child became clearer. She could see two children now, two sides of a coin, but only one would be the dazzling child.
The child was so wonderful, so beautiful, so good. She would give anything to see this future for real. To see this paradise. She dreamed away, seeing everything the child did, until she was suddenly back in the present. A young vampire stood before her. He was something, although he was minutes old, compared to her age. His handsome face did something to her and his well-mannered composed features made her smile.
'Who are you?' She asked him.
'My name is Aro and it is an honor to meet you.'
He bowed for her and she smiled at his respectful tone. Most immortals she met were half-savages, intent to escape their own doom from her advice, which was mostly pointless, because they would find another way to destroy themselves. This one was different. She was very sure that even without her help this immortal would endure, would find his eternal place inside this world.
'What do you seek from the future?' She asked, as she had asked so many.
The vampire in front of her hesitated for a few seconds and she knew he was readying his request.
'I seek a way to unite our race.' He smiled at her. 'The world is in peril, because our race makes a mockery out of their immortal lives. They live intent on killing as much as they can and don't care for order or restraint. I seek a path from this destruction, a way to uphold a law, to establish order.'
His words enchanted her and slowly she saw the future form, because of her decision to help him. The future was going to be better. She saw how he would rule as their vampire king.
'The future you seek is possible if you make an alliance with two others, both powerful, but composed, like you. You will know who to make this alliance with, because they will fit you as pieces of a puzzle. Establish a group of followers around you and you will have the means to uphold your laws and establish order.'
His eyes gleamed with the news, but she suddenly saw it was not enough. He needed more from her. He didn't just want to have power over his own race and share this power with others, he wanted it all. She saw the future form far away, to the time of the coming of the child. Words formed in her head about Aro and the child, but she did not intent on telling him. The child had to be protected from him.
She was focused so much on the far away future, she couldn't foresee what was happening to her now. In a lightning fast movement, Aro grabbed her hand and held it tight. She could almost feel how her words and images of that far away future flew from her hand into his. Horrorstruck she removed her hand, but it was too late. The vampire in front of her grinned.
'A child will give me ultimate power, how curious.'
He bowed a little bit again and disappeared before she could do something about it.
She saw the future form yet again and this time it filled her with so much horror she screamed. The paradise she had seen and the sweet child living in it, had suddenly turned in a hell. Misery and pain followed her around and tried to divert her from her path of good.
'No! No! No! No!' She kept repeating.
But it was not over yet, the future developed further and what she saw made her insane. The child she already loved more than anything from dreaming about her for so many years, was struggling in a life or death battle and she was going to lose.
She lay in a field dead and everything she loved died with her.
Agonizing screams came from her throat. Without knowing it, she had destroyed the future. It was her fault.
The child was going to die, all because of her.
Here's another chapter like I promise.. I'm going to post another one after this one is out.. so have fun reading..byesss## ^.^
clariza0809. 😊