23A/N: Hi all, sorry about the wait for this chapter. That double chapter in one night knocked me out of my sleeping pattern which then pushed me into a semi-writers block. Plus I've had a few things to deal with. BIG thanks to all those who review, alerted & favorite . I still have a 'I suck at writing' complex but some of the comments I've received have given me a boost.
So anyway forth chapter is up. Total of 5,067 words (yay! beats chapter 2)
Chapter 4 – Waiting
"The window?" She questioned as we stood in what was more of a glass doorway then a window due to the full length of it. Well that and it slide open with no balcony attached like you would see in most places. It made me wonder if she was afraid of the height as she looked down from the second floor.
Come on, wimp out. Have to be carried. I got 50 bucks riding on this with Rose.
I ignored Emmett's self determination to win as my family still chose to bet on my wife even when she was hopefully less prone to accidents.
A smile crossed my lips as I watched her; at least Emmett had given me an idea as to how to make him lose the bet he had with Rose. "It's the most convenient exit. If you're frightened, I could carry you."
I watched as something flashed through her eyes; was it fear or annoyance at the proposal I wasn't sure.
"We have all eternity, and you're worried about the time it would take to walk to the back door?"
Ah hahaha! I knew it. Easy money.
I wanted to tell Emmett off but Bella didn't need to know she was being bet against again. "Renesmee and Jacob are downstairs…"
Realization must have hit her then as she gave a small "Oh."
Quiet settle over us for a moment, Esme and Carlisle in the hallway talking about one of Esme's refurbishing jobs she had gotten a few towns over. Jasper's mind screamed 'Go, go, go' while Emmett was just intensely staring at Bella waiting for her to wimp out.
"Is Renesmee…okay…with Jacob there?" She whispered which brought my attention back to her completely. "He doesn't like her much."
I mentally cringed then, if only she knew the half of it. "Trust me, she is perfectly safe. I know exactly what Jacob is thinking."
'And thank god right now it would only fall along the likes of never let go of her. Keep her safe and spoil her rotten…if I could afford too.' I thought to myself
"Of course." She murmured looking at the ground. I wondered if she thought I would be so cruel to leave our in harms but that was as far as I let the thought go.
"Stalling?"
"A little. I don't know how…"
I heard Emmett chuckle under his breath and was sure that Bella had heard too. He wasn't exactly hiding it and because I that I shot him a glare.
Sorry…can't help it. You know I got this one.
Emmett said his thought running through my mind. I wanted to turn just tell him I'd put my 'trust fund' on that he would lose but that would only alert Bella and make her worse off.
"Watch me." I walked to the window and stepped out as I usually did and let the slow gravity pull me down until I landed on the ball of my feet as if landing from a normal jump.
Once I landed I took a step to the side and looked up. She was hesitating and examining her clothes from what I saw. She looked as if she expected to fall like a large bolder of a cliff. She did not realize yet that we could probably fall of a wing of a jet or even the space shuttle as it reached Earth's atmosphere and still land with nothing more than the sound of a person dropping a rock over the edge of a boat or at most a tree falling.
As she feel, in that short moment I had lost the breath that had occupied my dead lungs. All she needed was a set of white feather wings and any mortal would have thought she was an angel.
She grinned at me as she landed, "Right. Easy."
I couldn't help but smile back. "Bella?"
"Yes?"
"That was quite graceful even for a vampire."
'That equaled, no blew Alice's grace out of the water. I hope she wasn't watching. She's be a bit upset about that.'
She looked at me as if I was playing a dirty joke but her smile came back and brighter as she accepted my words. I could hear the others in the room, they were completely stunned.
"Thank you" she said to me while taking off the shoes. I heard her thoughts but had seen them in the moment before she came rushing back into the room.
Don't you dare, don't you dare. Don't you do not dare.
Bella threw the shoes back up through the window as I had seen in Alice's split second vision as she then ran into the room.
"Her fashion sense hasn't improve as much as her balance." I heard my pixie 'sibling' grumble as her thoughts held the jealous tone.
Bella and her stupid grace, showing off and being better then me.
I held back a snicker and took Bella's hand into mind. It was going to take some getting used to not feeling a fire burn at my flesh every time I touched her. That fiery burn I had actually grown to love with each touch.
We took off into a run, Bella easily followed though I had been prepared to slow if needed. Slowly the thoughts of the others faded as we got further away but by the river I could still hear them clear enough.
Damn it! Can't believe I lost. But I still got the other one. I can't lose on that one.
And then there lied Rosalie's thoughts of: How could he bet against me. I'm no Alice but did he really think Edward would allow her to wimp out.
Jasper's thoughts were ones of relief as to be expected but Alice was still grumbling about Bella's grace.
We reached the water's edge and Bella looked up to me with her intense newborn eyes. "Are we swimming?"
"And ruin your pretty dress? No. We're jumping."
"You first."
That I had expected that so I was going to have some fun with it. I let my hand grace over her soft cheek and took to steps back. I took off and jumped over the river. As I near the end of the river clearing I moved into a somersault to show off a little. Since it was her first time. I was going to have some fun.
As I landed easy on my feet I heard her "show-off" which cause me to inaudibly laugh. I watched from my landing point as she backed up double of what I had. As she was ready to jump I heard a rip and couldn't help but laugh more. Her movement forward had been too wide. Her memory still held the stride length she would need as a human which led to the destruction of the dress which would not please Alice.
Two more rips, a distant laugh from Emmett and Alice's annoyance grew. I should have known they were still watching; I just not picked up on them as they had been silent the whole time but now the mutt was watching too.
Even with the audience it shouldn't take her this long. I slowly headed back to Bella. "Bella? Do you want to watch again?"
I stopped as I saw her jump and over shoot where I had landed. I took off after her not sure how she would land but when I got to her she was moving from branch to branch as a monkey would but she made it look more natural then any creature that had been doing it for most of their life.
"Was that good?"
I smiled somewhat like a first time father, which I was just not to my wife. She was a newborn but nothing at all like a vampire newborn. More like a newborn child. How little kids always looked to their parents for their approval that they did good.
"Very good."
"Can we do it again?"
"Focus, Bella we're on a hunting trip."
Her face seemed to drain of the excitement a little but not much. "Oh, right. Hunting"
"Follow me…if you can." I gave a teasing grin and took off.
It was remarkable that she kept up with me. She didn't have my agility but she had the force from the newborn strength and even with his strength Emmett was not able to keep up with me. The deeper we got the more she got used to running, her wonderful laughter filling the forest and as she got used to the strides they go stronger, then I had trouble keeping up. That I did not have with any of them during their newborn stage but they also weren't as controlled as Bella.
I stopped in my tracks once we reached our destination but Bella was over thrilled by the speed of running. "Bella"
She stopped and came back with a questioning look on my face. "Do you want to stay in the county? Or were you planning to continue to Canada this afternoon?"
"This is fine" Her eyes watched me intensely or more precisely, my lips. "What are we hunting?"
"Elk. I thought something easy," Her eyes narrowed at me, making me feel a little intimidated. "For your first time…"
"Where?" He voice was impatient as was her searching.
I moved to stand behind her my hands on her shoulders. "Hold still for a minute. Now close your eyes." My hands slowly ran up her neck and my finger stopped to stroke her cheeks softly. "Listen…what do you hear?"
As she listened it shocked me still. She was always stunned me but I wasn't sure if it had to do with her being a vampire as well or if it was just something else. She as the humans would say, 'takes my breath away'
"By the creek, to the northeast?"
"Yes. Now…wait for the breeze again and…" It was then the wind blew again but it wrapped around us not seeming to come from any direction. Her scent filled my nose and I could taste every bit of her without the sting that I had before not that I had minded it. "What do you smell?"
I watched her face closely as the look of smelling the most fabulous thing around and then her nose scrunched up. She must of smelt the elk hit her nose which made me chuckle. "I know it takes getting used to."
"Three?"
She was close which was good she picked all those closest to us. "Five. There are two more in the trees behind them."
"What do I do now?"
I placed my hands lightly on her waist, lips to her ear. My voice quiet as I whispered into her ear, "What do you feel like doing?"
My hands moved back up to her cheeks as her eyes snapped open, "Don't think about it…" I stood back running my hands over her neck as I released her. "Just follow your instincts."
I watched as she gracefully crouch. She took off into run towards the elk and in that under a second moment the wind shifted and her direction as the scent hit me. A human.
'I should have checked the area. Some stupid human went off the trail I can't believe it.' I growled to myself. Carlisle was going to have a go at me for sure.
I took off in the direction that Bella had gone. The scent of fresh human blood even tempted me but I had nearly a century of experience. The ran held on for a bit but we were near the clearing that the human was in when she slowed down then spun around to stop.
A fierce growl vibrated from her throat and I stopped a few feet from her. I held my arms out to let her know I meant no harm. I would be there I under a second if reality of her to be actions hit her; I know she would be in shock. I would do all I could to calm her.
Reasoning came back to her eyes and I lowered my arms moving forward. I was stunned she even managed to stop but see what she was able to understand happening surprised me even more.
"I have to get away from here," Her voice was still a hiss as she was still in her defensive mode.
"Can you leave?"
How long would this amazing control last? How long would it be before the thirst of what our natural meal to take over again?
It shouldn't have surprised me when she took off again. But it wasn't the taking off that shocked me. It was the direction she took. She went straight past me away from the clearing. Away from the human. I was having a little trouble with not going towards the scent as I hadn't feed in weeks. Taking a quick moment past where I had to collect myself and took off after Bella.
The force in her steps made her get well ahead of me but I could up after a few minutes and then over shot her. I hadn't sense her stop but I was fast to turn and return to her side.
"How did you do that?" Not being able to read her mind made things infuriating. I wanted to know how she had so much control as newborn.
"You let me beat you before, didn't you?
I watched her for a bit, then shook my head. "Bella, how did you do it?"
She looked at me confused as if it was obvious, "Run away? I held my breath."
"But how did you stop hunting?"
"When you came up behind me…I'm sorry about that."
I blinked for shortest moment confused, "Why are you apologizing to me? I'm the one who was horribly careless. I assumed no one would be so far from the trails, but I should have checked first. Such a stupid mistake! You have nothing to apologize for."
"But I growled at you!"
I had to force back my laughter at her words. "Of course you did. That's only natural. But I can't understand how you ran away"
"What else could I do? It might have been someone I know!"
I couldn't hold in the laughter anymore and it slipped my lips and burst from my throat. I guess it was lucky that the person had been clueless to our being there but Bella wouldn't have to worry if she couldn't have stopped. The person was someone not from Folks or any of the surrounding towns.
"Why are you laughing at me?" Her voice sent a chill down my spine and the tone had scared me causing me to stop laughing.
"I'm not laughing at you, Bella. I'm laughing because I am in shock. And I am in shock because I am completely amazed."
She tilt her head a little confused, ""Why?"
"You shouldn't be able to do any of this. You shouldn't be so…so rational. You shouldn't be able to stand here discussing this with me ally and coolly. And, much more than any of that, you should not have been able to break off mid-hunt with the scent of human blood in the air. Even mature vampires have the difficulty with that we're always very careful of where we hunt so as not to put ourselves in the path of temptation. Bella, you've behaving like you're decades rather than days old."
"Oh."
Emotions flashed through her eyes as they drifted from mine. I placed my hand on her soft cheeks staring into those newborn red eyes and spoke the words that plagued my mind.
"What wouldn't I give to be able to see into your mind for just this one moment."
My curiosity on my bride's self control, my hunger to feed it didn't disappear; only faded. Or at least only the curiosity. My hunger was still there, but it was a new hunger. The one I had to hold back during Bella's time as a human, even on our honeymoon in the wreckage of the bedrooms; I still held back.
Her fingers traced my face and lingered on my lips, I did not need to read her mine to know what was running through them as I was feeling the same thing. The intensity that between and within us.
"I thought I wouldn't feel this way for a long time? But I still want you"
Shock it hit me then and though I could feel the burn between us, it surprised me that she was even able to really think of anymore then feeding right now.
"How can you even concentrate on that? Aren't you unbearably thirsty?"
Her eyes closed as she began to concentrate again and I let my hands drop from her face to my sides. I listened as she did and took in the scents as well. My nose did pick up on the scent of a mountain lion.
Her eyes flashed open and she took off towards the mountain lion and barely a millisecond later I was off after her. I wanted to be there just in case something went wrong. I landed on the branch that Bella had been on just before she switched trees and landed on the branch the lion had been on.
I held my breath as I watched the exchange between the two. The lion was definitely bigger, I didn't need vampire eyes to see that. The lion gave a shrieking growl at Bella's sudden appearance on the branch and was annoyed that the slightest movement she caused on the branch scared its prey away.
Bella didn't seem to notice the baring of its fangs or the hooked claws that would slice through human flesh like butter. She launched at it like instinct told her too and they fell to the ground. Both landing on their feet, Bella naturally faster as she pounced towards it again as the lion delayed by shock raked it's claw along her arm.
The weak attacked made Bella move back but I was sure the attack wasn't the reason she moved back and I was right as she launched forward knocking the lion onto it's back. I knew then that she was not going to have trouble even with the larger prey. If she were to take a liking to bear, Emmett would be upset. The lion used its strength to knock Bella back and bite down on her neck while it's paws shredded her dress. I watched when all it did was struggle to get through her flesh which made it more irritated. I could have sworn I had heard Bella laugh quietly to herself at its feeble attempt.
Play time had seemed to be over as she knocked the lion back there was a snap or more two that made my empty stomach curdle. She's the fore bone in the lion's front paws before she leaned down lightning fast and bit through the main artery in the lion's neck. I couldn't watch the sight and yet I couldn't look away. I would taste the blood due to being able to smell it but it wasn't the same as quenching the thirst.
I grimaced inside as I watched Bella's fierce attack on lion, it was nerve racking. Gurgles came from the beast as it rapidly became lifeless. Bella threw the carcass away from her and stood. While she had been drinking I took the moment to look away and I moved to the forest floor and stabled myself on tree trunk. When I looked back she was covered in blood and clothing shredded, not that I could complain. She was looking extremely edible.
"Hmm…"
"I guess I could have done that better."
My eyes glanced over each inch of her body and tatted clothes. "You did perfectly fine. It's just that…it was much more difficult for me to watch then it should have been."
I was odd that for someone who would turn green just from the scent of blood to want to become a vampire, but the real reason for that was known. But to watch her suck a mountain lion dry and I was positive she'd still be thirty. Had I hunted mountain lions when I was a new born, it would have taken 3 if not more to slightly subdue the burn.
Bella's eyebrow rose confused, "It goes against the grain…letting you wrestle with lions. I was having an anxiety attack the whole time"
She blinked for a moment and I expected her to laugh but she just pulled a face. "Silly"
"I know. Old habits die hard. I like the improvements to your dress, thought."
Instinctually I waited for the blush to cross her face that I would never see but I knew she would as she was a little exposed right now.
"Why am I still thirsty?"
"Because you're young."
A sigh slipped through those colder lips of hers, "And I don't suppose there are any other mountain lions nearby."
"Plenty of deer, though"
Her face scrunched up like a disapproving child…much like Renesmee's had when she smelt the baby formula. "They don't smell as good."
"Herbivores. The meat-eaters smell more like humans." That is unless you come across a human who has practically eaten nothing but vegetables since birth. Then they smell more like the herbivores. I told myself silently.
"Not that much like humans"
"We could go back…" I held back a teasing smile but I was sure that my eyes gave it away. "Whoever it was out there, if they were men, they probably wouldn't even mind death if you were the one delivering it." My eyes graced over her tatted beauty. "In fact, they would think they were already dead and gone to heaven the moment they saw you."
Her bodily retort showed she didn't believe me but I was not making it up.
"Let's go hunt some stinking herbivores."
We headed back towards home and found a field of mule deer, this time I hunted as well. My own burning throat was getting the better of me now. I watched Bella make more of a mess on the dress. Whereas I didn't have a hair out of place but that was due to a century of hunting. Like I had when I first started getting close to Bella, I overfed but this time I had done it because the thirst didn't want to go away. I guessed it was due to the strong hit of that pure human blood on a parched throat and stomach.
I felt Bella's eyes on me as I let pure instinct take over, pouncing on one of the deer, one hand on its head while the other on the base of its neck as I sunk my teeth in letting the blood pour down my throat but not fast enough.
Feeling her eyes on me for longer than I had expected I turned to her curiously as I finished off the last deer that settled my thirst or at least one of them.
"No longer thirsty?"
"You distracted me. You're much better than I am."
That caused me to smile, of course I was. I'd been doing it for long. "Centuries of practice."
"Just one."
I laughed as she corrected me; I guess I was getting a bit cocky. "Are you done for today? Or did you want to continue?"
"Done, I think." She was silent for a moment. Contemplating if she was really done I guess. "I want to see Renesmee."
I reached my hand out and the moment she took it our bodies were close together. Now our other thirst was begging for attention. Her free hand was to my face stroking at my skin, her fingers like a combination of velvet and silk against my cheek. Our eyes locked and her arms slowly circled my neck as if remembering my warning for her not to break me.
My arms threw themselves around her waist, slamming our bodies together and my lips entangled hers. My tongue slipped into her mouth, venom watering both our mouths as our excitement grew. I could taste the blood in her mouth that made things intensify. I wondered now if she understood now why I had told her just before we got together, in the days I was breaking the rules that she had been wrong about her liking me more then I liked her.
I felt her body shiver as I ran my tongue along the roof of her mouth. One hand twisting its fingers through my hair the other tracing my chest through my shirt. Her own force hit me as she responded more and her strength threw me off balance and we fell back onto the forest floor.
"Oops" I couldn't help but laugh at Bella's reaction. It was so innocent yet her passion filled action less than a split second ago was not innocent. "I didn't mean to tackle you like that. Are you okay?"
Okay? Was okay? It was something rather dumb to ask. I am fantastic. I stroked her cheek and smiled at her. "Slightly better than okay."
I then remembered where we had been heading too before ending up on the ground, "Renesmee?"
Her face twitched a little as she was in deep thought and after a second she had made her decision. "Renesmee."
She was on her feet as was I with her pulling me up. As much as I wanted to continue to explore more with her. Let our bodies let loose we had plenty of time I knew that her memories of our daughter were frail.
We started heading back and I as we went along I could only wonder what was running through her mind. I made me frustrated not know even now.
"Tell me about her."
I smiled and took her hand as we ran. "She's like nothing else in the world."
"How much is she like you? How much like me? Or like I was, anyway."
"It seems a fairly even divide."
Though I think she looks more like you. She has your beauty.
"She was warm-blooded" I didn't like how Bella spoke in past-tense but then I remembered her only memories of our baby was those that were fading.
"Yes. She has a heartbeat, though it runs a little bit faster than a human's. Her temperature is a little bit hotter than usual, too. She sleeps."
"Really?" The tone in Bella's voice was that of surprise.
"Quite well for a newborn. The only parents in the world who don't need sleep, and our child already sleeps through the night." I laughed lightly and irony of it. "She has exactly your color eyes so that didn't get lost, after all. They're so beautiful."
"And the vampire parts?"
"Her skin seems about as impenetrable as ours, not that anyone would dream of testing that."
She blinked at me shocked, I wasn't sure whether it was to say 'you'd let someone test that on our child' or as if to say 'who's trying!? I'll kill them'
"Of course no one would," I had to make sure she believed me. I didn't want to have to deal with a newborn out of control just from a misunderstanding. "Her diet…well, she prefers to drink blood. Carlisle continues to try to persuade her to drink some baby formula, too…but she doesn't have much patience with it. Can't say that I blame her nasty-smelling stuff, even for human food."
I watched Bella's reaction, she had shock all over her face and it made me wonder what I said out of place.
"Persuade her?"
"She's intelligent, shockingly so and progressing at an immense pace. Though she doesn't speak yet she communicates quite effectively."
"Doesn't. Speak. Yet."
I slowed us down, she looked as if she was going to have a panic attack with this knowledge and I just wondered how she'd react when she saw her.
"What do you mean, she communicates effectively?" Her voice now held an edge to it.
"I think it will be easier for you to…see for yourself. It's rather difficult to describe."
The talk about our daughter ended and upon the hearing the name in the next sentence made me flinch little.
"Why is Jacob still here? How can he stand it? Why should he?" I heard Bella's emotions leak into her speech; she felt guilty, responsible. "Why should he have to suffer more?"
Suffer? Hardly. The only suffering he'll be doing is when I'm peeling his flesh from bone. For being a wretched mutt who imprinted on our baby girl.
"Jacob isn't suffering. Though I might be willing to change his condition." I gritted trying not to think more of what could be to come with Jacob Black and our Renesmee Cullen.
"Edward!" Hissing she yanked us to a stop and I was so tempted to tell her now but I would have to wait. "How can you say that? Jacob has given up everything to protect us! What I've put him through!"
The mutt deserves every bit of it.
"You'll see exactly how I can say that," I muttered. "I promised him that I would let him explain, but I doubt you'll see it much differently than I do. Of course, I'm often wrong about your thoughts, aren't I?" I examined her face carefully.
"Explain what?"
I shook my head to her question; I was going to resist the urge to tell her. "I promised. Though I don't know if I really owe him anything at all anymore"
"Edward, I don't understand."
I reached up and stroked her cheek smiling; I would not let it bother me anymore. Or at least not for now.
I don't like feeling confused."
"I know. And so let's get you home, so that you can see it all for yourself." Frowning at her clothes, not suitable to see our angel in. "Hmm…" I removed my shirt and gave it to her.
"That bad?"
Oh yes, very bad. Ravishing actually. Not a sight for anyone really other then myself. I grinned to myself as I watched her put my shirt on.
"I'll race you." Another challenge was it. "No throwing the game this time!"
I released her hand and she slipped her arm through the shirt. "On your mark…"