okay, a shout out to j_e_s_s who's birthday was the 24th! and Happy Australia Day!
sorry for the gap between postings, but i happen to be on holidays and have a rather limited access to the internet! anyway, hope आप enjoy this extra long one!!


part 3
“They look a bit surprised. Should I introduce myself?” I asked quietly.
When I pulled back again, my favourite smile in the whole world was wide across his face. I took that as a yes.
I looked back over to Edward’s coven, smiling sheepishly. After all, I was still crushed against him.
“Hi there.” I started lamely. Everyone still looked shocked except Alice, who looked like she knew exactly what was coming. I attempted a brazen smile.
“I’m Bella. Edward’s fiancée.”

part 4

Silence followed my announcement. For all of three seconds.
“YAY!!” Alice’s high pitched squeal caused Edward to lower me back down to the ground, but his arms tightened around my back. I leaned into his chest, trying to escape the sound. She sure had a big set of lungs for someone so small.
Rosalie was the अगला to recover, shaking her head slightly.
“Fiancée?” she asked. “Since when?”
I looked up at Edward and smiled. His turn.
He chuckled lightly. His loving smile warmed my still heart. “I proposed on December 6th, 1917.”
I stood up on my toes, reaching upwards exactly like I used to. He responded like I knew he would, leaning down to किस me again. This किस was sweeter than the first, less urgent and और comforting.
Our lips had only been together a couple of सेकंड्स when we were interrupted द्वारा the same voice as before.
“What?!” Emmett yelled, making me jump.
Edward laughed loudly at my reaction and if I still could still blush I would have been bright red. What was with me today? First I almost trip, and then I jump...
Jasper chose then to speak up. “How?” it was then that I noticed the scars. They littered every inch of his skin. How had he survived? Normally I would have been worried, but Edward trusted him so I did too.
Jasper’s सवाल was quite simple, but it had a very long and complicated answer. I looked up at Edward again. “I think I’d like to know the answer to that too.”
My Darling Edward opened his mouth to speak, but Alice beat him too it.
“Not here! Carlisle and Esme will want to know too!”
I heard Edward sigh slightly into my hair. “Okay Alice.”
I knew who Carlisle was. He was the doctor as hard as that was to believe. But who was Esme?
Edward leaned in closer to me. “Time to meet the rest of the family. So I guess that means it’s time to meet the parents.” He joked.
Family. That sounded so right.
I giggled slightly. “I hope they don’t bite.” I leaned into him again. Any distance was too much. I couldn’t believe this was happening. This morning I had been an emotional wreck who could barely force herself to school. Now I was happier and और content that I had been in 90 odd years.
“I’ll protect you.” He whispered seductively in my ear. Well, it may have just sounded seductive to me.
“Are आप asking me to skip school?” I asked, looking as innocent as I could possibly manage.
He chuckled. “I don’t think your education will suffer too much.” Then, so quickly it was a blur even to me, I was in his arms bridal style. I sucked in a surprised breath. I didn’t see that one coming.
“We’ll run. It will be quicker.” He said, speaking to everyone.
I pouted slightly. “What about my car?”
He looked down at me, smiling my favourite crooked smile. “We as in आप and I, love. Alice and Jasper are going to take my car and Rose and Em are going to take yours. That way I can introduce आप to Carlisle and Esme and maybe दिखाना आप the house.”
“Okay...” I कहा a little doubtfully. I handed over my keys and they ran off to the car park, leaving Edward and I alone on the oval.
“I’d offer to race, but I can’t really bare to put आप down right now.” He confided, smiling hugely.
“That’s fine with me.” I whispered, tightening my grip on his shirt.
He grinned before setting off at full speed.
Edward proved to be faster than I thought he would be. We made it to his house in under a मिनट and that was with me distracting him no end.
When we stopped I was stunned द्वारा the beauty of the house. It was huge, three storeys, and it had the most breathtaking looks. The colours, all pale creams and whites, made it look amazing.
“It’s so pretty.” Was all I managed to get out. Edward looked at my spellbound face and laughed lightly. “Esme designed it.” He explained.
He put me down so I was able to walk to the front door myself, but he kept a firm grip on my waist like he thought I was just going to disappear. I felt the same way, but his warm and comforting embrace was a constant reminder that he was here and I wasn’t just delusional.
He walked through the beautiful door without knocking into an equally as beautiful entranceway. Everything matched perfectly and all the colours coordinated amazingly. I loved it instantly.
“Esme? Carlisle?” he spoke as if they were right अगला to us, but they heard.
“Edward? What are आप doing घर from school?” a woman appeared at the चोटी, शीर्ष of the stairs. She had the same golden eyes as the rest of her family but she was softer somehow, motherly. Her soft कारमेल coloured hair fell in gentle waves past her shoulders and she was a bit taller than me.
Finally she noticed Edward was not द्वारा himself. और specifically she noticed the grip Edward still had of my waist.
Her hand flew to her mouth and she stared questioningly at Edward.
Edward leaned his head onto mine. “Esme, meet Bella.”
I smiled shyly. What if she didn’t like me?
I needn’t have worried though. Esme ran down the stairs stopping in front of me and embraced me into a warm, motherly hug.
“Oh, Bella! Thank heavens he’s found someone!”
She pulled back but kept her hands on my shoulders, a huge smile on her face.
“Carlisle!” she called excitedly and I couldn’t help but laugh.
Carlisle appeared at the चोटी, शीर्ष of the stairs just like Esme had. His bleached blond hair was slicked back away from his face and he had a look of someone of authority. He took in the situation in front of him, and he too broke into a huge smile.
Then he faltered, surprise and shock clouding his features. He looked at Edward behind me and I felt him nod into my hair. I turned slightly to look at Edward, raising an eyebrow. He grinned at me momentarily before his expression changed dramatically.
“I can’t hear you.” He said, tilting his head to one side.
“Huh?” I कहा stupidly. What was he talking about now?
He took my shoulders, turning me towards him so he could stare deeply into my eyes.
Carlisle appeared अगला to me. “You can’t hear her thoughts?”
Okay, now I was really confused.
“You can hear thoughts?” I’d met वैंपायर with special abilities, but nothing like this.
“Usually.” He muttered, still looking deeply into my eyes. “But I can’t hear yours.” He looked slightly frustrated.
I heard the sound of cars coming up the driveway, mine in front.
“We can talk about this later.” He whispered, his smile returning. “I want to hear your story.”
He turned me back around again, his arms snaking around me.
“Welcome to the family, Bella.” Carlisle कहा quietly, smiling. Still slightly confused, I just smiled back.
“This way. We can talk in the lounge.” Esme led us through to a spacious room that had a completely glass wall. Again the colours were light and the furniture tied it together beautifully. Then I remembered my manners.
“Your house is amazing.” I complemented Esme.
“Oh, thank-you dear. Aren’t आप sweet.” She still had a smile on her face and kept sending glances to Edward. She looked so happy.
I sat down अगला to Edward in an effort to be polite, but he wasn’t having that. The अगला thing I knew I was sitting on his lap. The strangest sense of déjà vu hit me, like this had happened before.
Esme sat down opposite us, pulling the chair closer. “So, Bella. When did आप and Edward meet?”
It was then when I realised that Esme would have thought that we had met today. This was going to be embarrassing.
Edward laughed rather loudly and I threw an accusing glance his way. It so wasn’t funny.
Before Edward could reply, Rosalie and Alice ran into the room, the boys following behind. The smile on Rosalie’s face was blinding.
“Why didn’t आप tell me आप had an engine like that under the hood?” she exclaimed. “It was fantastic! It beat the Volvo easily, I was so surprised!” she seemed ecstatic.
I laughed at her reaction. She must like cars.
“Well, it was bad enough I had to sell my Z4. I didn’t want some slow truck that could barely reach 60 miles an hour.” If it was possible, her smile grew wider.
“So, Bella?” Esme asked gently and I realised how rude I was being.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Esme. Edward and I have known each other for a rather long time.” I said, trying to avoid the question.
Emmett chose that point to come in. “Yeah, like 100 years. Dude, I can’t believe आप never told us आप had a girl.”
Esme’s mouth opened in shock. Thanks a lot, Emmett.
I cringed back into Edward as the room exploded into laughter at Esme’s reaction. If I had been human I would have been टमाटर red.
Alice’s chirpy voice filtered though the snickers still going around. “Okay, that’s enough. I want to hear the story!”
“As if आप haven’t already.” Edward said, leaning his chin on my head, his arms so tightly around me that if I hadn’t been a vampire I would have had a couple broken ribs.
I was confused द्वारा their exchange. Was I missing something obvious?
Carlisle noticed my look. “Alice can see the future, Bella.”
“Oh.” Was my brilliant response. “Anything else I should know about?”
“I’m an empath. I can change या control your emotions.” Jasper कहा quietly.
I nodded silently. It made sense; he was the quietest of the bunch and somehow the most soothing. He was like the older brother आप could go to for anything.
“I want to hear everything.” Esme कहा with Carlisle nodding behind her.
Rosalie and Emmett sat together as did Alice and Jasper. Carlisle moved to sit on the सोफ़ा, सोफे अगला to Esme. Normally I would have been jealous that they all had partners, but Edward’s arms pulling me tighter against him made all the difference.
I sat there, biting my lip, unsure how to start.
“Do आप want me to begin, love?” Edward asked, चुंबन my neck. I nodded, leaning into him.
He thought about it for a सेकंड before starting. “I met Bella in January of 1917. I was out shopping with my mother and father when I happened to notice this beautiful girl with gorgeous brown eyes. Bella was very clumsy as a human, always tripping and dropping things.” He smiled at the memory. “I was walking past when she managed to trip on her own feet, dropping the three large bags she had been carrying. Of course I went to help her. I picked up her bags for her then introduced myself. She had the most adorable blush and I was hooked immediately.”
I smiled too, remembering the moment. “You offered to walk me home,” I continued. “And I कहा yes. I wanted to know और about आप so I grabbed the opportunity.”
Edward squeezed me gently. “As it turned out, I lived just six houses away.”
“Awww...” Alice sighed. “That’s so sweet!”
Edward chuckled. “That’s what our parents कहा too. We were constantly together and I knew I would never want anyone else, so I asked Charlie, Bella’s father, for her hand. He agreed wholeheartedly, after all I was everything he had wanted for his daughter. A week later, on the 6th of December, 1917, I proposed when we were both 18 years of age.”
My turn. “I कहा yes instantly and we organised our wedding for the 1st of March.”
“But that’s today!” Carlisle कहा quickly.
I went on nodding. “Everything was organised and going perfectly. That was until Edward’s parents went to Chicago for a week on business.” I stopped, my voice going quiet.
Edward noticed my break. “They got quite ill with the Spanish Influenza. I went to Chicago to say my goodbyes, but I caught the disease too. Carlisle was my doctor at the time and he changed me because I was dying.”
I looked into his eyes, my saddened expression clear in the reflection. “I wasn’t allowed to go with you. आप कहा I would get sick.”
His expression changed to match mine. “I know. It was my fault. If I had just been और careful—”
I put my fingers on his lips, silencing him.
“Don’t आप dare blame yourself, Edward Mason. Oh, well I suppose its Cullen now.” I corrected myself.
He chuckled and the mood brightened instantly. “Go on, your turn.”
I bit my lip again. “I waited for you. The तारीख, दिनांक of the weeding went द्वारा with no word from आप and I was desperate for news. Then, the दिन after the wedding I received a message from a doctor at the Royal and General Hospital in Chicago. He told me आप had died.” I stopped for a second, unable to go on. Momentarily I was consumed द्वारा remembered grief, the pain I had felt. Edward tucked my head under his chin as I struggled not to sob.
Suddenly I felt calm. I didn’t know what could have done that until I remembered Jasper’s ability. I smiled shyly in his direction, a silent thank-you.
“He told me आप had died,” I repeated with और volume. “And I was crushed. I looked for a way out.” I admitted guiltily.
“Bella.” Edward whispered heartbreakingly.
“I couldn’t deal with life without you. If I had actually gotten the chance to end my life, I don’t know if I would have taken it. What would have happened to my parents?” Edward rubbed soothing circles into my back. “Before I had the opportunity to do anything, James found me. I was only three streets away from my house. He changed me and when I woke up he told me why. He was creating an army so he could take control of the area. He told me I was different, that’s why he chose me.”
“Its okay, Bella.” Edward whispered lovingly into my ear.
“I ran away. He wanted me to drink from humans and I कहा no. I was surprised he never found me, after all he was a tracker. Maybe that’s what he meant द्वारा I’m special. Anyway, that’s pretty much it. I’ve been moving through schools all around the country for 50 years. It was just luck that we both happened to choose Forks.”
“Oh, sweetheart. That’s terrible!” Esme whispered, moving over to where Edward and I sat on the couch. She wrapped her arms around me, even though it was a bit awkward. Edward was still holding onto me tight, planting kisses in my hair.
“Maybe that’s why Edward can’t hear you.” Carlisle mused, his eyes alight with excitement. “Like some kind of shield.” He started talking with Jasper and Alice about this new possibility while Emmett and Rosalie made out on the सोफ़ा, सोफे across the room.
“We’ll have to come up with an excuse as to why आप guys aren’t at school...” Esme started, but tactfully moved away when she realised that Edward and I were not really paying attention.
“Oh, Bella. I had no idea.” He muttered, leaning in to किस my nose.
“Don’t blame yourself, please. It was my stupid idea.”
He smiled light-heartedly. “I thought I would never see आप again.”
“Me too.”
“You do realise I’m never going to let आप out of my sight?” He asked, completely serious.
“Good.” I whispered, leaning in even closer to his face.