EPOV
"Edward?"
"Hmm?"
Isabella hooked her small index finger into the pink handle of the pacifier in her mouth and slowly slipped it out from in between her lips. "How big are you?" she asked curiously.
I glanced down at her. "What do you mean, baby?"
She lifted her head from it's spot on my arm and looked up at me. "How big?" she repeated.
Huh?
I shrugged and turned my blinker on before changing over to the left lane.
She held up her hand and spread out all five fingers, before smiling and stating proudly, "I'm this big."
Oh.
I nodded. "Yep, you're five…"
She nodded and a small smile graced her beautiful face. "I'm a whole hand so that means I'm a big girl, huh?" she asked, then flitted her chocolate eyes over to mine and locked gazes with me.
"Yes, angel," I assured her in a soft voice.
"How big are you?" she repeated curiously.
"Well, baby girl…I'm three hands and two fingers," I told her.
She gasped. "Three whole hands?" she exclaimed into the dimly lit car, her already soft voice going up an octave with her inquiry.
I nodded. "Mm-hmm, and two fingers," I confirmed.
"Wow…" she said softly in a wondrous tone.
I chuckled and held her little hand in my own, then placed a cool kiss to her smooth palm.
"You're big like Marie," she told me. I nodded and let her hand go before she added as an afterthought, "But not as big as Bella."
"Nope…not as big as Bella," I agreed.
"She's three hands and three fingers, huh…"
"Mm-hmm, do you know how much three hands and three fingers are?" I asked lightly.
She nodded and smiled. "Yeah, uh-huh."
"How much?" I gently prodded.
"Eighteen!" she told me with a small giggle.
I smiled down at her. "That's right, baby girl," I confirmed, then kissed her forehead, inhaling her sweet aroma. "Mmm, you're such a smart girl," I breathed out in a murmur against her warm flesh.
She hummed in agreement, then put that pink pacifier back in her dress's small side pocket.
I was glad that my little girl wasn't so upset anymore. We had been driving around for almost an hour, and she had sufficiently calmed down. I had distracted her with soft touches, cool kisses, relaxing music, and a fun 'number' game.
I remembered that little piece of information from my Bella's therapy session this morning, and was glad that it had come in handy tonight. Isabella liked adding and subtracting numbers, making puzzles out of them. It didn't escape my notice the adorable way that she chose to count…with small hands and little fingers.
I switched lanes then, and took the exit ramp off of the highway. We were on our way back home now.
I needed to rectify this situation. Isabella needed to know that my siblings are harmless. Well, harmless when it comes to her, anyway. And Emmett, as well as the rest of my family, needed to know that if they ever wanted to 'help out' again in the future, then this can never happen again. I figured that they would have known, from hearing certain things in my Bella's therapy sessions, that certain things were obviously forbidden.
For example: Don't hit her, cut her, burn her, pierce her, or bind her, and Don't. Fucking. Confine her, for Christ sakes.
Isabella can never be confined.
Their simple idea of sending her to a room in a small effort to discipline her during my short absence was a fucking disaster, to say the least. It had clearly set her off, and caused her to regress. I mean, she was speaking in a language that was obviously only required of her from that sick fuck, Jim, and she was also displaying submissive behavior with me.
Me…the person that she views as her 'owner'. Submissive behavior that I never wanted to ever fucking see again. Keeping her head down and avoiding eye contact with me…it's disgusting.
My girl subtly shook her head and exhaled sharply, interrupting my reverie. "Edward…"
I stopped at a traffic light and glanced over at her. She had wrapped her arms around her shins, hugging her knees to her chest. Her lips were pursed and was staring straight ahead, her gaze fixed on my black Ipod.
"Yeah?"
"Take me home," Marie demanded quietly.
I bit my lip. "We're on our way there right now," I assured her.
I saw her jaw clench as she swallowed. "Good," she said in a low voice.
It didn't take a genius to see that she was pissed. Her entire body had tensed and her facial expression was stiff, fixed into an angry scowl. Marie reached for my Ipod then, still avoiding eye contact with me. She scrolled through some songs, before finally selecting Eminem's 'Soldier'.
I reached out a tentative hand, placing it on the soft bare skin of her thin shoulder. "Look, Marie-" I started, but she quickly shrugged off my hand and whipped her head around to glare at me with cold, angry eyes.
"Shut the fuck up, and take me home," she demanded through gritted teeth, before turning the volume all the way up and turning her head to stare out the window.
Great.
And she didn't sing along.
Just. Fucking. Great.
I sighed, knowing to keep physical contact with her at a minimum until she had calmed her anger. As soon as we pulled into the garage, I turned off my Ipod, and Marie spoke into the tense atmosphere of the small car.
She cleared her throat. "Where were you?" she asked the window in a subdued tone, still refusing to look at me.
"I was at the store," I replied quietly.
"Why?"
"Milk."
I saw in her window's reflection that she had raised her eyebrows incredulously. "For?"
"Fruity Pebbles."
Realization softened her features a bit. "For the baby…" she trailed off, fixing her mouth into a hard line.
"Yes."
She turned her head to look at me then. When our gazes locked, I tried to keep mine as reassuring as possible. Her eyes, in all their chocolate glory, were guarded and angry…defensive.
She blinked once. "Never again," she told me in a firm tone, repeating back to me the promise that I had made to Isabella.
I nodded.
She unfolding her legs from her chest then, and quickly opened the passenger side door, stepped out, and slammed it shut. She began a determined stride towards the door that lead into the house, and I moved quickly over to her side. She didn't acknowledge my presence, though, even though it seemed as though I had suddenly appeared next to her, as if out of thin air. She twisted the door knob, and we entered the house together. Her guarded, angry eyes scanned each room as we entered it.
"I know he's here," she grumbled under her breath.
Alice greeted us at the entrance to the living room. "Hi, Marie. I just-"
"Shut up, Ali," Marie muttered, effectively cutting Alice off, then shoved past her, continuing on her mission towards the stairs.
I stayed by Alice's side and wrapped my arm around her small shoulders in a comforting embrace. She had a hurt expression on her face, due to Marie's sudden rudeness, and I sympathized with her. I had felt the same way when Marie rejected my touch in the car, not five minutes ago.
We both watched as Marie stopped at the foot of the steps and yelled out, "Emmett!!"
Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie came down the stairs at a human pace then. They knew that we were back home and Jasper could tell that Marie was feeling slightly hostile right now…defensive and angry.
Emmett was still a little confused, yet remorseful.
Alice was curious and hurt.
I was anxious and worried.
Rosalie was just irritated.
Jasper began working his magic, trying to slightly regulate everyone's emotions just as they stepped off that final step in the staircase. The three of them stood in front of Marie, ignoring her glare and looking at her expectantly.
No one was intimidated by Marie, but I wasn't so sure that that was what she was trying to accomplish right now. I mean, I could tell that all of this wasn't just for a show…that she wasn't just trying to display how 'tough' she could be.
She was genuinely angry.
She ignored the two vampires by Emmett's side and focused her glare on him, alone. "We need to talk," she told him in a low voice, through slightly gritted teeth.
He shrugged. "About what?" he asked nonchalantly.
She huffed, then jabbed her thin index finger into his hard chest. "Goddamn it, don't play stupid with me, Em - you know what the fuck I'm talkin about!"
She pursed her lips and let her hand fall back down to her side as he held up his big hands in a surrendering gesture. "Alright, alright…" he muttered quietly.
She clenched her small fists and backed up a few steps. "Couch," she said in a clipped tone, then nodded toward the cream colored sofa in the living room.
Alice and I made our way over to the sofa and sat down as Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie began walking over to join us.
Rosalie paused her steps as she walked by Marie, though, and gave my girl a glare of her own.
Marie simply cocked her head to the side, raised her eyebrows, and gave Rosalie a devilish smirk. "Aw. You didn't like me yelling at your man, huh? You gonna fucking do something about it, blondie?" she asked in a sweet, yet condescending tone.
Rosalie gave Marie a small hiss, the menacing sound coming from the back of her throat.
I tensed to the sound of it and growled at my sister in warning.
Don't you fucking touch her…
Marie just flashed her a bright smile in response, and quickly flipped her off as she continued to pierce Rosalie with a deadly glare. "Is that a 'yes'?" she asked with mock excitement laced in her tone.
"Girls, that's enough," Jasper stated from his spot on the couch, next to Alice.
Everyone was seated except for the disastrous duo over there, who continued to stare each other down. They always seemed to be at each other's throats.
Rosalie's lip curled into a snarl then, and I stood, ready to knock my sister on her ass if she dared to move one fraction of an inch towards Marie.
Marie rolled her eyes at Rosalie's dramatics. "Are you too much of a goddamn 'tard to actually speak? Can't you make any other noises besides that growling bullshit? If you haven't noticed, you animalistic fucking whore, as much as you may want it, you are not getting boned by Emmett right now. You're in the goddamn living room with everyone else, so you can shut the fuck up and stop with all the grunting, groaning nonsense. It's motherfucking sickening," she declared in a curt tone.
"You little bitch-" Rosalie managed to get out before I quickly positioned myself in between her and my mate.
I glared at my sister with black eyes as my chest began to rumble. I parted my lips and let out a sharp, primal growl in warning.
"Shit," Emmett muttered under his breath as he stood up.
Rosalie, fed up and agitated, was not phased and simply growled back, then began lunging for me.
I acted on pure instinct then, and never took my sharp eyes off of Rosalie as I reached my left arm behind me to quickly grab Marie's small hand. I grasped it in a firm grip and ignored her gasp as I roughly pulled her body towards mine. I reached further behind her petite frame and pressed my forearm against the small of her back, keeping the front of her body pressed up against my back, effectively shielding her.
Sure, it only left me with one arm to work with, but that's all I would need when it came to Rosalie. Besides, for some reason, my instincts caused me to do the completely opposite of what I had done on my Bella's birthday. Instead of pushing her away from me, I pulled her to me.
Huh, weird.
I felt Marie's heart beat against my spine as I reached my free hand out and grabbed Rosalie by the face. My upper lip curled slightly as I let out a snarled hiss towards my hostile sister and wrapped my large hand around her granite chin and jaw. I made sure not to squeeze too hard, and that my palm fully covered her venomous mouth, as I shoved her back with enough force to cause her to skid along the floor until she was about ten feet away from me and my mate.
"Fucking back down, Rosalie," I demanded, my voice vibrating slightly with another growl bubbling up, ready to erupt from deep within my chest.
I didn't want to hurt her, but I wouldn't hesitate to, and she fucking knew it.
She cocked her head and hissed at me with glaring, black eyes. I bared my teeth and hissed back, the loud, harsh kshhhh sound of it coming from the back of my throat. I kept my muscles tensed, knowing from her thoughts that she had absolutely no intention of backing down.
She lifted her chin defiantly, planning to lunge for me again, but before she could retaliate, Emmett came up to her side, then started pulling her away from us and over to the couch.
"Calm the fuck down, babe," he demanded.
Alice nodded in agreement. "Seriously. She's a human, for Christ sakes…" Alice trailed off as she rolled her eyes at Rosalie.
"I'm just so fucking sick of her mouth," she offered in explanation as Emmett yanked her down by her shirt, to sit next to him on the couch.
I relaxed my posture just as Marie poked her head out from behind my arm and smirked at Rosalie. Taunting her.
Rosalie caught the look and rolled her eyes, then fixed a glare behind me, on Marie.
I loosened my grip on my mate then, and turned around to face her. "Stop it, Marie," I admonished her.
She had every right to be upset, maybe even a little angry, but I would not let her provoke and taunt my family. Yes, I loved her more than anything, but I had to keep my mate in line…not only to maintain a simple peace in the household, but to also reassert my authority as the Male and to teach her to think before she acts, instead of working on instinct alone.
A few seconds later, Marie finally tore her taunting gaze away from Rosalie, to look up at me. She straightened out her features and silently shrugged, then casually walked over to the recliner and plopped down in it, getting comfortable.
Marie looked over to me after a moment, as I was the only one still standing. "Edward, if you're gonna stick around, then sit down," Marie instructed in a no-nonsense tone.
I nodded reluctantly, then took a seat next to Jasper at the corner of the couch, closest to Marie.
She brought her legs up onto the recliner and crossed them, so that she was sitting Indian style, facing us. She put her thin elbows on her knees and placed her chin in her little palms. She stared at all five of us then, letting her critical eyes trail up and down our still forms, before finally landing her gaze on Emmett and demanding, "Please explain this recent fuckery."
He chuckled nervously. He didn't want Marie to hate him because of a simple, little misunderstanding. "Well…" he trailed off, then started to explain that Isabella was caught red-handed trying to go for her confiscated MagnaDoodle, and that they had placed her in the empty spare room as an effort to discipline her while I was away at the store.
He sighed. "…and well, you see, I just didn't understand why she was freaking out and screaming in the way that she was…" he continued, and began to explain that he didn't mean to scare Isabella, or hurt her feelings.
I kept my gaze on Marie and noticed how she started to look bored as he continued to ramble on.
"Uhmm…and then she started talking in this weird language that the guys told me was German, apparently-"
"I don't give a fuck," Marie stated impatiently, effectively cutting Emmett off.
He looked at her incredulously. "Excuse me?"
Everyone, myself included, furrowed their brow in confusion at her. Wasn't that what Marie wanted? An explanation of what had happened?
She lifted her chin a bit and put her hands down in her lap, then sighed. "I saw the whole damn thing," she revealed. "I don't give a shit about Isabella and the damn MagnaDoodle, or the spare room that was 'dark and scary'," she told us, even doing hand quotes around the words "dark and scary".
"Then, what…?" Alice trailed off, wondering what it was that Marie wanted, exactly.
Marie turned her head a bit to look at me then. "You left," she accused, pointing a finger my way, "and went to the fucking store."
I nodded, confirming that fact.
She nodded, then dropped her hand back down to her lap and turned her gaze away from me to look between all five of us again as she spoke. "I hung out with Ali. Then Isabella went for our toys. Then Emmett grabbed her. Somewhere along the way, we were put in danger," she insisted in a matter-of-fact tone.
Huh?
Emmett's eyes widened, and he shook his head. "No-"
Her eyes flicked over to him and flashed with anger. "You shut the fuck up," she demanded in a harsh tone through gritted teeth, cutting him off.
They stared at each other for all of three seconds, before Marie leaned forward slightly and chose to quietly voice her silent thoughts. "You know, I really wish that you weren't a tricky bloodsucker right now, because I want nothing more than to just fucking cut you and make you scream for me," she revealed to him in a hoarse whisper.
Rosalie turned her head to glare at Marie, then. "Shut your filthy fucking mouth," she demanded.
Marie straightened her posture back up. "Fuck you, blondie, you'd be next!" Marie exclaimed while turning her cold glare away from Emmett, and fixing it onto my sister instead.
"Alright, this is getting us nowhere," Jasper declared, feeling the increased turmoil of emotions in the room.
"No shit," Marie scoffed and broke away her stare from Rosalie. She looked down to her lap instead, and ran a delicate hand through her long hair in a frustrated gesture.
"He's right," I insisted to Marie. "You and Rosalie just need to fucking cut it out. Stop it. Don't talk to each other for the rest of the night."
Marie looked up towards me then, and pointed an accusing finger towards my sister. "She ran her fuckin mouth first, growling and shit," she insisted.
I shook my head. "That doesn't mean you have to respond to her," I pointed out.
She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Whatever," she muttered.
I clenched my jaw, and tried to think of a way to fix this. My siblings never meant Isabella any harm, but for some reason, Marie believes that she was placed in some kind of danger while I was away at the store. How do I get my stubborn girl to see reason? Especially when that girl lacks a certain amount of common sense and acts on instinct alone?
I sighed and resolved to just start by simply stating the facts. "You were never in any danger-"
"Oh my God, Edward…really?" she asked incredulously, cutting me off and giving me a disbelieving look.
I furrowed my brow. "What?"
She cocked her head to the side a bit and gazed at me for a few seconds, seeming to think about something. She raised her eyebrows and bit her lip, before stating at a slow pace, "You can keep your goddamn mouth shut because, You. Weren't. Here."
I gave her a slight glare. "Tone down your attitude, Marie," I warned.
Her gaze never faltered. "Don't talk about shit you know nothing about, Edward," she shot back in a casual tone, before turning her penetrating, inquisitive eyes back to my siblings.
She placed her elbows back on her knees then, and let her hands dangle off her lap in front of her. She cleared her throat. "Now, the question is…when did we come to be in danger, and more importantly, how?" she asked in a business-like tone, as if she were the motherfucking CEO at the head of a corporate business meeting. Her eyes continually flicked in between the five of us, impatiently awaiting the answers to her questions.
Alice spoke up then. "You weren't in any danger, Marie. You never were. Isabella was just scared because she was sent to a room to wait until Edward came home," Alice explained.
Marie glanced at Alice and shook her head. "Why are you all fucking lying to me?" she asked incredulously.
"We're not," Rosalie quickly insisted.
Marie clenched her fists then, and hissed in a breath through her gritted teeth. It was like the sound of Rosalie's voice grated on her nerves, or something. She reluctantly flashed her eyes over to Rosalie and looked at her in disgust. "Goddamn it. Will you just shut the fuck up? I hate you! You're nothing but a jealous, vain cuntbag, and the sight of you makes me want to puke all over your brand new skeezy dollar store shoes. Why are you even here? This doesn't concern you, so just go the fuck away. Run along, you crusty little whore," she spat with disdain.
"Cocky fucking bitch…" Rosalie muttered under her breath as she shook her head and rolled her eyes up towards the ceiling, trying with all her might to calm her anger and tensed muscles.
Jasper noticed her struggle and began to help out by sending her subtle waves of calm. The last thing we needed right now was another stand-off between a hostile female and a violent, instinctual human. Of course, I would just end up stepping in - again…effectively adding a protective Male to the murderous mix. Things would get deadly.
Emmett wrapped a comforting arm around his mate and soothingly rubbed the back of her neck. "Shhh…" he whispered in her ear.
I found that Jasper was actively working on everyone's emotions right now, with the exception of Marie. He wanted to know exactly what she was talking about, and he wanted her to portray raw emotion with it.
Marie raised her eyebrows at us, and bit her lip, still waiting for what she considered to be sufficient answers to her questions. But after twenty-seven seconds of silence from our end, she slowly shook her head and declared in a curt tone, "You all can kiss my white, naked ass. You know why? Because you will not be seeing my pretty Bell until we get this little matter straightened the fuck out. Isabella and I will keep her so far at bay, that you won't even recognize my girl by the time we let her come back around. She will not be here while there is a motherfucking threat. That is final."
I gasped, knowing, but not wanting to believe, that Isabella and Marie had that kind of power over my Bella's mind.
"I know my goddamn instincts, alright? And I know when my Bell is in danger," she insisted, then squinted her eyes at us and took a deep breath. She exhaled it slowly, then said in a calmer voice, "I will ask you one…last…motherfucking time. Who threatened her?"
"Nobody…" Jasper offered quietly.
"Don't lie to me!!" her sudden loud voice boomed as she shouted at Jasper and whipped her head around in his direction to glare at him with hardened chocolate eyes.
Marie squeezed her eyes shut then, and tightly clenched her jaw and small fists again. She exhaled a long, shaky breath. She was obviously furious, but was trying her best to reign it in. Her eyes shot back open as she slowly blew out another breath through slightly pursed lips. Four seconds later, she gave us all a short nod, as if to say 'I'm okay now'.
"Okay, let me rephrase this and make it bit easier on you. I know that you simple-minded fucks must be really confused right now," she remarked slowly, and in a condescending tone.
"Watch it, Marie," I warned.
She continued on as if she hadn't heard me. "When I say that my Bell was in danger, I can say it to mean that her, myself, or Isabella was in danger," she explained before giving us all another one of her slight glares. "So, I guess in this little motherfucking scenario, the question would be…who threatened Is-a-bel-la?" she asked as her glare landed on Emmett. She continued to stare him down, obviously already knowing the answer to her own question.
After a minute of silence, Emmett looked down at the floor and furrowed his brow, lost in his own thoughts of confusion and remorse. He didn't mean for this to get blown out of proportion. He didn't threaten Isabella, and he was sorry that he scared her. He resolved to maintain these facts and stand his ground. With those thoughts in mind, he subtly shook his head, then turned his determined gaze back to my girl.
"I didn't threaten her…" he stated quietly.
Marie pursed her lips, and her eyes flashed with anger at his whispered statement; confirmation that he was the one who had 'threatened' Isabella.
She placed her feet on the floor and shot out of her chair then, keeping up a determined stride with each and every step over to where Emmett sat on the couch. Without missing a beat, her hand struck out, quick like a snake, and smacked him right across his face.
It didn't hurt him, of course, but the gesture sure as hell did. I registered his hurt feelings the same time that Jasper picked up on them.
Everything happened in a matter of a few split seconds then. Movement and activity flashed all around us.
I saw Alice's prediction and heard Rosalie's thoughts, right before I stood from my spot on the couch, and lifted Marie's stiff form into my arms.
Rosalie's snarl rang out loudly through the large room. Alice quickly launched herself from the couch, and landed on top of Rosalie with a fierce growl, pinning her wrists down in a vice-like grip and effectively holding her back, forcing her to stay in her seated position against the sofa. Rosalie started clawing at the cushions just as Jasper placed an influencing hand on her shoulder, effectively calming her down to an almost sedate state.
I watched the scene play out in front of me with sharp eyes, as I continued to back up until I hit the wall, always keeping my mate safe in my arms and tightly molded to my body.
"What the fuck…" Marie muttered incredulously under her breath. She turned her head to the side then, trying to see what was going on behind her.
Rosalie tore her sharp eyes away from Alice's black, angry stare, only to look over our sister's small shoulder and lock gazes with my own. She began to focus all of her remaining energy into fixing me with a hard glare.
I glared right back and let a slow, menacing hiss escape through my slightly parted, venom-coated lips.
Try it, bitch. I motherfucking dare you.
"Rosie…" Emmett called out to her incredulously, trying to get her attention.
Rosalie stopped glaring at me then, and looked over her shoulder to the sound of her own mate's voice. Her thoughts were beginning to stray away from me and mine, and focus solely on Emmett.
With the threat a Rosalie no longer existent, I exhaled a sharp breath and smacked Marie's ass where it sat on my forearm. "What the fuck were you thinking, Marie? You don't hit vampires!" I yelled at her in a frantic tone.
She glared at me and reached a quick hand behind herself to rub the hurt out. "Fuck you, Edward. I was thinking that you should do you're motherfuckin job and protect us! You should have been the one to smack him, not me!" she insisted.
I subtly shook my head at her remark, then pressed a cool, single digit to her warm, pursed lips, in an effort to silence her smart mouth before it caused any more fucking drama. "Shhh…" I quietly shushed her.
Jasper lifted Alice from Rosalie's lap then, and held her in his arms. He began focusing only on her now, and putting all of his efforts into calming his wife's frazzled emotional state. Alice was extremely furious with Rosalie right now. She reluctantly accepted Jasper's comforting embrace, but never tore her murderous glare away from our sister.
Alice hissed as her top lip curled up into a dainty snarl. "She is only human! She's my best friend!! How dare you?!" Alice screamed at Rosalie in our frequency, right before she tried to launch herself out of Jasper's arms, in an effort to attack Rosalie again.
Jasper was faster though, and quickly caught her, then wrapped a firm arm around her small upper body, effectively forcing Alice's own arms to stay in place by her sides. "Shhh…" Jasper whispered in her ear, and kissed on her neck while tightening his influencing hold on her. He started rubbing her back while continuing to carry her in his arms.
Soon, our gazes locked and he began slowly walking over towards me, while putting some much needed distance in between themselves and Rosalie. Soon, we were standing side by side, both of our stances identical, as we protectively held our mates in our arms.
Marie sighed and laid her head on my right shoulder then, while Alice laid her head down on Jasper's left. Our girls' locked eyes for a few seconds, before I saw, through Alice's mind's eye, that Marie had given Alice a small smile. Alice became encouraged by Marie's friendly gesture, and slowly reached her right hand out towards my mate. I felt it when Marie's left hand reached out the few inches to meet Alice's hand without hesitation. Their pinky fingers simultaneously linked together and their relaxed gazes stayed transfixed on one another. I wanted to believe that Marie was silently apologizing to Alice for being rude to her earlier. I knew from Alice's thoughts, that she was silently promising to always be her friend and protect her.
It was adorably fucking sweet.
Emmett eyed us curiously as he wrapped his big left arm around Rosalie, and tucked her into his side. He subtly shook his head at her and chuckled lightly, trying to ease the obvious tension in the room.
"You overprotective woman!" he playfully exclaimed.
Rosalie rolled her eyes.
Emmett sighed. "I'm fine…" he assured her in a quieter tone, while looking down at her.
Rosalie nodded.
Emmett furrowed his brow at her in confusion, then. "But you already know this," he said softly. Almost uncertainly.
He was right, though. She did know this. She knew damn well that a human could never hurt a vampire. The concept of it was just fucking ridiculous.
As it would turn out, Rosalie was simply extremely frustrated, and fed up when it came to the subject of my mate. After all…my Bella had been stealing all of the spotlight away from Rosalie. Marie had begun to point out all of Rosalie's faults and wrongdoings. Rosalie was tired of hearing about my Bella's horrible childhood, and she cringed every time my Bella spoke to Carlisle in the three therapy sessions that she's had with him. Rosalie was perplexed by the fact that my mate could be three different people at the same fucking time. Rosalie was sick of Marie's rude attitude and smart mouth. Rosalie was jealous that Isabella had excepted Esme as a mother figure, and not her. She was even a bit hurt that Isabella seemed to express hatred towards her, using only her natural hair color as an excuse. Isabella made Rosalie feel ugly, and she didn't like it. I heard all of these frivolous thoughts as they quickly flitted through my sister's mind.
Rosalie didn't consciously voice these thoughts, but as Emmett continued to stare into his wife's eyes, understanding seemed to dawn on his features. He knew his mate like the back of his hand, and he had always known of her selfish, jealous, and vain nature.
So really, it was only a matter of time before she had begun to react like this. It was true that she was weak-minded, but…I mean, I just didn't think that it would only take a week for her to lose her shit. I had actually thought that she was a bit stronger than that, especially since she hadn't really had to deal with anything first hand.
Emmett subtly nodded, his gaze on his wife turning into one of concern. "Maybe we can go on a vacation, or something…yeah, babe?" he murmured in her ear and rubbed his hand along her back.
She gave him a small smile and nodded, relief flooding her thoughts and calming her mood.
Yes…a vacation was Jasper's thought.
Fucking brilliant, Emmett.
Jasper and I subtly nodded at Emmett then, silently letting him know that we both agreed wholeheartedly with that idea. Neither of our mates were very happy with his at the moment, and Emmett knew that.
Emmett sighed and nodded back to us, confirming that he would taking his stressed wife on a much-needed vacation. "Alright," he muttered quietly, then stood up from the couch.
Rosalie stood as well, and quickly made her way over to the stairs, heading for their bedroom. She wanted to pack and get the hell out of here as soon as possible. She felt suffocated and frustrated. Possibilities of Africa and South America started flowing through her mind, as she began taking the suitcases out of their closet.
Emmett casually strolled over to where Jasper and I stood against the wall, then. I knew from his thoughts that he wanted to talk to Marie, and straighten things out before they left. He didn't want anything negative to cause a rift between him and my Bella, and he knew that if Marie held a grudge, then my Bella would, as well. I nudged her cheek with my shoulder, getting her attention. She lifted her head, breaking her hand's contact with Alice in the process, and looked up at me in question. I nodded towards Emmett, where he stood behind her.
"Marie, I want you to know that all of this is just a huge fucking misunderstanding. All we did was put the kid in a room…and that's it. You were never in any danger, sis, " Emmett assured her.
Marie tightened her hold around my neck and stared into Emmett's genuine eyes for a minute before she spoke. "That doesn't make any damn sense…" she muttered under her breath.
He furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that being put in a goddamn room would not cause my senses to go into overdrive, and push my Bell back. Something happened…Isabella knew that we were in danger. She fucking knew it," she stressed to him in a sure tone.
"But, you weren't in any danger," I insisted.
Marie turned to look at me skeptically then gazed back at Emmett. "Where's Jim?" she asked us out of nowhere.
It didn't escape my notice how she flashed her eyes over his shoulder and scanned the room, giving it a quick once-over, before landing her curious gaze back on Emmett.
Hell.
I sighed as Alice quietly growled at the mention of that name. Jasper tightened his hold on his mate and shushed her.
Emmett said, "Not here," incredulously, the same exact time that I stated, "Dead," with finality.
Marie looked at us in confusion, and shook her head, her eyes quickly looking back and forth between me and my brother. "No…no, Isabella was all scared and shit. She was almost positive that he was here, lurking in the goddamn shadows, or something," she informed us.
Emmett slowly shook his head at Isabella's assumption, but Marie simply nodded back at him.
"Yes! And that you," she put an accusing finger to Emmett's chest, "were a fucking threat because you stuck her in that damn room to wait for him."
Emmett's eyes widened a bit. "I didn't," he insisted indignantly.
"No," I whispered, then tightened my hold on her.
I buried my nose in her silky locks, always methodically breathing in the sweet aroma that permeated her, in an effort to calm myself. I absolutely loathed the fact that Isabella had regressed that much in such a short period of time.
Marie dropped her hand back down to her side then, and casually shrugged. "I was all like, 'Fuck it. Dry your fucking eyes, princess, and let that cock-suckin Nazi come in here. I fucking want him to'. He'd be fun to play with. I'd get a purity knife of my own, and string that motherfucker up by his ankles. Make him my bitch, my pet, and my toy - all in one night. I was looking forward to that shit."
"Mm-hmm…" Jasper nodded and hummed in agreement.
Marie's gaze turned towards me. "But then you came in the room instead, and you took us out of there before I could have my fun," she finished, even sounding a little disappointed at the prospect of me 'ruining her fun'.
Aw.
I cupped her warm cheek in my cool palm and leveled my reassuring gaze with hers. "Sweetheart, Jim is dead," I said matter-of-factly.
She furrowed her brow, taking in this newfound piece of information. I lightly ran the pad of my thumb along her delicate cheekbone as we stared into each other's eyes. Nine seconds later, she started to slowly shaking her head at me.
"No," she whispered.
I let my hand fall to it's usual position at the small of her back then, and nodded to her. "Yes, baby," I insisted softly.
She shook her head again.
I sighed. "He's dead, and Isabella doesn't have to be afraid anymore. Okay? No one is ever going to hurt her again," I told her with finality.
"How?" she asked quickly with inquisitive eyes.
"He was sent to prison for what he did to Bella. And three years ago, he was raped and stabbed to death in the shower room of that prison," I explained.
She exhaled a shaky breath and continued to stare at me in silence. Finally, she spoke. "That's not fair and Isabella doesn't believe you," she told me in a small voice.
I blinked. "What?"
Not fair?
Marie cleared her throat and rolled her eyes in an irritated gesture. "I said, 'that's not fair' and 'Isabella doesn't believe you'," she repeated in a strong, louder voice.
I squinted my eyes at her. "Don't be a smart ass, Marie. What I meant to say was, why is that not fair? And why doesn't Isabella believe me?"
"It's not fair because I wanted to gut that motherfucker, and Isabella won't believe you until that fucker's dead, rotting corpse is laid out in front of her, for her own eyes to see."
I nodded, completely understanding Marie's desire to 'gut that motherfucker'. I was disappointed, myself, when I had learned of Jim's quick and easy death. It put a damper on all of my exciting plans. He really did deserve a lot more than just a simple dick up his ass and a few stab wounds to his ribs. After what he did to my precious Bella, how is that fair? Where is the fucking justice?
"That can be arranged," Emmett said, interrupting me out of my reverie.
Both of our eyes trailed away from each other's then, and over to him.
"Huh?" Marie looked at him in question.
"The last part, anyway…" he added as an afterthought.
She nodded once in agreement. "Yeah, okay."
"What?" Alice asked, perplexed by the idea of having to dig up someone's coffin.
Marie looked back towards Alice and gave her best friend a casual shrug. "It's better than nothin…" she pointed out in a light tone.
Alice scrunched up her nose and buried her face in Jasper's shoulder with a squeaked out, "Ew."
"Marie…" I said quietly and calmly, while trying to get her attention again by gently rubbing her back.
Her eyes drifted back over to mine and she bit her lip. "Hmm?" she hummed curiously.
I gradually stopped my hand's slow movement along her spine, then pointedly nodded towards my brother, indicating that she should look at him. She did and when their eyes met, he gave her a small smile.
"Sweetheart, Emmett is not a threat," I said in a firm voice next to her ear, willing her to believe my words.
Her gaze on him turned skeptical then.
Ugh, difficult.
"It was all just a misunderstanding," Emmett softly repeated his original plea to her.
Her skeptical gaze turned into a cold glare then…her tiny eyelids began squinting around those chocolate depths while her pink lips tightened and pursed, effectively fixing her face into an adorably angry scowl.
Aw. My feisty little kitten.
I quickly recognized the now-familiar interrogating stare for what it was, and began speaking to Emmett in our naturally hushed tones, warning him to not look away. "She did it with Carlisle this morning, and she did it with me this afternoon. Just hold her gaze, and for the love of Christ, don't look away."
Roger that he thought to me.
I rolled my eyes and watched closely as my mate stared my brother down while I held her in my arms.
I was surprised that she still wanted me to hold her in the first place. I had expected her to tell me that she 'wanted down' by now, but she hadn't. Instead, she tightened her arm's grip around my neck and continued talking with my family. I didn't mind holding my girl like this…no, on the contrary, I actually liked it. It keeps her body close to mine so that I can feel her constant, thudding pulse against my cold skin. The sensation is comforting, not to mention amazing. I can't help but wonder, though…does Marie actually want to be held, or is she only hanging onto me because she believes there is a threat somewhere?
I didn't have time to dwell on it though, because twenty-nine seconds later, Marie broke her intent stare with Emmett and softened her features, then quietly mumbled, "Kay."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Emmett grinned and nodded at her. "Okay."
She reached out a small hand then, and ran her warm fingertip across his left cheek. "I hit you," she stated simply.
He internally cringed, his sensitive feelings still hurt. I felt bad for him. "Mm-hmm…" he hummed in agreement, marveling at the tingling feeling that my girl's warm finger had left on his cheek.
I thought that she was going to apologize then, but instead she just asked, "Bet you won't make us cry anymore, huh?" her cheeky attitude returned in full force and making an appearance, once again.
He chuckled nervously at her and subtly shook his head. "No…I never wanted any of you to cry in the first place," he assured her.
"Apologize to him, Marie," I demanded in a low voice.
She turned her gaze back to me and furrowed her brow. I gave her a pointed look, letting her know that I meant business, and that she had better apologize to my brother for hitting him, or I'd take her snarky ass back up to our bedroom so that I could demonstrate how much hitting hurts.
She sighed and relaxed her gaze, then tightened her hold on me. She turned her head slightly to look back at Emmett and conceded quietly, "Sorry."
He gave her his signature goofy grin. "Hey, that's alright…" he shrugged it off in a nonchalant, joking manner, but my brother and I knew damn well that he wasn't kidding anyone. His feelings were definitely hurt, but Jasper and I would never emasculate him by telling anyone. I had just wanted Marie to apologize and make things right between them.
Marie nodded and laid her head back down on my shoulder.
"So, umm…yeah, we're gonna head out soon. I don't know how long we'll be gone, though. Probably a few weeks, or something. The old lady needs a break, know what I mean?" he told us with a small smirk.
Jasper and I nodded. "Yeah, after she has some time away, she might feel more comfortable with coming back to the situation at home. You gonna call Mom?" Jasper asked him as he set Alice back down on her feet.
Emmett nodded. "Yeah, I will on our way out. I don't know if we're leaving tonight, or tomorrow, so…" he trailed off as I turned and made my way towards the stairs.
It was getting late and I needed to get my girl ready for bed. Marie stayed silent, and her firm grip around my neck stayed tight while I carried her up the steps to our bedroom. She still didn't want me to put her down.
I finally set her down on her feet once we reached the bedroom, though. I placed her by the edge of the bed and looked down at her, taking in her appearance. Her half-lidded eyes were a bit sleepy and when she exhaled a breathy yawn, her face set into another adorable scowl. I chuckled at her and gently brushed her long hair away from her face, so that I could kiss away the tiny little worry wrinkle that had made an appearance on her smooth forehead. Marie did not like feeling tired.
"Edward, will Emmett come back?" she asked in a small voice as my lips made contact with her soft skin, her warm breath lightly fanning against my throat as she gave another delicate yawn.
"Yes," I quickly assured.
"Even though I hit him?"
I withdrew my lips to look into her sad eyes.
No one is going to abandon you.
"Yes," I nodded.
She casually nodded and shrugged, obviously satisfied with my answer, then let her gaze drift over to the closet. "My box…"
My eyes followed hers. "Is going to stay up there until tomorrow night," I reminded her.
She gritted her teeth, then looked away from the closet, down at the ground. "Stupid brat," she muttered under her breath.
"Hey, now…" my tone was one of warning.
She looked up at me questioningly.
"No name calling," I told her, feeling ridiculously protective of Isabella. I didn't want anyone calling her 'stupid', or a 'brat'.
She rolled her eyes, then focused her gaze on the TV on the other side of the room.
I nodded. "Why don't you pick out what movie you want to watch tonight, babe? There's a whole bunch that you haven't seen yet…" I trailed off in suggestion.
She shrugged. "Yeah, okay," then casually strolled over to our extensive dvd collection.
While Marie was distracted with the movies, I went over to the dresser and selected a simple pair of white cotton panties, then grabbed a small pad out of the same drawer. With both items in hand, I started on the familiar womanly task of preparing some padded panties for my girl.
As I was tearing away the adhesive strips on what was apparently called, the 'wings', Marie turned towards me with a movie in her hand. "What about this fuckawesome mo-" she started, but cut herself off when she saw what I was doing. She sighed and mumbled a defeated, "Aw, shit…"
I chuckled and tore off the last adhesive strip. "Sorry, baby."
"Yeah, yeah…" she muttered quietly, then turned back around to continue searching through the dvds.
I finished attaching the small pad to the clean pair of panties, then told Marie that it was time for her to take a shower. She readily agreed, taking the panties from my hand, by just her fingertips again, and went into the bathroom. I told her that she needed to dry off and get dressed in there.
"I need comfy-soft pajamas to take in there with me too, then," she told me while she side stepped me and made her way over to the dresser.
She selected one of my white wife beater shirts and a pair of small black shorts that were decorated with white stars. I recognized it from a few nights ago and smiled at her in approval.
She went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her while I walked over to the desk, intent on getting the movie that she had picked out to load in the dvd player. I picked up the small case and looked at the cover. She had selected '17 Again'.
Hmm…
I'd never seen this movie before.
I hope it's not gay was my thought as I powered on the flat screen TV and dvd player.
The distinct sound of the shower's spray turning on sounded throughout the room then, and the radio followed soon after. Marie was in there, fiddling with the little boom box that was located on the counter. I smiled, wondering if she would sing in the shower for me tonight. I got my answer three seconds later when her voice belted out to Gwen Stefani's 'Sweet Escape'. I chuckled softly and turned my gaze towards the closed door that separated us. I wanted to be in there with her. I heard when her bare feet stepped into the tub and I noticed the change in the water's sounds when her body was directly underneath the spray. I imagined the warm water coating her long locks, making them all dark and wet for me. I saw in my mind's eye how the tiny water droplets would cascade down her soft, supple breasts.
Mmmm…
I swallowed back my lust-induced venom ,then focused on the TV and my task at hand while I listened to Marie's beautiful voice sing along to the radio in the adjacent room. I placed the dvd disk in the small tray, then closed it and waited patiently for the Menu screen to pop up so that I could hit the PLAY button on the remote.
I noticed that Rosalie had followed Jasper's advice and left the house to go for a quick hunt, but that left her packing responsibilities for Alice to handle. Some people might view that as being rude, but it was actually quite the opposite when it came to my sisters.
Alice loves clothes; shopping for clothes, packing clothes, cleaning clothes, wearing clothes…Rosalie knows this, and in an effort to make amends, she is letting Alice take charge in packing their four suitcases. I know for a fact that Alice has a big fucking grin on her face right now, as she continues to fold and arrange and organize and pair off different pieces of clothing together to make unique outfits. She's just…weird like that.
I also know that Alice is keeping her mind highly alert, though. She wants to know the second that Rosalie decides to return, so that she can keep a keen eye on her, and prevent her from coming up to the third floor, where my bedroom is. I know that Rosalie won't start anything, and so does Alice, but that's not stopping either of us from keeping an ear out for her return.
Frankly, I want that bitch to leave as soon as possible. As much as she needs a break from the recent drama surrounding my Bella, I need a break from her selfish ass. I'm tired of her jealous thoughts and hostile attitude towards Marie. She's lucky she's made it a whole week without me smacking the shit out of her.
I'm going to miss Emmett, though. But at the same time, I guess it's a good thing that they'll be away for a few weeks, since Isabella is so completely convinced that he's a 'mean man'. I'm going to have to work on that with her. I gotta look on the bright side of things though; he doesn't have any 'ugly yellow hair', so at least he's got that goin for him. The rest should be a piece of cake.
I heard my girl's high-pitched whimper a split second before I could smell the salt of her tears.
"Wha-"
"Ed-waaard," Isabella suddenly sobbed out.
What the fuck.
I'm seriously going to get whiplash one of these days. One second, Marie is singing about, "…if I could escape and recreate a place that's my own world, and I could be your favorite girl, forever, perfectly together…" and then the next, my baby is sobbing out my name, crying for me.
"Ahhh-ahhh…ow, it hurrrts!" she yelled into the echoing bathroom. She was crying pretty hard now.
I pushed the wooden door open, but refrained from sliding the shower curtain over. "Isabella, what's wrong?" I demanded to know in a rushed voice.
God, I hated the sounds of her cries. It always filled me with this horrible, gripping anxiety that made me want to climb the fucking walls and rip my hair out. And I'm a vampire, so it's amplified a hundred times, compared to what a human would feel.
"Edward! Ed-ward, make it s-stop," she cried.
I could smell her sweet tang of adrenaline now, alerting me to the fact that my mate was becoming frightened.
What is she scared of?
As ridiculous as the concept was, my eyes, on instinct, quickly scanned the room for any type of threat. When I found that, of course, there was none, I shut the radio off and asked, "Make what stop?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she let out this strangled sound that was between a sob and a scream.
I clenched my jaw. "You need to tell me! What needs to stop?!"
"W-waaaater…" she sobbed out.
I flung the shower curtain open then, and took in the scene before me. Isabella had pressed her tiny frame up against the cool tiles on the wall in the left corner of the tub, farthest away from the shower's spray. Some of the water was still hitting her lower abdomen and legs, though, and she really didn't seem happy about that fact. Her face was flushed and her jaw was clenched as she continually shuffled her feet on the tub's floor, trying, but always failing, to avoid the pounding spray. Heavy, salty tears coursed down her cheeks, as she turned her face to look at me with pleading, watery eyes.
I quickly reached over to the tub's faucet and shut the shower spray off. As soon as the water stopped, Isabella drew in a shaky breath and continued to cry, but she sounded a little more relieved, then frantic now…if that makes any sense.
I retrieved the white fluffy towel from the rack on the wall then, and wrapped it around my upset, shivering little girl as I stared at her in concern.
"C'mere, baby…" I said softly, as I picked her up in my arms.
She still had shampoo in her hair and I could see the soap suds that remained along her collarbone. She needed to rinse all that off, but I wasn't going to worry about how, in particular, at the moment. I just needed to focus on calming her down.
I chose to keep us in the steamy bathroom to make sure she stayed warm, and sat down on the closed toilet lid. I held her in my lap and she sat still, facing sideways, then laid her soaked little head on my shoulder. Her pale, smooth legs dangled off to the side as I shushed her and kissed her wet, rosy cheeks and forehead. Her cries were quieting down now…now that she was out of the water and in my arms. I was still confused, though, as to why she was suddenly afraid of water.
I reached over to my side and ripped off a few squares of toilet paper from it's roll, then held it up to my little girl's nose. "Blow," I instructed gently.
She gasped in a breath and exhaled through her nose, blowing into the small tissue as best she could. I balled up the soiled paper and threw it in the trash, then ripped off another three squares to wipe the salty tears away from her sensitive skin. She sat up straight and looked calm enough by the time I was through, so I chose to voice my question then.
"What's wrong, angel?" I asked in a light tone.
She nodded. "Shower is scary, Edward," she told me in her adorable child-like voice that cracked.
"Why?" I asked, keeping my tone soft.
"B'cuz the water hits you and it hurts," she told me with worried, chocolate eyes.
I just furrowed my brow at her statement.
She seemed to understand my confusion then, because she put her warm little hand to my cheek and looked directly in my eyes, before softly stating, "Daddy," as if that would explain everything. Which, ironically, it did.
The terms 'water torture' and 'breath-play' entered unbidden in my mind, but I quickly pushed those ideas aside.
No. I don't want to know.
Ignorance is fucking bliss.
I nodded and kissed her little nose. "Okay, baby…you don't have to take anymore showers," I promised.
She nodded.
"Just baths, from now on, okay?"
"Kay…" she mumbled in agreement.
I hugged her tightly to me. "You scared me, angel. You started crying, and I didn't know what was wrong…" I trailed off.
"I'm all better now, Edward," she pointed out, then pressed her warm lips to my cheek for a soft kiss.
I loosened my grip on her and stared into her eyes. "I love you."
She gave me a bright smile. "I love you, too. You're mine," she told me, then leaned forward to give my nose an Eskimo kiss.
So precious.
I quickly returned the kiss, gently rubbing my cool nose against her adorable little button one. "Mm-hmm, and you are mine," I murmured softly to her.
Isabella broke our nose's kiss then, and nodded in agreement. "Edward?"
"Yeah baby?"
"Can I have my bubbles now?" she asked curiously while letting her gaze trail back over to the tub.
I smiled. "Yes."
"Kay," she said, then hopped up from my lap, being careful to keep the towel wrapped around her small body.
I went over to the tub and turned the water back on, adjusted the temperature, and plugged the drain. As I walked by Isabella on my way to the sink, she asked, "My toys?" with a small squeaked out giggle.
I nodded and smiled, then pulled out her Ariel water doll and soap crayons. I held them out to her, but she nodded towards the tub, indicating that I should put them in there. I did, then grabbed the bottle of bubble bath solution, and measured out a capful, then poured it into the running water under the faucet.
"My bubbles!" Isabella exclaimed excitedly and rocked up onto her tippy toes, as they began to magically appear in the water.
"Yep, there they are…" I said as I twisted the cap back onto the bottle, and put it away in the cabinet underneath the sink.
She bent down and squatted next to the red dress that lay on the floor then, and began searching the single, small pocket with a curious hand. A second later, she retrieved the pink pacifier with a smile on her face, and stuck it in her mouth, then leaned into my side. We stood there in silence and waited for the tub to finish filling with water, so that I could shut if off and leave my baby girl to bathe in peace.
When it was full a minute later, I shut the faucet off. I turned back around to face Isabella and held out my hand expectantly. "Binky," was all I said.
She furrowed her brow at me and whined in the back of her throat, then slowly shook her head while keeping eye contact.
And, so it begins…
I raised my eyebrows at her and nodded. "Yes," I insisted.
She stomped her foot.
"Stop it."
"Whyyy…" she mumbled a whine around her pacifier.
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Because I said so, Isabella."
"Mmmm-mmm…" she whined.
I held my hand out again. "Yes."
She hooked her thin finger around the pacifier's handle then, and pulled it out. "I want it," she told me.
I nodded. "I know you do, and you can have it when you're done playing in the bubbles. I don't want to risk it falling out of your mouth, and getting into the soapy water. If you put it back in your mouth with soap on it, then it'll make your tummy feel sick," I explained.
She quickly looked over to the bubbles in the tub, then turned back to face me. "Soapies bad for it?" she asked.
"Yes, angel." I told her.
"Kay," she relented, then placed her pacifier in my upturned palm.
"Isabella, your jammies are on the counter this time, instead of the bed," I told her while pointing to them. "I want you to dry off and get dressed in here tonight, sweetheart."
She nodded.
"Alright, I'll be in the bedroom, angel," I told her as I turned on my heel and left the room, quietly shutting the door behind me.
As soon as I heard my girl's feet stepping into the warm water in the tub, I rushed downstairs in my hurry to find one of Esme's sewing needles. After two minutes of searching her bedroom, the living room, and the kitchen, Alice finally appeared by my side with one in her hand.
She held the silver needle out to me. "Here. There was a hole in Emmett's shirt. It bothered me."
I took it from her and quickly poked three tiny holes into the very tip of the rubber nipple on Isabella's pacifier. "Thanks."
I handed the sewing needle back to my sister, then hurried back upstairs. I placed the now 'broken' pacifier on the nightstand, then pressed the PLAY button on the dvd player's remote.
While I changed out of my now-damp clothing and threw on a set of soft cotton pajamas instead, I listened while my little girl softly hummed, 'A Whole New World' from the Disney movie, Aladdin. Apparently, she was trying to teach her Ariel doll some new songs from different movies and even told her that Princess Jasmine was 'really pretty' and that she thought Ariel and her would be good friends because they were both princesses. I laid down on the bed then, and just listened to my baby ramble on to her bath toys.
I was feeling slightly guilty that I had actually gone through with it. I was really going to sabotage the binkies. I'm such an asshole. She'd hate me if she knew. I sighed at those thoughts and turned my head slightly to focus on the '17 Again' movie that was currently playing on the flat screen TV, hanging on my wall.
Soon, Isabella was finished with her bath, and I told her to sit on the bed while I cleaned up the bathroom and got the hairbrush. She did as she was told, so I went into the bathroom, and after draining the tub, putting the toys away, and cleaning up the usual water mess on the floor, I grabbed the hair brush off of the counter, then made my way back over to Isabella and all of her wet hair.
She was sitting on the bed with the 'broken' pacifier in her mouth, her gaze focused intently on the TV. When I sat behind her and wrapped my arm around her waist to pull her back against my chest, she asked, "Edward, what's this movie?" while pointing a finger at the screen.
"It's called seventeen again," I murmured quietly in her ear while running the first brush stroke through her long, damp locks.
"Edward?"
"Hmm?"
"I got pretty stars on," she told me while lightly rubbing her palm across the fabric of her pajama shorts.
"I know, baby," I told her, keeping my voice soft.
She was silent for a while then, watching the movie and alternating between having the pacifier in and out of her mouth.
"Edward?"
I gently smoothed some hair behind her small ear, then followed my hand's trail with the brush. "Yes, baby?"
"Emmett goin good bye-byes?"
"Yes."
"Edward?
"Yeah?"
"Is he mean to me?" she asked then.
I paused my brush stroke for a few seconds, before starting back up. "What do you mean, baby?" I asked, almost positive that she had gotten her word-phrasing wrong.
"Is he mean to me…" she repeated softly.
I furrowed my brow. "Um…do you mean, is he going to be mean to you?"
She subtly nodded. "Mm-hmm, yeah. Is he going to be mean to me..."
I trailed the brush through her lock longs, all the way down her back then. "No, baby. Emmett won't be mean to you," I assured her.
"Kay…" she trailed off, then slipped the pacifier back in between her pink, puckered lips.
"Okay," I smiled, glad that convincing her of my brother's harmless demeanor, was a hell of a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.
Eight seconds later, she pulled the pacifier out of her mouth again. "Edward?"
"Hmm?"
"My binky isn't sucky anymore…" she informed me in a light, whiny tone.
I internally cringed. "Aw. What's wrong with it, angel?" I asked, then placed a cool kiss to her soft cheek in a secret apology.
Sorry, baby.
She shrugged. "Dunno…s'not sucky no more."
I nodded. "It must be broken. Do you want another one from your package, sweetheart?"
To my surprise, she shook her head 'no'. "No, I'm almost ready to go night-night," she informed me, then twisted her upper body around to face me. "S'bad to have a binky in your mouth when your sleepin, huh Edward…"
I nodded. "Yes, it is."
She nodded and handed me the 'broken' pink pacifier, then turned back to look at the TV. "Mm-hmm, b'cuz s'bad for your teeth," she added as an afterthought.
"That's right," I agreed, and reached my hand out to place the pacifier on the night stand, where it would stay until I could get a minute to throw the damn thing away.
One down, two to go…
"Yeah. My thumb is for bedtime, huh?"
I sighed.
It's better than a pacifier.
"Yes."
"Kay."
I finished brushing her hair a few minutes later and placed the plastic brush on the nightstand, next to the pink pacifier. I turned the lamp off so that the only light in the room would be the glowing screen of the TV, then wrapped my arms around Isabella's waist and held her against my chest, nuzzling my nose in her soft hair and slim neck.
"Mmmm…" she moaned sleepily and pressed the back of her head against my chest.
"Shhh…" I shushed her, while turning the volume on the TV down low.
"Edward?"
"What, baby?" I whispered in her ear.
She yawned and tried to twist her body out of my grip. I loosened my arms around her waist as she mumbled out, "Hold me."
When she was facing me, I hooked my arms under her shoulders, and brought her to my chest to straddle my lap. After a minute, she got settled, so I placed my forearm under her and stood with her in my arms, so that I could turn down the blanket. Just as I was getting ready to lay Isabella down, she pouted in my ear.
I took my hand away from the corner of the comforter on the bed, and brought to the small of her back, then started with the familiar soothing circles. "What's wrong with my baby girl?" I cooed in her ear.
"Tummy hurts," she mumbled, her head on my shoulder and mouth next to my ear.
"Ohhh…" I breathed out.
Damn it.
"Are you hungry, sweetheart? You have to eat with the medicine…" I trailed off.
She nodded her head against my shoulder, so I took her downstairs to the kitchen, and sat her down on the counter. She rubbed her bleary eyes with a small fist against the bright lighting in the kitchen, then watched me as I moved around the room. I grabbing the bottle of Advil out of the cabinet, then poured a small glass of milk.
I set the two items down beside her leg, then placed a palm on either side of her knees and leaned down a bit to gaze into her tired eyes. "Did you already brush all those pretty teeth?"
She nodded.
"Well, after your snack, you need to brush them again, and then it's time for bed."
"Kay," she yawned, and the action made her eyes water.
I straightened up and lightly trailed my cool fingertips along her bare arm. "Okay angel, what do you want to eat?"
"A yummy ganola bar."
"Granola bar?"
"Yeah, a ganola bar," she confirmed with a nod, still mispronouncing the word.
Adorable.
"Alright," I said, while reaching into the cabinet above her head for the small box of assorted Quaker Oats chewy granola bars. I held it up in my hand and gazed at it curiously. "Which one, do you want, baby girl? S'mores, or chocolate chip?"
"Chocolate chips," she responded, and kicked her legs out a bit.
"Okay," I said, then grabbed a chocolate chip granola bar out of the box and handed it to her.
She ripped the silver package open with ease and bit into the small, rectangular looking…thing. She smiled at me, so I guess it tasted alright.
"Yummy?" I asked, watching her delicate jaw line move as she chewed.
"Mm-hmm," she nodded, then took another bite.
"Good."
She only had one more bite left. I hoped that the small granola bar and glass of milk would be enough to prevent this medicine from causing stomach bleeding ulcers. I had a sudden urge to make a large meal for her to consume, but then quickly pushed that idea aside, labeling it as 'ridiculous'. She would never be able to eat all of it, especially since she's tired. Besides, I heard that it wasn't healthy to eat a big meal right before laying down to go to sleep for the night.
Isabella swallowed the last bite of her granola bar, and reached for the glass of milk.
I grabbed it before she could. "Uh-uh…" I muttered, then handed her two small pills before she could protest.
She placed them on the flat surface of her pink little tongue, then reached for the glass of milk in my hand. I handed it over then, and watched as she took three big gulps. She handed me back the glass, and I poured what was left down the drain, before rinsing the cup out in the sink. When I turned back to Isabella, she had her arms held out to me, wanting me to pick her up again.
I hooked my hands underneath her shoulders and brought her to my chest, seating her on my forearm, then switched off the light to the kitchen as we left the room. Isabella laid her head in it's spot on my shoulder as I started ascending the stairs, back up to our bedroom.
We passed by Alice's seated form at the third story landing along the way. She smiled at Isabella, but otherwise stayed put. She knew that Rosalie would be home any minute now. We both knew that there really was nothing to worry about, but still…my mate was way too important to both of us to take any chances. Rosalie would not be permitted on the third floor of the mansion tonight.
I entered the bedroom and turned left, heading straight for the adjacent bathroom. I sat Isabella down on the counter, and reached behind her small form, retrieving her toothbrush for her. She took it from hand and grabbed the small tube of toothpaste, then squeezed a small amount of blue goo onto the white bristles.
"Edward?"
I tore my eyes away from the toothbrush and looked up at her questioningly. "Hmm?"
"My tooth scrubby had pretty blue sparkles," she told me with an adorable smile.
I smiled back. "I know it, baby. Go on, brush those pretty teeth."
She nodded. "Kay."
She slid off the counter then, and stuck the toothbrush in her mouth, turning around to face the mirror as she did. I watched as she brushed in long strokes and small circles, with a concentrated look on her face, making sure to get her tongue and gums in the process. I was puzzled when she rinsed her toothbrush, then grabbed for the small tube of toothpaste again, only to place another glob of goo on the bristles and start all over, but I didn't say anything. My sharp eyes followed the activity of the toothbrush, fascinated as it glided over the smooth surface of her white teeth with precision and ease. When she went to grab for that same tube of toothpaste again, I placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Twice is enough, baby girl. It's time for bed," I told her.
She stayed facing forward and looked at my reflection in the mirror. "Nuh-uh, Edward," she told me with little white bubbles speckling her lips and trailing down her chin a bit.
"Yah-huh," I insisted in a very Isabella-like fashion.
She shook her head. "Nope, three times," she told me with a certain tone of finality, then picked up the tube of toothpaste, and proceeded to place yet another glob of blue goo on her toothbrush.
"Okay…" I muttered quietly, perplexed that she felt the need to do it three times.
I watched as she repeated the process of brushing her teeth for the final time, and when she was done, she rinsed her mouth out with some water. I nodded, thinking she was done, but then she went and grabbed a small white bottle from the far corner of the large counter, telling me that it was time for a 'gargle-n-swish'. Her words, not mine. She 'gargled and swished' some Crest mouthwash for thirty seconds then, before spitting it out into the sink, and running the back of her hand across her mouth, making a refreshed 'ahhh' sound as she did.
Aw. She's so fucking OCD, but it's so cute.
I handed her a small hand towel so that she could dry her face properly. "Ready for bed, angel?"
She dried her mouth, chin and hands, then set the towel down on the counter. "Yeah," she muttered quietly.
I nodded. "Okay, c'mon…" I enveloped her small hand in my own and led her over to the bed, where the covers were already turned down.
She climbed in and crawled over to the middle of the large bed, and I followed soon after. I brought the blanket around us, making sure to bundle up most of the covers around my little girl. Isabella snuggled her small body into my side, and laid her head down on it's spot in the crook of my shoulder.
The movie was still playing at a low volume, so she turned her attention towards it while sliding her little thumb into her mouth. I wrapped my arm around her, keeping her tightly tucked into my side, and began rubbing small circles into the tensed muscles in her lower back with my gentle, yet firm fingers.
I couldn't hardly wait for my mate's body to stop menstruating. I wanted those wretched cramps to stop hurting my baby girl. I wanted Marie to feel more comfortable when she came around to spend time with me. And, I also wanted to taste my Bella again. I've been secretly craving it for the past few days.
Venom flowed into my mouth as I thought about taking that pretty little bud back in between my lips again. Just the memory of suckling gently on that tiny, pink little clit, and watching as a delicious blush lit my Bella's beautifully fair skin, filled me with such content. I wanted to saturate my senses in her heavenly scent again. I could almost feel her sweet desire begin to coat my tongue, could almost taste it.
Soon.
Yes. Very soon.
"Mine," Isabella whispered out just before she slipped into unconsciousness.
I reached for the remote by my side then, and turned of the flat screen TV.
"Goodnight, my love," I whispered into the darkness of the room.
I would lay and wait now.
Wait to see who would greet me as the sun rises in the morning.
Chocolate Chip Chewy Granola bars are AWESOME !!!!!!!
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