Kapitel 32: Chapter 32 - Return And Renovation
EPOV
As we travelled back from Volterra, I lay happily with Bella in my arms. She had fallen asleep only a few hours after takeoff, and was currently snuggled up against me wrapped in a soft blanket. Every now and then she would sigh my name and my heart would burst with happiness.
Our time in Volterra had left me extremely relieved. I knew now that there was no way the Volturi would ever hurt Bella. I had listened to their thoughts during the two weeks and was now certain that they had no ulterior motives with Bella. They all loved and adored Bella- she was the heart of their family, just like she was the heart of ours. It was obvious that Bella had been euphoric that we had all got along so well with her Volturi family. We had a lot in common with the Volturi and had gotten along extremely well.
Of course, just because we all liked each other, didn't mean that the three leaders would let me get away without a warning. In fact, while Bella had been busy arguing with Alice when she was packing Bella's luggage, Aro, Marcus and Caius had cornered me.
*Flashback*
"Can we have a private word with you Edward?" Aro asked politely. They turned, simply trusting that there was no way I would say no. I followed them into the library and shut the door. From their thoughts I realised that I was going to be given the typical 'what are your intentions towards Bella' speech that all potential boyfriends get from fathers. Apparently they had been upset that they didn't get to psyche me out before I took Bella out. It surprised me to learn that Bella had promised that they could do this to me while I was here. They had obviously been looking forward to this for a long time.
"So Edward," Caius started, "I know you know why we're here, so I'm just going to come out and ask: What are your intentions towards Bella?"
Aro's thoughts were amused- they had never had the opportunity to do this before, and they rarely found anything new after millennia's of living. Since Bella's arrival their lives had dramatically changed for the better.
"I assure you that I have nothing but honourable intentions towards Bella," I was actually quite nervous- the approval of this part of Bella's family was much more important than Charlie's approval simply because Charlie couldn't hurt me. I was bulletproof. However, the Volturi could kill me in seconds if they didn't like me. "I fully intend to be with her and love her forever," I assured them.
"Excellent!" Aro exclaimed. "I am so glad Bella found such a good mate. I saw from your thoughts that you are perfectly suited to Bella. In fact I don't know if Bella mentioned it but a few years ago I told her about your family and hinted that you sounded like a good mate for her," he chuckled, "I'm so glad it worked out."
I looked at him in surprise, "Thank you Aro," I said formally.
"I know you'll take good care of her Edward," Marcus said softly, "I can see the relationship bond between you and it is incredibly bright- the strongest bond I have ever seen between mates."
I nodded in acknowledgement. Caius was still chafing though, he had been looking forward to the chance to threaten me. "We want you to know Edward, that if you ever hurt Bella we will kill you. You've seen what Jane can do, and trust me, the pain we will make you feel if anything or anyone including yourself hurts her would be a hundred times worse than that." His threat was not idle.
"I understand sir," I replied respectfully. "Believe me, if anything were to happen to Bella, nothing you could do to me would ever surmount the pain of having her hurt." I knew I would never survive in a world without Bella- if she died I would welcome death, following her as soon as possible.
Caius read the sincerity in my words, "Good," he said, "I'm glad we understand each other."
"Yes, wonderful," said Aro, "Now you are planning on marrying Bella soon right?" he asked.
I was surprised, "Uh, Yes I was going to ask her soon," I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling awkward, I was about to ask how he knew when I realised that he would have seen it when he touched my hand.
"Good," Caius stated, "Don't wait too long, Bella is many things, but patient is not one of them."
I nodded in agreement; patience was definitely not one of Bella's strong points, but I wasn't sure if she wanted to get married so young- I did, but in this day and age most people would hate the idea of getting married so young. Then again, I reasoned, Bella defiantly wasn't like most people- thankfully. I figured that I wouldn't know until I tried. I hoped Bella wouldn't reject my proposal.
We wrapped up the discussion soon after as I was anxious to get back to Bella. "We can see how happy you make Bella, and we wish you all the best. Bella will certainly keep you on your toes- she'd full of surprises," Aro commented.
I laughed- I knew that. Bella was still constantly surprising me- she never did anything I expected, and since I couldn't read her mind unless she let me, I was constantly left wondering about the reasons behind most of her unpredictable actions.
Aro's last thoughts as I left the room caused me to turn around quickly. "Boy is he in for a surprise when Bella shows him the books she stole from my library," he thought, chuckling silently to himself. I looked at him curiously, but he shrugged, "She will tell you when the time is right."He purposely concentrated hard on a math's problem after that; refusing to give me any clues as to the books I had seen Bella discreetly pack away in one of her suitcases.
*Present time*
I momentarily considered checking them out now while she was asleep, but I thought better of it- I trusted Bella would tell me when the time was right.
Bella woke shortly before we arrived in Port Angeles. I kissed her forehead softly, "We're almost home love," I told her. She didn't answer, just turned and snuggled further into me, pressing her warm lips up against my cold neck in a soft kiss that warmed me.
When we touched down Bella hugged Santiago and Alec goodbye and the rest of us shook their hands. It was mid morning as I drove back to Forks with Bella. She was still groggy, so she had given her keys to Alice and Jasper and was in the passenger seat of the Volvo with me, while everyone else was in Carlisle's Mercedes.
Charlie wasn't expecting Bella home until tomorrow afternoon, which gave me a wonderful opportunity to spend more time with her.
We finally reached the end of our long driveway when I was stopped by the sight of an unfamiliar car and motorbike parked beside the house. I searched out, but couldn't hear the thoughts of anyone besides my family, who were following us. I got out, confused, and went over to the cars. Bella joined me.
BPOV
I watched in amusement as Edward slowly looked over the bright yellow Porsche and silver Ducati sitting in the Cullen's driveway.
Suddenly Alice came speeding up in my car, screeching to a stop before getting out and throwing herself at me. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," She chanted, hugging me and bouncing around excitedly.
I grinned, "You're welcome Alice. I hope you like the colour."
"I love it!" she squealed, "I can't believe you got me a yellow Porsche and I didn't see it until we entered the driveway!" I felt pretty proud of myself for managing to use the time Alice was distracted with the Volturi to get her present delivered.
By this time the rest of the Cullens had arrived and were eying the two new vehicles appreciatively.
I grinned at them, "Jasper, the motor bike is yours," I indicated it with a nod.
He smiled, and we were all suddenly hit with a wave of gratitude and happiness which left us all grinning like fools. He hugged me, and I was happy that since my little demonstration of power he was no longer so afraid of hurting me. "Thank you darlin'" he drawled.
"Now come on guys, I have presents for the rest of you too," I promised, urging them inside. The guys all quickly unloaded the suitcases from the cars and took them at vampire speed up to the rooms before converging on us females in the lounge, where we were waiting impatiently.
Once they were all settled I wrapped my shield around the large wrapped painting sitting in the corner and brought it forward until it was hovering in front of Carlisle and Esme. I gently placed it on the ground. "This is for you guys," I said softly. I snuggled back into Edward's arms as I watched Carlisle and Esme unwrap the huge paining.
Esme gasped with awe as she took in the picture. "Oh Bella it's beautiful! Thank you," she said, giving me a hug before turning back to stare at her painting.
Carlisle also looked impressed and pleased. "Thank you Bella, it's stunning," he said appreciatively.
I smiled, then turned and levitated the small wrapped package sitting on the coffee table over to Rose, dropping it softly in her lap. She opened it, gasping in awe as she took in the priceless jewellery- rubies set in 24 ct gold. A matching necklace and earring set. She looked up at me, gratitude all over her face, "Bella, thank you so much, this is unbelievably beautiful." I just grinned, I was glad everyone liked their gifts so far.
It was Emmett's turn and as I led them towards the games room Emmett started getting excited. "Is it my turn yet Bella?" he exclaimed impatiently.
I rolled my eyes, "Yes Emmett, here it is," I said, opening the door to the games room so that he could see his new gaming system.
He let out a whoop, "Awesome!" he yelled. He ran to me and picked me up, twirling me around at an insanely fast pace. "You're the best Bella!" he said, tossing me joyously up in the air.
Thankfully I had shielded myself before Emmett picked me up; knowing his tendency to accidently squeeze too hard with his exuberance. Unsurprisingly, he threw me too hard and I ended up crashing through the ceiling and onto the second floor- into Carlisle's study. I managed to catch myself before I went through the ceiling of that room as well and onto the third floor, and I levitated myself back through the hole and to the ground. "Emmett, you idiot! Not so hard next time," I scolded him.
Rosalie reached out and whacked the back of his head, "Fool," she muttered.
Esme just sighed in acceptance- from the stories I'd heard, this wasn't the first time Emmett had destroyed things in the house. "Emmett, you know where the repair materials are kept," she reminded him mildly.
Emmett kept an appropriately abashed look on his face, though his eyes were still dancing with amusement. "Yes mum," he sighed, "Thanks for the awesome present Bella," he said before turning and heading out to the garage.
Carlisle did not look impressed with the recent renovations to the floor of his study. He sighed with exasperation.
"Well," I said, breaking the silence, "Edward, your presents are in your room, I wanted to show them to you alone," I hinted. The others discreetly left the room.
When they were gone I turned and leaned into him, reaching up on my tip toes for a soft kiss. "Come on," I murmured, "Let's go."
I took his hand and led him up the stairs. He cocked an eyebrow at me, "Presents?" he asked. I nodded, then paused hesitantly outside his door and prayed that he'd like it. I opened the door and stood back, letting him enter first, then following him in and shutting the door quietly behind me.
Edward silently took in the large framed photo of us that hung on his wall, and then turned to me. His eyes were full of warmth, happiness and love. "I love it," he said softly, "Thank you love."
I smiled up at him and kissed him sweetly, "You're welcome, I love you," I murmured. Then I backed up and reached for the small gift I had left on top of his bedside table. "Um," I began nervously, "This gift is probably more for me than you," I admitted, slightly embarrassed. I handed it to him.
His eyes were alight with curiosity as he sat on the bed and unwrapped his second gift. I sat next to him and watched. He opened the box to find a leather cuff. Embedded in the leather was a platinum swan, and on one side, stamped into the leather, was the imprint of the Cullen Crest. On the other was my personal symbol as princess of the Volturi. He looked at me and smiled, immediately understanding. "Are you claiming me Bella?" he asked, amusement and a bit of pride and smugness in his voice.
I nodded, "I know it seems a little archaic in some ways, but I want every vampire who looks at you to know that you're mine- and the Princess of Volterra does not share," I informed him. Just wait until I get a wedding ring on him as well so that humans know he's mine as well, I thought to myself.
He grinned and put it on, "I think it's great love, I love how possessive you are of me," he informed me, pulling me closer and wrapping his arms around me. "Now why don't you tell me why you suddenly felt the need to give us all presents?" he enquired.
I shrugged, "You guys have done so much for me, and I really wanted to give you at least something little in return," I explained. "Besides, you mentioned that you guys don't really celebrate birthdays anymore, but I know you're planning to have a party for me, so I thought I'd get you guys presents as well, since you don't want to celebrate your birthdays."
He grinned at my logic, "That's very generous of you love," he said. "Trust me, they all loved their gifts, you're defiantly excellent at picking out gifts." I smiled, very satisfied with my gift giving. It always made me happy when people loved the gifts I gave them, and I always made a point to pick out things that I thought they would love.
We stayed up in his room for a while, happy to be spending some alone time together after being around so many others in Volterra. Eventually though, we reluctantly got up and helped each other unpack our suitcases. Alice of course came and helped me with mine since it was her fault that I had to bring back so much stuff. Thankfully though, with Alice and Edward working the contents of my suitcases were all soon packed neatly away. I made sure that the suitcase I chose to leave unpacked to take back with me when I went home tomorrow was the one with the books I had pilfered from Aro.
We went downstairs and I had lunch before heading out with Rose and Alice to test drive Alice's new Porsche. Jasper of course rode beside us, trying out the limits of his Ducati; a euphoric smile graced his face as the wind whipped through his hair. Once we got far enough away from town that there was no chance of running into police- it would be really awkward if we ran into Charlie today when I was still supposed to be in Volterra, Jasper and Alice really let loose. They raced against each other, whipping in and out of the sparse traffic and egging each other on. I sat in the back, content, and enjoying the speed as Rose and I watched them in amusement.
Eventually though Alice called a stop and we turned around after she saw that Jasper would win. On the way back Alice made sure Rose understood that she needed her to modify the car until it was much faster than Jasper's bike- she hated loosing. Rose just chuckled and agreed, happy that she had yet another car to work on.
When we got back to the house I immediately noticed that the painting I had given Esme and Carlisle now hung proudly on the wall in the living room. I smiled at that and went to find Edward.
I found him watching Emmett, and helping him try out his new gaming system. I settled down with them, sometimes playing, other times content to watch the two brothers fight it out, arguing as any humans would.
Suddenly though, while they were playing a shootout game, Edward froze, looking distracted. Emmett took the opportunity and killed him," Yeah! I killed you!" he yelled victoriously.
Edward just frowned and looked worried; we could tell that his attention was no longer on the game. "What is it?" I asked curiously.
"Alice had a vision," he said grimly, "The Denali coven is in the area and has decided to visit. They'll be here in a couple of hours." Emmett's jubilant expression turned serious; an odd look on his usually cheerful face.
Without another word we all traipsed into the living area where Alice was informing the others. "Well," Carlisle sighed, "This could create some problems."
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein