[Fic] The Five Times Edward Cullen Was There For Bella Swan (Twilight, Bella/Edward)

[dahlia_moon]

What am I doing writing fic? I blame it on Eclipse.

Fandom: Twilight
Title: The Five Times Edward Cullen Was There For Bella Swan
Pairing/Character: Bella/Edward
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Twilight © Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.
Summary: Five moments in time that give insight into Bella's and Edward's love.
Word Count: 2,828
*****


I.

Sitting there in biology class, learning the same things over and over again kind of tended to get boring after the first half hour. Luckily, Bella Swan was sitting next to the hottest and most perfect boy on possibly the whole planet. That just made things more interesting and the class more bearable. However, Edward Cullen was still not talking to her and glaring daggers at her for some reason unknown to her. So, she kept her eyes on the teacher and sat still as a stone so as to not aggravate the god mere inches from her.

One day though, as Bella was coming toward her seat, she tripped and almost fell face first on the floor, but before she could meet the ground, strong arms latched onto hers and righted her. In a blink of an eye though, Edward Cullen was in his seat and resumed his ignorance of the girl standing beside him.

Bella was hurt, but, nonetheless, she sat down as carefully as she could and wondered why the boy sitting next to her wasn't breathing. The worst was over, wasn't it? He could breathe easily now. She wasn't going to be in any immediate danger from just sitting.

She crossed her arms, and glared straight ahead. Well, if he wanted to act like a baby…

II.

The tears were streaming down uncontrollably down my face and I couldn't stop them. All I kept thinking about was the old lady with the rosary…and what she walked into. I desperately wished that I could've warned her to not go and turn back and run away. To not look back…to get away from the red-eyed monsters who trapped innocent people like flies. I wished I could have done something. Anything.

The hands running smoothly and reassuringly down my back brought me to the present. It didn't matter that this beautiful angel, who was holding me tightly and trying to comfort me, didn't love me back. I could pretend that he did because he saved me from those monsters…from the Volturi. I was grateful for that. My fate was different from the old woman's. He changed my fate.

Edward might not have loved me, but he saved me, and maybe, just maybe, I could convince him to stay. Someway. To prove myself…I knew I didn't deserve him, but if he stayed with me, even if it was out of pity, I could learn to make him happy.

If only, he didn't leave me again.

I buried my head deeper into his chest and inhaled his sweet scent. Being there in his arms, pretending that he loved me as much as I loved him, trying to make the moment sweeter before it would all too soon get taken away, I felt sorry for the tiny woman who didn't have an angel of her own to look out for her.

He might not have loved me, but in that moment I didn't care. He saved me. If only he'd give me a chance to save him as well. He was my everything and I wanted to be his everything too…even if I was the only one who believed that lie.

III.

I leaned on the wall, down from the emergency room where Bella was brought in. I stood listening to Tyler apologizing to her and her explaining that I was the one who pulled her away before the van hit her. I cringed at the thought.

Stupid. Stupid. I was an idiot. What was I thinking by pulling her away? Idiot! How could I have been so stupid?!

But I couldn't exactly not pull her away. Not her. Anyone but her. I felt a weird feeling watching Isabella Swan, the chief's daughter. She was plain looking, but there was a certain, undeniable beauty hidden there. There was something out of the ordinary about her.

I watched her get wheeled to the ER and for once I was glad that I was a vampire. It meant I was able to save her. No matter what the consequences was going to be…or how I was possibly going to explain this to my family. Or no matter that surely I now made her suspicious of me.

I made up my mind that I was going to cross those bridges when I came upon them. Right now, I had to see if she was all right. Nothing else mattered to me more at that moment than that.

IV.

"You're being ridiculous." He said, stroking the side of my face languidly. We were lying on my bed. With me enclosed in Edward's arms, this was truly heaven. I rolled my eyes. Sure, calling his marriage proposal a joke would be ridiculous to him, but the idea of marriage scared me. Immortality was by far much more appealing to me. Immortality I could handle, however marriage I couldn't. A marriage could end, immortality with Edward couldn't.

"You just want to prolong my existence as an ordinary human."

"Mmmm, I can assure you, Miss Bella, that isn't the reason I want to marry you. Trust me when I say that the idea of forever with you is exhilarating to think about, I can't deny that, but I am old-fashioned and the idea of you being my wife is right up there with the thrilling idea of immortality."

I couldn't help the blush that covered my cheeks then. It was comments like these that made me feel so inadequate and disbelieving that this incredible, handsome creature would want to spend his life with me. It was absurd.

"Can we not fight about it tonight," I asked, trying desperately not to yawn. I was strangely exhausted today.

"Sure, love. I'm sorry for upsetting you." He whispered softly.

I shook my head to disagree with him. "It's not that. I'm just really tired."

"That's understandable. The last few days have been rough for you."

I wanted to say the last several months were rough compared to the last couple of days…but I just nodded and closed my eyes, snuggling even closer into his chest. Edward moved for a moment and I opened my eyes to see him wrap the covers around us. This was strange, but not unwelcome. He usually pulled the covers on me after I had fallen asleep and he moved further away to keep me from waking up from the cold. I couldn't understand why this time was any different. But I didn't care. I was still in his arms- however cold he was- and that's really where I wanted to be.

No matter how exhausted I was tonight though, I couldn't fall asleep. I'd close my eyes and hear Edward singing softly under his breath, but sleep wouldn't come. I was edgy and restless. I had no idea how much time had passed, but it felt like hours had gone by and I still felt wide awake.

"You're still not asleep yet?" I heard Edward mumble.

"No," I mumbled back.

"What's wrong?" He ran his hand down the length of my hair and the gesture soothed me.

"Um, can I ask you for something?" I started tentatively, opening my eyes.

"Of course, anything, love."

"Would you mind if we went back to our meadow?"

"Sure." He sounded pleased, not at all the reaction I thought he was going to have. I bit my lip. He misunderstood. Oh, boy.

"Um, Edward, I meant tonight. As in right now, right this second."

He stopped playing with my hair and gave a short laugh. "Bella, it's past midnight and you want to go exploring the forest now?" I could probably bet that if I could read his mind, I'd hear him thinking that I was insane. I probably was, but I wanted to spend as much time as I could with Edward. No matter how silly it sounded and that I now knew better, I was still frightened of Edward leaving, even for all the essential things like to hunt, or to change, and whatnot. I just got him back and I didn't want him out of my sight for a minute. I knew that I was selfish for wanting to jeopardize all of his time and that we couldn't spend all of my waking moments together…he'd eventually come to his senses and find me boring. Yet, I was still so insecure and was obviously now trading in sleep to be with him. I was insane.

"Yes, I do."

"Your father would surely murder me if he found out, but…of course." I shot up straight from my comfortable position.

"Really?" I asked incredulously. I thought for sure that I was going to have to cajole him into it.

"Anything for you." Emotion colored his voice and I was left speechless, as I always was.

He rose from the bed and went to my closet. The moment he came out, he threw my tan sweater over my head and through my raised arms. Finally hoisting me onto his back, we were outside and running towards the woods in a second. We sped through the gloom and the chilly night in a blur of comforting darkness. The several hours it took me to usually hike the five miles was severely cut into a mere half hour before Edward set me down in the middle of the meadow. I felt a bit dizzy on my own two feet, but Edward's arms kept me upright.

"Are you all right?" He sounded concerned.

"I'll be fine. I just forgot how it feels. I'll be all right in a second." He moved to sit down on the black grass and pulled me onto his lap. The darkness covered the wildflowers in the flawlessly round circumference of the meadow. I listened to the stream nearby, wishing that we could stay like this forever and never move. I was aware of Edward's eyes on me, but I didn't look at him for fear that he'd ask me what this was all about and frankly, I couldn't explain it to him because even I didn't know.

"Can we just stay here for a while," I asked, putting my head in the crook of his neck and tracing the outline of his palm in the darkness. He didn't sparkle tonight, but I didn't care.

I felt him nod. We spent that early morning watching the sunrise and me in his arms. This was my paradise- as long as I had him in my life, I wouldn't need anything else.

V.

Edward groaned and sat down on the marble steps leading into the upstairs. Alice suddenly appeared next to him.

"Will they stop this? Honestly!"

Oh, Edward, you know they mean well. They just want you to be happy.

"Yes, well, I can be happy on my own, thank you very much. I don't need Carlisle and Esme shoving me into dating human girls."

Alice gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure you're going to find someone out there for you." Alice said out loud, while reciting the books of the Apocrypha rapidly in her mind and trying desperately to not pay any attention to her words.

Edward gave her a weird look, but decided to let it go.

****

Alice and Edward jogged through the forest, on the look out for some deer and elk.

Bella Swan seems nice, Alice thought conversationally.

"She is." Edward replied.

She took the news of us hunting pretty good-for a human.

"Oh, come off it, Alice. You saw her coming from a mile away. You knew that she wouldn't have any problems knowing what we were."

Alice smiled and praised herself, while her brother just shook his head at his sister's unseemly narcissism.

****

Emmett and Jasper pried the bloodthirsty vampire off the girl while the auburn-haired teen with them gently set her down onto the floor. She was unconscious and her wrist and half of her arm was covered with a bright red color.

"Oh no, Bella, no!" Edward screamed in terror. James, the one who lured her away and tried to kill her, growled suddenly and fell to the floor.

"Bella, please! Bella, listen to me, please, please, Bella, please!" Carlisle and Alice suddenly appeared next to him.

"Carlisle! Bella, Bella, no, oh please, no, no!" He cried out in anguish, wishing tears would come.

"She's lost some blood, but the head wound isn't deep. Watch out for her leg, it's broken." Edward gave a cry of anger.

"Some ribs, too, I think."

"Bella, you're going to be fine. Can you hear me, Bella? I love you."

"Edward," a new voice called out to him.

"Yes, I'm here."

"It hurts." There was a whimper.

"I know, Bella, I know. Can't you do anything?" He turned to Carlisle.

"My bag, please… Hold your breath, Alice, it will help." Carlisle instructed.

"Alice?"

"She's here, she knew where to find you."

"My hand hurts."

"I know, Bella. Carlisle will give you something, it will stop."

"My hand is burning!" The new voice screamed out and opened their eyes.

"Bella?"

"The fire! Someone stop the fire!"

"Carlisle! Her hand!"

"He bit her." Carlisle voiced appallingly.

Edward stopped breathing.

"Edward, you have to do it." Alice said, brushing at the dampness in the bloodied girl's eyes.

"No!"

"Alice," the girl whimpered.

"There may be a chance."

"What?"

"See if you can suck the venom back out. The wound is fairly clean."

"Will that work?" Alice asked hesitantly.

"I don't know. But we have to hurry."

"Carlisle, I…" Edward's wavered. "I don't know if I can do that." He didn't know if he could do it…if he could control himself. What Carlisle was asking was damn near impossible!

"It's your decision, Edward, either way. I can't help you. I have to get this bleeding stopped here if you're going to be taking blood from her hand."

"Edward!" the girl yelled again, thrashing on the floor like a fish out of the water would.

The girl briefly closed her eyes and opened them again to see the beautiful man staring down at her. His face playing hesitancy and hurt like a black and white picture movie.

"Alice, get me something to brace her leg! Edward, you must do it now, or it will be too late." He bent over the girl to continue working on her head.

The drained face of her lover was suddenly transformed into resolve. His jaw stiffened and he locked his cold fingers on the hand that sported the bite which was going to spread into the young girl's system and take away her life by giving her a new one, that of a monster's. He bent his head and sucked against the soft skin.

The girl on the floor yelled and thrashed against the cool hands on her burning skin. Alice tried to soothe her and tried to keep herself in control…but there was too much blood. Finally, after some time, the girl lay still once again.

"Edward," the girl tried to speak, looking for her love.

"He's right here, Bella."

"Stay, Edward, stay with me…"

"I will." Her lover answered her. The girl sighed in response.

"Is it all out?" Carlisle inquired.

"Her blood tastes clean. I can taste the morphine."

"Bella?" Carlisle turned to the girl.

"Mmmmm?"

"Is the fire gone?"

"Yes. Thank you, Edward."

"I love you."

"I know." Edward laughed quietly. She was going to be all right…

"Bella?" Carlisle spoke again.

"What?"

"Where is your mother?"

"In Florida. He tricked me, Edward. He watched our videos. Alice. Alice, the video - he knew you, Alice, he knew where you came from. I smell gasoline."

"It's time to move her," Carlisle devised.

"No, I want to sleep."

"You can sleep, sweetheart, I'll carry you." And Edward picked her up into his chest.

"Sleep now, Bella." He softly told her.

****

Edward pushed open the door and walked slowly into the room, all the while staring at the white bundle resting on the railed bed. He pulled up a chair and sat down beside the girl. Gently taking her limp hand away from the white sheets, he softly traced one finger around the inside of her palm. A day had only passed since a vampire tried to take her away from him- forever. He shuddered at the thought. It was so strange how this soft, fragile creature meant so much to him. What she came to mean to him in the short span of time they had known each other…now it was like she was his other half…the one whom he never thought he'd ever meet.

He didn't know how he had managed to survive those eighty odd years without her…

Smiling softly, he kissed her hand and went to kiss each finger…

There was no way, in hell or anywhere else, he'll spend the next eighty years without her…not if he had anything to say about it.

-FIN-

*Most of the dialogue in part five was lifted right from Twilight; it does not belong to me. Twilight © Stephenie Meyer; am not making any profits from this.

X-posted to: lion_lamb & la_bellaragazza