"It was very funny, and you know it," she responded, laugh lines still present on her cheeks.
Nothing could smoother her uplifted mood or mine. She continued to examine my face. The anger I was feeling fled from my body as quickly as it came, "Shall I rephrase?" I inspected her face, "Breakfast time for the human."
"Oh, okay," she answered with a smirk.
I felt suddenly playful. I grabbed her up, and in the gentlest of ways, tossed her over my shoulder. She caught her breath and her pulse raced. The warmth emitted from her like the sun. Her scent was assaulting my nose, and entering my lungs in waves. I reveled in it because I knew the cold would return as soon as I placed her back on her feet. I disappeared down the stairs and in a seconds time I was in the kitchen. With my new discipline of my easy touch coming more naturally, I placed Bella carefully on a chair.
"What's for breakfast?" she asked with smile lines still prominent on her face.
Crap, I groaned internally. I remembered that she needed food, but I didn't think to learn to make food. I still hadn't found out all her little secrets like all the things she liked and disliked, including foods.
"Er, I'm not sure," I answered honestly, "What would you like?"
I was hoping she wouldn't ask for anything difficult. A pop tart maybe? Disgusting! I could see my reflection in her bright brown eyes and I watched as my brow furrowed at the complexity that was food. I was stumped on what to do.
She could read the apprehension on my face. She grinned her magnificent smile, bounded toward the cabinets and began searching.
"That's all right," she giggled, "I fend for myself pretty well. Watch me hunt."
My gaze followed her every move. I saw how she bounced on each of her steps. How every time she found something distasteful she would slightly shake her head, and when she was considering her options she would purse her lips. When she found something to her liking, she pulled it out of the cabinet and placed it on the table returning to the fridge to grab something else, and then added the two together. I could smell the sourness of the milk and the wheat from the cereal. It was repulsive. How could she eat something like that? No wonder she was so frail.
She froze, "Can I get you something?" she asked.
If she was meaning to offer me some of her food the answer was undeniably, 'no thanks'! I just rolled my eyes at the thought, "Just eat Bella." I commanded.
She sat at the table and never moved her gaze from my expressions. I continued to watch myself mirrored in her eyes. I saw how she placed the food in her mouth and watched as her communicative eyes delighted in each bite. She made a light coughing nose, pulling me from my distraction, "What's on the agenda for today?" she wondered.
"Hmmm..." I thought carefully on how I would tell her about meeting my family.
It is still her decision, I reminded myself.
"What would you say to meeting my family?" I framed the answer as a question, giving her options.
I heard the loud swallow of her food. Was she anxious?
"Are you afraid now?" I asked, afraid myself, though I formed the question as sounding hopeful so she wouldn't notice my panic that was bringing a light haze to my brain.
"Yes," she admitted.
There was an automatic tightening of my muscles. I wanted to reassure her, "Don't worry," I grinned playfully, hoping this would ease her mind. "I'll protect you," I added.
It was an understatement. No one would ever lay one finger on her.
"I'm not afraid of them," she explained, "I'm afraid they won't...like me. Won't they be, well, surprised that you would bring someone...like me...home to meet them? Do they know that I know about them?" She asked nervously.
"Oh, they already know everything. They'd taken bets yesterday, you know" I smiled at her, trying to show her how little stock I put in their games, but she could read the revulsion on my face, "on whether I'd bring you back, though why anyone would bet against Alice, I can't imagine. At any rate, we don't have secrets in the family. It's not really feasible, what with my mind reading and Alice seeing the future and all that."
"And Jasper making you feel all warm and fuzzy about spilling your guts, don't forget that."
"You paid attention," I smiled.
Of course she paid attention, she was always absorbing more information than I was releasing.
"I've been known to do that every now and then," she frowned. "So did Alice see me coming?" she asked.
A memory came floating to the forefront of my mind; Bella as a vampire. Suddenly the onslaught of memories of Alice's visions overpowered me. I was temporarily still, "Something like that," I murmured.
I saw how my face looked in her eyes and turned my head swiftly, unable to hide my expressions of pain, horror and...happiness. A distraction, that is what I need right now.
"Is that any good?" I asked.
I was actually kind of curious now, "Honestly, it doesn't look very appetizing."
"Well, it's no irritable grizzly..."
I growled under my breath at her causal talk of our hunting. She ignored me. She continued to eat her food. Sometimes a crease would appear between her eyes and the curiosity would flare inside me. Unknowingly, I began probing her mind. It was something I did naturally, without effort. Once again I reached an invisible barrier that let me no farther than the deepest depths of her eyes. I turned towards the window to hide my facial expressions.
Another distraction, that is what I needed, "And you should introduce me to your father, too, I think."
"He already knows you," she exclaimed, horror in her voice.