Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Still Waters

By SkyDancingHobbit

Chapter 06: Cullen Correspondence

“Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can’t, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.”

Robert Frost

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Life wandered on from this period,

the press cutting of her own, rather admirable demise arrived a few weeks later. Sitting in a large parlor Lady Isabella opened a set of two letters Jane brought her. Offering a gentle smile in return of thanks as along with her mail, the thoughtful women had also placed a pot of tea and a plate of delightful looking tarts at her elbow. Touched by this consideration she spoke quietly. Setting her letters aside even as they beckoned her from their open envelopes.

“Oh Jane, thank you my dear, for your kindness these last few days. I could not let this fresh instance pass without recommendation.”

Curtsying as always the blond allowed one corner of her lower lip to curve into something of a smile. visible for only a moment before her expression of cool business like aplomb resumed its place.

“You are quite welcome as always My Lady, If I may be allowed to say so, for a mortal you are incredibly easy to look after”

Isabella laughed, the silvery giggle that Rosaline had always scorned at. Jane seemed pleased as she responded with twinkling dark eyes and a smile as light as it was bewitching.

“Perhaps it is so, though with all this pampering I fear I shall grow fat as a cream fed cat in your care, please convey my thanks to the cook or cooks as the case may be, they have indeed outdone themselves, then my dear, retire for a while I should not need anything for the next three hours or so, you have earned a break”

At Jane’s expression of pleasure Isabella shooed her gently from the room with the appropriate hand motions known the world over by mothers sending a young child from their arms to go play with friends at a park for the first time. In a moment she was alone, happy to pour a cup of tea adding the usual teaspoon of sugar and cream and attend to the letters at last. Both were postmarked from Forks, Washington and Isabella felt a sense of creeping unease steal into her system as she flicked open the heavy parchment like stationary.

Bella,

I have done as you requested, here is the clipping to prove it.

What the pictures don’t say will tell you the mess you left us to clean up. To say it was anything else would be a disservice to both myself and my family. Charlie took it hardest of all. Between your ” demise” and the worsening relations with the wolves we are being forced to leave Washington. One of the mongrels, Black I think hasn’t stopped his howling since the news broke. We did well that should please you. Sending your truck out onto an icy road at great speed and, as you’ll read giving you the honor of a notable death. If this be the last we hear from you then so be it. I hope your new life is worth everything you gave up.

Regards,

Alice Cullen

Short and to the point the missive all but dripped with the pixie’s venom. Bitter anger reaching out to bite her with every pen stroke in a wound she couldn’t feel.

Only a single water spot suddenly falling onto the parchment gave her any realization of her tears. Almost in the same moment a pair of cool arms closed about her from behind. gently taking the letter from her shaking hands, the gory pictures all she could take at the moment. They had indeed as Alice had written done well. Mangled beyond recognition even her eyes barely recognised the old truck as it was being fished from the river. The broken guardrail and bad break marks on the snowy pavement finishing the tale without the written words.

“Meus eternus diligo”

She knew not at what point he had lifted her from the chair nor when he had borne her through the hallways all she suddenly became aware of was the fact they were in his music room once more and she was being tenderly cradled in arms that held her as if she was the most precious gift a man could ever be given. She wept without feeling the agony behind it staining his white shirt with the moisture. yet the tears themselves where a sign of great progress.

Gentle fingers whispered through her hair as she calmed. The familiar crackling of his fireplace completing the soothing picture and did wonder to settle her once more. As her breathing once again leveled she shifted enough to accept the handkerchief he offered. Surprised and touched when he shook his head gently wiping away the drop himself with the edge of the cloth. task completed she further shifted to look him in the eyes only too well aware she was still sitting in his lap.

“How did you know?”

A corner of his mouth curved for only a moment as she found herself gently set in the chair next to him. Proprietary apparently even now having its say now that her immediate distress had abated. He retained only her hand which he cradled gently within his own while his crimson eyes only now flicked over the massive noble brows creeping together in what Isabella could only call a dangerous fashion as he finished it.

“It seems Miss Cullen does not regard your choice with favor, am I correct?”

“you are, she regards it to be entirely my fault her brother met his end, along with the bitter statement your brother mentioned in your last conversation”

There was no doubt of it, his expression had darkened further, crimson eyes flashing like an omen of death as he spoke and she was very glad to have his ire directed at another.

“Are you referring to the opinion that you did not love her brother?”

Isabella had lifted a cup of tea from a tray and was taking a deep sip of the soothing warmth. Wondering for a moment where his question was headed.

“Indeed those were her words”

A rumble sounded suddenly from his chest as he released her suddenly.

“She had no right to speak so, to you, the one I have waited and longed for. It was any wonder you nearly went mad after that, that boy left you to die in those woods”

The rest of his ire she did not catch it being in a tongue that she did not understand, his brothers however did, Aro stood leaning against one wall apparently impressed by the mild mannered tirade his brother was throwing. To Isabella it had all the appearance of a well contained fit of jealous rage… the realization striking her like a slap across one cheek his motivations suddenly becoming clear.

He was angry at his own failure to protect her from such treatment!

That was the entire motivating force of his anger. In due time however it seemed to give out. As he had finally run out of damaging comments to make about the Cullen coven and indeed known langauges to say them in and he turned to face them once more kneeling before her and placing a hand on either side of her face. Inhaling deeply Isabella thought more from memory then desire for oxygen.

“Pardon me, Lady Isabella, I have frightened you?”

Caught tongue tied Isabella had no idea how to respond, how indeed could she when she had no means to voice the words? She was moved and touched by his rage on her behalf.

With the Cullen family it had always seemed to be her fault when something went wrong, her ill fated birthday party to take one instance and her coming to meet them the first time without knowing she need not have eaten first. Thus causing them distress and problems after all the effort they took to make something for her. It was Aro who bridged the gap, resting his cool hand on the top of her head a moment and then placing the other on Marcus’s. Comprehension dawned almost at once in those crimson eyes of his and at once the deep rumbling purr she had heard in her dreams manifested causing the pleasant vibration to travel up his arm as he released her only to pull her into a gentle embrace. “Isabella, you aren’t to blame, none of what happened was of your doing little one”

the words came from Aro, who had rested his hand on her head fondly and stroked her hair gently rather like one would the family feline and this oddly made her smile. If the Volturi said she had no fault in her current situation then who was she to argue?

Yet held as she was by one brother and comforted by the other, she felt the first stirrings of freedom she’d felt since that horrible night she had been left in the darkening forest, wet through with rain and numb with her distress. It was a wonderful feeling as the pressure of guilt lifted from her shoulders.

“Look back Isabella, from the first day you met the Cullens it has been their doing that lead you into danger, Edward chose to stay in your class, tempting fate with every moment of your company. Foolishly betraying our most sacred vow merely to frighten you away from any source of protection or cover… he caused damage to a very old forest without a care and then did worse still, do you not see Little sister?”

“I think so, Aro yes, it feels so very odd, to be free of it at last”

A rumbling chuckle escaped Caius who leaned quietly against the sofa, his elegant posturing declaring he was already bored of this mini emotional drama playing out in front of him. As she calmed or at least her body posture did so again did Marcus, setting her gently back in her chair and resuming his own without comment, even so the pleasant rumbles of his purr made her feel safe. Protected and valued.

“Good, now Isabella I think its lunch time, come, I think some soup would do you good”

She looked at the blond in wonder, this ruthless warrior was offering, to cook for her? Marcus gave her a gentle nudge with his foot eyes twinkling.

“Go dear one, when he offers it is in your best interest to accept, no one has mastered soup like our resident death bringer”

Smiling gently she rose, surprised to find her stomach already voicing its opinion as she followed him from the room, their pace slow and easy as he reached the kitchen. Though indeed with enough cookery to feed an entire army of a nation. He however flitted here and there a musical rumble sounding from his lips as he gathered ingredients. Eyeing her now and again as indeed most great cooks will as if getting a sense of their audience, what she liked. Before she knew it, a soup pot was bubbling away in one corner, filling the room with the most lovely scents.

She caught, beef broth, butter and onion and her mouth began watering. How on earth he knew she adored French Onion was a mystery. The oven stood ready, two golden pieces of dried bread ready to take their place on top and a selection of cheese to make any mouse tempt fate, waited for its place in the mix. Pleasant music filled the room and when he stopped moving all was ready. She wasn’t the only watcher. Jane stood a little ways off crimson eyes drinking in the dancer like movements with what Bella secretly thought to be admiration.

Jane it seemed had a crush.

Knowing this was indeed not any of her business as she happily dug into the soup when he offered her a spoonful of the soup to try, Closing her eyes as it flowed down her throat she savored all the wonderful undertones and opened her eyes again.

“Wow! Caius I have never tasted so wonderful a recipe”

He chuckled gently and ladled up a bowl Pushing it toward her with the slight curl of his lip as a pen whispered across a leaf of paper which he folded and handed her the written directions other cooks would have given their best knife set for.

“Welcome to the family Isabella”