Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Still Waters

By SkyDancingHobbit

Chapter 02: Still Waters Run Deep

I do a good job of blocking painful, unnecessary things from my memory.

Bella Swan, Twilight, Chapter 1, p.6

---

Waking slowly Bella had no idea where she was, yet oddly this did not upset her. Turning rather groggily she blinked at an alarm clock that sat on an elegant black wrought iron table. Finding it to be no help at all she sat up carefully, aware now of the pale moonlight streaming in through the high windows. Running an eye over her accommodations, she had to admit reluctantly they suited her tastes, done in black and earth tones it was the epitome of simple elegance.

Simple elegance. The rather unique phrase brought everything rushing back; her flight, the panic attacks, the drive through the countryside, and then finally the clock tower.

Rising from the four poster bed Bella made her way carefully across the polished deeply grained wood floor to look at herself in the mirror; a frown twisting her normally plain features. The supposed love of her life had just been reduced to a pile of dust in front of her eyes and she could muster no feelings for him. Even her eyes, once so expressive now looked flat and dull lacking the least flicker of emotion. Only her heartbeat and a rumble of her stomach reassured her that indeed she was still among the living. Had the shock and events of the last few months finally taken their toll as she had wished?

Was she now the zombie of her nightmares?

She had no answers either way and so pushed the depressing thoughts from her mind with the ease of long practice; showered and dressed in one of the outfits she found hanging in the closet. Though small mini store would have been closer to the truth. As she pulled on a pair of suede boots something else triggered in her memory, a vampire, unlike anything she had ever seen before in all her years. His eyes alone were worthy of praise and sonnets.

Such a combination of loss, longing, and hope was beyond the depth of human language to describe. Had she been honest, there had been one shadow on the event, the presence of his brothers. One looking as likely to eat her as well as looks at her, the other king she considered him to be unstable at best and completely out of his mind at worst.

Intriguing combination even for an immortal she mused, swiftly deciding to avoid him whenever possible there was something dark and dangerous in Aro Volturi that she did not like at all.

Passing a brush through her hair with practiced skill, she was amazed to see the difference a good piece of hair grooming equipment could make. Her normally fluffy frizzy hair now fell in shining waves to her shoulders, the layers she had recently put in setting off her eyes in a way Bella had never noticed before. Setting it down she rose from the vanity and made her way to the door pausing to gather her courage, for who knew what might lurk outside these walls, she was after all not in America anymore. How immortals acted here was an utter mystery to her.

Shaking her head she opened the door and cautiously peeked around the corner. It was completely deserted A good sign perhaps, they had allowed her to get used to this strange new place before appearing or, perhaps all the immortals had other things to occupy their mind. Passing along the corridor she was suddenly aware of a soft strain of music that caught her ear and drew her through the maze of passageways as if she’d lived here all her existence rather than just a few hours. Coming to a stop she found herself standing outside an ornately carved door, ivy and flowers lovingly inlaid into

its surface. Almost of its own will she raised a hand to touch the surface, wondering at the time such art must have taken to be etched into it, the door swung forward as if to allow her access. Faced with as literal a case of Pandora’s Box she had little time to ponder her options as a soft voice broke into her rather muddled thoughts. Its sweet lilting tones as soothing as a half remembered lullaby.

“Come in Isabella”

Growing up she had always hated her first name, now hearing it spoken so lovingly, caressed with the ancient accents of Greece she couldn’t understand why. Shaking her head she hesitated only a moment longer before crossing the threshold. The soft caress of fingers across violin strings never missing a beat as she entered. There he stood the immortal that had so captivated her. There was after all no other word for it. His back to her he stood looking out at a world draped in shadow bathed in the light of a near full moon, plucking almost mindlessly at the strings of what Bella highly suspected was an instrument most musicians would have given their left hand to touch let alone play.

“I am sorry. I did not mean to intrude”

Her voice sounded odd to her own ears, soft and almost submissive. After a moment’s thought she found it suited the moment, after all if one was crass enough to simply invade someone else’s living space, it paid to be polite particularly when the individual in question was a vampire king. He seemed pleased by her apology pausing long enough to allow one side of his lip to curve slightly before resuming the rather mournful aired.

“You are not intruding Cara, I would never have allowed you in had I thought it a possibility, your presence is soothing”

Soothing? While there had always been many descriptive words used in connection with her name, never before had she been labeled such. Boring and homely where most close to the mark. Some of her reaction must have been visible in the glass for he again paused this time setting aside the instrument entirely.

“You are surprised Isabella”

It wasn’t a question, more in the neighborhood of a statement with an underlying tone of sadness as he sat in one of the elegant high backed leather chairs gesturing for her to do the same. She rather hesitatingly obeyed; amazed at the soft contours of the chair having expected it to be like those ancient cracked exhibits found in most libraries.

“I am, forgive me but I don’t know how best to address you, as you know my name yet I cannot say the same”

Before she could blink he was out of his chair, had covered the distance between them and had taken her hand in his own; raised it to his lips and brushed her knuckles with what could only be described as a tender kiss. Startled and baffled she could hardly have been blamed for jumping, nor for the sudden acceleration in her heartbeat.

“Forgive me, an oversight I had forgotten, you may address me by my Christian name, Marcus, Isabella”

He seemed grieved by her reaction having not moved an inch with her motion; though the small hurt in her fingers told her that in her fright she had probably had injured one of them against the marble of his own. An unfortunate side effect of their differences. A soft sound escaped his lips nearly beyond the range of her hearing as he again raised her hand to his eyes drinking in the slightly abraised skin with something like distaste.

“Twice in one moment I must ask forgiveness, it has been quite a space of time since I have interacted in such a fashion with your kind, if you’ll allow me to make amends for this small hurt I shall be glad to do so”

Dazzled momentarily Bella could only nod wondering what on earth he had in mind. She could find no words and would not have broken the comfortable silence between them even if she’d been as silver tongued as the best author in the land. Having thus procured her approval, Marcus exhaled gently across the fragile skin covering it gently with his other for a moment before withdrawing them in silence as he returned to his chair from which point he rang a small hand bell and the table between them was at once laid with a pleasing repast. Hearty soup and the rich homemade bread his land was known for. Bella however was distracted by her hand which tingled most oddly now; the skin whole and unmarked as before and sufficed with warmth she found soothing.

“You must be hungry. Isabella, eat, I have already done so”

Obediently she picked up a spoon and dipped it into the bowl bringing in to her lips, she was surprised by the richness of the flavor. Stew would have been her label but she was in no mood to quarrel about names as she did justice to the meal. Even taking a slight sip of the wine more to be polite before switching to the jug of water that sat at her elbow. When concluded; again the bell was rung and the dishes gone before she could blink.

“You do not drink?”

He seemed surprised by this piece of information sitting there with his long elegant fingers steepled as if in thought as he watched her. Again he had noticed the slight change in her heartbeat, but said nothing in reference to it waiting in polite silence as she gathered her thoughts.

“No, I do not, sadly a family heart condition prevents me from enjoy the fruits of the grape in any other form then a preserve or a juice”

His elegant brows raised at her admission his expression shifting from one of genial interest to concern, as again she found him mere inches from her person two cool fingers pressing gently against the pulse point of her left wrist his touch no more than that of a butterfly had it chosen to rest there. Mystified Bella found her natural curiosity overriding her surprise as she spoke again this time without his prompting.

“What are you doing?”

He did not answer for a long moment lost in silence as she heard the ticking of a wall clock she realized what he was doing. Counting her heartbeats as one would precious pearls, at last when two minutes had elapsed he relaxed as if having found the information he sought and withdrew slowly opening his eyes.

“I was counting Isabella, your health is rather important and I am glad to know you are comfortable speaking thus in my presence” Better minds than her own would have been baffled by such a statement; it was indeed a long moment before she found her voice. Uttering the first question that came to mind in answer to such a companion.

“Why?”

“I beg your pardon?”

He had at some point slipped into thought it seemed and thus prompted; she had to find words to explain the single word, a most favorite question among those of mortal means.

“Why is my health important? I know of your world, at best I’m an object of curiosity, at worst I’m your next meal, the Cullen’s have explained at least that much to me in Washington, to know is a death sentence”

Again another sound escaped his time unheard by her only a slight movement in his Adams apple betrayed it at all as he ran a hand through those dark tresses of hair; showing off red highlights in the flickering light of the fireplace. Which she only now noticed, no doubt lit for her comfort.

“So you do not know then”

Her expression must have been enough for he suddenly left her in a blur, flying from the door before she had any notion he had moved leaving her looking after him with great interest. Nothing stimulated her curiosity like unanswered questions. This whole affair was rather like a puzzle only she was missing the final piece that would bring the picture into focus. Then he was back walking into the room in a very human fashion, trying not to startle her again.

“Miss Cullen has asked for you, what answer shall I send?”

At least here was a question that she understood and easily answered for, Alice was her best friend and if Bella knew anything she would need her in some fashion or other after suffering such a loss, so she rose from her seat crossing the room quietly.

“I’ll see her as soon as may be, I fear the Cullen family has suffered today and I should be a sensitive friend, or at least as much as I am currently able”

“Currently?”

Bella sighed deeply having no idea how best to phrase what had occurred and so settled for the first thing that popped into her head

“Ever since arriving here I have been numb emotionally. Nothing moves me, it’s been most distracting as according to your laws I should be feeling something after the loss of Edward”

His stony features soften for only a moment as he bent over her hand in a courtly gesture. It was however that that broke through the frozen surface of her emotions for a moment leaving her reeling.

“You feel nothing Isabella, for the simple reason that I cannot.”