His Heartbreak, Her Daughter

I stayed at the Cullens that night, The girls once again dressed me up, only for nighttime this time with an olden styled nightgown with the lace and satin and they put curlers in my hair. I thought they would be uncomfortable, but I barely noticed them at all the pillows were so melt your head into comfortable.
Alice and Rosalie then tried to get me into a little girl talk, all night, but in the end Carlisle gave his personal doctor opinion that a young girl, such as I, needed a lot of sleep to help me grow and stuff. Plus Edward told them straight out being watched as I slept really freaked me out. They and Jasper apparently also had to catch some dinner; it was what the others had been doing when I had been… attacked. I was sure that they had been told of my damsel in distress moment but were kind enough not to speak about it. Although you could tell in Esme’s eyes the concern for my safety, she reminded me so much of my own mother…
I was in Rosalie’s bed and really, it was the most comfortable thing in the world, I was asleep in minutes. The only problem was sleeping soundly.
For the first time since this all started, I had a nightmare. I dreamt of those sleazy vamps chasing me, of them stealing away my family and keeping them away. I saw that vampire from today being ripped apart again and again… I didn’t like him, I had no sympathy for he but I’d seen the look on his face, the pain at being torn apart- It was haunting. And then I’d watched Alice and Jasper burn the remains, a thick purple smoke rose from his ashes and the smell was strange. Today would haunt me forever.
My dream was like a montage of all horrible things, sometimes the images raced past too quickly for me to truly grasp. My uncles losing fights to vampires, The Cullens being on the wrong side of a ripping a vampire apart attack, The large wolf that was my cousin Sean yelping in agony as I searched in the night for him, just as I went to find my father, My mother ran away too, I chased after her as she screamed for Victoria to take her instead, my brothers hanging over a cliff across a ravine, the lightening rumbling as they screamed for help and I couldn’t save anyone, they were all always too far out of my grasp until the very ground beneath me collapsed and I fell into darkness, unable to save anyone, I stared at the moon as a last sight.
“Aly!” A voice from the darkness called softly on the wind and my eyes opened, it was still dark but the moon still shone before me.
Oh, wait- It was just Edward. We really needed to get some colour back into those cheeks.
“Edward…” I grabbed a hold of reality, looking around I was now on the floor sitting so close to Edward I could count his eye lashes. “What are you doing in my bedroom?” I asked groggily.
“You were tossing in your sleep. I thought it would be best to rescue you from your dreams.” He answered, “And you’re in Rosalie’s room… remember?”
“More like nightmares,” I looked around, remembering that I was in fact still at the Cullens. My cheeks felt cold, wet, I touched them and saw it was tears. All the images from my dreams came flooding back and I had to shut my eyes, just to try and stop the tears. I told myself I was being stupid, that they were all just dreams… But they could also be very true. All the bad nasty things could still really happen here in the world outside my imagination.
“You aren’t stupid,” Edward said quietly and my head turned to him.
“What?” I asked, sniffing going to wipe away the tears again but he took my hands.
“You are just worried about your family, It’s only natural to feel overwhelmed. You shouldn’t keep it all inside like that, you’ll only be torturing yourself.”
“This coming from Mr. open book?” I sniffled again.
He smiled without happiness, “Trust me, I know more about this than anyone you will ever meet.”
“I’ll open up if you will.” I said though I really didn’t want to, I had never liked being so open about my fears, I never like talking about being sad because it always made me sadder, I just liked to wear a smile and get through the day, be there for others but never ask to burden themselves for me.
He shook his head and looked away, “You are so much like Bella…” He murmured.
“You say that a lot.” I said, not entirely sure if I was happy with this constant comparison. A burning question began to form in my head.
“Don’t.” He looked to me again with golden pleading eyes.
“What?” I asked though I knew exactly what.
“Don’t ask me about her.”
I took back my hands, crossing them across my chest, “Why not? You said yourself talking about these things are better than letting them eat you up inside.”
“I just don’t think it is an appropriate subject.”
“Hm… My mother’s old vampire boyfriend frozen forever as a teenager telling me why he’s still hung up on her-”
“I am not still hung up on her!” He said defensively, speaking louder than he had all night.
I didn’t even blink at his outburst, “Oh ya, you can really tell she doesn’t mean a thing to you anymore.”
“Oh, is that sarcasm you’re using against me? You’re so clever-” He began sarcastically himself and then stopped, and pinched the bridge of his nose.
I bit back the laughter but the smile still remained, Now who was being silly? But in the moonlight I saw him all tensed and depressed; there was no other word for it. He was miserable.
“I am not miserable.” He grumbled dropping his hand, crossing them tightly.
And he isn’t reading my mind at all either. I didn’t even roll my eyes, just stared at him. He wasn’t looking at me but I was really looking at him. It’s so smack in the face obvious he isn’t a real teenage boy… I really couldn’t understand how the Cullen children could fit in so well, the way they carried themselves, the way they talked and just lived. If I didn’t already know the truth, I think I would play detective with them.
“That’s what got Bella mixed up with us.” Edward said.
“Sticking her nose into your business?”
He nodded, “She just couldn’t overlook us like the others. Well, she couldn’t just ogle over us like the others. The pretty packages we’re given usually keep the humans really occupied but not her. She went against that and question us with every fiber of our being.”
“Like mother like daughter I guess.” I said with a sigh.
“I guess,” He agreed and we sat there a minute and then he said, “Don’t you think you would feel better if you opened up? You’re nightmare would reveal a restless mind.”
“Okay, No talking about what I dream about- Blurt out anything I think that may shock you if you must but if you just so happen to catch what I dream about- You keep it to yourself.” I ordered, not joking at all.
He looked back seriously, “I just think you should say it aloud.”
“What- Admit that I’m afraid? Admit that I hate my life right now? That this is the scariest, most worse thing that could ever happen to me and all I want to do is run away and leave it all behind- But I can’t because I think everyone is going to get themselves killed? And I love spending time here but every minute I secretly loath it because there’s a chance I may just wolf out one day and that would really admit to accepting this life when I don’t want to and have no chance at going back to normality?”
He didn’t look anything like I thought he would after I spilt my guts, though I suppose I should have expected the stone like expression.
All he said was, “Exactly.”
A laugh escaped past my lips in disbelief, that’s all he has to say? The next second I’m crying and curled against his chest, soaking his shirt with tears and trembling, partly because of the sobs and somewhat because he really is cold. But I don’t care, I needed comfort. Today had been harsh and that dream had been harsher.
I’m sure that’s why he wrapped his arms around me, knowing I needed human contact, He also pulled off the comforter and pulled it around me though it did close to nothing. He rubbed my back as my hair was still in those stupid curlers and hummed softly, a tune that reminded me of being an infant. I don’t know why but it did and it gave me great comfort, making me think of my mom back in the days when I thought she could always protect me, she would be able to beat the monster in my closet and save the day. Now I knew better.
I don’t know how long I sat like that but eventually the tears stopped, my moans from sobbing quit, and I stopped shaking completely. But I stayed in his arms, comfortable and safe.
“It use to be so easy… Burying my feelings deep inside and never letting them get to me.” I said after a few more moments.
“Growing up is never easy.” He answered.
“Bleck, Now you sound like mom.” I smiled despite it all and with his cheek resting on the top of my head I was sure I could feel him smile. Though I’m sure it was a bitter smile as was before.
“She’s a smart young thing.” He said finally.
I shrugged, “Yeah… She’s a good mom. And dad is a good dad. They’re so good together.” I lifted my head and looked at his indifferent expression, “Oh, crap I am sorry. That is probably the last thing you would ever want to hear-”
“Don’t apologize Aly.” He seemed to have to force himself to say this, and force himself even farther to say the next part, “They are good together.”
I wrapped the blanket tighter around me not looking in his face, “You don’t have to lie…”
“I’m not. They are. I’ve had to accept this. I don’t like it, but it’s just something I have to live with. No matter how much I don’t want to.”
“She must had meant a lot to you for you to come back and protect the people made by the very man you hate the most.”
He wasn’t looking at me again, “I think you should get back to sleep. There’s still a few hours left before Alice will return to play Barbie again.”
“Wonderful.” I muttered though I didn’t all together mind, it was nice to not have to worry about looking good because Alice was like a prep department all together. I looked back to Edward, “Once all of this is over do you think life will go back to normal?”
“For you… I hope so.”
“And what about you and the others? Are you going to leave?”
“There’s nothing much to keep us here. We weren’t planning on being here this long in the beginning anyway.” He attempted to joke then, “Besides, I thought you didn’t want us around.”
I frowned, “I didn’t mean it like that-”
“I know.” He brought his hand up to my cheek and his fingers barely touched me before he knew what he was doing and his hand fell along with his smile. The next second he was up. “As I said, I think you should sleep now.”
I could fight him over this but truth was I was tired so I got up, he had put out his hand to help me up but I ignored it climbing onto the bed. Mostly cause I was already up not out of rudeness.
“I’ll see you in the morning I guess.” I pulled on the covers and looked at him.
He stood by the door, “Yes, The others are looking up breakfast recipes as we speak.”
“Sounds great.” I lied back into the mountain of pillows.
He stood there awkwardly a moment, I don’t know why, I wasn’t thinking anything interesting to keep him there. Maybe he thought I just looked funny in the curlers, I know Emmett had thought so.
“Goodnight Aly.” He said sooner than I expected and shut the door before I could respond back.