It's Been a Lifetime Waiting

A week and a half passed, meaning it was a weekend and all the Cullens were home. Well, except Carlisle. Veronica had managed to get changed herself into a pair of loose jeans and a green jumper (they were lying on the end of her bed, she didn’t know where they came from), and she’d hopped over to her desk. She was bored lying in bed, so she’d decided to look through the photos she’d taken on the day of her accident.

She hadn’t sent them to her boss yet, although he understood why she hadn’t. She was just glad he was so lenient. Veronica turned on her camera, holding it lovingly as she flicked through her photos. She’d managed to follow the group of deer for roughly half an hour, so she’d got a wide range of photos, ranging from group shots, individual shots and even action shots of some of them jumping and leaping. With a grin she turned off her camera and placed it back on the desk. All she had to do now was ask to be driven into the small town to find an internet cafe so she could upload the pictures and send them in an email. Shouldn’t be too hard.

Then three knocks sounded on her door, and Veronica turned in the chair to face it.

“Come in!” she called

Alice opened the door, looking surprised that she was out of bed.

“How did you...?” Alice trailed off

“I hopped over here. Got bored,” Veronica laughed

“You’re a stubborn one, aren’t you? Carlisle told you to rest,” Alice giggled, walking over to the caramel haired girl

“I haven’t put any pressure on my leg at all, so technically I am resting it,” Veronica retorted playfully

Alice just laughed again.

“I see you found your clothes as well,” Alice smiled

“Where are they coming from? I know they don’t belong to anyone in this family. I’m too tall for the girls,” Veronica asked, raising an eyebrow

“Well...I went shopping,” Alice admitted

“You what? I’ve had a different set of clothes everyday! How much did you buy?!” Veronica exasperated

“That doesn’t matter,” Alice insisted

“It does! And what about all my clothes that were in my hotel room?” Veronica exasperated

Just over a week ago, Alice and Jasper had gone to Veronica’s hotel room in Anchorage to pick up the rest of her belongings, as she would be staying with them for at least another 3 weeks.

“They’re all here too. But, I mean it, it doesn’t matter! I wanted to buy them for you,” Alice pouted

“I don’t like accepting things from people I don’t know very well. No offence,” Veronica grumbled, apologising at the end

“The longer you stay, the more you’ll get to know us,” Alice said hopefully

“As soon as my leg is healed, I’m leaving. I’ve got to get back to work, Alice,” Veronica said bluntly

Alice just sighed. She knew she couldn’t push the subject any further, but she also knew that Veronica couldn’t leave. It could mess up everything if she did.

“Just remember that you can stay as long as you want to. There’s no time limit. You’re practically one of the family already,” Alice beamed

“Uh...okay?” Veronica said uneasily

It wasn’t that Alice made her uncomfortable. It was just she wasn’t used to so much kindness. She’d never been treated with so much generosity at all in her entire life, and she wasn’t sure that she’d get used to it any time soon. Then the door opened again, revealing Esme, who was holding a tray of food.

“I brought you some breakfast up. We already ate, and I was hoping I could give you breakfast in bed, but I guess I was too late,” Esme laughed

“I’m a stubborn one!” Veronica admitted, smiling

“Well we’ll leave you to eat this. When you’re done, call for someone and we’ll take you down to the living room. Us girls are going to have a girly day!” Esme said excitedly

Esme and Alice left before they could see the look of horror on Veronica’s face. A...girly day?!

*

Edward set Veronica down on the sofa, moving a stool under her cast to keep her leg propped up.

“Enjoy your day,” he whispered, winking at her as if he knew how much she wouldn’t

Veronica forced a smile on her face as he left her alone with the Cullen girls. Alice sat down next to her, Esme and Bella on the other sofa and Rosalie furthest away in an armchair.

“So, uh, a girly day?” Veronica said awkwardly

“Yup! We’re going to start with a movie marathon of all our favourite chick flics,” Alice grinned

Veronica mentally groaned. She hated chick flics with a passion, much preferring action of horror movies.

“Okay, how does The Notebook sound?” Esme smiled

“Great!” Veronica lied, smiling fakely

[5 hours later]

“You’re not really into this, are you?” Alice mused

“Uh, not exactly,” Veronica admitted

The second film was finishing now (a walk to remember), and Veronica had fallen asleep.

“What would you rather be watching?” Rosalie sneered

“Action or horror movies. Or Sports,” Veronica retorted, staring the blonde down

“You’d rather be watching sports?” Esme asked, surprised

“Yeah. NFL, NBA, NHL...the sports leagues? I grew up with my brother as my only friend – he treated me like a guy and I guess I’m just used to spending my time like a guy,” Veronica shrugged

“What do you mean, spending your time like a guy?” Bella frowned

“I spend pretty much all my time outdoors for my job. The National Geographic wants photos in all climates, so I climb mountains, sometimes even trees, and go hiking all the time. I hate being cooped up indoors,” Veronica sighed, scratching the back of her head

“Tell us more about you,” Alice grinned, tucking her legs up underneath her body as she turned to face the girl next to her

“Uh, what like?” Veronica asked, confused

“Anything and everything!” Alice giggled

“Um...okay? I’m from Boston, Massachusetts. I love rock music, especially from the 1950s. Johnny Cash is my idol. Fire fascinates me, ever since I was a little girl my brother and I would set fire to stuff just to watch the flames dance. I can’t stand shopping. I love eating, and I have a really fast metabolism so I rarely put on any weight. I had a 4.0 in high school before I dropped out. I’m an artist, although I focus on photography. And...uh...I can’t think of much else right now,” Veronica listed

“So you’re smart, huh?” Esme asked curiously

“Yeah, I guess. I read people really easily and I pick up on things quickly,” Veronica nodded

“Are you dating anyone?” Bella asked with an innocent smile

Veronica chose to ignore Rosalie’s scowl.

“No. I don’t have time for a man in my life,” Veronica replied with a shake of her head

“Why not? You’re only young,” Alice frowned

“Exactly. I want to focus on my career, not on being in a relationship,” Veronica smiled

“Have you ever had a relationship?” Alice asked curiously

“No,” Veronica shook her head

“Are you a lesbian or something?” Rosalie snickered

Before Esme could scold her, Veronica smirked.

“Why, are you offering?” Veronica shot back

The three brunette Cullens chuckled as Rosalie scowled. Veronica just smiled in triumph.

“No, I’m not a lesbian. I’ve been on dates with guys, but because I dropped out at 16 I never had the pressure of the hormones of guys. I’ve had my fair share of one night stands, but nothing serious,” Veronica said simply

“So what you’re saying is...you’ve never met the right guy,” Alice asked innocently

“I guess,” Veronica shrugged

Alice just grinned at her family. Veronica didn’t notice.

“So, I’m guessing it’s a no to a manicure?” Alice giggled

“A definite no,” Veronica nodded, smiling

Alice pouted dramatically, making Veronica laugh. Maybe her stay here wouldn’t be so bad after all.