The Life of Emery Paige

Birthday Party Gone Wrong

When Bella and Edward came in, we were all waiting in the huge white living room; everyone greeted her with a loud chorus of "Happy birthday, Bella!" while she blushed and looked down. Alice had covered every flat surface with pink candles and dozens of crystal bowls filled with hundreds of roses. There was a table with a white cloth draped over it next to Edward's grand piano, holding a pink birthday cake, more roses, a stack of glass plates, and a small pile of silver-wrapped presents. Edward wrapped an encouraging arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head. Esme hugged her carefully and kissed her forehead, and then Carlisle put his arm around her shoulders. "Sorry about this, Bella, We couldn't rein Alice in." Esme said, "As if that were even possible." Emmett said "You haven't changed at all, I expected a perceptible difference, but here you are, red-faced just like always." she blushed deeper "Thanks a lot, Emmett," He laughed, "I have to step out for a second, Don't do anything funny while I'm gone." Alice smiled and skipped forward as Bella said "I'll try. Time to open presents," she towed Bella to the table who said, "Can't Em open hers first?" Alice said, "She did before you got here." Bella said, "Alice, I know I told you I didn't want anything..." Alice interrupted her "But I didn't listen, Open it." She took the camera from Bella's hands and replaced it with a big, square silver box. She tore the paper off and then stared at the box it concealed. It was something electrical, with lots of numbers in the name and when she opened it, the box was empty. Bella said, "Um... thanks." Rosalie actually cracked a smile. Jasper laughed. "It's stereo for your truck, Emmett's installing it right now so that you can't return it."

Bella said "Thanks, Jasper, Rosalie, Thanks, Emmett!" Alice said "Open mine and Edward's next," She held a small, flat square in her hand. Bella turned to give Edward a glare. "You promised." Before he could answer, Emmett bounded through the door. "Just in time!" he crowed. He pushed in behind Jasper who had also drifted closer than usual to get a good look. Edward defended himself "I didn't spend a dime," she took a breath before saying "Give it to me," Emmett chuckled with delight. She took the little package, rolling her eyes at Edward while she stuck her finger under the edge of the paper and jerked it under the tape. She muttered "Shoot," She pulled her finger out to examine the damage. A single drop of blood oozed from the tiny cut. It all happened very quickly then. Carlisle pulled me behind him as Edward roared "No!" He threw himself at Bella, flinging her back across the table. It fell, as she did, scattering the cake, the presents, the flowers, and the plates. She landed in the mess of shattered crystals. Jasper slammed into Edward, and the sound was like the crash of boulders in a rock slide. There was another noise, a grisly snarling that seemed to be coming from deep in Jasper's chest. Jasper tried to shove past Edward, snapping his teeth just inches from Edward's face. Emmett grabbed Jasper from behind in the next second, locking him into his massive steel grip, but Jasper struggled on, his wild, empty eyes focused only on Bella.

She'd tumbled down to the floor by the piano, with her arms thrown out instinctively to catch her fall, into the jagged shards of glass. Carlisle was the only one who stayed calm. Centuries of experience in the emergency room were evident in his quiet, authoritative voice. "Emmett, Rose, get Jasper outside." Unsmiling for once, Emmett nodded. "Come on, Jasper." Jasper struggled against Emmett's unbreakable grip, twisting around, reaching toward his brother with his bared teeth, his eyes still past reason. Edward's face was whiter than bone as he wheeled to crouch over Bella, taking a clearly defensive position. A low warning growl slid from between his clenched teeth. Rosalie, her divine face strangely smug, stepped in front of Jasper, keeping a careful distance from his teeth, and helped Emmett wrestle him through the glass door that Esme held open, one hand pressed over her mouth and nose. Esme's heart-shaped face was ashamed. "I'm so sorry, Bella," Carlisle who wasn't taking a hand off my arm pulled me with him as he went to Bella "Let me by, Edward," A second passed, and then Edward nodded slowly and relaxed his stance. Carlisle knelt beside her, leaning close to examine her arm. He hesitated before letting go of my hand, Alice brought a towel "Here, Carlisle," He shook his head. "Too much glass in the wound." He reached over and ripped a long, thin scrap from the bottom of the white tablecloth. He twisted it around her arm above the elbow to form a tourniquet.

The smell of the blood was making me dizzy which means it was also making Bella dizzy. Carlisle said "Bella, Do you want me to drive you to the hospital, or would you like me to take care of it here?" she whispered, "Here, please, someone catch Emery." Carlisle said, "What do you mean catch her?" I was about to faint so I repeated her command "Catch me." and I collapsed, Carlisle quickly pulled me into his arms before I could hit the ground, and my eyes closed. I woke up hearing Carlisle's voice "I'm sure all this sounds a little bizarre, coming from a vampire. But I'm hoping that there is still a point to this life, even for us. It's a long shot, I'll admit, By all accounts, we're damned regardless. But I hope, maybe foolishly, that we'll get some measure of credit for trying." Bella said "I don't think that's foolish, Have you told Em? Because she wouldn't agree with your thinking. And I don't think anyone else would, either." he said "Actually, you're the very first one to agree with me. And I have not told her about my history, I have already overwhelmed her with a lot in the past few months, I don't want to add any more stress to her." Bella said "You care for my sister? Don't you?" he said, "It may be hard for you to understand but I love her." Bella said "But I thought you were with Esme?" he said, "Yeah that's the story, just not reality."

Bella said "The rest of them don't feel the same?" he said "Edward's with me up to a point. God and heaven exist... and so does hell. But he doesn't believe there is an afterlife for our kind." I sat up gently as Carlisle stared out the big window into the darkness "You see, he thinks we've lost our souls." Bella said "That's the real problem, isn't it? That's why he's being so difficult about me." Carlisle spoke slowly. "I look at my... son. His strength, his goodness, the brightness that shines out of him and it only fuels that hope, that faith, more than ever. How could there not be more for one such as Edward? But if I believed as he does... If you believed as he did. Could you take away his soul?" she was silent for a moment so he said, "You see the problem." She shook her head, aware of the stubborn set of her chin. Carlisle sighed. She said "It's my choice," Carlisle said "It's his, too. Whether he is responsible for doing that to you." She said, "He's not the only one able to do it."

Carlisle laughed "Oh, no! You're going to have to work this out with him. That's the one part I can never be sure of. I think, in most other ways, that I've done the best I could with what I had to work with. But was it right to doom the others to this life? I can't decide." Bella said, "Would you ever change Emery?" He sighed "I don't know, on one hand, I want to so I can guarantee nothing will happen to her. She'll always be safe, but on the other hand, she changes the subject when anyone brings it up. She'd have to tell me that's what she wanted. As much as I want to change her, so I know I'd have her forever I would never do it if she didn't want it." I finally spoke "You've never actually asked me." he spun around and breathed a sigh of relief then kneeled in front of me "I'm so glad you're ok, what the hell happened?" I said "Didn't Bella tell you?" from his silence, I took it as a no and said "I can't stand the smell of blood, it smells like iron and makes me so sick I faint. Bella is the same just not as bad as me." He said, "I need to get her to bed, and should probably get you home too." Edward came in "I'll take her." 

Carlisle lifted me up bridal style because when I stood I wobbled and he carried me to my new house. He laid me in bed and went to leave but I caught his hand "Carlisle, can I ask you one more thing?" he said "You can ask me anything." I said "You're not gonna leave me right?" he sat next to me "Why would you think that?" I said "Because of what just happened." he said, "Emery I will never leave you, ever." I said "Can you lay with me?" he laid in bed with me and I laid my head on his chest and fell asleep to the sound of his calm breathing.