Gifted

Chapter 19: Edward

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, yada yada yada. I'm absolutely addicted to your reviews. Thank you!

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When Bella heard the news that Edward was on his way home, she was at first cautiously optimistic. With kids like Jasper, Emmett, Alice, and Rosalie, and with parents like Carlisle and Esme...Edward was most likely a great guy in his own right. Except as the days wore on and his arrival date creeped closer, Bella's optimism turned to worry, and then panic. The rest of the Cullens were...acting really strangely. She couldn't understand the dark looks that would cross over Rosalie's or Emmett's faces when Edward's name came up. And she definitely couldn't understand the apprehensive looks all of them kept giving her as his arrival loomed closer. What was going on?

She knew very little about the boy except for the nuggets of information she had gleaned over the weeks. Edward generally kept to himself, but was very thoughtful and could read people very well. He had been with cousins in Alaska since spring break-had left for Denali right before Bella arrived in Forks in fact. That was all she knew. Oh, and he was very protective of his piano, she thought as she rolled her eyes.

A couple of weeks ago, she was having the time of her life exploring the Cullens' library with Carlisle and Jasper, admiring Carlisle's old paintings and itching to get her hands on some of those extremely rare books that Carlisle had collected. Carlisle was a generous host and, knowing Bella would appreciate it far more than most, granted her complete access to his collection. Much to his and Jasper's delight (and Emmett's and Alice's annoyance) Bella took him up on his offer and started to work her way through the extensive collection.

One day, after taking a necessary bathroom back, she walked past the open door of their music room. Her breath had caught in her chest as she looked longingly at the beautiful piano in the middle of the room. Playing the piano was one of the few luxuries Bella allowed herself during her long exile. Most libraries she visited had one somewhere, and aside from reading she'd often play. She had taken lessons as a child, but after her photographic memory took hold she threw herself into mastering the piano with fervor. In the beginning, when her emotions were much more volatile and she tended to have more accidents, concentrating on playing the notes was the only thing that could calm the tempest inside her. As she got older and learned to control the beast, she'd often use the gentle music she had stored in her mind to pass the time on the many lonely days and nights. She didn't even need a piano anymore-all she had to do was close her eyes and she could perfectly visualize the keys in front of her and the exact pitch and harmony of each measure.

But when she saw the piano in the Cullens' house, it had been nearly four months since she'd actually played, and Bella was suddenly overcome with the urge to do so. She was just about to sit down when Alice appeared beside her and hurriedly explained that Edward forbade anyone from touching the piano, and that it really wasn't a good idea to do so even in his absence...basically forbidding her from entering the room. Bella had no way of knowing that it was her scent Alice was concerned about-that for Edward's sake they didn't want her scent overwhelming the one room in the house that contained Edward's passion. Not knowing any of this, Bella was rather irked. Their high school didn't have music classes, and the local library was a little too small to be able to afford such a luxury. So, Bella gave Edward's piano one final, sad look and left the room.

She thought of that memory, and of all the small things she knew about Edward as Rosalie's car zoomed down the highway from her house to theirs. It was Saturday morning, and Rosalie had picked her up as she sometimes did to hang out with their family for the day. She and Emmett were taking her to Port Angeles, but first they'd make a stop at their house to pick Emmett up and gather a few things...and there, Bella would say hello to Edward.