The Promise
by Laura Spudzmom
Bella sat up in bed slowly, swinging her legs over and just sitting there for moments afterward, her mind still caught up in the vivid dream she’d had. It had felt so real to her and she had to admit, it was a welcomed reprieve from the nightmares that had been ever constant since HE had left.
She braced herself for the onslaught of pain that always accompanied any thoughts of HIM and realized, with not a little surprise, that it hadn’t come. She felt nothing. Nothing that is, in regard to HIM...to...Edward.
She gasped, eyes widening as she realized that she’d actually thought his name without pain and despair threatening to drown her. Perhaps she could now stand to say it aloud? There was only one way to know for certain…
Rising from her bed, she went to stand in front of her full length mirror, noting the hollow, haunted look that had claimed her features since his harsh departure. Another thing she noticed was the renewed spark of life in her eyes. She no longer looked so very defeated and it gave her hope for a full recovery of self. Perhaps she would get through this and be stronger for it, as cliche as that sounded.
Getting her thoughts back on track, she straightened her shoulders and faced her reflection with hope and determination. Her lips parted and she uttered the name that had held her captive to so much pain for too long now.
“Edward.”
It was just the barest whisper, but she’d done it...and without pain. She took a deep breath and tried again, louder this time.
“Edward.” Nothing. She felt nothing.
She allowed herself a tiny smile. It was a small triumph, but a triumph nonetheless. Again, her voice sounded, stronger and with more confidence.
“Edward Cullen.”
Her smile to herself was bright and genuine now and she nodded at her reflection. “Well done Bella. Leave him in the past, where he belongs.” She turned and began to ready herself for the day.
She stepped into the shower, allowing the warmth of the water to soothe her as her thoughts wandered back to the dream from the night before. It had been a wonder of a dream, with a tall, gorgeous man with sandy blond hair. She could have sworn that it was based in a completely different time period too. Sometime in the eighteen hundreds if she wasn’t mistaken.
It had played out like a movie in her head, from their first meeting, to eventually falling in love, to marriage and a beautiful baby boy with his daddy’s sandy hair and her brown eyes. The dream had been perfect, and comforting and full of a love that would last through the ages. Her heart ached just remembering it, but in the very best of ways and it put a smile on her face as she stepped out to dry and dress.
Making her way downstairs, she startled her Dad as she entered the kitchen.
The newspaper rattled as he straightened it, eyeing her cautiously. “Bells, I’m shocked to see you down here. You’ve been sleeping in lately.”
She sighed and turned to face him, leaning back against the counter. “Yeah, I know and I’m sorry about that. It just took me some time to come to grips with some stuff, ya know. But I think I’m okay now. I feel okay now, and I’m ready to get on with life.”
He nodded and looked down seeming to be lost in memories. “I know how that is Bells. It took me some time to get on with living when your mom left me.” He met her eyes. “I’m glad to see you pull out of it. It’s not a good place to be, but I understood that you needed time. It’s what I needed back then and I can’t imagine what would have happened had someone been pressuring me.”
She walked over and hugged him. “Thanks Dad. Your understanding and patience means the world to me and has made all the difference. I can only imagine the horror of going through something like this with Renee around.”
He chuckled. “She does have a tendency to hover.”
Bella sat down with some toast and orange juice. “Hover? I wish it was only hovering.” She shook her head as she chewed and swallowed. “No Dad, if she’d been here for this, I would probably be in a mental ward right now.”
She shivered and he smirked as he folded the paper. He rose and leaned down, placing a rare kiss on her head. “I love ya Bells. Welcome back. I gotta get to work. I’ll see you later?”
She smiled. “Yep, I’ll be here. Hey!” He turned back at the door, brows raised in silent question. “How about Grandma’s stroganoff for dinner?”
He grinned widely. “I’m never one to turn that down Bells, you know that. And hey, that reminds me, Renee sent you a box of stuff that her mother left for you in her will. I stuck it in the attic about a week ago. Didn’t figure you were in any shape to go through it. I’ll see you at about six.”
“Thanks Dad.” She heard the front door close and smiled to herself. She was blessed to have Charlie for a father. They were so alike that he just got her, no explanations needed. It was a relief after all her years with her flighty, juvenile mother.
She got up and did the few dishes in the sink, her mind wandering through random thoughts, mostly about her dream and the box that was waiting in the attic.
Her grandmother had been a very strange lady, to say the least. Not as harebrained as Renee, for sure, but still, very strange in her own hippy-mystic sort of way. She’d always had incense and candles burning the few times Bella remembered visiting her. They hadn’t been close because Renee couldn’t stand her mother for some reason. She’d refused to share the reason no matter how many times she’d asked through the years. It made her anxious to see what was in the box and a small thrill of excitement shot through her. Perhaps the answers to her questions were within it?
She braced herself for the onslaught of pain that always accompanied any thoughts of HIM and realized, with not a little surprise, that it hadn’t come. She felt nothing. Nothing that is, in regard to HIM...to...Edward.
She gasped, eyes widening as she realized that she’d actually thought his name without pain and despair threatening to drown her. Perhaps she could now stand to say it aloud? There was only one way to know for certain…
Rising from her bed, she went to stand in front of her full length mirror, noting the hollow, haunted look that had claimed her features since his harsh departure. Another thing she noticed was the renewed spark of life in her eyes. She no longer looked so very defeated and it gave her hope for a full recovery of self. Perhaps she would get through this and be stronger for it, as cliche as that sounded.
Getting her thoughts back on track, she straightened her shoulders and faced her reflection with hope and determination. Her lips parted and she uttered the name that had held her captive to so much pain for too long now.
“Edward.”
It was just the barest whisper, but she’d done it...and without pain. She took a deep breath and tried again, louder this time.
“Edward.” Nothing. She felt nothing.
She allowed herself a tiny smile. It was a small triumph, but a triumph nonetheless. Again, her voice sounded, stronger and with more confidence.
“Edward Cullen.”
Her smile to herself was bright and genuine now and she nodded at her reflection. “Well done Bella. Leave him in the past, where he belongs.” She turned and began to ready herself for the day.
She stepped into the shower, allowing the warmth of the water to soothe her as her thoughts wandered back to the dream from the night before. It had been a wonder of a dream, with a tall, gorgeous man with sandy blond hair. She could have sworn that it was based in a completely different time period too. Sometime in the eighteen hundreds if she wasn’t mistaken.
It had played out like a movie in her head, from their first meeting, to eventually falling in love, to marriage and a beautiful baby boy with his daddy’s sandy hair and her brown eyes. The dream had been perfect, and comforting and full of a love that would last through the ages. Her heart ached just remembering it, but in the very best of ways and it put a smile on her face as she stepped out to dry and dress.
Making her way downstairs, she startled her Dad as she entered the kitchen.
The newspaper rattled as he straightened it, eyeing her cautiously. “Bells, I’m shocked to see you down here. You’ve been sleeping in lately.”
She sighed and turned to face him, leaning back against the counter. “Yeah, I know and I’m sorry about that. It just took me some time to come to grips with some stuff, ya know. But I think I’m okay now. I feel okay now, and I’m ready to get on with life.”
He nodded and looked down seeming to be lost in memories. “I know how that is Bells. It took me some time to get on with living when your mom left me.” He met her eyes. “I’m glad to see you pull out of it. It’s not a good place to be, but I understood that you needed time. It’s what I needed back then and I can’t imagine what would have happened had someone been pressuring me.”
She walked over and hugged him. “Thanks Dad. Your understanding and patience means the world to me and has made all the difference. I can only imagine the horror of going through something like this with Renee around.”
He chuckled. “She does have a tendency to hover.”
Bella sat down with some toast and orange juice. “Hover? I wish it was only hovering.” She shook her head as she chewed and swallowed. “No Dad, if she’d been here for this, I would probably be in a mental ward right now.”
She shivered and he smirked as he folded the paper. He rose and leaned down, placing a rare kiss on her head. “I love ya Bells. Welcome back. I gotta get to work. I’ll see you later?”
She smiled. “Yep, I’ll be here. Hey!” He turned back at the door, brows raised in silent question. “How about Grandma’s stroganoff for dinner?”
He grinned widely. “I’m never one to turn that down Bells, you know that. And hey, that reminds me, Renee sent you a box of stuff that her mother left for you in her will. I stuck it in the attic about a week ago. Didn’t figure you were in any shape to go through it. I’ll see you at about six.”
“Thanks Dad.” She heard the front door close and smiled to herself. She was blessed to have Charlie for a father. They were so alike that he just got her, no explanations needed. It was a relief after all her years with her flighty, juvenile mother.
She got up and did the few dishes in the sink, her mind wandering through random thoughts, mostly about her dream and the box that was waiting in the attic.
Her grandmother had been a very strange lady, to say the least. Not as harebrained as Renee, for sure, but still, very strange in her own hippy-mystic sort of way. She’d always had incense and candles burning the few times Bella remembered visiting her. They hadn’t been close because Renee couldn’t stand her mother for some reason. She’d refused to share the reason no matter how many times she’d asked through the years. It made her anxious to see what was in the box and a small thrill of excitement shot through her. Perhaps the answers to her questions were within it?
DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.