marie cullen had come a long way since becoming a vampire in 1801. a hundred years spent with the volturi in italy, a whirlwind romance that ended fatally in paris, a decade of partying and opulence in 1920's new york.
though, by 2005, marie had ret...
"You look troubled, honey." Esme observed, tucking a bit of Marie's hair behind her ear. "What's wrong?" Marie sighed, turning to look at Esme.
"It's this whole...situation." Marie frowned. "It's worrying me."
"What about it worries you?" Esme asked.
"I..." Marie hesitated. "I love Edward, and if he believes that he could be around her then I'll support him I just..." She felt bad saying what she was, but she couldn't help it. Edward wasn't exactly known for his perfect self control. But again, who was she to judge? "I don't want him to make the mistakes I made."
"I think that's understandable, Marie." Esme's hand stroked Marie's arm comfortingly. "What happened to you was traumatic, of course. It's only natural you'd worry for Edward."
"It's...it's less that I'm worried for him and...and more worried for her." Marie cringed at her own words. "I'm horrible for thinking it, worse for saying it, but it's true. I-I tried with Augustine, I tried so hard with her. And it worked for eight years, we were able to live together. But it was one mistake on my part, one tiny thing, and her life was over. I...I've still not forgiven myself. I can't. But I can keep living. Tell me, honestly, do you think Edward would be able to live with himself if something happened?" Esme had nothing to say. Marie was right, of course she was right. Esme found that to be the case more often than not. "And I know he says they're not speaking, and he'll stay away from her, but I said the same of Augustine at first.
"I spent long avoiding her, being utterly rude but it was to try and protect her." A light smile passed Marie's lips. "Of course, she never gave up. And eventually, I gave in."
"And you shared eight years together." Esme reminded.
"And then I killed her." Marie retorted. "Edward hasn't given in, but he will. He thinks he won't, but he will, I know he will and I...I don't know if I can stay when he does. I-I want to be here for him, to support him, but I don't want his happiness ruined by the memories he'd see and hear in my mind."
"I don't want you to leave, Marie." Esme frowned. "Don't leave."
"I don't want to either, but I don't want to make things harder for Edward than they already are." Marie stopped herself as she heard the car screech onto the driveway. Esme stood up, going towards the front door so she could meet the others as they got home. Marie heard them all shuffling inside, unsurprisingly not hearing Edward. She had only just turned her attention towards the tv when Alice appeared at her side, Jasper looking behind the couch silently like always.
"Edward didn't go for a run." Alice spoke quickly. "He went the opposite direction, towards Oregon."
"Hmm." Marie hummed. "Is he okay? Did anything happen today?"
"Not that I can think of." Alice shook her head. "He didn't say anything, but he didn't seem particularly on edge either." It was obvious Alice wanted Marie to go after him. Alice tended to make her intentions incredibly clear without speaking a word.
"Okay. I'll go find him." Marie relented, leaving Alice and Jasper in the living room. She slipped past Esme, catching Edward's scent just past the car. Sure enough, he was headed South instead of Northeast. Marie began running through the forest, trying her best to put her mind off of her and Esme's conversation. It wasn't hard, as her worry for Edward soon consumed her mind. If Alice hadn't seen anything happen, then that meant that Bella was more likely than not still alive, but it didn't explain Edward's behavior. Marie found him after ten minutes of following his scent, feeding on a freshly killed pair of deer.
"I thought we weren't feeding until tomorrow." Marie's voice was light as to not startle Edward, though he'd heard her thoughts for about two minutes before she'd come across him. "And it's unlike you to eat so close to home."
"That's when you're all scheduled." He simply answered. Marie carefully sunk down to her knees next to Edward on the mossy forest floor. She didn't have to speak before he answered. "We talked today. Quite a bit, actually. And I...we made plans, too."
"What?" Marie sat back, surprised.
"Yesterday, she kept telling the boys who were asking her to the upcoming dance that she had a trip to Seattle scheduled on the same day." He explained, the giddy excitement in his voice unfamiliar to Marie. She'd known Edward a long time, and they shared quite a few happy memories, but she'd never heard him sound so happy. "Today, I asked if she'd like a ride to Seattle. And she said yes. So, we're going to Seattle together in a few weeks."
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