Cursed With Beauty

X5

Edward gently lifted her into his arms, her head resting against his chest, his eyes never leaving her face. She was just so beautiful that it even amazed him. Rosalie didn't hold a candle light to how beautiful this human was.

"Annalise!" Bellas' voice is heard and so is her sobs.

Edward calmly makes his way around the minibus and into view with an unconscious Annalise Cullen. Everyone gasps in complete shock at the scene before them. Edward Cullen had saved Annalise Cullen from being made road kill, "Oh My God!" Bella cries, rushing forward, "She's breathing, right? She's not...dead, is she?" she cried, placing a hand on her cheek.

Edward shakes his head, "She's alive but I do need to get her to the hospital." he informs her.

Bella glances up and meets his gaze, "Thank you, for saving her life. I only met her today but I can already tell that she's going to be my best friend." she says.

Edward nods, "Edward, let's go!" Alice calls to him once she pulled the car up.

"I'll follow you," Bella says, rushing off to her car.

Edward didn't hesitate to climb into the back seat of his car with her in his arms, "Alice go!" he says.

And boy did she. She pressed her foot down on the accelerator and took off like a bullet, "Alice, I want her ALIVE when we get to the hospital, not wrapped around a tree!" he hissed.

"Hey, I want her alive and well too!" she spat, "You're not the only one worried about her."

Edward glances down into the face of the human Alice had a vision about seven years ago. She'd had a vision about a human coming to Forks and her being Edward's mate. And for seven years Edward has prepared himself for her arrival. He swore that he wouldn't give in, that he wouldn't allow himself to want her OR need her. Yet, here he is, in the back of his Volvo with her in his arms. All those years of preparing went to hell the moment she turned around in the front office. Physically seeing her, knowing that she existed, swelled his heart for the first time since his change,"She knows." He says as he gazed down at her.

Alice sighs,"I know. I heard."

"Edward, I'm sorry." Alice said suddenly.

"For what?"

"Not seeing this coming. I can't see her anymore.  Or at least not as often as I used to," Alice said. "When I try to search for her future, I come up blank. It's like they come when they want to." she complained.

"It's not your fault, Alice."

"I know but still. I wish I could have helped prevent this from happening."

Edward nodded his head.  He wished he could have stopped any of it from happening too.

"What are we going to do? I didn't expect her to find out so soon." He questions suddenly.

Alice shrugged,"I don't know but seeing as she didn't start screaming and hitting you I believe she will handle it very well." She says,"Or at least I hope she does."

Edward caressed her warm cheek,"I hope so." He says softly,"I don't know if I could take it if she hated me."

"She won't hate you, Edward." Alice says, glancing at him through the rearview mirror, "I don't have to be psychic to know that." 

"How can you be so sure?"

"She said vampire before she lost consciousness. She could have screamed, started hitting you, outed what we are to everyone. She had so many options that could result in us being hunted down like animals but she chose differently." she says softly, "She chose to keep quiet. I may not know her all too well but I have a feeling that Annalise Cullen isn't your typical teenage human. If she wanted to hurt us she would have."

"She fell unconscious before she could really say anything," Edward argued.

Alice sighs, "Why are you so hell bent on the worse happening? Can't you just be like any other normal vampire and accept the fact that she's not going to out us to anyone?" she groaned.

"Did you hear yourself? Normal? Alice, we're vampires...there is NOTHING normal about us." he says.

"So, I was right. You are all vampires." Annalise's voice filled the car.

Edward's gaze instantly fell onto her face. Her eyes were still closed but her breathing was leveled, back to normal, "Hey, how do you feel?" he questioned, forcing back the urge to caress her cheek.

"Like I was hit by a minibus." she says, "My head is pounding." she says, lifting a hand to her head.

"Annalise, I must apologize." he says, "This is my fault. I am to blame for your current situation." 

She slowly opened her eyes, meeting his with confusion written all over her face, "Edward, this isn't your fault, " she says, "You saved my life." she states.

"And yet here we are on the way to the hospital." he says, "I've brought harm to you and for that I am sorry." 

"You didn't do anything but save my life. It could have been worse," she says before taking a deep breath, "You could be standing over my unmoving corpse -"

Edward lets out a small but noticeable growl at the thought of her lying on the ground unresponsive, "Please, don't - don't say that." he says through clenched teeth, "I don't ever want to think of you anyway but alive."

Annalise held his gaze for a few seconds before shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath, "I will if you promise to stop mentally blaming yourself for what happened." she says.

Edward kept his gaze on her face, as she took breath after breath, and let out a sigh of his own, "You really want me to make that promise?" he asked.

She nods, "Yes, I do." she says, slowly opening her eyes, "I need you to promise me that you will let this go and move on."

"Why?"

"Why? Well, because I don't blame you for this, Edward. What happened was an accident. You saved my life. So what I suffered a small blow to the head, I'll live." she says softly.

"I wasn't supposed to hurt you." he scolds himself.

Annalise takes a deep breath and lets it out through her nose,"I was seconds away from being killed by that minibus. I could have died but I didn't because You SAVE my LIFE. You risked you and your family's secret to save my life." she says, "Can you not see that no matter what damage was caused now is nothing compared to what the damage could have been? It could have been worse." she says.

"Anna -"

"Edward, let it go. I don't blame you and neither should you."

"She's right, Edward. Stop blaming yourself." Alice says suddenly.

"Listen to your sister, Cullen, she's a smart woman." Annalise says softly.