Chloe Cullen - A Harry Potter and Twilight Crossover

Chapter 12: Meeting

*Bella POV*

I'm headed to meet Edward's family, and apparently Edward lives in a misty forest. I try to decide whether to ask when we'll get to his house or be patient when he turns abruptly onto an unpaved road. It's unmarked, barely visible among the ferns. The forest encroaches on both sides, leaving the road only discernible for a few meters as it twists, serpentlike, around the ancient trees. And then, after a few miles, there is some thinning of the woods, and we are suddenly in a small meadow or large lawn. The gloom of the forest doesn't relent, though, for there are six primordial cedars that shade an entire acre with their vast sweep of branches. The trees hold their protecting shadow right up to the walls of the house that rises among them, making obsolete the deep porch that wraps around the first story.

The house is timeless, graceful, and probably a hundred years old. It's painted a soft, faded white, three stories tall, rectangular and well proportioned. The windows and doors are either part of the original structure or a perfect restoration. My truck is the only car in sight. I can hear a river close by, hidden in the obscurity of the forest. "Wow." I say. "You like it?" Edward smiles. "It... has a certain charm." He pulls the end of my ponytail and chuckles. "Ready?" he asks, opening my door. "Not even a little bit - let's go." I try to laugh, but it seems to get stuck in my throat. I smooth my hair nervously. "You look lovely." he takes my hand easily, without thinking about it.

We walk through the deep shade up to the porch. I know he can feel my tension; his thumb rubs soothing circles into the back of my hand. He opens the door for me. The inside is even more surprising less predictable, than the exterior. It's very bright, very open, and very large. This must have been originally several rooms, but the walls had been removed from most of the first floor to create one wide space. The back, south-facing wall has been entirely replaced with glass, and, beyond the shade of the cedars, the lawn stretches bare to the wide river. A massive curving staircase dominates the west side of the room. The walls, the high-beamed ceiling, the wooden floors, and the thick carpets are all varying shades of white. Waiting to greet us, standing just to the left of the door, on a raised portion of the floor by a spectacular grand piano, are Edward's parents. Standing between them is a person I've never met nor heard of. At first glance I think it's Rosalie, but then I realize that this girl is much younger than Rosalie, probably about 12 or 13 years old, but she's almost as beautiful as Rosalie. I'm shocked to see that she's human, or, at least she appears to be. She has long, thick golden blonde hair that goes to the middle of her back. The exact same shade and texture as Rosalie's. Her skin is a creamy ivory, flawless in every sense of the word. Her eyes are round, bright and sparkling. They are a shocking violet color. She's tall for her age, and she looks statuesque. Her features are perfectly symmetrical and angular and she radiates confidence and beauty. She sees me observing her, and she smiles. Her teeth are pearly white and perfectly straight.

*Chloe POV*

I see Bella looking me up and down, observing me. She looks a little shocked, so I smile. Are you going to introduce us? I ask Edward in my mind. "Carlisle, Esme," Edward's voice breaks the silence, "this is Bella." "Bella," Edward says and points to me, "this is Chloe. She's Rosalie and Emmett's daughter." I hold out my hand and she shakes it. She gives Edward a questioning look. "Normally Chloe goes to a boarding school in England but she's here for Easter Break. She's been very eager to meet you" Edward says. "It's a pleasure to finally be able to meet you Bella" I say. "You to" Bella says. She seems to be at a loss for words. "You're very welcome, Bella." Carlisle says with a careful step forward. "It's nice to see you again, Dr. Cullen." "Please, call me Carlisle." "Carlisle." she grins. I'm going to go see where my mom is I tell Edward in my head. With one last smile at Bella, I walk out the back door.

I don't know their exact location, all I know is that mom is venting her anger somewhere in the forest where she can't see the house. I stick to a trail so I don't get lost. After about five minutes, I stop and try and listen. I then hear some crashing. Ah, there she is I think to myself. These trees aren't knocking themselves down. "Mom?" I call out. Not loudly, but clearly. I walk slowly in the direction of the noise. Slowly, so I don't get hit by a tree knocking down. "Dad?" I call out. I feel some rustling and then I see my mom standing in front of me. "What are you doing out here, all by yourself? You could've gotten lost, or hurt" she says. She doesn't look to be in a good mood. "I came looking for you. Bella's here. She seems nice. Why aren't you at home?" I ask. Dad appears at her side as soon as I finish. "I just needed to talk with your dad. Go back to the house" she says. "Are you okay?" I press. "I'll feel better when you're back at the house" she says. I look at her. Why do I get the feeling she's hiding something from me? "I just want to know why you're out here" I say. "Chloe, we won't tell you again" dad says. I look at them and decide that they're dead serious. What's wrong with them? "But mom -" I say, but I'm interrupted. "You heard us. Don't make us say it again" she says. I give them weird looks that's supposed to communicate what did I do? But I walk in the opposite direction anyway.

I go up in my room and, with nothing to do, I study. Potions, this time because Professor Snape is going to be the harshest grader. I'm memorizing potion ingredients and going over old assignments when I hear a growl coming from the room next to mine, which happens to be Edward's room. My mind immediately goes down a dirty path. Don't tell me you guys are doing what I think you're doing... I tell Edward in my mind. Then a second later, I hear crashing. My worries about overhearing something I want to be a million miles away from leave and I leap up from my bed and go to his door, where Alice and Jasper arrive at the same time. Aunt Alice knocks. "Can we come in?" she asks.

Aunt Alice opens the door and we walk in. Bella's face is bright red and I can't hold back the smile. They look cute. Bella is sitting on Edward's lap. "Go ahead." Edward says. I stand in the doorway with Uncle Jasper. "It sounded like you were having Bella for lunch, and we came to see if you would share," Alice says. I smirk at Bella's response. She stiffens on Edward's lap. "Sorry, I don't believe I have enough to spare," he replies. "Actually," Uncle Jasper says, smiling. "Alice says there's going ot be a real storm tonight, and Emmett wants to play ball. Are you game?" "Yes" I answer before Edward can. I smile. Even though I'm not able to play, I enjoy watching. The fights they get into are hilarious. "Of course you should bring Bella," Alice chirps. "Do you want to go?" Edward asks, excited. "Sure. Um, where are we going?" "We have to wait for thunder to play ball - you'll see why," he promises. "Will I need an umbrella?" she asks. They all laugh. "Will she?" Jasper asks. "No." "Good, then" Jasper says. Now that it's decided that Bella's going with us, I head back to my room to get a catch up on studying.