"Mikael, I have something to tell you," Edward said with a frown on his face.
Mikael raised his eyebrows and asked, "Shouldn't you be picking Bella up from her house?"
Edward nodded and said, "Yes, but I remembered something that I have to tell you both."
Mikael and Alice looked at each other in confusion and nodded at each other with a serious expression. They then gestured for Edward to sit down and told him to speak.
"Alright, let's hear it," Mikael said, crossing his arms.
"It's about... Alistair. When Carlisle offered him to stay with us for a few days, he, of course, accepted it. He then told us he wouldn't be long and didn't want to bother us. But then, I read his mind to confirm it and... he was lying," Edward said, while looking at Mikael with a frown.
Mikael, upon hearing this, simply closed his eyes and seemed lost in thought. Consequently, Alice, who at this point knew almost everything about Mikael, decided to speak up when she saw that he was in that state.
"And what is on his mind?" Alice asked.
"He didn't intend to just stay here for a few days, but he intended to stay here as long as he can," Edward said.
There was a brief moment of silence between them, until Alice said, "I should use my vision to look into his future."
"No," Mikael suddenly opened his eyes.
Alice and Edward then looked at Mikael with a confused expression. Alice simply nodded her head, and Edward asked, "Why? We can easily expose him, and Carlisle would undoubtedly believe Alice's vision."
Mikael sighed and then said, "Ever since he set foot in Forks, I always had this feeling that something's not right. It's an old habit of mine to think the worst of people when I meet them for the first time, same goes for Alistair. So, I monitored him since yesterday at your house without you guys knowing. But unfortunately, he just stayed in your attic and didn't go anywhere. He just stayed there and always looked around him like he's looking out for something or someone."
Mikael then took a sip of his tea and continued, "So yeah, I didn't have anything to prove my suspicion of him... until you arrived."
Alice, who heard him say that, went to him and pinched his arm, staring at him with a cute expression of anger.
"So when you told me yesterday that you wanted to go train on a mountain, were you lying?"
Mikael just put his hands up in defeat while chuckling shamelessly, "I'm sorry."
"Hmph," Alice pouted.
Mikael could only sigh in defeat, then looked towards Edward and said, "Anyway, I don't want you guys to expose him yet because he is a friend of Carlisle, so convincing him would be difficult. And I still have this feeling that he's not something we should worry about, but something to keep an eye out for."
Edward nodded in understanding and then excused himself to pick up Bella because it was almost time for the small party they had planned.
Mikael then looked at Alice and said, "Alice, are you still mad at me?"
Alice turned her body to look at him and said, "Just a little bit because you lied to me. But, I understand."
Mikael smiled and then approached Alice and kissed her deeply.
( The Cullens' House - Third Pov )
Edward and Bella can be seen watching the moving picture of the Volturi while Edward explains who they are to her.
"The Volturi are... a very powerful and ancient family. I suppose they are the closest thing to the royal family in this world and in my world."
"Is that... Carlisle?" Bella asked.
"Yeah, he lived with them for a few decades. He described them as very refined, with no respect for human lives, of course. But they at least respected the arts, science, knowledge, and the law. Above all, the law."
"Do vampires have laws?" Bella asked.
"Not many, but only one, that is regularly enforced."
"What is it?" Bella asked again, her tone filled with curiosity.
"That we keep the existence of our kind a secret, we can't give the humans hints about ourselves, and we don't kill without a reason and conspicuously," Edward said, while the scene on the portrait depicted Aro punishing a vampire who had broken 'their' law.
"You have to stop talking about that. I can't even think when someone is hurting you," Bella said in a concerned tone.
"Bella, the only thing that can hurt me is you. I don't have anything else to be afraid of," Edward said while looking at her.
"What if there's something you'll really be afraid of? You can't protect me forever. Unless you change me, and we can protect each other," Bella said with a determined expression.
Edward then approached her and whispered, "Bella, you're already protecting me. You're the only reason for me to stay alive, if that's what I am."
"But, it's my job to protect you. From anyone... except my sister," Edward said while looking towards the door.
Then Alice can be seen approaching them with a happy expression, "It's time, it's time, it's time..."
Alice then dragged Bella out of the room and went to the specially prepared room for the occasion. We could see Carlisle and Esme, Emmett and Rosalie, Jasper and Thea, and lastly Mikael, who was leaning against the wall.
The first to approach was Carlisle. "Sorry about this, we tried to convince Alice."
Esme was then the second to approach her and immediately went for a hug. "It's not even possible. Happy Birthday, Bella."
"Thanks."
*Click*
The sound of a camera taking pictures could be heard coming from Alice. "I-I found it in your bag, do you mind?" Alice said in an apologetic tone, and Bella just shook her head.
"Dating an older woman, hot..." Emmett teased Edward, who was standing beside him. He was immediately bombarded with eye rolls from his family.
Then it is time for the gifting. The first one was Rosalie, of course, and she said nonchalantly, "Alice picked it up."
"Thanks," Bella said.
Alice then pulled Edward closer to Bella so that she could take a picture of them. After that, it was a gift from Emmett, who teased Bella about her truck. And the next one was from Carlisle and Esme.
"Just a little something to brighten your day," Carlisle said to Bella.
"Yes, because you looked kind of pale today," Esme chimed in.
Bella then proceeded to open the gift from Carlisle and Esme, but then,
"Ouch..."
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