Love Lights Fires; Chapter One

"Love lights more fires than hate extinguishes." – Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Bella Cullen,

September 11, 2001. 5:37 A.M.

"Edward, babe." I gently shook the sleeping body of my husband.

"Mmmm, ungh." He rolled onto his stomach and clutched his pillow tightly against his chest.

I chuckled and played with a loose strand of his hair, "Edward, you need to get up. Eva's already sitting in her high chair waiting for her daddy to feed her some breakfast!"

He snapped one eye open and I was instantly in a trance with his vibrant green orbs. He leaned up on his elbows and kissed me tenderly.

"Mmm," he moaned, "Good morning." He smiled a blinding smile.

How did I ever get so lucky?

"Je vous aime, mon Edward." I inwardly chuckled when he let out a groan. I knew how much he loved it when I used my original accent. (I love you, my Edward)

Yes, I was born in Paris, France. I moved to New York City when I was seventeen with my parents. It tore me apart to move away from my friends, my life, and my home. And who knew New York City could be so complicated?

There's Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan, Upper Manhattan, Queens, and that's just the start of it.

We ended up picking a tiny house in Lower Manhattan. Not the greatest place on Earth, but I survived.

I started school, met some great people – one of which is my husband – and graduated. We all – Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett – went the Dartmouth. When we got our degrees, we all decided we missed New York too much, as weird as that sounds.

We pulled some strings and all got to live in the same apartments. Lucky, I know.

"Bella, you okay?" I snapped out of my reminiscing and stared at Edward's concerned face.

"Yeah, I'm good," I grabbed his hand and pulled him out of bed, "Come on, it's your first day back to the office from vacation, you should be excited!"

"Excited my ass." He muttered. I smacked his butt and gave him a stern look before we wondered into the kitchen.

There I found our little spunky seven month old angel. She is seriously the best thing that happened to me, other than Edward. Without him, I wouldn't have gotten her, so I guess he's better. Oh, whatever. You know what I mean.

I skipped over to her high chair and squatted down to her level, "Look Eva, I finally got daddy up!" I squealed in a baby voice and smiled widely when she screamed and clapped her hands. "Do you want daddy to feed you breakfast?"

She screamed again and banged her hands on the high chair table.

I laughed, "I'm guessing she does!" I smiled over to Edward and saw him staring at us in awe. I quirked an eyebrow, confused.

He shook his head, "What would I do without you two?" Obviously, that question was rhetorical because he strode over to us and pulled me to his chest.

"I love you, you know that, right?" he kissed my forehead.

"Of course, I love you too."

Our nice, and extremely rare, family moment was interrupted by none other than the blaring of my cell phone. I groaned and slipped out of Edward's grasp.

I sauntered over to the coffee table, where my cell phone was, and picked it up, not bothering to read the ID.

"Bonjour?" I more like hissed into the speaker.

"Bella, how are you?" Wow, how is she always so perky in the morning?

"You know, Alice, I don't really know how I am. Considering it's only 5:45 in the morning and you just interrupted a family moment, I'm going to have to say I'm feeling murderous."

"Ouch, touchy. Anyways, can I come over today?"

"Oh cher dieu, si elle fait me faire les courses..." I muttered away from the phone. Heard Edward laugh from the kitchen and I smiled, "Why, Alice?" (Oh dear god, if she makes me shop…)

"Well, Jasper and Edward are going back to the WTC, and I haven't seen my little niece since like, yesterday. And my back hurts from lifting all these boxes, and I just want to see my best friend!" she whined extremely loud in my ear.

"Fine, fine. Come over just before the men leave, alright?"

"Kay!" she chirped, "Oh, and Rosalie is coming too," she hung up quickly before I could complain.

I sighed and walked back into the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Edward glanced at me from the corner of his eyes while feeding Eva some baby food.

I plopped myself onto a chair to watch the scene unfold, "Alice and Rosalie are just coming over. You and Jasper have to go back to work, and since Emmett is working for the FDNY now, Rosalie is always lonely, sooooo…" I trailed off.

He nodded his head and glanced up at the clock, "Sheesh, it's already 6?" he got up and put the spoon he used in the sink. "I have to take a shower."

I nodded and scooped up Eva in my arms, "Did you like your breakfast, mon bébé? Lets go get you ready!" I stood up and quietly walked down the hallway.

I set her down on the changing table in her nursery and walked to her closet to pick out an outfit.

I found an adorable lime green polka dotted dress with tiny white booties.

"Oh ceci est parfait pour vous mon amour." (Oh this is perfect for you my love.)

Once I finished changing her, I walked into the living room and put her in her bouncy chair. I looked around for her binky, but couldn't find it anywhere.

"Hey, Edward?" I asked in a muffled voice. I was currently on the ground, looking underneath the couch. Don't ask me why I'm in this position; I just thought it was a possibility. "Where's Eva's binky?"

"Did you check in the bathroom, by the toothbrushes?" he asked while coming out of our room in a black suit with a sliver and black striped tie.

"Ohh." I got up and walked over to him and gently tugged on his tie to get him closer to me. I leaned in, close to his ear and said in a – hopefully seductive – voice, "Vous paraissez sexy."

He shuddered delicately, and not from the cold. "Bella, it's 6:30, I have to go," he moaned.

I released him and looked up from under my eyelashes, "We're finishing this later, monsieur."

He smiled and grabbed my waist, pulling me in for a kiss.

I broke away and touched his forehead to mine, "I love you."

I wiped my hand across his cheek bone, memorizing the structure, "And I you."

Once again, our moment was interrupted. But this time, it was the door.

"Good morning, ladies and gentleman!" Emmett boomed, walking into the apartment with a blue FDNY shirt on. The rest of the gang walked in behind him. Jasper rolled his eyes.

"Emmett, you're too loud for the morning. Settle down."

"Jazz, we should get going." Edward said after fifteen minutes of mindless chatter, "It's already 6:45, and we need to be there by 7:10. You know how early Manhattan traffic is…even though it's only eight minutes away."

"Right," he agreed and kissed Alice passionately on the mouth, "I love you, Alice. You too guys!" he added the last part quickly. I laughed.

"Mhm, kay Jasper." I smiled.

Edward came to my side and hugged me fiercely before kissing me with his entire mite. "I love you, and I'll be back by 6 o'clock."

I nodded and hugged him back, "I'll be waiting with stuffed shells!"

He grinned at the mention of his favorite food then walked over to Eva. I watched them interact with a smile on my face.

"I love you, my angel. You better be good for Mommy and I'll be back for dinner," he gently kissed her forehead and walked out the door.

Why do I feel like I just said goodbye to him, as in forever?


7:45 A.M.

"Did you guys hear what they said on the news?" Rosalie asked after a couple minutes of silence. We were sitting in my living room watching the news because there was nothing better to do.

"What?" Alice and I asked at the same time.

"Well, apparently this is like a three decade old case, but like it's getting more and more weird." She left us hanging.

"And…?" I urged on.

"And like, some former Nazi Guard for a concentration camp during World War II lives in this tiny city – a suburb of Cleveland, Seven Hills I believe – and like, I guess he lives right behind a Kmart."

"Ew, if I lived by him, I'd move." Alice admitted.

I nodded, "That is creepy. The Holocaust was like the worst thing ever."

"Really, if anything like that happened here, I'd cry…a lot." Rosalie said.

I laughed and got up from the couch, "I don't think that will happen…" I muttered, "Do any of you want a Pop-Tart?" I asked.

They both nodded and shouted, "Hot fudge sundae!"

I laughed and went to grab three Pop-Tarts and three glasses of milk. I sat back down on the couch and put the drinks on the coffee table.

"Why the hell are we watching the news again?" I asked, annoyed with the old people talking about dying trees in California. Really, who cares?

"I'm waiting for the weather." I shot Rosalie a questioning glance. She shrugged, "I wanted to take a walk with Eva today!"

I nodded, "A walk in the park does sound good right now?"

"How about we go for lunch, and have a picnic?" Alice suggested.

"Oh my god, Central Park! Yeah, that would be fun!" Rosalie exclaimed.

"Okay, why don't you guys go back to your apartments and get stuff, even though we still have five hours."

They nodded and walked out soon after. I looked over at Eva.

"Hey babe, wanna go see where daddy's work is?" I asked her as I picked her up and went towards the balcony door.

She made a weird gurgling noise, "Uhyah!"

That's the closest we'll get to an answer…

I stepped out onto the balcony and breathed in the crisp September morning air. It was calm out, not a cloud in the sky. I guess today will be a good day…

I lifted my daughter higher up on my hip and pointed to the two large gray buildings standing up to the east of us.

"See those gray sticks over there? Daddy's up reaaaaal high, way up to the sky!" I said in a baby voice. Eva clapped her hands and squealed. What a lovely sound that is.


8:27 A.M.

"Honeys, we're home!" someone squealed from the apartment. I opened the door and stepped in, only to be ambushed by a pixie and a supermodel. Ha, if that doesn't sound weird, I don't know what does.

"Okay okay, we got a blanket – traditional red and white checkered, of course – sandwiches, plates, napkins, chips and apples. We can put apple juice or something else in there with Eva's food and all her needs," Alice rambled off. I clamped my hand over her mouth to get her to quit talking.

"Alice, I got it. We have four hours to get this ready. Don't worry, it's all good."

She sighed dramatically, "Better safe than sorry," she sang.

I rolled my eyes. "Someone want to change Eva?"

Rosalie immediately perked up, "I will, oh my God, I will!"

I smiled and handed her over to her. She immediately took off towards her nursery.

"I feel really bad for her, Bella." Alice whispered in a hushed tone.

I looked at her and saw remorse all over her perfect features. "I know, do you think she'll adopt a baby?"

"You know how she is; she'll want something of her own. She doesn't want a baby that is technically someone else's."

I nodded and sighed sadly, "I just hope that accident didn't ruin her chance at a family. I mean, she still hasn't gotten her period yet, and it's been what, two months since it?"

"Yeah, we'll just have to hope and pray-"

"Bella, where are your baby wipes?" Rosalie asked, sauntering back in the room.

I stood up straight and wiped off all evidence of sadness on my face, "They're underneath the box of diapers."

She nodded and jogged back into the nursery.

I gave Alice a pointed look that said 'No more talking about Rosalie touchy subjects while she's in a hundred foot radius'. She understood and nodded sadly and walked back to the TV.


8:45 A.M.

"Alice, do we really need to watch 'What Not to Wear'?" I groaned.

"Would you rather watch this, or the freaking news?" she snapped.

I held up my hands in surrender, "Sorry, proceed."

She smiled happily and looked back at the TV.

"Bella, Eva's all new! I gave her a tiny bath, just because I felt like it-" Rosalie's explanation was cut off by the loudest boom I have ever heard. It sounded like it was just outside our window.

"What the hell was that?" Alice shrieked and stood straight up out of the chair.

"I don't know, someone probably just got shot. You know New York murders…" I wasn't so sure of myself.

"That was awfully loud for a gun shot?" Alice countered.

"Uh, bazooka?" I guessed.

Rosalie scoffed, "Guys, lets just check it out."

We walked behind her towards the balcony. When we got closer, I heard a ton of sirens going off. It sounded like World War Three had just begun.

I picked up Eva on my way, not wanting her to be alone. Something didn't feel right.

We opened the balcony door and it felt like a storm was coming. I had this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Plus, the sun was blocked now. Clouds really did move in that fast?

"Quelque chose ne se sent pas à droite. Quelque chose ne se sent pas à droite," I kept mumbling over and over again. Alice and Rosalie both stopped and looked at me questioning. "Just get out the door!" I snapped.

The sirens got louder and louder as we approached the door. Why did I feel like I was going in slow motion?

The door opened, and the familiar crisp September air filled my nose. Only this time, it was different. More thick. Full of smoke.

I pushed my way through Alice and Rosalie. They were just going too slow for me.

When I saw what was happening, I let out a strangled cry.

That alerted the girls because they quit with their slow crap and ran towards me. They both sucked in a huge breath.

I couldn't breath, I felt numb. It was like I couldn't hear anything other than the sirens. I only could see the dark gray smoke with bright red flames coming out of the tall buildings. It felt like my world was falling apart.

"Edward," I whimpered. "Edward," louder. "Edward." A little louder. "Edward!" there was my normal voice. "EDWARD!" I fully screamed. "No!"

"What the hell?!" Rosalie screamed, "What the hell is going on?"

I collapsed on the ground with Eva still attached to my hip.

"Jazzy, no." Alice was sobbing next to me. This cant be right.

Wait, which tower are they in?

Think, "Alice, wh-what tower are they in?!" I screamed.

She blanked out for a minute. "The south?" she looked more unsure than positive.

"I think you're right, that was the north tower! It's going to be okay!" I blabbered. "They're gonna get them out of there and they'll be fine!" My sobs were quieting down while I was reassuring myself.

"I'm gon-gonna call Edward," I mumbled and gave Eva to Alice when I was sure she was calm enough. Even though I thought I was calm, I was still shaking.

I looked at the time. It was 9:01 A.M. I quickly ran to our bedroom and scrabbled underneath all the clothes looking for my phone.

Once I found it, I quickly pressed speed dial two and waited.

"Hello?" I heard a smooth, frantic voice answer. My sobs broke free again.

"Ed-Edward," I cried.

"Oh Bella, Bella are you okay? Tell me you're okay?"

"No I'm not. I need you here. Please tell me you're getting out of there."

He sighed, "Bella, they're evacuating us right now. We can't take the elevators, so it's going to take awhile to get down. Do you know what happened? They won't tell us."

"I seriously don't know. The girls and I were watching TV when we heard a loud boom. I thought it was a gun shot, you know, normal New York stuff, but we walked outside onto the balcony and saw one of the towers had smoke and flames coming out of it! Oh Edward, I didn't know if i-it was your tower or not!"

"Oh my god, okay Bella. I'm fine. I can't talk, we're in the back stairwell, and I'm loosing reception. I love you and tell Eva I'll be home-" there was a loud boom that I heard in two places. It was like surround sound. I heard it through the phone, and I heard it outside the apartment. Only a second later and I heard a shriek.

"NO! BELLLA!" Alice was screaming on the top of her lungs.

"Edward?" Nothing. "EDWARD?!"

No, no, no, no. This can not be happening!

I sprinted back out to the balcony only to see the other tower with flames shooting out of it as well.

"NOO!" I fell to my knees and cried. I don't know how long I cried. But Alice and Rosalie finally got me up and took me into the living room.

"He was on th-the phone w-with me! I h-heard it. OH MY G-GOD! What the hell is happening?!" I cried.

"I-I don't know," Rosalie whispered. Alice was still sitting on the couch sobbing.

"Turn on the n-news. It'll be on t-that."

Rosalie nodded and switched on Fox News.

They were showing the towers, someone was in a helicopter.

"Now we're going live to Ron Wheeler over Lower Manhattan where a plane has just flown into the North tower of the World Trade Center. Ron, do you know what's going on?"

"Alex, this is truly horrible, I mean look at this," they zoomed into a shot of the North tower in flames, "Witnesses of this tragic event say they saw a plane fly into the North tower at 8:46 A.M. We do not know if this is a deliberate attack or an accident at this time. There's – OH MY GOD! Another plane has just flown into the South building. I don't know what this is, Alex, but this isn't an accident!"

I gripped Alice's hand as we both cried.

"Ron, what else is going on?"

"Alex, I don't know what to say, this is horrible. Oh my god, Dave, look!" This 'Ron' character hit the camera man in the arm and pointed to the tower. The camera zoomed in and I saw little black things falling from the building, "Alex, it looks like people are jumping out of the building! That is more than 100 stories!"

I gasped loudly and gripped Alice's hand tighter.

"We have just received word that American Airlines Flight 77 has just crashed into the Pentagon. I repeat, American Airlines Flight 77 has just crashed into the Pentagon."

"Oh mon Dieu, s'il vous plaît nous aider. S'il vous plaît aider Edward et le Jasper." I silently prayed.

Eva suddenly cried out, screaming on the top of her lungs. She knew something was wrong.

I quickly grabbed her out of Rosalie's arms and rocked her.

"It's going to be okay, it's going to be o-okay."

Was this really going to be okay?

Well guys, there's my new story so far. This one isn't going to be a long one. I have a feeling this one's going to be very difficult to write, because it's so emotional and I remember that day like it was yesterday. I'm sorry if this upsets some of you, but I just felt the need to write a story about it.

Reviews would be nice?