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Chapter Text

Moving to Forks had never been in the plan. There was not a single person in the world who woke up one day and said, "You know what sounds awesome? I'm gonna move to the rainiest corner of the continental United States." Bella, however, fool that she was, was doing just that. She sat on the bed in her room, the only change that had been made to her childhood home in eighteen years. She had been born in this very town. She had grown up in this very room. Tomorrow she would get all the supplies she needed to remake this room. Tonight? Tonight, she would wallow in the misery of falling asleep under this oppressive, cold, rainy night.

Bella's nightmares involved dark woods where the rain never stopped, sunshiny beaches that she couldn't reach, and her mother crying as she left. She wasn't quite sure how they tied together, but there was one thing that was clear to her when she woke up: She was going to be miserable. Bella walked downstairs and wandered into the kitchen, hoping Charlie at least kept milk and cereal on hand. That hope was quickly dashed. The fridge contained old pizza, a six-pack of beer, a motley arrangement of sauces and a jar that contained one pickle. Bella shut the fridge and saw a note on the outside of it.

Held up by a magnet was a note that read:

Bella, I am so sorry I didn't manage to go shopping before you got here, and then I got called into work this morning. You mentioned you want to paint your room, so here's 300 bucks. Get what you need for your room and whatever groceries you think we need. Dad.

Pinned under the note were three hundred-dollar bills. Bella wondered if Charlie kept that kind of money in the house, knowing that as a small-town sheriff, he probably did. Bella pushed that thought from her mind and smiled at Charlie's thoughtfulness. She was sure he felt weird about having a teenage girl in the house, but he was clearly going to do his best. Bella walked to the front door to grab her jacket when she remembered that she had no way to get to the store. She held the jacket in her hand before she looked at the front door. There was a note taped there too.

Bella, I promise, I will not always communicate through notes. There's a surprise for you in the driveway. The key is on the back of this note. Have a good day kiddo!

Charlie didn't sign this note. Bella flipped it over. On the back, a small silver key. On one side it said 'Ford.' Bella pulled the key off the paper and flipped it over. There was a horse on the other side of it. Bella's heart started pounding as she wrenched the door open. Parked in the driveway was an old Mustang. It was poop brown and had rust spots over the rear wheel well. Bella looked into the window. The tan leather seats were old and cracked. The gear stick was missing the knob on top. It looked like someone had taken a large nut of some sort and twisted it on, making a makeshift handle. The car was a piece of shit. Bella got in, turned the key and listened to the engine start right up. She didn't like it.

She loved it.

Bella tried to open the glove compartment. The compartment stuck, so Bella had to hit it twice. It was still stuck, so for good measure, she kicked it. It dropped open aggressively. The papers in the compartment fell on the floor. Bella laughed as she grabbed them. There were receipts from its last inspection, a tattered manual that came with the car, a wrench and half a pack of cigarettes. Bella shoved everything back into the glove compartment, with the exception of the cigarettes. She shoved the cigarettes into her hoodie pocket to throw away. Her dad obviously didn't get the car from a dealer. She ran a hand over the steering wheel, the dashboard. She turned the key in the ignition and the car roared to life. Bella smiled at the sound, as loud as it was. She put the car in gear and headed for the nearest hardware store.

The store was easy to find. Everything in Forks was on the same main road. She pulled in to the parking lot, noting the way people turned and looked at the noise her car made. Her cheeks burned, so she hurried to shut the car off. Bella wasn't used to people looking at her. In Phoenix, she was painfully normal and incredibly unassuming. Nothing about Bella Swan screamed 'look at me' and that was by design. Bella didn't join teams. She didn't join clubs. She didn't share her stories, her art, or her music. Her plan to pass through high school unnoticed had been a resounding success so far, and she had no plans to change that. After a public fall out with her best friend in middle school, Bella was saving her best self for college. She hoped her beautiful, noisy Mustang wouldn't ruin that plan for her.

Bella got out of the car and gently patted the hood of the car. I'll name you later, she thought to herself as she made her way into the hardware store. A small bell announced her arrival to the man stocking shelves. He looked her up and down. "Charlie Swan's kid?" The man asked nicely.

Bella cleared her throat and nodded. "Bella Swan, that's me."

The man reached out and patted her shoulder. "I don't know if you remember me kid, but you used to hang out at my house all the time."

Bella thought about the sign on the door. 'Weber's Hardware.' "Mr. Weber?" He smiled widely, and Bella laughed a little. "Hi! How's Angela? She still running around with pigtails?"

The man laughed heartily. "Bella, it's been seven years. She's moved on to a ponytail. She's looking forward to seeing you!"

"Me too. I can't believe she remembers me. We haven't spoken in years."

"Come on, no one forgets their first best friend. Charlie bragged that his Phoenix genius was coming back. Angela fully expects you to join Science Olympiad, and you can blame your dad for that." Bella rolled her eyes and sighed. "Somehow, I knew you would react like that. So what are you here for?" Bella explained her need for a bedroom that wasn't purple. Mr. Weber pointed towards the back of his surprisingly huge store. "The paint and supplies are against the back wall. You'll find everything you need there. I'll give you the family and friends discount."

"Is there anyone who shops here that doesn't get the family and friends discount?"

"Nope!" He laughed and waved Bella off, returning to stocking while humming a song Bella didn't know.

Bella followed the aisle to the back of the store. She saw the darker colors directly ahead of her, so she turned right and ran directly into a brick wall. Bella hit the ground, something falling out of her pocket as she tried to figure out what happened. She looked up at the brick wall. It spoke. "You know, you could watch where you're going." The woman looked down at Bella with a small sneer on her face. She was the most beautiful woman Bella had ever seen. She was tall, blonde, and perfect in every way. Her skin looked like it had been carefully carved from marble by every renaissance artist in breathtaking detail. Bella tried to respond, but she hadn't breathed since the breath had been knocked out of her.

The woman rolled her eyes and reached down. Bella took the offered hand. It was surprisingly cool, like she had just her hands in cold water. The girl hauled Bella up with no effort. She pulled a little too hard and Bella, who wasn't ready, stumbled forward into the girl again. The girl caught her, steadying Bella before taking a small step away. The girl eyed Bella, like she was waiting for Bella to say something.

Bella finally found her voice. "Hello."

"Hello."

"I'm Bella." Bella stuck her hand out this time and waited.

The girl looked surprised, like Bella had done something unexpected. She took Bella's hand. Her hand seemed warmer this time. Bella looked at the woman's eyes, surprised by what she found there. Her eyes were a color Bella had never seen before. They were a fiery, striking bronze, leaning more towards varnished gold. The strange girl maintained eye contact with Bella, looking more and more put off. Finally, she simply said, "I'm Rosalie."

"Nice to meet you, Rosalie."

The girl released Bella's hand after holding it a moment too long. Something on the floor caught her eye. Bella followed her gaze to the pack of cigarettes. She groaned. "You know, Bella, smoking will kill you."

"Yeah, well so will running into beautiful brick walls in the hardware store." Rosalie arched an eyebrow at Bella. Bella cleared her throat. "They're not mine anyways. I don't smoke."

Rosalie folded her arms across her chest. "They fell out of your pocket."

"They did."

"But they're not yours."

"No, they are not."

"Care to explain?"

"Not really." Bella smiled at Rosalie, who was clearly frustrated. The girl seemed torn between asking Bella who owned the cigarettes and walking away when another beautiful woman laden with plastic bags came to the end of the aisle.

"Rosalie, I have everything paid for if you're ready to-" The woman saw Bella. "Oh, hello there!" She smiled warmly. She was slightly shorter than Rosalie, with long brunette hair and bright eyes. Her eyes were also golden, but somehow not as vivid as Rosalie's. "Are you one of Rosalie's friends?"

Rosalie glared down at the woman. Bella smiled and responded, "Not yet." Rosalie looked back at Bella. "We'll get there though. I'm Bella Swan."

"Oh, the chief's daughter! Chief Swan is a kind man. I'm Esme Cullen. Rosalie's mom."

"No way! You've got to be her sister, right?" Bella looked back and forth between them. There is no way.

"I'm adopted." Rosalie shrugged.

Bella smiled and pointed between them. "Now, that makes more sense."

Esme smiled even wider at Bella if that was at all possible. "Do you attend the high school?"

"I start there on Monday."

"Fantastic! You'll get to meet our whole family."

"I look forward to it."

Esme looked over the moon. "Good! Now we have a few more stops to make, so we're going to go."

"It was nice to meet you, Esme Cullen." Bella looked at Rosalie, who hadn't spoken for a few moments. Esme looked at them with curiosity.

"You too. I'll see you at the car." She turned and left the two girls standing alone.

"It was nice to meet you too, Rosalie Cullen." Bella reached out to shake Rosalie's hand one more time.

Rosalie took Bella's hand and cocked her head the smallest bit. "It was nice to meet you, Bella Swan." Rosalie dropped Bella's hand and started to the front of the store, shaking her head and leaving Bella behind her. Bella watched her go. Rosalie stopped and turned back. "And Bella?"

"Hm?"

"It's Hale."

"What?"

"Rosalie Hale."

Bella smiled. "Nice to meet you, Rosalie Hale." Bella waved her fingers at the girl. Rosalie rolled her eyes one more time before turning to walk out the door. Before she turned though, Bella caught the smallest smile gracing the girl's lips.

Rosalie sat gracefully in the seat of her cherry-red BMW. Esme looked out the windshield, saying nothing. Rosalie pushed the button that started the car. It quietly purred to life. Rosalie backed out of the parking lot. Before she turned around entirely, she caught sight of an old, shit brown Mustang. Oh my god, that's what she drives. Rosalie wrinkled her nose at the idea that such an interesting girl would drive such a horrible car. Rosalie slammed the gas pedal, ripping into the street and spraying a few loose rocks behind the car as she left Forks in a hurry.

The silence in the car finally got to Rosalie. "What?"

"Nothing."

Rosalie looked over at her mother and took in the look on her face. Esme looked like she had just seen an alien for the first time. "What?"

"I've never seen you be," Esme paused, looking for the right word, "nice to a stranger."

"I'm always nice to strangers."

"No, you're always polite to strangers, as I expect from a child of mine. But you know nice and polite are different things." Esme continued to watch her.

Rosalie shrugged. "I'm turning over a new leaf."

"Why is that?"

"Too many leaves go unturned," Rosalie smirked. She gestured at the forest they were speeding by. "See all those leaves? Unturned."

Esme put a hand to her forehead. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"You turned the wrong leaves over."

"Okay, sure. We don't have to talk about it. Wait until I tell your father." Esme clapped once. "He's going to be so happy you made a new friend." Rosalie groaned, and her mother launched into a description of the furniture she was building. Rosalie was happy for the sudden change of topic. She only hoped Esme would forget to mention the girl. Bella Swan. How interesting.

Chapter Text

Bella looked at her bedroom walls. The light purple had been plaguing her ever since she had known she was coming back to Forks. She didn't hate purple, but she surely didn't like it as much as a child would have. In her never-ending wisdom, Bella had decided against buying a primer. An hour later she regretted the decision. Bella sat down in the middle of her floor, cross-legged. She sighed heavily. She should have bought the primer. Her wall was covered by her chosen paint, Chicago Blues, but there was a problem. It was streaky. In some places the blue turned into a blue-violet mix. In others the paint just hadn't taken at all, and the purple looked through. Bella imagined it was laughing at her. All in all, the room resembled a tie-dye nightmare.

"Bella?" Charlie called.

"In my room!" Bella called. Charlie clunked his way up the stairs. He looked at Bella's room and let out a long, low whistle. Bella pointed at him and grumbled, "Don't even say it, Charlie."

Charlie held his hands up in surrender. "Say what? I wasn't gonna say anything at all."

"Sure." Bella stood up and her face lit up. "Oh! I forgot!" She threw her arms around Charlie's neck. "Thank you so much for the car. I really love it."

Charlie cleared his throat. "Yeah, sure kid. No problem." He shrugged his shoulders. "You remember Billy Black? His son fixed up the car for you, so you should really thank him. You used to hang out with Jacob a lot."

Bella thought hard about the name. "He was the kid I made mud pies with by the beach, right?"

Charlie chuckled. "Yeah, that's him. He is super happy you're back. He's all grown up now, you know."

Bella stared at her dad. "Okay?"

"I'm just saying, he's turning into a good man."

Bella continued to stare at Charlie. "Good for him."

"Good for you, maybe?"

Bella finally caught on. "Oh my god, stop. Do not set me up with your friend's son." Her cheeks turned bright red and Charlie laughed.

"I wouldn't dream of it. I'm just saying, he's a good kid, you're a good kid…"

"Dad, get out." Bella pointed at the door her father was standing in.

Charlie threw his hands up again. "Okay kid, I'm going, I'm going."

Bella waited until his footsteps faded away before sighing heavily. She hoped her Dad hadn't put any ideas into Jacob's head. It was never going to happen.

"Ugh," Edward groaned, adjusting his Ray-Bans as they slid down his nose. "Their minds."

Emmett smirked. He ran his fingers through Edward's hair, combing it back the way Edward 'carelessly' wore his hair. Edward leaned into Emmett's touch. Emmett put his arm around Edward's shoulders, then kissed his mate on the forehead. "They can't all have beautiful minds like I do," Emmett smiled.

"Beautiful mind indeed, you brute. It's just exhausting sometimes."

"Maybe you just need a tinfoil hat. Keep the signals out," Rosalie said harshly as she shut the door of Emmett's Jeep. She examined her nails carefully, even though they were just as perfect as when she painted them two hours ago.

"The only mind Eddy needs to keep out is yours, Rose," Alice sang quietly as she and Jasper joined the group. Jasper snorted out a laugh.

Rosalie stalked ahead of her siblings. They could be so insufferable in their unending happiness. Rosalie let go of the door before her brothers could get to it. It shut in their faces. She smirked as Edward growled lowly behind her. "You did that on purpose!" He called.

You know it, she thought quietly to herself, knowing Edward would hear her.

Bella slammed the creaky door of her Mustang shut. She looked at Forks High School as it appeared from the fog in front of her. It was a nice school building, even more impressive than she remembered. A wooden sign outside declared that it was, "Forks High School, Home of the Spartans." The cornerstone on the left side of the door declared the district was founded in 1925, whereas the stone on the right said the school building was built in 2011. Bella hiked up her backpack. This school building was newer than her old school in Phoenix. She hoped that meant her locker this year wouldn't have a rusted out combination lock that she had to punch to open. Things were looking up.

As soon as Bella entered the glass-paned doors she found herself in an entryway that gave her two options: go forward into the wide-open hallways or go left into the office. Bella found herself amazed. The doors leading into the hallway were propped open. Anyone could just walk in, and there wasn't a security guard she could see anywhere. In her high school in Phoenix, there were guards on either side of the door, three metal detectors, and three hall monitors watching kids go through them. The schoolboard required that every student had see-through backpacks. In a school of 2800 kids, especially with the uptick in gun violence, no one was bothered by the invasion of privacy. In fact, Bella found herself more unsettled by the lack of security. Charlie had told Bella she didn't need a clear backpack, but she never would have imagined this.

"Hello, are you new?" A kind-faced older woman called out the open office door. "Oh! Bella! Come in!" Bella cocked her head, then stepped into the office. "I'm sorry, don't mind me! Your dad got a Facebook just so he could show us the pictures your mom posts of you!" Bella groaned, and the woman continued, "now, now, he's just proud of you. I'm Mrs. Cope!"

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Cope."

Mrs. Cope beamed at Bella as she put a dark blue folder on the desk. The folder declared that it was, 'Spartan Strong.' Mrs. Cope pulled a few pieces of paper out of it. She showed Bella a map of the school, a schedule of her classes, put one last piece of paper on the desk. "Make sure each of your teachers signs this paper and bring it back to me at the end of the day. Do you have any questions?"

"No, ma'am. Thank you." Bella took the folder and waved the folder at Mrs. Cope as she walked out.

"Have a great day, Bella!"

Bella walked down the hallway, flipping through the folder. Kids milled around the hallway. She ignored them as she looked for her locker. Apparently the school had four main hallways, and lockers were separated by grade. Bella found locker 276 and thanked the gods when it opened first try.

Hands covered her eyes from behind, and Bella jumped. "Guess who," a quiet and excited voice said from behind her.

"Angela?"

The hands released her. "Good guess!" Bella turned around and smiled at her old friend. They had been inseparable until Bella had moved away when she turned six and Renee left Charlie. Until she was nine Bella had spent the summers in Forks. These summer trips included visits with Angela, but the two had lost contact when Bella quit coming up for the summer. "My dad tells me you didn't recognize him."

Bella dragged one hand down her face in exasperation. "I was so embarrassed. It hasn't been that long since I last saw him."

"It's been a bit," Angela shrugged, looking sad.

"I'm sorry I haven't been in touch."

Angela smiled. "I mean, I didn't call either. I did try and look you up on Facebook though."

"I don't have a Facebook."

Angela nodded. "I respect that." Angela put a hand out to Bella. "Let me see your schedule." Angela adjusted her glasses with one hand while looking over Bella's schedule. "We have every class together!"

Bella breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I was prepared to go through this day in uncomfortable silence." Bella didn't mention that she preferred to go through her days in silence. She really was relieved that she would have a friend by her side."

Angela snorted. "Yeah, there was no way you were going to make your way through the day silently." Angela looked around the hallway. "You have been the center of attention since you got here."

"What?" Bella looked up from the schedule she was trying to memorize. She realized that people up and down the hallway were whispering to each other. She made eye contact with a few of them, who quickly looked away. "Oh my god, why?" Bella groaned. She hated being the center of attention almost as much as she hated the sound of the rain that kept her awake at night.

"You're exciting."

"No, I'm not. I am not exciting." Bella rolled her shoulders. "There are zero things about me that are exciting. Look," Bella held her arms out in demonstration. "Nothing. Nothing exciting. No tattoos, no track marks, I'm not even wearing bracelets!"

Angela laughed at Bella's distress. "Don't worry, it'll wear off."

It didn't wear off.

Bella and Angela had four classes before lunch, and Bella was the center of attention in all of them. Angela introduced Bella to her friends. Some of them Bella vaguely remembered from preschool and kindergarten. The people in Forks rarely moved away, so even if she didn't recognize first names, she recognized last names. Jess Stanley, a girl in their Trig class, seemed torn between making friends with Bella and sneering at her when she thought Bella wasn't looking. Mike Newton, a tall football player in their third-period study hall, eyed Bella up and down like he was something for her to eat. Bella was pretty sure this was half of why Jess and a girl named Lauren were whispering and looking Bella's way every few minutes. A small Asian boy, Eric, introduced himself politely without really taking his eyes off Angela. Bella liked him immediately.

The fawning over Bella continued until lunch time. Every time she met someone new, they wanted to know everything about her, including one memorable moment when Lauren said, "If you're from Phoenix, why are you so white?"

Bella had snorted at that and responded with, "Oh my god Lauren, you can't just ask people why they're white!"

The laugh everyone had at Lauren's expense made the girl turn bright red. She glared at Bella before turning around and stalking to the lunch room alone. Bella leaned toward Angela and whispered, "Did I just make an enemy?"

Angela linked her arm through Bella's and pulled her in the direction that Lauren had just gone. A crowd of students followed them. Angela laughed as she said, "Absolutely."

"Shit."

Angela's lunch table was full. Angela whispered to Bella when no one was listening. It seemed that most of the kids who had joined them didn't usually sit there. Mike had abandoned his football friends, Tyler Crowley had left the basketball team, and Lauren and Jess apparently went wherever Mike went. Some of Angela's friends, like Jennifer and Austin, were where they usually were. Bella liked them almost as much as Eric. They had introduced themselves, asked Bella a few polite questions than commenced their own conversation that had nothing to do with Bella. Bella envied their ability to be left alone. She could feel herself withdrawing further and further into her mind as the day went on.

The cafeteria door opened just as Bella was considering trying to escape the lunchroom. She looked up and saw two of the most beautiful men she had ever seen. They were dressed like students, wearing casual jeans and button-downs. The thinner boy had a grey sweater on over his button-down, which matched his casual grey slip-ons. His bronze hair stood up almost on end like his favorite accessory was gel. His hand was enveloped in the hand of the taller, muscular boy next to him. The taller, dark-haired boy wore the sleeves of his plaid shirt rolled up to expose his muscular forearms. He wore an enormous watch in a leather band on his wrist. His sneakers looked like a pair of brand-new Air Force 1's, and Bella was immediately jealous.

As the muscular boy and his boyfriend (Bella assumed) moved from the doorway, two more beautiful people followed them in. A slight blonde boy with wavy hair walked next to a short, pixie-haired girl. They both looked like they had casually stepped off the stage of a photoshoot. Vogue would kill to have these models in their magazine, Bella thought to herself. All four of them had flawless, porcelain skin. They looked even less real than all the teenagers on the proactive commercials that throw water at their face and expect you to believe it magically and quickly cleaned off the face wash.

"Looks like Bella has spotted the Cullen's!" Jess said loudly, making the entire table look at Bella.

Bella looked down at her tray quickly. "Come on, Jess, we've all watched you stare at Emmett."

"Shut up, Angela," Jess snapped.

"The Cullen's?" Bella asked Angela.

"Yeah, they're Dr. Cullen's kids. He and his wife adopted five kids."

"Guess Mrs. Cullen can't have kids of her own," Jess muttered.

Angela ignored Jess and continued. "The kid with the brown hair is Edward. The muscular guy is Emmett, his boyfriend." Bella nodded. She had been right about their relationship. "The blonde boy is Jasper. He always looks kind of irritated, but he seems nice, so don't let that scare you. The short girl with the black hair? That's Alice. She's super nice."

"Super weird," Jess added. "It's even weirder that they're all like, siblings, and like, together. It's gross. And here comes Queen Bee. She might be the worst of them all. She doesn't like anyone, she doesn't talk to anyone, and we've all learned to not even try."

Bella looked up at the doors and her heart skipped a beat as Rosalie walked into the cafeteria last. "Don't mind Jess. That's-"

"Rosalie," Bella finished. Rosalie looked up from her phone and focused on Bella. If Bella didn't know better, she would have thought that Rosalie had somehow heard her. That couldn't be possible though. The cafeteria was loud, and Rosalie was on the other side of it. Bella lifted one hand and waved at Rosalie. Rosalie smirked and gave Bella one short wave in return. Bella smiled back. Rosalie turned away to follow her siblings. Bella looked down at the table, a smile still on her mouth. Bella realized no one was talking. She looked up and realized that not only was her table staring at her, but some of the nearby tables were as well. "What?" Bella ducked her head. "I met her and her mom at the store this weekend. They're really nice."

"What?" Jess half-screeched.

Bella shrugged, refusing to meet anyone's eyes until conversation moved on. Her plan of being invisible was going very poorly. Bella put her head down and just willed the day to end. She could make it through two more classes. Probably.

Chapter Text

Bella breathed a sigh of relief. Lunch was finally over, and she was free of the oppressive cafeteria crowd. "What's next?" She asked Angela. "Please tell me it's a great class."

"I don't know if I would call Biology great, but alas, here we are."

"At least sit by me," Bella pleaded.

They walked through the Biology door to find that all but two seats were taken. Unfortunately, they were not next to each other. "Looks like I can't promise that." Angela looked at the empty seats. The only people who didn't have partners were Rosalie's brother, Edward, and Mike Newton.

"Oh no, not today!" Bella whispered as she hurried to sit by Edward. She waved at Angela as she left her gaping by the front door. Bella took the seat by Edward. She set her notebook down and looked at the boy sitting next to her. He was doodling in his notebook, creating intricate images of a building Bella didn't recognize. It looked like a church, but she couldn't tell. "Hi," Bella said quietly, tucking her loose hair behind her ear. "I'm Bella."

"I know," he responded quietly, adding a cross to his building. It was a church. "Everyone's been talking about you." He looked up at her, smiling a bit. Bella looked at him closely. He had the same golden eyes his sister did. Edward opened his mouth to speak again, and then his entire countenance changed. His face hardened, his eyes turned dark, and he gripped the table so tightly, Bella was sure it was going to crack. Bella watched Edward, slightly surprised. A small thrill of fear rippled through her, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

"Are you-" Bella was going to ask if he was okay when there was a loud knock on the door. She refused to take her eyes off Edward. Something primal in her told her to keep eye contact.

"Yes, Mr. Hale, can I help you?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your class, Mr. Banner, but my mother said my brother and I need to go home right away. May I take him, please?"

"That's okay Mr. Hale, we hadn't begun yet. Mr. Cullen, please follow your brother. I hope all is well." Edward stood up abruptly. His black eyes flickered towards the door. He stood up stiffly, and without saying anything, left.

Bella watched Edward disappear. His brother, the thin blonde Cullen, nodded his head at Bella. He looked extremely relieved for a moment, before saying, "Thank you, Mr. Banner. Have a good day."

Mr. Banner shook his head and began his lecture. When no one was looking, Angela elbowed Mike, who seemed to be gathering his things. Angela hurried to take the seat next to Bella while Mike rubbed his ribs. He looked like a kicked puppy. "What did you do to Edward?" Angela whispered to Bella while Mr. Banner wrote on the board.

"Nothing," Bella whispered back. "He just started looking like he was going to kill me." She put her head down. Her hands were sweating. "What did you do to Newton?"

"He was definitely angling to be your partner. I saved you the trouble."

"Thanks," Bella sat back up and tried to be invested in the lecture. Something in the back of her mind bothered her. Edward looked like he had considered killing her, and she found it unnerving.

When the class finally ended, Bella ran a hand through her hair and grumbled, "Is our next class fun?"

Angela smiled. "As a matter of fact, we're going to 12th grade English: The study of American Literature and it's Maturation Through the Ages."

"Why are you saying it like that?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "Mr. Berty thought that 12th grade English was an underwhelming name for an advanced English class, so," Angela shrugged and held her hands open, "what can you do?"

"I mean, okay, but you could still just call it 12th grade English."

"Bella, give it the official title it is due!"

"Either way, it doesn't sound fun." Bella groaned and let Angela lead her to the door of their English class. Angela held the door open for Bella, who bowed. Angela laughed and pushed Bella through the door. Bella laughed at her friend, feeling like they hadn't spent the better part of a decade on opposite sides of the West coast. Bella stopped short when she looked at the desks around her. Rosalie sat on the far side of the room, closest to the window. She was looking out the window, and her hands were tightly gripping her desk. She was rigid, back straight, and it almost looked like she wasn't breathing. Bella slid into the empty desk next to Rosalie and opened her mouth to say hi, but before she could Rosalie said, "Hello, Bella. How are you?"

Bella was stunned. "How did-?"

Rosalie turned to look at Bella and offered up a sincere smile. "I was willing to bet you were the only person who would sit next to me." Rosalie gestured to the rest of the seats around her, which were empty, even though the opposite side of the classroom was filling up. "People avoid sitting next to me."

Angela took the seat behind Bella. "Hi Rosalie, how are you?"

Rosalie released the desk, like someone had given her permission to relax. She turned to Angela and offered her a kind smile. "I'm well, Angela. How are you?"

"Very well, thank you." Angela looked at Rosalie's shoes. They were dark heels Bella did not recognize. "I love your shoes, Rosalie."

Angela's smile was so genuine that Rosalie couldn't help but smile back at her. "Thank you very much." Rosalie looked between them. "I didn't know you two were friends."

Bella nodded, a small blush coming to her cheeks as she shrunk under Rosalie's gaze. Bella cleared her throat, but no sound came out. Angela looked at her friend and tried not to laugh. "We were best friends as kids," Angela said, rescuing Bella, "but Bella moved away and forgot me."

"I did not!" Bella sputtered, "I forgot your dad, but I didn't forget you!"

"I can't believe you forgot my dad."

"It was an accident," Bella murmured, dropping her head onto her desk.

Rosalie laughed, a beautiful sound that made Bella's stomach do flips. The quiet conversation that had been happening around them in the room died. Bella sat up, wondering if the teacher had come into the room. She realized that every single student was looking at Rosalie in shock. "Why are they staring at you?" Bella whispered under her breath.

"Because, Bella," Rosalie turned to glare at the students around her, "They don't know how to mind their business." The students all looked away, none of them able to meet the icy glare Rosalie turned on each student in turn. A few kids cleared their throats, some dug in their backpacks, and one boy fell off his chair.

Angela giggled behind Bella, then leaned forward to whisper, "Hey Rosalie, you should teach Bella how to do that. She's been fighting boys off with a stick all day." Bella threw her elbow back onto the desk behind her, hoping to scare Angela away from her. Angela squeaked as she dodged the sharp elbow directed at her face. Angela grumbled under her breath. "Excuse me, Angela, what?"

Rosalie laughed quietly. "She said you're rude."

"How did you hear that?" Bella murmured.

"Super hearing."

"Ah, so you're a superhero?"

Angela cut in, "And you're the damsel in distress. Can I be a sidekick?"

"I swear to fuc-"

"Hello guys," the teacher said as he walked into the room. "Sorry I'm a little late, I jammed the copier. Angela covered her mouth while she giggled at Bella, and Rosalie raised an eyebrow as she watched the two. Bella wasn't sure why, but she was suddenly convinced that Rosalie could hear her heart stutter-stepping in her chest. Bella tried to listen to Mr. Berty talk his way through the beginning of the lesson.

When he gave them a break Bella leaned out to Rosalie and whispered, "Hey, what's up with your brother?"

Rosalie looked at Bella and her eyes darkened just a bit. "Which one?" Rosalie asked tightly, almost like she already knew the answer.

"Edward. He was really weird."

"Ah," Rosalie sighed. "Our father wanted him to come home."

Bella nodded. She didn't know why Rosalie would lie, but Bella was pretty sure that Jasper had said their mother wanted Edward home. Bella looked at Rosalie again and realized the girl was still watching her. Bella could have sworn that Rosalie was looking at her in concern. "What?"

"Nothing." Rosalie looked out the window again. Bella watched Rosalie. She had impeccable posture. Rosalie crossed her legs under the desk, and put her chin in her hand, and watched the rain fall. Bella was pretty sure she was looking at the most beautiful person who had ever lived. The girl took her breath away.

A pencil jabbed Bella's shoulder blade. "Fuck!" Bella grumbled, whipping around to glare at Angela.

Angela leaned forward. "You were staring," she whispered.

"No, I wasn't," Bella whispered back angrily.

"It's rude," Angela hissed back, pointing her pencil at Bella. "Don't be rude."

Bella rolled her eyes and put her head down, wondering if she could trust Angela. She peeked at Rosalie through the space between her arms. She couldn't tell, but it seemed like Rosalie was smiling.

When the bell rang, Bella sighed in relief. This was supposed to be an advanced English class, but it felt like her sophomore year English class in Phoenix. Oh well, she could probably get away with reading whatever she wanted during class instead. Angela led the way from the room, with Rosalie and Bella following her in lockstep. Bella wanted to talk to Rosalie, but she didn't know what to say. They had barely crossed the threshold of the classroom when Mike Newton pushed off the wall and joined Bella. It seemed he had been waiting for her.

"Hey, Bella!" He said cheerily. "Can I ask you something?"

"Uh…" Bella stalled, aware of Rosalie and Angela hanging back while kids in the hall split around them. "Sure." She looked at her friend with pleading eyes. Angela smiled, but Rosalie looked angry.

"We'll catch up later," Angela said, before turning away. Rosalie waited a moment longer before her sister caught up and grabbed her arm, disappearing in the crowd.

"What's up?"

"So, I know you're new to the town, and I was wondering if I could show you around?" Mike rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm not really new. I lived here as a kid." Bella shrugged.

"I mean, yeah, some things have changed if you wanted to see what's new…" He looked at the wall over Bella's head.

"I mean, not much has changed." Bella looked at Mike, who finally looked her in the eye.

He sighed heavily. "Bella, I'm trying to ask you out on a date."

"Oh," Bella groaned. "Why?"

"Because I like you," Mike said with exasperation like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You don't know me."

"I mean, I would like to."

Bella watched the boy flounder and wondered how much longer she should do this. Bella looked past Mike and saw the youngest Cullen, who she was pretty sure was named Alice, was still at the end of the hall and laughing while she watched Bella and Mike. Rosalie was nowhere to be seen, but Bella still blushed bright red, even though she knew there was no way Alice knew what was happening. "You know Mike, thanks, but I have to go. Charlie is expecting me home." She walked past Mike and hurried to the junior hallway.

Alice was still standing at the end of it. She stuck her hand out. "Hi Bella, I'm Alice. I've heard a lot about you, and I'm pretty sure we're going to be great friends."

Bella took Alice's hand. It was cold just like her sister's. "Hey. So, did you hear any of that?" Bella gestured toward the hallway behind her.

"I didn't have to hear it. It was pretty obvious." Alice's eyes danced over Bella's face, and her smile never faltered. "Did you at least let him down easy?"

Bella looked over her shoulder. Mike had disappeared. "No, I don't think so."

"Why did you turn him down?"

"He's-"

"-not your type," Alice finished the sentence.

"Right." Bella eyed the small girl warily. What did she want?

"What is your type?"

Tall. Blonde. Bella asked cautiously, "Are you hitting on me?"

A high melodious laugh escaped Alice. She looked absolutely delighted. "No, absolutely not! I am very happily taken."

Alice's huge brother came around the corner and leaned on Alice, his arm on top of her head. "She's just incredibly nosy."

Bella ran a hand through her hair. "Are you all just everywhere?" She looked behind her. "Like, honestly, you guys are everywhere. I haven't gone anywhere without a Cullen being there."

"Ah, but I'm Emmett. I'm one of a kind." Emmett reached for Bella.

She rolled her eyes and smiled. All of the Cullen's were so formal. It felt absurd in a high school hallway. "Bella."

"Oh, I know. Rosalie mentioned you." Emmett laughed as Bella's cheeks flared bright red. "She said she met you at the hardware store with our mom."

"Oh, right. Yeah. I needed paint."

Alice looked at the phone in her hand. It lit up with a notification while she waited. "Ah, Emmett, we're being summoned. Our dear sister is impatient." She pushed Emmett's hand off her head. "We'll see you later Bella!"

Alice tugged on Emmett's shirt, so he walked away from her backward, waving as he said, "It's been swell, Bell's! See you later, unless you rebel." Alice tugged harder, and he stumbled.

"What. The. Fuck." Bella said to herself after they disappeared out a side door. She ran her hand through her hair again and wondered if she was developing a nervous habit. You're a nervous habit, she snapped at herself.

Bella opened her locker and shoved her books in it. "So, what did Mike want?" Angela had appeared out of nowhere.

"A date."

Angela wrinkled her nose. "Ew."

"Yeah, don't abandon me like that again, maybe?"

"Of course not. Sorry about that. I didn't know whether to stay or go." Angela stood by Bella's side, quiet.

Bella tossed a few more things in her locker and pulled out her coat. She started to the door, Angela following a step behind her. "Why are you thinking so loud?"

"Hm?"

"I can hear your thoughts shouting at me from here. It's ridiculous."

"Sorry, it's just something's different about you." Bella's palms started to sweat. "I don't know, you're different." Angela shrugged. "What's up with you and Rosalie?"

Bella dropped her phone. She scrambled to pick it up. "What do you mean?"

"Did you know her from before? She usually only talks to her family."

"Nope. Just met her this weekend."

"That's cool. I knew she was nice. I think she might miss California."

"California?"

Bella and Angela stopped next to Bella's car. "Yeah, their family moved here from California, and I just think she doesn't like the cold. She's the only one who hasn't adjusted well. I'm glad she made a new friend." Ben called Angela from across the parking lot. "Oh, there's my ride. I'll see you tomorrow!" Angela waved shyly as she walked away from Bella. Ben shyly walked up to Angela and offered his arm to take her books. She added them to his, then held his hand as they walked to his car. They were so sweet. Bella smiled to herself.

Bella unlocked her car and pulled on the door. The screech from the hinge made her cringe. She tried to slyly look around and see if anyone was looking at her. Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie were standing next to a lifted Jeep. They were deep in conversation. Whatever they were talking about was serious. Alice looked up at Bella, and Rosalie and Emmett both looked at her too. Her face heating up, Bella tossed her backpack into the passenger seat and clambered in. She accidentally shut the seat belt in the car door, and her embarrassment grew. She looked up and saw Alice laughing again. Bella opened the door, pulled the seatbelt out, and slammed it one more time. As she drove by the saw Emmett and Alice's joyful faces. For some reason, Rosalie looked somber. Bella ducked her head and drove past them, cheeks still burning bright and her heart hammering in her chest. At least I didn't fall in front of anyone today.

Chapter Text

Rosalie ground her teeth together as she sat, arms folded, in the passenger seat of Emmett's Jeep. Emmett drove silently. He didn't want to trigger his sister. Alice had none of the same worries.

"Quit grinding your teeth. You're making me crazy."

"Alice, I swear. I will wreck you."

Alice laughed. "Look, everything is fine. I saw it coming, and we stopped him."

Rosalie whipped around. "You said you felt like he was going to struggle. What do you mean, you saw it happen?" Alice looked out the window. She refused to meet Rosalie's eyes.

"If I hadn't sent Jasper, Edward was deciding to…"

"No, no. I don't want to know." Rosalie turned around and watched the trees. Emmett still hadn't spoken. Rosalie sighed. "It was bad, wasn't it?"

"He hadn't made up his mind yet, but he was cycling through his options. I saw all of them."

Rosalie nodded. She watched deer bounce around in the woods. They chased each other down. A few squirrels tried to dodge the hooves of the deer. In less than a second, they had passed the herd of deer and were speeding on a different road toward their home. Emmett slammed on the brakes and the Jeep drifted sideways to a stop in front of their home. Rosalie hopped out, holding the door open so it didn't slam shut on Alice. Esme opened the front door and watched her children exit the Jeep. The frown on her face did nothing to temper the anger building in Rosalie.

Rosalie stormed up the porch and slid past Esme into the house. She hurried up to Edward's room. Visions of Bella's blood covering the Biology classroom while Edward drained her life floated behind Rosalie's eyes. She imagined him leading Bella away from the school. She thought about Edward's eyes glowing red, a fire burning there, fueled by Bella's death. Rosalie threw Edward's door open. It rocked off its hinges and revealed an empty room.

Rosalie turned around. She left the door hanging open as she walked to the banister. "Where is he?"

"Denali."

Rosalie glared at her mother. "Do you know what he almost did?"

"I do know. He didn't do it though." Rosalie narrowed her eyes, the rage building in her chest. It grew larger and larger like Rosalie was trying to put out a flame with gasoline. "You can't blame him for something he almost did."

"He almost ruined everything!" Rosalie shouted. Emmett and Alice watched, knowing their sister needed to burn her own anger out. Nothing they could say would help. "He almost exposed our entire family! That fool could have destroyed our lives here! We would have had to leave the fucking country!"

Alice and Emmett reeled back, appalled at Rosalie cursing at their mother. "Emmett, Alice," Esme said calmly, "Please leave your sister and me alone to talk." Esme didn't turn around, but she knew when her children had disappeared off in the woods where they wouldn't overhear the conversation. "I understand you're upset," Esme said quietly and seriously. "I know what he almost risked today, but that doesn't give you license to scream and curse at me."

Rosalie looked at her shoes. Esme may not be her mother, but she had always respected the woman like she was. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"I do." Esme reached up and caught Rosalie's chin, encouraging her daughter to meet her eyes. "You were worried." Rosalie nodded. "You were worried about Isabella."

"What?" Rosalie sputtered. "No - it wasn't - our lives here, they're…" Esme crossed her arms and watched Rosalie. Rosalie ran her thumb over her jaw, buying herself time while her mother glared. "We can't just kill people when the urge strikes us!" Rosalie swung her hands in front of her. "I'm so sick of having to worry that Edward and Jasper are going to blow up our lives. I'm tired of panic moving!" Rosalie dropped heavily onto the couch. She crossed her arms.

"Rose, I didn't even realize you were so attached to this place."

"I'm not attached to this place. I'm sick of not being able to attach to any place." Rosalie tried to crack her neck. "I don't want to live like animals. And for Edward, he of all people, to almost lose control. He thinks he is the holiest vampire that ever lived, and he almost murdered a girl in broad daylight!" Rosalie stood up again. "He has always made me feel like a less than, and I've never even tasted human blood. Not once!" She paced the living room, working herself up into a frenzy. "He's so cool, so collected, so perfect Edward fucking Cullen," Rosalie spat out his name like a bad taste, "and he almost killed an innocent child!" Rosalie stopped in front of her mother. "It doesn't matter that it was Bella, it could have been any of them."

Esme nodded at her daughter. "She's okay though, Rose. He didn't hurt her. He didn't hurt anyone."

Rosalie stared down at her hands, which had balled into fists without her realizing. "Alice was sitting in science with me, and she stared off into space. She said almost nothing, just, 'oh Edward, not Bella,' than furiously sent off texts to Jasper. I didn't have any idea what was wrong, but my whole body froze. I felt a feral, primal fear. I was so scared. Then she came into our next class unharmed, unconcerned, and not afraid of me at all. Looking at her made all the tension leave my body. Knowing she was safe made me feel happy and terrified all at once." Rosalie looked at her hands as she opened them. "Okay, maybe it was all about Bella."

Esme waited for Rosalie to meet her eyes. When she did, she took her daughter's hands in her own. "It's okay, sweetie. We're all scared sometimes. Remember when you found Emmett and you were terrified that he was going to die? You protected him, saved him, and now you have the biggest, baddest brother in the world and Edward has his mate. Fate works in strange ways. Maybe Bella is supposed to join our family too."

Rosalie watched the smile on her mother's face. If Bella was meant to join them, fated to be with them, it meant that her mate was in the Cullen. Rosalie and Esme were both thinking it: The only one without a mate was Rosalie.

A few hours later Alice stood in the doorway to Rosalie's room. Rosalie was quickly flipping through a book Alice had never seen before. "What are you doing?"

"Reading," Rosalie answered curtly.

Alice skipped into the room. "Yes, but reading what?"

"A book."

"You're the worst." Alice pushed the book so she could see the cover. Rosalie growled at her sister. "Keeping you a secret? What's that about?"

Rosalie refused to meet Alice's eyes. "It's a book about a senior in high school who falls in love with someone that isn't her boyfriend."

"Oh? Another man? What's he like?"

Rosalie stared at the book like she hoped it would set on fire. "It's another woman. And she seems pretty great so far."

Alice's eyebrows shot up, as she looked at the pile of books next to Rosalie. She scanned their titles and read them aloud. "The gravity between us, Kissing Kate, Boyfriends with Girlfriends, Ash?" Alice looked at Rose, who covered had laid flat on her bed with a book tented over her face. "So, what are you reading these for?"

"Research," Rosalie's muffled voice came out.

"What are you researching?" Alice tried not to smile, but watching her big sister squirm made her want to laugh.

"Women relationships."

"Oh, so you're researching best friends?" Before Alice could move she found herself launched off the bed and into the wall. "Ow!"

"Stop being so difficult." Rosalie sat on the edge of the bed and glared at Alice, who stayed on the floor. "I'm researching women in relationships with other women."

"Oh," Alice brushed her shoulder off. "Why didn't you just say so? What brought this on?" Rosalie stared at Alice in silence. Alice waited. And waited. And waited. It seemed like Rosalie was steeling herself to say something. Alice waited more.

Finally, Rosalie said, "I'm not exactly sure. I'm not positive, but I may have a crush."

Alice squealed and launched at her sister. "You don't!?" She tackled Rosalie and wrapped her up in a hug. "I knew Bella was going to be important, but I didn't know why!"

"I didn't say Bella!" Rosalie grumbled through her sister's arm, which was wrapped around her head. "I didn't say that!"

"You didn't have to," Alice laughed. "I'm so happy! You took interest in a human! I knew Bella was going to be important. I've been seeing weird visions of a person I couldn't quite see for weeks. I'm so excited." Alice released her sister. "I'm sure Bella was the one in my vision. She and I are going to be great friends." Alice looked down at Rosalie. "So, what have you learned?"

Rosalie looked at her sister and smiled. Alice might be a pain in the ass, but she was Rosalie's pain in the ass.

"I think I need a job," Bella said to her father at dinner.

"Why? I make enough for both of us." He spoke with his mouth full. The steak Bella had made for dinner was so much better than the cold pizza Charlie had gotten used to.

"I mean, sure, but why would you want to do that? You don't have to take care of me, not like that."

Charlie cleared his throat and looked down at his plate. "I mean, I don't mind Bells. It's not like I've had anyone to take care of in a long time."

Bella's cheeks flushed. "How about this? I get a job a few days a week to make sure I can pay for my own gas and save some money for incidentals. I don't know, college. Sound good?"

Charlie chewed slowly and mulled it over. "Okay, good. That is smart. I'm glad you turned out so responsible." Charlie pointed his knife at her. "Also, I talked to your mom today. We moved you from her phone plan to mine. So, no more 'pay your bill before your service turns off' notifications."

Bella nodded at her plate. "Thank you. I can pay that, too, if you want."

Charlie waved Bella off. "Don't worry about it, kiddo. Want to watch the game with me?"

"I'm not really into football."

"It's baseball."

"I'm not really into baseball." Bella shrugged. "Dudes running around, tossing a little white ball to each other, covered in dirt and trying to swing a tree branch for home runs? No thanks."

"Well, when you put it like that, it sounds awful."

Bella tapped her nose. "Now you get me."

"Alright kid. Well, I'll get the dishes. You get out of here." Charlie swept up the plates before Bella could argue.

"Thanks," Bella mumbled as she drained her glass of water and put it on the counter. "Good luck with your game of boring ball." Charlie snorted. Bella heard him chuckle over the running water as she headed upstairs. She smiled as she thought about living with her mom. She cooked every dinner and cleaned every dish in Renee's house. Charlie's house was shaping up to be a nice break for her. The rain sucked, but not being the mom of the house would be nice. Bella might be able to cruise these last two years of high school. Her old school had been a good place to fly under the radar, and she might have been able to stay there through graduation if it hadn't been for Renee. A shiver ran down Bella's spine as she thought of her middle school. She remembered being shoved into lockers, called names, and having her clothes being thrown into a toilet, forcing her to wear her gym uniform for the rest of the school day. She remembered her mom picking her up early, the school principal saying there was nothing they could do, and worst of all, her ex-best friend leading the torment. The look of derision on Samantha's face as she single-handedly destroyed Bella's life still appeared in her nightmares sometimes. Bella shook herself, willing those memories to stay in the past. Forks would be different. It had to be.

Chapter Text

The next day, Edward Cullen wasn't in school. Bella was relieved, especially when it came to be time for Biology and the seat next to her was occupied by Angela, who was quickly reclaiming the title of Bella's best friend like the intervening years had never happened. Bella looked around the classroom, almost expecting Edward to be hiding in a back corner, waiting to kill her. She had seen his enraged face in her nightmares the night before, and she had been afraid of seeing him again today.

"So," Bella murmured, not looking up at Angela.

"So?"

"Does Edward Cullen often miss school?"

"Yes and no," Angela answered. Bella finally looked up at her. "Dr. Cullen is really big into hiking, so when the sun's out the entire family skips school and the Dr. takes off from work. They go camping. Probably super cool, honestly."

Bella looked outside. It was just as cloudy and rainy as ever. "It's not sunny today."

Angela laughed. "No, it is not. Now that you mention it, I've never seen any of the Cullen's skip school alone. He must be sick."

Bella nodded. "Yeah, that's probably it. No big deal." Bella didn't say anything else, but she couldn't shake the feeling that this was her fault. As science came closer and closer to ending, Bella started to feel antsy. Their English class was coming up, and she had seen Rosalie across the cafeteria today. She couldn't wait to see her, to talk to her. Calm down, don't make it weird. You're being a freak, she told herself in her head.

Bella saw Rosalie as soon as she walked into the classroom. Her heart beat a drum line in her chest, and a small smile graced her face. Part of her had worried that Rosalie wouldn't be here today, even though she had seen her at lunch. Bella walked quietly and carefully to the seat next to Rosalie, taking it silently. She wanted to see if she could scare the girl. Bella got ready to yell, 'Boo!'

"Good afternoon Bella, Angela."

Bella let her head fall back and her shoulders sink in disappointment. "How do you do that?"

Rosalie turned to face Bella and Angela. "I told you, super hearing."

"She's a superhero Bella, jeez." Angela rested her hand on her palm and smiled at the two of them.

"Superhero, supervillain, whatever." Rosalie added.

Bella raised one eyebrow. "Are you two ganging up on me?"

Angela reached towards Rosalie, her hand in a fist. Rosalie eyed it for a moment, then mimicked the motion and fist-bumped Angela. "Yes, it seems we are."

Bella grabbed her notebook and pencil and started to stand up. "That's it, I'm done with you two."

"Where you gonna go?" Angela asked, laughing.

Bella looked around and realized the only seats in the room that were still empty were directly in front of Rosalie and directly behind Rosalie. "Shit," Bella said loudly, sitting back down.

"Ms. Swan, we watch out language in my classroom," Mr. Berty said from the front of the room.

"Sorry, Mr. Berty," Bella said while glaring at her desk. Her cheeks burned while students snickered at her.

"Angela, I hate you."

"What?" Angela whispered from behind her. "Why just me? Shouldn't you hate Rosalie too?"

"That would only be fair," Rosalie agreed with a straight face, without ever taking her eyes off Mr. Berty while he started his lecture.

"Jury's still out. Don't push me." Bella's cheeks burned hotter. Bella tried to keep focused on Mr. Berty, but she felt like she was being watched. When the teacher turned around Bella looked slyly at Rosalie, trying to be inconspicuous. She failed. She locked eyes with Rosalie, who was already looking at her. Bella cleared her throat and looked away. Bella's phone buzzed in her pocket. She slid it out just enough so she could read the message on the front. It was from Angela, who was saved in her phone as 'Nerd Queen.' It was a gif from The Notebook, of Fin looking at Noah and Allie. The caption simply read, Do you guys love each other?

Bella coughed loudly, trying to cover her shock and embarrassment. "Are you okay, Ms. Swan?" Mr. Berty asked, stopping his lecture to look at Bella with concern. Bella couldn't stop coughing. "Please, go get a drink of water if you need one. Take the hall pass."

Bella nodded and hurried out of her seat. She refused to look at Rosalie, and she could hear Angela giggling as she grabbed the bathroom pass and left the classroom. Bella took out her phone as made her way to the water fountain. She texted Angela back. 'I hate you, and I would like to begin termination of this friendship, effective immediately.' Bella felt an overwhelming anxiety, like Angela had just looked into her soul and displayed it to the whole school. Angela is not Samantha, Bella reminded herself again and again. Angela is not Samantha.

Bella stopped at the water fountain and took a sip of water. She didn't actually need a drink, but she felt like she might as well do what the teacher thought she was. Bella leaned over the water fountain, careful not to let her mouth touch where hundreds of other gross mouths probably had. She stood up, turned around, and walked right into a very small, very excited, brick wall. Two cool strong hands caught her forearms and stopped her from falling over.

"Bella Swan! Fancy seeing you here!"

"Are you and your sister poured from concrete?"

Alice tilted her head and looked confused. "Excuse me?"

"I have now run into both you and Rosalie, and it doesn't even make sense that someone your size almost knocked me over!"

"What can I say, we work out a lot."

Bella rolled her eyes. "You're gonna have to train me, I swear."

Alice's golden eyes sparkled. "Ask Rosalie. I'm sure she'd love to train you." Bella's cheeks burned red again.

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll do that."

"Do it! Don't you two have class right now?" Alice clapped her hands in excitement. "Just ask her after class!"

"How do you even know that?" Bella eyed Alice cautiously.

"I know things. If you're too busy to ask now, here," Alice pulled a small notepad out of her jacket and scrawled a number on it. She pulled the post-it off and handed it to Bella.

Bella eyed the piece of paper, but she didn't take it. "You shouldn't just give out your number to strangers, Alice."

"Oh, I know. We're friends." Alice took Bella's hand and forced the paper into it. "And that's not my number. It's Rosalie's." Alice winked at Bella before turning around and skipping in the opposite direction.

Bella glared down at the paper in her hand. It felt like it was burning her. She should throw it away. Bella rolled her shoulders, looked at the paper one last time, then finally put it in her pocket and walked back to class. Just because she had it didn't mean she had to use it.

When Bella rejoined the class, everyone seemed to have split into pairs. Angela leaned onto her open palm while she took notes on a piece of paper. Rosalie was talking quietly to Angela. She looked up when Bella closed the door, smiling softly. Bella tripped over her feet. "Ms. Swan, welcome back," Mr. Berty said, taking Bella's attention away from Rosalie. "We're beginning a group project. Everyone else has paired off, so why don't you just turn one of these groups into a threesome?"

A boy across the room murmured, "I'd pay to see that."

Bella nodded, trying to avoid making eye contact with Angela who was laughing quietly behind her hands. "Thanks, Mr. Berty."

Bella dropped heavily into her seat, murmuring, "Oh my god."

"Welcome to the threesome," Angela laughed.

Bella kept her face hidden behind her hands. "What's the assignment?"

"We have to choose a classic American Novel, read it, analyze it, and compare it to media today."

"So, no big deal," Bella said with a snort. "Cool."

"We chose Fahrenheit 451." Angela supplied. "Rosalie and I have both read it, so I hope you have."

"A few times, yeah." Bella didn't supply that she had read the book at least seven times. When you spent your formative years avoiding human contact, you read more books than any of your peers.

"Well then it seems like we've made a good choice." Rosalie looked at her own notebook. Bella couldn't read it from her own desk, but she could tell that Rosalie had beautiful, elegant calligraphy. Bella slid her own notebook a little closer to her, suddenly feeling inadequate about her own handwriting. "Do we all own a copy?"

"I've got my dad's old copy."

"I don't have one here," Bella said. "It stayed in Phoenix with my mom." Bella suddenly regretted not shipping all of her books to Washington with her.

"I've got an extra copy you can borrow." Rosalie smiled. "I'll bring it in tomorrow."

"Perfect, so we're all good." Angela interrupted, looking between Rosalie and Bella, wondering what she was missing.

"So, what the heck is happening?" Angela asked Bella at her locker.

"What do you mean?"

"Bella, I know I wear glasses, but they work." Angela glared at Bella. Jessica walked by and called a hello to them. Angela smiled quickly and waved back. She waited for Jess to be out of earshot before she let her smile fall and continued. "Is there something going on between you and Rosalie?"

"What?" Bella asked quickly, looking around to make sure no one was listening. Angela raised an eyebrow and just looked at Bella. "Dude, what?"

Angela refused to say anything. She just stared at Bella and waited. Bella started digging through her pockets, looking for her car keys so she could escape this conversation. A piece of paper fell out of her pocket and fluttered to the floor. Angela picked it up and looked at it before offering it to Bella. "So, whose number is that?"

Bella tossed her head back and looked at the ceiling. The standard tiles didn't offer an explanation to help Bella get out of the conversation. "Rosalie's."

"I rest. My. Case." Angela grabbed Bella's hand and shoved the paper into it. "You know, when you're ready to talk, I'm here." Angela smiled.

"I mean, I didn't ask for it!" Bella said loudly, exasperated.

"So, she just offered it?" Angela's smile grew wider.

"No, no! Alice gave it to me."

"Did she tell her to?" Angela grabbed Bella's arm with both hands, clearly excited.

"Oh my god, I don't know. Can we please not do this?"

Angela looked past Bella and down the hall. "Alice is watching us. Is she playing matchmaker?"

Bella stuttered, trying to save herself from this conversation. "I have to uh-you know-"

Angela didn't let go of Bella's arm when Bella tried to pull away. She finally paused and took stock of the conversation. "Sorry, sometimes I get really excited." Angela let go of Bella. "We don't have to talk about this. Text me later about the project, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."

Angela hugged Bella quickly. Bella stayed still in her surprise. As Angela started to head away, Bella made a quick decision. She grabbed Angela's backpack, catching it by the tips of her fingers. "Hey," Angela turned back. "Thanks. We'll talk later, okay?"

"Of course!" Angela made the 'call me' sign with her hand, before walking away quickly to meet up with Ben at the end of the hall. Bella rolled her eyes, hoping she wasn't getting ready to make the same mistake she had made before.

Bella pulled her baseball cap lower over her eyes. She was sprawled out on her porch, enjoying one of the few cloudy Forks evenings where it wasn't raining. She leaned against the railing and scrolled through the PDF on her laptop screen. She had found a few versions of Fahrenheit 451 only, but they were all terrible quality scans or PDF's that only let her look at the first chapter without paying. Bella was determined to start going through the book again immediately, but she was not going to pay for something she would have for free tomorrow. Bella pulled the paper from her pocket and took a deep breath. If she humiliated herself right now, at least no one was home to watch.

Bella typed the ten-digit number into her phone and sent a simple message: Any chance I can borrow that book today?

Bella stared at the message. It was already sent into the universe, and there was no way she could get it back. She'd forgotten to say hello. She hadn't said it was her. She had dove right into a conversation and her heart pounded out of her chest. She considered turning her phone off and burying herself in her blankets. What if Rosalie texted right back? What if she didn't text back at all? What if Alice had been messing with her. What if it was Edward's number? What if it wasn't a number in service at all? Bella opened her phone, prepared to say, 'Never mind, something came up. See you tomorrow' before the message could be read. But then she saw something that made her heart fall into her stomach. Rosalie had her read receipts on, and she had already opened the message.

Bella prepared herself for the incoming humiliation. Rosalie was busy. She didn't have time for this. There was no way. She was being nice. She didn't even have the book. Maybe she didn't know where it was. Bella watched the three dots show up on Rosalie's end of the text. They disappeared, then they showed up again. Bella held her breath. The dots disappeared again. Bella covered her eyes and shut her phone. What had she been thinking?

Bella's phone burst into sound. She jumped and looked at the front screen. Her phone was ringing. What was she supposed to do? The unsaved number on the front no doubt belonged to Rosalie (assuming Alice wasn't playing a joke on her). Bella took a deep breath and answered the phone.

"Hello?" Bella tried, and failed, to keep her voice from trembling.

"Hello, Bella. It's Rosalie." A warm voice said confidently in her ear. "Of course, you know it's Rosalie, you texted me." Rosalie laughed, the sound comforting Bella. "How are you?"

Bella cleared her throat. "Well. I'm well. Sorry to bother you, I just-"

"It's no bother at all, Bella. I found my spare copy of the book, and of course you can borrow it. Can I bring it to you?" Bella paused, stunned by Rosalie's kindness. "Bella? Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here." She sighed. "I couldn't let you bring it to me. I don't mean to be such a pain. If you're okay with it, I can come get it?" Bella steeled herself for Rosalie to say no.

"Well," she began, and Bella shut her eyes, feeling the awkwardness building. "It's kind of a hike to drive to our house out of town. If you don't mind driving out here, that's okay with me."

"Yeah, that'd be cool," Bella breathed out quickly.

"It would probably be faster if I came to you," Rosalie added. It sounded like she was smiling, but Bella couldn't be sure.

"No, no. Let me drive to you," Bella insisted.

"Well, if you're sure that Mustang of yours can make the trip, then, of course, you can come get the book."

"Don't insult my car!" Bella cried out too loudly.

Rosalie laughed into the phone. "I would never. Do you want me to text you the address?"

"Yes, please. I'll head out as soon as I get it."

"I'll see you soon," Rosalie said. Goosebumps burst onto Bella's skin.

"See you soon." The line went dead and Bella hurried into the bathroom to brush her teeth and make sure she didn't look homeless. She was going to Rosalie's house.

Fifteen miles away Rosalie quickly typed her address into a text message and sent it to Bella. "Family meeting!" She called out just loud enough for all the vampires in the house to appear. Everyone appeared, with the exception of Carlisle, who was at work, and Edward, who was in Denali for the immediate future. "I need you all to be on your best behavior. Bella's coming over."

Chapter Text

Bella was holding on to her steering wheel too tight. She knew it. Her forearms protested, her tendons stood out, and her knuckles were so white they were practically glowing. Relax Swan, relax, she tried to convince herself. Her hands didn't agree. She was looking very specifically for a turn off that Rosalie had said would be hard to find. A small figure was standing on the side of the road, waving exuberantly. Bella squinted, trying to figure out who would be all the way out here.

Bella laughed. The small figure jumping up and down was Alice. Bella pulled up next to her, and Alice hopped around and jumped into the back seat of the car. "Onward, chauffeur!"

Bella put the car in park and turned around to glare at Alice. "Excuse me?"

Alice stopped bouncing, took a deep breath, and began again. "Hello Bella, it's good to see you. I am here to help guide you to our house, which can be difficult to find. Onward chauffeur!" Bella didn't stop glaring. Alice ran a hand down her face and grumbled. "Onward chauffeur…please?" Bella made a face, nodded, then put the car in drive. Alice started bouncing again. "On your left there's going to be a very small break in the bushes. Turn into it."

Bella watched for the break. She saw a three-foot gap that didn't even look big enough for her Mustang. "That?"

"Yep." Alice leaned forward between the seats and pointed. "That's it!"

Bella stopped moving. "Buckle up right now!"

"Bella, Bella, Bella, I'm tough!"

"Alice Cullen, no one is tougher than windshields when their skull goes through them. Buckle up or we are not going anywhere!"

Alice barked out a harsh laugh, before sitting back and buckling up. "I bet my head would beat a windshield."

"You are hard-headed, but not that hard-headed. I don't take chances."

"Noted. Go through that tiny spot that doesn't look big enough. Drive slow."

Bella grumbled under her breath, "Drive slow, don't speed through that tiny space you don't know well. Thanks for the advice."

"You're welcome!" Alice was definitely still bouncing in the back seat. Bella turned cautiously into the gap in the trees. She drove slowly through the space. It looked like she was just venturing deeper into the woods than she would normally go.

After three minutes of driving during which Alice bounced the entire time, Bella got impatient. "Are you and your family leading me to my death?"

"Excuse me?" Alice finally sat still.

"Look," Bella gestured towards the window while she kept her eyes dead ahead. "Rosalie invited me over. You waited to guide me. Now it looks like you're leading me over the river and through the woods…"

"Just wait, you'll see," Alice assured Bella. Bella could hear the smile on her face.

"If I die, at least deliver my body to my father."

"Sounds perfect! Now look!" Alice bounced forward and pointed straight ahead. "See the light?"

"Buckle up right now!" Bella shouted.

"I am buckled I'm just small and these belts stretch really far!" Alice yelled in one breath. "See, see, see!?"

"Calm down you crazy little imp!" Bella did see what Alice was pointing out. There was a bright light ahead; a break in the trees. Bella kept driving slowly toward it, until suddenly the trees opened wide. Bella's eyebrows shot up. "Wow."

"I know."

The forest suddenly opened wide. They were no longer trapped in a small green tunnel. Instead they were driving on the left side of a giant green meadow. Hemlocks, Firs, and Spruce trees stood tall around the entire oval meadow. Bella imagined what the meadow would look like when the sun was shining. The shade probably only went so far, so the center of the meadow would likely be entirely lit up. The grass already practically glowed in the grey light. Bella thought the meadow looked like someone's Instagram photo after the filters were used. She intended to tell Alice so, but then she saw the house.

Bella gasped. The Cullen's house was beautiful. It stood at the far end of the meadow, tucked into a gap in the trees. The three story, plantation-style mansion grew taller as Bella got closer to it. The first floor of the mansion had, as far as Bella could see, a wraparound porch. A set of red brick stairs led up to the porch, which was elegantly carved from wood. The first-floor porch had an awning built over it, with giant columns that extended up to support a third-floor deck that also seemed to wraparound as well. A door coming from the light brown shingles led to that porch. The windows on the first floor were bracketed by dark blue shutters. The windows on the second floor had bright white shutters that blended into the shingles on the house. "Alice, this is beautiful."

"Isn't it? Pull up there, by the garage." Alice indicated a giant two-story garage. Was longer than the house and had four garage doors that Bella could see. "Right there." The asphalt that made up the driveway looped around the garage. Bella parked next to the garage.

"What in the world? Why is this so big?"

"It's a garage."

"Why is your garage two stories?" Bella's voice got a little more shrill than she would have liked.

"We have a lot of cars."

"A lot of cars!?" Bella unbuckled and got out of the car. Alice was out and standing in front of her before Bella could even try to shut her own door.

"Of course! There are lifts in there to help rotate the cars. Rosalie's workshop is on the second floor too. Super cool."

Bella slammed her door. "I knew you guys were rich, but wow."

"Mom says not to say we're rich. She says we are monetarily fortunate."

Bella snorted. "Yeah, fortunate." Alice grabbed Bella's hand and started pulling her to the house. "This house is crazy!"

"Esme restored the entire thing by hand. Come see the inside!" Bella's mouth dropped. Esme had done this entire thing by hand? That was impressive. Alice dragged Bella up the steps and ripped the front door open. "Lucy, we're home!"

"We're in the kitchen!" Bella finally made it all the way into the house, as Alice shut the heavy blue wood door behind them. Bella looked around the house. Where the outside was classy and classic, the inside was more modern. Most of the walls were white, but the floor and lower paneling was a rich wood color. A large part of the first floor was open, like someone had a problem with privacy. There was one wall to their left, and Alice led the way to it. They made their way it and found most of the Cullen's in the kitchen. The kitchen was done up with a darker wood than the rest of the house and filled with shiny chrome appliances. Esme, Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie were in the kitchen working. Esme looked up when Bella walked in. "Bella, we're so happy to have you here!"

Rosalie looked up at Bella and smiled. Bella stumbled over her words a bit. "Hello! Thank you. You have a beautiful home. Alice told me you redid the entire thing by yourself?"

"Alice, I told you not to brag," Esme chided her daughter. Alice dropped Bella's hand and skipped over to Jasper to take his.

"Look, she had questions and I answered them." Alice smiled up at Jasper, who kissed her forehead lightly.

Esme rolled her eyes and smiled. "I did. I'm an architect and an interior designer, so I got to restore the outside and design the inside. It makes me happy."

"Mrs. Cullen, that is amazing."

"Thank you, dear." Esme beamed. "Would you like to join us for dinner? I have potatoes in the oven while the steaks marinate."

Rosalie leaned on the counter and waited for Bella's answer. Emmett was chopping up lettuce and tossing it into a bowl. He looked more like he was tearing the lettuce sideways with a knife, rather than cutting it. "I would hate to impose. I just came here to get Rosalie's book."

Emmett spun around with his haphazard salad. "Bella, you have to join us!" He held up his salad in excitement. "Look! I cooked!" He held the bowl forward, like Bella should be proud of him. As he offered up the bowl, he squeezed it too tight and shattered it in his hands. Lettuce and pieces of glass went everywhere. "Oops."

Jasper grabbed Alice tight and laughed into her hair. Emmett grinned as he shook glass free from his sleeves. Rosalie covered her face in both hands, and Esme looked appalled. "Emmett, clean this up!"

"Are you okay?" Bella asked, Emmett, who was trying to clean up the shards of glass with his bare hands.

"He's fine," Rosalie said as she rolled her eyes, speaking to Bella for the first time. "Emmett, use a towel for the glass." Emmett grabbed a towel with a heavy sigh. "Stay for dinner?" Rosalie asked Bella.

"Y-yeah, sure. That sounds great." Rosalie's smile when she heard Bella was staying almost made Bella's knees weak.

"We'll clean this up, and dinner will be ready in forty-five." Esme smiled again as Emmett grumbled at the floor.

"Maybe I want to hang out with Bella. Maybe I want to play games with her." Emmett mumbled.

Alice made a quick movement. Bella was pretty sure she kicked Emmett. That was confirmed by an 'ow!' coming up from the floor.

"Rosalie, why don't you show Bella your room?"

"Mom, I don't-" Rosalie began.

"You don't have to-"

"Great!" Esme clapped her hands together. "I'll call you two down when dinner is ready. Go go!" She stepped towards Rosalie and shooed her from the kitchen. "You too! Go on!" She turned on Bella and moved her gently out of the kitchen.

"Well," Rosalie began. "Would you like to see my room?"

Bella coughed into her hand. "I mean, you don't have to-"

"I know I don't have to."

"I mean, your mom kind of made you-" Bella tried again.

"No one makes me do anything."

"If you don't want to you don't-" Bella ran an anxious hand through her hair, keeping it out of her eyes."

"I do want to." Rosalie said evenly. "I mean, if you want to."

"I do." Bella smiled. "Lead the way."

Rosalie's room was amazing. The entire back wall was a giant window. Bella stepped into the room and kept going. She had to look out at this view. When she got closer she saw that it was actually a sliding glass door that led to a balcony. "Rosalie, this is so beautiful."

Rosalie joined Bella at the door. The back yard of the house extended out as a perfectly manicured lawn. After about half an acre, the back of the yard dropped off. The forest fell away so that Bella felt like she could see for miles. The edge of Forks, Washington gave way to the wild forest, and it was one of the most amazing views Bella had ever seen. "Thanks. I like it a lot, too." Rosalie turned from the window and swept an arm around her room. "Well, this is where I live."

Bella laughed and looked around. Rosalie's room was elegant in it's simplicity. The room had a dark blue, white, and beige color scheme. The dark bed contrasted with the light carpet and the even lighter walls. A dark blue dresser and a dark blue sofa sat against the walls opposite each other. A tv sat on top of the dresser, next to a remote. She had a dark blue wooden desk with some papers scattered across it. The book Bella needed was on it, laying across a laptop. The bedside table had a few books piled on top of each other. "Oh, what are you reading?"

Rosalie crossed the room a little too fast, trying to put herself between Bella and the books. "Nothing, just a little light reading."

"Oh god, are you reading Fifty Shades of Grey? I'm so sorry I asked." Bella covered her eyes and waited for Rosalie to stop moving.

Rosalie giggled. "No, Bella, I am not reading that unsanctimonious dreck." Bella uncovered her eyes. "I've just been reading a few novels, that's all. No smut involved, I swear."

"So, what are you reading?" Bella sat down in Rosalie's desk chair. It seemed like the most appropriate place to sit. The bed sent the wrong message, and the couch seemed too informal.

Rosalie looked down at the books in her hands. She walked over to Bella and sat them on the desk. "Just a few novels." Rosalie's list had expanded since Alice had last seen it.

Bella looked down the spines of the books in front of her. Her cheeks started to heat up, and her heart beat faster. She looked up at Rosalie and gave her a shy smile. "I've read these. They're good. Informative." Bella cleared her throat. "If these are the kinds of books you're into.."

Rosalie looked away, sure Bella was going to say, 'Then I can't hang out with you, sorry.' Bella trailed off, and Rosalie looked back up at her.

"I have a few more I can recommend. I've read these, and their good, but some really good books have come out recently you would like."

Rosalie sighed in relief. "I would love that. Do you read a lot?"

Bella place a hand over her heart. "Do I…Do I!? What!?" Bella looked insulted. "I had a choice between books and friends, and I chose books! That's why I don't have any friends." Rosalie's laugh bolstered Bella. "No, really. No friends. Alice is trying so hard to be my friend, and I don't know how to tell her I chose books over humans."

"You think Alice will take it hard? Emmett has been dying to be your friend."

"Oh?" Bella shrugged. "I don't know, I think my friend quota is full."

"That's disappointing. I mean, I had high hopes for us." Rosalie shrugged. "Oh well."

Bella raised both her hands. "Wait, wait, Rosalie, don't be so hasty! Maybe I can make some room." Bella tapped her chin. "You know, I am ashamed to say I did read Fifty Shades of Grey. I could trade that whole series for a new friend."

"You tried to judge me over Fifty Shades when you've read them all?" Rosalie laughed.

Bella jumped up. "I don't keep them by my bed!"

Rosalie laughed. "I didn't say you did, but now I have to wonder if you do!"

Bella sputtered. "What-no, Rosalie! The books we were talking about were by your bed!" Rosalie laughed harder, and Bella's cheeks turned red. "Oh no, you're kidding."

Rosalie laid a hand of Bella's arm, over her hoodie sleeve. "I am kidding. But if you're so broken up about it that you're begging me to be your friend, well then I would be honored."

Bella groaned loudly and threw her head back. Rosalie's light fixture looked like a small chandelier. "Oh my god, what have I even gotten myself into."

Rosalie took her hand off Bella's arm and winked. "Nothing yet!"

A knock on the door and Alice's voice let Bella and Rosalie know dinner was ready. Bella followed Rosalie out of her room, wondering what was happening and if her heart should be as excited as it was. She tripped over the last stair, and Rosalie spun around to catch Bella securely around the middle before Bella could hit the ground. Bella wasn't sure if she imagined Rosalie holding on to her for a moment too long, but when Rosalie said, "Be careful, please," Bella was pretty sure she hadn't.

Chapter Text

Dinner with the Cullen's was a strange affair. Bella wasn't positive how they were doing it, but the Cullen's seemed to be eating their food lightning fast. They kept her talking by asking questions about her dad, her mom, Phoenix, and her childhood. Every time she turned one way to answer a question, someone else was waiting with the next one. Before long, everyone else was done eating and Bella had only taken a few bites.

"Okay, okay," Esme finally cut in. "Bella hasn't even had time to eat. Why don't we give her a moment?"

Bella smiled gratefully and dug in. The steak was amazing. Bella considered herself to be a good cook, but she had never made anything this extravagant. The potatoes had the perfect ratio of butter, garlic, and salt. "Mrs. Cullen, this is amazing."

Esme beamed. "Esme. And thank you! I was trying a new recipe today. I'm so glad to have someone around here who eats." Bella tilted her head to the side. Esme didn't miss a beat. "These kids, they like to make things for themselves, go out to eat, or eat leftovers. I never get to see if they liked my food."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Cullen, I love it." Bella took another bite of the steak, covered her mouth and asked, "So, what do you do?"

Esme beamed. "I'm an interior designer. I did our entire house."

Bella's jaw dropped. "You did this? Your home is beautiful!" Bella looked around at the accents in the dining room with fresh eyes. She had assumed that the Cullen house was done professionally, but she never would have guessed it was done by Mrs. Cullen. "How do you- That's amazing."

"Esme doesn't just decorate," Emmett bragged, both elbows resting on the table. "She has a workshop. She made this table."

Bella looked at the table, an intricately carved oval shape. Carved into the woods were perfectly symmetrical loop designs, roughly one inch from the edge. Alice added, "And she didn't like the countertops, so she bought the marble and carved it herself."

Bella dropped her utensils. "Mrs. Cullen, if you could show me how to make things, I would be eternally grateful."

Esme swatted Emmett's elbow so he leaned back in his chair. "You know, I run a small business. I make custom pieces for people all over the world. I have a little space in the business for an assistant if you'd be interested."

Bella looked at Rosalie, who was smiling at her. "Are you serious? I just told my dad I was looking for a job. Did he put you up to this?"

Esme's face lit up, and a gleam in her eye told Bella that whatever she said next was going to be a lie. "No, I haven't talked to Chief Swan about you getting a job at all! I definitely didn't run into him this weekend as he was on patrol." Esme clapped. "I've always wanted an apprentice."

Alice snorted. "Excuse me!"

Esme amended, "I've always wanted an apprentice that wasn't in my own family. This will be fantastic!" Esme clapped. "We'll hammer out the details this week, like hours, pay, everything. I'll draw something up."

Bella was finally able to finish eating as the conversation began to move on around her. Rosalie laid out her tentative plans for their project, Alice talked about how boring her math class was, and Jasper sat quietly in the corner. Bella thought he might be purposefully leaning away from her, but when she met his eyes, he did his best to give her a reassuring smile. Bella thought it looked forced, but she liked him anyway. He had a warmth to him like he might be laughing at a joke Bella didn't know and was going to tell her the joke one day. The entire room was filled with warmth until Emmett's phone buzzed. He checked his phone and started texting back quickly.

"Emmett, that's rude," Esme chided him.

"Mom," he whined, "it's Edward."

Bella felt like the air had been sucked from the room. Alice looked grim, Jasper looked away, and Rosalie set her teeth in response to the name. Emmett looked ashamed. Only Esme looked unchanged. "Oh, how is he?"

Emmett beamed. "He's good. He's taken some time to visit our cousins in Alaska. They went hunting for Elk yesterday. "Emmett put the phone to his chest to cover it up, even though no one was on it. "They didn't catch anything," he whispered.

Bella laughed. "So why is he there?"

Emmett put his chin on his hand and his elbow on the table. "Our cousin is getting married to her fiancé, Laurent. Edward is her best man. He flew out to help make plans. He'll be back next week."

Bella looked around and took in the tension of the rest of the Cullens. "Well, I look forward to officially meeting him." Everyone breathed again, though Rosalie still looked troubled.

The rest of the evening passed easily. Bella spent some time working with Esme to figure out when Bella would be able to start working with Esme. Rosalie walked Bella out to her car. She eyed the car with distaste but offered Bella a soft smile that she brought back inside with her. Rosalie found her family watching her.

"What?" Rosalie asked. She shrugged. "I made a friend."

Esme smiled at her daughter, hands behind her back. "I'm glad to hear that." Esme's knowing smile didn't go away, so Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"She only came over to get a book," Rosalie insisted. "You're the one who made her stay for hours."

"If she only came here to get a book," Esme smiled, "Then why did she forget it?" She finally showed what she had been hiding behind her back. Bella had forgotten the book." Rosalie snatched it from Esme's hands.

"Humans," she grumbled, "Can't count on them for anything." Rosalie stomped upstairs and slammed her bedroom door behind her. She dropped onto the bed and covered her head with the pillow, blocking out her family's whispering. She didn't leave her room again that night, a small smile on her face as she committed the evening to memory.

The next morning Rosalie stood outside her family's collection of vehicles. They discussed things that didn't matter to her, not while she was waiting patiently. Bella's loud car roared into the parking lot. Rosalie took a step off her car, intending to walk over to Bella. All heads turned to watch the Mustang pull in. Bella was new, she was exciting. Everyone wanted her attention. Some of the Junior boys loped over to her, elbowing their way past each other. Rosalie leaned back against Emmett's Jeep. Alice watched Rose with more interest than Rosalie cared for.

"Just be patient," Alice advised. Rosalie took a breath. She knew she was being too still in her anxiety. She nodded at her sister and lowered her shoulders. Bella got out of her car, threw her backpack over one shoulder, and looked at the boys. Mike was bouncing like an excited puppy. Rosalie grit her teeth. Bella did a quick scan of the parking lot. Her eyes fell on Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett where they stood clustered away from the humans who avoided them.

Bella smiled shyly, excused herself from Mike and Tyler, and made quickly for the Cullen's. "Hey," Bella sounded guilty.

"Bella Swan, you look like you kicked a puppy," Emmett laughed.

"Thanks, Emmett," Bella said sarcastically, a playful sneer on her face. She slapped his arm. I(t hurt her hand. Bella hissed in pain, then approached Rosalie slowly while shaking out her hand. "So, I actually got home before I realized that I had forgotten the book." Bella poked her temple and closed an eye scrunching up her face and looking bashful. She dragged a hand across her face before she finally met Rosalie's eyes and shrugged with one awkward shoulder. "My bad?"

"Is that a question or a statement, Isabella Swan?"

"That…" Bella rubbed the back of her neck, "was a question that needed to be a statement. My bad."

"And?" Rosalie asked. She took the book out of her bag and waved it through the air.

Emmett and Alice laughed while Jasper stood behind them, smiling. "May I please borrow the book?"

Rosalie flipped through the pages a bit. Bella was starting to turn a little pink. "How can I be sure you're not going to leave my prized novel lying around town?"

"Rosalie, I swear on my life I won't leave your book lying around. I will protect it with my heart and soul."

Alice covered her mouth and bounced up and down. "Bella, you're so cute!"

Rosalie nodded and held the book out for Bella. "That will do." Rosalie folded her arms. "But if I see this lying casually anywhere, I will kill you."

Bella took the book and looked at Rosalie's golden eyes. "I don't doubt that."

"Bella!" Bella spun around instinctively, clutching the book to her chest. Jess was waving her over. "Come here!"

Bella waved back, then turned back to the Cullen's. "Thank you, Rosalie. I appreciate it." She waved with the book and started walking away backward. With her free left hand, she saluted. Bella spun on her heel before any of the Cullen's could say anything, her dirty Converse scattering small pebbles. Jess caught Bella's arm and dragged her to the school. Rosalie could hear the small girl ask, "What was all that about?"

"I needed a book!" Bella hissed as their other friends joined them.

Rosalie was hit from behind by a stone wall. A very small wall. A small wall that squealed and had arms. "Oh my, that was the cutest!" Alice pushed her head forward on Rosalie's spine. She squealed again, muffling the sound in Rosalie's cardigan.

"Alice, if you don't let go of me I will hurl you into the sun with every single student in this school watching." Alice's contained laughter rocked Rosalie, who was doing her best not to sneer while Emmett and Jasper watched the sisters.

A familiar Volvo skid around the corner of the parking lot, ostentatious even in its muted silver. Edward took the last available spot next to Emmett's Jeep. Rosalie smiled to herself. (Even in their oblivious attempts to navigate the day-to-day, the sheep of Forks knew better than to get too close to the Cullen's.) His tires squealed as he came to a stop. Edward stepped out of the Volvo, shutting the door gently behind him. He smiled when he caught sight of Emmett. Rosalie rolled her eyes as she watched the two men light up as they took each other's hands.

"Hello, dear," Edward smiled. "I missed you."

"And I, you," Emmett grinned back. He ran a hand through Edward's hair, messing it up. Emmett leaned forward and quickly kissed Edward's forehead. "When you said soon I didn't know you meant today!"

"I didn't either until I hung up." Edward quickly fixed his hair, running a hand backward to put it back in order.

"Are you going to murder these disgusting children?" Rosalie demanded.

Edward turned away from Emmett, holding tightly to his mate's hand. "I'm not. I've been meditating." Rosalie arched an eyebrow at him. "I went to hunt twenty minutes ago. It will be okay. This is our home. I'm not going to ruin it. If I can't breathe, I won't breathe."

If you fuck this up, you will never breathe again, Rosalie thought angrily at her brother.

"Noted." He nodded at her. The bell rang, signaling they had only minutes left until they were late.

Chapter Text

Bella spun her pencil, tapped it on the lunch table, and spun it again. She spun her pencil, tapped it, and did it again. Edward Cullen was back. Bella hadn’t seen him (none of the Cullen’s were in the lunchroom), but she’d heard some whispers in the hall between classes. She was afraid to see him. Bella wasn’t afraid of things, not after what she’d been through, but Edward’s black eyes from two days (had it only been two days?) ago were burned into her soul. Bella spun the pencil again, tapped the desk again, and got ready to spin the pencil one more time before Jess snapped.

“Bella!” Bella jumped and whipped around, turning to look at Jess. “That pencil is making me crazy!”

Bella blushed. “My bad, I didn’t even realize.”

“I’m sure there are lots of things you don’t realize,” Lauren said loud enough for Bella to hear, never even looking up from her nails.

Bella put her chin on her palm and stared at Lauren. She weighed the pros and cons of antagonizing Lauren again. She decided against it. Coasting and making it through Forks did not include getting the meanest girl in school further on her bad side.

“You’re right, Lauren,” Bella agreed before shrugging and putting the pencil in her pants pocket. She saved her insult for the next time. Instead, Bella opened Rosalie’s book. She’d last read Fahrenheit 451 two years ago (maybe?), but if there was one thing Bella needed, it was an A to get a good scholarship. She didn’t want to burden Charlie with her presence. She began the book again, determined to carry her weight. “It was a pleasure to burn…”

Bella had hoped against hope she and Angela would get to Biology before Edward. If they had, they could have sat together and she could avoid whatever awkward confrontation was coming. Unfortunately, it seemed Edward walked at the speed of light. He was waiting at their shared table, intently focused on his notebook as he took copious notes. “Good luck,” Angela whispered, before gently touching Bella’s elbow and leaving to go to her table. Bella smiled at Angela, hiked up her backpack, and made her way slowly to her table. She couldn’t really explain it, but she felt like she was heading into the wolves’ den covered in meat sauce. Bella sat down next to Edward, prepared to stare straight ahead for an entire class. Bella spread out her notes, set out her pen, and waited for class to begin.

A throat cleared to her left. “Hello,” a soft, velvety voice said. He spoke quietly, but Bella still jumped. She looked over at him and saw that he was smiling at her. His eyes were a darker gold than Rosalie’s but were significantly lighter than when they had first met. Bella’s eyebrows knitted together. Rosalie had a very unique eye color, but Bella couldn’t help but notice that all the adopted Cullen’s eyes looked similar. She’d never seen anyone with gold eyes before, and now they were everywhere. Edward raised an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry?”

“I said hello.” Edward’s smile had slipped. Instead, his face was a reflection of Bella’s. He looked confused as well. “I’m Edward.” He ran a hand through his hair and leaned away from Bella. “I didn’t get to properly introduce myself last class. I was unwell.”

Bella nodded. “It’s nice to officially meet you.” Bella looked down at her notebook. “How was your trip?”

“Excuse me?” Edward looked confused.

“Well, Emmett said you were in Alaska, and you weren’t going to be back till next week.”

Edward nodded. “There was a slight change of plans.”

“Uh oh, your cousin isn’t getting married anymore, is she?” Edward was staring at Bella’s forehead like her skin was on fire. She ran a hand over her forehead. “Is everything okay?”

Edward looked at his notebook. “Everything is fine. Our cousin is still getting married. Emmett must have misunderstood me. I’ll be going back there next week, not coming back here. Small mistake.” Edward shrugged, but it seemed forced. Bella’s eyes darted to Angela, and she mouthed ‘help me.’ “So, I hear you were at my house yesterday? Alice is quite taken with you.”

Bella turned her attention back to Edward. “Yeah, she’s cool.”

“Cool,” Edward tapped his desk, then stared at Bella again.

“Is there something on my face?”

“No, no. Sorry. I just can’t-“ Edward paused, searching for the right words.

“Can’t what?”

Edward sighed. “I just can’t figure you out.”

“Duh, we just met.” The hair on the back of Bella’s neck stood up again. Edward felt dangerous, threatening.

“Of course, my apology. I’m so sorry. My siblings have already told me so much about you. They like you very much. I just wanted to get to know you too, Isabella.”

“Just call me Bella, please.” Bella’s cheeks were heating up. All of Edward’s siblings were talking about her? Rosalie included? “Dude, you can get to know me, but I have to tell you, you’re creeping me out.”

Edward leaned back even further. “I’m so sorry.” He looked back down at his notebook. “What exactly am I doing that is,” he raised his fingers to make air quotes, “’Creeping you out?’”

Bella looked down at Edward’s notebook and saw him write in loopy, scrawling, cursive: Creeps people out. Bella huffed out a small laugh. “That, dude. That is creepy.”

Edward nodded, then wrote down, ‘1. This.’ He smiled a little bit. “What else?”

“Staring. It’s creepy. And rude.”

Bella watched ‘2. Staring’ appear on the next line.

Mr. Banner entered the room then, walking swiftly to the front of the class. “Good afternoon everyone!” His eyes landed on Edward. “Mr. Cullen, welcome back. I trust that you were able to do your homework while you were gone?”

Edward nodded and lifted up a stack of papers next to him. “I did, Mr. Banner. Would you like to see it?”

Mr. Banner waved his hand through the air. “No, Edward, I trust you. Did you have any questions?”

“No, sir. Thank you.” Edward smiled widely at Mr. Banner, who got flustered and straightened his tie. He cleared his throat and began the class.

Bella half-listened to Mr. Banner’s lecture. She wasn’t particularly concerned with the class. A gentle tapping on the desk caught her attention. She looked down and saw Edward had slid his list closer to her. Next to his last entry to his ‘creepy list’ he had written ‘anything else?’

Bella nodded gently, so Edward slid the list directly in front of Bella. She took her pen out and hesitated over the paper. She didn’t want to add to his beautiful handwriting, but this weirdo seemed determined. Bella wrote down, ‘3. Dazzling the teacher with a weird pretty face.’

She slid the paper back to Edward, and he looked back at her, his face a combination of shock and offense. Bella hid a laugh behind her hand, pretending it was a sneeze. Edward’s eyes clouded over as he faced the front of the room. The paper slid back to her.

There was only one word added: Rude. Bella smiled. Edward smiled too. They continued on through their lecture in silence. At the end of class, Edward said, “See you later Bella,” then hurried out of the class before anyone else had even stood up. Bella shrugged. This seemed like an improvement.

Rosalie felt like her skin was too tight. Her fingers couldn’t sit still, her eyes felt like they were burning, and her legs felt full of electricity. It was taking everything in her not to simply go into the Biology classroom and make sure all the humans were safe. If Edward had met his singer, and Jasper and Alice were sure that he had, he wasn’t safe for anyone to be around. Especially not Bella. Rosalie stood at the end of the Junior hall, waiting for any hint that something was wrong. She hadn’t gone to her class. The anxiety had been too much for her. Alice could sense if something bad was going to happen, but who knows if she’d have been able to react fast enough? Edward ran from the science room first. He didn’t look Rosalie’s way before he headed for the back door of the school. Rosalie watched him go.

Bella and Angela came through the door next. Bella locked eyes with Rosalie at the end of the hall. She didn’t look troubled in any way. Bella waved, and she waved back, relief flooding through her body. Angela headed for her locker, telling Bella she’d meet them in class.

“Hey,” Bella greeted Rosalie. “Your brother is super weird.”

Rosalie laughed. She found herself doing this more and more with Bella around. “He is, true.”

“I told him he was creepy, and he asked me to help him list his creepy traits.” Rosalie rolled her eyes, and Bella continued, “it was weird. I guess it was kind of cute, but like weird.”

“Cute?” Rosalie asked, disgusted. A jealous flame flared up in her chest. “You know he has a boyfriend, right?”

“Ew, dude. Jeez.” Bella dragged her fingers across her eyebrows, smoothing them out while she grumbled. “Not that kind of cute, cute like a lost raccoon baby. Like you want to help it, but it might also have rabies.” She shrugged. “Edward might have rabies.”

“I’ll make sure we get him tested.”

Rosalie’s phone vibrated. She looked at it quickly. You two are so cute! Rosalie groaned. Alice was going to get tossed off the roof if she didn’t stop. Bella walked into their English class first, and Rosalie looked around, trying to spot Alice. Her phone went off again. Saw it in a vision. Rosalie walked into the class, trying not to slam the door behind her. That pixie was going to die. Rosalie’s phone buzzed one more time. I’m your best friend, get over it.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. One day she would make it through an entire day without someone reading her thoughts, guessing her future, or changing her emotions. Today wasn’t that day, but eventually.

Rosalie took her usual seat near Bella, who waved the copy of Fahrenheit 451. “Congratulations,” Rosalie rolled her eyes, “You’ve kept the book safe for a few hours.”

“A few?” Bella hissed. “It has been at least five. Last time I checked, a few is like three.”

“Okay, Chronos, I got it.” Bella huffed as Angela slid into her seat. She adjusted her glasses and leaned forward.

“Guys, I have a plan.” She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “We have three weeks to do this project, right?” Rosalie heard Angela’s heart pounding faster. The girl was excited about something. “What do you say we get this entire project done like, now, and then we can waste all our time in this class!”

Bella rolled her eyes and her shoulders. “Are you excited about school work?”

Angela grabbed Bella’s shoulders. “Bella, Bella, Bella.” She shook her friend gently. “If we get this done this week we can, I don’t know, solve world hunger, debate boxers versus briefs, or you know,” Angela coughed into her hand. She heard what Angela said, but it didn’t make it any less funny.

“We could what?”

A blush crept up Angela’s neck. “We could spend this time in the computer lab so I can write my fanfiction.” Angela pointed at Rosalie. “Don’t you dare tell that to any of your siblings.”

Bella whipped around in her chair. “Your what?”

Rosalie tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “Come on Bella, everyone knows what fanfiction is.” Bella looked between Rosalie and Bella blankly. “Fanfiction is the noble art of taking fiction that currently exists, and rewriting it to correct wrongs or explore possibilities that aren’t currently canon.” Rosalie looked at her nails. She felt more than saw Angela’s jaw drop. “I’ve been known to write some myself. What do you write?”

Angela’s teeth clicked audibly as she shut her mouth. “I write for….Destiel.”

Rosalie nodded. “Ah, Supernatural. I’m more of a Charvelle or Sabriel fan myself.” Rosalie smiled. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

Angela steepled her fingers in front of her mouth. She pointed them at Rosalie. “Rosalie Hale, will you marry me?”

Rosalie winked at Angela who put a hand over her heart and pretended to die. “Someone tell Eric, we’re over.”

“You’re both so embarrassing,” Bella groaned. “If you guys want to finish this week, fine. I’m good with that. Wanna meet at my house after school?” Bella looked at the rubric. “I figure we can knock this out in just a few hours if we really try.”

Angela and Rosalie agreed. They were going to crush this project. Rosalie heard Bella mumbling to herself at different points in class. “What the fuck is Destiel?” Rosalie smiled out the window. She knew Bella thought no one could hear her and didn’t want to ruin it for her.

Bella ran circles around the inside of her house, throwing away trash and straightening the same pillows over and over. It was four-fifty, and she knew that Angela and Rosalie would be there at five. She looked around her house, wondering what had possessed her to invite the girls here. Charlie’s house looked…lived in. The Cullen’s house looked like it had been designed for a magazine. She couldn’t imagine where all their money came from. Maybe Dr. Cullen had inherited it. Charlie’s house looked like he had lived alone in it for years. Bella looked at the peeling wallpaper, the chipped tiles in the kitchen, and the height markings on the doorway that abruptly disappeared after Bella stopped visiting. It all made her sad. The yellow cabinets had faded to a sad imitation of their former brightness, and it made Bella’s chest hurt. Her dad seemed to have lived a sad life. He was only in his forties, but he lived like an old man.

Bella groaned. Angela had been in this house plenty of times, but Rosalie was going to see it for the first time. Bella felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. She wondered if it was too late to cancel. She didn’t want that beautiful blonde goddess to see where she lived. She made a mental note not to let Rosalie see her room under any circumstances. She still hadn’t fixed her paint failure, and there wasn’t time now. Bella pulled out her phone, ready to cancel, when the doorbell rang.

Bella hurried to the door and tripped over one of the old kitchen chairs. “Shit, fuck. Damn it,” she cursed to herself. She ripped the front door open, ready to yell at Angela for letting her suggest this study group, “How could you-“ Bella began.

Rosalie stood on the other side of the door, two pans in her hands and a smile on her face. Bella's heart leaped into her throat, and she froze. Rosalie lifted an eyebrow, taking Bella in. “We said five right? Am I early?”

Bella straightened up. “No, no, sorry, you’re right on time.” Bella looked at the pans Rosalie was carrying. “What’s this?”

Rosalie shrugged. “Esme doesn’t believe in showing up to someone’s house empty-handed. She sent me bearing gifts.”

“She didn’t need to do that; we can’t accept this.” Bella’s stomach grumbled in protest.

“You sure?” Rosalie laughed quietly. “Please, Esme would be offended if I brought them home.” Rosalie and Bella just looked at each other for a moment. Bella looked at her feet. Rosalie’s gaze made her heart beat in a way that was almost painful. Rosalie cleared her throat. “May I come in?”

“Oh my god,” Bella threw the door open. It hit the wall a little too hard. “Of course, jeez. Let me take those for you.”

“Thanks.” Rosalie handed off the pans. They were heavy, and Bella struggled a bit with them. “Esme may have gone overboard. I tried to tell her.” Rosalie set her bag on the floor by the door. “I believe she made extra meals when I told her I was coming over.”

“No kidding!” Bella pulled up a corner of the foil. She could see steamed vegetables and chicken. “Tell her thank you!” She looked at the next pan. It seemed to be hamburgers and fries in a pan with a divider.

“I will. She also put instructions for heating on top. She’s very,” Rosalie hesitated, “extra. She’s extra.”

“It must be nice to have such a put-together mom.”

Rosalie nodded in agreement. “So, where’s Angela?”

Bella put the food in the fridge and checked her phone. She didn’t have any missed messages. “Good question. I’ll call her.” The phone rang once and Angela picked up like she had been waiting for the call. “Where are you?”

“Why, what do you mean? I’m at home babysitting the twins until six-thirty.”

“What?” Bella heard how shrill her voice sounded. She watched Rosalie look around, appraising her small house. She turned away from Rosalie, trying to focus on the call. “You’re supposed to be here at five minutes ago!”

“I could have sworn we all said seven!”

“Angela, I swear, you know we all said five. You suggested five!”

Angela laughed. “I will be there at seven Bella! Wy don’t you and Rosalie just get started, and I’ll be there as soon as my parents get home. Seriously, if you don’t marry her, I will.”

Bella sputtered. “I don’t, that’s not, Angela what the fuck!”

“Bye Bella, the twins are calling me!”

“Angela Weber get your ass-“ A click let Bella know Angela was gone. She looked at her phone. “Sonofabitch.” Bella spun around. “Angela won’t be here until seven.”

Rosalie held her hands in front of her and watched Bella intently. Bella cleared her throat and dodged Rosalie’s eyes. “Bella, would you like me to come back later?”

“No!” Bella held up both her hands and tried again, quietly. “No, that’s crazy. Your house is kind of far. By the time you get home, you’ll be twenty minutes from having to leave again. I mean, if you want, we can just hang out until Angela gets here?”
Rosalie’s smile almost blinded Bella. “That sounds great. What do you want to do until then?”

“I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

“I know exactly what I want,” Rosalie’s grin made Bella uneasy. “Let me show you.”

Chapter Text

Bella looked around. She picked up a grimy part she couldn't recognize. "Rosalie, what is this? Can you put this back together?" Bella looked at Rosalie, who was leaned over and elbow-deep in the Mustang.

She looked at Bella, a smear of oil across her elbow, which she leaned on the car. "Do you trust me?"

Bella didn't hesitate. "Yes."

"Then trust me."

Bella pulled her knees closer to her chest and set the part back down. She was in awe of the girl before her. Rosalie had been rattling off what she was doing, but Bella didn't understand most of it. "Bella, come here."

Bella unfolded herself and stood up. Her leg had gone to sleep, so she had to stumble closer to Rosalie. "What is it?"

"Do you see this?" Rosalie pointed to a tangle of tubes, pipes, and metal that formed a grimy black mass. She was pointing into one.

"Yeah. What is it?"

Rosalie looked directly at Bella while she continued pointing into the engine. Bella's breath caught. Rosalie was about six inches from Bella. Rosalie looked away quickly. "Your radiator fan has been hitting this." Rosalie held up a piece of twisted metal. "That's what the weird knocking is."

"Wow. Is that why it's so loud?"

Rosalie kept looking at the small metal piece in her hand. Bella felt strange like she wished she was that piece of metal, under Rosalie's gaze. "No, that's something I can't fix right now. However, when you come to work with Esme, I can really tear this apart. You don't have the tools I need here."

"You're amazing," Bella said quietly, clearly in awe.

"No, no I'm not. I can show you some things in the future if you want."

"I would love that."

"Good, because if you expect this thing to survive, it's going to take a lot of work."

"Her name is Danvers, thank you very much."

Rosalie tossed the piece of metal into a tray and reached back into the engine. Bella tried not to stare. "Danvers?" Rosalie looked over her shoulder, and Bella quickly looked at the garage floor.

"Yep. As in Kara and or Carol Danvers, two of the most badass women in any superhero universe."

"Hm. I like it. I hate her a little bit, but I like how you think."

Bella gasped. "How dare you!?"

Rosalie shut the hood and turned to face Bella. "If you give me the opportunity, I can turn her into something better. She can be Carol at the Academy, or Kara saving people for the first time." Rosalie touched the hood and dragged her hand across it. She offered her hand to Bella, who saw that Rosalie's fingers were dusted red. "If you really want me to care about Danvers, you'll let me fix this."

Bella shrugged one shoulder. "We'll see. I make no promises."

Rosalie sneered, then leaned close to the car. "I hate you, Danvers."

Bella spun on her heel and walked to the house. "I won't stand for this!"

"Then sit!" Rosalie called from the garage, where she was wiping her hand off on a few paper towels. She entered the house through the front door to see Bella sitting in the kitchen, her arms folded across her chest as she looked resolutely away from the door. "What are you doing?"

"Not standing for it, obviously," Bella grumbled, staring off into the living room. Rosalie stood in front of Bella, who then turned her head in the opposite direction.

Rosalie huffed then bit her lip. "Bella?" Bella 'hmphed' in response. "Isabella Swan?"

"Rosalie Hale."

"I am sorry I insulted your car." Bella didn't acknowledge Rosalie. "Bella, I'm sorry I insulted Danvers. From here on out, I will give her the respect you believe she is due." Bella raised an eyebrow, and Rosalie amended, "From here on out I will show her the utmost respect."

"Thank you. I accept your apology." Bella popped up from the chair, an easy smile on her face. She tried not to show how nervous she was. "Are you hungry?"

"Nope, still not hungry." Bella nodded and shut the fridge. She grabbed an apple from a bowl on the counter, deciding she would eat a meal after Rosalie left. She wasn't sure she wanted Rosalie to watch her eat. It made her nervous. Talking to Rosalie made her nervous. Looking at Rosalie made her nervous. If Bella was honest with herself, Rosalie made her nervous.

Bella turned around to see Rosalie smiling at her. "What?"

"Nothing. I think Angela will be here soon."

The front door flew open, and Angela yelled, "Lucy, I'm home!"

Bella looked at Angela, then at Rosalie. Rosalie smiled and tapped her head. "Superpowers."

Bella laughed. "Angela, you don't knock?"

Charlie followed Angela in. "Bells, family doesn't knock. Speaking of, we have family!" Charlie carried a case of beer and waved behind him. Harry and Sue Clearwater, Billy Black, and a few men Bella didn't recognize came in.

"Dad! We have a project to work on!"

"I know Bells, but you can work in your room. There's a game on," Charlie shrugged, looking sheepish. He had definitely forgotten that Bella had texted him earlier in the day.

Bella's face morphed into a mask of horror. Her room was a mess. She hadn't finished organizing it after her paint debacle, and there was no way she could cover her terribly tie-dyed walls. "Okay, wait here," Bella said to her friends. She charged up the stairs.

"Aren't you going to say hello?" Charlie called.

"Hey everyone, long time no see!" She yelled as she ran upstairs. Bella hastily made her bed. She threw her clothes into her closet, along with a few pairs of sneakers and her suitcase. It was still half full. She shoved her dresser towards the wall and quickly made her bed. She ran back downstairs. "Okay, sure, we're good. We can work in my room." Bella looked around the room at people she had known most of her life. She hugged Harry and Sue at once. "Hi, guys, sorry about that." She looked at Billy, who was in a wheelchair. "Hey Papa Black, how you been?"

He was looking around Bella's back at something. His eyes snapped up to her, and he smiled uneasily. "I've been better." He tapped the wheelchair. "Like my new chair?"

Bella looked at it. "Did Jacob put these flames on it?"

"He did. He thought these made it hotter, which apparently means cooler? Kids these days." Billy's smile seemed to grow more real. "We're so happy to have you back. Charlie has talked about you coming home nonstop." Bella looked at her dad, who huffed and tugged at his collar. "Who are your friends?" Billy asked, saving Charlie from his embarrassment.

"This is Angela. She lives in the town." Bella gestured to Angela, then pointed to Rosalie. "This is Rosalie."

Billy nodded. His eyes seemed to harden. "Dr. Cullen's kid, right?" Rosalie nodded. "I've met your dad. We don't go to the Forks hospital, but we know he works there. He seems like a nice….man."

Bella felt a chill over the room. "Okay, we're going to work in my room. You guys have fun." Bella led the way up the stairs, halting them at the top of the stairs.

"That was weird," Angela mumbled, before almost running into Rosalie, who stopped when Bella did.

"Before I let you guys in here, let me just say, I tried to paint my walls. It did not go well." Bella took a deep breath, then let them in. Angela outright laughed. Rosalie looked at the walls, then shrugged. She had made painting mistakes before. Esme had patiently taught her how to paint correctly.

"I'm telling my dad what you did with his paint," Angela smiled. Bella glared at her friend.

"Mistakes happen," Rosalie soothed. "It looks like you learned a lesson. Always use a primer."

"You should have known that lesson," Angela laughed.

Bella ignored her, then sat down on her bed and leaned against the headrest. Angela sat at Bella's desk, leaving only the end of the bed for Rosalie. Bella wondered if she should offer Rosalie her spot, but before she could, Rosalie pulled out her backpack and said, "So here's what I was thinking," and they were off.

Rosalie had apparently spent a lot of time planning their project, right down to what each person could do. She listed the ways they could work together, including only needing to do a total of two in-person meetings, including this one. Rosalie seemed proud of the work she had done, especially when Bella and Angela complimented her.

By the time they had chosen their jobs and decided to meet again at the end of the week, Rosalie's phone rang. "Hello?" She paused. "Yeah, we're about done here. No problem. Tell her I'll be home soon." She hung up. "Sorry ladies, I'm wanted at home. It's getting late. Are we okay here?"

"Definitely," Bella nodded. "Here, I'll walk you out." Bella popped up and almost stumbled. Her leg had fallen asleep from how she had sat to prop up her notebook. "I'm good!"

"I'll stay here," Angela said, waving them off. She wrote notes in her notebook.

Bella and Rosalie made it to the front door without saying much. They stepped out on to the porch, and Bella shut it. "Sorry about my room. I didn't expect anyone to be in it today."

"It didn't bother me. Thank you for having me over. I don't know the last time I was invited to someone's house."

"Really?"

"All my friends are in my family," Rosalie shrugged. "It doesn't bother me, but it's nice to be included."

"I'll include you anytime," Bella replied, shooting Rosalie with finger guns. Bella slapped her own forehead. "I can't believe I just gave you finger guns. I'm turning into my dad."

Rosalie laughed loudly. She smiled warmly at Bella. They both paused for a moment, waiting for something. "Can I um, text you when I get home?" Rosalie asked quietly.

"Yeah, please do." Bella ran her hand through her hair, and saw that Rosalie was fiddling with her keys. "I've got to, uh, Angela's still inside."

"Definitely. I'll talk to you soon."

"See you later." Rosalie stepped off the porch and walked to her car. She waved at Bella as she shut the front door. Rosalie looked over the top of her car and saw Alice skulking in the woods, about 100 yards away, smiling. Rosalie rolled her eyes and said quietly, but loud enough for Alice to hear, "I'm going to marry that girl."

Alice's quiet laugh echoed over the woods. "I know."

"You coming?" Rosalie asked.

Alice sped over to the car and slid into the passenger seat faster than a human would see, just in case anyone was watching. "Let's go!"

"So, how'd it go?" Angela arched an eyebrow and smiled evilly.

"How could you do that to me?" Bella shoved Angela just a bit, and Angela pretended to stagger, then fell back onto Bella's bed, hands held up in mock surrender. "You definitely did that on purpose!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Angela straightened out her jacket. "So," she asked again, "how did it go?"

Bella dropped onto her desk chair and glared at Angela. "Great. It was great." Bella sighed. "She's just, I don't know, I like her a lot."

"Do you care to elaborate?" Angela laughed quietly. "Or is 'great' as far as we're getting here?"

Bella walked over to her bedroom door and listened out it. Charlie was still invested in the game. Bella quietly shut her door and returned to her desk. She sat on the desk and put her feet on the chair. Angela waited patiently while Bella seemed to investigate her shoes. "Okay, so," Bella began before stopping again. She leaned forward and hugged her legs.

"Bella. Bella look at me." Bella lifted her head but didn't let go of her legs. "Whatever this is," she waved her hand to indicate the way Bella seemed to be collapsing in on herself, "You don't have to tell me. I'm here for you, and I want you to tell me, but you don't have to."

"I'm…" Bella hesitated, then plowed on, "Different. I'm different from everyone else. I don't mean to be. I don't want to be, but I just am."

Angela moved closer to Bella and put a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. Bella jumped. "Go on, Bells."

Bella took a deep breath, then exhaled quietly, "I'm pretty sure I'm gay."

Angela didn't move her hand. "Bella," she said quietly. Angela squeezed Bella's shoulder. Bella finally looked up to meet Angela's eyes, and Angela continued. "Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me that. I am here for you, whatever you need. I care for you, and you being gay doesn't change that."

Bella's eyes watered. She kicked her desk chair away and stood up, throwing her arms around Angela and holding tight. Bella's shoulders rocked, and Angela held on tight. Bella finally pulled back, then smiled at Angela. "Thank you."

Angela held up one finger in a 'please wait' gesture. She pulled a small piece of folded paper from her pocket, unfolded it, and looked at it. "Okay, I hit every point."

Bella pulled the paper from Angela's hand. She read it. 'Reaffirm your care for them, thank them for trusting you, reassure them.' Bella laughed a watery laugh. "Ang, what is this!?"

"I thought you might tell me soon, and I've been practicing. I know sometimes straight people say the wrong thing when they're just trying to show you they care. I didn't want to hurt you on accident."

"You've been practicing?" Bella laughed again. "So, you knew this was coming?"

Angela shrugged. "It wasn't obvious, but I had a feeling. I wanted to get it right. You don't get to redo the first time your friend tells you."

Bella sniffed a little. "Why couldn't I have been here when I first realized?"

Angela sat down on Bella's bed and smiled. "You're here now. So, can we talk about her?"

Bella considered feigning ignorance, but it was obvious Angela knew everything. Bella tapped her chest. "She makes me feel crazy. My heart pounds too hard, my hands sweat. I've felt this way before, but this is something new. Something stronger." Bella sighed. "Do you think she knows?"

Angela shrugged. "I've never seen Rosalie willingly speak to anyone but you. I don't know though."

"There was a moment, out there, when we were saying goodbye. It was like she was waiting. I don't know, maybe it was just wishful thinking."

"What are you going to do?"

"Nothing." Bella sighed sadly. "I'm not ready. I don't want to be the new focus of bullying, and prejudice, and bullshit. I'm not ready."

Angela nodded. "You don't have to be." Angela folded her arms in front of herself. "Everything is your choice. I'm not telling anyone, and I don't think you need to do a single thing." She crossed her legs, then uncrossed them again. "But, Bella, if you feel that strongly, it might be hard not to do anything."

"I've been here before. I learned my lesson then." Bella thought of Samantha again, and her mind was made up. She had come to Forks to pass away the time, not to get herself in another bad situation.

Chapter Text

"What do I say?" Rosalie stared at her phone. She had already been home for ten minutes, and she still hadn't texted Bella. She had thanked the gods when she arrived home: Edward and Emmett were out hunting. They had made a plan for Edward. He would eat a little every night to protect Bella. It was just a band-aid, and they all knew it.

"He won't be home for two hours. He and Emmett found a bear," Alice said from where she hung upside down. Her legs were on Rosalie's bed, but the rest of her body hung off the bed, sprawling onto the floor. Jasper leaned in the open doorway. He hadn't been invited in, but the door also hadn't been closed. Rosalie knew that she couldn't hide her emotions from her brother, so she had decided not to try. "Why don't you just say, 'Got home safe?' Humans care about that. I saw it on tv last week."

"They should have worried more in the seventy's" Jasper murmured, flipping through his phone. "Answering doors left and right, not locking anything. What were they thinking?"

"Not helping," Rosalie growled. "How long does it take a human to drive that distance?"

"You have five minutes before someone driving the speed limit would have arrived." Jasper shrugged. "At least."

"What do I say?" Rosalie rolled onto her stomach, considering pushing Alice's feet off her bed. "Hey, you feel it too?" Rosalie grumbled.

"You mean, the sweet, sweet draw of new love?" Alice squealed, knocking herself from the bed in excitement. She popped up, only her eyes clearing the edge of the bed.

"Alice, duck," Jasper said calmly from the doorway. Alice didn't have time to dodge the book Rosalie chucked at her head. It knocked her in the forehead, and she fell over, laughing out loud. Rosalie growled, and Alice cut off her laughter, chuckling quietly once before lapsing into silence. "You deserved it," Jasper said quietly.

"Why don't you just say, 'Hey, just got home. I had fun studying with you guys?" Alice offered, still smiling as she held the book on the floor.

"Doesn't that make it send like I enjoyed spending time with both of them?" Rosalie asked, staring at the blank message on her cell phone.

"Hey Bella, I just got home. I'm glad we're in a group together. It's been fun,'" Jasper added, trying to help.

Before Rosalie could answer, Esme called up from the living room. "Just tell her you're thankful you're in the same group, and that you look forward to helping her fix her car!"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Nosy vampires." She typed a message and tossed her phone to the side.

Bella laid flat on her bed, watching the occasional headlight from the street spill across the roof of her bedroom. Charlie was downstairs screaming at the television, while a voice she couldn't identify groaned. Whatever they were watching, it wasn't going well. Bella's phone buzzed on her bedside table. She grabbed it as fast as she could, angling the home screen so she could see it. It was a message from Rosalie.

'Hey, I'm home! Thanks for the invite. Glad we could spend some time making your car better!'

Bella smiled, holding her phone close to her chest. What should she say? Should she respond at all? Should she play it cool? Bella looked at the phone and took a deep breath. She was feeling too much. She needed to calm down and play it cool. She responded, 'I'm glad we're working on this project together. I hope you can teach me more about my car. I bet there's a lot that I don't know!'

Rosalie's response came quickly. 'You have no idea. I could tear apart a car and put it back together. Want to learn?'

Bella didn't hesitate. 'Absolutely. But, if it doesn't work afterward, that's on you. It's a gift from my dad.'

'I won't let Danvers suffer at your inexperienced hands, I promise. I'll see you tomorrow.'

'Good night!' Bella rolled over and plugged her phone in, smiling at the promise of more time with Rosalie.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Samantha grabbed her friend by the arm and made her face her. Sam had shown up at Bella's house for the fourth day in a row and had been met by more of the same. 'Bella's out. She's doing homework. She's in trouble.' Sam might be thirteen, but she could only be lied to so many times before she realized. She had walked to the side of Bella's house and seen the little red mountain bike was gone. She thought she knew where Bella would be. Sam had ridden quickly to the park a few blocks from their neighborhood. Right on the edge of the park, stood a bridge between land and water: a collection of mangrove trees that grew in such a tight formation that their roots provided a floor above the lake the marked the end of the park. There was a small hole in the trees that a person could crawl into. Sam had pulled aside the branches covering the entrance and had found exactly what she expected: Bella curled up with a book, facing the water. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

"I'm not avoiding you." Bella held her book tightly to her chest. If she didn't it might fall through the mangrove floor. Just because it would hold a person didn't mean that many small toys hadn't fallen through. Bella stared down at the ground. She didn't want to look at Sam, not if she could avoid it. She knew her friend would look at her with concern in her eyes. She had been here a million times. "I was just hanging out."

"Bella, you've never been in trouble a day in your life. Why is your mom lying to me?" Bella didn't answer. "Are we okay?"

"We're great." Bella held the book even tighter, pulling her knees to her chest.

Sam crawled closer to Bella and mirrored her friend's position. She reached out to touch Bella's hand. "Bella, talk to me."

"I can't."

"Bella, look at me. Whatever this is, you don't have to tell me. I'm here for you, and I want you to tell me, but you don't have to."

Bella looked at Sam. Some of Sam's red hair escaped from her ponytail, so Sam tucked it back behind her ear. The dappled sun that made it through the leaves made Sam's freckled skin glow. "I'm gay."

Sam looked at Bella, confused, and Bella felt that familiar sense of dread. "Ew." She sat back from Bella quickly, then screamed in fear.

Bella jumped up in bed. It was the same nightmare she'd had a hundred times. She slammed her hand down on her alarm clock to stop the incessant blaring that had woken her up. Sometimes the nightmare resembled real life. Sometimes her brain added extra parts, but the effect was always the same: Bella woke up shaken. She wiped her forehead, getting rid of the light sheen of sweat.

"Bella? You up?" Charlie called up.

"I'm awake, don't worry!"

"Okay, I'm off. There's coffee leftover. Please dump it if you don't want it!"

"Thanks. Bye!" Bella didn't typically drink coffee, but she thought it was sweet that Charlie always left her some. She'd have to tell him eventually. Right now, she just needed to take a shower and get to school.

Rosalie was at school early. She hadn't meant to be, but she was particular about her parking spot, and Emmett had threatened to steal it. To keep her car in its rightful spot, Rosalie left earlier then she needed to and ended up being one of the first cars in the parking lot. She stayed in her car, playing music quietly while she waited. Emmett's Jeep pulled up next to her. He jumped out and sat on the hood of Rosalie's BMW, and she growled. He leaned back and stretched. Rosalie slammed down on the horn, and Emmett jumped, sliding off the hood to the ground. Rosalie laughed as Emmett stood up and dusted himself off. She almost missed Bella's Mustang pulling up because she couldn't stop laughing at Emmett's offended expression.

Edward saw Rosalie's anger and caught Emmett by his arm, dragging him to safety. She wondered if she could get away with throwing the hood at the back of Emmett's head, or if that would cause too much of a ruckus. She decided she'd be better off getting back at him at home. He had a car she was working on, and she could throw the pieces at him until he apologized. She wouldn't forget this infraction. Rosalie took a deep breath and leaned against her car. There was a scratch on it, and she was enraged, but she couldn't let that interfere.

Rosalie laid eyes on Bella for the first time that day, and she breathed easy. Emmett could wait; Bella was like a balm on her soul. Bella slammed her car door. She patted it's side like she regretted the treatment. Rosalie looked at her nails. She rubbed one of them with her other hand. A speck of dirt would never get in the way of how careful she was about her nails. She had applied a perfect French manicure last night. She didn't sleep, so she always used the time well.

Bella passed Rosalie. She waved at the blonde, but something about her seemed off. Rosalie waved back cautiously. Edward must have read her confusion. He pulled Emmett to the side of the school doors and looked back at Rosalie. Rose couldn't imagine what expression she was wearing, but it must have been concerning because Edward left Emmett and walked quickly to Rosalie. "Rose, don't." He spoke quietly and carefully. He was careful not to touch his sister, especially not when she was worried about Bella. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

Bella went about her day in a haze. She did the bare minimum, answering teachers, and handing in her work. She remembered how she felt that year. She'd been betrayed, hurt, destroyed. She would get over it, in time, but the nightmare served as a reminder that Bella couldn't simply do what felt right. She'd tried that before, and she had ended up in Forks. She ignored the way her heart leaped when Rosalie was nearby. She ignored any feelings she'd had. She needed to remember: Kids were cruel, and Forks wouldn't be any different.

By lunchtime Angela was worried. She grabbed Bella and pulled her to the side of the cafeteria. She hooked her elbow through Bella's, ignoring Bella's protests. Angela peeked through different doors before she found one that didn't have people behind it. She dragged Bella into the gym and shut the door.

"Okay, Bella, what's wrong?" Bella shook her head and shrugged. She didn't have anything to say. Angela pulled Bella to the bleachers and sat her down next to her. "Talk to me."

Bella looked at Angela. She leaned forward and held her chin up with her hand. "I had a nightmare last night."

"Tell me about it."

Bella sighed. "I don't want to talk about it." She shook her head a little. "It was a reminder, I guess."

Angela looked confused. "A reminder of what?"

"A reminder that I'm in Forks for a reason. A reminder that I can't have what I want."

"Bella," Angela reached out and put a hand on Bella's knee. Bella shied away. Angela took her hand back. "It was just a nightmare. Forks isn't where you came from, you know?" Angela shrugged. "Pheonix, wherever. We're different here."

Bella shook her head. "Everyone thinks their hometown is different." Bella knew that technically Forks was her hometown too, but it didn't usually feel like it. "It's okay." Bella stood up, and Angela didn't have a choice but to follow Bella back to the cafeteria. The conversation was over.

Bella sat quietly through English. She nodded hello to Rosalie, but that was it. Rosalie looked curiously at Angela, who shrugged and avoided Rose's eyes. It bothered Rosalie, but if anyone understood wanting to be left alone, it was Rosalie. When they broke into groups for the last twenty minutes of class, Angela took the lead on their discussion. Rosalie took little notes she hoped would improve their project, while Bella sat in her chair and didn't offer much. Rosalie patiently waited for class to end. Bella's low mood was making her anxious. Is Bella okay? Did something happen to her?

"Bella, can I talk to you?" Rosalie asked politely after class.

"I'll text you later," Angela waved to Rosalie and didn't wait for Bella's answer.

"Sure," Bella nodded, holding her books close to her chest. "What's up?"

Rosalie walked to a less crowded hallway, one that wasn't lined with any lockers. "Are you okay? You seem off today."

Bella leaned against the wall and maintained eye contact with Rosalie's shoulder. "I'm alright. I just feel a little down today. It's nothing."

Rosalie looked down the hallway and saw Emmett and Edward watching her talk to Bella. She quickly waved her hand at them, indicating she wanted them to go away. Emmett grabbed his boyfriend and pulled him away. "I understand. I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to hang out after school. I found an old car book that can help me figure out what's going on with your car, if you want?" Rosalie tried to keep the hopeful tone out of her voice. This isn't a big deal, just a friend asking a friend to hang out.

Bella finally looked at Rosalie's face and smiled. "Thank you, but not today." Bella sighed. "I think I just need to spend some time alone today. Raincheck?"

"Definitely. I'll see you tomorrow." Rosalie turned to go, then added, "And don't forget to text Esme, she's really looking forward to hearing from you!" Rosalie joined her siblings outside and did something she usually didn't do: She abused Jasper's powers. Rosalie leaned into her sister's car window, talking across Alice to Jasper. "What did you pick up from Bella today?"

Alice smirked. She knew Rosalie never asked Jasper what people were feeling, not if she could avoid it. Jasper nodded. "Confusion, mostly. Some dread, fear."

Rosalie grimaced, then looked at Alice. "What can I do?"

Alice zoned out a bit, then refocused on Rosalie. "Be patient."

Rosalie rolled her eyes, growled, and turned to her own car. "I'm patient. I'm always patient." Alice's laugh was cut off as Rosalie slammed her car door and peeled out of the parking lot. She growled at herself again. "I am patient." She would prove it.

Chapter Text

Rosalie was not patient.

Rose spent all of Friday giving Bella space. She really did. That was easy in classes they didn't have together, but in their English class, Bella was just…absent. The group had originally hoped to finish their project that week, but Bella had said Friday wasn't good. Rosalie sat at home Friday night, flipping through the manual she had gotten for Bella's Mustang. By Saturday morning, Rosalie knew what most of Bella's car looked like, inside and out. She was drifting throughout the house listlessly, trying to plan out her weekend to avoid being lost in her own mind.

"Just call her!" Edward yelled from the piano. "You're making me insane."

Get out of my head.

"It's hard when you're thinking so loud!"

Rosalie rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen. She could smell food being made. Esme was there with her laptop, alternating between looking at the screen and looking at the stovetop. "What are you doing?"

Esme looked up, smiling at her eldest daughter. "I'm practicing. If there's going to be a human here more often, I want to make sure she's well-fed." Rosalie nodded, sat at one of the bar stools, and put her elbows on the counter. Esme moved the pan off the heat and turned to face Rosalie. "Honey, what's wrong?"

Rosalie knitted her eyebrows together as she looked at Esme. "Have you heard from Bella yet?" Esme gave Rosalie a knowing smile, so Rosalie covered it up. "Shouldn't she be working with you by now?"

"I wanted to start when she felt ready," Esme smiled. "Is there a reason you're asking?"

Esme's smile was embarrassing to Rosalie. "Nope. Just wondering."

Esme watched her daughter closely. A timer went off, and Esme held up a finger, indicating Rosalie should wait. She grabbed the pan, set it out to cool, and pulled out her cell phone, handing it to Rosalie. "Could you please give me Bella's number? I think I'll text her and see if she wants to start this weekend." Esme turned back to the food, checking the temperature with a thermometer. Rosalie put the phone on the counter.

"Her number's in your phone. I'll be in the garage."

"Have fun!" Esme called after Rosalie. Esme picked up her phone when the door closed behind Rose. Rosalie had been grumpy, and Esme could guess why. She could fix this. She would call Bella.

Bella laid flat on her floor, feet up on her desk chair. She was reading Fahrenheit 451, holding it up above her face. It wasn't a comfortable position, but she had already exhausted her other positions. She'd read on her bed, at her desk, flat on her stomach on the floor, and sitting on her windowsill (which had also been uncomfortable). She was committed to sitting in this position until her arms were too tired to support the book. Bella's cell phone rang, and she dropped the book on her face.

Bella grumbled as she pushed the book off her face. She cursed under her breath and grabbed her cell phone off the desk. "Hello?"

"Hi, Bella. It's Esme. How are you doing?"

"I'm good. What's up?"

Esme's voice was warm on the other end of the line. "Were you still interested in an apprenticeship with me?"

"Absolutely!" Bella grimaced. "I'm sorry I didn't call you, it kind of slipped my mind."

Esme laughed. "Don't worry Bella. Would you mind coming by today? I can show you my workshop, and we'll hammer out the details we talked about earlier this week. When can you swing by?"

Bella looked at the clock and saw it wasn't even noon yet. "Can I come by around one?"

"Fantastic. I look forward to it. See you then!" The line clicked and Bella looked at her phone.

When Bella pulled up to the Cullen mansion, she was again in awe of how beautiful it was. She tried to shake off her funk of the last two days. She was going to be starting a job that excited her more than most things. She parked Danvers right next to the garage and noticed that, though the doors were closed, the lights were on and music was coming from it. She wondered if Rosalie was in the small building, but before she could check the front door opened.

Esme clapped her hands together, then shut the front door. "Bella! I'm so glad you're here." She walked quickly down the stairs, meeting the girl by her car. "I'm so happy you decided to come work with me. Are you ready to see the workshop?"

"I can't wait."

"Then, follow me." Esme waved Bella along and walked her around to the right side of the house, away from the garage.

Esme walked Bella up to a small vehicle she hadn't seen before any of the Cullen's drive before. It was black and neon green, had a roll cage, and said Yamaha on the side. "This is nice," Bella said curiously, as Esme handed her a helmet.

"It's my dune buggy. My workshop is about a mile and a half from the house to spare everyone the noise, so we're driving." Bella thought about the first time she had come to the Cullen house, and asking Alice if she was there to be murdered. She watched Esme put on a helmet as well and decided that if she was going to be killed, Esme would be nice about it. Bella climbed in and Esme showed her how to buckle into the harness. "It's for off-roading. I'm a good driver, promise. You should see the kids drive. Do you see that dent on your door?" Bella leaned over, saw the dent, and nodded. "Emmett. You ready?"

Bella nodded. She was more excited than she wanted to admit. Esme drove quickly and carefully down a dirt road Bella hadn't seen before. Bella couldn't wait to see the inside of the workshop. Esme stopped the car a few moments later in front of a large cabin. It had large double doors on the front. Esme flipped the bright silver latch and opened the left side of the door. Esme flipped the light on. Esme gestured into the workshop with a wide smile. "Welcome to my studio. This is where I make my art."

Esme's workshop seemed to have a little bit of everything. The cabin was one large open floor. Against the walls were different workstations. There was a station that looked like it was for welding, with a large metal station. There was a circular saw at a table that was in the middle of the room. Against one wall there were large drawings of different pieces of furniture, and on the table under that, there were some tools Bella recognized and some that she didn't. She walked over to that table and looked at some of the drawings on it. Esme seemed to be working on an intricate table that could be folded and put away against a wall but could also expand to be a full-sized dining table.

"Want the full tour?" Esme asked happily. Bella nodded. She tried to take in everything in the room, but there was too much to look at at once. "Alright," Esme rubbed her hands together. "Let's get started."

Bella was riding a high she could hardly explain. Maybe it was the idea of learning this foreign craft. Bella was slowly realizing she hadn't put enough thought into what she wants to do in the future, but maybe she could go into carpentry or even interior design. Did Bella want to do construction? That didn't seem to interest her, so she shoved it to the back of her mind.

Esme invited Bella in for dinner, but Bella said she had to get home to feed Charlie. It was true, of course, and she also wanted to tell her Dad about what she had learned today. It was exciting to know Charlie would be home and would like to hear what Bella had done with her Saturday. Renee was a loving mom, she adored Bella, but she was incredibly mentally absent and laughably lost most of the time. And on Saturday's she would Bella loved her, but she did appreciate Charlie being a present parent. Bella waved goodbye to Esme and headed to the garage, where her car was parked.

Bella almost got into her car when she heard the music was still coming from the garage. It was a little louder than it had been before, and she was curious. She slammed Danvers' door a little too hard and cringed before heading to the garage. Bella tried the side door and found it was unlocked. The door swung open silently, and Bella stood in awe of the inside of the building. She had found Esme's workshop to be impressive, and the garage was even more so.

The building was huge on the inside. She had guessed it was about two stories tall the first time she had seen it, and she was correct. Bella looked around the large room and was blown away at what she saw. The bright white walls and slate gray flooring were immaculate. In the space on the sides of the garage were small ramps with motorcycles parked on them. Bella had never seen any of the Cullen's drive motorcycles, and she wondered who they belonged to. To Bella's left, she saw the four garage doors each led to their own lanes, and most of them were occupied by Cullen cars she recognized. She saw Emmett's Jeep, Edward's Volvo, and Rosalie's BMW. The fourth lane was occupied by a sleek black car she didn't recognize.

Bella looked to the right and realized the garage was deeper than it looked from the outside. Each of the lanes continued forward about fifty feet and ended with its own set of lifts with a car on it. Something about the lifts seemed off. Next to each lift was a set of buttons she assumed controlled them. Bella walked between the sets of lifts and cars on the ground. The back wall of the garage had a set of tools hanging on it. They all looked perfectly organized as if someone had recently come through, dusted, shined, and hung them from smallest to largest. There was a door farther to Bella's right. It looked like a closet. Bella couldn't see Rosalie anywhere in this massive garage, but there was loud music blasting from speakers mounted to the walls.

Bella rubbed her hand on the back of her neck. "Rosalie?" She called out, wondering if she should just leave. The music abruptly stopped, and she tried again. "Rosalie, are you here?"

The door Bella had thought was a closet opened and Rosalie hurried through it. She was covered in oil and grime, and her hair was a little mussed. "Bella, hey!" Rosalie smiled. "I didn't know you were here." Bella laughed, and Rosalie froze, looking down at herself. "Oh god," she covered her face with an oily hand, "I'm such a mess. What are you doing here?"

Bella laughed again. Rosalie had accidentally put a new smudge of oil on her face when she covered it. Bella explained she had been seeing Esme's workshop and making her schedule. "What are you doing? Were you just in a closet?"

"Was I…in a closet?" Rosalie turned and looked at the door she'd come through. "Oh! No that's the stairs. My workshop is downstairs."

"This isn't a workshop?" Bella gestured to the garage. "And your garage has a basement?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Basement is a little bit of an insult, but yes. Wanna see?" Rosalie shrugged, and added, "Unless you have somewhere to be?"

Bella considered it, smiled. "Everything else can wait. I want to see this."

Rosalie raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Follow me." Bella followed Rosalie through the door. Behind it was a well-lit hallway, and a single flight of stairs. Rosalie stopped before opening the door at the bottom of the stairs. She gave Bella a mischievous look. "Are you ready to see my favorite place?" Bella nodded enthusiastically. If the upstairs had impressed Bella, she couldn't even imagine what the downstairs looked like. "Okay, close your eyes."

"Are you going to kill me?"

"Only if you break something." Rosalie laughed. "Come on, it's worth it, I promise."

"Fine." Bella closed her eyes and heard Rosalie open the door. Rose took Bella's hand, and Bella's heart took off at full speed. Rosalie's hand was cold, and Bella assumed it was because the garage was so cool.

"Take a step forward," Rosalie said, a smile in her voice. Bella heard a light switch, Rosalie dropped her hand and said, "Okay, open your eyes."

The garage was magnificent. To the left was a single lift with a car on it. There were three other spots in the garage where cars Bella hadn't seen before were parked. On the right she finally realized what was so strange about the lifts upstairs. They came all the way down through the floor! Bella gestured at the lifts, her mouth open in shock. Rosalie chuckled and answered the unasked question. "They're car elevators. Too many cars, too little space." Bella walked between the lifts, going to the wall on the right side. The entire wall was covered, left to right, with wall mounted metal toolboxes. Above each set of boxes was a matching set of cabinets. The toolboxes were three different colors. The left third of the wall was covered with black boxes, the middle was blue boxes, and the right was red.

"Why are these different colors?"

"They're coordinated. The black ones are universal tools, the red ones are standard measurements, and the blue ones are metric measurements. Some of them technically overlap, but I like to have a set of everything." Rosalie watched Bella's face carefully.

Bella looked at the far wall, which was covered in pink toolboxes. In the middle was a large worktable, and on the left was a pink rolling cart. "What about that set?"

Rosalie smiled. "I like pink. Those are my special tools. I don't let anyone touch anything over there." Rosalie walked over to the pink worktable, which was covered in tools. She grabbed an orange bottle and squirted it on her hands, then started to clean them off. "What do you think?"

"This has got to be the most expensive place I have ever been in."

Rosalie smirked. "Not true. You've been in our house."

Bella looked around the garage in awe, taking it in. There was a sound system mounted on one of the walls, and more speakers. A sign hung over the pink workstation that said, 'Don't piss me off, I'm running out of places to hide the bodies.' Bella pointed at it. "How many bodies?"

Rosalie smiled. "Lots."

Bella laughed and walked between the cars. The car Rosalie was currently working on, a sleek silver one, was on a lift. There were a few tools by it, and something that looked like one of the scooters from gym class. "This is amazing." Bella looked at Rosalie, who was preening like a proud mother. "You really want to help me with my car?"

"Okay, don't think I'm weird," Rosalie began. She went to one of the pink toolboxes and opened one of the larger drawers, which seemed to be full of books. "I've been studying." She dropped the book flat on the counter. It was bright blue and had a picture of a red Mustang on it.

Bella read the title out loud. "Haynes Repair Manual?"

Rosalie leaned on her elbows and pointed at the book. "These people take apart and rebuild entire cars, then create detailed manuals with pictures. I could use this book to do anything to Danvers I wanted," Rosalie purred.

Bella felt Rosalie's tone travel all the way down her spine and shivered. "All right," Bella sighed. "Tell me when."

"When what?"

"When are we working on Danvers?"

"Yeah?" Rosalie asked, a smile on her face. Bella nodded and spread her hands in a, 'why not' gesture. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I'm coming over here so we can start working?"

"Perfect. When is too early?" Rosalie was practically buzzing with excitement.

Bella watched Rosalie, who was bouncing a little. It kind of reminded her of Alice. "How does ten am sound?"

"Absolutely perfect."

Chapter Text

Bella ran back up the stairs and pulled off the t-shirt she had on. It was one of her favorite shirts and she didn't want to ruin it. She remembered how cold the garage was and looked for a long sleeve shirt instead. Should I wear a hoodie? Do I have any hoodies I don't mind if I ruin? Will Rosalie think I'm a slob if I show up dressed in sweats? Bella ran a hand through her hair. It should not be this complicated to get dressed. She looked at her closet, and for the first time regretted bringing a small wardrobe from Phoenix. It wasn't her fault, per se, but that didn't change that she had nothing she was enthusiastic about right now. Bella laid on the ground and stared at the ceiling, dropping the pile of shirts on her face. This is impossible.

"Edward, you have to go!" Rosalie gestured angrily at the door. She was tired of this argument and they were running short on time. Edward needed to leave, and he needed to leave now.

Edward dropped his shoulders and stared at the ceiling in anguish. "This is my house! Why do I have to go anywhere? Aren't you going to stay in the garage the whole time?"

"Bella is your singer. Are you telling me you can sit in the house and not try to kill her? Not expose what we are?"

"I mean, probably." He looked worried.

A growl ripped from Rosalie's throat. "You want to risk Bella's life," she growled, "on a probably?" The growl picked up again, causing Emmett to look away from the tv for the first time since the conversation had started.

"Babe," Emmett warned.

"Come on," Edward whined. "I went away, I hunt almost every day, I'm careful during school. Why do I have to forfeit my home too?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "You went away for like two days. What did you even do there? Shut up about it."

"I did stuff!" Edward ran a hand through his ridiculous hair. "I talked to Eliezer, I meditated with Trina. Kate told me to get over myself."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you spent time meditating and having a conversation. That taught you not to kill a woman you desperately want to drain dry?"

"Well, no," Edward grimaced, "But I know I need to separate myself. I have to be careful."

"So," Rosalie growled, "Be careful, and separate yourself from the house for a few hours." Edward shook his head, refusing to go. "Okay, tell us, Edward, what is it like when Bella's near you?"

Edward ground his teeth together and glared at Rosalie. She stared back, and finally, he answered. "It's painful." Rosalie waited, and he kept going. "It's like hot coals in my throat, but coals that I want. No matter how full I am she makes me feel like I'm starving." Rosalie folded her arms, trying to cover the spike of fear she felt with the anger. She clenched her fists, feeling like only her arms were holding her chest together. She splintered at the idea that Edward could rip Bella open with hardly a moment's hesitation. Jasper looked at Rosalie, confusion on his face. Edward growled, a rumbling deep in his chest. "I'll leave for a few hours."

The splintering stopped for a moment. "Thank you."

Emmett smiled, glad the situation was resolved. He wrapped his arms around Edward's waist and hoisted the man over his shoulder. "Date day! Let's go!"

"Put me down, you brute!"

"Human date or vampire date?" Emmett asked, ignoring Edward's protests.

Edward paused for a second, probably reading Emmett's mind to see what the different dates entailed. He sighed. "Let's go on a human date."

"We're going to the movies!" Emmett cheered while taking Edward upstairs to get ready.

Rosalie rolled her eyes again before straightening out her shirt and getting ready. She looked at Alice, who rolled her eyes and answered the unasked question. "Bella will be here in two minutes and thirty seconds. I recommend you act natural." Alice's laugh grated Rosalie's nerves.

Rosalie heard Bella pull up with Danvers. Bella was listening to the musical Hamilton, and Rosalie smiled. The girl had taste. Rose tried to take Alice's advice and sit calmly on the couch, but she was at the door as soon as the bell rang. She stood with a hand on the doorknob, counting to six slowly in her head. Alice laughed from across the room, and Rosalie could hear Emmett and Edward suddenly go silent in the upstairs hallway. Rosalie cursed herself. She would have to move Emmett's Jeep so that he and Edward wouldn't go near Bella.

Rosalie opened the door a little too quickly, her excitement getting the best of her. She smiled a little too wide, and briefly worried that her smile might repel Bella, or stress her out. The girl's heartbeat sped up, and Rosalie worried, but then Bella smiled back. "Hey, Rosalie. I don't know if you're ready for Danvers, but she is ready for you."

Rosalie tried her hardest to reign in her smile, but she just couldn't. She reached for the board by the door and picked out the Jeep's key. "Almost ready. I have to move Emmett's Jeep first. Then I want you to pull Danvers in. Sound good?"

"Great," Bella breathed out.

It took them just a few minutes to do the switch, and Rose left the Jeep running in the driveway. She shut the garage door behind them, hoping to discourage Edward's curiosity and thirst. "Wanna see something cool?" Bella nodded, so Rosalie hit the button next to the lift she had Bella park on. "Hold on!" The floor opened and started slowly lowering into the floor. Bella's face lit up and she laughed exuberantly.

Rosalie watched her disappear, then hit another button to make the temporary panel close over the hole. She walked down the stairs to meet Bella. Bella looked out Danvers' window. "I'm not gonna lie, a tiny part of me wondered if I was disappearing down a hatch to never be seen again."

"I would have to trap you here in a basement to make you stay forever?" Rosalie arched an eyebrow at Bella.

"Well, I mean, no, not really. You could probably just ask nicely, but not the point." Rosalie bit her bottom lip and tried not to smirk. Bella's heart stuttered and she backtracked. "I mean, no I wouldn't just stay if you asked, I meant-"

"So you wouldn't stay if I asked nicely?"

Bella turned red and clapped her hands in front of her face and stared at the steering wheel. "So how do we start?"

"First, you get out of the car so I can move it to the workspace."

"What is this?" Bella held up a small piece Rosalie had removed and set aside. She was surrounded by parts and was carefully going through them as Rosalie kept working. There was a plastic housing full of parts (a distributor, Bella thought Rosalie had said), and attached to it were a bunch of wires. Next to the wires were small parts that looked like big screws.

"That's one of your spark plugs." Rosalie finally pulled free the part she'd been removing and set it on the sheet next to the other parts. Rosalie turned Bella's hand upside down. "It goes in the engine like this." Rosalie's hands were still cool, but Bella didn't mind. "See that?" Rosalie asked. She paused for a second, but Bella was too focused on Rosalie's touch. "Are you alright?"

Bella snapped out of it. She'd been distracted by Rosalie's touch, by her proximity. Again. "Yeah, sorry. I'm paying attention."

Rosalie's smile made Bella feel lost. "See this gap?" Bella nodded. "Electricity comes across here and basically sparks the gas to make your engine work." Rosalie shrugged. "That's why they're called spark plugs."

Bella nodded. "Cool." She set it back down where Rosalie had it, and followed her back to the engine. Rosalie grabbed a second light and hooked it to the right side of the hood to help them see better.

"Do you see how gunky it is down here?" Bella looked into Danver's gaping mouth, looking over the dirty, grimy parts. She nodded. "You have an oil leak."

"That sounds bad."

"It is kind of bad. It's not the end of the world." Rosalie shined a light into the engine, walking around the side to peek into it. "I think I can tell where it's coming from, though." Rosalie pointed, her hands covered in oil. "See how the top of the engine is pretty clean, but there is oil everywhere else?"

"Yeah." Bella couldn't help but watch Rosalie in awe as she continued.

"I think a gasket has failed here. It happens pretty commonly."

"Is that easy to fix?"

"Yes and no." Rosalie leaned on an elbow and looked up at Bella. "Is it always easy? No. Am I amazing at what I do? Yes." Rosalie winked, and Bella quickly looked back at the engine. "We'll take the engine out to take it apart on the table, but that's not your only problem, either."

"You're telling me," Bella mumbled under her breath. Rosalie arched an eyebrow at her again and watched her. Bella cleared her throat and tried again. "So, what's next?"

By the end of the evening, it was even clearer that Danvers would not be put back together. Bella and Rosalie had been prepared for this, especially after the gasket turned out to be a problem, but now that it was ten pm, they had to talk about it. Bella looked at the floor of the garage, which was littered with Danvers' guts. "Okay, I have two questions."

"I might have two answers," Rosalie smirked.

"First, are you totally sure you can fix this?"

Rosalie laughed. "Bella, I'm a little insulted. It's not broken. It's in pieces. That's different. I can definitely get every piece back together. What's your second question?"

"How will I get to school?"

Rosalie nodded. "Well, I can drive you home, stay up late, and put your engine back together, then bring you your car tomorrow."

Bella was shaking her head before Rosalie was even finished talking. "No, you shouldn't stay up. It's been a long day. I'm tired, and I only watched!" Bella watched Rosalie, who shrugged. "And you said you had to get a new piece!"

Rosalie smiled. "How about I pick you up for school and take you home? Tomorrow and Tuesday, if we need to, we'll work together to get Danvers back to saving the world."

Rosalie sat in her room, her door open as she examined a 3d version of Danvers engine. She dragged a few pieces to the side, tossing them from one computer screen to the other. She looked at the inner workings of the engine, thankful they had bought a crane for the garage, if only for convenience. Rosalie could lift the entire engine, but it was awkward, just because of its size. And she couldn't very well do that with a clueless human watching. She pushed her chair away from the desk, frustrated. It was only midnight. She wouldn't be picking up Bella for seven hours, and time was moving so slowly.

A knock echoed on Rosalie's door. "Come in!"

Alice danced in. "Jasper and Edward are conspiring. They know Bella is your mate."

Rosalie slipped, knocking the keyboard down. "What? I didn't say that!"

"I know!" Alice sang, dancing circles around the room. "But, Edward read your mind, Jasper read your emotions, and then Edward read Jasper's mind and I had a vision of them talking about it. Isn't that fun?"

"No, Alice, that is not fun. You don't get to just decide that she's my mate."

Alice spun faster, throwing her arms in the air and pretending to be a ballerina. "I didn't decide anything!"

"Alice! Stop!"

Alice froze, balancing on one leg with her arms still in the air. "Are you mad? Don't you think she's your mate?"

Rosalie's stomach clenched. "I mean, I don't- that's not what I'm saying. I'm not mad."

"You look mad."

"I'm mildly irritated that I don't get to solve anything for myself. You freaks just run around deciding everyone's emotions and thoughts and futures."

Alice dropped her arms but kept balancing on one leg. "Mom said not to call us freaks. And again, we don't decide anything. We just see it! Or hear it. Or feel it. You know what I mean." Alice stretched out the leg she wasn't balancing on, then tucked it behind her head. "Isn't it exciting to know you've officially met your mate?"

Rosalie picked up the keyboard and put it back on the desk. "It's exhausting."

"Just exhausting?"

"And exhilarating." Rose smiled and rubbed her chin. "And terrifying. What if she doesn't feel it? What if humans don't mate?"

Alice wiggled her eyebrows. "Humans definitely mate."

A fire erupted in Rosalie's chest, and she tried not to growl. What if Bella has a mate? No, a boyfriend. A girlfriend. Something. "Stop it."

"Rosalie, Bella does not have a mate. Jeez."

"I didn't say anything!"

"You didn't have to!" Alice dropped onto the big bed. "So, what are you wearing to pick her up tomorrow? Did you plan that? Very sly, I like it. What are you wearing?"

Rosalie set her jaw, ready for a long night.

"So, uh, Bells, where is the car?" Charlie asked over his coffee the next morning.

"She is uh, parked at the Cullen's house."

Charlie set the coffee down. "Something wrong?"

"She had a tiny oil leak, and Rosalie is helping me fix it."

"You know how to fix it?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Rosalie knows how to fix it, and is showing me how."

"So, you're watching someone else fix your car…for free?"

A knock on the door distracted them. Bella hurried over to open it. Rosalie stood on the other side of the door, looking like a model dropped into this extremely rainy town. "Good morning Chief Swan," Rose nodded to Charlie. "Bella," she said warmly, smiling.

"Please, call me Charlie." Charlie huffed. "Chief Swan, jeez."

"Yes sir, uh, Charlie." Rosalie gestured to the red BMW behind her. "Ready to go?"

Bella nodded. "Bye dad!" she started to pull the door shut behind her and Charlie yelled, "Rose you better not be fixing her car for free!" Bella slammed the door shut as fast as she could.

"That man is so embarrassing."

"No, he's sweet."

Rosalie took a few long strides to beat Bella to the car and pulled the door open for her. She gestured, waiting for Bella to go in. Bella hesitated. Why was Rosalie holding the door open for her? Why couldn't she be cool, like a normal person. "Thanks." Bella sat in the car, trying to get her smile under control. Rosalie slid into the car, and Bella looked around it. The leather seats were comfortable. She was pretty sure hers was heated, which was nice after the cool drizzle outside. Bella took a deep breath, steadying herself. "So, how am I going to pay you back for the car? Charlie's right, you can't fix it for free."

Rosalie pulled away from the curb, and she sat quietly for a moment. Bella would have wondered if Rose had heard her, if Rosalie hadn't tapped her chin, clearly thinking. "Go out with me. There's a bookstore in Port Angeles I've been dying to go to. Come with me?"

"Go out? Like, hang out?" Bella felt her heart in her throat. She looked out the window, not wanting to get her hopes up. They pulled into the school parking lot, and Bella finally turned to look at Rosalie.

"I mean, yeah, like hang out." Bella tried to swallow her disappointment. "Or, you know," Rosalie looked out the windshield across the parking lot, and Bella followed her gaze to all the other Cullen's, who were waving. "Out. Like out. If you want."

Bella watched Rosalie, waiting for the girl to look back at her. Her chest hurt, and she was doing her best not to smile, while looking at the model next to her. She felt like it was a lie, maybe a joke. But even so, she nodded. "Yes, okay, yeah. I'd like that."

Chapter Text

When they got out of the car at the school, Rosalie's family was waiting for her. Bella smiled at her over the top of the car, and Rosalie tried not to jump and pump her fist in the air. Angela called Bella's name, and Bella looked away for a moment.

"I'll see you later, yeah?" Bella asked quietly.

"Yeah. I should go talk to those idiots." Rosalie waved over her shoulder, knowing her siblings were listening and watching. Bella waved at them as she walked away, and Rosalie finally turned around. She got what she expected. Alice and Emmett looked excited. Jasper was more reserved. Edward looked irritated. Rosalie steeled herself, ready for his nagging.

"You asked her out?" Rosalie didn't ask if he'd read her mind or heard them in the car. It didn't matter. "Is that wise?"

"What would you have recommended I do?" She clenched her hands, annoyed at Edward's interference. "Would you prefer I wait until the end of her life?"

"You asked her out?" Alice demanded before Edward could answer, delighted. Rosalie nodded and half shrugged. Alice's smile slipped. "I wish you had asked me first."

"Why would I ever do that?"

Alice ignored the clipped tone and continued, "The weather shifted. Carlisle will call the school right before lunch to dismiss us."

"What? Why didn't you warn me? How long have you known? What was I thinking?" Rosalie heard the desperation in her own voice, but she couldn't stop it. Alice looked sympathetic; Edward looked smug. "Alice," Rosalie hissed, "I drove her to school!"

"Oh, oh, ok!" Emmett squeezed into the middle of them, patting all his pockets. He pulled out the keys to his Jeep. "Let her drive Renaldo!" He dangled the keys in front of her, making them jingle in her face. "She can drive, right? And if she breaks it, you'll fix it."

Emmett shrugged, and Rosalie almost threw her arms around his neck. Instead, she took the keys from him, and quietly said, "Thank you." She hoped he could pick up how much it meant to her. He always seemed to understand her.

A nervous energy kept Bella's stomach on edge. As she got ready to head into lunch, she felt the nerves rising in her. She would have to look at Rosalie across the cafeteria and try not to smile at her. They were going on a date. Should she plan on dinner? Should she ask to go home and change? Did what she was wearing matter? She had never been on a date with a girl. Bella never thought she'd allow herself to go on a date with a girl. The thought flipped her stomach over, and she worried for a moment she'd be sick. It's okay. You don't have to tell anyone about it, especially if it doesn't work out.

Angela appeared from nowhere, hooking an arm through Bella's. "You better watch out for Jessica. She's on the warpath." Angela didn't wait for Bella to ask. She lowered her voice and kept talking. "Lauren asked out Mike."

Bella didn't want to gossip, but she had to know. "What did Mike say?"

"He asked for time to make his decision."

Bella groaned and felt her face heat up. She was going to tell Angela about Rosalie but now seemed like a weird time. They crossed the threshold of the cafeteria, and they could see the tension at their table. Mike sat at a seat in the center of the table. Lauren sat on his left, and Jessica sat on his right. He was staring down at his soda, watching his hands open the pull tab. Angela and Bella sat at the table across from the unhappy trio. "Hey guys," Bella said happily.

"Bella!" Mike started and perked up. "Hey, hi! How are you? What did you bring for lunch?"

Angela reached across the table and patted Mike's hand. "Breathe, Mike, breathe."

Mike let out an uneasy giggle. "Is anyone going to the basketball game tonight?" Tyler and Ben slid into their chairs and confirmed they were going to the game. The table devolved into rowdy arguments, and Bella watched the icy wall forming between Jess and Lauren. She wondered what Mike was going to do, and finally remembered her coming date with Rosalie. She ducked her head, afraid to look over at the Cullen table. What if Rosalie was looking at her? What if she wasn't?

Bella watched her tablemates for a bit longer, and finally decided to look over and see what the Cullen's were doing. She moved her hair out of her face, lifted her eyes just a bit, and saw no one. The table was empty. Her heart dropped through her stomach. Where were they? Lunch began ten minutes ago. The Cullen's seemed to be punctual people, always exactly where they should be, at the time they should be there. So where were they?

Angela's elbow pulled Bella back into the present. "What?"

"Are you coming to the game tonight?" Mike must have asked her this more than once.

"I'm not planning on it, no. I, uh, have plans."

Mike nodded and continued to look dejected. "I'm going," Lauren cut in.

"So am I! I'll be cheering for you, Mike." Jess added.

Bella smiled and tried to seem interested. It probably didn't work.

Bella walked to her locker after lunch, entering the combination with some trepidation. She felt a pit in her stomach as she considered the fact that the very day they were supposed to be going on a date, Rosalie had disappeared. Was that a coincidence? A mean joke? She pulled the door open, and hanging on the hook over her jacket was a set of keys with a note taped to it. Bella pulled the note down, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. Some of her disappointment was replaced with a sense of curiosity.

Bella mostly ignored the keys as she pulled the note apart and unfolded it.

'Bella, I am so sorry to disappear on you. The weather's going to improve today, and Carlisle insists we enjoy it while it's here. We're heading up Mt. Olympus for a day or two, and we'll be back around Wednesday. I am so sorry to have done this to you. If I had known, I wouldn't have did what I did this morning. Please forgive me. These are the keys to Emmett's Jeep, to make sure you have a way to and from school the next few days. Again, I'm so sorry. See you later, Rose."

When Bella's phone rang that night she tripped over herself trying to get to it. If Renee called and Bella didn't answer one more time, her mother was likely to show up in Forks and drag her out. She answered without looking, and let out an exasperated, "Hey mom." She leaned over her desk, then froze when she heard the breathy laugh on the other end of the line.

"I have to say, if we're suddenly choosing pet names, Mom is not one I'm fond of."

Bella pulled the phone away from her ear, looking at the name. It was not her mom. Her heart took off, beating double time as she sputtered. "Rosalie, I'm so sorry, I was expecting a call-"

"From your mom, yeah." Rosalie laughed again. "You don't need to apologize to me; I need to apologize to you. I am so sorry about this afternoon, Bella. I had no intention of disappearing right after asking you on a date. That is some incredibly rude behavior, and I would never purposefully do that. I hope you can forgive me."

"Of course." Bella sat down on the edge of her bed. "I understand. Angela told me you guys like to suddenly disappear to go camping. I have to say, you don't really strike me as the camping type."

"Did I strike you as the work on your car type?"

"Well…no."

"I love camping. We go every chance we have. As you can probably imagine, Forks doesn't give us a lot of nice weather. I should send you a picture of the view here. How's the Jeep?"

"Big. Very big. I almost ran over my mailbox today." Bella paused. "Charlie thinks I've got some boy's car in the driveway."

That same breathy laugh happened again. "I mean, technically you are driving some boy's car. Did you tell him that Renaldo is Emmett's? I bet your dad would be amused."

Bella huffed. "I'm not going to tell him that. What if he thinks we're dating?"

"That would definitely pose some problems. I mean, you could just tell him it's mine."

Bella paused and looked at the phone. "He probably wouldn't think we're dating."

Rosalie laughed. "He probably wouldn't."

They were both silent for a moment, and Bella asked. "Well, would he be right, or would he be wrong?"

Her heart slammed in her chest as she waited for Rosalie's response. "I asked you on a date, and you said yes. But we did not get to go on said date. How about this? As I so rudely bailed on our date today, I will leave it up to you if we get another try."

"Yeah?" Bella asked, sitting back on her bed and wrapping her free arm around her knees. "It's up to me?"

"It was always up to you."

Bella tucked her chin between her knees and mumbled to her phone. "So you're saying, whatever I want and whenever I want?" There was a pause, and Bella looked at her phone to make sure the call hadn't been dropped.

"Whenever," Rosalie affirmed. "You can call at 3 am and say, 'I imagine that Las Vegas would be fun at this time,' and I said whenever and whatever. I would be honour bound to show up."

Bella laughed. "I've been to Vegas. I'd settle for bookstores in Seattle though."

"Deal. Just tell me when." Bella hummed, and Rosalie continued. "I'm gonna let you go, okay? I'll see you in a couple of days?"

"Sounds good. See you later." Bella ended the call and set her cell phone down. Her phone buzzed again, and she opened it to see a breathtaking shot from what looked like the very top of the mountain. There was snow-covered in footprints in the foreground, but the majority of the photo was dominated by the pink and orange sky in the background. The sun was just about to disappear, and the gradient from light to dark made Bella want to frame the photo and hang it on her wall. She wondered what they were doing up there above the snow, and how the family scaled the mountain so fast, but she just assumed it was their experience as campers and hikers. Bella set her phone down again and started in on her homework.

Emmett picked Edward up and dropped him straight down. He sank into the two feet of snow, yelling shrilly. Alice and Rosalie sat on a rock outcropping, laughing at the boys antics. Jasper came sprinting from out of sight and dove into Emmett's middle. Edward snarled as Jasper went Emmett when flying. He flew threw the air, landing on the other two. Jasper howled with laughter.

"Animals," Rosalie grumbled, smiling the whole time. "Absolute children."

"So…" Alice hedged.

"So what?"

"You put the ball in Bella's court?"

Rosalie leaned back, lying in the snow and staring up at the stars. "I did. I'm-" Rosalie cleared her throat. "Yeah. If she wants, I'm there."

"Four am in Vegas?" Alice asked with a giggle.

"Three am, now shut up." Rosalie closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. Alice continued to giggle, muttering about 'mates' and 'stubbornness.' Rosalie ignored her and listened to wolves howling far off in the woods. This would all work out. It had to.

Chapter Text

Wednesday came around, and there was still no sign of the Cullens. Bella was disappointed, but the sun that lingered made her feel a bit better. She missed the warmth of Phoenix, and would never complain about it visiting in Forks for once. Bella had just started Renaldo when her phone buzzed. “Hey dad, what’s up?”

“Hey, Jacob and his friends are having a bonfire tonight. He mentioned to Billy, who mentioned to me, that I should mention it to you.” Bella was quiet for a moment. “That was a lot of mentioning. Why didn’t Jake just text me?” Charlie chuckled. “He broke his phone. Again. This is the third one, so he’s SOL. Want me to tell Billy to tell Jake that you’ll be there?”

“I will go anywhere if this game of telephone stops.” Charlie laughed again. “Tell Billy to tell Jake I’m on my way.”

“Deal. Try not to stay out too late, it’s a school night. And Bells?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m proud of you. Never forget that.” There was a short silence. “Just wanted to make sure you know. Text me when you get there and before you leave.”

The line clicked, and Bella stared at her phone. She was a little choked up. Her throat was tight. Renee loved her, and she knew that, but she never said she was proud of Bella. It seemed not to occur to her that Bella would want or need those words. She was going to give Charlie the biggest hug when she got home. He’s a really good dad.

Bella put her phone to the side and turned on the Jeep. She had plans.

With a flourish, Billy finished telling the Quileute myths. “And ever since then, the wolves of the tribe have guarded our lands from the evil blood drinkers. And the pale faces.” He threw something into the fire, and it blazed up higher suddenly for a moment, before returning to its original size. The sudden warmth made Bella lean back for a minute. She started to lose her balance, but Jacob caught her arm and steadied her on the log. His hand was also too hot. “Jeez Jake, you got a fever or something?” She touched his forehead. “Holy crap, you’re burning up.”

“I think you mean to say I’m hot!” He cackled at his own joke, an air of insanity to his laugh.

“Nobody would mean that!” Embry called across the fire. Everyone laughed except for Billy. He seemed worried. Bella’s phone buzzed, and she took it out, expecting her father checking in. Instead, it was Rosalie. 

Jacob, the second nosiest friend Bella had ever had (other than Jess), spied on her phone. “Rosalie? As in Cullen?” “Yeah, we’re friends.” 

“Cool! I’ve heard-“ Bella didn’t get to hear what he heard. Jacob had a soda can in his hand, and Quil knocked it from his hand, laughing maniacally. Jacob glared at his empty hand, then at Quil. His hands started to shake, then became fists as he stood up, snarling at his friend.

“Yo, Jake my bad!” Quil threw his hands up, trying to placate his angry friend.

“Jacob!” Billy called his son. 

Bella froze. Something was wrong here. Her hands sweat. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and goosebumps erupted running down her arm. Her legs tensed. She felt the need to run, but instead, she softly reached out, trying to touch Jake’s shoulder softly.

“Bella, don’t touch him!” It was too late. Her hand met his flaming hot shoulder, and suddenly a wolf exploded from Jacob’s skin. His clothes disappeared, floating down around her. The angry wolf that stood in his place spun on her, snarling. Its teeth grazed her still-extended hand. She yanked it back, the razor-sharp teeth sending a warning she respected. Drops of blood fell on the ground between them as she attempted to back away. She gripped her t-shirt, pushing down on her palm, where the blood dripped from. She fell to the ground, tripping over the log she’d been sitting on. 

The large brown wolf tracked her as she fell to the ground. “Jacob! Sit!” A voice boomed from beside Billy, echoing with a deepness it hadn’t had before. The wolf in front of Bella, which had simply gazed at her prone form, sat. “Attention!” The wolf looked at the voice across the fire. It was Sam Uley. “Bella, are you okay?” She scrambled, trying to get up, but her injured hand collapsed out from under her. She stayed on the ground and looked at the wolf. It was growling in short bursts, nd panting in between. Voices filled the air around Bella, but she watched the teeth of the monster that sat where her friend had been. 

“Bella, are you hurt?” Rough hands pulled her up from the ground, gently supporting her. “Bella?”

Her eye left the creature’s razor-sharp teeth and looked it in the eyes. The eyes were a deep brown. They felt human. The pupils were large, darting side to side, and it looked as afraid as she felt. “I’m okay. I’m just bleeding.” She held her hand out from herself, avoiding looking at it. “Is it bad?” 

No one responded. Bella could feel her hand throbbing, but she didn’t think it could be that bad. Finally, she looked at it. Her stomach turned as blood dripped down her palm. The cut ran from center of her palm up the side of her wrist. The scratch was long, sure, and even full of dirt, but it wasn’t deep. So why was everyone around her looking as if they had seen a ghost turn corporeal? She quit examining the faces of those around her. Her eyes were drawn, as if magnetized, to the wolf. 

“None of you are surprised, are you?” No one answered, and Bella put it together. The stories told around the fire that night weren’t just stories—they were actual history. “I’m uh...I’m gonna go.” Bella turned and started running to her truck. Voices yelled out after her. She heard just one: That of Sam.

“Jacob, stop her! Gently!” 

The loud pounding of giant padding feet made her speed up. She fell, sprawling on the street. Her injured hand throbbed. She heard the snuffling of a giant nose behind her and got up again, trying to run. The giant brown wolf was in front of her. It seemed as surprised as she was. “Jacob?” The wolf tilted its head to the side, eyeing Bella.

Sam drew even with them. “Are you okay? Can I check your hand?” At the reminder, Bella’s hand started pounding, the pain returning. She left Sam look at her hand while she watched Jacob. Her heart ran in her chest at light speed. She pulled back her hand. “I don’t need help. I’ll go to the hospital on the way home.”

“Bella, you need to-“

“I’ll keep your secret, Sam.” She hurried away, and this time they let her go. How had a bonfire turned into an attack by her werewolf brother from another mother?

As the Jeep jumped forward, Bella knew it wasn’t an attack. Jacob hadn’t mean to bite her. She tried to rationalize everything that had happened. None of it made sense. Clearly, this was a bad dream. Even so, she stopped at the ER to get stitches, just in case this was real. Her hand was still bleeding. As Bella waited in the emergency department, she hoped they wouldn’t call Charlie. How would she explain this? Time was her only friend at the moment. She sent a quick text that she’d be home late. A voice called her name. “Ms. Swan?”

Bella looked up and saw a tall, ridiculously attractive, blonde doctor. He introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Dr. Cullen. You must be Charlie’s daughter.”

The doctor reached out to shake her hand, but she instead held up her injured hand, which she was keeping from bleeding with her free hand. “I’d shake your hand, but it’s bloody under here.”

“Of course. Let’s get you in an examination room so I can check out this cut.” He gestured to one of the many rooms behind him. “I believe you know my children?”

Dr. Cullen pointed to an awkwardly tall bed with sanitary paper on it. Bella tried to hop up with the assistance of one arm. She almost fell. The doctor came to the rescue, grabbing a semi hidden handle and pulling out a step up. He offered a steadying hand as Bella took a seat. “I do know your kids. Rosalie drove me to school the other day, and left me Emmett’s jeep.”

“Ah yes, Renaldo, his pride and joy.” Dr. Cullen slid on gloves. “I’m sorry to have pulled them from school so suddenly. Rosalie told me I almost left you stranded. My sincerest apologies. We only just got back an hour ago.” Bella huffed. The man talked like he was from a different time. “Don’t worry about me. I’d go camping too if I wasn’t so hopeless.” She gestured with her injured hand. It was a lie, of course. Bella had never been interested in camping.

“Speaking of, how did this happen?”

“I was with my friends on the res at a bonfire. I tripped over a log and cut myself pretty good.”

Dr. Cullen carefully removed the gauze that a nurse had put over the cut in the emergency waiting room. “I’ll say you did. This almost looks like you were cut by something razor sharp. If it wasn’t for all the dirt here, I’d have some serious questions for you, Isabella.”

“just Bella,” she corrected automatically. She processed what he said. “Wait, I promise it’s not that. It’s really just an accident. I’m not sure what was so sharp, but I fell hard.”

“It’s okay, Just Bella. I’m sorry to say, but there will be some stitches here.” Bella’s face must have betrayed her, because the doctor made a soothing sound. “Don’t worry. I’ll numb it first, and you don’t even have to look.”

Forty minutes and twenty stitches later, Bella was excused from the emergency room. She signed three discharge papers and two people she hadn’t expected to see were in the emergency room: Rosalie and Charlie.

Bella didn’t know who to talk to first. Charlie made that decision for her. “Bells! Why didn’t you call me? What happened?” He looked at the gauze wrapped around her new stitches. “Who hurt you?”

Bella’s eyes kept being drawn to Rosalie. She hadn’t seen her in days and just wanted to drink in the sight of her. “No one hurt me! It was just that good old fashioned Bella charm. I fell over a log.” She sighed. “I didn’t call you because I didn’t want you to worry.”

“You’re seventeen. They have to call me whether you want them to or not.”

“And you’re the sheriff.”

“That too.” He ran a hand over his face. “Look, kiddo, I don’t want you to go through stuff alone, okay? You call me. I show up. That’s how this works. Not just now, but forever. I show up. Okay?” 

Bella nodded, but Charlie didn’t look convinced. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you. It won’t happen again.” Charlie seemed pacified. “Okay. You want me to drive you home?” Rosalie looked tense behind Bella’s dad, so she declined. “I’m good. I have to return the Jeep anyways.”

Charlie finally noticed the blonde near him. He nodded. “You’re Cullen’s kid, right?” Rosalie nodded tensely. “Thank you for letting Bella drive your jeep. Nice car. Mighty nice of you.”

“It was no trouble, sir.”

Charlie pulled Bella into a tight hug before taking his leave. Bella must have really stressed him out. She felt bad not riding home with him so he could see she was really fine. Well, as fine as one can be after they were bitten by a giant wolf. He squeezed her tightly, squishing the breathe out of her. “Dad-” 

“Sorry kid. Okay, you’re not on any meds? You can drive?”

“Dad!” Bella interrupted before he kept going. “We’ve got this. Really. Her dad is a doctor. He won’t let me be stupid.” 

Charlie nodded, then turned to Rosalie. “Don’t let her drive if she seems woozy. I will tow the Jeep to you if you need, for free. Don’t let my little girl be an idiot.” 

Rosalie nodded, so Charlie squeezed Bella’s shoulder. “Text me when you leave, and I’ll stay up.”

Bella said goodbye to her dad, then turned to Rosalie. She waved with her heavily gauzed hand. “So, what are you doing here?”

Rosalie still looked tense. “My dad works here. I was bringing him dinner.” 

Bella nodded, but she noticed that Rosalie didn’t have any food with her. Maybe she had already given it to the nurses to put in some secret doctor fridge or something. “Are you okay?”

The laugh that came from Rosalie was somehow sarcastic. “Am I okay? You’re in the hospital. Are you okay?” 

Bella chuckled. “Am I okay? That’s….asking a lot.” Bella paused for a moment and realized she was exhausted. She sat down heavily in the waiting room chair. Rosalie squatted in front of her, brow furrowed in worry. “I don’t know, honestly. I might be crazy.” Rosalie reached out gently, but took her hand back before she made contact. “Rose, could you drive me home, please? The day is kind of catching up to me. I don ‘t think I should drive myself.”

“I will absolutely drive you home.”

“Crap, I have the Jeep.”

Rosalie reached out again, and this time set her hand on Bella’s knee. “Don’t worry. After I drop you I’ll bring Emmett to get his Jeep. You needn’t worry about that.” She stood up, offering a hand to help Bella. She took it, happy to touch Rosalie’s cool skin, if only for a moment.

They left, walking to Rosalie’s cherry red BMW. “I left you alone for three days, and you end up in the hospital. Care to tell me how?” 

Rosalie held the door open for Bella, and shut it after Bella slid into the passenger seat. Faster than she believed possible, Rosalie was in the driver’s seat. “I don’t think you’d believe me if I told you.” 

The car glided out of the parking spot. “Try me.”

So, Bella did. 

Bella couldn’t explain it, but she was sure that Rosalie believed her. She had only asked a few questions, and none of them involved Bella being sure about being bitten by a giant wolf. In fact, the questions she was asked were even stranger. “Did he mean to hurt you? Did anyone try and help?” 

Rosalie was a strange girl. Bella knew that. She just didn’t expect this kind of calm acceptance. Bella was almost convinced that Rosalie was mad at the Quielute’s. That couldn’t be possible, though. When they finally said goodnight, after sitting in front of Bella’ house for half an hour, she was so tired that Rosalie walked her to the front door. 

“I told Chief Swan I’d get you home safe. I keep my promises.” Bella stepped up to the porch. Rosalie did not. “No matter who I make them to, whether you or your father.” From this angle, Bella was just a bit taller than Rosalie. “I’m sorry about the date,” she said quietly. 

“Did you know you were leaving?”

“No.”

“Then quit apologizing. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Rosalie smiled, and her heart skipped a beat. Rosalie smiled wider, then took a step forward. For one incredibly brief moment, Bella was thrilled and afraid. She thought Rosalie was going to kiss her. Instead, she held out her hand. “Oh! Right, the keys!” Bella tried to reach across her body to her hoodie pocket.

Rosalie chuckled, watching Bella struggle. She slid a hand into the pocket Bella couldn’t reach, and pulled out the keys to the Jeep. Bella’s face erupted into a fire red blush. She hoped the porch light washed out the red. “I hope you enjoyed everyone thinking you’re dating my brother.”

Bella sputtered. “No one thinks that! They all know-”

“Bella, I’m kidding.” Rosalie paused. “But if you were going to say you’ve told people about us, please continue.” 

“I haven’t told people, so much. Just a person.”

“But there is something to tell about? Even though I disappeared for a few days?”

Bella was going to die. Rosalie was so forward, so honest. She met the blonde’s strange gold eyes. “Is there?”

“You tell me.” So much for being forward and honest.

“You know, I’m really tired. You let me know if there’s something to tell.”

“Isabella.” Was she about to go weak at the knees? She might. Hearing her name come from that girl could kill her. “I have put the ball in your court, but not because I’m afraid. It’s there because I want to be sure of how you feel. I feel like there’s something to tell. Something to say, something to share. I don’t intend to be here alone, or with someone who is unsure. So I want you to let me know when you’re sure.” Rosalie leaned forward and kissed Bella on the cheek. “Because if you’re sure, when you’re sure, I’ll shout it from the rooftops.” She turned and walked down the pathway. “Goodnight Isabella!” 

Bella tripped on her way in the door, her good hand on her cheek where Rosalie had just kissed her for the first time, and hopefully not the last.

The next morning Bella struggled to get out her front door on time. She had convinced herself that everything from the day before had been an extremely realistic nightmare (except for Rosalie). It helped that she had had several nightmares in a row, all involving being mauled by a giant dog. 

It didn’t help that she was starving. She ate four eggs, three pieces of bacon, and two pieces of toast for breakfast. As she made her sandwich for lunch, she ate several pieces of lunch meat as well. She caught herself drinking straight from the orange juice container when she realized she had no way to get to school. She’d have to walk as well. Bella was eating an apple on the way out the door when the bell rang. She grabbed another and hurried to open it. Rosalie greeted her from the other side, a vision in her desperation. 

“I could kiss you right now,” Bella mumbled around another bite of her apple. 

“Oh, could you?” Rosalie asked through a smirk.

Bella choked on her apple.

Something was wrong. Bella couldn’t put her finger on it, but she felt different. She was just so hungry. She had never felt hunger like this, even when Renee forgot to buy groceries three days in a row. Bella found herself looking at the clock desperately, wishing lunch would be now, instead of one hour, thirty minutes, ten minutes from now.

Food wasn’t the only hunger she felt. 

Rosalie stood in the hall way outside the lunchroom, leaving her books in the locker she shared with her sister, Alice. Bella stopped short, torn between running into the lunchroom or dragging Rosalie into a private room. She froze on the spot, fists balled up as she struggled to control her impulses. Rather than make a choice, she ran as fast as she could to the nearest bathroom. 

Bella gripped the sink tightly, trying to ground herself. Her veins stood out on her forearms. She tried to breathe deeply, centering herself. She was sweating slightly, and it caused the bandage on her arm to begin slipping off. She tried to stick it back down, but it wouldn’t hold. Frustrated, she ripped it off and threw it on the floor. As she saw what was underneath, she began to hyperventilate. 

Last night there had been a long clean slice in her arm. Dr. Cullen had stitched it shut, carefully lining up the two sides of the cut. Today, there was a long thin scar. It wasn’t a healing cut, it was healed. The stitches weren’t doing anything. It appeared as though someone had put clean black stitches around already healed skin as a joke. The scar seemed to be years old. How could that be? Her mind raced. Something was wrong. Everything was wrong.

As if to punctuate the stress, Bella’s stomach growled. She was sick, that was it. There had been no bonfire, no injury, nothing. She was probably in bed with a fever. She closed her eyes tightly and counted to ten. If she knew it was a nightmare, that should help her wake up. Bella forced her eyes open and counted her fingers. She remembered from some long forgotten show that you never have the right amount of fingers in dreams. She had ten fingers. 

Was she awake? 

The bathroom door opened, and Bella quickly turned on the water. She pretended to wash her hands, hoping the newcomer would step into a stall and miss the way Bella was panicking.

“Bella?” A melodic voice asked from behind her. In the mirror, Alice Cullen’s eyes met hers. “Are you okay?” 

“Totally. I’m fine.” She tried to turn off the sink, but instead wrenched the handle right off the sink. Water sprayed from the hold where the handle had been. “Oh, fuck.” 

Chapter Text

“We’re a danger? We can’t be trusted around humans? They need to be protected from us?” Rosalie threw the wrench as hard as she could. It embedded itself in a tree across the clearing. She growled and picked up another wrench of the same size and make. She would take her anger out on tools, not cars. Bella’s car was in pieces before her, and she not going to hurt the poor disabled Mustang. “You didn’t see her Em. You didn’t hear her.”

“I know.”

“You don’t know!” Rosalie bent the second wrench, then slammed it into the concrete, where it froze an inch deep, a metal clang echoing through it like a tuning fork. “She was terrified. I could smell the fear on her. I could smell that blasted dog!” Rosalie’s angry eyes met Emmett’s. He looked concerned. Rather than pick up another tool, Rosalie looked towards the open garage door. “I’m going there. I’m going to fight them.”

Alice appeared in the garage before Rosalie could take a step. “I see what you’re thinking, and it ends badly. Don’t.”

Rosalie growled again. So what if Alice had seen Rosalie’s plan to tear the new pup limb from limb? They should have known the juvenile was going to change soon. Allowing Bella near him was their fault. They should pay for it. “We have to tread carefully here.”

“Tread carefully? Did they?” Rosalie allowed herself to imagine challenging Sam Uley to one-on-one combat. “Were they careful when they let some teenage dog bite a human? Would they give us the same restraint you’re considering for them now?” Rosalie growled in anger. It rumbled from her throat, a high and terrifying sound that even had Emmett backing a few inches away. Rose realized she hadn’t seen fear like that on Emmett in decades. She closed her mouth, covering the bare fangs she’d displayed. “Sorry.” Her tone wouldn’t sound sorry to most people, but Emmett knew her better than that.

Emmett shrugged, shuffling like a little kid. “It’s k. No worries.”

The soft sound of tires rolling up the driveway distracted them. Carlisle appeared at the garage door. “Treaty meeting, let’s go.” He took off into the woods, and Rosalie followed willingly. Others joined behind her, and she knew the entire family was on the move. Maybe Carlisle had called home, and maybe everyone had just assumed. Rosalie was happy. She was going to maim that mutt.

Alice and Edward flocked to Rosalie. She wondered what had happened first, Alice’s vision or Edward’s mind reading. Whichever had happened, she found herself with a very determined escort. They couldn’t stop her if she decided to permanently muzzle the dog.

“Rose, of course we could,” Alice said quietly. They sped into the clearing on the edge of the Quileute territory. It smelled like dog. Dirty, disgusting, rude, hypocritical dogs. Even with her enhanced vision, she smelled them before she saw them.

Sam appeared first, a proud black wolf with his head held high. The others flocked him, subservient puppies following their pathetic leader. Rosalie growled as more of them appeared. The new wolf made her growl louder. Alice laid a hand on her shoulder, and Jasper attempted to influence her mood. He was cut off by her icy glare. Rosalie turned her gaze back to the newest wolf., a pathetic russet brown thing that looked like it didn’t belong. If the wolf stepped over the invisible line, she would tear it to pieces.

Rosalie slowly settled into something resembling silence. Carlisle was their mouthpiece, and she allowed him to speak. “We are concerned about the recent incident.” Rosalie tempered the angry rumbling in her chest. “The treaty was put in place to protect humans from us. It seems there should also be provisions to protect humans from you?” Carlisle made his statement a question, attempting to take the sting out of it.

The wolves rumbled and moved restlessly. Edward held up a hand, indicating he was listening to thoughts. “Sam says this has never happened before and it will never happen again. There doesn’t need to be a formal editing of the treaty, because he agreed and has approved it with the council.” Edward continued to listen. “From now on there will be limited to no contact between suspected wolves and their first shift. What happened to Bella was an unexpected accident.”

The reddish brown wolf hung his head. Rosalie couldn’t help herself. She hissed. “And what exactly are the consequences of this unexpected accident? What will happen to her? How will you make this right for her?”

The black wolf focused on Rosalie. Edward held up his hand, then translated. “They intend to apologize to her. She knows of their legends, she just knows now that they are true. As far as what will happen to her, it should be nothing. No one has ever been bitten and then shifted. Also, only males are affected by the change. Bella will be fine. Or…”

“Or what?” Rosalie looked at her brother and saw his eyes had narrowed. He looked angry. “Or what?”

Edward’s jaw tensed. “Or she could die.”
Rosalie was tackled by the rest of her family as she charged the forbidden borderline.

Rosalie waited outside Bella’s house in the morning. It was taking her far too long to complete Bella’s car. Part of the delay could probably be blamed on being able to spend this time with Bella each morning and afternoon. She turned music up in the car, promising herself she wouldn’t spy on Bella in her own house. Having vampire senses doesn’t give her the right to use them to listen to everyone around her. The new orchestral cover of recently released pop music allowed her to sit back and relax, waiting patiently for her ma- She stopped the thoughts in the track.

Her friend. Her Bella. Those thoughts she could allow herself.

As Rosalie fought her own mind, new thoughts crept in. Bella was slightly behind their established schedule. Had the conversation last night pushed Bella away? Had the wolf bite already changed her? Was Bella even alive in the house? Rosalie turned the music down, thinking herself into a panic attack. She hurried from the car, doing her best to keep a human pace.

Rosalie relaxed slightly. She could hear movement on the other side of the door. Charlie’s cruiser was gone, so it had to be Bella. She rang the bell, and the door opened immediately. Bella was there, disheveled, her mouth full of food and an apple in her hand. “I could kiss you right now,” Bella said through her apple.

“Oh, could you?” Rosalie couldn’t contain the smirk, or the warm feeling that settled in her stomach.

Bella choked on the apple. Rosalie did not bother to contain her laugh. Bella was too easy. She held the car door open for Bella and asked, “How are you feeling this morning?”
“Tired and hungry. Was yesterday a nightmare? A dream?”

Rosalie didn’t answer until she had shut the door and taken her space in the drivers seat. “I don’t think so. Given that you still have a big bandage on your hand, you could assume it was all real. Especially because there’s no Renaldo in your driveway.”

Bella nodded. “I guess you’re right. Now I have to wonder if I’m going to turn into a werewolf.”

The smile on her face turned to stone. She did her best not to react to Bella’s jovial tone. “Explain.”

“Well that’s how it goes, right?” Bella continued trying to quickly eat her apple. “Have you seen the Underworld series? Werewolves and vampires in eternal battle. Lycans bite humans to make more Lycans. I could be the next Michael Corvinus right?”

Rosalie had no idea who Michael Corvinus was. Bella sounded excited, but she also had that sting of fear scent on her. “Tell me more. I don’t know the series.”

“So, extremely hot Selene tries to save this regular-looking guy from the bad lycans. They want his blood to make a hybrid. She;s leather-clad with guns. You have to see it.”

“Bella, the only thing I learned from that summary is that you like vampire women in leather.” Rosalie could feel the blush radiating from Bella.

“That’s not the- That isn’t even what I said!”

There was a reluctance coming from Bella. Rosalie was dying to push a little bit without scaring the girl into withdrawing. “So you don’t like vampire women in leather?”

“The movie used to be on repeat when I was in 4th grade. We didn’t have a whole lot of channels. I can quote the entire second movie from start to finish.” Bella finished her apple and chucked the core out the window. Rosalie didn’t say anything. It’s biodegradable, after all. “So what do you think?”

“I cannot gauge if vampire women in leather are hot unless I see the vampire women in leather.”

“Rose! I meant about my theory. Am I going to be a lycan!?”

“Hard to know. What are these lycans like?”

“Huge. Hairy. Bipedal. Angry.” Rosalie waited while Bella considered. “Their transformation is disgusting, too. It looks painful. Their bones break, they hunch over and scream as it happens.”

“Do you want to be a Lycan?”

Bella shrugged, sitting back as they pulled into the school parking lot. “I don’t know. It could be cool, but the whole world was washed out and blue. It looked sad.” Rosalie parked on the opposite side of the lot from her family. Edward seemed in control, but Rosalie was deathly afraid to find out he wasn’t. She hurried around to open Bella’s door. “It’s probably not going to happen anyway. Maybe there was just a wolf hiding behind Jake and I have no idea what happened yesterday. Oh well.” Rosalie offered Bella a hand, and Bella took it, letting the vampire help her up from the low seat of the BMW. Bella’s hand was warm, and Rosalie didn’t want to let go.

“Hey, Bella!” Jess waved and called her over. Bella dropped Rosalie’s hand and waved back. Rosalie kept the disappointment off her face.

“I guess I’ll go talk to them. Thank you for the ride.” Bella pulled her backpack up from the front seat legroom. “I’ll see you at lunch?” Was Bella going to sit with her at lunch? Was she just stating a fact? She cleared her throat nervously. “I mean, like, do you want to sit with me and my friends? I know you only sit with your family but I thought…” She trailed off nervously, and Rosalie’s heart soared.

“I would love to. It will give me a break from Alice.” Rosalie heard Alice’s ‘hey!’ From across the parking lot.

“Okay, cool. Cool. I’ll see you then.” Rosalie and Bella went their separate ways. She tried not to dwell on Bella dropping her hand. They were getting there. Slowly.

Lunchtime could not come soon enough. Rosalie was anxious. She just needed to put away her books and she would sit with Bella and enjoy her company. It would also give her more time with Bella. Time to hear her talk about her interests, the way she relaxed when Angela was around. Rosalie put her books in the locker she made Alice share with her, and looked up just in time to see Bella disappear.

“Uh oh.” Alice looked sick. “Bella needs us.” Without explaining, Alice hurried down the hall to the girl's room.

Rosalie stopped outside the bathroom, looking around to make sure no one noticed the three girls disappearing into it, then walked in just in time to hear Bella say, “Oh fuck.” Water sprayed straight up at the ceiling. In a panic, she tried to shove her hand over the water spout to contain it. Instead, she slammed her hand through the porcelain and steel, shattering the entire sink.

Bella yanked her hand back. It was covered in gashes and dripped blood. Alice drew back, holding her breath. “Alice, go outside and watch the door,” Rosalie commanded. Her sister disappeared without a word. “Get Edward away,” she muttered lowly. She knew Alice would hear her whisper through the door, and Bella wouldn’t.

“Why does Edward need to get away?” Bella asked, panicked.

“What are you talking about?” Rosalie feigned as she reached under the sink and wrenched the water pipe shut, turning a valve with her bare hand. The spray shuttered then stopped. She grabbed as many paper towels as she could and wrapped Bella’s bleeding hand. The poor girl couldn’t catch a break, and Edward would only make it worse, just like these useless brown paper towels that didn't absorb anything. 

“You were talking about Edward.”

Somehow, Bella had heard her talking to Alice. Rosalie needed a cover immediately. “He has a phobia of blood. I was trying to remind myself not to let him see. He faints.”

“He faints,” Bella repeated the statement, dazed. “Me too.”

“Please don’t faint.” Rosalie pulled off her sweater, a pale cashmere cloth that she cherished. She wrapped it entirely around Bella’s injured hand, hiding all blood from sight. “It would look extremely strange if I carried you out of here.”

“I uh…I don’t think you could carry me.” The injured girl wobbled a bit but regained her footing. “I’m okay. I don’t know how this happened.” She gestured at the mess. The bathroom looked like someone had been murdered in it. Violently. Water carried streaks of blood toward the drain in the center of the floor. “How do I even explain this?”

“Let’s get you to the nurse first, okay? We’ll worry about explanations later.” Rosalie let Bella lean on her, gently wrapping an arm around the girl’s waist while Bella clutched her sweater-wrapped hand.

The nurse was very understanding. It helped that Bella was a well-behaved student who never missed a day of school. She cleaned up the cuts, which were definitely shrinking. The kind old lady was sympathetic. “My dear, you must be quite the bleeder. I’ve never seen so much blood from such small cuts. You might want to talk to your dad about getting your platelets checked.” Bella nodded as she got patched up, not sharing that the cuts were about half the size they had been ten minutes ago. “There’s quite a bit of blood on you. How about we call your father to come pick you up?”

“No!” Bella answered too loudly, too quickly. “Sorry, I don’t want to bother him. Rosalie drove me in today. Could she just drive me home?”

The nurse gave them a stern look. “Neither of you are attempting to avoid anything in class, are you? No undone homework? No quizzes coming up?” They both reassured her. “Well, I don’t see why not. Give me a moment.” She checked their records on her computer. “It seems both of you are allowed to be dismissed under your own power. Here.” She handed each of them nurse dismissals. “Be safe, and drink fluids, Ms. Swan.”

Under the bandage, Bella’s entire hand tingled. It started to itch until it was unbearable. She grit her teeth. They checked out at the front desk, notes in hand, and as soon as Bella was clear of the school building, she ripped off the new bandages. The cuts were scabbed over. As she watched, a scab fell off, revealing fresh pink skin under it.

“What’s happening? You’re seeing this, right?” Bella thrust her hand under Rosalie’s nose. “Am I losing my mind?”

“I don’t think so.” Rosalie’s eyes were drawn to a struggle in the woods. Emmett and Jasper were hauling Edward off school grounds. She looked back to Bella before the girl could see them as well. “Come on, Isabella. Let’s get you home.”

Rosalie put a hand on Bella’s shoulder and guided her to her car. “Rose, I don’t feel so good.” She did look ill; A thin sheen of sweat was visible on her skin.
Rosalie considered putting a hand on Bella’s forehead, but even from inches away she could feel the heat pouring off the girl. Humans should not be that warm, ever. Her mind raced. Was Bella turning? Was Bella dying? Should she take her home or to the hospital? Where was Carlisle right now? Her phone rang and she answered wityhoput hesitation. “Carlisle is on his way to Bella’s. Alice called.”

“Thank you, Esme.” With one question answered, Rosalie sped around the car and hurried to Bella’s house.

By the time they arrived at Bella’s, she already looked worse. Her cheeks were paler than before, her lips were the shade of death, and her hands were curled into fists over her stomach. “It hurts!” She gasped as Rosalie helped her out of the car. “What’s wrong with me?”

Carlisle opened the door to Bella’s house from the inside. He clearly let himself in. “Bella, tell me what’s wrong. What hurts?”

“My head. My stomach. I feel so weak.” Her legs slipped out from under her. Rosalie caught Bella under the knees and behind her shoulders, bridal carrying the suddenly frail girl through the front door. “Strong,” she mumbled.

“Carlisle is she…” Rosalie looked around, taking a step to the side and into the living room. “Is she shrinking?”

“What do you mean?”
Rosalie gently set Bella on a worn green couch. She carefully lifted Bella’s arm. “Look how pronounced the muscles are. She’s suddenly skin and bone.”

Carlisle eyed Bella, then gently probed her abdomen. “This can’t be…” Bella’s stomach looked bloated, distended. “Bella, when did you last eat?”

“Breakfas…verr big break….” The girl was too weak to say anything else.

“Carlisle!” Rosalie shouted as Bella lost consciousness.

“I hope I’m right about this…” Carlisle took a needle out of his bag and filled the syringe behind it with a clear liquid. He shot it directly into Bella. He and Rosalie both held their breath.

Bella coughed, and seemed to regain her color right before their eyes. Her arms still seemed too thin, and she groaned, one hand on her belly as she sat up. She looked around, confused, and said, “I’m starving.”

Rosalie could have cried. Carlisle sighed and said, “Yes, I believe you are.” He passed Bella a glucose gel. “Eat this. It will give us some time to get you some real food.”

An hour and three giant burgers later, Bella looked like herself again. She had no memory of the trip home or collapsing, but Rosalie would never forget it. If Carlisle hadn’t been here, Bella would have died. “I’m so sorry you have to watch me eat. I can’t believe I was this hungry.”

Rosalie was afraid to look away from Bella. Sam had said Bella would be fine or she would die, and she clearly wasn’t fine. A terrible pain swam around in the back of Rosalie’s mind. Bella had almost withered away right before her eyes, and there was a chance it would happen again. Next time, who knows what it could be? What if she had bled to death in the bathroom? What if she starved to death in her sleep? Rosalie wanted this girl. She wanted to know her, learn her, and spend as much time as she was gifted with her. That time may be over before it had even begun.

“Bella, do you mind if I check you out?”

“Excuse me?” Bella’s cheeks turned red as she looked at Carlisle.

He tilted his head like a confused dog. “You gave us quite a scare. Do you mind if I check your vitals?”

“Oh, sure.” Bella’s eyes flicked to Rosalie. “Definitely.” Carlisle came around to where Bella was seated with his stethoscope ready. “Doctor, do you believe in fairy tales?”

“I do. Lots of different kinds. Take a deep breath.”

Bella inhaled, her eyes on Rosalie. “Do you think princesses, toads, and monsters are real, too?”

Rosalie heard the smile in Carlisle’s voice as he responded. “Absolutely. All of it. Though we know princesses and toads are real.”

“Carlisle,” Rosalie chided her father figure.

He chuckled. “You seem healthy as a horse.” He quietly counted Bella’s pulse. “Bella, are you an athlete?”

“Not even a little. Why?”

Carlisle quietly counted again. “You have really low blood pressure, similar to what we usually see in runners. It’s odd.”

Bella didn’t answer. She stood suddenly from her chair and hesitated, her hand on the back of it. “Do you guys hear that?”

Rosalie and Carlisle exchanged looks. “Hear what?” She asked.

“There is the weirdest sound coming from the backyard.” Bella walked to the back of the house and threw open the back door. She marched straight out to where there was a giant wolf in the woods. The wolf wasn’t one Rosalie recognized. It was tall, greyish brown, and clearly afraid. The wolf’s eyes darted between Carlisle and Rosalie, skipping over the human before it. “She’s making the sound.”

“She?” Carlisle asked.

“Yeah, she.” Rosalie heard it—a pathetic, pitiful whine. Bella slowly walked through the yard to the wolf.

“Bella, what are you doing?” She tried to follow Bella, but the wolf growled quickly before whining again.

“It’s okay. She’s afraid, but she’s not going to hurt me.” The wolf walked slowly towards Bella, eying Carlisle and Rosalie. Bella paused, cooing at the giant animal. “It’s okay. It’s safe. Are you okay?” The wolf laid down and crawled closer on its belly. It sniffed the air, then sneezed and covered its nose. It was definitely a Quileute and must have smelled Rosalie and Carlisle. The wolf growled, and Bella shushed it. “Hey, look at me.” The wolf looked at her again, then crawled closer. Bella crouched, making herself small too, but keeping her eyes level with the wolf’s.

“This is insane. It’s going to kill her.” Rosalie wanted to bare her fangs, lung forward, and throw the giant creature away. She felt a desperate fear and need to protect Bella. The girl had almost starved to death an hour ago, and now she was attempting to pet a shifter they’d never seen before.

“I don’t think she will.” Carlisle looked fascinated. Rosalie wanted to slap him. “I think like recognizes like.”
The wolf drew closer, and Rosalie tightened her hands into fists so tight that her palms cracked. Bella held out a gentle hand, and the wolf nosed it before licking it once. The whining that had filled the air around them lessened until it was almost gone. Bella gently rubbed the wolf’s snout and looked into its eyes.

“Do I know you?” She asked gently. The wolf’s darting eyes settled on Bella and didn’t look beyond her again. “I do, don’t I?” The wolf huffed. Bella gasped. “Leah?”

“Clearwater? As in Harry’s daughter?” Carlisle sounded surprised. Rosalie was aware of the council member but not his daughter. The wolf nodded, laid down, and in moments was herself again.

“Oh god,” Bella immediately looked at the sky, avoiding the nude girl in front of her. She pulled off her T-shirt and dropped it in the general direction. The girl grabbed it and pulled it on, dragging it over herself. She spun around, hands over her face.

Leah caught the t-shirt and put it on while hiding behind Bella. “Yeah, this isn’t gonna be enough.”

Carlisle hurried into the house and came back out, holding a blanket in front of him as he walked it to Rosalie, his eyes averted. “Could you take this to Ms. Clearwater?”

Rosalie hurried to the girl, eager to help her get covered up, rather than very nude and very close to Bella.

“Thanks.” Once she was suitably covered, Leah wrinkled her nose. “You guys stink.”