A/N: For the prompt "warm," from the WFN Advent challenge! Also for Lupa_Barnes' challenge, Destroy Dic(tion) December.

So this is an alternating POV fic. It's incomplete as of right now, but I have several parts written. It was originally posted at my AO3 account as a series, but I'm just going to make it a single fic here! I'll update every day-ish until I catch up with everything I have posted there.

"Who's that?"

So the new girl had finally asked. Edythe listened to the conversation halfway, not really interested in what Isabella Swan thought of them, until she heard Jessica say, "And that's Edythe. I think she's turned down every boy at the school."

It was an exaggeration, which made Edythe roll her eyes and Emmett snicker, but then she heard—

"Really?" The way the new girl said it made it sound like this was pretty damn significant.

Edythe looked over at her with a frown. What did that mean? She tried to listen carefully for her thoughts, and heard nothing. What did that mean?

Isabella quickly looked away, embarassed about being caught staring.

How strange.

Bella's blood called to her like nothing else, she learned on the first day of biology.

After less than two weeks of knowing Bella, she realized that wasn't quite true—because Bella herself called to Edythe more strongly than even her blood did. She had never so strongly wanted to befriend a human before. What was it? Just the fact that she couldn't predict what Bella would say? That she surprised her with her thoughtfulness and quirks?

Edythe wasn't sure. She just knew that she was curious...and desperate to know more.

She justified climbing through Bella's window with that thought. If she didn't find out more about Bella, she'd go mad. A vampire who was desperate wasn't safe, she reasoned. It had nothing to do with how soft Bella looked when she was sleeping, or the way her hair fanned over the pillow, or the way her lips parted so sweetly when she talked in her sleep.

The first time she heard Bella say her name, it was a slurred whisper—"Edythe."

She thought she might faint, were it possible, but instead she knelt next to the bed and whispered, "Bella."

Bella hummed and rolled over.

She saved Bella from the van because it was the right thing to do.

She lied to Bella about it afterwards because it was the right thing to do.

"You should have let the van crush me," Bella told her angrily in the hospital corridor. The hallways was empty, thank god, but Rosalie and Carlisle were close enough that they could hear everything. That would keep Bella safe if Edythe lost control.

"Why would I have done that?" Edythe felt suddenly exasperated. Bella knew something was up, but why couldn't she leave well enough alone? Humans were so damnably curious.

(Her being curious was not the same, because it didn't put anyone in danger.

Except Bella. Damn it.)

"Look, you aren't the first homophobic straight girl I've had a crush on," Bella said darkly. "You're not even the only one who hated me! But if I've made you this angry, I wish you would have just told me to back off!"

Edythe's mind had gone frustratingly blank at these words. They just echoed. Over and over—Bella had a crush on her. On Edythe. Bella!

Bella thought she was uncomfortable with her because she had a crush on her, not because she had a stupid urge to tell her everything. Bella thought she hated her, enough to let her die when she had the chance to save her!

Her brain could barely keep up, which was quite the feat, given that she was a vampire and all.

Then it slotted back into place and several things became suddenly clear. The obsession. The need to save her. How she should have stayed away, but couldn't convince herself to. She'd dismissed it as interest in a human who could hide their thoughts, but she realized, abruptly, that there was more to it.

"Bella, I—" She couldn't think of the right words, so before she could psych herself out, she swiftly leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Bella's cheek.

Bella's cheek was warm, and Edythe thought she felt the warmth spread from her lips down to her toes. Oh, god. This was—this was better than fresh human blood, better than the thrill of the hunt, better than sparring with Emmett, or getting a hug from Esme. This was—

Fuck.

Edythe spun away and left Bella behind. She couldn't look for her reaction to that, couldn't allow this to continue. She lo—liked Bella. And she wasn't going to put her in danger.

Not today, anyway.

A/N: I feel a little better about my life knowing I finally contributed to this ship!

My thoughts behind this are that I think Edward/Edythe would behave far less...confidently and suavely if they were stunned when they realized that they're really gay. Bc I remember how embarassed I was the first time i had a gay crush and KNEW what it it was lmao. (I mean it's all good bc we are married now but still! Crushes are embarassing and I'm a disaster! So is Edythe!)

Also, angry Bella is my favorite, always.

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