Yikes, I know I promised Tuesday, but as I've pointed out before – internet is not reliable at my house. The internet has been so incredibly slow lately – it takes about half an hour to load one page, so considering all the steps involved…I just wasn't willing to sit on the computer for four hours in order to get this up (sorry). But here it is, finally, I hope it's worth the anticipation. As promised, Edward and Bella finally come into the picture.

I tossed off my raincoat and dumped my backpack in the front hall. I could hear Mom on the phone again, no doubt with Sue. I rolled my eyes and went to the fridge, looking for an after school snack. Just when I'd settled on an apple, Mom said something that made me lose my appetite entirely.

"Okay, see you tonight, Charlie."

My fingers clenched and the apple jumped from my grasp, landing on the floor with a dull thud.

"Of course! I can't wait to meet them… okay… bye!" She put the phone down with a little giggle.

"Mom!" I cried, glaring. "What are you talking to him for?!"

"Who?"

"Charlie!"

Mom sighed. "I enjoy his company, Catherine." Catherine – she was trying to make me act reasonably.

I scowled. Clearly she didn't understand what this could do to what remained of our family, but I couldn't very well spell it out for her. She'd either get all mopey and depressed about Dad again, or she'd get mad at me and extend my grounding, which was nearly over.

"Oh, and he's coming over for dinner, so go clean up and then get down here. I need your help with the house."

I growled. Mom ignored me.

"His daughter and son-in-law are coming over as well. They're visiting from Alaska – I think Charlie said Denali. His daughter's only two years older than you – maybe you'll hit it off."

"She's only nineteen and she's married?" I repeated incredulously.

"Some people find true love at a young age," Mom sniffed. I remembered that she met Dad as a freshman in college and shut my mouth. "Now go change into something nice, and then get back down here.

- - - - -

The house gleamed. The kitchen table was cleared of bills and junk and set with the best plates and glasses. After two hours of me sweeping, scrubbing, and wiping while Mom slaved frantically over the stove, she considered the house presentable. Still, she was a perfectionist, and it was not as good as she would have liked.

"Oh, I wanted to repaint the kitchen – I should've done that last weekend!"

"Mom, it's fine."

"And that linoleum is disgusting. We have to get it replaced."

"Nobody will notice."

"That stupid window sticks – it's impossible to open."

"Who's going to open a window?" I demanded, exasperated. "It's raining cats and dogs!"

Mom subsided, but I could see her scrutinizing each imperfection in the house. Dinner was simmering on the stove over a low heat, while she wrung her hands, waiting for Charlie's arrival. Her anxiety made me nervous, and I decided to be on my best manners for her. She was clearly making a mistake by pursuing this Charlie, but I obviously couldn't change her mind about him. The best I could do was support her, and hope for the best.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang and Mom nearly leapt out of her skin. "He's here!" she said breathlessly.

"So answer the door," I prodded. She smoothed her hair, took a breath, and glided to the front hall. I waited by the stove, peering in the oven at the manicotti. The door opened, and I drifted over to the table, running my fingers over the place settings.

"Hi Charlie! Oh, this must be Isabella and Edward? My goodness, you are a beautiful couple."

There was a pause, when I could hear nothing, but someone clearly responded.

"Of course – Bella. I'll remember that. Come in, please, get out of the rain. I hope you like Italian – I made manicotti. It's an old recipe from my grandmother, who was, oddly enough, Oneida." Mom was babbling. I wanted to step in and save her, but I didn't know what to do. I waited by the table, eager to see Charlie's daughter and son-in-law. How beautiful were they? My mom didn't usually comment on such things.

I heard footsteps drifting toward the kitchen, and I fixed a genial smile on my face. Best behavior, I reminded myself sternly.

Mom stepped into the kitchen first, closely followed by Charlie. As Charlie stepped out of the hall, his daughter glided into view, holding her husband's hand. The polite smile fell from my face. Their startling beauty was horrifyingly familiar.

"Jesus Christ," I gasped.

"Catherine! Watch your language!" Mom said sharply.

"You look a little pale," Charlie commented. "Are you alright?"

I took a step away from the beautiful Edward and Bella. Both of them were beautiful beyond belief, unnaturally pale, unearthly.

They were vampires.

"Cat," Mom nudged me sharply. I jumped, realized I'd been staring with my mouth open and tried to reassemble my features into something resembling normalcy.

"Nice to meet you," I croaked hoarsely.

Bella and Edward glanced at each other. "Nice to meet you," they both replied.

After the awkward pleasantries, Mom ushered everyone over to the table. "Sit down – I'll get the food." She fanned herself with an oven mit after she set the manicotti at the center of the table.

"My mom said you live in Alaska," I said, as Mom dished out manicotti. Despite my paralyzing fear of them, I found myself drawn to them at the same time – like a mouse, hypnotized by the sinuous dance of a hungry snake.

Edward stared at me a second, his expression inscrutable. After a pause, his brow furrowed and his expression darkened. He turned sharply to Bella and murmured something inaudible. She looked to me, her eyes wide.

Just when the silence was beginning to get awkward, Bella finally answered, "Yes, we live in Denali."

Mom smiled. "Well, if I'm hot, then the Alaskans must be boiling alive. I think I'll crack a window." She started for the window over the stove, but that was the one that stuck, so instead she opened the window just behind me.

Great, I thought, now I get to freeze to death.

She raised the window a few inches, so the rain wouldn't get in. I could feel the cool breeze immediately – a welcome relief in the sweltering hot kitchen. The wind fluttered past me, stirring the napkins, and pushing the steam off the manicotti. It fluttered through Bella's hair, where she sat across from me at the table.

As soon as the soft breeze hit her, she stiffened. Her hands went to the table's edge, where she clutched tightly. I watched in astonishment as Edward gently prized her hands away, revealing deep gouges in the wood where her fingertips had been. Neither Mom or Charlie noticed. Mom was sitting next to Charlie, hanging onto his every word as he discussed work.

I looked back to Bella and Edward. Edward held her arm tightly – while it appeared he was soothing her, I could tell he was restraining her. Bella's eyes – amber when she arrived, had gone coal black. I remembered the vampire from the forest – whose blood red eyes shifted to vermillion rage when he was about to attack. My chest tightened and my breath grew shallow.

Bella lurched in her seat, but Edward caught her firmly around the shoulders and pressed her down forcefully. Even Mom and Charlie couldn't ignore that. Charlie looked up sharply.

"Something wrong, Bells?" he asked, looking concerned. Bella shook her head rigidly.

"I think she's cold," Edward said, his voice velvety and hypnotic. I found myself a bit dazed.

"I'm sorry!" Mom exclaimed, startling me back into reality. She jumped up from the table. "I'll close the window."

"It's not your fault," Charlie said quickly. "Bella was in an accident last year – she has some difficulties because of it."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward glance surreptitiously at Charlie. Something about the story rang false, though I could tell Charlie believed every word he said. It occurred to me that Bella might have been human not so long ago, and it was perhaps Edward's fault that she was no longer human.

What was I thinking? How did I know they were vampires? In fact, how did I even know that one guy in the woods was a vampire? Maybe he was an albino – an abnormally fast… freakishly strong… murderous albino. Maybe…

I shook my head, trying to clear the memory of that day from my mind. They're not vampires, I told myself sternly. They're just very pale, and very beautiful, and Bella's cold. She was in an accident – she's probably anemic or something… that would explain her paleness. I sat back, satisfied, and took another bite of my dinner. A new thought interrupted my peace. But what about Edward? What's his excuse? And how can they be so beautiful? I shook my head again, harder. They're not vampires.

"Cat? Are you okay?" Mom asked, sitting down again.

"Yeah, fine. I just felt dizzy." They're not vampires!

Seconds after the window had closed, Bella was able to relax. She still sat rigidly at the table, but Edward didn't need to restrain her. Her eyes faded from black to dark brown. Maybe it was the cold…or maybe it was… me? The wind had to blow right past me to get to everyone else. And if she has such a problem with the cold, why the hell do they live in Alaska, for God's sake?

Throughout dinner, Mom and Charlie did most of the talking. I sat quietly at my end, head down, watching Bella and Edward through my veil of hair. Edward was tall, perfectly muscled, with bronze hair, high, sharp cheek bones and intense amber eyes. Bella was short, slim, with full red lips, a sheet of dark brown hair and a heart-shaped face. They murmured to each other throughout the meal, but I couldn't catch a word of their conversations. Occassionally, they glanced at me, but they always looked away quickly. Neither of them ate anything, either. They pushed the manicotti around with their forks, but never lifted them to their mouths.

When the plates had been cleared and dessert polished off, Charlie made a few minutes of polite conversation, then rose from his seat. "I suppose I should be getting home, now. I'm sure Bella is a little tired, and I've got work tomorrow."

Bella and Edward rose as well, looking wary. Mom got to her feet, and quickly gave Charlie a small hug. "Thank you for coming over," she said, "I had a really good time."

Red-faced, Charlie stammered, "Uh, yes, Dinner was… really good. Thanks."

I sighed and looked down at my plate. Didn't she have any self-control?

"It was wonderful meeting you both," Mom said to Bella and Edward. "Here," she stretched out her arms and wrapped them both in a friendly hug. Bella's eyes widened and darkened again. Forgetting any semblance of manners, I lunged across the room and wrenched my mother out of their grasp.

"Cat! What are you doing?!" Mom sputtered.

Edward had thrown an arm around Bella's shoulders, clenching tight. Bella closed her eyes tightly, hands balled into fists.

"I… uh, I thought you… had sauce on your shirt."

"What?" Mom glared at me.

"You might have gotten it on them."

Mom quirked an eyebrow, but she didn't push the issue. "Well, it was lovely meeting you, anyway. I hope Cat hasn't frightened you away," she joked. She was speaking to Bella and Edward, but her gaze strayed to Charlie.

"No, of course not," Edward said easily, smiling a sweet, crooked smile. I felt my breath hitch in my throat. "It was very kind of her to save our clothes from staining." He gave me a look that removed any doubt about his and Bella's existence. It was a look that said, I know what you were really saving her from. There was no malice or spite in our silent communication, but something told me I confounded him. He gave me a curious glance as they turned to go, Bella walking stiffly as he guided her out the front door.

I went to the living room window, and watched them pull out. When their taillights had faded from view, I looked at the end of our quiet road, where the forest sat ominously, dark and silent. As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I could have sworn I saw several pairs of eyes staring back at me – and then they were gone. I gasped, and stumbled back from the window, rushing to find my mother. As I stumbled through the living room and into the kitchen, a deep, mournful howl filled the night, and a shiver ran down my spine.

In case you couldn't tell, those weren't vampire eyes she saw in the woods. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint – rest assured that there will be a lot more Bella and Edward in this fic – they'll probably be in almost every chapter from here on out. Oh, and to answer a previous question: the first vampire that Cat met was not somebody we know from Twilight or New Moon, but he will play a role in the future of this fic. Please review! I will lavish you with love and adoration and kittens for any reviews!