A/N: This chapter is just a tiny bit shorter than normal, but I wanted to keep it focused on Bella and Leah. I want them to slowly move forward, not move back, but also want to mess with the Cullens a bit more. Mostly Eddie-poo but I'll also take aim at the others when I feel like it, and if they piss Bella off.

Thanks for the favorites/follows and reviews, keep them coming. And for those wanting confirmation, Bella is a kitsune, or a fox-spirit. How old she is, how many tails she has, etc will be answered as the story builds. And for those who read The Wild Ones, you'll recognize Bella mentioning on the the OCs in this chapter, and if you pay attention, you'll figure out how the Denalis will be coming into this story.

Also, I would like to co-write a story with someone, not a Bella/Edward or Bella/Jacob, ew, preferably femmeslash, but I am flexible. Not so much co-write, as in I'll also write it and post it, but more like, discussing ideas and then the other person puts it into a story form. Or, if anyone wants a prompt or something, for a one-shot or multiple chapter story, I'll be glad to think of one. I have a plot line in my head, no pairing as of yet, that seems like it would be really funny, but I have no desire to write the story. I keep thinking I might, so I hold onto it and think about it, but I'm not sure I ever will. If anyone wants to give it a go, or multiple people, I'll be glad to let them have it, and see what happens. Might not get any takers, but I've put the offer out there if anyone feels inclined.

Read and review please!

The Trickster

Posted: April 3, 2015

Chapter 7

"How well do you know that mu-, er, that girl that met you at the hospital," Edward inquired.

Bella held in a sigh as the boy next to her once again interrupted her work for small talk. "Jessica? Well, you know, I met her here at school. Don't know her very well, but she's becoming a good friend," the brunette replied, acting like a space case.

Edward let out a low hiss, and his eyes darkened in irritation. "Not her," he muttered, grinding his teeth together, "I mean the other girl, the one you hugged."

"Oh, you mean Leah? We're old friends, why?" Bella asked.

"She's dangerous, you should stay away from her," he demanded.

The brunette just snorted, "You don't even know her and you call her dangerous? If you knew her, you would know that of course she is completely dangerous, but in a good way."

Edward just stared in disbelief, "You really are stupid aren't you, being near dangerous people like her and myself. You really should stay away from both of us, for your own sake."

"Will you shut-up," Bella hissed, "I am trying to do my work, and your incessant prattling is distracting me. If you must comment, keep it to yourself." Bella tuned Edward out after that, but occasionally heard him continuing to comment on how stupid she was.

Class was over soon enough and Bella decided to skip her last period class. Apparently Alice had convinced the secretary to switch her into most of the brunette's classes and Bella was getting tired of dealing with the midget. Bella sent a text to Angela and Jessica that she was leaving, and ducked into a bathroom until class change was over. The door opened soon after she walked into the restroom and the statuesque blonde Cullen strolled in. Bella proceeded to wash her hands and face as she was planning on doing, all the while feeling Cullen's icy stare on her form.

"Can I help you with something… Rosalie?" Bella asked, trying to remember the blonde's name. She didn't turn to look at the other girl, instead choosing to eye her through the mirror.

"Just wanted to meet you for myself," Rosalie sneered, looking her up and down. "See what's gotten Edward so enraptured. I personally don't see the appeal, you're terribly plain aren't you?"

"I don't claim to be anything," Bella shot back, resisting the urge to punch the bitch, knowing that it would show too much too soon.

Rosalie just rolled her eyes and stepped closer, her eyes a dark shade of gold. "You just stay away from my family, you're bringing trouble the longer you're around Edward."

"Why don't you tell your family to stay away from me then if you're so worried," Bella bit out, annoyed by the other girl's attitude. "Oh wait, you probably already did and they didn't listen to you did they? Doesn't seem like they respect you very much."

"You bitch," Rosalie hissed out. Her hands were clenched into fists and Bella could see her form visibly shaking.

"I may be a bitch," Bella conceded, "But at least I am respected by my family and friends, and more importantly, I respect myself. You can't say the same can you?" With that, Bella moved passed the frozen blonde and out the door. Class change was over by that time, so she walked out of the building and headed to Trusty. She caught a glimpse of a bright yellow Porsche and silver Volvo sitting a few spaces down from her truck, and a delightfully wicked idea crossed her mind. Eddie and Alice's cars, plus Rosalie's obsession with working on them… Hmm…

In her mind, Bella saw the cords connecting to the battery in both vehicles corrode and loosen, and the spark plugs for both vehicles also became corroded. I'll have to look up more on engines, I wonder if I can figure out a way to make it fall out of the car when someone tries to start it, Bella mused to herself as she got into Trusty and pulled out of the parking lot.

Instead of heading home, she started in the direction of the police station, knowing that it was one of the afternoons Leah was working for her dad, but also informing Charlie of her skipping class. She'd rather he heard it from her, than a stupid telephone call from school.

"Hi Dad," Bella called as she walked into the small station. Forks wasn't a bustling town, so it was really only Charlie, two deputies and a part time office worker. Leah helped out when the other woman didn't feel like coming in.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school Bells?" Charlie asked, setting his mug of coffee back down on the desk as his stared at his daughter awaiting an answer.

"I skipped gym class, so sue me. Edward and Alice Cullen have been annoying me. Alice even transferred into most of my classes, and keeps trying to get me to agree to a sleep-over, shopping trip or makeovers," Bella rolled her eyes and plopped down in one of the chairs across from Charlie's desk. "Figured I'd come here and hangout with you instead of suffering through her for another class period."

Charlie snorted, "You just wanted to come see Leah."

"Dad," Bella hissed and a throat cleared behind them. The brunette turned around and saw Leah standing there, leaning against the doorframe; her mouth was curved into a tiny smirk, though her cheeks were tinged with a slight pink color.

"Skipping school Bella?"

"Just couldn't stay away from you any longer," the brunette replied with a wink, trying to control her own pounding heart at the sight of Leah's smirk.

Leah turned around to go back to her desk, but stopped and contemplated asking the younger girl a question. She bit her lip and turned back around to face Bella. "Since you're here, I was wondering," she started, looking into bright green eyes, "If you would like to catch a movie with me in a bit, and maybe dinner afterwards?"

Bella's eyes lit up with excitement and she nodded, "Sure, I'd love to go. I can finish up my homework in no time, though, I guess only if Dad says I can go…" Bella turned her eyes towards her father, who was trying not to look like he was listening in on their conversation.

Charlie's face reddened a bit and he coughed. "It's about time," he mumbled under his breath. "You be back at the house no later than 11," he insisted, pointing to Bella, "And get your homework done before you go."

"I will, thank you Charlie," Bella squealed, hugging the older man. She turned to Leah and winked, "I'm going to go home actually, get my homework done and a change of clothes. I'll see you in a few hours?"

"I'll pick you up at your house at 5," Leah confirmed, smiling widely.

"Is this a friendly outing or…?"

"Let's wait and see how it turns out before labeling anything, especially with your father in the room," the other girl sputtered out, looking back at the older man.

Bella sighed and glanced back at her father, "I almost forgot you were here."

"This is my office after all," he snorted, giving both girls an intimidating look. "You may both remove yourselves at anytime."

"Bye Dad," Bella replied, rolling her eyes. "I have a… outing, an outing to get ready for." With that, the brunette ran out the door of the station and climb into Trusty.

"In case I haven't told you," Charlie started, speaking to Leah. "I don't mind if you and Bella date, if that's where this leads. No funny business under my roof however, and no closed door sleepovers unless there are other people there as well."

"I'm not even sure if she likes me like that Charlie," Leah sputtered out a protest.

"If you really believe that, you must be completely oblivious romantic aspect," Charlie replied. "If you want to go home and change you can, not much else to do here today, and I'll be working the night shift anyway."

"Thanks Chief, I'll see you later then," the young woman replied, putting her things away before leaving the building. She sat for a moment in her car before hitting her head against the steering wheel. "Why did I do that, ugh, what am I going to do?"


Bella set on her homework with fervor when she got back to her house, and had the majority of it finished within an hour. Just as she was putting her pen down, her cell phone rang, Angela's face appearing on the screen. "Hey Angie, what's up?" Bella asked, picking up the phone.

"Oh, just thought I'd let you know that Alice was quite put out that you skipped class, and prattled on and on about how irresponsible it was of you. And you missed the entertainment this afternoon. Neither Alice nor Edward's cars would start, and Jessica got into a fight with Lauren after school."

"What did they get into a fight about?" Bella asked excitedly.

"Not sure of the specifics, but apparently Lauren was put out that Jessica had been spending so much time with you and I and demanded that she stop hanging out with us. Jessica took offense to this, words were exchanged, and then smacking, hitting, hair pulling. Lauren got some good scratches in, but left with a black eye and a swollen nose, Jessica's a fighter apparently." Angela's snicker could be heard through the phone.

"Yikes, I'm sorry I missed that, what happened with Jessica?"

"Oh, both she and Lauren were suspended for the rest of the week, and are going to be detention for another week afterwards. I haven't heard from her, so I think she's been grounded."

"That's understandable, but still, poor Jessica. With a friend like Lauren, she was bound to snap at some point," Bella chuckled. "And what was that you mentioned about the Cullens' cars?"

"Just something of mild interest, since they annoy you so much. Rosalie looked like she was about to bite someone's head off, and was looking under the hoods of the two cars with a furious expression on her face. Thought you would find it amusing."

"I do find it amusing," Bella giggled, "Thanks Angela."

"Anyway, what are you doing later? Want to hangout?"

"Sorry, I can't," Bella replied, "I… I have a date tonight."

She was cut off by a squeal coming from Angela. "A date, on a weeknight? Did Leah finally ask you out?!"

"Calm down Angela, we're just going out as friends, unless it goes really well, then it's a date."

"What are you going to do?"

"See a movie, then out for a late dinner."

"Typical date stuff then, I expect you to tell me all about it tomorrow," the other girl demanded before hanging up the phone.

"Well goodbye to you too," Bella muttered, setting the phone down. Bella glanced at the time on her phone and realized it was after three, so shoved her homework into her backpack and made her way to the bathroom. Over an hour later, she emerged, her body wrapped in a towel and her hair piled on top of her head in a different towel. "What to wear, what to wear," Bella murmured, digging through her closet. "Nothing that screams date, but something that says I'm open to the possibility. Nothing to eager, but not abrasive either…"

She dug out a pair of dark skinny jeans and a long sleeve, forest green tunic. "This should work," Bella said. "With my knee-high boots, this will work just fine."

Bella stripped the towel off of her body and quickly pulled on some underwear before taking the towel off of her head. The brunette shook her damp curls out and was getting ready to put mousse into her hair when her phone rang. "I don't recognize this number, so why are you calling me?" She asked, answering the phone.

"Bella! It's Alice!" The midget's voice came through the phone and Bella stifled back a groan.

"What do you want Alice, how did you get this number?"

"Oh I got it from some people at school, but what I wanted to know is if you wanted to hangout tonight."

"Sorry Alice, I actually have plans tonight, and I need to finish getting ready, maybe some other time," Bella replied, before hanging up the phone, not wanting to hear any protests. Her cell phone rang again and Bella saw that it was Alice again, so ignored it. She finished getting ready for her outing with Leah, and was waiting downstairs by the time Leah knocked on the door at precisely 5:30.

"Hi," Bella greeted, opening the door. "Wow, you look good," she murmured, eyeing the older girl's figure. She was wearing a similar outfit as Bella, but with a plain black shirt, and brown leather jacket and boots.

Leah's skin reddened slightly and she cleared her throat. "Thanks, you look pretty awesome yourself," she said, trying to draw her eyes from the generous amount of cleavage revealed by the low-cut shirt.

Bella stifled a smile and grabbed her coat before closing and locking the door. "What movie are we going to see?" She asked as Leah opened the car door for her.

"Well," Leah said, closing the door before making her way to the driver's side of the car. "There are three movies that start around the same time, figured I'd let you decide."

"What options do we have?"

"Cinderella, 50 Shades of Gray, and Insurgent," Leah answered, curious as to which one Bella would pick.

Her brow creased together for a moment as she thought about the options before answering. "What about Cinderella? I don't want to see Insurgent until I've had a chance to read the book, and 50 Shades of Gray just seems… unhealthy. I mean, take out the BDSM aspect, and it just doesn't seem like a healthy relationship to me, more like he is controlling her life. That wouldn't sit well with me, nobody tells me what to do."

Leah stifled down a smile and pulled out of the driveway. "Good to know," she murmured. "Though I don't think there is anyone who could tell you what to do."

"Mhm, well, my Mom and Dad try, but usually they just make suggestions and let me make my own decisions and mistakes. Unless it could be something that is potentially harmful, they don't much get involved."

"Seems like a very laid back way of parenting."

"Oh, my Mom was super over protective growing up, but as I got older, she realized that I needed to start making my own decisions in order to grow. Dad was pretty much the same way, but he still gets a little over protective at times, as I'm sure you noticed with what he wanted to do to Tyler."

Leah laughed a little at that, "Oh yeah, your Dad was going to flay that kid alive."

"My best friend's mom back in Phoenix was the same way. Whenever I would do something stupid, and my Mom would just smirk and say I told you so, she would completely go postal. My godmothers would do that to, especially if I ever got hurt. They would demand the head of the one who hurt me."

"Sounds like you were surrounded by a bunch of really strong women," Leah commented, slightly jealous. She loved her mother, until she turned her back on her, but she was never a good roll model for a young girl. Sue never really supported her in any of her endeavors, except for when she started dating Sam. The older woman was taught to believe that a woman had no worth without a man, and instead of going against this belief, she accepted it an tried to impress this belief on her own daughter.

"Yeah, my bestie and her mom are awesome, and my godmothers are pretty cool too. They've been friends with my mom for a long time apparently, so I've known them my entire life. And I grew up with my bestie and her family around as well, so plenty of strong people to emulate," Bella replied, a slightly smile on her face thinking about her large extended family. "My bestie was hoping to visit soon actually, so maybe you'll get to meet her."

Soon the two were pulling up outside of the movie theater in Port Angeles, and were quickly hurrying into the movie. About two hours later, they were walking outside the theater to the Mexican restaurant Leah liked on the other side of the road. "That was a lovely movie, I don't know why people keep raising a fuss about it. Lily James is just a tiny person, have you seen her in Downton Abbey?" Bella said once they were seated. "Combine her naturally tiny form with a corset and a poofy dress, of course she'll look even smaller than she already is."

"I think that people just don't want little girls to think they need to be super skinny to be princesses," Leah replied, glancing at the menu.

"I don't think that's what the movie was stressing, more being brave and kind, so having good virtues?" Bella suggested, shaking her head. "It was still an adorable movie."

The waiter came around and the two of them ordered their food. "So tell me more about your bestie, what's her name?" Leah asked, breaking a tortilla chip in half and dipping it into the salsa.

"Mhm, Valencia, but everyone calls her Valen. She's Native American actually, well, half anyway, her mother is Native American," Bella answered.

"Which tribe?" Leah asked, intrigued.

"She's part of the Apache tribe, which is a rather broad description. Her grandfather is the one who made my bed and her grandmother made the canopy," Bella replied. "Her mom went on trip to Spain years ago, and had a one-night stand. Her name comes from her Spanish background."

"How did that go over with her family?" Leah asked.

"Well they weren't thrilled from what I heard, but got over it I guess," Bella shrugged. "I don't know too much, I didn't feel like asking."

A few minutes later, their food came and the two set into their respective dishes. "So, I've been wondering something," Leah said, picking at her sizzling plate of fajitas. "What's the deal with your parents? I mean, people think they're divorced, but it doesn't seem like that, not with the way Charlie talks about your mom."

Bella sighed, and set down her fork, her brow scrunched as a troubled look crossed her face. Leah saw the changes come over the other girl and instantly regretted her question. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Leah said hastily, I was just curious."

"No, it's okay, you probably should know some of it," Bella replied, smiling slightly. "I can't tell you everything, since it's not my story to tell, but let's just say that they lied to each other for a very long time. When they both found out the truth, it was hard for them to stay together. They needed some time apart, so I went with Mom, and Dad came down to visit a lot."

"Wow," Leah blinked, not quite believing what she was hearing. "So your mom didn't get remarried causing you to move here?"

"No, that's just what I tell people. How could I tell them that I moved back here to try and force a reconciliation between them? They still love each other, very much, but whenever Dad visited Phoenix, Mom used other people as a barrier to keep her feelings back. I figured if I moved here, then that would force them to come to grips with each other," Bella explained. "I mean, I have other, personal reasons, but that is the main one."

"So basically lies and hurt feelings have kept them apart for over ten years?"

Bella nodded, "Yes, which is why I don't think I'd ever lie to the people I cared about. I might hide the truth about things for a time, but I would never lie." At those words, Bella met Leah's eyes carefully before looking back down at her food.

The rest of the meal was consumed with light conversation, the two young women discussing their classes and the people in them. After finishing dinner and splitting dessert, Leah took Bella home and pulled into the driveway of the Swan household. "Do you want to come inside for coffee or cocoa? Charlie's still not back yet and I'm not tired," Bella said as she got out of the car.

"Scared to be alone?" Leah asked, getting out the car as well.

"No, I can take care of myself, but doesn't mean that I want to be alone, not yet anyway," the younger girl smiled.

"I'll take some coffee then," Leah replied, following Bella into the house. Her nose scrunched up when she walked into the house. "Have you been cleaning recently?"

"Not recently. I mean, Charlie's not the cleanliest person, so I just let him continue to wallow around in mess in the living room until he can't stand it anymore. I'm not taking responsibility for his mess. I keep my room and the bathroom clean, that's it," Bella said, turning the coffee pot on. "Why?"

"I smell bleach, but it's really sweet," Leah crinkled her nose. "I smelled it at the hospital when I went to see you, and at one of the stores in Port Angeles now that I think of it. Must use a similar cleaner or something."

Bella just hummed and got a few cups down from the cupboard. So one of the Cullens has been in here recently, I'm betting either Edward or Alice, the other ones don't seem to care too much, Bella thought as she waited for the coffee to finish brewing.

"You know what that smell is don't you?" Leah asked, breaking Bella out of her thoughts.

The brunette stayed quiet for a moment and poured the two cups of coffee. "I do," she replied, handing Leah her cup.

"Is it something to be concerned about?" The older girl questioned, sipping at the hot beverage.

"Hmm, not yet, if it does become a concern, I'll let you know."

Leah nodded and sipped at her coffee. "Since you said that you hate liars, and secrets, there's something that I need to tell you," she started, but Bella cut her off.

"Is it something life threatening that I need to know right now?" Bella asked, staring into Leah's eyes.

"No…"

"Then wait, just a while. Let's not cloud our first date with secrets and hard feelings," Bella said, smiling into her coffee cup.

"So this was a date then?"

"Had all of the elements of a date. Movie, dinner, driving me home, having coffee with me afterwards, I'd say this was a pretty successful date. Only one thing missing."

"And what's that?" Leah asked, her eyebrow rose.

"We haven't kissed yet," Bella answered, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"I didn't think it was acceptable to kiss on the first date," Leah returned with a chuckle, leaning closer to the younger girl.

"There are exceptions for everything," Bella whispered, closing the gap between their lips. There was a slight gasp and sigh when lips met, neither girl sure who did what. It was a soft meeting, tentative, calm, but with an underlying sense of passion between them waiting to be discovered when two hearts and minds were ready.

The kiss broke a few moments later, the two taking calm breaths of air as eyes slowly opened. Bella flashed Leah and bright smile and picked up her coffee cup. "I think you're going to be getting a second date soon Miss Clearwater," she said, "And we definitely have to do more of that."

Leah chuckled and picked her own coffee cup back up. "I'm not opposed to either of those suggestions Miss Swan."


I'm really sorry to people who like Alice, I really am. I know I said I would be a bit nicer to her in this story, but gah, she gets on my nerves. It's not cuz I think she's a bad person, flawed, very flawed, but not bad. Her personality just seems to clash with mine, so I can't bring myself to like her. Even people similar to her that I've met in real life make me wary, so again, I apologize to those of you who like her. I promised not to be mean, or make Bella mean to her, but I can't help it. I will compromise and write a story in the future that Alice is barely in I guess. That is the best I can do.

And on this, Good Friday, I bid you all happy Easter. Good Friday service tonight, so I'll be posting it once I get back.

Review people