AN: Thank you all SO much for your reviews! I'm sorry I've gotten so bad at responding, but I figured you'd rather have the next chapter, right? And I've finally found a beta, firstillusion! She's been a great help with the plot, and hopefully those annoying typos will be taken care of.

Also, for the curious, Dark Knight was fabulous and I've already seen it twice. Though the Twilight trailer was no where to be seen for either of them, annoyingly.

Same Disclaimer applies. I'm just playing around here. :)

Don't forget to review!


Chapter 7

Possessive

Edward POV

I watched her dash up the stairs, well aware of my family's curious expressions and thoughts. They were all convened in the living room, entertaining our guests, but a hush fell over them as they waited for some sort of explanation.

"Everything's fine," I reassured them, "she just is feeling a little overwhelmed.

They relaxed slightly, though our guests look confused. I didn't pay them any thought and went to my own room to mull over what had happened.

"We have a very recent addition to our family," Esme explained as I left, "We're still tying up loose ends."

Loose ends, I scoffed, but didn't comment. Safely in my room, I heard Bella turn on the shower and undress. I tried not to picture it and instead ended up remember how she felt curled up in my lap.

It had felt so right, surely, she had felt something, too? She didn't seem to mind at the time, but she had seemed so…disconnected. Distracted. And as soon as she realized where she was, she'd pushed me away.

I sighed. Time, Alice had said. I had an endless supply of time. And Bella was worth waiting for.

I couldn't keep pacing around my room, running through the same thoughts over and over. I reluctantly left and went back downstairs to find Carlisle and report on what we had done. Surely Alice had explained as best as she could with those visitors present, but I wanted to talk with Carlisle.

He was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs, knowing all too well that I would come to him. I indicated that I wanted to talk privately and we went into his office. It was far enough from the others that we would have some semblance of a private conversation.

'So, Edward, I assume you have much to tell me,' he thought, sitting behind his desk.

"How much did Alice tell you?" I asked first, unable to sit still, instead continued my pacing from before.

The memory of her informing my family of my plan flashed through his mind. 'Everything went according to plan?'

"Yes, and that's part of what I wanted to talk to you about. Bella, she didn't seem to struggle with the bloodlust at all." This frustrated me. "I remember how out of control I was, Carlisle. How could she have kept herself in check like that?"

Several theories began formulating in his mind, but he spoke before completing any of them. "I'd like to talk with Bella about this, too. You don't mind?"

I hesitated, unsure of what her reaction would be to me. But it was for the best for her to be informed of what we thought was going on, wasn't it? "Of course not."

He led the way and I followed cautiously. Bella answered her door, and with a gentle greeting, let us in. I didn't dare come too close and hovered near the door, listening to Carlisle's explanation and watching Bella's reaction.

She took it all calmly, of course. Had our places been switched, I doubted I would have been as composed as she. I distinctly remembered my own transformation, and the discovery of my "magnified trait." I had thought I'd gone crazy.

But Bella was different, as I'd known all along. I interrupted Carlisle only once for clarification and his reasoning made perfect sense. She had the potential to live an almost normal human life, without having to fight the vampire instincts that plagued the rest of us.

Would she choose to leave us, then? She couldn't go back to her old life, but she had the opportunity to start a new one without having to wait for her control to strengthen or take the many necessary precautions like the rest of us.

I didn't want her to leave us. I didn't want her to leave me. How could I give her time if she wasn't here? I was beginning to panic that she would realize just how much of a gift her talent truly was and strike out on her own.

I was careful to keep my expression neutral, so as not to alarm her.

"Now I'm sure I've given you more than enough to think about for one night," Carlisle's words interrupted my thoughts as he stood. "I'll be downstairs if you need anything more from me. And of course you're welcome to come down whenever you feel ready."

I could only stare at the girl in front of me, wishing desperately that I could hear her thoughts as she thanked him.

'Edward,' Carlisle thought gently, 'It's time for us to go. Now is not the time.'

He knew me too well. I left quickly without a backwards glance, preparing to escape to my room once more to try to figure out a way to keep her here without scaring her.

'I think you should join us,' Carlisle insisted, correctly reading my intentions. 'It won't do you any good to retreat to your room. You need a distraction. And Esme is worried about you.'

I groaned internally. Knowing he was right, I trudged downstairs with him and joined the congregation in the living room.

"This is my other son, Edward," he introduced me as we entered. There was no more sitting room left as Carlisle reclaimed his seat next to his wife, so I happily leaned against the far wall, glad to be out of the circle.

Esme shot me a worried glance, her thoughts worried about my reaction and Bella's current state, but did not say anything as everyone turned their attention back to Emmett. He was emphatically retelling a story about a bear hunt he'd been on recently.

I studied the addition to our group; these wanderers were not "vegetarians" like us and their eyes shone a bright scarlet. They'd eyed me curiously as I'd walked in and I remembered with a wince that my eyes were as red as theirs.

Emmett's animated story-telling came to an end and one of the unfamiliar men spoke up. James was his name, I'd gathered from the thoughts around me. "Pardon my rudeness, but do you not abstain from human blood either?"

The question was clearly directed at me. "I was the one to change the newborn," I answered curtly.

"What prompted such a change?" he pressed. There was no malice in his voice, simply curiosity, but I was not in the mood for a game of twenty questions with strangers who had no right to intrude upon my life.

"She was his singer," Carlisle supplied, cutting off my chance for a smart reply about exactly what I thought about his "rudeness." 'They're only going to keep asking, Edward. It's easier to just tell them.'

But his answer got quite the reaction. "His singer?" The second man repeated, speaking for the first time while I was in the room, incredulous. "And you merely changed her? You didn't drink every drop?"

His companions mentally agreed with him.

'James makes a point; why would he would stop if he'd already started? Such a waste,' the other man thought.

The woman, Victoria, simply imagined the taste of a singer's blood – she'd never experienced it before.

My lip pulled up in a snarl, "She was worth more to me like this than dead. The taste of her blood couldn't compare to the light in her eyes."

Realization flicked through his mate's eyes, but James remained questioning, his voice pleasant and even. "Laurent," he indicated to the other man, "has met a singer of his own. From his description, I can't imagine anything that would inspire you to resist. I would like to meet her."

A growl started low in my throat, but at that moment, the topic of discussion came down the stairs and all attention was turned to her.

She stood hesitantly on the bottom step and I nervously wondered how much of our conversation she had just heard. Did it count for trying to give her space if she overheard me telling others what she meant to me?

I anxiously waited for her reaction, but she acted as though she'd heard nothing out of the ordinary. I didn't know whether to be happy that I didn't upset her, or sad that it didn't seem to affect her at all. Perhaps she simply hadn't heard? No, that was ridiculous, her hearing was superb, if she was listening at all, she would have heard.

"Bella," Carlisle called to her, reaching an arm out inviting her into the circle. She stepped forward hesitantly, shyly, jumping slightly at the sound of his voice calling her name as if she hadn't been paying attention.

James stood to greet her, a friendly grin on his lips that I didn't trust. His thoughts weren't helping his cause any, either.

'She is a pretty little thing. I wouldn't object to getting to know her a little more. Any creature that creates such a reaction as the one the boy displayed deserves proper attention.'

Victoria, too, was getting on my nerves. 'I don't see what's so interesting about her. Why should James waste our time? He has me, he shouldn't be looking at anyone else.'

My eyes narrowed, watching James's every move, daring him to give me a reason to shove him away.

My reason came sooner than I'd hoped. He reached for her hand, to shake it in greeting, but as he grasped her hand, she flinched, turning away ever so slightly.

I couldn't stop myself; instinctively I flung myself across the room to place myself between her and the perceived threat.

I never would have imagined that I would become the threat.

But as I reached her, possessively wrapping an arm around her waist to maneuver her behind me, she gasped, and wretched herself from my grasp, eyes wide in terror.

I spun around to face her, confused at the sight. She looked absolutely terrified. I tried to reach out to her again, to offer some sense of comfort, like I had in the truck, but she only flinched back again.

Everyone was suddenly very still. I froze, afraid to move – what had I done? Was she afraid of me? Had she had enough time to think by herself to discover the monster that I truly was? But then why had she only flinched at James's touch in discomfort, and positively cowered at my mine?

She clenched her eyes shut and covered her face with trembling hands. I felt utterly helpless. I didn't dare breathe.

She shook her head roughly, as if denying some thought, and ran from the room and out the back door, crying apologies as she left.

I stared after her in shock, not comprehending. Not knowing if I should go after her or if that would make matter worse.

James's thoughts were the first to break through my stupor. 'Well, that was unexpected.'

I turned on him, my confusion and disbelief transforming into fury. "What did you do to her?" I growled, getting right in his face.

He looked at me in surprise, not backing up or giving in. "I didn't do a thing. I only touched her hand," he said defensively.

I glanced at the rest of my family, looking for support. They looked as shocked as I felt.

I turned back to James, my eyes blazing. "She was doing fine before you approached her. What did you do to her?"

"This might have escaped your notice," he said coolly, "but you were the one who scared her so bad she felt the need to flee."

Emmett jumped up to restrain me before I could attack, though every inch of me was fighting to tear this insufferable thing limb from limb. I fought against Emmett's iron hold, all the while knowing James's words were true, making the sting of them all the more powerful.

Suddenly, Rosalie cursed and she glared at me. "You really are an idiot sometimes," she hissed before jumping up and running out the door. "And don't you dare follow me!" she called over her shoulder.

Her parting thought hit me with a crushing blow. 'She was raped, you fool, you can't grab someone like that and expect everything to be okay!'

All the anger left my body in an instant, leaving me completely weak and exhausted. How could I have been so stupid as to forget something like that? Guilt wormed its way inside me, twisting and knotting, painfully reminding me of the horrors that she had been through.

Emmett could feel the tension slacken and relaxed his grip. Jasper was by my side now, too. "What just happened?" Jasper asked quietly. 'You're all over the map.'

"The memories from just before she was…bitten…must have come back." I said, my voice cold and detached. "She had remembered vaguely what happened before, but the touch must have triggered something stronger."

My family knew the circumstances surrounding Bella's transformation, but these strangers did not, and they were insatiably curious. James especially, already intrigued by her origins, was all the more determined to learn her whole story. I did not like where his mind was going, but I had bigger problems to focus on right now.

"Edward," Alice warned me, "Don't go after her now. She's scared and you'd only scare her more at this point. Let Rosalie talk to her, she knows what to do."

I glared at her, but was forced to see the truth in her words. "What do I do, then?" I growled.

'Just wait. That's all you can do now. Remember, time and space.'

I turned on my heel, running back to my room to anxiously wait for Bella's return.