Ok, this is a bit different than Stephanie's but it's the best I could come up with. I'm really bad at fluff. I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.

Chapter 6: Confessions

EPOV

I waited impatiently as our class went extra-long, our teacher drilling on and on about homework and how he wasn't getting enough of it turned back in. We were already five minutes late for lunch, and Bella was probably sitting with the family member that had been in her last class and waiting.

I sighed in relief as the teacher finished his lecture on homework and assigned more, due in two days. I walked over to the desk and grabbed a copy, heading for the door with Emmett right behind me.

We emerged from building six and walked toward the cafeteria, our family members spotting and joining us. It wasn't until I was practically to the door when I realized Bella wasn't there.

"Where's Bella?" I asked, frowning. "Who was in her last class?"

"No one." Spoke up Alice, as I was reaching for the handle the cafeteria door. "There was probably a miss-print and she ended up going to a different class than us. She's waiting for us inside."

I pulled open the door and slipped inside, Alice and Jasper directly behind me. I glanced at our usual table, and, not finding her there, scanned the room, paying attention to those who were standing. I didn't see her, and I was about to ask Alice, when a white hand waved at me from the crowd.

There was Bella, surrounded on both sides by humans, sitting with a group of people in the middle of the room. I gaped, not being able to contain my shock.

Jasper noticed my shock and wondered what I was gaping at, then turned and spotted Bella. Alice grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the line, blocking his shocked expression from Bella's view. Emmett shook his head, thinking what are we going to do with her? Rosalie was outraged at Bella's disregard for her comfort.

The girl sitting beside Bella looked at what was attracting attention, then turned back, saying exactly what she thought. "Go on. You probably want to talk to them. You can sit with us next week, when you get settled in."

Bella turned to her, and smiled happily, thanking her. She nodded goodbye to the rest of the table while the rest of the family went through the line and went to the table.

She joined us a few moments after we sat, sitting in the chair next to me where she had sat yesterday.

We stared at her, amazement on my part, anger on Rosalie and Jasper's, and indifference on Emmett and Alice's parts. Alice already knew that Bella hadn't harmed anyone.

"You guys weren't here and I was left standing there like some bimbo!" she muttered, looking at her tray and frowning. "Mike offered a seat and I accepted. It had to be much better than just standing there, right?"

I turned a bit to look at the Mike, who was staring at Bella. I scowled as I got his thoughts. He was already imagining himself head over heals in love.

"Wrong. You could hurt somebody, and then we would have to move!" hissed Rosalie, glaring at Bella.

"I've been way too nervous all day to even think about that!" she whispered, glaring back. "Ask Jasper."

Rose turned to Jasper, pursing her lips. Jasper shrugged, scanning Bella's emotions and finding one giant heap of embarrassment, shyness, and calmness, but not really any thirst. "I have no idea. There are way too many emotions to sort out. She may be telling the truth."

Bella sighed, leaning back in her chair in relief. "There, you see? Nothing for you to worry about." she grinned wickedly at Jasper. "I wouldn't hurt poor acne-covered Mike, now would I?"

Emmett chuckled, getting the joke, but Jasper and Rosalie just stared at her, not getting how this was in any way funny. I didn't laugh. I just continued staring at Mike and wishing I could kick him through a wall. She sighed. "Ok. No jokes. Got it."

Alice giggled, looking up from her tray for the first time. "Bella, relax. You weren't going to do anything. But you do need to be a bit careful. They might want you to stay in touch after graduation." It is impressive that she can interact without any weirdness from the humans, though.

BPOV

Listen to: Never Think by Rob Pattinson

I rode back in Edward's Volvo, as I think Rosalie would have bitten my head off if I had tried to get in her red convertible. Not that you could ride with the top down very often here.

Edward was quiet on the way home, pretending to be concentrating on the road. The silence between us was heavy and I longed for the light atmosphere of last night when we would laugh at each other's peculiarities. He was my favorite person in the world and he was ignoring me.

"I'm sorry." I said, looking out the window as we sped past the forest.

"Hmmm?" He said, sounding like I had pulled him from a different train of thought. "Oh, I'm not mad at you."

I looked back at him, trying to see if he was telling the truth. He was looking at me, I soft expression in his eyes.

"You sure? I was so stupid; I shouldn't have done that." I muttered, looking away before I made a mistake.

"No, its fine by me, Alice, and Emmett, but Rose and Jazz may have something to say about it."

"I knew Emmett wouldn't hold anything against me," I laughed, turning back to him. "Nothing can bother Emmett."

He grinned, glancing to me and then the road. By then we had reached the driveway. Edward turned onto it and raced over the bumpy, thin road and into the garage, bringing the car to a complete stop before I did, throwing me forward. I scowled at him and got out, I heard Edward chuckling as I ran into the house.

Esmé was waiting at the other side of the door. "How was school?" she asked, smiling and pulling me into a hug.

I grinned at her as she released me. "Great. Though, Jasper might have something to say about my mingling."

Edward came in and hung his backpack on one of the pegs by the door. I did the same.

"Bella surprised us at lunch." He explained, smiling at Esmé as she pulled him into a hug. "Rose and Jazz aren't very happy, but they'll get over it."

"What was the surprise?" asked Esmé, looking from me to Edward. We heard Rosalie's car screech to a stop on the garage.

"They were late to lunch and I ended up sitting with a couple friends." I explained, moving away from the door as it sprang open again to admit a very mad Rosalie.

She blew past us, not even glancing at me, and flew up the stairs. Alice and Emmett came in next, grinning from ear to ear.

Emmett came over and held up his hand wordlessly. I smacked it in a high five, but erred a bit in strength. Emmett shook his hand a bit and grinned at me. Jasper slipped in wordlessly, smiling a bit at me. Maybe he would forgive me.

Emmett followed Rose and Jasper and Alice wandered off, hand in hand.

I turned back to Esmé, who was looking at me with a slight smile on her face and an eyebrow raised in a question. I just shrugged and headed for the stairs. Edward followed, chuckling a bit.

"What's so funny?" I asked him, looking sideways at him as we climbed the stairs. He just shook his head, smiling his sideways grin that I loved.

I went my bedroom, threw my coat and scarf onto the bed and turned, grabbing Edward's hand. It felt slightly warm and perfectly smooth, like perfectly polished glass. "I wanna show you something." I said, grinning at him.

He smiled back and tightened his hand in mine, giving me permission to drag. I pulled him down the stairs and away from the house, leading him into the forest.

I reluctantly let go of his hand and sped up into a full run. He followed right beside me, compensating for every shift in direction as I took him into the mountains.

I stopped when I found a suitable clearing, looking around. "This looks good." I informed him.

"Looks good for what?" he asked, smiling a bit. His hair was a bit tousled by the run, making his already messy hair, look like he had dug his hands through it.

I resisted the urge to play with his hair and focused on the conversation. "I've been thinking about trying something and I was wondering what you think." I replied.

He nodded and waited as I concentrated on the tree directly across the clearing. I wove a loose ring of solid shield around it, making it about an inch thick. I suddenly tightened the strings, cutting the tree in half like you would with dental floss and cheese.

It crashed to the ground, the echo resounding around the clearing and frightening a family of crows from the tree nearby, making them fly away, screeching.

I walked over to examine my handy work, running my hand over the smooth surface of the trunk. It would seem perfectly smooth to a human, but it was slightly rough under my sensitive touch.

"Neat," I breathed, kneeling and looking at the strait surface. I glanced at the bark, noting that the tree was hardwood.

I looked back to where Edward was standing, his eyebrows raised. I smiled to reassure him. "I could make millions as a woodsman."

He burst out laughing at that. "Yes, I suppose you could." He chortled. "When did you think this up?"

"Physics. It's a wonderful thing." The lecture had gotten me thinking about my shield.

"Ahh." He said, nodding.

"Well, what do you think?" I asked, straitening up and rubbing my hands together get the fine power of sawdust off.

"I think you should show Emmett." He said, grinning evilly. I laughed.

"Yes, I suppose I could. But I think I'll keep it as a little surprise." He smiled, nodding.

I walked back over to him and sat down near his feet, patting the ground beside me. He sat down. "So why not show Carlisle or Alice?"

"I thought you would be the most interested." I said, looking up at the over cast sky and laying back against the grass/moss.

"Yes, but so would Carlisle." He pointed out.

I sighed, deciding to tell the truth. "You're the first vampire I've met, besides my creator, and he wasn't exactly my favorite guy. I trust you."

He paused, then laid down beside me, propping his head on his palms so he could look at my face. "Who was your creator, or do you mind me asking?"

"I don't mind." I said, looking into his eyes. "His name was Vance. The first time I saw him was in the Phoenix airport at nine at night. He was waiting for the same plane as me."

I looked away, trying my face to keep my face expressionless. "He found me after we landed, gagged me, and took me into the forest. Three days later, I regained…sense and he was there, waiting. He explained what I had become and a few rules. We didn't keep company after I found out about animal blood, as he preferred to drink human blood."

I waited in silence as he absorbed this. Hesitantly, he asked, "Why did you chose to come to Forks?"

I turned back to him, looking directly into his eyes, not quite sure what I was looking for. Something there encouraged me to tell the truth.

"I was headed here before I was...sidetracked." He stiffened at my side, surprised.

"How old are you, Bella?"

"Seventeen." I said, turning back to him, smiling.

"So you're not old enough to be on your own. Which means…" he trailed off, wanting me to finish.

"Which means my biological father lives in the town." I finished, watching his reaction. Surprise was the only thing I saw before he controlled his face. I suddenly wished I was Jasper.

"You really should tell Carlisle…" He said, continuing to look into my eyes. I grimaced and turned my face away, avoiding his eyes and picking absently at the grass.

"The chances are minimal that I will be recognized. He hasn't seen me for years, even without the change that came with vampirism." I explained, secretly hoping to see Charlie at least once. Just to see him.

"I still think you should tell Carlisle," he said, leaning back on the grass and looking at the sky. "But I won't tell him if you don't want me to."

I sighed in relief and smiled at him. "Thanks." He smiled back and nodded a bit.

I copied his pose, sitting up and setting the side of my face on my palm, watching the sky with him. There was a comfortable silence around the clearing, interrupted only by our regular breathing.

Suddenly his hand was under my chin, turning my face to look at him. "What are you thinking?" He asked, keeping his smooth fingers on my chin and looking into my eyes, forcing the truth out of me.

"I was thinking about my dad, and how much I miss him and my mom," I sighed.

He nodded, saying, "That's understandable."

"Why did you want to know?" I asked, curious.

"You're the first person I've met who I can't figure out, no matter what. Every answer you give me surprises me. It makes me wonder what you're really thinking."

"I tell you what I'm thinking," I insisted.

"You edit." He accused.

"Not very much." I said, biting my lip. If he did hear what I was thinking, he would avoid me.

"Enough to drive me crazy," he growled. I tried to avert my eyes, not wanting to admit just how much I liked him. It didn't work.

"You don't want to hear it." I mumbled. He didn't answer immediately, so I looked back up to see his expression. He was looking at me softly, a slight smile on his face.

He moved his hand from my chin used it to tuck some of my hair behind my ear. He left his hand on the side of my face. "Do you mind if I try something?" he asked, looking at me. I shook my head slightly, my breathing speeding slightly, but not enough to draw attention.

He hesitated, looking a little unsure, then leaned in and pressed his lips softly against mine. Both our breathing speeds jumped higher.

I closed my eyes as our lips touched, sending tendrils of electricity through my body and into my bones, making them seem to vibrate and tingle. It felt like I had been shocked, but I felt no pain. I did however feel different emotions. He smelled and tasted like pure joy, making me want to move closer.

I forced myself to stay absolutely still and not move closer, but it was like fighting to keep from hurting humans the first time you smell them; almost impossible. Instead, I reached up slowly with my free arm and placed my hand on his cheek.

I pulled back slightly, then pressed my lips against his again. Then we both pulled away, deciding to end there. We both laid back on the moss and tried to slow our breathing.

"Well," said Edward, after a minute, "That was way better than I expected."

I laughed nervously, and agreed, "Way better."

We laid like that for a minute. I was too happy to change anything. Then Edward got up, offering a hand, saying "Its getting dark, we better get back before Esmé starts to worry."

I nodded and took his hand and letting him keep it as we ran back to the house. The same shock came through my hand again. We walked in the door to find Emmett and Rosalie on the couch watching a movie, Alice and Jasper making a card tower, and Carlisle talking to Esmé.

Esmé smiled as she spotted us, her eyes zeroing in on our hands. "There you are! I was wondering where you two ran off to."

Edward smiled, "Bella wanted to show me something." I rolled my eyes at him, embarrassed.

Emmett and Rose looked up, both their eyes comically synchronized as they saw me and Edward's hands. Emmett guffawed and Rosalie just turned back to the television.

"Hey, Bella! Wanna help?" Alice called from behind the card tower. Her and Jasper had created an intricate building that was about three feet tall, and growing.

"Nah." I said. "I'm going to take a shower." I held up my hand so she could see the sawdust. She raised an eyebrow.

"What did you do?"

"I chopped a tree in half." I said, giggling as I ran up the stairs and to my bedroom.