Thanks be to EBT and MrsSpaceCowboy for pre-reading.


Ask Bella how she and Edward met, and she'd say it was because of how she met Angela. Angela and Edward would say it was because of Bella's good heart. And her temper.

Bella was one week into her new high school and was walking back to class with her bathroom pass in hand when she heard voices coming from around the corner. As she walked past, she noticed a small brunette cowering away from a larger girl. Bella immediately intervened when the smaller brunette was forcefully shoved into the lockers behind her.

"Are you okay?" she asked the brunette as she helped pick up her dropped books.

Bella looked up at the bully with disgust. "What's wrong with you?"

"Don't think just because your little friend is the Chief's daughter that—"

"That what?" Bella interrupted.

She stood up, handed the books to the brunette, and turned to face down the bully.

"I don't fucking care what your problem is with her, but it ends now," Bella seethed, shocking the other two with her language. "You hear me?"

"Or what?"

"Or nothing. Just leave her alone."

Bella was suddenly pushed, so she pushed back. Her hair was pulled, so she pulled back. She was scratched, hit, and cursed at, so Bella fought right back… until she was pulled off the bully by a science teacher from a nearby classroom.

The two girls were escorted to the principal's office, and once Bella was able to see past her throbbing right hand and the bleeding scratch on her cheek, she told Principal Banner what had happened. Even though he didn't have a reason to not believe her, it took all-around model student Angela Weber bursting into his office in defense of Bella to truly grasp what had happened. She explained the situation, and Maggie the Bully was suspended for two weeks. Bella was given two weeks in-school suspension for fighting even though she hadn't started it.

As Bella waited in the front office for Charlie to arrive, her eyes kept straying to the office aid with the pretty green eyes hidden behind thick black frames and a mouth full of metal. She was disappointed when he suddenly left and she was left alone with Mrs. Cope, the school secretary, but just as Charlie arrived, the office aid walked back in.

Without saying a word, he knelt beside her and placed a bag of ice on her right hand.

"That should keep it from swelling," he whispered.

"Thanks," Bella responded, a little confused about her suddenly racing heart.

He quickly looked up at her and bashfully smiled before nodding and standing.

"It's good to see you, Chief Swan," he mumbled to Bella's father.

"It's good to see you, too, Edward," Charlie smiled.

Back in Bella's hospital room, Angela placed her head on Edward's shoulder as they watched Angela's children say goodbye to their Aunt Bella. Jared, the oldest of Angela's four children, was having a particularly difficult time coming to terms with his godmother's inevitable death. Both families had celebrated birthdays, weddings, births, and everything else life had given them together, but once everyone had cried, said their farewells, and cried some more, Jerad and his siblings—Marcus, Tyler, and Charlotte—hugged their Uncle Edward before leaving the room.

Ben, Angela's husband, couldn't take it and had left immediately after spending his time with Bella. He wanted to be there for his wife and children, but his own heart was broken. Losing Bella was tragic enough, but knowing his wife was losing her surrogate sister was too much.

Once Angela and Bella were left alone, Angela approached Bella with a goofy grin and a box. Bella giggled a little as she tore through the wrapping paper, eager to see what her very best friend was surprising her with.

"You found it!" Bella exclaimed.

Bella hugged the blanket she and Angela had made during their home economics class sophomore year. It was ratty and uneven, but it reminded the girls of slumber parties, their college road trip to San Francisco, and Washington winters spent in front of fireplaces.

The two instantly went from being wives, mothers, and grandmothers to playful and free teenagers again.

The two smiled and laughed as Angela climbed into bed with her best friend of forty years. They threw the blankets over their heads and cocooned themselves off from the world, but after their schoolgirl giggles quieted, Angela and Bella were forced to face the reality of letting go. Underneath that special blanket, Bella took Angela's hand in her own and sighed deeply.

"Confession time?" Bella asked.

"Confession time," Angela replied.

Angela's eyes began to water as Bella's face changed from the strong and confident one she wore to ease the pain of others to one she barely recognized.

"I'm scared, Angie. I'm so scared," she whispered through tears.

"What can I do?"

"Alice is terrified about Maria. Be there for her? Answer her questions? Tell her she's a great mother."

"Of course."

"Rosalie…" Bella began, sighing. "She's gonna beat herself up because of our fight. Don't let her. She'll need to be angry and cry, and I don't think she'll go to Alice or Edward for that. She's too ashamed."

"I'll make sure she's okay."

"And Edward…"

Bella took a deep breath.

"Tell him it's okay to smile and laugh and be happy. I want him to be happy. And…" Bella cleared her throat. "And if he finds love again—"

"Bella—" Angela interrupted.

"No, Angie. I don't want him to stop living his life after I'm gone. He's the best man I know. He's an amazing husband and a wonderful father. If he has the ability to share that with someone else, I want him to. I don't want him to spend the rest of his life alone because he thinks he has to. Okay?"

Angela knew Edward would never even think about another woman, but she knew Bella needed that piece of mind.

"I'll try. You know how stubborn Edward can be," she joked.

Bella laughed through her sobs and nodded.

The two best friends-turned-sisters cried and talked until Bella had to be given another heavy dose of pain medication. Just before Angela climbed out of bed to allow Bella to sleep, Bella stopped her.

"Thank you for being my sister," she whispered.

"Thank you for being mine."


Next: Edward.