A/N: Hey y'all. I realize that it's been a bit, but I was a bit stumped on how to proceed with this story. I realized I needed to go back and edit this chapter for multiple reasons. So, here we are. It is still a Bella x Esme x Victoria pairing.


Ch. 8

This morning was different.

Instead of being greeted by a thick fog, which normally decided to veil her bedroom window in the morning of late, Bella opened her eyes to see a fine layer of snow. Packed into the window ledge and etched up along the side, the white coating glistened in the early morning sun.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Bella's limp frame rolled over the edge of the bed to land in a haphazard, erect position. After another moment, exhausted legs pushed against the floor, forcing Bella to rise from her sitting position before carrying herself the few steps to the window to confirm her suspicions.

Sure enough, there was snow in the yard, dusting on the top of her truck, and what was worse – a whitened road.

Grimacing as she realized that the rain from the night before had frozen as well, Bella let out a groan as she rubbed one hand over her forehead and across her cheek. Fantastic. She didn't have much experience with residing in a winter wonderland, but Bella remembered from her holiday visits that there was often black ice hiding beneath the friendly, fresh powder.

Glaring at the intricate coating on the tree needles outside her window, Bella pulled her blinds shut on the gorgeous patterns and eyed her bed wantonly. It would be safer, for her and the world, if she just returned to bed.

It wasn't that she was afraid of slipping on the ice. The other day had been an off occurrence; only happening because Charlie had been watching. No, what she was afraid of was driving Ol' Red on the sleek streets. Despite the new tires her dad had put on, the truck was still iffy on some of the back roads. Add ice to the concoction? Bella knew she would be in for a fun day.

Realizing that she couldn't go back to bed simply because of some snow, unless she planned on skipping every snowy day from now until graduation, Bella forced herself to walk past the tantalizing furniture and head into the bathroom.

By the time she was showered, dressed, and ready to go, Charlie was gone. Grabbing a bowl, Bella filled it with cereal and milk before sitting at the table to eat in silence the house provided.

In a way, Bella felt more like she was Charlie's roommate than a daughter with his erratic work schedule. It was different, she had to admit. Living with Renee had consisted of non-stop girl time. Not that it was her choice. On the contrary, she just couldn't get away from the woman. If it wasn't one thing, it was another – Renee was hungry and she wanted Bella to make her food; she was bored and wanted Bella to play a game with her; the storm scared her, so she wanted to bunk with Bella. The list went on and on.

The freedom here was almost too much though. She didn't want someone who hovered over her constantly and demanded twenty-four hour care, but she wouldn't mind someone's company on occasion. What she wanted was someone to talk with about things that actually interested her. Renee had been horrid to the point of useless; unless it was about her, Renee made it evident that she didn't want to hear about it.

Stirring the spoon in the milk, Bella sighed. Why couldn't she just live with someone who could respect her space when she needed the distance, yet actually be around when she wanted them? It wasn't that difficult.

Then again…

As her mind recalled those which she had met so far in Forks, Bella was beginning to think it was that difficult.

With the boys fawning over her at school, Bella felt more like a new toy, a novelty if you would, than a person. Between Mike's puppy dog behavior and Eric's apparent rivalry with Mike, Bella was a bit more disconcerted than flattered. Even the women were off putting between their questions and jealousy. In the end, Bella almost appreciated the solitary confinement she experienced with Charlie, especially after Edward's inquisitive behavior the day before.

That boy nearly gave her whiplash by the time he stormed off. Instead of feeling as if the boy was socializing with her, Bella had felt like she was on trial. Despite the obvious hints that she wasn't interested in sharing details about herself, he continued to pry for more information. Furthermore, his mood swings were a bit sketchy as they ranged from hostility to curiosity and back to frustrated insecurity.

If her options were going to range from infatuation to pride, jealousy, and hostility, Bella would rather be alone.

Rinsing her bowl, Bella placed it on the rack to dry before fetching her coat and bag. Making sure everything was shut off, Bella closed the door and headed to school.

It took a lot more concentration than she anticipated making it down the icy road. Walking on it was one thing, driving a large clunky truck was another.

By the time Bella pulled into the school parking lot, a majority of the students had arrived and were lingering about their vehicles. Deciding not to press her luck, Bella opted to park near the back for once and slipped into the snow covered parking spot. Releasing a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, Bella slouched into her seat.

Hard part is done, now for the easy part – Classes. Grabbing her bag, Bella slid out of the cab.

Checking to make sure she actually parked in the lines, Bella's ears suddenly flicked backwards as a high-pitched screech ripped through the parking lot. Covering her ears as the sound increased in intensity, Bella glanced over her shoulder.

It was then that she saw several events take place simultaneously – The Cullens standing a handful of cars down from her, staring in utter horror; a sea of faces, all frozen in shock as they watched the events unfold before their very eyes; and most importantly, a van spinning in circles. It was the look of terror on Tyler's face, however, that caught and held Bella's attention. His van had lost control on a patch of ice and was currently skidding across the parking lot, directly at her.

Nothing was moving in slow motion, the way it does in the movies. Instead, the adrenaline rush allowed Bella to process each factor individually and rapidly. Absorbing the detail in clarity, Bella allowed instinct to take over as she watched Tyler move to the far side of the vehicle. There was nothing she could do for the boy. The last thing she saw, as she dropped and rolled beneath her truck, was Tyler shielding his face for the inevitable crash.

Sure enough, the blue van hit the corner of Ol' Red only to continue spinning wildly as it smashed moments later against her driver's door. Instead of squealing breaks, Bella heard the crunch of metal and the popping of glass before it fell onto the asphalt below, right where she had been standing just seconds before.

Under different circumstances, Bella would have easily jumped out of the way or even stopped the moving projectile, but there were too many witnesses for her to escape unnoticed and too many for her to save Tyler. Instead, Bella had relied on Ol' Red's to take the majority of the impact and hid beneath the massive steel frame, all the while hoping that Tyler would not be too injured inside his vehicle.

Seconds passed in silence as the entire student body stared on in absolute horror. Before long, however, chaos erupted as a mass of screaming and barked orders filled the air.

In the abrupt bedlam, Bella laid where she was as she listened to multiple people shouting her name. She should move, let them know that she was okay, but for the moment she just wanted the darkness. She hadn't hit her head, and nothing was broken. No, the only thought that was going through her mind was that she should have stayed in bed.

Shifting as she heard the clamor of boots quickly approaching and the voices raise in pitch, Bella rolled over to climb out the other side of the truck. It was then that she realized she couldn't get out. The truck had been rammed against the curb. Sighing in frustration, Bella turned around and flopped back down in the snow, her tail flicking in irritation as the cold slowly penetrated her damp clothes.

Blinking once, and then twice, Bella realized that she had a tail. Before she could do anything about it, a crowd of people, with tears streaming down their faces, appeared beside the truck.

"Bella!"

"Bella!"

Everyone was shouting; shouting at her, at each other. The noise was deafening in their panic.

"Oh my god, Bella!"

Sighing, Bella closed her eyes. Of course Jessica would be there.

"Are you okay?!" Angela called immediately afterwards.

"I'm okay. I'm stuck under the truck," Bella lied, finally replying to the distraught tones. "Give me a second."

"Don't move!" Someone instructed.

"We called the ambulance!"

Rolling her eyes, Bella ignored the onslaught of other questions directed at her, along with uncoordinated directions to get Tyler out of the van as she closed her mind to the commotion surrounding her. Focusing on her tail, and apparently the ears, which had sprouted during the blood racing events before, Bella forced herself back to normal. Performing a final inspection of her personal, Bella wiggled her way out from beneath the front of the truck; the back having been blocked by a small, tan car.

"Bella! We said don't move!" Jessica scolded before dropping down to make sure Bella was okay.

"I'm fine, Jess," Bella grumbled as she brushed the girl's hands away. She just wanted to get off the wet ground. It was cold and she was wet.

"You shouldn't move after going through such an event."

Turning at the melodic voice, Bella arched an eyebrow as she eyed Edward for a moment. "And what was I supposed to do? Play dead until someone could move the van and then my truck?" Bella retorted, in no mood to deal with his judgmental stare.

Instead of replying, Edward turned and walked away, but not before Bella could see his nostrils flare and eyes darken.

Before Bella could dwell over what the boy's problem was, someone grabbed her hand.

"Bella, you're bleeding!" Angela pointed out.

Glancing down at her palm, Bella saw a small cut, with fresh blood trickling down her skin. Figuring it must have happened when she crawled across the broken glass, Bella simply wiped her palm on her jeans. "I'm fine. Can I go to class now?"

"No, you need to sit and wait for the ambulance."

"I'm fine," Bella repeated. "I don't need an ambulance."

No matter what she tried, who she talked to, or what she said no one would listen. In the end, Bella was whisked away to the hospital with Tyler in tow.


"Bells!"

Glancing up as the door burst open to emit her father, his face drained of color, Bella smiled softly from the medical bed.

"Hey, dad."

"Are you alright!?" Charlie demanded as he inspected Bella, going as far as touching her cheek to make sure she was actually there and in one piece.

"Dad, I'm fine. Calm down," Bella reassured her father while catching his hands in hers. "Really, I'm fine."

"Pardon me, Bella?"

Bella and Charlie turned at the voice.

"Dr. Cullen?" Charlie blinked in surprise.

"Please, call me Carlisle," Carlisle smiled. "I came by to check on Bella."

Blinking in surprise herself, Bella studied the man before her. Calm, golden eyes matched his sun-kissed hair, making him look almost like an angel in the white lab coat. Based off the same pale skin, dark rings, and chiseled features, if Bella had to guess, this was indeed Edward's adopted father.

"Are you sure Bella's alright?" Charlie inquired, ignoring Bella as she repeated her earlier response.

"I believe she will be just fine, Sheriff. Although your daughter refused any blood work and the x-ray, it appears she walked away in one piece," Dr. Carlisle replied.

"She did?" Charlie turned to Bella in surprise at her turning away the medical screening. "You did? Why?"

"I don't like machines or needles," Bella reminded Charlie. "I feel fine. Please don't make me take the tests," Bella begged.

Ever since her change, Bella had been afraid of going to the doctor's, and for good reason. It wasn't that she was afraid of doctors, the shots, or even the hospitals themselves, she was afraid of being discovered. She didn't need someone getting a solid glimpse of her blood work and sending her off to a lab somewhere in the middle of nowhere to run tests on her DNA. Furthermore, she did not need them getting a look at her bone structure and questioning its density compared to a normal human.

Thankfully, with her enhanced immune system, Bella never had a cause to go to the doctors, and to make things better, her mother had left the required documents for Renee to use when those times appeared necessary. Never having a kid, and horrible about her own appointments, Renee just accepted the documents without question.

Chewing on his lower lip, Charlie finally glanced at Dr. Cullen. "Does she need them?"

"Bella went through a rather traumatic event. Because of such, as a doctor, I highly recommend her having an x-ray, at the very least," Carlisle replied professionally. "However," he continued when Bella was about to argue again, "if Bella is okay with us simply monitoring her for the remainder of the day, then I'll forgo the tests."

"Are you sure she doesn't need them?" Charlie debated, concern lacing his voice.

"I'm sure Bella will be fine, Charlie," Carlisle smiled softly. "Bella walked away with only a couple of scratches; I'm presuming they were from the shattered glass."

Sensing Charlie's hesitation, Carlisle rested a cold hand upon the man's jacket-covered arm. "Your daughter is quite the trooper," Carlisle remarked to Charlie. "And rather skilled, I hear, in being able to slip upon a patch of ice just in the nick of time to avoid the collision."

Squirming as Dr. Cullen stared at her when he spoke that last bit, Bella picked at the blanket covering her lap. She didn't like how the man appeared to stare right through her, as if trying to unravel her secrets.

Sensing Bella's discomfort, Carlisle broke the tension with his next offer. "Why don't I leave the two of you to talk and I'll be back in a bit to check on Bella?"

Without waiting for a response, Carlisle pulled the wooden door shut and continued his rounds.

"Are you sure you're okay? Does your head hurt?" Charlie question again as soon as the door closed.

"Dad, I'm fine," Bella smiled. She couldn't be upset by his continuous questioning, on the contrary, she felt rather bad for feeling lonely this morning at breakfast. When it really mattered, Charlie was always there for her.

"I'm glad you're okay, but that boy – What's his name? Taylor?-"

"Tyler," Bella corrected automatically.

"-He sure as hell is not okay," Charlie decreed, his face contorting, causing his mustache to crinkle.

"Dad, it wasn't his fault," Bella argued.

"We nearly lost you!" Charlie cut Bella off.

Sighing, Bella shifted to swing her legs over the edge of the bed. Sitting awkwardly, she pulled Charlie into an unexpected hug. "But you didn't, dad."

Stiffening at the initial contact, Charlie awkwardly returned the hug. "He can still kiss his license goodbye," Charlie grumbled after a huff, causing Bella to chuckle.


"I heard the police of chief's daughter was in here."

Blinking in surprise at the sound of the familiar voice, Bella glanced up from the book she was reading. There, in the hospital room doorway stood Esme.

"Did you now?" Bella inquired, smiling despite herself.

"Mhmm," Esme replied, returning the smile.

The pair sat, or stood, there staring at each other for a moment before Bella finally averted her chocolate orbs. "So, what brings you by?"

"Well, when I heard about the car accident and that you would be staying the day, I figured I would stop in to see how you were doing," Esme answered. "Perhaps even offer you some non-hospital food, if you'd be interested," Esme stated, lifting her hand as evidence to reveal a decent sized wicker basket.

About to decline the generous offer, Bella hesitated.

After a thorough inspection of her injuries, followed up by a discussion with Tyler, Charlie disappeared to fetch Bella's truck from school. Since then, Bella had been greeted by what felt like half the student population. Word had spread quicker than Bella originally anticipated, especially since the town was deeming the incident to be a miraculous escape; apparently it was not everyday that someone avoided a mass collision like she did. As a result, every visitor remarked, in one fashion or another, about how lucky Bella was to be such a klutz. By the third visitor, all hope that the matter would be quickly forgotten had been whisked away as the visitors amplified the situation with inquiries and pseudo concern.

As a result, Bella was tired of people talking about her. Granted, she had braced herself to deal with being a novelty that tagged along with being the new girl, but that was it. She did not need this new disaster to extend the duration of attention the town graced her with. All Bella wanted was to remain in the shadows. She would extend her social life to encompass a few acquaintances, each of which could be acquired and ditched at school. This would enable Bella to stay out of the "recluse" column while simultaneously refrain partaking in certain social etiquettes, such as inviting any Forks' resident into her personal affairs.

As far as Bella could determine, this set up resulted in a win-win situation. She would play nice with the kids while keeping them at bay. Her plan had worked in Phoenix, but by the looks of things, they were going to backfire in this small down. More than likely, Bella would have to continue playing the school klutz for the remainder of her duration in order to refrain from answering any unwanted questions regarding her agility and grace. However, despite the behaviors of her prior visitors, her lack of desire for further company, and her growing list of restrictions, Bella could only smile.

The concern and care emitting from the woman standing before her made it all worth it, oddly enough. Yes, definitely worth it, Bella decided as she continued to stare at the lunch in the brunette's hand. Esme's response and unspoken question forgotten, Bella refrained from salivating as her stomach grumbled eagerly in response.

"So…may I come in?" Esme prompted, her eyebrow quirking in humor upon catching the sound of hunger.

"Oh, yes," Bella blushed, both due to her prolonged silence and her stomach. "Yes, make yourself at..." Bella glanced at the surroundings of the hospital room as she finished her invitation, "…home." Beside the bed she was currently sitting in, there was not much more beyond a single visitor chair, a muted TV, some portrait of a 'calming landscape', and the bathroom in the corner.

"Why thank you, and I shall." With that, Esme crossed the room and set the food on the only empty chair. In contrast to the customary small container or even a lunch pail, Esme had brought a large picnic basket that appeared to be full to the brim.

Under different circumstances, Bella could imagine that they were going on a picnic rather than sitting in the hospital. If only there was a red and white checkered blanket, and perhaps a field of wild flowers, rather than the disgusting smell of sterile, white walls and the continuous beeping of unnecessary monitors, Bella mused before shaking such silly thoughts from her mind.

"You know, with how often I'm up here, I should just rent a room," Esme joked as she began pulling items out of the basket, oblivious to Bella's daydreaming. "Then again, this place doesn't offer much in the sense of comfort," she added her face scrunching in distaste at the lack of decorations.

Tilting her head in confusion by Esme's remark, Bella suddenly frowned as the remark clicked into place. Esme's husband was Bella's doctor. Connecting the pieces together, Bella realized how Esme probably discovered that she was in the hospital. The circumstances made sense, but the realization still caused Bella to sigh as she glanced at the pile of food.

made sense that Esme had probably heard about her incident from Dr. Cullen while visiting him. The realization caused Bella to sigh as she glanced at the pile of food.

That lunch was probably for Carlisle originally, Bella bemoaned. Having brought the food up for him to enjoy, Bella assumed that Esme had heard about the incident from Dr. Cullen during the visit.

Esme probably brings Carlisle picnics to enjoy in his office…or wherever else they like to go in this blood building. Not understanding why that notion bothered her so much, Bella hunkered into the pillows as her imagination began to run amuck, imagining the two enjoying what should have been a picnic between Esme and her.

And why wouldn't Esme prefer to have lunch with someone like Dr. Cullen? Bella fumed. I'm just a mutant freak and he's supposedly one of the top doctors in the nation. No longer hungry Bella sunk further into her pillows as her mind began to curse her situation. Not only was she held hostage in a stupid hospital as a result of an idiotic car crash but now she was upset about overly caring, stupid, blond doctors.

Noticing Bella's sudden shift in mood and posture, Esme chuckled as she guessed at what suddenly brought about the dark cloud. "Don't worry, dear. I didn't bring this food for Carlisle, if that's what you're thinking. This trip is special and just for you."

"Really?" Despite her best efforts, Bella's ears perked at the remark, her brooding mood disappearing as quickly as it hit.

"Really," Esme confirmed. "Actually, I never bring him food," Esme added as an afterthought as she finished pulling the last array of containers out of the basket.

"Why not?" Bella inquired. For as much as she didn't care to know more about Esme's love life with Carlisle, the information oddly enough made her feel much better.

"He doesn't like to eat while at work," Esme explained, "so it would simply be a waste. Conflict of interest for his appetite, or something like that," Esme shrugged as if not understanding the man. "Anyways," Esme brushed the matter aside. "Everything here was made especially for you. I was uncertain about what you preferred or would be interested in, so I packed a bit of everything. What would you like?"

Despite the fact that Bella had been watching Esme the entire time she unpacked the containers, it suddenly dawned on the girl how much food the woman had actually managed to stuff into the wicker basket. As a result, Bella could only stare in awe for a moment. "Um…What are my options?" Bella finally inquired as Esme took it upon herself to perch on the foot of Bella's bed.

"Well, there're sandwiches. More specifically, turkey and Swiss on rye; ham and cheddar toasted on a croissant; or egg salad," Esme stated, before indicating towards the next set of containers. "There is also diced fruit, a garden salad, and four different dressings to decide from. I wasn't sure what you would like so I packed Caesar, ranch, vinaigrette, and Italian," Esme explained. "Now, if you're in more of a salty mood, there are Lay's or Doritos."

"And in there," Bella inquired as she noticed a thermos sitting off to the side.

Smiling, Esme hoisted the container. "I made homemade chicken noodle soup, which comes with saltines and a cold ginger ale. I was uncertain if the doctors would prescribe medications and wanted to include something light to help counter any bouts of nausea," Esme reasoned as she set the thermos back down while waiting for a response.

When Bella remained quiet, Esme shifted awkwardly on the bed. "I can get you something else," Esme finally offered, uncertainty lacing her voice.

"Esme," Bella croaked as she continued to gawk at the vast amount of options, "there's enough food to feed an army." Well, for normal humans. With Bella's appetite she knew that she could eat everything there and be rather content at the end. How could Esme even begin to believe that she would want something else when nearly everything Bella desired at that precise moment had been stuffed into the woman's Mary Poppins' bag of a basket?

Rubbing the back of her neck, Esme glanced away.

It's as if she's bashful for packing so much, Bella thought in awe before realizing the error of her comment. Although she had meant the remark to reassure the woman that she needed nothing else, Bella realized belatedly that Esme had not been privy to her thoughts. In an effort to rectify her remark, Bella rested a hand upon Esme's, only to flinch at the drastic temperature difference. Ignoring the cold, Bella patted the woman's hand twice before allowing her hand to cover Esme's. "This is perfect, thank you," Bella smiled, hoping that Esme didn't notice her initial reaction.

Esme had noticed, however. Rather than pull away as she would normally do when another tried to touch her, Esme smiled softly as she refrained from moving her hand. She rather enjoyed the warmth radiating from the younger girl's palm into her own hand. "You're sure?" Esme inquired again after a moment of hesitation.

"This is perfect," Bella repeated as amber orbs locked with brown. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear," Esme replied softly.

Sitting in silence for another few moments, Bella continued to hold Esme's gaze until finally recalling that she was still touching Esme's hand. Clearing her throat, Bella pulled away as she scooted back on the bed to sit up a bit straighter.

"So…"

"Right," Esme mumbled almost sadly in response. Tucking a strand of honey brown locks behind one ear, Esme turned back to the food to hide her disappointment at the increased space increased between them before smiling once more at Bella. "So, what would you like?"

Glancing back at her options, Bella quickly opted for the soup along with the turkey and Swiss sandwich.

It was cold in the hospital, as Esme's hands had clearly shown. Perhaps consuming a hot meal would warm them both up. However, as Bella began to dig in, she noticed that Esme remained sitting without out food. Brows furrowing in confusion, Bella set the sandwich down on the paper plate. "Not hungry?" Bella inquired.

Hesitating as she played with the lid of one of the containers, Esme finally shook her head. "No, it's not that. I had an early lunch date," Esme replied. "But, please, do help yourself to anything else you might like," Esme reassured as Bella began to frown.

"But-"

"Please?" Esme interjected. "I wanted to make sure you were well fed since I can't do much more to help while you're in here," Esme admitted. "That's why I brought you the food."

Her frown growing, Bella left her food where it was even as she felt her heart clench at the confession. "Are you sure?" The food was delicious and she was hungry, but Bella felt odd and rude eating in front of Esme as she simply looked on.

"Oh, yes. Absolutely," Esme smiled, patting Bella's hand. "Please, it would make me happy to know you're eating and feeling well," Esme added after Bella continued to sit there in doubt.

Torn between whether to be upset by the fact that Esme had gone so much out of her way or the slight flutter she felt in the pit of her stomach at the thought that Esme had done all of this for her, Bella decided to change the topic just slightly instead of replying. "Well, will you at least keep me company?"

"Of course," Esme agreed before smiling in relief as Bella picked the sandwich back up. "Besides, we don't need you getting into anymore predicaments today," Esme teased.

"You too?" Bella blanched at the jibe, her food frozen in front of her mouth. She figured the rest of the town would remark about the incident, but she had hoped to escape for a few minutes with Esme.

"I'm afraid so. It was all everyone was talking about at the market – don't fret," Esme consoled, misinterpreting Bella's sour expression. "It's a small town. The news will blow over soon."

"I suppose," Bella muttered, her thoughts returning to earlier.

Not liking the dark expression, Esme decided to distract Bella with a story about her childhood.

"You know, when I was a little girl I grew up on a farm. I was always up to no good, which often got me into a bit of trouble. Around the age of 16, I fell out of a tree and broke my leg. It was a small town we lived in, smaller than this, and that's all everyone would talk about when they saw me until the cast was removed."

Unable to help the smile that tugged at her lips, Bella eyed Esme appreciatively, especially when noting the mischievous glint to the woman's golden hues. "Thanks," Bella murmured before biting the sandwich. She didn't like people talking about her, but oddly enough, she was okay with Esme picking on her. More so, Bella was quickly discovered that she didn't like it when people talked about Esme either. Regrettably, there was nothing she could do about it at the moment.

"You're welcome, dear," Esme smiled as she settled back. Typically Esme hated recalling her past, but she couldn't help but want to share with the girl before her. "The leftovers are for your dinner, so please do take them home so you don't have to worry about cooking later when you're free to leave. In the meantime, would you care for a drink?"

"Yes, please."

And with that, the two fell into a comfortable and relaxed conversation as Bella consumed her lunch.