Youth

"Laurent" I stepped forward to embrace him, but he stepped backwards and didn't stop until he was a five feet away from me.

"Hello," he said in a hauntingly jaded voice, the dead have more emotion.

The space between us filled with desperate silence, begging to be shattered. He wasn't going to say anything, and I couldn't take much more.

"You're here." It came out as an accusation instead of mystified as I was, as I interned it to be. "I mean..."

A low growl reverberated from his chest, cutting me off. "You called me!," he snapped.

"Yes." was all I could say. He looked as if he wants to kill me, as if I've done something horrible he can never forgive.

Empty sound surrounded us.

"How did you find me," I manged to will out.

He took a deep breath, like he does to calm himself. "I made you."

"You should have called." Again it came out like it should not have - crude.

"You sounded sad and frightened, so I came immediately, fearing you may have need to be rescued or something of the nature. I can see that is more truer than I originally thought." He hissed the whole thing out, making each word linger.

"Yes," I muttered, and then amended. "No. I mean, yes, I did, but now everything okay."

"'Okay'," he gasped. "How can anything be okay. You were kissing... Edward's mate," he spit it out with disgust.

"Yes," I said again.

"She's human," he said in a surprisingly gentle voice, like trying to explain something to a child.

"Yes, I know." was my answer.

He thought about this deeply, looking towards the house every now and then. Thankfully, Bella was still in the shower.

"She is also female," he said softly, hesitantly, uncomfortably, like speaking of some sin against society.

"Yes, just as I am," I said proudly.

Honest confusion crept into his burgundy eyes. "She's not even beautiful."

"She is, but in a different way," I answered.

And at my answered, he seemed to understand everything.

"She's your remedy..." Laurent sighed, walking forward, and taking me in his arms like I was the last thing on this Earth.

I was shocked. He seemed to have more clarity of the situation than I in that moment. I didn't know what else I could do other than hug him back. He kissed me cheeks and smoothed my hair so sweetly, I thought I would melt into his body, but then the shower turned off.

"I would like to meet her," Laurent asked me with a pleading expression. "I promise not to break her."

I stared into his eyes for a moment, checking the full weight of his words. "Okay," I said, taking his hand and leading him in.

We walked in and there was a Bella only clothed in a towel. Immediately, she blushed, and tried to wrap the it tighter around her.

"I left my clothes in here and I...." she trailed off as she saw Laurent by my side. It seemed the first thing she saw was his hand around mine before his actually face.

"Hello, Bella. It is nice," he paused, looking her up and down "to see you again." Laurent laughed, causing me to hit his him, reflectively, protectively.

Letting go of Laurent's hand, I approached my cherry headed girl, who was too embarrassed to move, I led her to the room. Making me moan, she flinched when I touched her, but still fell instep.

Once in the room, she jumped onto the bed and hid her face in the pillows. I started to laugh, but was silenced when she turned and glared at me.

"I'm sorry," I said instinctively.

"Why is he here," she asked, intensely aware again that she was only in a towel and it was beginning to ride up her leg, so she pulled it down with a furry. I tried not to stare but it was really inevitable at this moment.

"Victoria," she yelled, when I didn't answer, my eyes fondling her body.

"Laurent is my best friend," I said quickly, pulling my gaze to her wide brown eyes. "I left him a messaged last night for advise, and he thought I was hurt and needed "rescuing". I promise I didn't know he was going to come here."

She looked at me skeptically, but then nodded.

"Well, he wanted to meet you on better terms, but it seems terms can't get much more better." I laughed, tugging playfully on her toe.

She went red again. "Please go get my clothes, Victoria."

I laughed, and turned to get them. When I opened the door, Laurent was standing there, clothes in hand, chuckling.

"Here we go," I announced to her, closing the door on a smirking Laurent. "Put them on now."

I put the clothes on the bed; she leaned up and held them to her, pulse accelerating, waiting for me to leave. I held my ground under her begging gaze.

"Victoria," she pleaded softly.

I shook my head, and sat down on the couch that was across the bed. "Nope. You are not getting out of this one."

Her mouth opened in realizing my expectations. I don't think I've ever heard her heart run so fast.

I leaped to her side, and took her face in my hands. "Bella, please, calm down. We're both female, and I'm just curious."

She suddenly stood up from the sitting position she had on the bed, letting the towel fall off her with a soft fabric sound.

I didn't make any sound at the action, although I wanted so much to sigh. Her body, much like her mentality was so innocent. I almost felt bad for advising her to let this privacy of herself go, but thought it over quickly: her untainted, virginal-seeming youth is not something that should be hidden, but taken in as absolute art, like the purity that so many artist try to put on a canvas.

She turned slowly and fearfully to look at me, shame was embodied in between her eyebrows. I chuckled at her gleefully, and stood up, taking her hands and putting them on my shoulder, placing mine on her small waist. I just swayed her back and forth, twirling her a few times to get a full view and appreciation of her form.

She giggled as she stumbled over her feet in the last twirl, letting me catch her in a snug embrace.

"Come on," I whispered in here ear. "Let's get you dressed."

I reached down before she could and picked the bra she insist on wearing, and wrapped it around her. Then I found her tight black sweater, and with her help, pulled it over her head. Then, I helped her slip on the delicate, yellow panties. And last, the floor length, white skirt.

Once she was dressed, I pulled her back into my arms, so happy for the feeling, the trust I can already felt I earned from her.

"See that wasn't so hard, now, was it?," I asked her.

"No, but you must stop pushing me around. Give me options." She asked, completely unafraid.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah... But, um, not when it comes to taking your clothes off, okay?"

She looked up at me with a wide smile. "Okay," she said shyly, but also uncertainly.

I kissed her hair and took her hand, leading her out of the room.

Laurent was in the kitchen, holding a green apple in his hands, studying it almost suspiciously. When we walked in he smiled brightly, beautifully.

"Hello, Bella," he said the second time that night, but this time looked at her respectfully, gently took her hand, and kissed it like the gentlemen from my age.

She blushed, of course, and said, "Hey."

"I'm sorry our first introduction was so desperate and indelicate, and forgive my previous behavior – I'm a bit of a joker, and you were a wild color."

"Laurent, stop it," I laugh.

He chuckled. "I have no use for this," he said, gazing at the apple. "Would you like it?"

Bella nodded, and took the apple. We walked over to the leather couch and sat.

"Now," he said in the way he does, "tell me how this came between you."

I looked to Bella, not quite sure how to answer... It seemed that she didn't either.

"Come along now," Laurent persisted, knowing me.

It irritated me that Laurent would do this.

"Is it because of James death, Victoria?," Laurent asked, his face fallen from the angelic charm he was previously using, and into contempt. Bella, stiffened, as well as I.

"Laurent," I warned in a stern voice.

"Edward left you, didn't he, Bella? That's why Victoria isn't dead yet. That's why your okay with the situation, right?"

"Laurent," I growled. "Stop it!" Bella went ridge next to me, and I wrapped my arm around.

"What, Victoria?," Laurent asked innocently. "I'm just curious as of how you find this explainable. What has made you come to this decision? Your going to hurt yourself, Victoria." The boldness of him was disgusting. He knew people, how they reasoned, and was really only speaking the truth that we, Bella and I have been trying to avoid.

"Laurent," I said lowly, probably gripping Bella too tight. "This is none of your business."

He looked at me in such a cold way, I cowered into Bella the slightest.

"I made you, Victoria," he shouted standing up. "You are mine! That it's self makes it my business! Forgive me for caring about the future of the woman I love and have loved since the day I saw her. The woman I stood by the whole life I gave her while she always loved another... Wanted another... Saw another!! She's just temporary with you, Victoria, and when she leaves, you'll be hurt, again, until you find another..."


A/N Sorry it took so long! I wrote it Sunday, but FF was being gay, not letting me long in for like 3/4 days. I haven't really gotten to edit it, but I think this will do for now.