A/N: Oh gosh. I am so sorry for the wait, life has been hectic lately and this chapter kicked my butt. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but once school starts the waits will only get longer. I hope you wonderful reviewers hang in there with me, and keep in mind that every bit of feedback helps!

Mark the Spokesman: Jeez, were you planning on making me useful anytime soon? I feel like I've been huddled in this cell for almost two weeks! My hair was starting to turn gray lady!

BVE: *sobs hysterically* Why is everyone attacking me? I'm sorry! Sometimes life gets in the way of things!

Mark the Spokesman: Oh shit. O.o

BVE: *sinks to floor and continues crying*

Mark the Spokesman: *pats awkwardly on the shoulder* If it makes you feel better, I'm sorry you aren't making an profit off of this, and that Twilight can never belong to you.

BVE: *sniff* Thank you for your pity.

Mark the Spokesman: Anytime.

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The rain pounded down on the roof of Emmett's Jeep. We were parked in my driveway, and seeing as how Charlie's police cruiser wasn't there and neither was Bella's truck, I figured we must have the house to ourselves. But I was too comfy to move, snuggled down in the leather interior with my hoodie on, trying to keep my body temperature up. Emmett had the side of his head resting on the steering wheel and his eyes focused on me. Every time he looked at me a smile crept onto my face; I almost hated the fact that I couldn't control it. Before Emmett had come along, I was able to slip a mask on my face whenever I needed to, hide my emotions, and keep to myself while still acting normal. But something about his active, yet still gentle demeanor threatened to break me open, cut me down until my heart, mind, and soul were on the table for him to see. And if that happened, he would leave. Because who wants damaged goods?

"Hey, where are you?" he sat up, his eyes searching my face. I laughed.

"I'm right here, crazy. Or has the ocean water affected your eyes?" I joked.

"No, you looked a million miles away. What were you thinking about?" He asked, still serious. He must think I hit my head on the fall, and now have a concussion. Great.

"Oh, just about stuff, you know."

"Actually, I don't know. What kind of stuff?"

"Just about my family and crap like that." I muttered. Oh lovely, the last subject on Earth I wanted to discuss and I had practically begged for him to take advantage of it.

"Oh, I see. Homesick?" He asked understandingly, then furrowed his brow at my hasty reply.

"No, not at all. The opposite in fact." I mentally cringed. Time to get off this topic, now.

"Would you like to come inside?" I asked quickly, and he stared at me a second more before nodding. Before I could even think about moving he leapt out of the Jeep and was gone. I sat up, searching through the dark rain to catch a glimpse of him, and gasped when my side door was opened. I hurriedly unbuckled my seat belt, and scrambled out of the car into the downpour. He grabbed my arm and firmly led me to the house, where he fumbled with the house key I had just handed him. I laughed as my teeth started to chatter. I loved this kind of rain; the kind that soaked you to the bone, as if to cleanse your soul of impurities. Yes, this was my type of rain.

Finally the door creaked open and Emmett rushed me inside. I sat down on the couch, fully aware that all of my clothes were soaked, but I could care less. I could hear Emmett muttering under his breath as he covered me with the throw blanket and jogged to the kitchen.

"Probably thinks...trying to get her killed...almost falls...death...ocean...now rain....probably has a concussion....laughing like a lunatic...possible brain damage..."

I felt laughter bubble up inside me, but squashed it until he rounded the corner and I heard some cabinets banging from the kitchen. By the time he returned my giggles had worn off and I was feeling a little warmer. My heart melted the tiniest more when he handed me a cup of hot chocolate. I smiled gratefully, not sure what to say and decidedly blew the steam away from the frothy brown liquid and sipped. The trickle of warmth felt great, and I lifted my hand to pat the sofa beside me. He sat down and I snuggled against him, huffing when he wouldn't let me out of the blanket that cocooned me and kept me from touching him. Still, it felt nice to just be near him.

"We have some things to talk about tonight." He said abruptly, and I swear the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees. I shivered, but shushed Emmett before he could start fussing over me.

"What kind of things?" I asked cautiously, not sure what to expect.

"Well, at the expense of sounding selfish, we need to talk about me." He said, and a weight lifted off my chest. As long as we didn't need to delve deep into my life, I would be fine.

"That request does not sound unreasonable at all. Proceed." I said smiling, and picked my head up from his shoulder to look into his eyes. But they were focused on something far away, and I wondered how serious this talk would need to be.

"You see, before we take this any further, there are things about me you need to know. Important things. Like the fact that I'm not human."

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(Bella's POV)

I didn't know how much gas was left in my tank, and the thought terrified me. As soon as I had neared the treaty line Edward's car had been there, waiting. But I refused to act like the submissive, scared, girly one in this relationship, so I had taken off at full speed, around 50 for my truck, and raced off to Mike's house. Seeing as how Angela was still on her special trip with Ben, and Autumn and Emmett were most likely at the house by now, I had nowhere else to go without taking a risk of being followed by Edward. So I was taking drastic measures, and trying desperately to remember Mike's address. Hopefully I had enough fuel to get to his house and back, because I knew I couldn't have that much left.

I kept on driving, no one on the road except for me and the silver ghost always behind me. The steady pace and the fact that he had turned off all his lights was pretty scary, but I could have ignored it if it hadn't been for the burning, demanding stare of his eyes through my rearview mirror. I could imagine how he looked right now, and the thought kept me inside my car and on the road.

Finally instinct, and sheer dumb luck, found me parked outside of Mike's house. I wasted no time in hopping out and banging on the door, anxious to get to safety before Edward could realize was I was doing. Of course, he probably already knew, but still, I didn't plan on taking any chances. Mrs. Newton answered the door with an enthusiastic smile, and Mike came to stand behind her, waving and grinning ear to ear.

I admit, it wasn't the best decision I ever made, but desperate times call for desperate measures. After spending about half an hour talking with Mike and his mother on the couch, she excused herself and left me and Mike alone.

"I was really surprised to see you at the door Bella. In a good way, of course, you know, but what brought you here?" He asked excitedly.

"I was just driving around and decided to stop by and say hello." I said, skirting around a landmine of truths.

"Oh, well, I'm glad you did. Jessica's been talking about how you're so self-absorbed and only care about the Cullen's, but I think she's just jealous because she's not as skinny and pretty as you are. She said that she didn't want anything to do with you, but it's been nice talking to you lately Bella, now that the whole thing with Edward last year has blown over." He babbled, ignorant to my slight cringes at his mention of Edward. And I had almost fooled myself into thinking I'd forgotten about him.

"I'm glad it's over too Mike and I enjoy talking to you as well. But it's late, and I better get home." I rose, and he followed me as I walked out the door and to my truck. I was almost grateful for his puppy dog qualities this time. I started the engine, waved goodbye, and set off towards home. Immediately a silver Volvo made itself shown and I sighed.

"Fine, I'm going home, you crazy stalker." I muttered under my breath, hoping he could hear me.

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If I had air to breathe, I would have held it, anxiously awaiting her reply to those last words. I hadn't exactly beaten around the bush; I just wanted to get this confession off my chest, and hope for the best. She was worth this, and even if she took it badly, I told myself I wouldn't regret it. But every moment of silence that passed made me more and more unsure about my decision. Was it too soon? Did I say it the wrong way? Did I even know her well enough to say this? All these thoughts swarmed around in my head until I thought I was going to lose it. And then she spoke.

"Not human eh? Well it figures, you must be an advanced alien species, you're too perfect. Or maybe you're a werewolf, since you're so big and cuddly."

"You think I could be one of those dogs?" I stammered out disgustedly before realizing she was just making an innocent, oblivious, uneducated comment. That calmed me a bit, and I continued.

"Autumn, I realize this may be a little hard to grasp here, but I'm trying to tell you something that you need to hear."

"Well then just say it Emmett. You don't have to try and ease the blow by making jokes and getting me to laugh first. I promise I'll try my best to understand."

"That's just it, I'm not joking, you see, even though I look and act like a human I'm actually-"

"Emmett, come on, stop playing around and just talk to me. You don't have to pretend-"

"I'm not pretending!" I shouted, and saw her eyes widen as the couch shook a bit. I may have said that a little too loud, but I needed to get the point across and I saw no other way to do it.

"Damn it Autumn, I'm not like you. I'm honestly, truly, not human. I was once, but I'm not now." I said firmly, trying to get it to sink in. It didn't.

"Emmett," she said slowly after a long moment of silence, "this isn't funny.

"It isn't supposed to be. I'm being serious, I swear. Tell me, have you ever seen me eat real food, or take a drink of water? And in all the time that you've known me have I ever had one blemish of any kind on my face? Do you ever see me basking in the sun, or get hurt ever? Autumn, I'm not like you. I'm a vampire." I said, letting my gaze drop from her face momentarily before looking back up again. She looked at me with wonder, her eyes focused and narrowed, which made me confused. Where was the horror, the screaming, the harsh rejection?

"I know I must have seen you eat...and you've been out in the sun before, haven't you? I mean, this can't be true..." she said, talking to herself as she examined me. I shook my head slowly.

"I swear on my undead soul, that I am not lying to you. My skin is rock hard and ice cold, because I'm unnatural. I'm extraordinarily strong, and just by being me, I'm a violation to nature."

"Wait, why can't you go into the sun?" she asked. I knew she would have questions, but she didn't seem to be asking the expected ones.

"I can, it's not like I'll become a pile of dust if I do. It's just like, well, I sparkle. Kind of like I spread glittery lip-gloss all over my body. It's rather noticeable, and not normal. So I avoid sunlight."

"What about the other Cullen's, and Bella, I mean, do they know?" I cringed at her question. I had already talked to Edward about it, so everyone knew, but technically we hadn't discussed it as a family. But I had already let the cat out of the bag, so there was no point in lying now.

"My whole family is like me. We aren't technically related; we simply travel with each other, and call ourselves a family to make it seem, well, ordinary. Bella has known about Edward for a long time, and still loves him regardless."

"Oh, so every one of the Cullen's are, um, not human? Are you guys the only vampires, or are there more? And do they usually travel in groups like you do?" She asked, the questions spilling out of her mouth.

"Not usually. Most vampires are either loners or travel in groups of three or less. Our family is...unique."

"Well how did you become a vampire in the first place?"

"That's a story for another day, alright?" I asked gently.

"Oh, ok..." She trailed off, staring at the couch. Her blanket had become unwrapped from her body and she was fiddling with the fringes on the edge.

"You forgot the most important question." I said quietly. Her head snapped up and her fingers stilled.

"I did?"

"There is the slightly imperative question about my diet. Don't you want to know if I guzzle blood like it was soda on a regular basis?" I asked bitterly.

"Well obviously you don't. And if you do then it doesn't hurt anybody. You'd never do that to anyone." She sounded confident, her voice only wavering the tiniest bit. I couldn't keep the smile from spreading across my face.

"You're right. We, the Cullen's, all travel together because we call ourselves "vegetarians". Basically we live off of animal blood, not human. But that doesn't mean that we're immune to the temptation of human blood." I warned, knowing I had to be fair and tell her everything.

"I trust you Emmett." She whispered, those brown eyes staring right through my soul. How had I ever doubted her? Without thinking about it, I pulled her to by body and crushed my lips to hers. She gasped and grabbed my shoulders. I stiffened, thinking maybe that after everything I had just said I was being to rough, but her hands weren't pushing me away. They were holding me in place, pulling me closer, begging for more. I wrapped my arms around her middle and crossed them behind her back, running my fingers up and down her spine. Her hands moved to my hair, and she tugged me closer still, molding our bodies together. I realized that if I was human that probably would have hurt. She was being rather rough with me.

We rocked our bodies together, and I softened the kiss, trying to regain some control. Finally she pulled her lips from mine and inhaled deeply, cheeks flushed and eyes glittering.

"Wow." She breathed, and I nodded, letting my head drop against her shoulder, making sure my nose wasn't placed directly by her neck. I had already pushed myself too far tonight. Already dark thoughts were swirling in the back of my mind, and I definitely didn't want them to surface while I was still recovering from our heated kiss.

"I should go." I said suddeny, sitting up as I heard Bella's truck pull into the driveway and Edward's Volvo follow suit.

"Why?" She asked, then heard the truck door slam.

"Oh." She bit her bottom lip worriedly, and got up from the couch, making me stand up to help her when she almost tripped over the couch leg. She rushed to the door, seeming a bit uneasy. What was going on?

"Bella?" Autumn called out anxiously, and ran out into the darkness. I jogged slowly after her.

"Edward?" Bella's tentative voice cut through the darkness, and I followed Autumn to where Bella was standing. She looked a little shaken, and was peering out into the woods.

"Hey, are you ok? Did you end up going to see Jacob?"

I froze when I heard Autumn's question. Bella had gone to La Push, and been with the wolves? Now that I thought about it, she reeked. It took some willpower not to plug m nose and lead Autumn back inside. Yuck. I came to stand behind the girls, trying to ignore the pungent scent filling the air.

"Bella, I think you should go inside, Edward can't be happy right now. I'll go and talk to him." I said, shot a glance at Autumn, then swiftly bounded into the woods. The last thing I heard was Autumn's comment to Bella before the silence of the woods swallowed me.

"So, Bella, when were you going to mention that my super hot, possible boyfriend Emmett is a vampire?"

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"Oh gosh, he told you! I'm so sorry Autumn, but I thought that he should be the one to tell you, because, you know, you guys are involved with each other. So, what do you think?" She asked as we shuffled inside and trudged up the stairs.

"I think that right now I'm amazed. I knew there was something special about that boy, but I never would have guessed he's...immortal? Do they live forever? I forgot to ask." I mumbled, embarrassed, and my cousin laughed.

"Yes, they do. Only being burned or decapitated, preferably both, can kill a vampire."

"So, the whole wooden stake through the heart thing isn't true? And the silver bullet?"

"Silver bullet is wolves, and even that isn't true."

"What, do you happen to hang out with a pack of werewolves too?" I asked, laughing.

Bella coughed. I glanced at her.

"Bella..."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, they aren't exactly werewolves...more like wolf men. Boys really."

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"Yo, dude, where are you? I know you can't be happy right now, but what happened?"

"She made a split second decision and decided to pay those filthy dogs a visit." Edward's voice came from high up in a tree and I sighed, settling myself down against the trunk and putting my hands behind my head.

"Well at least she's alright man. They didn't hurt her, and I'm sure she's glad she went. Maybe you guys should make a compromise, because you can't keep getting mad at her every time she runs off."

"Every time? This isn't ever going to happen again. I'll make sure of that." He bit out coldly.

"Do you know how much of a prick you sound like? You can't control her Edward, and even though you're just trying to protect her, you're taking this too far. They're friends man, and she's either going to keep finding ways to see him or get tired of the way you're acting."

"They could hurt her!" He swung from out of the tree and landed on the ground in front of me, looking furious.

"So could you Edward. Every moment we stay here we take the risk of hurting the ones we've grown close to." I said softly, and watched the fight drain out of him.

"What if she had been hurt?" He asked, settling down beside me.

"Then you would have broken the treaty and started war between us, which is only one reason why they're careful bro. I doubt they want to hurt Bella any more than we do."

"I suppose." He said grudgingly, and I laughed.

"I'm glad you see my side brother." He smiled reluctantly, and then glanced over suddenly.

"How'd Autumn take the news? I wasn't really feeling...well when I arrived so I didn't check her thoughts."

"She took it well." I said, smiling as I remembered our kiss on the couch.

"Woah, too much information." Edward said as he climbed to his feet.

"Hey, it's your fault for eavesdropping on my thoughts. Now come on, I wanna go see my girl."

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A/N: Well there you go. Now please click on that little review button below these words, because even though I love to write, I'd like to know that I'm not doing this for nothing. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up but reviews will speed along the process. Thanks so much.