Please Read: In almost every way I've tried to stay true to Myer's cannon, but one thing that always bugged me about Bella's shielding power was the idea that she had an inner shield that could keep Edward out of her mind even as she shields him, and an outer shield she could throw over others.

I always felt that was just a bit odd. Why would one need a double shield? It seemed contrived to me. So for the purpose of this fic I changed that one fact. Bella only has an outer shield for the purpose of this story.

Again, I don't own these characters, Stephanie Myer does and I'm just grateful to play with them.

I make no money from this. Just have lots of fun!

Edward's POV

Alice was annoying me. She was singing showtunes backward in her mind. I didn't think I could take "Bless her beautiful hide," from "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" one more time. Or as she was singing it, "Hide her beautiful bless. Be may she wherever."

Ugh! Alice was driving me crazy. Worse yet, she was entirely too happy and way too intent on blocking me.

"You know, Alice," I groused. "You didn't have to ride with me if you wanted to hide something that badly."

Alice's concentration slipped for a minute. I saw a glimpse of Emmett laughing and pointing at me while the others had little success hiding their amusement.

"I wouldn't miss being there when this starts for the world, brother mine," Alice grinned and started back on her mental torture.

I turned my radio up and promised I'd get that pixie back somehow.

Bella's POV

The others waited with me on the front steps. They promised they could keep their minds busy for a few minutes while I had my fun. I grinned even wider. This was going to be great!

I was bouncing on the balls of my feet like Alice does as I saw Edward's car pull up. I forced myself to take a deep breath. As soon as Alice exited the car, I threw my shield over her, hoping she hadn't seen my plans and started stretching and shifting my shield to randomly cover Jasper or Kate, or Tanya.

The look on Edward's face was priceless! His mouth was wide open, his body statue still. Then he was whipping his head around like he was expecting someone to douse him with kerosene and strike a match.

Edward's POV

I stared around me every time it happened.

"What's going on," Jasper said, trying to be concerned and failing. "Your anxiety is through the roof and Alice is about to vicariously cause me to roll on the ground laughing."

"What are you doing?" I growled.

Alice did start laughing then. "I'm…." she gasped for air between peals of laughter. "I'm not doing a thi…" she gasped again. Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett raced up to me.

"What's wrong," Carlisle asked aloud seeing my expression but unable to hide his smile at the hysterical pixie and her husband no longer fighting laughter but doubled over with it.

"Dude, what's so funny?" asked Emmett, looking eager to be in on the joke.

"Don't know," gasped Jasper. "But Alice feels it's hysteric…." Jasper broke into more laughs

"Edward?" prompted a concerned Esme, though even she was smiling at the other's laughter.

"I can't hear Alice," I said then looked at Esme sharply. "Your thoughts are gone too now."

"What?" exclaimed Emmett. "Your mind reading is shorting out. Wahoo!"

"No. Uh, I don't know. I couldn't hear the rest of your thought, Carlisle. Your mind just blanked. Wait. Now it's back. No!" I pulled at my hair. "Everyone's thoughts keep blinking in and out. I don't know."

I heard some of the Denali's mental voices think Bella's name or of her gift and turned to see she was shaking with silent laughter.

I stalked up to her. "Are you doing this?"

"Maybe," she said, flashing me a smile the Cheshire Cat would approve of. Which fit—I felt like I was through the looking glass with minds flickering off and on all around me.

"OH MAN!" Emmett shouted and ran past me to spin Bella in a bear hug. I sighed as the flickering stopped. "Most awesome power EVER!"

Now everyone was laughing and I tried to at least smile but having my gift flicker on and off like that was like having someone force you to hold still while they flicked the lights on and off reapetedly—first seeing then blind over and over.

"What were you doing exactly?" Carlisle asked after Emmett lowered Bella back to the steps.

"Eleazar helped me find my shield, and everyone has helped me learn how to use it to shield other people's minds."

"Fascinating," Carlisle said, approaching his friend.

"How?" I asked still reeling from this new side of Bella. I groaned inwardly. My mate—the woman I condemned to this life—the person I longed to know more than anyone—and now I find she has the one power than can completely cancel out my own gift.

Carlisle looked at me sympathetically as the others gathered around Bella and began pelting her with questions and requests to shield them during games, wrestling matching and generally telling her she was the greatest thing since haute couture (That one came from Alice.)

'Claiming your mate looks that much more interesting, Son. Good luck.'

I scowled at Carlisle. "Thanks," I muttered and followed the much too happy group inside the house.

Bella's POV

I was suddenly glad for my expansive vampire brain. It helped me keep up with all of the requests for shielding, pranking, and questions everyone was throwing at me.

I was talking with everyone when I caught Edward's eyes. I continued talking with the others but I couldn't take my eyes off of him. I tried so hard to pull away from his gaze only to become distracted by his lips—his full kissable lips.

"Bella? Bella?" Esme repeated, and I shook myself and turned to focus on my friends.

"Are you okay?" Esme asked.

"Yeah, little sis, you completely zoned out on us," Emmett said with a wicked smirk.

I panicked. Did he catch me staring? Oh man! I'll never hear the end of it if he did. "Alice," I squeaked, grabbing her hand. "Go hunting with me?"

Alice smiled at me as though I'd given her a new pair of heels and zipped out the door with me.

Edward's POV

"That's weird," Carmen commented. "We just went hunting with Bella this morning."

The men in the room chuckled and cut their eyes at me. I glared back at them.

"Is there something you need to tell us, Edward?" Esme asked, curiosity shining in her eyes.

"No!" I yelped.

"Hey. Esme could probably help—a woman's opinion could be what you need."

"Shut up, Emmett!" I snarled.

"Edward," scolded Esme, "What's gotten into to you?"

"You have to be kidding me!" Rosalie commented incredulously. "You're not going to try anything with her. You've already ruined her life."

Rosalie's word's opened the door to the guilt and shame I'd locked away so carefully. I had no right to expect anything from Bella. I didn't deserve…

"Stop that now," commanded Jasper sending calm and a bit of his irritation to me. "It's not like that."

"Well then what…." Rosalie started but Tanya stepped forward, her hand up and a smile on her face

"She's your mate. You've found your mate, Edward?"

I looked away from everyone, but nodded.

I heard gasps and squeals of delight from all of the ladies in the room.

"Boy, Romeo, you are so screwed," Rosalie said with a smirk.

"Be quiet, Rose," Esme scolded, and wrapped me in a hug.

"That's why Alice has been acting so strange?" guessed Rosalie. Everyone glanced at her. "I mean stranger than usual."

Everyone chuckled at that observation.

"Yep," Jasper confirmed. "Little matchmaker has been working on putting these two together since Bella woke up."

I groaned and covered my face.

"But this is fabulous," said Carmen. "She is such a wonderful girl."

I walked to a nearby chair and sat, my face in my hands. "I've already changed her life entirely. She's still not comfortable with what she is yet. And I'm supposed to drop a bomb on her that I'm her mate for life? She may be adjusting well, but she's still a newborn, and I don't want to add any more life altering issues for her to deal with."

"And you can't read her mind and you're too chicken to actually talk to her and get to know your mate like the rest of us had to," accused Rose.

"That's not fair," Carlisle countered.

"No, Carlisle, she's right. I know I'm going to say or do something else to hurt her, and I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Well if you needed tips, little brother," Emmett said

"No," I said wincing at the type of advice Emmett had in mind and the pictures of Rosalie that came with it. I shuddered. "That's not what I don't know. Am I supposed to walk up to Bella and say, 'Sorry I bit you and took your soul, freedom, and family, but now you get to be my mate for life. Let's go have sex for the next decade.'"

"And you said you didn't know what to do," Emmett congratulated me, patting me on the back.

"That's not funny, Emmett," I growled.

"You said it," he returned with a shrug, smirking at me now.

"Edward," Carmen said, pulling up a chair beside me. She pulled my hands from my face. "Eleazar and I had a much less complicated time than anyone else here accepting our bond. I was human and fell in love with him after spending one evening with him. He told me I must chose him forever or leave him and there was never a moment of doubt when I chose him, and our love continued from the moment I awoke as a newborn. I was prepared for him. Others, human drinkers I know, tell me similar stories. They either met their mates as vampires and accepted each other almost immediately, or one was a vampire and changed their mate to be with them. It is understanding and acceptance of our ways and who we are that makes this bond so quick to recognize and embrace.

You've never liked what you are. And with all the upset and difficulties with Bella's change of course it would be hard for you to look beyond what's happened to what is and would have been meant to be even if you hadn't attacked her. So of course this is difficult for you. And you are a gentleman, Edward."

"Cough, cough, prude, cough," sounded Emmett.

I glared at him.

"The point I'm trying to make is that your experience is different than most, as was Carlisle's." And Rosalie's she added mentally.

I nodded to let her know I heard both her spoken word and thoughts.

"Edward, give her time and space like Carlisle gave Esme," Carmen urged. "Mates cannot stay apart for very long. It will happen. Let it happen when it does."

I nodded again. Esme grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the table and pulled a sketch pad from the messenger bag on her shoulder. "I should have known something was going on when Alice told me to bring this and my pencils. Sit down with me and help me plan alterations for your and Bella's new room at the new house."

"But I don't know what she likes," I protested. I swallowed as I saw her sketch a bed in the center of the room.

"But we do," Kate, Tanya, and Irina said sitting across from us. "Edward can put in his opinions and we'll tell you what we know about Bella."

I was getting distinctly uncomfortable. "Esme, you know what I like. I started to get up when I felt Jasper and Emmett gently push my shoulders down, returning me to my seat.

"We have to go through this all the time," Emmett smirked.

"Now it's your turn," grinned Jasper, obviously amused with my discomfort.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. It was going to be a long evening.

Bella's POV

We stopped running twenty minutes after I pulled Alice out the door to go on our 'hunt.' I waited for her to catch up with me on a ridge overlooking a lake.

"Pretty spot, Bella, but I thought we were going hunting and not fishing."

I looked into Alice's face and wondered if I could really ask her this. If I was wrong… I couldn't shield her thoughts from Edward forever.

"I…Uh…," I began. "I want to ask you…" I thought of the look on Edward's face if I were wrong. Forever would be too long to live that kind of humiliation. "Never mind," I said quickly. "It's nothing."

Alice shook her head at me, her expression amused. She crossed her arms at me and said, "Everytime you decided what you wanted to tell me, Bella, I saw it as a possible future. Who you think you're trying to fool?"

I felt anxiety like a ball of lead in my stomach. I hid my face in my hands. "Oh no. Oh no. Oh no," I whimpered quietly. I look into her entirely to amused eyes and demanded. "Okay. You can never be around Edward without my presence. Ever again! Do you hear me?" I heard desperation rising in my voice. "I'll learn how to keep you shielded all the time."

"Woah, Bella," cautioned Alice placing her hands on my shoulders. "Number one: Jazz likes you but I'm pretty sure your constantly being around will eventually get on his nerves. Number two: I don't want to think what that would do my love life."

"Stop!" I squeaked. "Please?" I was sure panic was written all over my face at this point. I could definitely hear it in my voice. "Oh, what am I going to do?" I think I started to hyperventilate.

"Breathe, Bella. It's okay. I know how to block important things from Edward—at least for a little while."

I focused hard on my breathing as I tried to focus on Alice. "How?" I asked, still trying to calm my breath.

"Edward only hears the thought going through a person's head at the time they're thinking it. All I have to do is put an irritating song on repeat in my mind and not only does it keep Edward from finding out what I don't want him to know, but I also get the added bonus of driving him crazy."

I relaxed just a bit. I looked at the patches of golden light from the gaps in the trees overhead dance on the lake's surface and took a deep breath. "Did you see anything about me and Edward being m….?" I couldn't even finish my statement. I suddenly became absorbed with the pale blue waters of the lake.

"Is he your mate?" Alice finished for me, her tone neutral.

I couldn't meet her eyes but I managed a quick nod. Oh man, oh man, oh man! Why did she sound so calm. This can't be good.

"Yes!" Alice cheered and threw her arms around me in what would have been a bone crushing hug if I were still human. "I've always known we'd be friends, but now we really get to be sisters!"

I reeled inside. Mate? Edward. I was bombarded by so many different emotions at once that even my vampire mind couldn't take it. Confusion, thrill, excitement, terror, dread, hope, desire, worry, and what I hoped was just a crush but felt like something else I wouldn't name flooded me.

"Alice how?" I asked. "We hardly know…"

"Oh, Bella," Alice stopped me and then sighed happily. "A mate bond doesn't work that way. You either are mates or you aren't. Knowing each other only finishes what the bond starts in the first place."

"Gah, Alice! Do you know how weird this is? What am I supposed to do? I don't even know how I feel about it!"

"Shhh, shhh, shhh," Alice cronned as she pulled me into another embrace. "You don't have to do anything about it for now. I can block this from my mind for the next few days. Then we head back to Forks to begin the packing and sealing up loose ends for our move. That gives you at least a week to sort through all this."

"I hate this," I whispered into her shoulder. "You're moving because of me."

"We're moving because it's time, Bella. We're okay with this move, and don't you dare blame yourself for something that is just a part of our lives."

Alice released me from our hug and hooked one arm through mine. We walked down to the stone covered shore of the lake then started to amble around the peaceful lakeside.

In the peace of that unhurried walk arm in arm with the best friend I had in this new life, I began to calm. I ran my finger over cattails and the high grasses that sprung up between the gaps in the stony soil. For a while we just strolled, the wind ruffling our hair as we enjoyed the silence that fell on any area that noticed two deadly predators in its midst.

"Alice?"

"Hmmm?"

"Did you tell Edward he had to kiss me to stop me from running again that night?"

"Nope," Alice answered with a grin. "That was all Edward."We walked a few more feet at a slow human pace when Alice added, "Good instincts on his part though, don't you think?"

"Yeah," I said sheepishly. "Really good."

Alice giggled. "Come on. We need to get back."

I froze. I looked out over the swaying evergreens soaring above us and tried not to sink back into panic.

"Don't worry. Just let things happen naturally, Bella. It's going to be perfect."

I turned quickly to see Alice had zipped back to the hill we'd stopped on at the start of our conversation.

"Wait a minute," I demanded, turning to stare at my friend. "You've seen something!"

"Maybe," Alice said with a shrug, "but you'll have to catch me to find out." Alice flashed me a wide smile and zipped off.

"Alice!" I growled. I raced away. I had a pixie to catch.

Bella's POV

Alice raced into the driveway before I made it but I was close enough that I was shielding her from Edward's invading mind power.

I shook off the feeling that everyone had been talking about me when I returned—I was just being paranoid. Emmett raced out of the living room and zipped down to where I stood glaring at Alice.

"Don't tell me," Emmett teased, taking in my expression. "Alice had one of her 'visions' that she won't share."

I crossed my arms and huffed.

"Make you a deal 'lil sis. You shield me so I can take out Edward in a fair wrestling match and I'll help you wriggle that secret from her."

"Just try it, Em," challenged Alice.

I grinned. "You promise?"

Emmett steepled his hands in front of his face, a wicked glint in his eyes. "We have ways of making her talk," he said in sad attempt to impersonate the classic movie villain

"Okay," I agreed.

Edward's POV

I couldn't hear anything coming from Emmett as he turned to face off against me. In a way it was refreshing not to hear his nonverbal trash talk or his sick mental attacks that involved him and Rose in…. ick. I wasn't even going to think of that. I grinned as Emmett made a show of stretching and warming up. As if we needed to 'warm up.'

"Stalling?" I goaded.

"No way, little brother," Emmett said, lowering himself into a crouch. "Just giving you a moment to prepare for the agony of defeat."

I growled and sprinted toward my massive brother. We crashed into each other. The sound echoed in the distance like a rocks ripped from a hillside.

I may not have been able to read his mind, but I'd wrestled with Emmett enough over the last fifty or so years to recognize a great many of his move and managed to evade his punches and grabs, but I had to admit to myself—in that tiny part of my mind that wasn't focused on avoiding Emmett's attacks—that not seeing into his mind was making me slower.

I saw an opening and kicked toward Emmett's right side. Big mistake. He caught my leg and spun me several times until tossing me over 30 feet into a rocky embankment.

I felt the shower of splintered rocks flow over me before I saw them from a pile loosely over me.

Emmett was laughing, as was pretty much everyone else as I dusted off and raced back for round two.

"It's not so easy now that you can't cheat," teased Emmett.

"I've never had to cheat before to beat you, and I don't need to now." I began to circle around my brother.

I managed to get a right hook across his cheek sending him sliding several feet in the dirt, but before I could race to press my advantage, Emmett used the momentum from his fall to flip onto his feet and jump straight toward me. I managed to bend back in time to avoid the brunt of his fist, but he did graze me and I stumbled to the ground. I was about to flip to the left when I saw, through Carlise's mind that Emmett was heading that direction and managed to flatten myself to the ground to avoid his blow. In the second Emmett's hand was beside my face, I grabbed it and jerked him to the ground.

We wrestled for another few minutes but I finally managed to get him in a hold and I was declared winner by Jasper.

"No freaking way!" Emmett shouted after I let him go. "There is no way you could have seen me coming up behind your back! Bella, you sure you kept me shielded the whole time?"

"I'm sure. I was focused on the shield the whole fight. It's still there now."

"Well," said Jasper thoughtfully. "You only requested Bella shield you. Maybe the 'cheater' was able to see your sneak attack from the mind of another."

"I'm NOT a cheater," I protested. "I can't turn it off, and you know it."

"But maybe Bella can," Emmett said with a wicked glint in his eye. "Bells, you think you could shield Edward so he can only use his senses, and not get five different sets of eyes to see what's coming to him even when his back it turned?"

Bella laughed and nodded. She focused for a moment and took a deep breath.

"Got him," she said.

Emmett began to fight in earnest. It was unnerving. After complaining for almost a century that I couldn't turn off my gift, it was gone. The mental silence alone shocked me so much that Emmett knocked me to the ground with a sucker punch.

"I knew you'd crumble in a 'fair' fight," teased Emmett.

"We'll see who'll crumble," I said forcing myself to focus on my opponent and not the strange feeling of silence that now surrounded me.

The noises of cheers and trash talk flowed from my family and friends. It was like Emmett and I were competitors in some prize fight. I ducked, punched and fought Emmett like the experienced fighter I was, but his brute strength sent me flying when he managed to get a hit in.

I heard Bella talking with the others, but in the small part of my mind that wasn't entirely consumed with beating my bear of a brother into submission I noticed her conversation was different than the others. She wasn't placing bets on the outcome. She wasn't cheering for either one of us, though she seemed amused when I slammed into anything or was knocked off my feet. She didn't join the others in their rowdy banter.

I swung my leg under Emmett's knee and sent him buckling to the ground just long enough for me get back on my feet and in a crouch.

I was ready to launch myself at Emmett's midsection when I hear Bella. 'I probably shouldn't be enjoying this as much,' she scolded herself. I noticed she didn't wait for anyone to answer her.

The distraction gave Emmett the opening he was waiting for. He slammed me into a nearby tree sending it crashing, thankfully, away from the Denali home.

I rolled to as stop and started to get up when I heard Bella seem to say to no one in particular, 'If Alice is right about what I'm feeling. Maybe I shouldn't let Emmett keep beating the crap out of my mate.'

I froze. Emmett came up behind me and pulled me into a standing hold. I stared up at Bella and saw that no one seemed to notice her statement. It hit me like a wrecking ball. I'd just heard her thoughts! Under her shield, I couldn't hear other's thoughts, but I could hear Bella's, and she knew about us—what we were!"

A second later I felt Emmett pull tighter on my arms. "Give?" he asked. At that moment, I could care less about winning.

"Uncle. Whatever," I said. Emmett released me and began to crow and strut. I ignored his victory celebration, as I stared up into Bella's eyes.

'I'm so glad that's over,' I heard Bella think. 'I wish he didn't look like a blasted underwear model, I might be able to figure out what to do about the ma…. Ugh! About what Alice saw.'

"Bella," I asked unable to hide my excitement.

"Huh?" she asked aloud.

"Am I still under your shield?" I knew I was but I wanted her to find out what I just learned. Under her shield allowed me to hear her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'll take it off," she said hastily.

"No," I said quickly. "It's nice actually under here. Just my thoughts…and yours." I couldn't hide my smile now.

"What?" gasped Bella.

"You can hear her?" asked Carlisle, clearly intriqued.

"I wasn't sure at first, but she gave me a lead on a possible lucrative career path I'd never considered before, and I realized she hadn't said it out loud."

"Holy Crow," Bella squeaked. She started to run when Alice caught her. "Go talk to him."

"You saw this!" seethed Bella.

"Maybe," Alice said in annoyingly chipper voice.

I didn't need Jasper's gift to see Bella's mortification. She needed to be away from everyone's knowing smirks and expectant gazes.

"Run with me?" I asked.

Bella stood frozen for a few moments. Esme finally pushed her gently toward the stairs. "Go. Talk with each other."

She looked back at everyone for a moment and her expression began to look purely miserable.

She took off without a word toward the woods and I followed her.