Author's Note: Was in the mood to write today, managed to get this done, might have another upload of another story up later today. Hope you guys enjoy this, and please know that I'm updating each chapter as fast as I can and making them as long as I can. If I can push ideas and words out of my brain and onto a page more than I already am, I would. Thanks for being patient.
Chapter 11
After the truck incident, Bella was quick to fall back asleep, and wouldn't wake up no matter what Tanya tried. This only terrified Tanya further, as the girl seemed all but comatose to her, and after that display of power...what could Tanya do, she was seriously worried about her mate.
Thankfully for the vampire, Bella soon declared, "Sexy is not a right, it is an honor!" which meant that she was just asleep, and clearly not in danger...right?
Still, Tanya couldn't stop worrying. Had she not known that she most likely had to get Bella back to Charlie so the man didn't worry, she would have turned right back around and driven back to Carlisle. Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't call the man and explain what happened. Eleazar, who was also brought into the call, was especially perplexed, as his own gift had said she didn't have anything special.
"I'm sorry, Tanya. I don't know why my gift has failed you," her old friend said, sounding so upset his hispanic accent came back full force. "The only reason I can think of as to why my gift wouldn't work was if she was a shield, but if that was true…"
"If what was true? Eleazar?" Tanya asked, her anxiety over her mate outweighing her own common sense.
"Well, then she wouldn't have been able to do whatever she did," Eleazar said, sounding just as helpless as Tanya.
"Of course," Tanya muttered, rolling her eyes at her own stupidity. "Human or vampire, they should only have one talent."
"Potatoes do a lot of things," Bella mumbled, sounding pretty insistent with the fact.
Tanya turned to her mate with a low curse at her own loose lips, only to once again notice that Bella was still sleeping. Not just sleeping, but she had managed to somehow slide out of her seat despite the seatbelt, and was half on the floor of the car. Only part of her upper body and her head were actually still on the seat.
"Lots, and lots, and lots...of things…sexy lady here...agrees...see…?" Bella continued to mumble as she rolled towards Tanya. One hand flopped onto Tanya's body, and the vampire swerved on the road before regaining control. Thankfully there were still no cars around to be put at risk.
"Tanya? Tanya, are you alright?" Carlisle and Eleazar demanded worriedly, having heard the screech of her tires.
"I'm fine, just the strange one causing trouble," Tanya murmured. Not even daring to breath, Tanya picked up Bella's hand-which had managed to land right on Tanya's crotch-and picked it up by the wrist. Then, deeming the girl too dangerous even in sleep, Tanya once again had to pull over. Fitting the phone between her shoulder and ear with a sigh, she got out of the car to try and fix what Bella had done.
She opened the car door, unbuckled Bella, and picked her up to settle her into a more appropriate position; but she was surprised when Bella's eyes fluttered open. Only, these sleepy, hooded eyes weren't Bella's brown; instead, they were a deep, dark, inhuman purple.
Tanya froze, her breath catching once more. The two men who could even hear the slight noise over the phone started to demand what was wrong once more, but Tanya couldn't answer. She couldn't even blink or breathe as she stared down at Bella, still holding the human up by her armpits.
"Mmm…?" Bella hummed, cocking her head to the side in confusion as she stared up at Tanya. "Oh, if it's...not...dream girl…oh, but it is..." Even as Bella spoke, it was clear that she was ready to fall back asleep at a moment's notice.
At least the girl speaking is Bella, Tanya couldn't help but think. For while those eyes were gorgeous, they were also very unnerving, seeing as the owner of those eyes was supposedly a human.
"Yes, it's me. How are you feeling?" Tanya asked, trying to set the girl back down, only for Bella to cling to her with arms and legs that had, out of nowhere, suddenly found incredible strength. Over the phone, Eleazar and Carlisle had wisely shut up in case Bella overheard, sensing something in Tanya's tone. However, they were listening intently, unwilling to risk missing a single letter that Bella spoke. They knew something was going on over there.
"Hm...I feel…" Bella started, clearly deep in thought. Then she looked up into Tanya's eyes, the human's own still a dark purple, and announced, "Thirsty." And with that, Bella pulled herself up Tanya's body and took Tanya's lips in a fast, hard kiss.
For a moment, Tanya's body took over. The phone fell to the ground as Tanya slammed Bella, thankfully gently in vampire standards, against the side of the car, kissing Bella back for all she was worth. Bella clutched at her for a moment, letting out a soft moan that seemed to startle the human more than the truck that had nearly run them over did. She pulled back, breaking the kiss, and touched her own throat in wonder.
In the mean time, Tanya had to rest her head against Bella's neck, breathing in the human's scent as she reminded herself that taking Bella against the side of the car, where anyone could see them, once again wasn't a good idea. Her instincts seemed pretty furious about the fact, but realizing that someone might see Bella in any state of undress helped calm them a bit. Then, Tanya remembering what had happened only minutes prior with the truck helped cool her down the rest of the way.
Bella groaned, and her muscles lost their strength to the point where Tanya had to help hold the girl against her.
"Are you okay?" Tanya asked, worried that the human was hurt in some way.
"I'm...tired," Bella muttered, sounding puzzled. "Like, really tired. Tireder than tired."
"Aren't you always?" Tanya asked, crouching so she could help the human roll off of her and back into the passenger seat.
"Mm...maybe?" Bella frowned and looked up at Tanya as she was finally made to let go. And the human's eyes were, once again, a dark chocolate brown.
"...Tanya?" Eleazar asked softly, hesitantly, but still loudly enough that any vampire could pick up on his voice, over the phone or not.
Remembering the two men, Tanya turned to pick up the phone from the ground, giving Bella a delicious view. And not for the first time since meeting her mate, the esteemed coven leader let out a squeak as Bella couldn't control her hands.
"Bella!" Tanya exclaimed, exasperated and once more turned on as she whirled to face the human, phone thankfully in hand.
"What? I want your ass," Bella said, and someone over the phone definitely laughed. When Tanya continued to frown at her, Bella turned to her hands and added, "Sometimes, they're just so bad...I can't be expected to control such responsibility…"
Tanya's frown turned into a smile-she just couldn't stay anything other than warm around her human-and she bent at the waist to kiss Bella on the head. Only for Bella's hand to find her ass again, and Tanya pulled back to give her another admonishing look. Now was not the time or place to be turned on, not with everything that had just happened.
Bella could only shrug helplessly and say, "I can't control them. Only you can."
"Of course," Tanya said, closing the passenger door before walking around to the driver's side and getting in. She paused, realizing that Bella was staring at her intently, almost seeming to be more awake than ever. "Didn't you say you were tired?"
"Yeah," Bella said with a nod, then continued to stare expectantly at Tanya.
Not only could Tanya not continue her conversation with Carlisle and Eleazar like this, but she wasn't sure she could focus on anything like this. "Then why don't you go to sleep."
"I can't do that," Bella replied, frowning seriously. "I don't try to go to sleep, I just do."
"Well, what will it take for you to go back to sleep?" Tanya asked, trying not to sound too desperate.
Once again, Bella fell into serious thoughts, crossing her arms over her chest and everything. Then she brightened and stated, "Sex."
A burst of laughter came from over the phone, and there was no doubt that it was Emmett, who had to have been listening in the background. Tanya didn't even try to tell him to shut up, too busy staring at Bella with a stunned expression on her face.
"Right then," Tanya said, struggling to regain her composure. She looked away for a moment, trying to regain her composure. She didn't want Bella to see the pure desire on her face, after all. "I think that will have to wait, at least until we get to your home…"
There was no answer, and so Tanya risked another glance over at Bella and breathe a sigh of relief. It appeared that Bella didn't need to have sex to fall back asleep after all.
Smiling softly, Tanya reached out to stroke the human's cheek once, then turned back to look at the road and focus on her call. "Bella opened her eyes a moment ago," she told whoever was listening softly. "Her eyes were purple."
The two men began discussing the possibility of a human's eyes changing colors, throwing ideas and possibilities at each other. Then Carlisle was on the phone. "Eleazar is starting to research whatever he can now. I also sent Jasper and Edward to check out the wreck site more thoroughly. Is there anything else we need to know?"
"Not that I know of," Tanya murmured, sighing once more as she once again started worrying about her mate. "I'll tell you if I can think of anything." With an affirmative from the Cullen leader, Tanya hung up the phone and shoved it into her pocket.
The rest of the ride was spent in silence, save for Bella's soft breathing. And the entire time, Tanya couldn't stop looking over at her human, worry clear in her eyes and on her face. All sorts of horrible possibilities swam around her mind, conjured into existence simply because of all the unknowns surrounding Bella.
If only Tanya knew something, anything. She just needed to protect her mate, and right now, it felt information was the best way to do that. Just what should Tanya do? What could she do, other than stay by Bella's side?
Her frustration and fear kept increasing, and it didn't lessen as she pulled into the Swan's driveway. She turned the car off quickly, got out, and moved around to Bella's side. She didn't bother waking the still sleeping girl, instead simply once again opening the passenger door, unbuckling Bella's seatbelt, and picking the girl up. She cradled Bella gently in her arms as she walked up to the front door of the house and rang the doorbell.
Charlie answered pretty quickly, a grin on his face. "Hey, Tan...what's wrong?" Immediately, he became guarded, worried, and even a little afraid as he glanced between Tanya and Bella. "Did something happen? Are you okay?"
Realizing that all of her worries and fears were still plastered on her face-something that was a major slip up for a woman like Tanya-the vampire quickly schooled her features. "Everything is fine, Charlie," Tanya was quick to assure the man, deciding immediately not to tell Charlie about anything that had transpired. "I was just deep in thought."
"Oh, uh, I see." It was clear that Charlie didn't believe it, but thankfully, he was the kind of man that didn't pry.
"May I come in?" Tanya asked after a moment of awkward silence.
"Ah, of course! Sorry about that," Charlie said, stepping aside to let Tanya into the house. Tanya started walking upstairs to put Bella to sleep, but Charlie's next words made her pause. "And just so you know, you can stay as long as you like. Just, uh, do a father a favor and keep the door open?"
Tanya paused in surprise, but not a single emotion showed on her face. Did he know about her feelings? Had she really been that obvious? Apparently so, as he was asking her to keep the door open. But it seemed like he was okay with what they had, maybe even beyond okay. Instead of voicing any of her thoughts regarding what the man might or might not know, she turned to look at the awkward man with a smile. "Thank you, Charlie," she said smoothly, calmly, not about to show even a hint of the emotion she had locked inside.
"No prob." Charlie looked away, scratched the back of his head, then started walking towards the kitchen. "Just holler if you need anything."
"I will," Tanya assured him, then continued up the stairs, down the hall, and into Bella's room. She set down the still sleeping girl, pulled the covers over Bella, and tucked her in before sitting beside her. She stared into Bella's peaceful face for a long time, memorizing it, stroking the girl's cheeks and pushing Bella's hair out of her face.
Finally, she let some of her turmoil loose. Had she been human, she might have even cried, but instead her eyes only glistened. Bending over Bella's form, she rested her forehead against Bella's.
"Oh, Bella. What is going on with you?"
There was a brief silence as Tanya simply soaked up Bella's presence, but then she felt a hand grip her shirt. She lifted her head, staring into Bella's face, the girl's eyes still closed as her mouth opened, words of wisdom spilling forth.
"Can butterflies even be fluffy?" the girl mumbled. Then the hand dropped, no longer hanging onto Tanya, and the girl fell into a peaceful sleep once more.
Letting out a little laugh, Tanya gave Bella a careful hug, not even picking the girl up from the bed. What was even funnier to the vampire was that she doubted Bella would have said something other than strange, even if the human had been fully awake.
"Thank you, Bella," Tanya whispered. She didn't want to let go of her mate, so she didn't, instead continuing to hold her, protect the human from the outside world with her own body. "Thank you for being born. Thank you for being mine."
It was clear to Tanya, as clear as day; whatever this was, was just another part of what made Bella her unique self. What was going on with Bella wasn't the most important part in her mate's strange puzzle; what was important was simply that Tanya protect the human with every fiber of her being.
And that was exactly what Tanya had always planned to do, no matter what.
