A/N Well I suppose it's nice Bella and Alice are starting to get things sorted isn't it? (It's always nice to see families doing things together) and Nessie seems to be making real progress, Yes, all seems to be sunshine and light.............Big thanks again to Little-sunandstars the best beta reader here.

Mrs Meyers characters are hers and hers alone.

Ballgame!

One week later.............................

NPOV

My first week at school went better than I could have imagined. Everyone I met seemed to like me, and this wasn't the faked enthusiasm I'd envisioned for a new student in a small school. They genuinely seemed to like me.

I'd been literally surrounded by love at home my entire brief life, but the people I knew consisted almost entirely of the Cullens, Jacob and his pack, Tanya, Kate, Carmen, Eleazar and Garret, and of course Mom and Dad, and the yearly trips to visit Zafira and her sisters deep in South America.

I knew that on the bigger scale of things, Forks High School was quite small, but in my range of experiences, this was an entire new world, and somehow it seemed welcoming. That I could be liked by people who were neither related to me nor friends of my family meant something.

Mom and I had just pulled up in the Ferrari for another day of school. There was a small crowd outside the school, and Mom commented wryly.

"You'd better hurry, Nessie." She smiled, her honey colored eyes twinkling. "Your coterie awaits."

I hugged her and kissed her cheek, then got out of the car to go to where my friends were waiting.

The night before...............

BPOV

I'd just walked down with Nessie so she could go to bed. As per her usual, 15 minutes later, she was asleep. Edward and I silently regarded her beautiful, sleeping form, and I couldn't help, but notice we were both smiling. Nessie was, after all, our shared miracle; something so wonderful that added up to more than the sum of it's parts.

I leaned my head into Edward's arm and whispered softly. "She's so wonderful, isn't she?"

Edward stroked my hair. "Just like her Mother," he whispered back.

"Even with Alice around, the future is but a question mark Edward. No matter what happens, no one can ever take this miracle away from us. Nessie is a blessing no two other vampires will ever have."

"Are you feeling pensive, Bella?" Edward asked, turning my face to look deep into my eyes.

"No, no. It's just," I struggled for words, "after all we've been through, I've learned to appreciate the now. I'm not saying this right I know. I'm not eloquent like you or Nessie, but I've just learned to appreciate what I have while I have it."

Edward smiled and kissed me softly.

"It's after dark Bella, shall we hunt?"

I grinned up at him.

"Bring on the night."

We returned from the hunt, our thirst abated by an unlucky mountain lion.

"Shall we go to Carlisle and Esme's?" Edward asked.

"I'll join you shortly. I want to sit and think by our little ocean for a bit."

"Come soon." Edward smiled and kissed my forehead.

I walked through the house and sat on the bench beside the tiny pond Esme had installed behind Edward's and my bedroom.

I'd been sitting there contemplating Nessie, Alice, Edward, and myriad other things, when Leah surprised me by joining me.

"May I?" She gestured towards the bench.

"Of course," I said, simply.

She sat. She seemed to be struggling for words.

"I approve of what you're doing with Nessie," she said finally. "I would never have thought it, but it seems to be helping."

"You can't imagine what your approval means to me, Leah," I said, sarcastically.

She stood abruptly and faced me.

"Look, you don't know how hard this is for me." she was breathing heavily. "I'm the Alpha of the only pack of wolves dedicated to protecting…leeches."

I'd had about enough of that talk and was getting angry.

"Leah, sit." I didn't raise my voice, but my tone was not kind. She looked taken aback, but after a moment sat down again.

"I want you to listen and understand this," I said, in a more gentle tone. "Suppose I referred to all the Quilleute women as 'squaws' and all the men as 'redskins?' Suppose I assumed all any of them wanted was 'fire water'? What would you call me?"

Her face had grown thunderous.

"I'd call you dead," she said in a menacing tone.

"Don't be ridiculous, you know I don't use those terms. Use your brain, Leah. I happen to know you're very intelligent."

She thought for a moment, her anger slowly cooling.

"I'd call you a racist or a bigot," she finally answered.

I nodded.

"Let's take this a step further. We Cullen's are demonstrably different than other vampires. Carlisle, Alice, Rosalie, and I have never taken a human for blood. I'm even ashamed of the donated blood I had to drink to keep Nessie alive, but I was human then. Edward only preyed on sex offenders and murderers, and eventually even that became morally reprehensible to him. Jasper only took victims in the great vampire wars in the South over 100 years ago; he came to our way of life as soon as his ignorance of it was revealed to him. I don't know Emmett or Esme's histories, but I'd wager they are similar."

I paused.

"So what do you think it makes us think of people who lump us in with any other vampires? People who call us leeches and bloodsuckers? Because believe me we WANT human blood, but we sacrifice for the greater good. There is right and there is wrong," I said, softly.

Leah almost whispered, "The blonde one calls us dogs, mutts. She says we stink."

"Do I smell good to you Leah?"

She wrinkled her nose.

"You smell far too sweet, sickeningly sweet, to the point it used to burn my nose, though I'm more used to it than I ever expected to be."

"You smell like a wet dog to me, Leah, but I am completely used to it. I think you'd find, given time, if you got to know Rosalie, you two would have an awful lot in common. But that's not my story to tell. Just think about what I've said, and Leah?"

"Yes?"

"It's going to be a nightmare anyway, but I'm certain it would mean a lot to Nessie if you and your pack could come watch her cheer tomorrow night."

Leah stood, turning to leave, then paused. "Sam once told me that you and Emmett were the only Cullen's that were not smart; you were all temper and passion."

I chuckled softly. "Most times I think Sam was right, about me at least."

"No Bella, Sam was wrong." She walked away.

15 minutes before game time

BPOV

Nightmare. Complete and total nightmare.

My entire family was is the stands. Tanya's Denali branch of our family had insisted on coming. I felt fairly certain 13 vampires had never attended a high school basketball game at once before.

Leah and her pack were there, as well as Sam and Emily, 13 vampires, and 5 werewolves.

And Charlie and Sue. So, 13 vampires, 5 werewolves, two humans, and Edward and I.

Alice couldn't see a thing about tonight's outcome because of the wolves' presence, which made us both nervous. It was a constant source of frustration to Alice that she could not see what might happen to me when I was at school because I was with Nessie.

Nightmare. A complete and utter nightmare.

NPOV

I was in the cheerleader's locker room with the rest of the team, and I was nervous. My whole famdamily, a favorite phrase I learned from Emmett, was there, and the shoebox sized gym was packed.

Our opponent was Port Angeles, whom Diane, another cheerleader, had referred to as 'our arch rivals'. We'd talked about them for day before.

"When was the last time we beat them?" I'd asked, not really meaning anything.

"23 years ago," Kandi, an incredibly pretty raven haired cheerleader who stood at least six inches taller than me, had answered.

"If we never beat them, how can it be a rivalry?" I was honestly curious.

I'd received looks as if I was from outer space, so I decided to leave that particular issue alone.

"We'll beat them this year," Kandi had said, enthusiastically.

"Why?" I wondered why this year would be different than any other.

"Because we have Stacey Bryant, the best guard in the state." She paused. "He's already signed to play at Kentucky next year."

I'd watched far too much basketball with Emmett not to know what that meant.

"He must be really good then," I responded.

"He's better than good," Kandi said, and made a kissing sound.

At that point I just shook my head.

So there I was, nervous as a cat, waiting out the last few minutes before my cheerleading debut.

Finally, we heard the pep band start playing, which was our cue to run out, do some tumbling stunts, then start doing our routine in the middle of the court until the teams came out.

Surprisingly once we were on the court, all my nerves disappeared, and I just did the routines I'd memorized this past week. I didn't have to look around to locate my family; I heard Emmett's booming voice immediately.

At the end of a routine, I threw them a wave and did a back flip into a split on the court. I laughed to myself as the women all cheered and the men all seemed to wince, even Charlie.

Then the teams came out, and we retreated to the sideline. I could tell immediately which one Stacey Bryant was. Firstly, he never missed during warm ups, and secondonly, he had this almost feline grace on the court.

He was about six foot, four with medium length, dark brown hair, and brown eyes that were just like mine. He was well built, as all really good basketball players are, and had an air of confidence I could detect even from where I was standing.

I watched him during warm ups and he was, in fact, very good, but when I looked over at the Port Angeles team, they had several players taller and much bulkier than he. Somehow, I found myself wishing he wouldn't get hurt. I've watched a lot of sports with Emmett, and I know basketball is a lot rougher sport than most people realize.

My own personal cheering section was right behind me, but thankfully, except for Emmett and Charlie, they remained reserved. I did glance back at them and smile from time to time, which seemed to delight them.

Warm-ups ended, and the players ran over to their respective benches. As Stacey passed me, he looked me right in the eyes and winked at me. I could feel myself blush and my toes squidge a little. The moment passed very quickly, but I noticed a silence behind me. I turned and looked; every single vampire had the look of one that has smelled something arousing. Horrified, I realized that it was me.

Oh. My. God. Just shoot me now.

BPOV

Just when I was convinced everything was going to go okay, that boy ran past my Nessie and winked at her. We were a few feet away from her, and every vampire there, including me, recognized what had happened.

Nessie was excited by the boy.

Emmett, of course, was the one to end the silence.

"I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, huh, Bella?' he guffawed, and Edward growled. Rose and I smacked them both in the back of the head simultaneously.

Twin "Owww"s were our reward.

"It's a natural part of growing up," Alice said.

"Yeah, and most kids don't have relatives like us," Rose added.

"That can immediately tell when such things happen," I finished.

"You'd probably better shut-up, Emmett." Jasper seemed on the verge of laughter. "The girls have circled the wagons." At which point, Alice smacked him on the back of the head too.

Carlisle and Esme seemed to be restraining laughter at all of us, and finally could not keep it in anymore. The laughter spread to the rest of us, and the moment had, thankfully, passed. We went back to cheering for Nessie and watching the game.

The game itself was quite good, a seesaw affair, with many lead changes. I'd watched enough basketball with Emmett and the family to at least understand what was going on. My attention was of course divided between the game and Nessie; she was just so adorable in her cheerleader uniform. I was so proud of her that my heart was bursting.

The boy who'd winked at her was very, very good and soon it became obvious that without him, Forks would not have a chance. Port Angeles took to fouling him hard every time he got near the rim, sending him sprawling on the court.

"I'm getting two things from Nessie," Edward whispered to me. "She really wants Forks to win."

I nodded at him because at this point, so did I.

"And it really bothers her when they foul that boy like that."

Of course all the vampires and werewolves, could hear even a whisper, and Edward was treated to 18 flavors of stunned looks.

"Hey," he shrugged, "I don't have to like it, but it's part of growing up."

Finally the game was tied 64-64. Port Angeles had the ball, obviously wanting the last shot. They were passing the ball around a distance from the basket, watching the seconds tick away. The boy, at a speed that would have rivaled a vampire, streaked between two Port Angeles players and stole the ball.

As fast as he was, I thought he'd easily get to the basket unhindered, but a huge Port Angeles player apparently had a better angle and crushed him to the floor. A foul was called, the boy lay there a moment, and I wondered if he was hurt. I looked down to watch Nessie, and she was on tippy-toes biting her lower lip; this might turn into a problem. I was of a mixed mind about her becoming sexually active. It was obvious she was physically mature, and I seriously doubted she'd change much over the next two years. If she got much more beautiful, she'd be a threat to every man's sanity that she would ever meet. After all, I'd desperately wanted sex before marriage, but Edward wouldn't do it, but she was my little Nessie, and well, there it was.

Finally, the boy slowly arose, as if he were in pain, and approached the foul line. The tiny gym, which had been so raucous, was silent. The referee handed the boy the ball. He took a shot, and the ball rolled around the rim twice then went to the court. The crowd groaned. The referee handed him the ball again. This time it was as if his head had suddenly cleared. He dribbled three times, lined his elbow up, and took the shot. It went through the net without even touching the rim.

The crowd erupted. I don't think I've ever heard anything quite so loud. Emmett was going nuts, whooping and hollering. Port Angeles took the ball out of bounds and threw it, attempting a shot from around 75 feet. It missed of course, and a buzzer sounded. The game was over and chaos ensued. The small crowd ran onto the court yelling and cheering. It was pandemonium. Emmett was bouncing up and down, slapping us all on our backs.

Alice grabbed my arm.

"There's another vampire here," she hissed.

I looked down on the court.

Where was Nessie?

NPOV

During the chaos that followed us winning, somehow the flow of the crowd had forced me into the hallway that led to the grils' locker room. This was fine by me; it was a madhouse out there. I was collecting my thoughts. I was so happy we'd won, and if I'd admit it to myself, even happier Stacey was all right. I didn't have long to think, though, because soon I had company in the form of none other than Stacey.

He looked at me then started staring at his shoes.

"Um, hi. I'm, um, I'm Stacey," he mumbled.

How darling! Stacey was shy. He seemed completely different than when he was on the court and had winked at me.

"Hi," I stuck my hand out. "I'm Nessie Cullen."

He briefly looked up.

"I heard of, of you and your sister," he said, still mumbling. For such a great player, this boy had self-esteem issues. "You're new right?"

"Yes, we are." I smiled at him. "You played great tonight."

"Hey, Nessie." I heard Charles' voice from the end of the hall. "When you get a chance, I'd like you to meet Chelsea." There was a pretty, dark haired girl beside him.

"Uh, maybe I should go," Stacey said.

"Don't be ridiculous," I replied, placing my hand on his arm. "We only just met."

"Later Charles, I'm busy," I barked down the hall, though he and Chelsea still lingered.

Stacey looked up again, fighting between blushing and smiling.

"So, Kentucky, huh? You must be very proud."

He blushed even deeper.

"Well, erm, well, it means I get to go to college," he stammered. "I couldn't have if not for basketball."

I just wanted to hug him because he seemed so lost off the court. Ever seen a lost kitten? Well, no, I haven't either, but we get a lot of TV channels. He had that air about him.

I lifted his chin gently, so I could see his face.

"Stacey, maybe we could eat lunch together tomorrow?" I asked, softly.

Finally a smile, though he still blushed profusely.

"I'd like that," he managed. I smiled at him.

"That's great," I answered. "It's not easy being the new girl."

He simply nodded. Around that time Aunt Alice and Mom came bursting into the hallway. Great.

"Stacey, these are my sisters, Alice and Roxanne." I gestured towards them.

"Oh, um, hi," he stammered. "I gotta go. Bye, Nessie."

"See you tomorrow, Stacey." I waved as he sort of bumbled down the hall.

"Damn girl, you don't waste any time," Alice said, her giggling like a tinkling of bells.

I'm sure I was blushing scarlet.

"Let's get out of here before a riot breaks out," Mom insisted. For once, I wholeheartedly agreed.

As we left I looked up and noticed that Charles and Chelsea had gone.

A/N Review if you feel kind, it will help me make this as good as it can be.

Next Chapter, Secrets revealed.