A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you guys. Seriously. One note about the last chapter. I know a few of you were upset that Edward just sat there and watched Bella undress. Let me say a couple of things that might explain where I felt like his head was at:

First, Edward didn't realize it would happen or he'd have left sooner. When it did happen, a) he's a 100yo vampire trapped in a 17yo boy's body, so he has the same hormonal urges that all 17yo boys have; and b) she's his mate, and he was in shock from finding her and seeing her for the first time in four years. It completely took him by surprise, so he didn't react quickly enough, and by the time he was reacting, it was all he could do to hide so he didn't scare her by appearing out of nowhere. Back to the mate thing:

"Edward was moving before he'd noticed and stopped himself just before he got close enough to reach out and touch the window. He'd never felt the kind of emotion in himself before. There was lust, sure—she'd turned into a beautiful woman, and seeing her in Esme's memory had done nothing for the real thing—but more than that, the protectiveness he'd felt that day three years before was still there, and the love that he'd tried to deny he'd felt...the devotion and tenderness... Everything became so much more clear.

He could no more leave her now than he could cut off his own hand. He was hers, without reservation. If she turned him away, he would go, but he would always watch over her. If she didn't...if he was lucky enough to be accepted...he would be hers until the end of days."

So there was lust, yes, like a normal 17yo boy. But a lot of it was simply the mating bond kind of...cementing itself within him. I hope that helps explain my reasoning.

Now, forgive the long author's note. This is a VERY important chapter, so read on! :)


Chapter Eleven

Bella woke up with the sun after crying herself to sleep the night before. She'd spent an hour after her shower wishing whatever noise she'd heard outside her window had been Edward, while at the same time berating herself for being stupid. Edward, if he really did exist and it wasn't a huge set of coincidences, was out of her life, just as he had been for the last three years. No amount of wishing was going to make it true. After running into the woman in the grocery store, she'd messaged Ali on Facebook a handful of times, but a look at her laptop revealed them glaring at her with no reply.

OMG. Let me know when you get back! The strangest thing happened! I don't know what to do!

Ali, please! I need to talk to you! You're the only one I can talk to.

Where are you? I think I'm going crazy. :(

Just as she was about to close the computer, a new message from Ali popped up.

Calm down! What happened? Bella, are you okay?

Bella sighed and pulled the laptop closer, telling Ali all about the woman in the store...finishing with her eyes.

Wow, Bella! No wonder you were freaking out. :( The reason I didn't answer back earlier is...I'm coming to Forks! I'm already on my way. I wanted to meet you before school started. Is that okay?

Bella grinned. Yeah, sure! I'm off work, so I'll be here all day. My dad's working, though, so maybe I'll have to take you by the station.

She gave Ali her address and easy directions to the house and then said goodbye so she could shower, get dressed, and clean up a bit before her friend arrived.

~oOo~

Bella was working on a Sudoku puzzle a couple of hours later when there was a knock on the door. After tossing it onto the table, she stood, straightened her T-shirt, and made her way over to answer it. She took a deep breath before pulling the door open, and she started to say hi, but before she could get more than the first sound out, a few things registered.

Pale skin.

Beautiful.

Golden eyes.

She swallowed as the words she'd planned to say died in her throat. Instead, she took another deep breath, trying to keep herself calm, and asked, "Do I need to invite you in?"

Al—whatever her real name was looked down for a moment and then shook her head and stepped over the threshold.

Bella shut the door behind her and quickly moved to the other side of the couch, putting as much distance between them as she could. She was shaking, so she reached out to steady herself on the back of the sofa and glared over at the raven-haired girl. "Wh-Who are you?"

The girl took a step toward her, and Bella quickly shook her head. With a frown, the girl nodded.

"My name is Alice...Alice Cullen. For all intents and purposes, I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen's daughter...and Edward's sister."

Bella had expected something like that, but it still hit her square in the chest, and she gasped, stumbling back as she shook her head.

The girl—Alice—was beside her before she could blink. Bella shrank back.

"I know it's a shock," Alice said softly as she took a step back. "I didn't want you to fall and hurt yourself."

"I...I don't understand," Bella stammered. "Was this... Was it all a big game to you?" Her anger rushed back as her shock ebbed. "Did you enjoy hearing how crazy I felt? I talked to you! I told you things I've never told another soul. You... You've been lying to me for months! Did you and Dr. Cullen and Edward Masen sit around and laugh? 'Oh, let's toy with the human and her emotions. That'll be fun!'"

Alice tried to interrupt, but Bella wasn't interested in excuses as she continued to rail against the person she'd thought was her friend.

"Did you know that I've cried myself to sleep more times over the last three years than not—and even more in the last eight months than in the previous two years combined? Of course you did! I told you!" She laughed wryly. "Or did you see that? I mean, I'm assuming you didn't lie about being able to see the future. If you did, you're a better actress than even I'm giving you credit for."

"I-I knew," Alice whispered, looking down at the floor. "I tried to help as much as I could. I hated seeing that and hearing you tell me about it."

Bella snorted. "You knew how hard I was looking for Dr. Cullen and how much I wanted to find... Fuck! You knew where they were all along! You knew and you did nothing but screw with me." She gripped the couch like a lifeline, swallowing back bile that threatened to rise. "You listened to me go on and on about Edward...about how I felt, what I wished for... I'm sure he had a good laugh about that—you all did. The poor little human girl falling for the gorgeous, perfect, mysterious vampire."

"No!" Alice shook her head. "Carlisle and Edward didn't kn—"

"Get out," Bella seethed, unable to listen to any excuses. She was so mad, so hurt, that nothing Alice could've said would make her listen. "I never want to see or talk to you again. I won't be entertainment. I owe Edward and Dr. Cullen for saving my life, but I can't..." She shook her head. "Just get out."

"Bel—"

"Get out!"

Bella picked up the closest thing from the table beside the couch—an old hard cover book of Charlie's—and threw it at Alice, who dodged it without blinking an eye. Bella jumped when it hit the wall with a bang before falling to the floor.

Alice gave her one last look and then let herself out as Bella stumbled to the couch and sat, finally giving in to her tears.

~oOo~

When Bella could breathe again without feeling like she had to throw up, she got to her feet and made her way upstairs. She felt...dead inside, like every tear she'd cried had take a bit of her emotion away with it, until there was nothing left. Her heart was heavy, her stomach a roiling mess, as she pushed the bedroom door closed behind her.

Seeing her laptop open on the desk brought back some of the anger, and she knew what she needed to do. She pulled up Facebook and went to her Friends list. Finding "Ali" on the short list was easy, and she only hesitated a moment before clicking Unfriend. As soon as that was done, Bella's tears started again, and her anger surged. She opened the desk drawer and pulled out the notebook from underneath everything else. When she opened it, Edward's face—the first one she'd drawn after the attack—stared back at her. In a fit of rage, she tore it from the notebook, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it across the room. It felt so good that she did it again with the next.

His perfect smile.

His sharp, sexy jaw.

His perfectly imperfect nose.

His crazy hair that looked like he'd just rolled out of bed.

The golden eyes that had reminded her of warm honey, but now only looked back at her mockingly.

Picture after picture, she tore from the notebook, crumpled, and threw away, until there was nothing left but blank pages.

"Shit!" she growled. "Shit, shit, shit!"

She glanced around the room, and her gaze came to rest on the framed picture on her nightstand. Her heart aching, Bella moved over to the bed and grabbed it, taking it back to the desk with her. She was openly sobbing as she stared down at the little bird enfolded in the angel's wings. How wrong she'd been, thinking he was her angel. He'd saved her life, only to rip her to shreds emotionally. She wasn't sure which would've been worse: what he, Alice, and Dr. Cullen had done, or leaving her to die alone in the wreckage.

Bella set the picture on the desk and reached for the stapler, which was heavy and sturdy and perfectly suited for what she wanted to do to the image that was nothing but a lie. She raised it over her head and was just about to slam it down onto the picture when a pained voice caused her to freeze.

"Don't, Bella. Please."

~oooOOOooo~

Edward watched as his voice and words registered to her. She stopped moving, the stapler frozen over her head, as her heart began to race so quickly that he was honestly afraid it would beat right out of her chest. If his had still been beating, it would've been thudding just as heavily.

"No, no, no. He can't be here in my room," Bella muttered without looking up.

At first, he thought she was talking to him, but then he realized she was speaking aloud, probably without conscious thought. When she lowered the stapler, he felt his shoulders relax, but he held his breath when she turned.

"Fuck," she breathed. A beautiful blush rose on her cheeks and spread down her neck and onto the top of her chest, which was rising and falling rapidly. Moisture gathered in her eyes, but she didn't move to wipe it away.

He started to say something, but she began mumbling again as she clutched the stapler to her chest.

"How can he be even sexier than I remember? So much better than my drawings."

Edward couldn't help but look over at the pile of crumpled pages against the far wall. His movement jolted her out of the fog she seemed to be under, and he watched as what seemed like a thousand different emotions flashed across her face.

Hurt, anger, attraction, fear... Each of them pierced his heart and felt like a kick to the stomach.

"Bella—"

"Wh-What are you doing here?" she asked, fumbling to put the stapler on her desk. Her voice was sarcastic and angry as she continued. "Didn't Alice do all the talking for you? Aren't I already embarrassed enough?" She reached up and swiped at the tears that had begun to fall. "Shit." Turning angry eyes on him, she seemed to steel her resolve as she asked once more, "What are you doing here, Edward? Is it Masen...or Cullen? Did you just have to come show me that my memory didn't do you justice? I'm sure Ali showed you the photo of the drawing that I sent her over Facebook. Or did you come here to silence me because I figured out your secret?"

She threw up her hands, making her T-shirt catch on her breasts, and Edward couldn't help but watch as it molded itself to her curves. Her voice brought his gaze back to her face.

"Surprise—or not... I've known for months—almost a year—and the only person I've ever told was your sister. Your secret's safe with me. I'm not going to go spreading it everywhere." The next part was muttered as she looked down at her feet, but Edward heard it clear as day anyway. "Not like anyone would believe me. No one ever believed me."

Edward wanted nothing more than to kiss her in that moment, if for no other reason than to get her to be quiet so he could explain. But he knew even without Alice's future-sight that it was way too soon for that. Instead, he sat down in the chair in the corner of her room and waited her out.

Bella continued to mutter to herself as she paced back and forth in front of her desk. Finally, she sank to the desk chair, leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, and sighed, looking anywhere but at him.

Deciding now was his chance, Edward was quiet as he spoke. "First of all, I'm sorry for Alice. She contacted you...befriended you...without telling any of us—even Jasper, her husband."

"H-Husband?" Bella shook her head slowly. "You said he was your...foster brother." Her heart thudded heavily. "Was anything you told me true?"

Edward frowned. "Little Bird—"

"Don't call me that," Bella interrupted hotly. "You haven't earned the right. Not anymore."

Nodding slowly, Edward started again. "Bella, you have to understand... What I am...what my family is... It's something that no one can know." Before Bella could protest again, he shook his head. "No, I don't mean you. I trust you. Alice did, as well, or she wouldn't have told you about her talent." He watched as Bella mulled that over, and not for the first time—or even the tenth—did he wish he could read her mind. When she nodded, he continued. "When I found you..."

Edward groaned and stood, moving to the window. He felt short of breath—an odd feeling, given that he didn't need to breathe—like he always did when he thought of how close he'd come to losing Bella underneath the wreckage.

"When I found you," he began again, still facing the window, "you were only just turning fifteen. You were...dying. I couldn't tell you the truth then."

"And after? Why'd you leave?" There was still anger in her tone, but her heart wasn't beating as hard and the way she spoke, much softer now, told him she was listening. "You could've told me after I got out of the hospital."

He shook his head as he turned to face her. "My life... It's not a safe world I live in, Bella. You haven't asked me the most obvious question. Aren't you curious?"

Shock jolted through him at her answer.

"No. I know you don't drink from humans." When he raised an eyebrow, she smirked. "My friend, Jacob, told me about the legends from his tribe, about how the 'civilized' vampires drank from animals instead. Your eyes..."

Edward nodded slowly. "Jacob?"

"Jacob Black. He's a member of the Quileute tribe from—"

"La Push," Edward finished. "Yes, I remember. I was here with Carlisle when we made the treaty with Jacob's...great-grandfather, I believe."

Bella nodded. "That's how I figured out..." She waved her hand at him and then put it back on her lap, twisting her fingers together. "I... I wanted to find you," she admitted quietly, looking away from him again. "I don't understand why, but I've never..." She swallowed nervously, and Edward listened to her heart skip a beat before she spoke again. "I haven't been able to stop thinking of you. A part of me felt...missing"—she put her hand over her heart—"here."

Edward closed his eyes at her admission. He'd hoped that she felt the same, but he hadn't expected...no matter what Alice had told him. Without thinking of what he was doing, he reached up to rub his chest in the same place she had, feeling the scar of his tattoo under his shirt. "I know," he finally whispered. "I felt it, too."

He was amazed when Bella stood and made her way to the bed. He didn't sense any fear as she patted the blanket beside her.

"Would you...sit with me?" she asked tentatively.

He was up and on the spot she'd indicated before she could blink, and when she whipped her head around to face him, there was surprise in her eyes and she laughed nervously.

"I thought I'd imagined it earlier when Alice moved that quick."

Edward smiled and shook his head. "It's a...perk, I suppose."

"What else?" she asked quickly. "I want to know everything." Then she frowned. "I mean, if...if you trust me to keep it to myself."

He slowly reached out and laid his hand over hers, worried that she'd pull away from his cold touch. Relief had him nearly shaking as, instead, she turned her hand over and laced her fingers through his.

"I didn't imagine the cold," she breathed, and he started to take his hand away, but she held tight. "I didn't notice it with you...before. But I remember Dr. Cullen in the hospital, when I was recovering... His hands were always colder than normal."

"It doesn't...bother you?" Edward asked slowly.

Bella shook her head. "Will you tell me more?"

Edward began to speak, swearing to himself that he would tell her everything she wanted to know. He told her about their strength—reminding her of how he'd moved the steel beam and concrete from her that day—and about his own talent.

"Wait," she interrupted. "So you can read everyone else's minds, but not mine?" When he shook his head, she laughed. "I hate to say it, but I'm kinda glad. Sometimes even I don't understand what's going on up there. I'd hate to subject you to that."

He shook his head and smiled softly. "I'm not. You have no idea how much I want to hear everything about you, Bella."

Bella smiled and looked down at their joined hands. "What about the others in your...family?" She phrased it like a question, and he nodded. "Do they have talents like yours and Alice's?"

Edward explained about Jasper's ability to sense and manipulate emotions. "Other than the three of us, there are no other real 'talents.' Emmett is stronger than any other vampire I've ever met, and Carlisle... He has the ability to work in a hospital, so he has an amazing ability to ignore the burn from the smell of blood," he finished.

"Burn?"

Reaching up with his free hand, Edward touched his throat. "Blood, human more so than animal, smells...good," he explained with a grimace. He was waiting for that moment that Bella learned something about him that made her run. "It makes us feel as our throats are on fire."

Bella tensed. "Am I hurting you right now? I mean, being this close to you?"

Edward swallowed. The burn was there, but muted. "No, Lit—Bella," he said firmly. "It's...less with you."

"Why?" She shook her head and smiled wryly. "Not that I'm not glad, but..."

He knew why. She was his mate. Rose had noticed the same thing when she found Emmett, and even Carlisle had noticed with Esme. But Bella wasn't ready for that discussion yet—and frankly, neither was he. Instead, he shook his head. If she accepted him when it was all said and done, then he would tell her.

She nodded, looking down at their hands. He'd been rubbing hers gently back and forth with his thumb as they talked, and she watched the movement for a minute before speaking again.

"Tell me about your family? Are you all really related?"

Edward smiled. "No, not by blood, but we are a family regardless."

Knowing he'd have gotten permission from them all, he began with Carlisle, telling Bella how everyone had come together as a family. After Carlisle, he explained his own story.

"So you really are seventeen? You didn't lie about that?"

Shaking his head, Edward said, "No, I'm really seventeen. I've just been seventeen for a very long time."

When she smiled, he continued. He glossed over some of the details of Alice's and Rose's stories, but when he told her Esme's, Bella's eyes filled with tears.

"That's so sad," she said with a sniffle. "She's lucky Carlisle found her."

Edward reached up and gently wiped away a tear that had fallen. The feel of her soft skin under his fingers made him ache to touch her more.

Bella started to speak and then stopped, repeating that a few times as he waited. She seemed to be wrestling with what to say, so he wanted to give her time.

"Are you... Where do you live?"

"We just moved back to Forks," he admitted. "That's another secret Alice was keeping from everyone. None of us knew you were here, Bella. If I'd known..." He shook his head.

Her hand tensed in his. "If you'd known...what? You wouldn't have come?"

Edward nodded his head slowly. "You have to understand, Little Bird..." He froze, waiting for her to call him out on the name. When she didn't, he continued. "For three years, I forced myself to stay away from you, no matter how much it hurt. You're...safer if you aren't in the middle of my world."

"But now?" Her voice was small, unsure.

He squeezed her hand gently and reached over with a finger under her chin to force her to look at him. When she did, he shook his head.

"Now, if you want me to leave, you'll have to tell me to go. Otherwise, I'm not going anywhere."


A/N: Did you REALLY think I would make Edward wait to surprise Bella at school, in front of other people? *shakes head* You guys crack me up. No way would I want their reunion to be public! Hehe

I know that was another...sort-of cliffie. On a good note, you MAY get another post on Sunday. We'll see. I've been busy lately so haven't been writing as much, so I'd like to get another chapter finished in order to stay ahead, so if I can finish the one I'm working on, I'll post then. If not, I'll post next Wednesday. But rest assured, neither of them are going anywhere! ;)

Now leave me some love and let me know what you thought of the chapter! Did the Bella/Alice confrontation happen like you thought? What about Edward's reveal? I can't wait to hear what you think!

See you guys in a few days to a week! Mwah! – Jen