Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight. Do own a pint of icecream. Oh, yeah.

Chapter Twelve

"Your name comes up a lot,

When I talk to my mom,

Oh, I think she can tell,
I was out on the town,

So I came to your window last night,

I tried not to throw stones,

But I wanted to come inside."

~ fun.

I try not to be nervous as I leave Bella and Ma in the kitchen but I still hurry, knocking anxiously on Alice's door and groaning under my breath when she doesn't answer; her music is just a bit too loud.

I really shouldn't be nervous. It's Bella. Her verbal filter is in tact, unlike Izzy's.

Shaking my head, I tug on the ends of my Mohawk and open Alice's door. My sister is seated on her frilly little bed, painting her toenails a bright color and humming along with the music. "You can't hear anymore?"

Alice quirks a brow at me. "You don't knock loud."

I lean against the doorframe. "Listen, Alice, you have to get in the kitchen now."

Alice caps her nail polish and admires her work. "Why? Dinner's not done yet."

"Bella's here and-"

"Wait!" Alice yells, sliding off her bed but being careful to keep her toes flexed up. And I think for a second that girls are ridiculous for painting their nails – it's going to come off anyway, so what's the point? "Bella's here and you're just now telling me?"

"Alice, we just got home-"

"You have a cell phone! God, I can't even greet my best friend!"

"She's hardly your best friend. You barely even know-"

"You suck so much, Edward," Alice mutters as she rushes past me, sort of hobbling down the hallway.

I shut my eyes and force out a slow breath.

My sister is insane.

My girlfriend is awesome and sexy and tremendously gifted.

And Ma is amused by everything.

All that estrogen in one place can't be good, right?

I don't want to leave that shit to chance, so I follow Alice down the hallway, on her heels as she enters the kitchen.

And there it is.

My girlfriend in an apron, cutting up some unidentifiable vegetables.

My sister yelling out a greeting.

And Ma continuing with her story about the time when I was four and I managed to lock myself in the dryer after tracking mud into the house. I don't even know why I would pick the dryer, let along how a four year old would fit in one.

I groan, feeling my ears heat up when Bella laughs, her shy eyes happy – and I think that maybe it's not so bad, Ma telling embarrassing childhood stories, if Bella just stays that happy.

Hearing my groan, Bella turns to smile at me, giggling a bit while Ma starts another story.

Her smile makes me smile.

And so, I sit at the kitchen table and try not to think about anything else.

But minds never seem to work like that.

Because the first thing I think about is what happened this morning.

I nearly have flashbacks of Bella almost getting hit – and I force them away. I'd known that Bella was important to me, of course, but until today, I wasn't aware of how important – how singular – she is.

I couldn't even think of a future with out her in it.

Or Izzy, for that matter.

Ignoring the heavy feeling in my chest, I focus on other things while the three most important women in my life chatter away around me.

Things like apportation.

And clairvoyance.

Part of me was so relieved to have an explanation for my odd night wanderings – a word for why I went to sleep in one location and woke up in another. A term for how I'd saved Bella.

There was a certain comfort in knowing someone else had had this ability before.

But I couldn't shake the looming warning in my own head – don't show how strong this apportation shit is. I simply didn't fucking trust Denali Corps. And I didn't know how to get Bella on the same page as me because she seemed eager to trust them.

Izzy, however, went by gut instincts. I'm sure she's just bidding her time, putting the puzzle together like I am.

Bella giggles again and I smile involuntarily.

I can't help it.

There's something between us, something invisible that binds me to her. I can almost feel her in my sleep – and, I suppose, I have since I used apportation to get right into her room.

Her room.

Jesus.

I'd touched her.

Kissed her.

Marked her.

My palms tingle and I can almost feel the weight of her breasts in my hands – almost feel her nipples pebbling under her thin shirt, almost feel the way her breathing stutters against my skin. I shift, covertly adjusting a rather awake part of my body, just before my girlfriend taps me on the shoulder, leaning down so she can talk in my ear.

I try to ignore the zings of electricity that hit me when her tiny fingers graze my neck.

And the way I seem to stop breathing when her intoxicating scent hits my nose.

Christ.

It should be illegal to be this fucking turned on by one person.

"Edward," Bella whispers sweetly. "Bathroom?"

I blink up at her perfectly feminine face once, tracing the curve of her full lips and the slight tilt of her slate eyes. "Bathroom?"

Bella nods, blushing a bit.

And I feel very dumb as I realize she's embarrassed about asking and I've only prolonged her discomfort. I shoot up from my chair and lead her down the hallway quickly, my hand on the tiny dip of her lower back.

She turns to me before she enters the bathroom, biting her lip innocently – seductively. "Thank you," she murmurs, rolling onto the tips of her toes to gently kiss my mouth, sweet lips just barely caressing mine.

I think I groan.

She exhales as she drops back, shuffling into the bathroom with a smile.

I lean my head against the door.

I might even bang my forehead against the wood before I lean against the wall beside me, trying to regulate my slightly stilted breathing.

God, she doesn't even fucking try, does she?

Still lost in her hesitant sensations, I jump a bit at a throat clearing to my left.

Dad grins behind his glasses, smirking in a familiar way. "Son, is there a reason why you're standing outside of the guest bathroom?"

I scowl at him, embarrassed to be caught and knowing that Bella can hear this conversation. "Not particularly."

Dad hums and nods. "I see. Dinner smells good. There's an extra plate, too," he tells me as he passes. "We haven't had an extra plate for a guest of yours since you were seven." And then, slightly louder, "He still had imaginary friends, then."

"Dad!"

Dad shrugs, taking his glasses off as he moseys on into the kitchen, laughing to himself.

"For fucks sake," I mutter, tugging on my Mohawk again.

Bella giggles as she opens the bathroom door.

I feel my lips thinning out. "My family is making sure to embarrass me."

"I don't think it's embarrassing. I think it's cute."

I snort. "Cute?"

Bella nods. "Oh, yes. Did you have a tiny Mohawk as a kid, too? It would have been adorable."

I shake my head, grinning, trying not to tell her that she is the adorable one because even though Bella softened me up quite a bit, I wasn't ready to explode with corny flirting.

Then, Bella does something strange that catches my eye – maybe because her posture straightens up for a second.

She winks at me.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

And leans in, tilting her head up and whispering lowly, "I'm sure we can wear something adorable tonight."

Before I can even respond, Bella snaps back into place, her shoulders hunching slightly again and her slate gray eyes wide with shock. She slaps her hands over her mouth.

Izzy.

She's the feisty, needy, physical one.

And she has plans for tonight.

I can see Bella clearly lost in her own thoughts – probably talking to Izzy right now – and try not to let my thoughts get away from me.

There are things I wanted to with Bella and Izzy – things I wanted to do to each of them – and I'm sure neither of us are ready for it.

Bella seems to agree. "I'm so sorry-"

"I know it was Izzy, sweetheart," I interrupt, feeling the tips of my ears heat when the endearment slips past my lips.

It's fitting for Bella – perfect, really.

But I hadn't even planned on saying it.

I didn't even think about it.

Bella's face flushes sweetly and she steps back, quietly murmuring, "Sweetheart," under her breath with a sort of giddiness.

I decide, studying the smooth curve of her cheek and the lighting of her eyes, that Bella should be called sweetheart – and whatever cheesy pet name I can come up with – because she deserves that much and more. Deserves that kind of independence.

I think for a moment that maybe I shouldn't allow myself to be as soft as I am around Bella, thinking that it's making me too relaxed – but then I can also feel a hard, protective edge in my blood when I'm around her. I know I'll be able to turn on my aggressive side on a whim – just like I did earlier today.

A nudge from deep within my mind assures me that this behavior, this pull and this girl are all according to plan. I don't bother to chase the thought; it would be fruitless because I couldn't tell where the thought had come from in the first place.

I shrug it off and drape my arm over Bella's slight shoulder. "Hungry, sweetheart?" I grin, enjoying the renewed color on her skin.

"Famished."

Bella – unsurprisingly – gets along with my family. She is folded under Ma's wing, trading quips with my sister and even seemingly comfortable with my Dad. I'd worried about her interaction with my father, knowing about her past, but Bella had no qualms at all.

Not even a flinch.

She even detailed her diet to him when he'd asked a question.

After dinner – and after Alice and Ma vehemently refused Bella's offer to help with dishes – I reluctantly walk Bella home, knowing that I have to leave her.

It's only a small comfort to know that I won't be leaving her for long.

I kiss her by her door for a long moment, gently tilting her head upwards with my hand on the back of her neck. I can tell by her small whimper when I eventually pull away that she doesn't want me to go.

And I assure her with a quick wink that I'll be back. "I just have to keep up appearances, sweetheart."

Bella blushes, nods and heads inside, making sure to lock the door so I know she's safe inside the house.

I hurry home, sure that the faster I am now, the faster I can be back and have my girl in my arms. I already had a solution for keeping up appearances for my parents and Alice – and hopefully, they would never know about my nightly disappearances beyond the sleepwalking.

The kitchen is empty except for Ma making herself a cup of tea when I get home, kicking off my shoes and hanging my coat. I smile at her, feign a yawn and stretch my arms over my head. "Well, I'm beat. I guess I'll just crash. Thanks for dinner, Ma."

Ma stirs a bit of cream into her cup. "Edward, wait a second," she laughs. "Sit down for a moment. Cookie?"

I take one of the offered sugar cookies and munch on it while Ma seats herself at the kitchen table, shuffling around in her slippers.

"So, girlfriend, yes?"

"Ma," I groan, reaching for another cookie.

If she was going to push for girl talk, I was going to overindulge. I kept my eye on the clock on the stove though, anxious to get back to Bella.

"She's a very pretty girl."

"I know."

"A sweet little thing, too. A bit skinny," Ma frowns. "I'll bake her some of those trendy vegan cookies."

I smile a bit. "I'm sure she'd like that, Ma."

Ma studies me for a moment as I reach for another cookie. "You really like this girl, don't you?"

I stop, mid-chew, and slowly nod.

Ma sips her tea. "There's something familiar about her," she says.

"You met her at that fundraiser."

Ma shakes her head. "Something else. My grandmother used to tell me a tale about…Oh, it's silly. You should head to bed, son. Try to sleep in, will you?"

I almost want to push for the story – because Ma never brings something up unless it's important – but I know better – because Ma also doesn't stop saying something else she's sure the timing isn't right. Instead, I reach for another cookie, kiss Ma's forehead, and carry on to my room as normally as possible, taking care to make my movements slow and tired.

I don't let my mind linger on Ma's almost-story.

A plan is already formed in my mind and I'm suddenly very thankful for my first floor room. I quickly change into a plain white thermal shirt, leaving on my heavy jeans and boots, and briefly debate on whether or not I should bring a pair of flannel sleeping pants. I roll the pants up and stuff them into my back pocket, throwing a heavy cotton jacket on and placing the wooden chair of my desk under the knob of my door.

Outside, after dropping out the window about three feet, it's colder as the night passes and I hurry back in the direction of Bella's house.

Only one light is on when I knock on the front door and I'm relieved to learn that she hadn't fallen asleep.

What I wasn't prepared for was the flowing black nightshirt she wore – a sleek tank top that flared under her breasts and grazed the top of her thighs. I couldn't even tell if she was wearing shorts underneath due to the seductive tilt of her hips as she leaned against the open door.

Bella would never wear something like that.

Izzy would.

Christ – I'm really sorry for taking your name in vain but good Lord…

"Are you going to stand outside all night?"

I blink at Izzy, taking in the way she holds her shoulders back, how she cocks her head to the side, purses her lips slightly. "Maybe I shouldn't come in," I tell her, smiling slowly.

I know for sure that Izzy is attracted to me but it's still satisfying to see a tiny blush bloom on her face. "No, you should come," she pauses for a moment, stepping away from the door. "In, that is. Come in. I'm fucking cold."

"Wonder why?"

Izzy quirks a brow at me, her piercing glinting in the low light of the hallway as she closes the door behind me. "Don't know," she says, starting towards the stairs.

The angle as she moves up the incline is killing me. All I can see are a tiny pair of black boy shorts with a lace trim. They hug her curves perfectly.

Remain calm. This is Izzy. She's probably testing me.

I can't, however, calm down a certain part of my body.

No way in hell will it listen to me.

Not when all that creamy flesh is on display.

For my eyes.

Only.

A ruthless surge of possessiveness rushes through me – nobody would ever see Izzy or Bella like this for as long as I lived.

I'd never been particularly selfish. Even as a kid, I had no problem sharing my toys with Alice. And, even though I tended to stay away from kids my own age, girls especially, I'd never really shown any preference about who I spent my time with.

Nobody had ever made me so single-minded.

Izzy leads me to her room, smirking at me over her shoulder when she catches my eyes lingering on her ass.

Really, I don't know how I've controlled myself so far.

Maybe that's why as soon as Izzy has closed the bedroom door behind me, I can't hold back any longer – I've been balancing on the edge of a knife for the past few minutes and a guy can only restrain himself for so long.

As Izzy opens her mouth to quip me with some smartass comment, I crash my mouth against hers, muffling whatever she was about to say. My teeth close around her bottom lip and I pull the flesh into my mouth, sucking hungrily as I push my jacket off my shoulders.

Tiny hands grip onto my shoulders, pulling closer, as my arms wrap around her waist and I kiss her fiercely, almost bending her backwards as we exchange hot breath. Izzy wiggles against me and I moan, breaking off from her mouth and nipping down her throat; her head falls back with a satisfied moan, one of her hands weaving into the hair at the nape of my neck.

"You're mine, Izzy," I breath against her pale skin, sucking on the mark I made earlier. "Bella is mine, too."

"I know," she gasps, trying to kiss me again.

I resist the pull of her tiny hands and gaze at her intensely, blue-green meeting slate. Sparks flare between us in the silence. "I mean it," I tell her, settling my hands on her hips. "This isn't some high school fling for me. It's more. It means more."

Izzy studies my face as I admire the redness of her swollen lips and flushed cheeks. "I know that, too," she says seriously.

I brush my lips against hers. "If there's someone sniffing around what is mine, I'll go after him. I'll hurt him. Are you ready for that kind of commitment? Because this," I gesture between us slowly, stroking her cheek. "This won't change. And I don't want it to."

Izzy levels me with a steamy look. "It won't change, Edward. You are mine – ours."

And then, our mouths engage in battle again, this time less urgent but still demanding. When Izzy pulls on my hair hard enough to hurt, I back her towards the bed, hovering over her, cradled between her milky thighs, as my hand traces her tight curves.

Izzy bites my lip when my palm presses against her breast. I move my fingers to the straps of her nightshirt and tug them down her shoulders, freeing her chest to my eyes. Perfect rose petal nipples twist under my fingers as Izzy writhes beneath me.

Almost unconsciously, my hips move against hers – slowly circling and grinding as my hands and mouth explore her breasts.

As I lick one of her nipples, I wonder if I should feel off about doing this with Bella's alter. I'd spent a long time on Google this past week and I knew that some women didn't like their alters messing around with their men. But, from what Izzy just said and from how Bella acted, I knew there would be a problem about it.

Whether she was Bella or Izzy, this was my girl.

It's that thought that pushes me further, until my hips are bucking against hers and Izzy is tugging off my shirt, running her tiny hands over the planes of my chest, sending shivers down my spine.

My mouth still focused on her breasts, I let one of my hands slide down her torso until I feel moist heat against my fingers – only a layer of cotton and lace separating me from her most secret place. Izzy's hips twitch towards my hand and I take that as my go-ahead.

Slowly, I slide her panties down her legs, my chest heaving as my eyes lock on smooth skin and dark hair trimmed and shaved into a perfect triangle. I trace my fingers over her bare lips, relishing in Izzy's stuttered gasp as she watches my face with heavy eyes. The tips of my fingers are so wet as I find her little clit – and I know exactly when I find it because Izzy shudders delicately.

I try not to let my fingers be clumsy as I had never done this before – though I had seen my fair share of research on the Internet. I didn't know that everything would feel so hot and slick and perfect. I dip one finger into her entrance, stunned by how tight it is, and keep my thumb rubbing over her swollen little nub. Faster than I think, Izzy is fluttering around my finger and her entire body tenses, shudders once, then relaxes back into the mattress as she sighs out my name.

A feeling of accomplishment fills me as I smugly kiss her chest and neck as she calms down.

"Holy hell," she murmurs, drawing my face up to hers. She's not the least bit embarrassed about being naked from the waist down or the fact that her breasts are still exposed. Izzy is very comfortable in her body. She pulls away from her languid kiss and grins at me cheekily. "On your back," she orders, pushing against my chest.

I try to protest but she simply raises a brow at me and pops the button on my jeans.

I should be mortified by how turned on I am, pre-cum staining my boxers – but I'm not, because Izzy is obviously appreciative of it all. She hardly hesitates once my jeans and underwear are on the floor, wrapping her hand around me and instantly driving me crazy – and confidently making me lose my mind too quick.

Quickly, she cleans us both up and slips back into her panties, snuggling against my side, not caring that I'm still nude.

"I'm tired," she tells me, kissing my ear.

I smile, drawing her into my arms. "Hmmm. Wonder why?"

She slaps my chest. "Put on some fucking pants."

I do.

Then I join her back in bed, wrapping her tightly in my arms.

We fall asleep easily and when the morning comes, there isn't an ounce of awkwardness between Bella and I.

I even ask her how she felt about what Izzy and I had done the night before, to which Bella had shyly smiled and said, "I hope you might want to do…that with me, too."

"Of course, sweetheart."

Pleasing her – or Izzy – would never be an issue for me.

"Then I don't have a problem with it," she smiled.

I spend the night on Saturday and Sunday, too, thankful that school on Monday is canceled due to a random snowstorm.

My scheduled time at Denali, however, is not canceled.

When I get to the Denali Corps house at four, Jasper is there too.

I struggle not to glare at him, knowing he'd gone out with Alice on Saturday night and she had come home humming, blissfully calm.

I don't want to know what he does with my sister.

Especially if it's anything like what I've done with my girl.

Jasper nods his head at me as we walk into the orange living room. He doesn't waste any time when we sit down. "Weirdest thing happened to me this weekend."

I shrug at him. "Okay."

"I was with Alice-"

"I don't want to hear about this, fucker."

Jasper laughs lazily at me. "Calm down. I'm not going to tell you anything you don't need to hear." He shakes his blond hair out of his face. "I was with Alice at the burger place and I started seeing colors."

I blink at him and slowly say, "So, you're not color blind anymore? Congrats, I guess."

Jasper shakes his head. "No, I mean, I can see color. I was seeing colors around people. It was weird as fuck."

I feel my brows furrow. "You should tell Eleazar."

Jasper snorts. "I don't trust these fuckers."

And I think, for a second, Jasper and I see eye to eye.

We're on the same page.

It doesn't matter that he's dating my sister – I mean, I really had no say in the first place.

It doesn't matter that I don't particularly like him because he'd really done nothing to me.

"I don't trust them either," I tell him.

Jasper nods at me. "Good. Because I think they've got something planned for your girl."

I sit up, leaning towards him on my elbows. "What do you mean? What do you know?"

Jasper runs his hands through his hair. "I don't know anything. I haven't heard anything either. It's just a feeling I get about them. They all seem like they're plotting something, except for that Tanya chick."

Jasper can't say anything more because, speak of the devil, Eleazar comes into the room, sipping a can of Coke. Unlike Carmen, he doesn't carry around a bunch of papers all the time. He just seems to remember everything.

"Hello, boys," he says casually as he sits on the edge of the couch. "How was your weekend?"

I glance at Jasper and he sighs. "Great. Except I was seeing colors around people on Saturday night."

Eleazar sits up straighter. "Really? Huh. Sounds like aura reading to me."

"Aura?" Jasper asks skeptically.

I don't blame him.

Eleazar had an answer really fucking quick.

"Auras. Some psychics can see electromagnetic waves around people that give information about any given person – like mood or age or even when that person is going to die. Aura reading is much harder than it sounds and it could explain why you're so good with the telepathy exercises, since aura reading at any level is a rather strong ability."

Jasper glances at me for a second and looks back at Eleazar. "Right."

"Has it happened since Saturday?"

Jasper shakes his head, leaning against the couch, looking bored already. He clearly doesn't want to be talking to Eleazar.

"What were you doing when it happened?"

"Eating," Jasper says and the aloof tone in his voice staves off any other questions.

I realize what he's done.

He didn't mention Alice at all.

He's protecting Alice.

I decide that Jasper really isn't the entitled smartass I thought he was.

Eleazar turns to me, holding his empty can of soda and smiling in a way that almost looks forced. Almost. "How about you, Edward? Any apportation?"

"No," I say honestly, somewhat glad it hadn't happened again.

I make a plan to really sit down and talk to Bella about how much she tells Denali Corps before her scheduled time tomorrow.

My gut is telling me we have to start hiding things.

I plan on following that instinct.

A/N: Cool, so another chapter on time. That means I can reward myself with Coffee Heath Bar Crunch a la the sacred Ben&Jerry's. I want to know your favorite ice cream flavors!

On to reviews:

Nerddy1012 – Welcome to the Rioteers! I love that you love the stories!

Smilingchrissy – Another Welcome! Keep reading!

Anonymous – Delivered!

cullen freak8888 – WOOT! Vacation! Where did you go? I love your run-on reviews lol

vampyregirl86 – Ack. Edward is the original character that I've written for this story. Edward is Edward, Edward is Edward. I write weird and Word failed me! Nevertheless, I want to kiss James Marsden in 27 Dresses. Hot. He is. So. Hot.

james3142 – It is win! Edward is just kicking ass all over the place!

Dinotopian – I love the developments too! Lol I should, right?

Cici G – And now we know….Jasper's gift. Kind of. Dundundun….

Kaygou – Nope. 'Fraid not. Izzy is not clairvoyant though she could prove to be telepathic. I haven't decided yet lol

KissMeI'mScottish – Well, they might have morphed this chapter lol But I guess we have to wait to find out. Edward wouldn't have known the difference…he was, uhh, occupied.

Tulip – Ah, Word fails me again. Like Edward is Edward, Emmett is Emmett. After the story is finished, I'll be editing all those mess ups. Sometimes I catch 'em, sometimes I don't.

angelari7 – I haven't read the Hunger Games though I keep meaning to lol I did recently read a fanfiction that I really loved – Cutlass by Tkegl. I love almost everything she writes. Give it a look!

Dreamzuvedward – the merging is going to be a frequent thing, I think lol Mohawks drive me nuts – not like the super drastic ones, I go crazy even for a fauxhawk…Ideal punk Mohawk is on Nick Roux from Jane By Design. Yummy.

Welcome2MyWorldxoxo – I'm planning for this story to be over 20 chapters, so the shiz wont meet the fan for a while lol

YesMyRealNameIsBella – You love my imagination? I love yours! Emmett and Edward score really low on telepathy because…..Oops, not telling! Lol

And super special shout out to my super special friend who also happened to be the first review of the last chapter…. Twilight Rocker 12 – Oh, my God so many questions lol All in due time, my dear! I did listen to that band and I loooved it. I may have to read that HushHush sequel after all….

Alright, that's the end for now…Until I finish my icecream and plot out another chapter lol

As always, be brutally honest. I can take it.

~cupcakeriot