I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.

Gabby and April, thank you for pre-reading, and Fran, thank you for editing. Any mistakes left are my own.

Ch. 14

"Edward, who is that woman? She's the voice that I heard in Rose's head." Bella looked concerned.

"That's Evelyn Hale, Rosalie's mother. She makes Rose look like a kitten in comparison. I always thought Rose got her personality from her," I answered, watching the mother and daughter talk in hush whispers.

Although it was more like Evelyn was doing the talking while Rose was looking despondent. I was curious to know why I never noticed how they interacted before.

"No, they aren't alike at all. Mrs. Hale's aura is dark. I wouldn't say she was evil, but there are very few positive vibes about her. I question if she even loves her daughter." Bella frowned.

"We should probably leave them to it, so they don't think we're eavesdropping." I gently pulled on her arm to lead her away.

Bella opened her mouth, looking ready to argue when suddenly Evelyn's harsh voice cut through the air, impossible to ignore.

"You're not getting any younger. You'll have to step up your game to get a ring on your finger. Look at his brother, he already tossed Tanya to the side for a younger model. You're going to lose him, Rosalie, and it will only be your own fault. You'll be alone, because you're not coming back home to your father and me."

I was frozen, unable to move or look away from the scene. Rose's lips trembled as she looked down at her feet. I felt Bella move swiftly from my side.

"Rose, there you are, why are you hiding? Emmett was looking for you. I love the dress that you've chosen for tonight." Bella went as far as to hug the stunned blonde.

"Who are you?" Evelyn eyed my angel with scrutiny.

"Mother, this is Isabella Swan." Rose glanced between them with uncertainty.

"Swan…I don't recognize the name." Mrs. Hale looked down her nose at Bella.

"You wouldn't, she's not from around here." I entered the conversation, coming to stand next to Bella.

"Rosalie, you look beautiful. My brother is a lucky man to have you on his arm tonight." I gave her a smile.

Rose looked surprised, and she glanced quickly at Bella. From the expression on my angel's face, I knew she was pleased with what I said and wasn't remotely bothered by it.

"I agree—the two of you make a handsome couple together." Bella nodded.

Rose began to smile softly. "Thank you, both, you're too kind. I like what you've done with your hair, Bella."

"Thank you. I have to admit I was nervous that it wouldn't come out right. I tried several times, and Edward was no help at all." Bella's eyes sparkled.

Rose smiled bigger. "Men rarely are about hair and clothes."

"Hmph…I'll see you inside," Evelyn said dismissively.

We watched her walk down the hall and out of sight. Once she was gone, Rose's smile dropped.

"How much did you two hear?" She wouldn't look at us, and all the friendliness had left her voice.

"Just the very last thing she said to you. We didn't mean to overhear, we were only dropping off the coats," I answered cautiously.

"I hope you don't believe her, most of what she said was untrue," Bella said softly.

Rose's eyes snapped to her, and she looked skeptical.

"I agree. For starters, you know why Tanya and I aren't together. Secondly, I can state confidently that my brother is in love with you; he has been since the two of you first met. If he weren't, he wouldn't have kept you around this long," I told her.

"It's been three years, then why hasn't he…nevermind, I shouldn't be asking." Rose frowned.

I took a guess at what she was going to say. "My brother tends to be lazy when he's comfortable with how things are. I'd suggest that you ask him yourself if you want answers." I shrugged.

She hesitated then noted. "Perhaps I will. Thank you, both." She turned to Bella. "I haven't been nice to you, but yet, you've been kinder to me than I deserve—why?"

"I believe in treating others how you want to be treated. If I were to retaliate what good would come of it?" Bella answered with a smile.

Rose grimaced slightly and looked away for a moment. "I owe you an apology, Bella, for how I acted towards you. I hope you give me another chance."

"I would like that, Rose. I have a feeling we will see quite a bit of each other in years to come." Bella gave her another hug which Rose returned this time.

O

After the dinner dishes had been cleared, I took Bella out onto the dance floor for a few spins before dessert, and the speakers began. The mood was light, and I had near forgotten the events of the first part of the evening. Bella's head rested on my shoulder with her eyes closed, a dreamy expression on her face. I kissed the top of her head as I watched the people around us. Alice was nearby with her feet on top of Jasper's to make up for their height difference. Rose was laughing as Emmett spun her by us.

A few that knew the family had seemed surprised by Bella at my side. However, thankfully they had gone easy on the questions and were polite to her … with the exception of Tanya's best friend, Irina, who snubbed Bella's hand and made a condescending comment about Bella's age.

After the song had ended, we were asked to return to our tables. As I held Bella's seat for her, I spotted a familiar, strawberry blonde at the podium. She caught my eye and smirked. I glanced to see where Carmen, Tanya's mother, was since she usually was the one to speak. She was sitting with my parents at another table.

"She wouldn't." I sat hard down in my seat.

"Who wouldn't what?" Emmett asked in confusion, looking around. "Oh sh…sugar."

"She would." Alice groaned.

Rose glanced at Tanya and shook her head. "What is her deal, you've done nothing to her, yet she seems hell bent on having people think you scorned her?"

Jasper scoffed. "She's looking for sympathy. If she strikes first, people are more apt to believe her side of the story."

"Should we leave?" Emmett suggested.

"We can't. It would look bad and only seem to confirm whatever she's going to pull," Rose disagreed.

"We need some veritasserum like Harry Potteruses to make her tell the truth," Emmett joked.

I rolled my eyes at his childish comment.

"Who is Harry Potter?" Bella asked.

"He's a great wizard who is the chosen one to fight the evil, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, in order to save the wizarding world and the Muggles too," Emmett explained.

The scary part is that he talked about it as if it was all real. Jasper pinched the bridge of his nose, and his shoulders shook with laughter. I groaned and looked at my Angel who looked even more confused and a bit concerned.

"It's a children's book series that was made into movies about wizards and witches," Alice explained.

I sighed in relief until she continued.

"Besides, Sabrina the Teenage Witch would be so much better. She would just have to cast a spell and point her finger. Something like; If Tanya's intent is filthy lies, let only the truth from her lips fly. Whereas, in Harry Potter, you would need to brew a potion—who has time for that," Alice stated dramatically.

Good grief.

What was Bella going to think about my family? I glanced at her, and she was looking at Alice with an eyebrow raised and an amused grin.

"Please, tell me I'm not the only one that thinks this conversation has gotten weird," Jasper complained.

"You don't believe in witches and wizards, Jasper?" Bella giggled mischievously.

"As much as I believe in vampires that sparkle," he said dryly, taking a sip of his whiskey.

"I'm sorry to kill everyone's good moods, but she's about to speak. If you're going to do something, I suggest you do it now." Rose was eyeing Tanya with distrust.

I started to stand, but Bella placed her hand on my arm. She gave me a soft smile and shook her head. I paused, glancing at Tanya briefly before sighing and sitting. Hopefully, Bella had worked her own magic.

"Good evening, and thank you for coming out to support our charity sponsored by the Woman's Auxiliary." Tanya greeted everyone. "Please joining me by giving a hand to all the ladies that made this night possible.

There was a round of applause, and I exchanged a look with Jasper. He seemed to be on guard as I was. Tanya's smile changed from pleasant to sad in a matter of seconds.

"I hold this charity close to my heart. So many women are abused daily by men and are afraid to come forward." Tanya's clutched her hand to her chest and blinked back tears as she paused dramatically.

"So tonight, I've decided to share my story."

A/N:

Yes, I know an evil cliffy.

So many of you guessed that it was Rose's mother, and you were right. She is just a nasty cold woman. A small note in case of any confusion, Rose isn't under a spell to make her nicer. The spell in the soup was to only eliminate the negative voice in her head, and so she could see herself clearly. Rose was a nicer person deep down it was hindered by her mother's voice in her head.

Harry Potter vs. Sabrina, any thoughts?

Thank you for all the love and reviews you have given my story.

One more announcement:

I'm secret keeper for We Love Mobward Contest. We are looking for readers and writers. You can look it up on fanfiction if you search We Love Mobward Contest under writer. There's also a Facebook page after the com add groups/ 273818629702842.