Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns everything in here except my imagination and some of the characters. I have also made some slight changes to her world.

I make no apologies for being British, but it does mean that sometimes my spelling/grammar or the words I use may be unfamiliar.

I have used my imagination to create some of the characters and their backgrounds. They are fictional and do not represent anyone living or dead from this reality. Although I can't speak for other realities….

A thousand thanks to my pre-readers Andrea and hubby Harry – I can't do this without you both!

Bella's POV

New Friends

Dad went to answer the door while I stayed and fidgeted in the living room.

Do I sit?

Do I stand?

Do I put my hands in my pockets and act casual? Oh wait, hands in pockets could mean I'm hiding something! So do I clasp my hands in front, leave them hanging at my side, or clasp them behind my back?

Aargh! I don't know!

My inner monologue came to an abrupt halt as dad walked into the living room followed by… a blonde Adonis! Wow! He was extremely good looking with the most amazing eyes; the colour of warm butterscotch I used to pour on my ice cream. And his skin looked flawless; pale, but strikingly flawless. He was a little taller than dad, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, a plain burgundy coloured tie and a long, black coat undone, which reached his knees. I smiled tentatively, hoping I looked calm, welcoming. In reality I was so nervous I probably looked constipated!

"This is my daughter, Isabella. Isabella, this is Carlisle Cullen."

I held my hand out to shake his.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Cullen."

"Please call me Carlisle. It's a pleasure to meet you too. I believe you were upstairs the last time we came." He turned his head towards my dad. "You have a beautiful daughter, Charlie."

Both dad and I blushed as dad muttered a 'thank you' to Carlisle. I noticed Carlisle's hand was cold and hard as a rock. I didn't feel any flexibility; it was unyielding. I would even go as far as to say it was probably indestructible! He released my hand and stepped aside to let another vampire step forward. I was so busy staring at Carlisle I didn't notice anyone else!

Another vampire now stood in front of me. He was a little taller than Carlisle and his blonde hair was wavy, but he was no less handsome! He shared the same coloured eyes and had the same hard hand.

"Isabella, this is my son, Jasper." Carlisle's voice was as smooth as I remembered it, but Jasper hadn't spoken last time. He still didn't – he just bowed slightly and stepped away from me allowing…

"Bella! It's so good to finally meet you!"

Woah!

"And this is my daughter and Jasper's wife, Alice."

A woman my height with short, dark, spiky hair had jumped forward and grabbed me, pulling me into a tight hug as if we'd been best friends forever! Her smile was wide and infectious; I had no choice but to return it. I did notice, however, that she called me 'Bella' but dad had introduced me as 'Isabella.' How did she know I preferred 'Bella?' Was it just a coincidence? Maybe she heard my dad refer to me by that name last time she was here.

"Er… hello… Nice to meet you too," I mumbled as she still had hold of me. Boy, she was strong and she was certainly friendly! As I continued to smile, she giggled. I found myself wondering if it was normal for vampires to giggle…

"Let's sit, shall we?" Dad pointed to the sofa and then looked at me. "If you want to go upstairs, you can," he whispered.

Before I could say anything, Alice grabbed my hand and led me towards the sofa.

"You can sit with me, Bella!" Alice cried, still wearing the huge grin on her face.

I shrugged at my dad. I really didn't want to miss this and besides, I couldn't go against a vampire now, could I!

As instructed, I sat next to Alice. Carlisle stood at the fireplace while Jasper sat on the window seat. Dad sat in his own chair and once he'd wrenched his gaze away from Alice and I still clasping hands, he looked at Carlisle expectantly. Carlisle gazed back.

"Charlie, I have a feeling you have something to tell me, but I'll go first if you don't mind?"

Dad nodded.

"I contacted the hospital. Unfortunately they are unable to give me anymore time as the person I am replacing has already left. The only compromise I could think of was if I come alone for now and my family follow at a later date, as long as it's not too long; I don't want my children to miss too much school."

Did Alice just snort? She turned it into a cough, but I'm sure it was a snort!

Dad, though, seemed to age in front of my eyes. He rubbed his face in his hands and sighed. I felt really sad for him. All of this business with the werewolves was taking its toll on him. I had a sudden urge to run over to him and hug him… hard… and never let go. Just as a tear was about to escape I jumped slightly as Alice added her other hand to our already encased hands.

It will be okay, Bella," she soothed. It felt weird having my hand surrounded by hers. It felt like a pebble was gently caressing my skin. I smiled at her and she smiled back. I certainly didn't expect to receive comfort from a vampire.

"Carlisle," my dad started. "There's something you should know. I didn't know if it would be wise to tell you or not, but I've decided I should tell you, especially as you'll be bringing your family here. It may not be safe for you, Carlisle."

My dad spent the next hour explaining everything… and I mean everything. Carlisle asked a couple of questions along the way, for clarification, while Alice continued to hold my hand. I hadn't noticed, but while dad was talking, Jasper had moved from his seat to stand behind Alice and I; I only noticed when Alice looked back and smiled. He was quiet! I hadn't heard him move at all, unless I was too busy listening to dad. Yeah, that was it.

Dad finished by showing Carlisle his arm. The hand print was slowly fading, but the fact that it was still visible made me realise how hard he must have been grabbed. Carlisle began pacing in front of the fireplace, seemingly deep in thought. No one appeared to be breathing as we watched Carlisle.

"I'm sorry, Carlisle." I was surprised dad spoke again. "We kept these things from you because we didn't trust you, but you've not given me any reason not to trust you. We are not expecting you to help, but I couldn't keep it any longer from you, not when you yourself have a family to protect."

Carlisle stopped pacing and faced my dad.

"First of all, thank you for trusting us, Charlie. I know it must be difficult when you don't know us. However, this changes things. I need to speak with my family, but I'm sure they'll agree that we can't move here to sit back and do nothing. While I knew your ancestors had the ability to shift, I'm still surprised it's happening now. We haven't been to the reservation since our last visit so they aren't reacting to us. I would like your permission to have a look around, to see if I can pick up any scents. Will you allow us to move in this weekend? We can meet again Sunday evening if you wish? You, Isabella, Harry and Billy are welcome to come and meet my family. I'll ring Sunday afternoon with directions. How does that sound?"

"Carlisle," Charlie answered. "We can't drag you into this. The werewolves are our problem."

"Charlie, I can assure you this: if our Royal Family find out about the werewolves, they WILL descend on this place. They will make no distinction between your wolves and the werewolves. And they are NOT vegetarians. The werewolves need to be dealt with before the Royal Family find out. There is also the added problem of your visitors, who could be vampires, but our kind doesn't usually mix with werewolves, though it's not impossible I suppose."

"That sounds great, but I need to discuss this with Harry and Billy. I'm sure they're still worried vampires moving back. I'll try and put their minds at rest."

"Okay, Charlie. I'll speak to you Sunday. Isabella, it was lovely meeting you. I hope to see you again soon."

"You too, sir," I said, shaking his hand. Alice still had hold of my left hand and continued to hold it to the front door.

"Bella," she said as she looked at me. "I can't wait until I see you again. When I get moved in, we'll go for a coffee, okay?"

Damn. I knew I should've offered them a drink! "That would be great Alice, see you soon." She hugged me again before following Carlisle out to the car. Jasper came next, giving me a small wave and a smile. I still hadn't heard him speak! Maybe he couldn't?

As soon as they were gone I felt… bereft. I had psyched myself up so much! I decided to ring Jake as I hadn't spoken to him for what seemed like so long.

"Hey Jake, how's it going?" I asked.

"Great! How did it go with the bloodsuckers?"

I frowned. "The what?"

"You know, bloodsuckers, leeches, vampires."

"Oh… right." I continued to frown. I didn't like them being called those names. I felt uncomfortable, though I didn't tell Jake that. "It went well. I sat with Alice, she's really…"

"Yeah Bells, did you hear about Leah?"

"I was th…"

"I can't believe she shifted, a girl! It should've been me next. I mean, how can she change? It's not fair!"

"Okay Jake. I'm off to bed now. I'll see you tomorrow sometime."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye Jake. Jake?" He'd already put the phone down before I could answer. Sometimes he really pushed my buttons! I went to bed and dreamt about sitting in coffee shops with a certain dark haired vampire!

Saturday morning saw two more of my friends shifting. It was decided that Sam would take any new shifters under his wing. Paul was happy enough with his new abilities so he went back home, but he was always on hand to help Sam with the new wolves. Quil and Embry still struggled with their control so they stayed with Sam. They were joined this morning by Jared, who was shocked but excited! I think Quil was missing Claire as the chiefs had decided it was best the boys stayed away from the girls until they felt their control had improved. Billy met with Jared, his parents and Sam, while dad and I had a phone call; we were now on our way to the Young house. Emily had shifted! Emily's mum had phoned Harry for help, but Leah had refused to go and see Emily. She had got so mad that she had shifted in her bedroom, causing damage and chaos. She was currently running around somewhere, blowing off steam.

Meanwhile, Emily was currently pacing on the front lawn getting more and more agitated. As Charlie and I pulled up, she turned to look. Her fur was tan and black, the black being the same shade as her hair, but I could see the worry in her eyes.

"It'll be okay, Emily. I'm going to go and get you a blanket," I soothed. She whined at me, but I was unable to understand what she was trying to convey. "Don't worry; I'll be back in a moment. Listen to dad; he'll help you, just try not to shift until I get back."

I ran into the house as dad started talking to Emily. I found Emily's mum slumped on the sofa with her head in her hands.

"Where are the blankets, Mrs Young?" I asked quietly. She pointed upstairs and whispered, "Emily's room. On the chair." As I ran upstairs I heard my dad come into the house and began trying to soothe Mrs Young. I grabbed the blanket, ran downstairs, flew through the door and stopped at the sight before me.

Sam had arrived in wolf form and was stood next to Emily, nuzzling her. Soft noises, like sighs or purrs, were emanating from both of them. It was truly a beautiful sight.

Would it be like this for Jake and I?

Here are a couple of recommendations for you.

Torn by Dooba – story number: 6356034

This story is absolutely amazing. Really. It isn't finished and don't expect a quick gallop through to the end; it's slow, but it can't be anything else.

Summary: Bella Swan has survived a living hell, twice. She no longer speaks. Nobody ever listened. The Cullen family take her into their care. Bella fights to leave her past behind, but will she be able to let love in?

The Foreign Papers byjavamomma0921 – story number: 6695089

I don't want to say much as I don't want to give anything away, but READ IT! It's a good adventure story with a few twists… All I'll say is poor Alice

Summary: Bella Swan is an expert in antique documents. When the paper trail she is following leads overseas and she finds herself enamoured with an enigmatic man named Edward Masen, will her training be enough to help her solve the mystery surrounding him?