Shillan Seva: You have no idea how instantly angry I was when I read your comment. How did I not think of that first!? Of course the cat should be named Nick Furry! Stupid! *facepalm*
CaptainTacoBell: Don't hurt yourself like that! Just read it immediately!
Also guys, this is my longest story ever. I'm not even close to finished! Alright, enough talk, go read!
"But why?" Bella demanded. Collin was sitting on the couch in the Cullen's living room. He leaned against Bella and had his legs across Rosalie. Neither of them was willing to let him out of their sight. Brady sat on the floor, his back against Bella's legs. He was playing Emmett in some shooting game Bella had never heard of before. Bella ran her fingers through Brady's hair. The scare over almost losing Collin had brought her closer to both of the young boys. Rosalie was attached to the pups as well. She read a book over Collin's tented legs. The Denali's sat on the other couches around the coffee table. Jasper was looking at Alice's sketches of people who kept appearing in her visions. Most of the wolves were listening to Esme describe what she was feeding them for dinner.
Sam repeated himself. "You need to go to school."
"But why?" Bella drawled. Rosalie laughed, never looking up from her book.
"I agree with Sam," Carlisle joined in. He stood next to Sam, staring down Bella. They both folded their arms at the same time. Bella felt like she was being scolded by her two dads. "We need to keep up appearances, at the very least. You have all," He gestured to every student in the room, "missed the last three days of school. We can't have that."
"I would argue," Jacob said without looking away from the tv, "that an impending vampire threat is probably more important than geometry."
"And I would argue," Sam said, "that as your alpha if I say go to school, you have to go to school." Everyone groaned but Leah. She smiled; happy they were going back to school. She and Angela texted all day every day, and as much as Leah loved her pack and wanted to keep them safe, she also was dying to see her imprint.
Bella pulled a throw pillow from next to her and handed it to Rosalie. "Aphrodite, if you would please." Rosalie didn't even look up from her book. She took the pillow and threw it at Leah, who was hit squarely in the face. The boys dissolved into laughter. Leah's dopey smile didn't disappear, even though the strength of the throw knocked her over.
"Rosalie! Have I taught you no manners?" Esme scolded.
Rosalie pointed a finger. "Bella did it."
"But I saw-" Rosalie put a hand over Collin's mouth before he could sell her out. She gave him a pointed look, the removed her hand. "Bella did it. Definitely."
"Traitor!" Bella shouted. The wolves laughed at their antics.
"That's my boy," Rosalie murmured fondly. Bella's heart was so full, she couldn't even be mad. She knew there was an impending threat, but with Collin and Brady leaning on her while she smiled at Rosalie, it was hard to believe. Rosalie could feel Bella's eyes on her. She slowly started to smile. Her eyes flicked to meet Bella's. The mirth in Rosalie's eyes made Bella's heart beat faster. I've got to tell her, Bella thought as she gazed at Rosalie. The vampire looked away first, reading her book.
The last three days had seen the Cullen's and the pack get closer than ever. While they waited for Collin to recover, the wolves rarely went home. Some of them occasionally split off into groups of three to run the large Forks and Rez border. Sam had been back to the reservation to spend nights with Emily and update the elders. Each day the wolves relaxed a bit more. Jasper was delighted to have humans he could interact with that he didn't want to hurt.
"That settles it," Carlisle smiled. "All students will be in class tomorrow."
The wolves groaned. Emmett joined in, groaning the loudest.
As soon as they got to school the next day, Leah peeled off to join Angela. Angela was hugging her books to her chest as she stood awkwardly outside the door to the school. When she saw the wolf jogging to her a smile split her face wide open. Leah hurried to open the door for Angela. The two looked like they were in their own little world. Rosalie joined Bella. "They're disgusting."
"It's gross, isn't it?" Bella looked sideways at Rosalie. "Wolves with their imprints, how awful."
Rosalie huffed. "Blah."
Rosalie started walking to the school. Bella hopped up to her fell into step with her. "Is that so bad?" Bella questioned.
"Is what so bad?" Rosalie asked as she opened the door.
"Knowing right away who your soulmate is? Just locking eyes with them and knowing they're who you want forever?"
"Depends on why you're asking," Rosalie deadpanned.
"Just curious," Bella answered back, laughing.
Lunchtime was an affair. Bella and her wolves blended seamlessly with the Forks teens. Mike was looking at Jess, hoping she would give him attention. After Bella had shut him down aggressively, he had returned to his old reliable crush. The problem was, she wasn't so reliable anymore. Jessica and Lauren hung on Jacob's every word. He basked in their attention.
"Tell us more about life on the rez." Jacob regaled the girls with tales of racing dirt bikes in the woods, wrestling with his friends, and diving off the highest cliff over the ocean. Jessica's giggle was so annoying, Bella considered crawling under the table. She rolled her eyes and looked at the Cullen table. Rosalie was looking down at her plate, talking quietly to Emmett across the table. Alice popped up, skipped over to Bella, and dropped into her lap. The people at the table were surprised.
"Well hello, dear Alice, how are you on this fine day?"
Alice giggled behind her hand. "I'm fantastic, I just wanted to come over and say hi." Bella looked at the Cullen's table and saw them all watching her and Alice. "I also wanted to know if you wanted to come back over tonight and do that thing we did yesterday?" Alice dragged a finger flirtatiously down Bella's chin and across her neck. The entire cafeteria was silent.
Bella smirked. "Of course, I do. This time though, you have to buy the whipped cream." Newton spit the water he was drinking all over Jess. Jacob laughed at the top of his lungs, and the rest of the cafeteria burst into noise again. Most of them were whispering about what they imagined Alice and Bella could be talking about. Jasper smirked at his wife. Rosalie stormed out of the cafeteria. Bella leaned closer to Alice, who was still draped across her. "Can I ask what this was for?"
"Just trying to get a rise out of my dear sister." Alice kissed Bella on the cheek, booped her on the nose with one finger and glided back to her table. Emmett was trying so hard to control himself that their whole table rocked with his barely contained laughs. Bella winked at him and continued eating her lunch while Lauren demanded Jacob's attention return to her. Never a dull moment.
By gym class, all the wolves were antsy. They were ready to get out of school. Leah was torn. She wanted to get out of school as well, but she also wanted to be around Angela. Bella and Jake were ready to run. He kept sending her text messages about the game he and Bella were playing after school. Bella wondered if she could box with someone during gym class just to get rid of her extra energy. Emmett would probably be game. Unfortunately, Gym class was a no-contact sport for every student in Forks. Ever since the dodgeball incident of 2015, flag football and dodgeball had been removed from the curriculum. Floor hockey was out, and basketball only survived because of a petition by students. The sport of the day, volleyball, was introduced to replace dodgeball. It was considered safe for the students. Most of the time.
Angela snuck into their gym class that afternoon. Leah had asked her to come to watch them play, and Angela had done so happily. Angela sat by Rosalie, a respectable one-foot gap between them. Angela liked the Cullen's, and that included the self-proclaimed Ice Queen. Ang politely asked Rosalie questions about herself, and Rosalie politely answered. When Leah did something impressive, Angela clapped and cheered. Leah beamed at them. Watching the two interact made Bella happy, and also gave her anxiety about her own imprint.
As they rotated through the volleyball lineup, Bella and Leah ended up together in the back row. "So, how's that going?"
"How's what going?" Leah asked.
"Angela seems to be enjoying your attention."
Leah looked up at Angela. She smiled and waved. Angela waved back. "Yeah, things are going well. "
"Have you told her?"
"Have you told her?" Angela whispered as low as possible to avoid any of the vampires hearing.
Bella ground her teeth. "So, what's your plan here?"
Leah scratched the back of her neck as they waited for Alice to serve the ball. "Not sure yet. Maybe ask her to hang out?"
"Hang out?" Bella wiggled her eyebrows.
"Shut up."
The ball soared over the net and hit Bella in the face. She looked through the net, scandalized, to see Alice and Emmett laughing. "Swan!" Coach Clapp shouted. "Pay attention. No conversations on the court!"
"I thought," Bella said, rubbing the side of her face, "we're supposed to communicate on the court."
"About the game!" Clapp yelled back. "Now pay attention! Cullen, again!" The game continued. The teams were evenly matched, and Bella did her best to focus. At some point, Tyler came into the gym and sat down by Angela. He was talking to her about a science assignment. Angela gave Tyler a short answer to his question without looking away from the game on the court. Tyler wasn't phased by her lack of attention. He shifted his attention to Rosalie.
"Hi Rosalie! How are you today?"
"I am well Crowley, how are you?" Rosalie seemed to be put off by the fact that the humans were becoming more comfortable around the Cullen's. Bella, Jacob, Leah, and Angela all seemed to be growing closer to the Cullen's. As Emmett and Alice interacted with people, kids were giving all of them a smaller berth.
"I just wanted to ask you a question." Bella tuned in, listening to the conversation on the bleachers.
"What would that be?"
Rosalie looked directly at Tyler, her golden eyes seeming to see his soul. He swallowed hard but continued, "Are you dating Emmett?"
"I am not." Rosalie set the book on her lap, one eyebrow raised.
"Would you like to..uh," he swallowed again. Bella left the volleyball court in the middle of a point and started up the bleachers. She could see where this was going, and the wolf in her roared in anger. "Would you like to go on a date with me?" Bella jumped the last bleacher between them and socked Tyler on the jaw. Angela reeled back from the commotion, surprised. "Bella, what the fuck?" Tyler yelled, holding his jaw. Rosalie took one look at Bella and her glowing eyes and acted.
Bella was shaking and wringing her hands. "Bella, not here," Rosalie hissed. She started pulling Bella down the bleachers. The trembling didn't stop.
"Swan, what are you doing?" Coach Clapp shouted at Bella. She struggled with Rosalie, trying to escape her. He blew on the whistle, and Bella's trembling turned into shaking as the sound ripped through her control. Rosalie pulled her through the door into the hallway.
"Bella, you have got to get a hold of yourself." Rosalie looked at Bella. Her eyes continued to glow.
"I'll kill him." Her voice escaped through gritted teeth, a low rumble somewhere between words and a growl. The shaking continued as Bella tried to get back to the gym. Rosalie slammed Bella against the wall outside the gym. Her back hit the cinderblock wall, and her elbow knocked some of the wall inward. "I will kill him."
"Bella, calm down!" Rosalie looked into Bella's eyes. The wolf was about to lose control. She was slightly taller than Rosalie was, and Rosalie was already struggling to keep Bella still. She knew there was no way she could stop Bella if she shifted right here. In a moment of desperation, Rosalie did the only thing she could think of. She put an arm behind Bella's neck, pulled Bella's face down to meet hers, and kissed her. Rosalie's dead heart twitched in her chest. Bella's lips were impossibly soft, and her skin was so warm. Rosalie leaned into Bella, forgetting herself for a moment in the harshly lit school hallway. Bella froze. Her quaking stopped.
Bella leaned away from Rosalie. "Why…" Bella said, shocked.
"I'm sorry, I was just trying to calm you down." Rosalie looked away from the intensity on Bella's face. She thanked her lucky stars that she couldn't blush. The embarrassment Rosalie felt had her wondering if she could die from it. "I didn't mean to cross any boundaries, I just didn't want you to shift in the middle of-"
"Rosalie." Bella's voice was low and harsh as if her entire throat rebelled against speaking.
The sound made Rosalie's entire body tingle. She looked up at the wolf. Bella's eyes were still burning bright. "Yeah?"
Bella grabbed Rosalie's shirt and pulled the vampire until their bodies were flush against one another. She searched Rosalie's eyes, looking for something. Whatever it was, Bella must have found it, because put a hand on Rosalie's chin, pulled Rose's face to her own, and kissed Rosalie again. The first kiss had been hurried, a quick and desperate attempt to calm Bella down. This kiss was different. It was frenzied. Rosalie pushed Bella back against the wall. Bella moaned, and her hands landed firmly on Rosalie's hips, holding her close. Rosalie's fangs came out just as the door to the gym opened. Rosalie and Bella sprang apart, Bella with her hands quickly going in her gym short pockets, and Rosalie with one hand over her mouth to cover her fangs.
Alice stood there, eyes sparkling. "It's about damn time. I thought you guys would have chosen a better venue than outside the gym class, but finally!" Bella laughed quietly. Rosalie's fangs retracted. "Are you guys gonna do it out here, or do you think you can wait till later?" Bella cleared her throat, while Rosalie simply glared at her sister. "You," she pointed at Bella, "are in trouble. You should probably get back in here. You," she pointed at Rosalie, "should probably walk it off. Your eyes are making you look like a demon."
Rosalie blinked a few times. "Fuck you," she seethed.
"I don't think it's me you want to-"
"Alice," Bella hissed, "go!" Bella waved her hands, indicating Alice should get back in the gym. Bella rubbed the back of her neck. "I should probably get in there and face Clapp and Tyler." Rosalie nodded, trying to breathe deeply and make her eyes return to their normal gold. Bella walked a step past Rosalie, preparing herself for whatever was about to happen. "Hey, Aphrodite?"
Rosalie looked at Bella, whose eyes were back to their normal gold-flecked brown. "Hm?"
Bella leaned back and stole a quick kiss from Rosalie. "That's all." She smirked at the stunned vampire and went back in the gym. Rosalie could hear Clapp screaming at Bella. She gently touched her lips. Holy shit.
I hope this brought you joy, because I smiled the whole darn time I wrote it.
So...you're welcome.
Reviews are food, and I am starving. (Just kidding, but that was fun to say.)