All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer. I just like to play with the characters. My thanks to my wonderful beta edwardsmate4ever.

Vices and Vamps

Chapter 21 – Family and Town

"It seems so unfair," Bella commented. "They didn't choose the life, yet they are being hunted."

"They're killing people, Bella," Jasper said. "They're not all like us."

"Oh, right."

"You should go back to the Webers and spend time with your mother," suggested Carlisle.

"I'll see you after dark, OK?" said Jasper, giving her one last kiss.

"OK," she said, holding his hand a second longer, and only releasing it when she got into her car. He came to the open window, his fingers touching the top of the glass for a few long seconds before he stepped back as she started the engine.

Though she was reluctant to part with him, she left him with Carlisle and Emmett in the backyard of Charlie's house and drove back to the Webers.

There she endured dinner with Renee and the Webers, forcing herself to smile as they tried again to ferret out the reason for her glow.

"You just look, well, as if you've come back to life," Renee commented while passing the chicken. "This really looks wonderful," she added.

"Thank you," Mrs. Weber replied. "It's a new recipes. Remember Tuesday when we were watching Rachael Ray?" Renee "ooh-ed" and started to talk about the show but was interrupted.

"Your Mom's right, Bella. You're smiling," said Angela's sister, redirecting the conversation back to Bella.

Bella sighed, uncomfortable with the attention. "I guess I just needed to be home," Bella replied. "Be like, I don't know, outdoors. Trees, moss, ferns, water. You know."

"You like the sun," said Renee flatly. "It rains here all the time."

"I must have missed this, though," Bella replied. "I'm feeling connected."

"Nature has a strong healing ability. Brings the soul closer to God," Mr. Weber commented.

Bella couldn't resist. "You mean like the Emily Dickinson line, 'so instead of getting to heaven, at last- / I'm going, all along'?"

Angela's sister snickered. She'd sat through her father's sermons all her life.

But Mr. Weber didn't seem to mind. He appeared to be a genuinely good man who was happy when others were happy. He bobbed his head and smiled even though the joke was on him.

Fortunately, Angela's sister had some back-to-school issues to discuss, turning the conversation away from Bella. She tried to stay in the moment, tried to enjoy her time with Renee, but it was hard, knowing Jasper was so close and she was going to see him soon.

Renee started talking to Mrs. Weber about some ideas she had for helping refresh the house's look without doing a major remodel. Bella knew the women would be able to talk for hours on the topic. In addition to the soaps and Rachael Ray, they had been watching the DIY programs on TV and poring over internet websites for several days. If Mrs. Weber could keep Renee distracted, it would be easier for her to slip off to see Jasper again. At one point, Bella caught Mrs. Weber's eye. The older woman gave her a smile and she realized that Mrs. Weber was working on distracting Renee so that Bella could leave. Mrs. Weber may not have known the reason for Bella's anxiety, but she was sensitive enough to pick up on it.

Grateful for her hostess' assistance, Bella left when dinner was over and the dishes washed. When she went back to the Cullen house, she was introduced to the remaining members of the family.

The first person Esme introduced her to was Emmett's mate, a stunning blonde named Rosalie. She was statuesque to the point of being intimidating and seemed a bit reserved if not downright snotty, but she clearly loved Emmett. The two couldn't keep their eyes or their hands off of one another. Once the introduction was over, Emmett's arm went around Rosalie's waist, and Bella watched as they seemed to make constant contact, leaning toward one another and whispering. She felt a little jealous at their closeness.

Next up was the other vampress she hadn't met, Alice, who was Edward's mate. Alice was bouncy and lively, all bright eyes and glittering teeth. Though she didn't think Alice intended to appear threatening, her teeth seemed to catch the light and shine when she laughed.

That meant the only Cullen she still hadn't met was Edward. Carlisle explained that he was watching the perimeter for other vampires. Bella thought there might be more to it than that, but decided to ask questions later.

She spent the rest of the evening with the Cullens, the three couples sitting together while Alice perched on the end of the sofa, rattling off stories about their escapades over the years. It seemed to Bella that she was keeping watch for something, and was sounding a bit nervous, but no one else was commenting, so Bella tried to enjoy sitting with Jasper.

They agreed she would meet Jasper the next day at twilight. He needed to hunt and didn't want to risk being outside in case the sun broke through the clouds.

Bella decided to spend the day car shopping. Forks was too small to have much selection, so she drove the red truck that was still at Charlie's into Port Angeles to look at a few cars, fuming at the maximum speed of 55 on the old truck. She saw a few cars that looked good, but wanted to check out a few others before buying, so she was back in Forks by late afternoon.

On her return, she parked and walked through the small town, feeling the familiar sense of confinement at its small size. There had been nothing for her here, which was why she had gone to Seattle to join the police force. Finally she headed to the Forks Coffee Shop for an early dinner before meeting Jasper.

Inside, she found a few old school friends, classmates who had never left Forks for greener pastures. They had updates on their marriages and children, and a lot of questions about her career in Seattle. She stayed longer than she planned.

As she went outside, she saw the sun was beginning to dip behind the trees that ringed the town. Just a little while until she saw Jasper. She looked down the Forks Avenue, the bit of highway 101 whose name changed briefly to Forks Avenue until it reached the other side of town. You could easily walk from one end of Forks to the other. Bella just didn't see how people could live an entire life here. She watched the cars go past her down the street. There were never many. How many passing through? How many staying? She had been gone long enough that no longer recognized all of the town's residents.

She heard the sound of a car door opening behind her, so she turned automatically then froze.

Mike Newton was standing on the sidewalk, three feet away from her.

"So nice to see you again," he said in a low voice.

Xx

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