Bella

We walked down the stairs into the living room. Almost everyone was already there; the only ones missing were Rosalie, Tanya and Esme. Everyone else was separated into their own groups. Alice, Jasper and Emmett were in one; Kate, Irina and Carlisle were in another. Carmen and Eleazar simply sat together. Edward and I sat together on one of the couches, opposite of Alice and Jasper. Alice leaned around Jasper to speak to me.

"Bella, we are going to have to come up with some convincing stories for you to tell Charlie when you get back."

"I know Alice. And we will have to make sure that we include Jasper in them too. Charlie thinks we were all together. And I assume that you have documents made up to prove that I was there? He'll want to see those too you know."

Alice grinned. "Of course. I already have them. You were distributing supplies to areas that were very much in need of them. I would have had us administering vaccinations but I know how much you hate needles. And blood." She laughed.

Kate and Irina stopped talking and looked over at me curiously.

"You hate blood, Bella?" Kate asked, amazement in her voice. I flushed to the roots of my hair but Emmett jumped in before I could speak.

"Oh yes, our Bella here gets nauseous just at the sight of it. Faints dead away." He pantomimed a swoon then busted out laughing.

"Thanks Emmett." I said disgustedly. Kate and Irina were laughing too.

"It's just ironic." Irina said. "Your boyfriend drinks blood and the sight of it makes you faint." She laughed a little.

"Actually it is the smell, not the sight." Why didn't I keep my mouth shut?

Even Carlisle looked at me curiously then.

"Most humans can't smell blood Bella. It is unusual that you can. You might have better than average olfactory development."

"I don't know about that Carlisle. I mean I know I don't have vampire senses but I don't think I smell better than anyone else."

"You do to me," Edward quipped. Everyone laughed and turned back to their conversations. Kate and Irina kept stealing glances at me and I felt the need to get out of the room for a while.

I leaned over and spoke to Edward quietly.

"I think I would like to go for a walk for a while." He nodded and started to get up.

"No, you sit here and visit with your family. I'm not going to go far."

He looked at me uneasily. "Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes, I just need some fresh air. It's good for my olfactory development." I laughed a little.

He still looked at me apprehensively but nodded. I excused myself and walked outside and down the steps.

I walked out into the yard and towards the trees lining the yard on the right. I did not have a particular destination; I just kept to the tree line.

I did want some fresh air like I told Edward but I also wanted a little time to think. In a few weeks I would be seeing Charlie again and I needed to get my thoughts straight in my mind. Being around Edward made it hard to concentrate on anything but him and I wanted to make sure that I had my story right.

Charlie would want to know exactly what I had been doing. I would have to do some research on Brazil to make sure that I got names and places right. I would also have to see whatever papers Alice had forged so that I could have those correct too.

The biggest part of my thoughts were about Charlie and Edward. I knew for a fact that Charlie would not welcome him back with open arms. Charlie had seen me as a zombie everyday for months and would most definitely blame Edward. I would not allow Charlie bar Edward from my life. It was something I was sure he would do. Well, I was a legal adult now and if I had to I would move out. Or at least tell him I would. I didn't want to hurt Charlie but there was no way in hell I was going to give up Edward either.

While I had been thinking I had not noticed how far from the house I had come. I looked and realized that the house was almost out of sight. I turned back before Edward could come outside and see how far I had come. He would have a fit to see me so far from the house.

I had just started on my way back when I saw a movement in the tree to my right. I looked and suddenly Tanya was standing there. I gasped and pressed my hand over my heart. It was beating madly.

"Didn't mean to scare you Bella," She said, though her tone of voice said otherwise.

Her strawberry blonde hair looked almost pink in the light from the setting sun and her skin through off faint sparkles. There must not be any close neighbors nearby, I thought.

"It's okay," I said. I turned to continue my trek back to the house. Tanya put her hand on my arm and stopped me.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you. I'm glad to get a chance to do it alone." I could hear a faint trace of menace in her tone. It made me uneasy.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" I was careful to keep my tone casual. I was sure this was not going to be pleasant.

"Edward."

"What about him?" I was suspicious now.

"I want you to back off." There was real menace in her voice now.

I was stunned. "Back off?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes, back off, leave him alone. He's mine!" She said vehemently.

"What in the hell are you talking about?" I was furious. Who did she think she was?

"There is no way in hell I am going to back off. Do you think I went all the way to South America to find him just to deliver him to you? You have seriously lost your mind."

"He will be mine. Do you honestly think you can hold on to him? A simple human? Your kind are so naïve and unsophisticated. You might have his attention now but I could give him so much more. And he knows it. I've seen the way he looks at me."

I was seriously beyond pissed off now. This woman was completely deranged. I had seen the way Edward had looked at her too-with complete indifference. He never looked at her the way he did me-with love glowing in his eyes. I knew that Edward loved me, even when he was breaking my heart he loved me. There was no way I was going to let the petty jealousy of this woman get to me. And I was not going to let this woman think she could walk over me.

"If that is what you think then I feel sorry for you. Edward loves me. Me! And if you think that your pathetic attempts to come between us will work then you really are a sad, sad creature." I turned to walk back to the house but Tanya grabbed my arm with bruising strength this time.

"You stupid insignificant human! Don't you know that I could crush you right now?" She squeezed my arm a little tighter. I did not give her the satisfaction of crying out but I could not prevent the gasp of pain that crossed my lips.

"You see? I could-." She did not get to finish her sentence before being ripped away from me.

A pair of arms came around her and she was thrown to the ground forcibly. I looked up in shock to see Rosalie standing there.

"Damn you, Tanya! Leave my sister alone!" Rosalie spat.

I was stunned that she had defended me but grateful for her presence. Tanya would probably not have killed me but she had definitely hurt me. My arm started to throb where she had grabbed me.

Tanya got up swiftly, looking back and forth between me and Rosalie before hissing and running back into the trees. I turned back to Rosalie.

"Thank you, Rosalie. I really appreciate you doing that. I thought she was going to break my arm."

"I think she probably would have. The nerve of that woman. She must be completely deranged to think she stood a chance with Edward. Even before you came along he had turned her down. And everyone can see the way he looks at you. What in the world made her think that she had a snowball's chance in hell now?" She shook her head.

"Um, Rosalie?" I asked nervously.

"Yes?"

"Thanks for calling me your sister. I know I am not your favorite person but I appreciate it nonetheless." I was blushing.

"Well, you are my sister now. And I do want you to know that I don't hate you." She looked a little uncomfortable.

"Really?" I couldn't believe that.

"Really. I hate to say it but I was jealous of you too." She was chagrined.

"Jealous of me?" I squeaked.

"Yes, because Edward found you more beautiful than he did me." She seemed embarrassed.

I was shocked. How could Rosalie, beautiful perfect gorgeous Rosalie be jealous of me?

"But we all know you are the most beautiful woman in the entire world." It was true.

She laughed. "Thanks. I guess I am just vain but I have always been admired. And I liked it. But Edward never admired me like I thought he should. Not that I wanted him as anything other than a brother, but I was used to people doing it. And he never did. So I figured if I didn't affect him no one would. Then you came along and got all the admiring glances I wanted. So I was angry. But now that I see how happy you make him it doesn't bother me anymore. I am sorry if I have been a bitch to you. I will try to do better."

I couldn't speak for a moment. I was stunned.

"It's good to know now that you had a reason to be that way. I mean, I thought that you just didn't like me at all. But I can sort of understand how you feel. Well, maybe not. I am not beautiful like you. But I am glad you don't hate me. I would much rather have you as my sister than my enemy." I looked off into the woods where Tanya had run off.

Rosalie saw where I was looking.

"Don't let that bitchy little vampire bother you. This is yours and Edward's time. Just focus on that and forget the rest." She shrugged.

"Thanks Rosalie. I think I should get back to the house before Edward sends out a search party." I laughed but he would probably come looking for me soon. We turned and started walking back towards the house.

"Yes, poor Edward. He loves you very much you know. He hurt you and that was terrible but he did it because loves you. When one of us falls in love it is so all-consuming; it just takes over everything about us. And it never goes away, ever. Real change is so unusual in our kind that when it does happen, it is permanent. He will never, ever stop loving you. I hope you understand that."

I felt tears in my eyes and blinked them away. It was the same way I felt about Edward. I would never ever stop loving him, until the day I died. Probably even after that too.

Rosalie put her arm around my shoulder as we walked. I was grateful to her for her intervention and for everything she told me. I knew that we were not exactly friends yet but we might be one day.

As we approached the house, Edward came down the stairs. He looked curiously at the two of us as he walked up to us.

"Everything okay?" he asked warily.

Rosalie answered before I could speak.

"Sure, I saw Bella walking and joined her. I knew you would want her to be safe. So we have just been having a sisterly walk and talk." She smiled.

Edward looked at her strangely but didn't say anything.

We all walked up the stairs and into the house.