Hey there, sorry for the slight delay in getting this to you. |

Welcome to all the new followers and thanks for all the reviews, over 800 now so thank you all for that.

I do a lot of my writing at work (the non smut) and I've actually been having to do work, at work * shakes head in amazement * so I'm a little behind. This will keep you going for now and there will be more probably at the weekend or before.

Lil'D

xxxxx

Storm had settled well into the coven. She was surprisingly well behaved and no trouble apart from figuring out how to open the basement door, where she was supposed to sleep, and sneaking into Rose and Bella's room.

Right now she was playing with a stick she had found and running around while Rose worked on Bella's truck, the newborn having popped inside to look up the cost of some parts on the list Rose had given her.

Both Bella and Rose were enjoying the puppies company, it may be interfering with their sex life, much like a baby would they imagined, but not to any great extent as there was always someone willing to distract her. It was also very pleasant to be able to cuddle with the warm bundle when the pup would wriggle between them, not seeming to mind the cold their bodies gave off in the slightest.

Apart from the young vampires, Storm was closest to Eleazar who was fascinated with her. If Rose and Bella had locked their door she would seek him out and sit with him in his study or the living room as he read, sometimes sharing an interesting passage with her. Or what he thought was interesting, Rose doubted that a wolf puppy had any interest in the politics of ancient Rome as she decimated yet another supposedly chew proof toy. Those things were not meant for wolf teeth!

But they had formed a bond and Storm would bring him little presents of sticks and stones she had found, sometimes the odd dead animal, just as she would Bella and Rose. But, Rose chuckled to herself, she suspected they got the nicer sticks and bigger animals, not that there was any competition going on there!

"Shit!" Rose banged her head on the hood of the car. "What did you do that for?" She growled at Bella who had suddenly appeared next to her, bumping into the blonde.

"I can't help it. I'm excited!" Her mate replied, practically blurring she was bouncing so fast. "I get to see my dad!"

"Are we going to take her with us?" Rose nodded down to the white fluff ball currently rubbing against her bare leg, soft fur feeling really nice, so nice she let out a purr which the wolf mirrored with a contented rumbling growl. Bella couldn't help but beam as she watched the interaction between the two, it was like they had their own little family and she would make the most of it while she could, knowing of the wolf's mortality.

"Yes, Charlie won't mind. It will also give him something else to focus on, apart from me," Rose watched as her mate's shoulders dropped, she was nervous.

"Everything will be fine," Rose reassured her, moving round the car so she could take the newborn in her arms. "It's still cool enough to explain your skin, the contacts and make-up will disguise the rest." Bella nodded against the blonde's chest. "What about Jacob?" Rose tried to keep her tone neutral but Bella felt the blonde's possessiveness through their bond. "Have you called to warn him we're coming?"

"No, not yet," Bella sighed, "I haven't spoken to him since before -."

"You're scared." Rose accurately interpreted her mates' feelings.

"Yeah, he was my best friend Rose and now he'll hate me," Bella mumbled into the embrace and Rose tried very, very hard not to let her emotions get the better of her. She really, really wanted to hurt the shape-shifter for the pain his bigoted ideas were causing her mate.

Bella avoided making the call until they were approaching Forks, Storm riding in the back of Rose's BMW, the blonde refusing to take any of their coven mate's vehicles and overcoming her own fear of the wolf's claws puncturing her leather seats by covering the back seat in a pile of blankets. Storm wasn't complaining, she just curled up happily and looked out of the window.

Rose had said the truck wasn't ready for a long distance journey so Bella had relented to taking her mate's car, although she had really been wanting to rub Jacob's face in the fine job her Rose was doing of the restoration.

"Call him," Rose urged. "I don't want to have to fight his pack if they come across us unannounced," she warned the newborn who sighed and rested her head against the glass of the passenger window. Bella had specifically asked Charlie not to let Jacob know she was visiting, citing a disagreement before she'd left forks as the reason. Charlie was non the wiser and had agreed to her request. "Here," Rose swiped her mate's phone from Bella's hand where she had been playing with it for the last hour. "Call him." She even pulled the car off the road and parked up, engine off, golden eyes and a reassuring smile turned on her mate.

"Ok," Bella returned the smile and dialled the number and waited for the shifter to answer. "Jake, it's me," Bella announced, knowing he didn't have her new number, the one Tanya had arranged for her, cutting yet another tie with the Cullen's. Tanya being quite insistent that she was allowed to take full financial responsibility for the newborn.

"Bella?"

"Yeah." Rose reached out and placed her hand on her mate's knee and Bella covered it with her own, squeezing gently.

"You sound different," he eventually replied.

"I am different," Bella responded and waited to see if he'd catch her meaning. He did.

"What the fuck, Bels?" He roared down the phone. "I'll kill that mother fucking bastard Edward.

"Feel free," Bella shot back and her unexpected retort cut him off, the line going quiet.

"Did he -. Did he force you Bella? Did he attack you?" The shifter growled quietly but the anger was apparent and Rose felt a surge of rage at the thought of Edward going near her mate, now or as a human. Bella felt the anger and squeezed the blonde's hand, flashing her a loving smile that made her relax. Edward couldn't hurt Bella, not now.

"No, Alice, Alice changed me," Bella explained and there was another pause in the conversation. "I'm on my way to Forks, to see Charlie. I'm just calling to let you know we'll be there soon. We'll stay out of your way, just a couple of days before we head home," she explained but still there was no reply.

"Stay in town, off the reservation," was the eventual gruff reply and both vampires were relieved that he'd not warned them to stay away. Rose thought that Bella letting slip that it had been Alice who had changed her might have helped on that score. Nobody disliked Alice she thought, a little bitterly.

"We will," Bella replied and the line went dead. Rose felt that Bella needed some time so started the car back up and continued their journey, giving her mate time to think. She could feel the turmoil of emotions ebbing and flowing but none strong enough to worry her.

It wasn't until they reached the 'Welcome to Forks' sign that Bella shifted in her seat and turned to the blonde.

"I'm sorry," she apologised with a sigh and an apologetic squeeze of Rose's thigh, where her skirt had ridden up. The blonde slid her hand over her mate's intertwining their fingers and bringing their hands up so she could kiss Bella's palm.

"Don't be, this is hard for you," she murmured, her lips staying in contact with smooth skin.

"How did I get so lucky?" Bella questioned with a shy smile, enjoying the tender attentions of her mate. At times like this she felt small but loved and protected even though she knew she was the stronger one.

"I ask myself the same thing," Rose smiled and released the newborn's hand. "Here," she reached over and briefly fished around in the glove box and and handed Bella a small box.

"Thanks," the newborn took the box and opened it, revealing her contacts lenses and make up, both of which she quickly applied. She reached back into the compartment and pulled out an identical set for Rose. The blonde pulled up into an empty space on the main street, ironically outside Newton's. Rose felt Bella's mood change and once she had taken care of her own make-up she turned to check on her mate.

"Bella?" Oh. Rose caught her mate staring into the store and sighed. This was the newborn's first real reminder that she wasn't like her peers any more, her friends. "Come on," Rose popped her door open and climbed out of the car, walking around the front and opening Bella's door for her. "Storm, stay," she commanded the puppy who whined but curled up and tucked her nose under her tail. "Come on, sweetie," Rose reached and took Bella's hand. "Let's go in. Charlie would appreciate some new fishing gear, wouldn't he?" She asked and Bella shook herself out of the daze she had been in and allowed herself to be pulled gently out of the car.

Rose kept hold of her hand and led the way into the store, it wasn't until they were about to step inside that Bella looked at her mate and did a double take.

"Your eyes," she whispered, hand reaching up to cup the blonde's cheek.

"Oh, yeah," Rose ducked her head, looking down, embarrassed.

"Look at me," Bella urged, her voice firm and the feeling echoing through their bond. Rose sighed and looked up, her eyes their human blue with the contacts Carmen had made for her, the colour as close as she could get them to the blonde's natural colouring. "You're beautiful," she praised her mate, astounded by the effect.

"You like it?" Rose asked shyly. She had been worried about Bella's reaction, the newborn assuming she would stick with the natural honey colour of her vampire eyes.

"I do. I just wasn't expecting -," Bella didn't really have words to explain what she was feeling, this was like catching a glimpse of her mate as a human. "They're so blue," she marvelled. She could see why Rose had been so highly sought after.

"Carmen got almost an exact match," Rose explained, relived her mate liked them. "I've never really met Charlie before so I thought it better to use them than have eyes too similar to E -, to his," she caught herself just before mentioning her brother's name.

"Well, I like both but this is -, it's good," Bella smiled and darted forward to place a soft kiss on the blonde's cheek.

"I'm glad," Rose smiled back and realised they had been standing in the doorway to the store for longer than was normal, a quick glance around showed nobody paying them undue attention but she pushed the door open, Bella following her through.

"Over here," the newborn murmured and led the way to the fishing section, the store's layout seemingly unchanged since she'd last visited a few months earlier during her last visit with Charlie, before her change.

"Bella!" She froze as she heard her name being called.

"Mike Newton," she heard Rose hiss too quietly for human ears.

"Behave!" She warned her mate, knowing how the blonde felt about the human. To say she didn't like him was an understatement.

"Bella? Is that you?" Bella turned to face her old friend, one she hadn't kept in touch with because of him persistently harassing her for dates when she had been trapped at school with him.

"Hi, Mike," Bella turned to face the young man who's mouth literally dropped open when he came face to face with her enhanced vampire beauty.

"Mike," Rose stepped into his line of sight and he took an involuntary step backwards, the blonde always made him nervous but he could never work out why, she was beyond smoking hot. But, Bella had only improved with age and he looked between the two of them, a little overwhelmed.

"I was just looking for some fishing gear for Charlie but we're running late. Sorry," she offered Mike a weak smile, not wanting to push Rose's temper too far. The gear could wait or they would drive to the next town to pick some up before they left.

"Hey!" He called out as she turned away from him.

"Yes?" Bella raised her brow and stared at him and Mike felt a shiver run through him at her tone.

"Would -, would you like to get a coffee sometime?" He managed to gasp rather weakly as he was fixed by the eyes of both vampires.

"No." Bella replied bluntly. "I never have and never will have any interest in dating you, Mike." Rose smirked at the look of shock on his face at Bella's cool dismissal, she was not the girl he had known.

"You're not her type," Rose purred as she reached out for her mate's hand. "She prefers them older, and female," she continued. "Speak to her again and I will hurt you." Rose warned him, her lips curled in a snarl. She added a pulse form her chi for good measure, humans perceived it differently but it still had the desired effect and he backed up, stumbling as he tried to get away.

"Damn, you're hot when you're defending my honour," it was Bella's turn to purr, flicking her hair as she turned for a last look at her former friend, then turning to her mate and rewarding her with a kiss. Both vampires had to force themselves to part from the other, the middle of an outdoor pursuits store not the time for a heated make-out session.

"I think he pissed his pants," Bella chuckled as they reached the car, Storm yipping a greeting, tail wagging as they popped the doors.

"I know he did," Rose grinned at her mate once they were in the car, fangs showing. "And I meant it," she finished with a growl.

"Well, thank you," the newborn paced her hand on the blonde's thigh. "I'll be sure to thank you properly later," the hand slid higher and and Rose inhaled sharply and she knew her eyes had blackened under the lenses she was wearing.

"I'll hold you to that, Swan," Bella shivered at the predatory smirk her mate directed at her, knowing full well they would have no trouble sneaking out of the house to engage in whatever sexual activity that took their fancy. Being a vampire really did have it's advantages, Bella mused as Rose set off towards Charlie's house.

xxxxx

Next on Crimson Bonds

"Storm, no!" Bella scolded the wolf who did not look the least bit sorry. "We do not pee on people!"

" 'People' is being generous," Rose growled.