"Bella, I need you to do exactly what I tell you to right this moment. Do you understand?" I said in a harsh rush of words. Her eyes went wide with surprise and hurt. "Bella, do you understand?" I demanded.

"Yes..." She whispered.

"Go to the bathroom, now. Brush your teeth, wash your mouth out. Clean your lips. And don't come out until I tell you to. Go, Now!" I pulled back away from her.

Her hand went up to her lips, understanding. "Edward, I'm so sorry..."

"It's fine, now go Bella! Don't think about it, just go." I didn't wait until she was out of the room to dart out the window. I ran through the woods at an insane pace. I grabbed the first living things I could find: a large family of rabbits. I drained them dry.

I sat in the woods for a moment, letting the scent of the trees wipe away the scent of Bella. Beautiful Delicious Bella. I rubbed my temples to help calm myself. I got back up and ran back to her home. The whole thing didn't take 5 minutes. The most terrifying 5 minutes of my life.

I went to the bathroom door. I could still hear Bella brushing her teeth. I leaned against the door. "When you're done, it's okay. You can come out."

I went back to her room and sat down on her bed. I felt so horrible that I pushed her away but proud of myself for not killing her. I just hoped I didn't hurt her. When she came out I could smell the peppermint of the toothpaste. She smiled sadly at me. "I'm sorry."

"Bella, this is in no way your fault. Not at all. I'm sorry..." I rubbed my temples again, willing the dull throb to go away. I could hear Charlie down stairs trying to get his nerves up to come up here to talk to us. It was something that would upset Bella, most likely.

"Edward... Please. I know what you are. I just need to be more careful." She moved a bit closer.

I stood up and took her hands in mine. "I'm the one that needs to be more careful."

Charlie finally got his courage up and started stomping up the stairs. I pulled Bella onto the bed and then went to sit on the rocker. Bella looked at me with a confused expression. I nodded towards the door. She understood and sat back some.

"Hey kids." He didn't look at either at us. "I needed to talk to you about something."

"Go ahead." Bella waved her hands in front of her.

"Well, it's about what happened the other night. I got a call the morning after you were...you know anyway, from the Chief there in Port Angeles. He found an abandoned house burnt to the ground with four bodies in it. We decided to check their DNA against what was collected from you. I pulled in some favors for a quick test. One of the guys was a match..." He spoke quickly. Like the words were a band aid and if he said it fast enough it wouldn't hurt as much.

"Oh..." Bella crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her eyes flickered over to me then back to her father. "Do they know what happened?"

"Well, it looks like the fire was caused by a small explosion. They believe the house was a meth lab. The men that were found have a long record of drug dealing, assault and other felonies." He looked at Bella, fear in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. I guess I won't have to worry about them anymore." Her eyes flicked back to me. I moved from the rocker to the bedside. I took her hand.

"All that matters is that you're okay." I stroked her fingers.

Charlie looked confused. He was sure Bella would react in some way. Instead, she was utterly calm and that scared him even more. "Are you sure you're fine? Do you need anything?"

"No, really. I'm good. Hey dad, wasn't there a game coming on soon?" She glanced over at the clock.

"Yeah... Let me know when you kids get hungry. I'll figure something out. "

"Thank you, Charlie." I called to him as he walked out. He decided to drown out his worries with basketball.

I wrapped my arms around her waist. "Are you really okay?"

"Yes. I already knew they were dead. How did you fake the whole... scene?" She wrinkled her nose.

"Actually, I had no idea about it. Alice did it. I'm going to have to thank her later." I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Alice? Really?" She snorted. "Yeah, when I think of disposing dead bodies I totally think Alice."

I couldn't help but laugh. She had a point, even if I didn't like how easily she was talking about dead bodies. "Actually, she may be small but she's vicious. And is she quick."

Bella laughed quietly, " I can see that actually."

I pulled a piece of hair out of her eyes. "I'm sorry about earlier." I whispered.

She leaned her forehead against mine. Her lips were an inch away from mine. I couldn't smell any blood and the wounds were sealed. Her heart rate increased slightly as she pulled back to look into my eyes. She brought her bottom lip in between her teeth as she gazed at me. Her innocence struck me for some reason.

I placed my fingers on her cheeks and brought her face closer to mine. I lightly kissed her upper lip. "In a couple days, I'll give you a proper kiss."

She nodded. Just then her stomach growled. She clutched her stomach and blushed. Then I heard a knock at the door.

"Oh, BELLA! I've brought you something for DINNER!" My loud little sister called. I smiled to myself. Bella giggled.

"You should watch out for her. She's too sneaky for her own good. But, she never means any harm." I took her hand and lead her down stairs.

Alice brought to-go from Charlie's favorite tacky restaurant, the Lodge. She brought steaks, baked potatoes, green beans, and salads. She even brought dessert and a gallon of iced tea. Alice was Charlie's new favorite person. We excused ourselves from eating and headed into the living room. I didn't feel like watching her father take down an entire cow by himself. We sat on the couch and turned the T.V. on. Alice scooted in close.

"They found the bodies." I spoke so softly only she would be able to hear.

"I know. It's fine. I planned it that way." Her eyes stayed on the T.V.

"This afternoon I almost..." I looked at my hands.

"No you didn't. You never once decided to bite her. You didn't want to hurt her. You did the right thing and she understands." Her eyes flicked over to mine.

"But I could of..."

"No. You couldn't. Trust me." She flashed me a small smile.

"How's the weather going to be tomorrow?" I changed the subject.

"Rainy. Saturday will be sunny."

I thought about that for a moment. I couldn't be with her in the house then if Charlie was here. Maybe I could take her out. Take her to my relaxing spot. I would have to convince Charlie though. I wasn't sure how to do that.

"Oh, Edward! That's a lovely idea. She'll love it. I think I can handle Charlie for you." Alice smiled brightly at me before hopping up from the couch.

I watched from a distance as Alice sat down at the table. "Charlie, can I borrow your daughter on Saturday?"

"What for?" He took a large bit of cheesecake.

"Well, I wanted to have a girl's day. You know, the spa treatment. Maybe a little shopping. And I can't do that alone! And if Bella's up to it, she can stay the night with me!" Alice was so cheerful and confident. Charlie was putty in her tiny, wicked, hands.

"I don't know, Alice. I don't know if Bella's up for it." But he did think it was a good idea.

I moved into the kitchen. Bella's eyes flicked up to me without Charlie noticing. I smiled at her slightly. Then she let her eyes float back down to Alice who's smile was almost the same. "So, Bella. What do you think about spending the day at the Cullen's?" Alice said in an almost sing song voice.

"I would love to. If it's alright with Dad."

Charlie looked up from his cheesecake, surprised at her response. "I don't know honey. Are you ready for something like that?"

"Oh, Mr. Swan, my dad is going to be home all weekend. She'd be in safe hands. And, you know, I've heard it's going to beautiful weather..." Alice trailed off.

"Yeah, Dad. Go fishing Saturday with Harry or Billy. How often does it not rain?" Bella played with her potato, trying not to look at her father.

This idea sounded like heaven to Charlie. He was so stressed that a day by the lake would be perfect. He wanted to but he didn't want it to seem like he was too eager to dump his daughter off for the weekend. "Alright, but if you need a thing you call me. And I'm still taking tomorrow off..."

"No, please Dad. I'll be fine. Don't use your sick days on me." She forked her potato over and over again.

"Bella..."

"I need some time alone." She said rather bluntly. Her eyes finally met his and he backed down.

"Alright, fine. But if you feel even the tiniest bit... anything. You have to call me." He finished his cheesecake.

"I will be with her, sir. If that's alright with Bella." I finally spoke up.

"Yeah. Okay." He muttered under his breath. It's not that he didn't trust her or me. Actually, he hated the fact that Bella was so calm around me. He felt like a failure as a father. He knew I won't harm her. I hoped he was right. I suppose, I knew he's right. I was surprised he trusted me so much.

"Yeah, and I'll come by after school. I'll bring you your homework." Alice smiled brightly. Bella smirked at her and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Don't worry, I'll help you with it." I ran my fingers over the back of her shoulder as I helped her out of her chair.

"Oh fun. A Friday evening of homework. And I'm sure a couple more evenings as well." She muttered.

"It won't be so bad." Alice touched Bella's hand. I could see the vision of Bella and I studying whirling through Alice's mind. It was a lovely sight. Bella was smiling and I was laughing as we laid on the floor in the middle of a pile of books. I smiled down at Alice.

Alice and Bella did the dishes. Charlie went to watch a game in the living room. I couldn't help but watch my two favorite girls interacting. Alice honestly wasn't a girl but she was my best friend, next to Carlisle. Alice truly liked Bella and I could tell Bella felt the same. They talked easily, laughing and splashing each other with water. I thought briefly for a moment what it would be like to have Bella join our family.

Alice's head twisted quickly towards mine. I saw the vision of Bella, beautiful but dead. Cold like me. We laid in a bed, our bodies intertwined. I saw a wedding band on her ring finger. She was smiling. I shook the vision from my mind. Alice practically jumped in place. "Oh, you'd be so happy! Look at how happy she is. She's so pretty... I'd love to have another sister. She'd be perfect!" Her mind went a hundred miles per hour.

I said it so low that only Alice would hear. "I won't damn her."

"That's her choice."

"It's also mine."

Bella turned and watched our silent exchange. Her eyebrows knit together for a moment. "Can you... hear her too?" She waved her hand towards Alice.

"Yes, I can't tune her out." I muttered under my breath.

"Alice, do you have a special... gift?" Bella turned back to the sink, whispering so Charlie couldn't hear.

"Yup! I see possible futures." Alice took the final plate to dry it.

"Oh, can you see mine?" Bella said playfully. I growled softly, giving Alice a warning.

"Yes, you're going to have a very good weekend." Alice spoke simply. She put the plate away. "I don't see her future changing, even with you changing your mind."

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. It was only 6 in the evening. Bella had already had a long day but I'm sure she didn't want to sleep yet. I wondered if she was in pain but she seemed fine. Her eye was already starting to fade. Most of the scrapes were gone. The cuts with stitches were a different story. She would be scarred in several places. I wondered if the scars of her heart would ever heal.

"Well, I'm going to head out. Me and Jazz are going to watch a movie. Have a good night!" She called the last part to Charlie. She placed a soft kiss on Bella's cheek and slapped my shoulder as she walked by.

"Jazz?" Bella asked confused.

"My brother, Jasper." I took her hand. I glanced at the stairs, making sure her eyes followed mine. She nodded.

"We're going to listen to music, Dad." Bella called to her father who simply grunted in response.

We quickly headed up to her room. She turned on a small CD player on, keeping the music down low. I smiled when heard that it was a band that I liked as well. "Linkin Park? Really?" I smiled slightly.

Bella blushed for some reason, looked down at her hands. "Yeah, it was a gift from my step dad. I didn't like it at first but now... They're quiet good."

"I have this CD in the car right now." I took her hand and lead her to the rocking chair. I sat first and let her slid onto my lap.

"Can I ask a question?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"Another one?" I smirked.

"Yes, another one." She returned my look.

"I suppose." I softened at the look of her lips pouting.

"Are Jasper and Alice... together?" She looked embarrassed.

"Yes. For... oh, 50 odd years now. Not as long as Emmett and Rosalie. They don't feel the need to get married over and over again like Rose and Em but they love each other madly." I played with a strand of hair.

"They're both married?" She leaned back again me.

"Yes. Don't be too surprised if we're going to another wedding in a couple years." I chuckled. Rose always loved being the center of attention and Emmett would give her the world if he could.

"So, are they like normal married people?" Her cheeks turned scarlet. It took a moment for it to dawn on me what she was asking.

"Yes, they are... " I pressed my lips to her cheek. Her heart sputtered. I didn't like where this conversation was going, all of a sudden. I searched the room for a distraction. I turned my eyes to her tiny book shelf. All the books were worn and torn, read many times over.

I picked Bella up and took her to bed. I sat her under the covers and then knelt in front of the book shelf. I turned my eyes back towards hers. Her eyes were confused and she was nibbling on her lip. "How would you like it if I read to you?"