A/N: Thank you for your patience and love, and sorry for the wait! You guys have been so awesome and supportive, and it's because of how amazing you all are that I pushed myself to manage another update so quickly. Hopefully I have at least one more update of some story coming before the usual Sunday Human Unknown update, because I've been wanting to treat you all for a while. Wish me luck and as always, your reviews give me life. I don't reply to every one because I'm an awkward fuck, but I do appreciate and take the time to read every one.

P.S. Join my discord! There, we can talk about random shiz, stories, get sneak peeks, and more! Just type in h_t_t_p_s : / / discord. gg/ hGFFdXtR without the spaces and underscores. This website hates links, sorry.

Chapter 7

It was currently one thirty seven in the morning, only five hours until she had to get up and start getting ready for school. Bella had tried to go to sleep at ten PM, and hadn't moved much since. Instead, she found herself blankly staring at the ceiling as her mind continued to race with no signs of stopping. She couldn't even close her eyes, because every time she did, she would see Emmett and Rosalie on the backs of her eyelids. Emmett with a huge grin, Rosalie with a teasing smirk. There was just so much confusion and love and confliction when she thought of those two.

For one thing, Bella never really got close to other people. It wasn't something she did consciously, but she had even kept her friends back in Phoenix at an emotional distance. She was great at hiding it, and the friends she made remained blissfully unaware of the fact that Bella would never truly let them in. In the case of Emmett and Rosalie, however, it was like they had taken a sledgehammer to those walls. No, if that were the case, that meant they were aware of those walls and doing so intentionally. It was like they were both made up of something much stronger than the walls Bella had built, and were just crashing through each barrier Bella put up, waltzing up to her heart and making a spot for themselves like they owned the place. In other words, Bella already loved the two more than she had ever loved anyone else in her life, and she had no idea how or why it had happened.

Which brought Bella to problem number two; it was exactly how she loved them. She already felt like she would do anything for either of them. Even though Emmett was technically older than her, he felt like the little brother she never had. Maybe it was his huge childish grin, or something just distinctly Emmett, but they seemed to compliment each other in every way, behaving almost like a true pair of siblings. Honestly, she would totally fight a bear for him, even if she wouldn't survive the encounter. Which was another reason her feelings for Rosalie really weren't okay.

The way Bella loved Rosalie was foreign, terrifying, and exhilarating all at once. It honestly felt like she was walking on air, and her heart would do weird things in her chest whenever Bella met the blonde's eyes. Bella might not have ever experienced it before, but she had no doubt she was already falling painfully in love with Rosalie. Obviously, feeling that kind of love for Rosalie really wasn't okay. It would break Bella to hurt Emmett in any way, even if it was harboring feelings for someone and never acting on them.

Bella just had to keep reminding herself; Rosalie and Emmett were together. They were dating, and helplessly in love; at least, according to everyone in Forks high. While they hadn't kissed on the lips or anything in front of Bella, they still behaved in a way that hinted at how close they really were. Bella had wanted to ask them so many times if they were dating, but she couldn't. Even if she wasn't so afraid to find out the answer, Bella had never been the nosey type. She had once been in their shoes, and still was, honestly; everyone speculating, wanting to know why or how or what or where about Bella and Bella not wanting or knowing how to give the answers.

"Why are you always trying to get stronger? You're a girl, not a viking. You don't need to go fight anyone."

Because Bella just felt like she had to get stronger. She couldn't explain how or why, but she needed it. She wanted to be strong enough to fight off anyone and everyone and protect those she cared about.

"What made you such a neat freak? Everything always has to be in its place or you look like you're about to have a heart attack. What made you so afraid of being home alone? Did someone ever break into your house or something?"

Bella never knew how to answer that. She just felt like it was her job on some level, and if she didn't do it, she'd feel this panic grip her throat and squeeze tight, as if she was afraid something would happen if someone saw the mess. It was the same problem with being home alone, at least at night; Bella didn't know why she felt that way. She had never had anyone break in, had never even had a surprise visitor, yet every sound from outside or the thunk of a tree branch hitting the window would make Bella freak out when she was alone. Everyday sounds just felt so much louder, more threatening, when she was by herself.

"Where do you go all the time? It's like you disappear into your head, and we can't pull you out. Makes me wonder what you think about."

Bella didn't know how to explain that one. How she would spend one second feeling how wrong it felt to be in a desert, and how much happier she would feel in a forest. Her thoughts would wander, bringing up strange images and places and ideas that, if Bella managed to remember them once she was focused on the world around her again, left her completely lost and confused.

"How did you end up with such a respectful and polite daughter? Tell me your secrets! It's like you pulled her straight out of the 1900s, my mother always talks about how Bella acts like she's from the wrong time period."

Bella hated that question the most, hated when someone would point out how out of place Bella was among everyone else. It had taken her a long time to shake off her weird habits and mannerisms, to get used to wearing pants when it felt like she shouldn't, and shorts...how many years did it take for Bella to get used to wearing shorts? Every time she put them on, she'd feel like she was seconds away from getting beaten up if someone saw her in them. Even if Renee or Charlie was the one encouraging her to put them on, Bella would feel like it was a trap, as if the moment she put them on, they would use it against her.

Those thoughts had always made Bella feel guilty. Renee and Charlie had never been manipulative or done anything like lay traps for her, they had been amazing parents even after the divorce. It was like she was blaming them for someone else's actions...but no one else had ever said anything about her clothing choice either.

Well, until Bella got comfortable enough to start being herself, and realized how much she liked freeing clothes.

Bella had people ask about her dating life too, who she was with, if she was with someone, why she wasn't with someone, who she should be with...Bella hated it. She would be the biggest type of hypocrite if she asked them a question she herself hated. Even if it physically pained her not to know, it would be wrong. Right?

Letting out a loud, frustrated groan, Bella turned on her side and shut her eyes to try and get to sleep. Again Rosalie and Emmett appeared, and she once again felt like she just had to open her eyes. She needed to figure out what to do with them. Or maybe just avoid thinking about them altogether. She could do that much, surely. But how? What did she think about before Emmett Cullen and Rosalie Hale?

Distance. She could maybe just put distance between her and Rosalie. There was no way in heck she could avoid her, nor did Bella want to, but maybe she could just do her best to limit the situations where Bella and Rosalie would be touching.

Wait, this wasn't right. She was supposed to be thinking about things other than Rosalie and Emmett, not-

A loud thunk outside of her bedroom window made Bella yelp in surprise and nearly throw her blanket over her head. Like hiding would actually protect her if there really was someone trying to break in. How stupid could you get, Bella?

Of course, berating herself only made her feel worse, and now Bella was determined to prove herself...to herself.

You want to fight a bear one day. How are you going to manage that goal whenever you get scared of a sound against your window? Besides, Charlie was right down the hall, and you have an alarm system. What is there to be scared of? Bella kicked off the covers and slowly crept to the window. She made sure to keep out of view until she was right against it, and then carefully peered outside.

Thunk! This time startled Bella so badly, she ended up throwing a punch in the direction the sound came from. Thankfully, she stopped herself before her fist made contact with the glass. A broken window was definitely not something Bella wanted to deal with, especially when she was already freaked out. She forced herself to take a deep breath and keep her hands loose at her sides before looking out the window again.

Nothing. There was nothing there. This time, when the sound came, Bella wasn't startled into potential property damage. Thunk…

It was just the tree outside her window. The branches were long, and the wind must have made them knock against the glass.

But wait...there was no wind. Not only was there no wind, but as Bella stared hard at the tree, she could swear only the limb at her window was swaying. The third thunk was also a lot less loud, as if it was rebounding from the first two.

She felt panic start to rise in her chest, but did her best to stifle it. Her window wasn't open, and after a brief check, it was still locked. Just because she didn't hear any wind or see any other branches move didn't mean that it wasn't wind that moved it. Or maybe an animal was on it and jumped?

Even as Bella tried her best to convince herself she was being paranoid, she couldn't stop the feeling that she was being watched. She didn't see anything suspicious, there wasn't anything like a figure standing beneath her window, but she still couldn't shake it. Her instincts were screaming at her, telling her someone was out there, watching her every move. She felt like she was in danger, too. As if this mysterious feeling could be traced back to someone who truly wanted to hurt her.

The video! That's right, Emmett and Rosalie wanted to find that video of Bella freaking out, didn't they? Bella should probably go find that. She was totally only going to look for it now, at nearly two in the morning, to help her friends out. Not because she wanted to be away from the window and closer to Charlie's gun in case anyone broke in.

Today wouldn't be the first sleepless night Bella had, but it would be one of her scariest. Why couldn't she get over the feeling that some person was out there watching her? That they were capable of hurting her, and that Bella, despite her dad's gun and her own strength and fighting ability, would be helpless to stop it?

Ever since Bella left, Rosalie and Emmett had spent their time in the forest around their home. Both were high on happiness, but also wanted nothing more than to follow Bella home and never leave her side. To protect her and maybe sneak into her house and keep hanging out with her. As both of them knew how stupid of an idea that was, and that Bella wasn't the type to just let them sleep over on a school night, they had to come up with a different plan. The plan ended up being the two of them hanging alone in the forest, talking about Isabelle, the impossible situation that was currently happening, reincarnation, and of course, Bella herself.

It was a quarter until two when they felt it. Despite the topic being a play by play of how adorable Bella had been a few hours earlier, both of them came to an abrupt stop in their conversation. Neither had to say a word as they felt panic and fear tighten in their chest. They knew it wasn't their own, and the potential cause. Whether it was a nightmare or Bella being in danger, both of them were going to do anything to protect the human.

Rosalie and Emmett took off toward Bella's house, only barely remembering to keep to the woods and hide themselves. Everything in them was screaming. For Emmett, his instincts were telling him if he didn't hurry, he would lose his sister again; this time, permanently. For Rosalie, her instincts were urging her to fight and kill anything that might even startle her mate. It was only not being sure what had caused Bella to feel those emotions that stopped Rosalie and Emmett from charging into her bedroom and potentially waking her up to something that could scare her even more. It helped that the fearful panic had calmed to a nervous energy with a hint of unease. Bella wouldn't feel that way if she knew she was in danger.

"She's alright," Emmett breathed in a sigh of relief as he noticed her through one of the living room windows. She still looked nervous, but she and her father were the only ones in the house.

Rosalie felt her body relax, even as she frowned at Bella. "What is she doing up at this ungodly hour? Don't humans need their rest? Maybe a nightmare caused her to be too afraid to go back to sleep?"

That's when it all but hit them in the face; the scent of a vampire. While it was the smell of someone they recognized, that didn't stop Rosalie from launching herself at the source with a loud snarl, ready to kill.

"Stop, it's just me! Emmett, do something!" Edward hissed lowly as he managed to dodge Rosalie with less than a second to spare. He could already tell that she wasn't going to stop, not until she ripped him limb from limb.

The moment Emmett had scented the vampire, he had placed himself between Edward and Bella's home to defend her. He didn't move from that spot, even with Edward telling him to help. His face looked angrier than Edward had ever seen him, his eyes as pitch black as Rosalie's. Despite Edward being his brother, he was still a threat. He especially didn't like that Edward's eyes were nearly as black as his own.

"Nah, I'd say Rose is handling the situation just fine."

Edward shot Emmett a look of disbelief, and that was all Rosalie needed. She ripped off both of his arms, then grabbed his head and started to pull before Edward could even manage a howl of pain.

"Why are you here, Eddie?" Rosalie growled. Seeing a vampire besides Emmett with such eyes-eyes that had been black and hungry since Rosalie first saw him in Bella's backyard-was all but sending Rosalie into a frenzy. To make matters worse, he had been at Bella's house when she was supposed to be sleeping, when she was at her most vulnerable without Rosalie or Emmett to protect her from anything that could go wrong. "Talk, or I'm bringing you back to Carlisle in pieces."

"You already ripped off my arms," Edward huffed, before grimacing in pain as Rosalie started to pull even harder on his head, partially separating it from his neck. "Alright already, I get it! I was here because I was trying to get used to her scent."

"Why the hell would you need to do that?" Emmett demanded while Rosalie's lips skimmed back from her teeth. She didn't like the way that sounded, so she tugged a little harder, making Edward choke. The only reason she didn't separate his head from his body completely was because she wanted more answers.

It was a struggle for Edward to talk. Good. "When I saw...Alice's vision...how you reacted to her...I found it suspicious." Emmett and Rosalie let out a hiss at that, but Edward continued anyway. "I...just wanted to get close enough to her...to read her mind. Make sure...nothing was out of the ordinary. But then...I caught her scent." Despite his current situation, how black his eyes were, they somehow turned even darker as he remembered first coming across Bella Swan. "It was...the best thing...I had ever smelled…"

Rosalie didn't want to hear any more. She didn't need to. He was a threat, a truly dangerous threat, to her mate. Something about Bella's smell enticed Edward, made him lose at least some control. And for some goddamn reason, instead of staying away, he was here. Outside her house. In the middle of the night. Putting Rosalie's mate in danger with his stupidity, and simply being a creep.

"I believe she was...my singer..but as she was important...to both of you...I decided...I had no choice...but to get used to her-"

Rosalie promptly ripped off Edward's head. Emmett let out an exclamation of surprise, but didn't sound upset as she tossed his head aside. "You talk too much, Eddie boy," Rosalie said, resisting the urge to spit on his corpse. Realizing how dirty her hands had become in dealing with her "brother" Rosalie turned to Emmett and wiped her palms on his shirt until she was satisfied. "You carry his body parts back to the house. I am not touching him again unless I have to."

"But I don't want to touch him either!" Even as Emmett complained, he started picking up Edward's arms.

"Then next time, if the bastard dares try anything like this again, you rip off his head and I'll carry his body. If you're fast enough, that is." Rosalie let out a disdainful sniff, but the look of cold fury and disgust faded from her face as she looked back over at Bella's house. Back at Bella.

Emmett had Edward's body parts under one arm, picking up Edward's head by pinching his hair between two fingers. He paused, troubled by Rosalie's words. "You really think he'll do something like this again?"

"Yes." Rosalie knew how stupid their brother could be, how reckless and impulsive. She had no doubt he would put Bella in danger again just to prove to everyone how much control he had. "But when he does, we'll be there to stop him."