Chapter 5 – Threats

Her physicality never changed, but suddenly Bella truly looked like a child in an overgrown body. She was not extremely conspicuous, and to ignorant onlookers she may just look like a person who was really good with kids, but I watched her closely regardless; if she began acting out, I'd be ready to pull her away at a moment's notice. Thankfully, I never had to. Bree, seemed to be on her best behavior through the entire book reading.

When the guest author was finished signing everyone's books, and the crowd began to dissipate, I made my way over to Bree. She was still just sitting on the floor, with her back against a shelf; humming to herself quietly while flipping through the pages of the book in her lap.

I tentatively sat next to her and attempted to keep our conversation casual. "That's my favorite part of the story," I told her of the page she seemed to be repeatedly looking at.

She smiled at me in a childlike way. "Mine too! I like when the puppy gets the toy after all the time it took finding it."

"Yeah, that's really cool, but I actually like how he gets to share and play with a friend even better," I told her. I really had no idea what the hell I was talking about since I hadn't read the book, but judging by the picture of the two puppies, I made an assumption and hoped I was right.

However, she seemed to get a little upset by my words and I had a moment of concern thinking I said something wrong. "Is everything okay?"

She raised her shoulders and wiped her face as if she had a tear. "I'm fine, it's just that I never had a friend, so I don't know what it's like."

"Oh," I said, thinking I understood her issue. "Well, I can be your friend."

Her sad eyes immediately raised to meet mine, and she scowled. "You're a boy!"

I laughed once. "Yeah, a negative for sure, but I can't really help that, so it's kind of not nice to hold it against me, right?"

"It's not your fault you're a boy, but I still don't want to play with you," she whined. "Rosalie says boys stink, and you probably do too."

"Uh… who is Rosalie?" I asked curiously.

Bree's face suddenly went blank, and then she looked at me with a panicked guilty expression. "I have to go now," she said in a rush, before jumping to her feet and running off to get lost in the rows of bookshelves.

I tried to follow her, but by the time I got my ass off the floor, she had already disappeared.

"Bree!" I called to her softly while searching the aisles. "Oh Bree, where are you?" I added, thinking she was playing some sort of game.

When she finally emerged from wherever she was hiding, everything about her was different. Gone was the innocent curious expression that she had been wearing as Bree; now she was hardened and absolutely raging…

"Who the hell do you think you are stalking a child like some wacko pedophile!" she growled ferociously with her finger pointed in my face.

"Uh…" I looked around at the disturbed bookstore patrons within hearing range, which prompted the alter to do the same, thus forcing her to thankfully take it down a notch. "Bella asked me…"

"I don't give a rat's ass what Bella asked you to do!" she retorted but kept her bitterness to a low rumble. "Bella has no idea what's best for her, or for any of us. It's my job to protect them, not hers. And don't ever say Bree's name again or I'll fucking kill you! Have I made myself clear?"

"Look, I just wanted to help," I said apologetically.

"Help? How the hell could you ever help anyone when you're an absolute mess yourself?"

I raised my brows. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, come on, I can read you like a book. Privileged upbringing. Stuck in Daddy's shadow. Every opportunity in the world but bored with your pathetic existence. Sound about right?"

I wasn't about to admit that. Not to her, not even to myself. "So, you're making assumptions based on what exactly? We've never even met before," I said defensively.

She smiled, almost sadistically. "Oh, I know you, Mr. Cullen. Three parking tickets in the same location, which tells me you feel entitled. Arrested two years ago for disorderly conduct and assault when you got in a fight at your college campus with another frat member, which means you have anger issues. A second arrest last year for public intoxication, which clearly represents a deeper issue with your own inner demons. Neither of your criminal offenses will put a mark on your permanent record, because dear old doctor dad shelled out the money for unbeatable lawyers. But you're right, I know nothing."

I scrunched my brows in confused shock, however as soon as that wore off, I was angry. "How the hell do you know all of that?"

"I have my ways," she replied evenly.

"How?" I pressed, unable to let it go. Those were all extremely private matters and there was no way she should have had access to any of it.

"Our dad is a cop, remember?" she admitted with a sneer. "I know I heard Bella telling you that. Your rich father had your record wiped clean, but I can still get the dirt through hacking the department computers."

"Why would you do that?" I asked disturbed. "You don't even know me?"

"I make it my business to know everything about everyone my alters fuck around with, and you, Mr. Cullen, are probably the worst we've come across."

"How am I the worst?" I spat.

"Do I need to bring up the incident with the under-aged girl?"

That did it.

Now I was pissed.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I was twenty-one years old at the time, at a bar, and that seventeen-year-old girl had a fake ID. She got caught in my car, but nothing more happened, which is why it's not on my record – not because of my father's lawyers!"

"Wow, sounds like I hit a nerve," she said smugly.

"You're damn right you hit a nerve!" I fumed. "That shit could have ruined my life, and it was a super shitty time for me that I had no intention of ever speaking about again. The way you found out about it is not only illegal, but really fucked up and a total invasion of my privacy!"

She stepped towards me and got as close to my face as her small stature would allow. "I don't give a flying fuck about your privacy. Mess with Bella again, and I'll make that shit go public to everyone in this god forsaken town, as well as your college campus. Do we have an understanding or not?"

I wanted nothing more than to tell her to go fuck herself. My blood was boiling, and it took everything I had inside of me to not explode at her. Surely no inappropriate fascination with a stranger's disorder was worth all this. However, my most recent conversation with Bella made me pause. She had zero friends because her alters always chased everyone away. That was exactly what this particular alter was attempting to do with me and I couldn't allow it. Bella was counting on me to see her through the evening, and I was going to make damn sure I followed through. Or perhaps my persistence was just me being a stubborn idiot. Either way, I wasn't going anywhere.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Actually, I've never messed with Bella. It was more Alice," I told her as casually as possible.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Yeah, well who hasn't fucking messed with Alice? I'd be more surprised if you weren't amongst her countless conquests. Trust me, you're nothing special."

"Never thought I was, but I'm certainly getting under your skin, aren't I?" I told her pompously.

"Oh honey trust me, I'd never let a criminal pedophile under my skin."

"I'm not a fucking pedophile!" I told her through gritted teeth. I could take a lot of shit, but accusing me of something like that was crossing a line. A line that this alter seemed well aware of and hell bent on leaping over with a jet pack.

Of course, she only smirked from my response to her like an evil demon that fed off of anger. "People like you are scum of the universe, and I wouldn't waste a single brain cell on thinking about you ever again. Once you walk out that door, I'll wash my hands of you completely, and make damn sure that neither Alice nor Bella ever contacts you again."

"So, you can control Bella and all of her alters?" I called her bluff.

"No, but I'm not sitting in the dark when they're out like the way Bella is. I see and hear everything they do. I even know how little your cock is. Trust me, you don't want to fuck with us again. My hacking skills are top of the line, and what I don't know, I can find someone who does. All it takes is for me to go visit our dad at work and get into the police computer's government access to make the rest of your life a living hell. The stuff wiped clean off your record could easily be reversed. Want to be registered as a sex offender permanently?"

"You can't do that," I said with my resolve beginning to falter. "Besides, even if you could, I was only investigated for being with an underage girl. Like I already told you, I never actually touched her."

"Do you know how many innocent people are rotting away in jail right now? Trust me, the truth doesn't even matter; not when the computer system shows you as a pedophile. You'd basically be condemned for the rest of your days. You could kiss your prestigious medical career goodbye. How long have you been working towards becoming a doctor like dear old dad?"

"You're a piece of work, do you know that?" I asked bitterly.

She smiled evilly at me, before raising her hand up to the side of her face and twiddling her fingers. "Ba-bye. Don't let the door hit your ass on your way out."

As much as I wanted to follow through with my promise to Bella, doing so could risk my entire future. This alter's threat was serious, and seriously fucked up. It was no wonder she couldn't keep any friends.

I hated letting Bella down, but what I really fucking hated was to fail at anything, and I was beyond pissed. I let someone get the better of me, which made me feel small and pathetic. I suppose that was my personality flaw – the fear of failure and the self-loathing when I inevitably do fail.

But probably even greater than my fear of failure, was my obtuse sense of stubbornness. I left that damn store alright, but I sat in my car like some psycho stalker and waited.

It was another hour and half before the last of the employees departed the small parking lot, which left only one car besides mine. When Bella finally emerged from the building, and locked the door behind her, I semi-hid my face out of fear from another unpleasant altercation from the mega-bitch alter. Lucky for me, however, my fear was unfounded; the moment Bella spotted me, she smiled bashfully.

I took her friendly expression as a welcome to get out of my car to greet her.

"You're still here," she said, somewhere between surprised and impressed.

I smiled back at her. "Well, it was a close call, but we both seemed to have survived it."

Her face fall into shame. "Oh no, what did they do?"

I shrugged. "Only threatened to have me arrested and ruin my entire future by falsifying a criminal record," I said casually. "Nothing big."

She let her head drop into her hand. "Oh my god. Edward, I'm so sorry. I knew it was a bad idea to ask you to babysit."

"Bree was fine," I assured her. "She was actually well behaved. It was the other one that was a little tough to handle."

She grimaced. "Alice?"

I considered it a moment, and then shook my head. "This wasn't Alice. Well, Alice was here earlier, and she was a little bitter, but nothing like this. This alter was…mean."

"Rosalie," Bella assumed. "Ah man, I was really hoping she would stay dormant. It's actually been awhile since she's been out."

"Is that normal? For them to go dormant?" I asked curiously and slightly hopeful. If this Rosalie alter would fall back into the depths of hell she crawled out of, I wouldn't have to stay away from Bella and the world could be a brighter place.

"When my life is steady and calm, she doesn't push her way out as much," Bella explained. "I think all my recent stress over the store not doing well has allowed her to take over again. In fact, my emotions are what triggers all of them, which is why I try to keep everything in my life simple."

"Well, to be honest, Alice and Bree seem rather tame compared to this Rosalie. I haven't encountered the fourth alter yet that you've mentioned, but I could probably handle all of them ganging up on me at the same time as long as Rosalie wasn't involved. She is honestly terrifying. But the worst part that she knew things the others knew. Like she watches them somehow, even when she isn't in control."

"I don't really even understand how it all works since I'm never able to remember them whatsoever, but my dad once told me that Rosalie is somehow the ringleader of the others. She's the boss, and most of the time they all listen to her. I don't know if she can actually watch them or not, but they all definitely communicate with each other."

I inhaled deeply. "Well, that's not good for me. She really, really, hates me, and I honestly have no idea why."

"Because you're a man, and you've been around more than once," Bella explained, chagrined. "Rosalie has always hated men; even my dad. It's so frustrating! I've accepted that I'll always be alone, but she doesn't have to be extra bitchy just to push people away."

I nodded, and after a few awkward beats of silence, I let out a long deep breath. "So, are you hungry?" I asked casually, changing the subject. There was no use in dwelling on the mega bitch any longer than necessary. "I wasn't a good babysitter and forgot to feed you."

Her anger melted right off her features, and she smiled despite herself. "You're seriously going to ignore her threats? Trust me, Rosalie is like lightning. You never know when she is going to strike, but when she does, it definitely burns like hell."

I shrugged. "I really hate being threatened in any way, but it kind of just makes me want to do it even more."

She raised her brows. "So you're defiant…or just stubborn?"

"Probably both," I admitted.

Bella's expression shifted into one I couldn't quite decipher. If I had to guess, it was somewhere between shock and impressed. Either way, I liked it, and only further enforced my desire to spend more time with her.

Perhaps Bella was right – perhaps I was tempting lightning by ignoring Rosalie's very serious threats, but I couldn't help it. I had been raised to always follow the rules, but I was long over that shit, and I'd be damned if I let someone's alter ego order me around.

"Pizza or Chinese?" I asked Bella as I opened my passenger car door so she could get in.

She laughed once, shook her head, and then got into my car.

Bella's and my impromptu second date signified a new chapter for both of us, and I couldn't wait to see what exactly would come from it…

…

***A/N: So, Rosalie is a bitch. I promise, she isn't that way without reason. Her very existence is to be the tough one to protect Bella from anything she deems as a threat. Is Edward a threat to her? Only time will tell. Good, bad, or indifferent, please hit me with any thoughts you may have had while reading. Thanks!