Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

It was still dark out when Bella regained consciousness. The pillow she was using was oddly cold, but soft and comfortable as hell. She stretched a little and pulled her pillow closer, sighing as her head fell into a particularly soft bit. Suddenly she felt her pillow move, and Bella froze.

She was lying on top of Rosalie, not some pillow. Her heart thumped in her chest as her eyes adjusted to the dark and saw that her arms and legs were wrapped around the blonde, and her head happened to be resting on her breasts. Oh my god.

Rosalie didn't seem to have felt Bella's panic...she continued on in her slumber, softly breathing in and out...the motion that had alerted Bella to her presence. For an agonizing minute, Bella wondered what to do. Should she wake her? Sleep on the couch? All the while, Bella couldn't take her eyes off of her. The soft moonlight bathed her face, and Bella could've sworn her skin was shimmering a little. So beautiful, she thought.

In the end Bella drew on all her bravery and stayed put. She gingerly lay back down in Rosalie's arms, closed her eyes, and relished what would probably be the only time she'd ever feel this nirvana.

She awoke once more a few hours later to the irritating "beep beep" of her watch. The first thing she noticed was Rosalie's absence. The second thing she noticed was a short note by her bed, 'Sorry I fell asleep! Went home to get ready for school. See you later!' She got up, wishing she could hold on to the feeling of Rosalie by her side forever, and started her day.

As she biked past Charlie's cruiser she briefly wondered at the lack of contact with the man after yesterday's confrontation. If she was perfectly honest with herself, when the property came into view after her run home yesterday, she was mentally prepared for death. She thought Charlie would've seen the smoke from the fire for sure and that it would have triggered a similar or worse reaction in him than what prompted him to pull out his gun on her. She had stared at the bullets lodged in her wall for a long time yesterday, going through a series of terrible emotions that only stopped when Rosalie knocked on her door.

Rosalie...the sight of her was like a miracle cure. One look at her was enough to remind Bella of what she'd miss if she died. One look was enough for her to beg the gods for a second chance. She wanted to live...badly. If all she got out of it was the chance to see Rosalie every day, then living, as difficult and dangerous as it was, was worth it. The hours of conversation with her yesterday were like a dream. How else to explain the ecstasy that merely sitting next to Rosalie brought in her? Even now, simply recalling the night with the girl made Bella's skin buzz with electricity. She pedaled faster, the euphoria that was flooding her veins providing fuel for her body.

But she couldn't stay happy for long. Invariably, as she pictured Rosalie's moonlit face, another masculine, dimpled, and forever cheerful face joined hers. She loved Emmett. He didn't deserve this. He was a good, kind and loving person who had been like a brother to Bella from the very beginning. She knew she had to stop thinking about his girlfriend this way...stop fantasizing about her...but how do you stop a heart from beating? How on earth was she to stop her body from automatically curling up into Rosalie's whenever she sat next to her, which was often? 'You're not trying very hard though,' she thought, thinking of last night. She could've stayed on the couch. She could've woken Rosalie up. She could've, she should've...

She was weak-willed yesterday, she told herself. Rosalie had come at Bella's lowest since her first days in Forks. Yes, Bella had clung to Rosalie last night the same way she had clung to Esme the night they met. 'You didn't sleep on top of Esme, though...'

She growled at herself. It was a new day. She wasn't dead by infanticide. The fiery monster was released and no danger today. And though a very different fire was raging through her these days, surely this one will be easier to contain. Right?

"Love, I don't think Carlisle and Esme would be too pleased with that," Emmett chuckled. His answer was in response to Rosalie's casual inquiry: what would happen if they scattered pieces of Edward's body through the Pacific? It wasn't a permanent death, she reasoned. But a few decades inside an orca might teach him some humility and an appreciation for life.

"Hmph," Rosalie said. "You don't know that...I'll ask Alice later..."

Emmett just rolled his eyes and smiled. Rosalie had come back this morning glowing and it had nothing to do with the brief exposure to sunlight at dawn. Even though he knew nothing serious had actually happened between her and Bella (he was sure Alice wouldn't have been able to contain her squeals if it had) he still marveled at the effect Bella had on his wife. When she walked into their bedroom, she had greeted him with a passionate kiss that had him reeling. They made love all morning. They've always been more passionate than the average vampire couple (which was saying something) so it wasn't like that morning had broken a dry spell or anything. But the fervor with which Rosalie drove down into his thrusts...and the way she looked at him all the while...needless to say, he was a very happy man that day.

Even Edward couldn't spoil it for him. All night, Edward had pressed on with the jokes and the scorn. Emmett was not a simpleton-he knew most conventional people would consider him a foolish cuckold, deserving of every derisive smackdown that Edward had thrown at him. But Emmett was a man who was far more comfortable with himself, his manhood, and his relationship with his wife than most...certainly more than his mopey brother. Edward's comments did not stick. And after this morning, they bounced right off of him.

"Just try to keep from chopping his head off for a few hours," he said as they rolled to a stop at the school parking lot. "The humans would most certainly notice."

"Hmph," she said again. But she composed herself as only she could. If only Edward would've left them alone...

"There's the happy couple!" Edward drawled as he exited his Volvo. Emmett groaned as he wondered which was the best spot to slam down his fist.

"You can't act like a man so you think bashing my car will make up for it?" Edward said. "Nice."

"That's quite enough, Edward," Jasper warned. Jasper, though he wasn't the target, had borne a lot of abuse last night. Edward's emotions affected him so much that by daybreak he and Alice retreated a few miles away into the woods just to avoid Edward's poisonous emotions. Poor Jasper looked like hell. He took one look at Edward, then kissed his wife and ran inside the school. He just couldn't take it anymore.

"When are you going to get it?!" Edward exclaimed, though still too fast and quiet for the humans to hear. "This girl is going to be the end of us! We're vampires. She's human. One of these days one of us is going to slip. One of these days the Volturi will ask us why in fuck's name a human knows about our existence, and we'll all burn for it! You had to pick the one bitch in the universe who can block me?!"

Rosalie growled. Alice held her back.

"Disrespect her again," Emmett said slowly, "and I will pummel every car you own, from now through eternity, into a toaster sized hunk of steel. You got that?"

"You've all gone mad," Edward said softly. "How can you at least not be worried about her? Rosalie could've killed her last night. She was inches from her neck-I heard your thoughts!" He said, looking at Rosalie. "How would you feel then if you lost control? You've done it before! You know what it's like when the blood lust takes over, and you don't realize what's happening until your victim is drained and lifeless. Would you ever forgive yourself? Or Esme if she's the one? Or Jasper? Or your husband here? Would you be able to look at him...if what you feel for Bella is as real as you think it is...and your own husband is the one who lost control..."

"One way or another," he continued. "Bella will break up this family, and I will NOT stand by and watch that happen! Even if I have to get rid of her myself!"

That was so the wrong thing to say. Three pairs of low growls and murderous stares hit the boy.

"I have had it with you," Emmett said slowly. "None of us are going to hurt her. She's a daughter to Esme and Carlisle. She's my best friend and sister, and I know Alice and Jasper feel the same way. And as for my wife," he growled, "what we decide to do with our marriage is none of your goddamn business. I don't know, and I frankly don't care if Bella finds out about us someday. The hell with the Volturi and the hell with you. And," he leaned closer to Edward, towering over him, "if you lay a finger on Bella, Rosalie and I will spend all of our eternity making sure you never have another moment of peace. You got that brother?"

Edward glared daggers at him. Rosalie stood by Emmett and glared back. Alice ran through a few scenarios that could break through the chill in the air.

"Come on, Edward," she said. "Give her a chance. I saw her making an effort with you. She's going to try to befriend you tonight."

"Tonight?" Edward looked at her, then huffed at what he heard. "Dinner? We're going to have dinner with her? How in the name of all that is holy are we going to manage that?"

"With creative thinking I'm sure!" Alice smiled. "I've already seen it. It'll be fine. Bella won't notice a thing!"

Ever the diplomat, Alice took his arm and led her obstinate brother inside the school. Emmett and Rosalie followed, stopping only to wave to Bella who was locking up her bike.

"Come on Bella Bear!" Emmett grinned like a maniac. Bella smiled softly, and walked inside beside them.

5 Minutes Earlier:

When Bella made it to school she was a little annoyed. She wished she could run, really run. Her race through the woods yesterday was the fastest she'd run in a long time...but she knew she could go faster. Wind was unstoppable...She wondered if it had a speed limit.

If she was honest with herself, she'd admit she missed using her benign gift. She had relied on it so much during her exile. It if it wasn't for the wind, she would've had a much harder time sustaining herself...not to mention she may have broken a few bones from falling from trees. What she missed the most though, was listening to nature's symphony every night. There was so much that regular people missed, she mused in wonder. How can they claim to understand nature when they haven't even heard a fraction of the things Bella could hear when she asked the wind?

The Cullens' cars arrived at the parking lot a moment after she did. As she bent to lock her bike, she sensed something was wrong. The family, always jovial and united, looked anything but. She looked over the frame of her bike and saw Emmett and Rosalie glaring daggers at Edward. A moment later Alice and Jasper got out of their car, both looking just as weary. Jasper didn't linger outside for long, but the others stood in their places...whispering furiously to each other. Confused and concerned, Bella wished she could hear their conversation.

As if a genie were granting her wish, Bella suddenly could.

Her eyes widened in shock as she realized what was happening. The wind, much like it did with the sounds of nature, was delivering the whispered words her friends were exchanging straight to her ears. It didn't matter how fast or softly they were speaking. The wind slowed them down and intensified their voices so Bella could hear them as clear as a bell.

And she heard them. She heard every single word.

Author's Note: Dun dun dun.