Author's Notes: I don't own Twilight. We're back to Bella's POV, next we will see what Edward thinks about all this.


Chapter 11: Girl Talk

BPOV:

I just wanted to be a normal teenager. Was that too much to ask?

Yeah, you're an alien.

I huffed at myself. Two days ago I worried that Edward didn't like me back, and now we were what? Married? And I still wasn't sure that he liked me back. I was really attracted to him, his personality, and I loved his compassion and quiet intelligence. What if he was only interested in me because of some weird alien imperative to breed?

Fuck!

Water sloshed around my feet and soaked through my Chucks as I shuffled across the pavement. The ice from yesterday had melted under a torrential rainstorm that had come last night, thunder shook our windows and kept me just on the brink of sleep. I needed to get my shit together and do my job today. It was my responsibility to maintain our cover. With a fake smile plastered on my face, I felt myself die inside just a little.

"Bella, are you okay? I heard about the accident" Angela ran up to me. My heart warmed at her sincere concern in her wide eyes. My expression went a little sour as Jessica strolled over.

"I'm okay, I wasn't even here. Edward drove me home yesterday, so I left my truck behind" I answered. "Has anyone heard anything about Tyler?" I felt like an ass for forgetting that he was in the van. I was just so overwhelmed with thinking that Charlie and I had been caught, then finding out that I was someone's mate. I totally forgot about the boy. Guilt twisted in my stomach.

"I heard that he's in a coma," Jessica leaned in and whispered, "That monstrosity you drive destroyed the van when he hit it." Bile bubbled up and coated the back of my tongue.

A long sigh came from behind me. "My dad checked on him this morning, he had a minor concussion and was sent home last night," Alice said, bouncing up beside me and kissing my cheek. She was wearing a navy blue sailor romper and knee high socks. Rosalie stood next to her, toying with the ends of her hair.

"Oh, well…Edward drove you home yesterday? So what? Are you guys together now?" Jessica sneered, jealousy seeping out of her pores.

My heart started slamming into my chest. What should I say? Were we together? I mean, we were apparently mates, but he hadn't even asked me out yet. I didn't want to go around telling people that he was my boyfriend. The word seemed simultaneously too much and too little to describe Edward.

Alice seemed to notice my dilemma, "What they are to each other is none of our business," she said, shooting me a wink. I smiled, grateful for the rescue, but noticed that Rosalie was scowling at me. It unnerved me but I shook it off. A scowl seemed to be her resting expression.

"Is he here today? Maybe you guys could eat with us?" Angela asked.

The guilt raged, "He's sick today" I squeaked.

He's not sick, he's hurt. I hurt him. Crushed his testicles and broke his face and ribs…

My ears started ringing, my head spinning.

"But he's fine, nothing serious. He should be better by tomorrow," Alice said, looking pointedly at me. I had an overwhelming urge to go to him. To check that he was really okay. Intellectually, I knew that he had the same healing ability as me. I had suffered far more severe injuries in the past, and had been just fine by the next day. I knew this, yet something deep in my belly was pulling me towards the Cullens' house to check. Without my permission, my feet turned and I took a step away from the school. Alice's hand fell on my shoulder and she led me into the building.

"He's okay," she said in a whisper. I turned to look again over my shoulder and saw that Rosalie's scowl softened for a moment before she went back to the ends of her hair.

Time seemed to behave strangely for the rest of the day. It moved at an excruciatingly slow pace, however the final bell rang long before I was prepared to face Edward. I had an intense need to see him, but was a ball of nerves about it. I wasn't ready for this. Edward and I were just getting to know each other, now what? What exactly did he expect from me?

The air seemed to get thinner, like I couldn't get enough. I started to breathe in sharp pants. I pulled out my keys and was enveloped by the comforting scents of my truck's cab as I climbed in. Besides a small dent in the rear fender, it had remained unscathed by the accident. I turned the key and the engine roared to life, the sound reminding me of so many days on the road.

What if I just drive away and never come back?

I would have to go get Charlie first. He would understand, he was always on my side. I let the idea play out, going back to life on the road thereby taking away any chance for Charlie to have a normal life. My chance was long gone, may have never existed, but Charlie could still have that. Then I started thinking about Edward, about really leaving. My heart wrenched, my bones ached like they had become lead. I sighed, I couldn't leave. I was pretty sure that I literally couldn't bring myself to leave him. I turned the truck out of the parking lot and pointed it in the direction of their house, my heart singing and head ringing.

I raised my fist to knock, but the front door swung open before my knuckles touched it. Edward stood in the doorway, bronze hair sticking out in every direction. His black sweats were hanging low on his hips and a black T-shirt pulled tight in spots across his chest. Relief flooded through me and instantly the stress of the day was replaced with desire. The outfit was the picture of a sexy, sick boy. He looked cuddly, soft, inviting. I wanted to rest my head onto his chest and be enveloped by his embrace. My feet took a step forward without my permission, his distinctive scent of pine wood on a crackling fire filled my senses. I imagined spending the day in bed with him, drinking cocoa and making him feel better by any means necessary. I wanted to let my hand slide along the flat plane of his stomach, drift past the bottom hem of his shirt and explore what was beneath his waistband.

Shit, get it together!

I met his eyes and he smirked.

"I thought you couldn't read my mind?!" I asked, heat radiating up my neck and burning my cheeks.

He snorted. "I can't, but now I'm really curious," he answered, "Come in, please."

I shuffled into the house, Edward shut the door behind me. I stared at my feet until I remembered that I needed to make sure he was okay. I turned and collided into his chest, the room tilted and his arms snaked around me, his hand pressing into the small of my back. I cupped his cheeks in my hands to inspect his face. Besides a slight shadow under his left eye, there was no evidence that he had been injured.

I let my thumb slide across the remaining bruise, "You're okay," I whispered.

"I heal fast," he whispered back, his breath fanning across my cheeks. I let my hand move into his silky hair and he leaned in.

Mate!

I jumped back from his embrace, a sting shooting up my spine as my tailbone connected with the hard tile floor of their entryway.

"I'm… I'm sorry Bella. Shit, are you okay?" Edward asked, holding out a hand to help me up.

"Yeah, I'm okay. It takes a bit more to hurt me, and I heal fast too"

He snorted, "Yeah we can only really be hurt by each other."

I knew he meant that only another alien was strong enough to hurt us, but the truth of the statement rang through me.

I could only really be hurt by Edward.

I took his hand but remained wary of the power he held over me as he led me into the kitchen.

"I was just starting some coffee, would you like some?" he asked, facing away from me as he worked at the counter. I took a seat at the island and watched him.

"No, I'm not sure caffeine is advisable right now," I answered. He nodded to himself but didn't say anything in response. He brought his mug over and sat on the opposite side of the island, sipping silently as I pulled out my eyelashes.

"How was your day?" he asked.

"Long."

"Mine too," he answered, then started biting the side of this thumb.

Jasper walked into the kitchen, mumbled something then turned and walked out. Edward rubbed the back of his neck.

"So, ummm….what do you…"

"Shit, you could cut the tension in here with a knife!" Emmett exclaimed as he strolled in.

"Goddammit Emmett, I said to give them space!" Alice shouted, pulling him backwards by the neck of his T-shirt.

"Don't act like you can see her future, you're just guessing like the rest of us when it comes to Bella," Emmett said.

"You can see the future?" I asked.

"Yep, I can see everyone's future but yours, and now his," she said pointing at Edward.

"Why can't you see his future," I asked. Was he a shield too?

"I could see it before he met you, and I could see when he decided to leave to get away from you, but now his every decision is hinged on you, so his future disappeared."

"You decided to leave to get away from me?" I asked. White hot panic raced through my veins. Was he going to leave me?

"It was a while ago, back when you first arrived. You looked like…well…yourself, and I couldn't handle the reminder. So I decided to leave," Edward said, keeping his eyes on his coffee as he swirled it in his mug.

"Why'd you decide to stay?"

"Honestly?" he sighed, "I fought it, but even then I knew that I couldn't leave you. I didn't know why at the time, but I couldn't stay away from you."

I nodded, understanding. Every time I had decided to stay away from Edward, something inside me revolted. Alice started to pull Emmett out of the room.

"Do you all have psychic powers?" I called, desperate that they stay. Everything was going a lot better now that they were here.

"Yeah," Emmett answered, pulling Alice back into the room, "They need a buffer," I heard him whisper to her.

"Christ, Emmett, she has the same ability to hear as the rest of us," Edward said.

"Oh, yeah. I am used to thinking she's a human," he scrunched his nose.

"So…what's your ability?" I asked.

Emmett grinned, "I'm lucky," he said, winking.

"What? That's not a psychic ability, some people are just lucky."

"It's more than that, when he uses his power, the world just shifts to make whatever he wants, just…happen," Alice explained sitting down in the stool next to mine. "I've seen the laws of physics go out the window when he uses it."

"How is that different from telekinesis?" I asked as he dug through the refrigerator. He turned around with a carbonated water in his hand.

"With telekinesis, I would be moving around objects; controlling the process and hoping to achieve my goal. With my power, I just decide what I want and sit back while the universe does the rest," he opened the can and took a long swig. "It's pretty neat. I can never predict what's going to happen between my initial desire and the final result, it just always works out in my favor."

"Why not use it all the time then? I would never stop using that power," I said.

"Yeah, that's not how luck works though. There's a balance. For every bit of good luck I get, I have to pay the price in bad luck later," he grimaced, "or, worse, someone I love has to pay for it."

"Oh, I would never use that power," I said.

"Yep, I only use it when absolutely necessary. I don't need it anyway, I'm the strongest and the smar–", he was cut off by Edward's laughter. Butterflies filled my belly at the sound, deep and musical. The clouds must have shifted outside because the light in the entire room seemed to get brighter. I stared, awestruck by his beauty.

"Fuck you, Edward," Emmett said, his lips twitching as he repressed a smile.

"Language," Charlie chided as he strolled in from another room. Edward straightened in his chair and Emmett looked down at his shoes. Charlie turned towards me and winked, the presence of my father shaking me from my stupor.

"Sorry sir," Emmett said. I chuckled, Charlie didn't give a shit about language, he just liked to give me a hard time. I realized that he was extending this treatment to the rest of the Cullen kids and I felt warmth bubble through me.

"Esme says dinner will be out of the oven in five minutes, can you kids get the table set?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, sir," Edward said, jumping up from his chair like Charlie was his drill sergeant.

Charlie came over and took the seat next to me, leaning close he whispered, "How do I get them to stop calling me sir?"

I shrugged, "Maybe it's the mustache, it makes you look like a cop."

"But I like the mustache," he grumbled.

"It's the bazooka," Alice said as she left the room with a stack of plates. We followed her into the dining room while the family set the table and brought out the food.

The smell coming out of the red enamel Dutch oven was outrageous. My mouth was watering and I was having trouble keeping track of the conversation after Esme set it down in the center of the large dining room table. We were waiting for Rosalie to come down before we could start, everyone else having taken their places in the modern dining room. The wall behind me was nothing but windows. Edward sat across from me pulling on his messy bronze hair. A low, mid-century sideboard sat behind him, set with extra napkins and wine for the adults. I pulled out a clump of eyelashes watching Edward rip at his hair. We were quite the pair, soon we would both be bald.

Rosalie finally joined us, Edward glanced in her direction, a sorrowful look flashing across his features before Esme pulled the lid off the pot. Inside, a luscious mushroom and lentil stew. A second dish of potatoes with some disgusting cream sauce was sitting next to it for the humans. I ate like I was starving, it was better than the soup Edward had brought me for lunch. Who knew you could do this to vegetables and fungus?

"Can you teach me how to make this Esme?" I asked, "I want to be able to make it for Charlie and me at home."

"About that," Charlie started, "We were talking while you kids were at school."

Uh oh. This can't be good.

"Maybe it would be safest if we were all under one roof."

My vision began to swim, a ringing sound filling my head. I glanced up at Edward, joy radiated from him. Heat started to rush to my face.

"It would be easiest to create one stronghold," Charlie continued, "and protect everyone together."

"You just decided this without me?" I asked. Charlie and I made every decision together since I was about eight years old. I felt the reins slip from my fingers.

"It is the best way to keep everyone safe, Bells."

I leapt to my feet, rage pulsing through my veins. "So, what? Now me and Edward are living together? Do I get a say in any of this? What if it's too fast for me? What if I don't wantto live with him? What if I don't want a mate" I yelled at my father.

A hush fell on the dining room as eight sets of eyes stared up at me. "If you would just excuse me for a moment," Edward said, his soft voice cutting through the silence. He stood, pushed in his chair and walked out of the room.

We can only really be hurt by each other.

I felt the tears drip from my chin as my eyes followed his retreat up the staircase. I didn't mean it like that. I wanted Edward, I couldn't imagine a more perfect mate. I just didn't want all of this pressure. It was too much, too fast. I rushed out of the room and into the guest bathroom, slamming the door and sinking onto the floor. I tried to focus on my breathing, I just needed to calm down so I could think. I heard a rapping on the door, "Kid, come out, we don't have to move in here if you're uncomfortable. I didn't think, I'm sorry," he called through the door.

"I just need a minute," my voice cracked.

"Okay Bells."

In, 2, 3, 4. Out, 2, 3, 4.

You should have done this before shouting at the dining table.

Fuck you brain.

The door swung open, the handle slamming into the drywall, leaving a large hole. I jumped to my feet and my eyes went wide at the sight of Rosalie, she looked like an approaching storm, or a blonde tidal wave.

"Do you have any idea what it feels like to be rejected by your mate? Any idea how painful that is? Well, I do!" she slammed her hand down onto the marble countertop, cracks radiated from beneath her palm, "You just eviscerated my brother and I am getting pretty fucking sick of watching you hurt him. You get out of my house before I rip your arm off and beat you to death with it."

An embarrassing wail tore out of my throat. "Do it!" I screeched, " I deserve dismemberment for how I'm acting. I just…this is just too much. Now we're mates? Do you guys hear the implications of that word? Mate!?" I grabbed her shoulders and shook her. Her eyes went wide, "As in sex, Rosalie! I've never even entertained the idea of a romantic relationship before I met your brother, and now, what does he expect? Does he think that we are just going to…we haven't even been on a real date. And now we are going to be living together? Are we supposed to share a room? Fuck! It's not like I don't want to eventually, but it's too fast. We haven't even really kissed!" I shrieked, "And mate doesn't just mean to have sex for fun, it means reproduction! Kids! I am seventeen years old. I can't do this, does birth control even work for us?!"

"Shit," Rosalie said, her face white, "Alice, we need you in here."


Alice and Rosalie pulled me up to a bedroom, ignoring the questions called out by Charlie. They said I needed "girl talk". Now, I was curled up on Alice's bedspread, the white faux sherpa comforter pillowing up around my face, fuzzy polyester sticking to my tear streaked cheeks. I hiccupped a sob. A tentative hand touched my shoulder.

"I think I broke our si-, our Bella," Rosalie said.

What was she about to call me?

"Bella, sweetheart. Do you want to talk about it?" Alice asked. A light rap sounded on the door and Jasper's hand stuck through, handing Alice a glass bottle. She passed it off to Rosalie who started working at the large dresser against the wall.

I sat up, my hair sticking to my lips. "I…I…keep hurting him. I just can't do this, everything is just happening to me. I don't have any control. My body is acting without my permission and…," I felt my face crumple, "I want to have sex with him," I murmured. Alice handed me a glass of golden colored liquid. I had never consumed alcohol before, but I downed the contents of the glass in one gulp, it burned my throat and a fit of coughs racked my body.

"That's sipping whiskey," Alice whispered, I ignored her and held out my glass for a refill. Rosalie poured without question, stunned by my display.

"And he's going to think that now we're mates, we're just supposed to jump into bed, and I'm not ready for any of that." Alice and Rosalie shared a knowing look, "I thought I would have a nice normal boyfriend that held my hand at the movie theater. Maybe we would ease into the more physical stuff over the course of a few months or a year, and now…" I gulped my whiskey.

"Ooooookay," Alice said, pulling the glass out of my hand and sitting down next to me. "When Jasper and I felt the bond between us, we were thirteen," she huffed out a sigh. "Rose and Emmett were a year older than us and their obvious attraction for each other was pretty…" she shot a glance at her sister, "intimidating."

"It was?" Rose asked. Alice nodded.

"I didn't want to ask you about the…physical stuff," she rubbed the back of her neck. "It didn't seem like my business, but I just felt like I was way too young," she cast her eyes down, toying with the curls of fleece bedspread. "No matter how strongly the bond pulled me, I just wasn't ready."

"Shit! Of course you weren't ready Alice!" Rose said, eyebrows furrowed. "Emmett and I weren't having sex back then, we were kids! Christ, you should have talked to me about it." Rose started pacing the room.

"What did you do?" I mumbled into my lap, pulling a chunk of my eyebrow out. If she just went ahead and had sex because the mating bond compelled her to, I was going to scream.

"I talked to Jasper," she said, reaching out a hand and lifting my chin.

I met her big round eyes, she looked like an anime character. I knew that she could get anything she wanted just by asking.

"You haven't had the benefit of growing up with him, but Edward isn't the kind of guy to pressure a girl," Alice said. I thought about the experiences I had shared with Edward already, he had come running to protect me from Mike and had moved at a snail's pace in our relationship so far.

"He would be mortified if you guys moved any faster than you were comfortable with. You should talk to him," Rose suggested. "In fact, he's probably just as freaked out as you."

Alice tilted her head in thought, then nodded, "This is all new to him too. He never thought he could have a romantic relationship before he met you. According to Jasper, he's only even imagined himself with Max from Dark Angel," she smiled. "And knowing Edward, the loss of control is probably making him batty."

Rose chuckled, "Oh god, I hadn't thought of that. He's probably losing his shit. The compulsions from the mating bond will be especially hard on him, he has to be in control," she shook her head. "This is going to be hilarious."

"I like being in control too," I said weakly.

"You two are very alike in that way," Alice said.

"And in a lot of other obnoxiously nerdy ways," Rose added.

For the first time since my outburst, I smiled. "He is such a nerd," I said, my heart warming at the thought of my mate. We did seem well suited for each other.

"Good lord. Now she's gone all dreamy, booze must've kicked in," Rose said.

"Now, don't get us wrong," Alice said, patting my knee, "the mating phenomenon is difficult. It does put a lot of pressure on things."

Rose nodded, "And sometimes it drives you to do things that you otherwise wouldn't have done," her eyes started to shine before she turned away.

"What do you mean?" I whispered.

"Now…you will do anything to protect him, to be near him. Even when it kills you," she said without looking at me, her voice breaking. I remembered what she said in the bathroom about being rejected by your mate.

I sprang off the bed and threw myself at her, wrapping my arms around her center from behind. She held my arms tight to her torso as if she were holding on for life. Alice walked in front of her, wrapping her arms around both of us.

"I think we need to do this more often, we clearly have some issues we need to work out," Alice said.

Rose nodded, "But first, Bella needs to fix things with our brother." The alcohol twisted and burned in my stomach.

Oh god, how was I going to fix this?

I felt shaky and cold as I stepped out of the hug. I steeled myself and drug my feet out of the room, shutting the door behind me. Just before I heard it click shut Rose called out, "By the way, Carlisle has developed a very effective contraceptive for our species, make sure you and Edward have a talk about that too."