Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.

"Bella!"

I reached for her arm, just missing it as it slipped off the rock and deeper into the water. Without thinking, I followed, practically belly-flopping into the water. Narrowly avoiding the rocks, I was able to snag Bella before she could get pulled too far into the undertow. When I felt her tighten her hold on me, confirming that she was somewhat conscious, I whimpered in relief.

It was a struggle to dodge the rocks on the way back to the shore with a mermaid in tow, but I managed, slipping and falling only once. Careful to lay her down gently, I collapsed onto the sand beside her to catch my breath. The terrain was rough, her tail was heavy, and I was tired.

After my breath slowed and evened, I pushed myself up and off the sand, ready to attend to my Bella. I thought I would only need to rouse her, but when I turned to her, I cried out in horror. Out of the water, I could see how badly she was bleeding. Nasty gashes stretched from her forehead down to her chin, ripping through the lips I had kissed not three hours ago. They continued onto her neck, across her chest, and down to her stomach.

She would heal, I reminded myself before the panic took over and rendered me useless. I had zero insight into how her healing worked exactly, and if it happened anywhere, in any form. Or even how quickly it actually worked, and if I should already be concerned. All I knew what that Bella came to me to do something about it.

I decided that I good place to start would be the get her away from the ocean. I tried to look for a way to take her into my arms that would inflict the least amount of pain for her, but there was no part of her human flesh left unscathed.

"It's okay, baby," I promised in a trembling voice as I lifted her up, "I have you."

She had dried into her human legs, so she was now light enough that I could run with her across the backyard and up to the house. I was halfway up the stairs, soaking wet and cradling my naked girlfriend, when I heard the garage door open.

"Fuck," I muttered to myself and quickened my pace.

Alice called my name just as I slammed my bedroom door shut. I shifted Bella over onto my hip like a mother carrying their toddler and locked the door behind us.

I had no idea if Bella's form affected her ability to heal, but I wasn't willing to take any chances. With Bella in tow, I hurried into the bathroom and flipped the faucet to the tub. "Come on, come on," I whispered to the water, willing it to fill the tub faster.

Suddenly, there was a rapid-fire knocking on the door. "It's me! Alice!

I tried to make my voice sound as calm and collected as possible while balancing an unconscious mermaid on my hip. "What do you want?"

"Can I come in?"

"Um, not right now."

"Edward, are you naked?" the door handle jiggled. "Why is the door locked?"

"I—I'm busy at the moment."

"Is everything okay?"

"Everything is just fine!"

The doorknob jiggled again, as if Alice thought that was the key to making it unlocked. "Do you want me to come in? You sound really weird."

"No, I'm fine!"

"Edward…" her voice was reproachful; she wasn't convinced. "Blink once… no. Um, knock… Oh, um… Can you just say you're not okay if you're not okay, because you sound weird."

"I'm fine! Don't worry!"

"Okay…" There was a beat of silence, and I thought I was in the clear. But Alice spoke again. "Are you… are you having sex?" her voice shot up an octave by the time she reached the end of the scandalous question.

Exasperated, I pressed the palm of my hand into my face. Even if I was, why on Earth would I shout that through the door? "Nope!"

"Then open the door!"

Before I could respond, Bella leaned forward and far too much saltwater spilled out of her mouth and onto the floor. I had to bite my lip to stop myself from screaming in horror.

"Edward! I hear you! You are not okay! I'm getting Esme!"

"No!" I couldn't have either of them coming up to my room.

I placed Bella into the barely-filled tub, hoping it would be enough, and turned off the water. I pressed my lips firmly against hers. "Please, please be okay."

I rushed down the stairs in time to hear Alice informing my parents and Jasper that something was wrong with me.

"I'm fine!" I exclaimed, skidding into the kitchen

"Baby!" Esme exclaimed at the sight of me. She was already horrified. Possibly, a little intoxicated, too. She yanked my head down by the back of my neck so she could feel my forehead. "How long have you been sick? Is that why you've been so mellow this week? You've been sick this entire time?"

"I'm not sick," I said, convincing no one. I had been crying, and the glassy, puffy eyes and red face weren't exactly helping my case.

"Let's get you into bed. I'll clean everything up."

I couldn't have anyone near my room. Not while there was an injured mermaid healing in my tub.

"No! It's fine!" I stepped in her way. "I'll clean it."

Esme kept trying to brush past me. "No. I've already had you cleaning this house while you already didn't feel well, I won't have you doing any more."

"No, mom. Please."

"Why are you wet?" Jasper was the first one to notice. I had hoped that Carlisle and Esme were tipsy enough not to pick up on that odd detail.

Carlisle now came up to me, touching the sleeve of my button-down, and cocked his head.

"I heard the bathtub running," Alice said.

Esme whirled back to me, "Were you taking a bath fully dressed?"

"I..."

"Carlisle, is he delusional?!"

Carlisle put his head to my forehead. "He's nowhere near warm enough to have a fever, especially one bad enough to cause delusions." He flipped his hand, "He's actually quite cool."

"I'm fine, Dad."

"Do you think he's D-R-U-N-K?" Esme spelled out.

"I'm not drunk, either."

Esme furrowed her brow and tucked both lips between her teeth, like she was deep in thought. No doubt, attempting to recall something in a parenting book that covered this situation.

Just when I thought the accusations couldn't get any more incriminating, Carlisle pinched a section of my shirt near my shoulder. "Edward, is this blood?"

I stumbled back and out of his reach. "Of course not!" But, it was blood. Bella's blood, from where her torn body rested against mine.

Esme came around to my other side and picked at another spot. "It's here, too. What is it?" Fear and concern shook her voice. Moments ago, she had left her sane son for a quiet night alone and came home to him vomiting, soaking wet, and covered in blood. "Edward, sweetie, what happened?"

I had no words. No excuses. No thoughts at all.

At a complete and total loss of what to do, I blurted the only thing I could think of that would be a sufficient distraction. "Alice and Jasper have been hooking up!"

Four jaws dropped simultaneously.

"What!?" Esme whirled towards my brother and sister.

I swallowed, staring straight into Alice's eyes, hurt from betrayal, hoping she could see the apology in mine. "They've been secretly dating for at least a month now."

"J—Jasper? Alice?"

I could practically see the gears whirling in Alice's mind to come up with a lie, but Jasper was far nobler—or less creative—and caved right away. "It's true," he took Alice's hand in his own, "we're in love."

Esme fainted.

My hands flew up to my mouth. Alice shrieked. The only one not standing completely motionless was Carlisle, who slid like a baseball player into home base across the kitchen tiles to get to his wife. "Esme? Esme, love?" he stroked her hair with one hand and lightly tapped her cheek with the other.

My current state had been more than forgotten.

Carlisle pulled Esme against him, cradling her head against his shoulder, "You kids have some serious explaining to do!" he demanded.

As Alice and Jasper stuttered through their current situation, I slowly backed out of the room. The second I was in the clear, I dashed back up the stairs and to Bella.

I stood with my back against my bedroom door—shut and locked. I squeezed my eyes shut, not sure how I was going to get myself out of this mess. Although Esme and Carlisle were sufficiently distracted for the time being, they would eventually come back for answers I did not have. And Alice. Alice would be furious that I spilled her secret. She was going to hate me.

The mermaid tail in my bathtub caught my eye, reminding me why I was in this mess in the first place. I rushed back into my bathroom, where Bella lay in the same position I left her in. The only change was the water surrounding her was pink with blood. I drained the tub and switched the faucet back on to give her more, clean water.

"I'm here. I'm right here, baby," I murmured, bringing my hands up to her face, tenderly stroking any part that was left unscathed.

I decided to change out of my damp, bloody clothes. In sweatpants and a clean shirt, I cleaned the saltwater she had thrown up on the floor, and while I was at it, cleaned Bella's wounds that weren't submerged. With no other way to help her, I slumped down beside her. Reaching into the tub, I took her hand in mine and gently rubbed it with my thumb. "You'll be okay, right? This will all be gone by morning, right?"

I stupidly searched her face for an answer that wasn't going to come any time soon.

This was going to be a long night.

With my hand still holding hers in the tub, I adjusted myself so I could place my arm against the edge of the tub and rest my head in the crook of my elbow. The position was twisted and uncomfortable, but I couldn't let go over her hand nor look away from her face.

The long hours dragged by, and there was still no progress. In fact, it seemed like she was getting worse. Her cuts were still open, the redness around them becoming more pronounced.

"What's wrong?" I heard myself whisper into the night.

By the time morning came around, there was still no progress. I felt as lifeless as my girlfriend was, floating in my tub.

There was a loud banging on my door. Someone might have shouted my name, but it sounded like a distant buzzing. Suddenly, someone had broken through the lock and the door flew open. I didn't have the emotional or physical energy to lift my head from where it rested on the side of the tub to so much as look at the culprit. The door slammed shut. My name was sprinkled amongst colorful curses. The yelling came closer and closer to where I was slumped against the bathtub.

The yelling stopped.

All traces of anger from Alice's voice completely vanished. "Edward, what's wrong with her?"

I broke down into tears. All the emotions I had been keeping at bay all night suddenly came spilling out. Bella was hurt and wasn't making any progress in getting better. "I don't know!"

"…Is she…?"

I forced my eyes away from Bella and finally looked up at Alice. Both hands covered her no-doubt gaping mouth as she stared at the scene before her: her brother's bruised and bloodied girlfriend laying in a full tub of water with a mermaid tail.

"Bella's not human, Alice. And she's hurt," my voice cracked on the last word.

Immediately switching to business mode, Alice pulled at my arm to get me to stand. "We need to get her to a hospital," she started, but I was already shaking my head.

"No one can know, Alice."

"Carlisle! We can trust our dad."

"I don't even know if I can trust you," I admitted.

Alice stared at me, like she couldn't believe I could say such a thing. "Okay." Then, back in business mode, she sat on the ground beside me. "What was your plan when you put her in the bathtub?"

"I just wanted her out of the ocean. Usually, she heals quickly." I stroked one of the many gashes on her head. "These should be gone by now."

"It looks like they're getting worse."

The only response to that I could manage was another pathetic sob.

"Who did this to her?"

"Her sisters, probably. But I don't know. She swam to our beach like this."

"And you've seen her heal before?"

Still stroking Bella's face, I nodded. "She got scratched by one of her sisters one time." I traced the place where she was cut. "She went back into the ocean, and by the time I saw her the next afternoon, it was completely gone."

"So, she got hurt, spent a night in the water, and healed…"

"She stays in the ocean every night. It's where she sleeps," I added, hoping that any information could be useful.

I set my head back onto the tub, gazing hopelessly at Bella's face. Behind me, Alice talked to herself, repeating the few facts she knew as she mulled them over. Then, she shot up. "Saltwater!"

"What?"

"She's an ocean-dwelling creature, Edward," Alice explained, bonking the back of my head with the heel of her hand. "She needs saltwater."

Willing to try anything at this point, I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, yeah."

Alice was out the door and back before I could ask where Esme kept the extra salt. She was about to pour salt all over Bella, but I stopped her, and lifted Bella out of the tub, first. Alice dumped the entire container of salt into the tub, pushed up the sleeves of her hoodie to her elbows, and swished the water all around. When everything was properly mixed, I lowered Bella back into the tub.

Alice smirked at me as I changed out of my wet clothes again. "Occupational hazard of dating a mermaid?" Alice was probably one of the only people who could get me to smile in this situation, and she did. A lot of the time, I did walk away from a date with Bella sporting wet clothes.

Now dry, I returned to my spot beside the tub and lowered my hand into the water to grab Bella's. Alice and I stared at the mermaid, desperately searching for signs of change. Only a few minutes passed before the red around Bella's cuts began to dull and fade.

I sprang up on my knees. "Alice! It's working." The swell of relief along with the sleepless night had me cackling like a manic. "She's going to be okay!"

I felt Alice's hand rub supportive circles on my back, but I kept my eyes on Bella. Thirty minutes later, Bella shifted. After ten more, her eyes fluttered open. Finally. Finally. Looking into the warm depth of her chocolate eyes was like looking into paradise.

"Bella!"

I launched forward for a kiss—practically falling into the tub on top of her. My hand splashed the water as I caught myself at the bottom of the tub, thoroughly soaking the sleeve of my shirt, but I didn't care the least bit. Bella was awake. My Bella.

"Thank god," I murmured, resting my forehead against hers.

After another kiss, I backed off, giving Bella the chance to take in her odd surroundings. Her eyes fell upon Alice, where they froze and widened.

"…I might have some explaining to do."

Bella didn't take her eyes off Alice. Realizing that she was being perceived as a threat, Alice tentatively raised both hands in the air. "I'm sorry, Bella. I barged into Edward's room and found out. But, I'm not going to hurt you. In fact, I did the opposite. I saved your life."

I wobbled my head. "It was a team effort."

Alice's responding snort said she regarded that as a joke.

Bella's eyes still switched between the two of us, her nerves not yet settled. Alice crawled up to the tub next to her. "When I was seven, I wished for a mermaid friend for my birthday. I believe you've made my wish come true, Bella."

A small smile played at the corner of Bella's lips.

"Can I touch your tail, or is that offensive?"

"Go ahead," Bella signed after a brief pause. I translated for Alice.

Alice plunged her hand into the water and gently stroked Bella's golden scales with the tips of her fingers. "Beautiful…" She admired. "I've always known you were too cool for my lame brother."

The full smile burst forward at that, and Bella's shoulders shook with silent laughter.

Bella was awake and healing, and no longer felt threatened. It was time to tick off a few inconsequential boxes, like her comfort. "Are you hungry?" She had been out for at least twelve hours, most of them her usual hunting time.

She placed both hands over her stomach, then nodded.

"Alright," I pressed a light kiss on her cheek. "I'm going to pick her up some sushi," I told Alice, eyes still locked on Bella's. Then, to Bella, "Will you be alright?"

I didn't know what Alice was doing behind my back, but Bella's eyes brightened with humor. She had to tuck her bottom lip into her mouth to hold back a giggle before nodding. I whirled around to Alice standing perfectly still, with arm hands behind her back—the perfect picture of innocence. "Can you pick me up some teriyaki chicken?"

The house was empty, which was standard for a Saturday afternoon. Regardless, I was grateful. Esme and Carlisle would need an explanation from me, and I had yet to come up with one. Maybe since Alice was now on my team, I could ask her to help me come up with something. When I got back home from the closest Japanese restaurant, Bella was out of the tub, her human legs in sweatpants, and sitting in my bed next to my sister watching something on Alice's laptop.

"What are you doing?"

"Showing Bella her her-story."

I craned my neck to see what was on the screen and caught a glance of a familiar red-headed cartoon mermaid.

"Is it an accurate representation of your culture?" I asked Bella, only to receive the most withering look.

I passed out the food to the girls, leaving my own on my bedside table. As Bella took her first bite, I lifted her chin with my fingers, moving it side to side. "And you're perfectly alright now?" I couldn't see cuts or scars, but there had to be some lasting effect due to remaining so injured for so long.

"She's fine." Alice pulled on Bella's arm, trying to pull her attention back to the screen. "Bella, you have to watch this part."

I wasn't ready to release Bella quite yet. I angled her face up towards mine and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. The relief that she was okay had not diminished one bit since the moment she opened her eyes. "I am so happy you're alright."

"Shh," Alice hissed. She scooted over on my bed, making room for me in the middle. "Shut up. Calm down. Watch."

I suspected that she only wanted me to join so I could take on the responsibility of balancing the laptop on my lap and she could sit as she pleased, but I complied anyway. Once I was settled, both Bella and Alice rested their heads against my shoulders as they ate.

"Look, Bella!" Alice pointed to the screen excitedly when Price Eric made his first appearance. "He's your Edward!" Despite the silliness of the declaration, Bella blushed a very sweet, very deep shade of red and hid her face in my shoulder.

Sometime later, I jolted awake. I realized I didn't remember seeing the end of the movie. Fatigue from a sleepless night must have finally caught up with me. My entire body wrapped protectively around Bella's, my face pressed into her shoulder. Embarrassed, I released her the moment I came to my own. How long had I held her captive? But, when I pulled back to look at her face, it was soft and warm, and a serene smile spread across her lips.

"You're cute when you sleep," she signed. Still smiling, she rubbed something off the corner of my mouth with her thumb. Possibly drool. I winced, more embarrassed than I was a moment ago.

Then, awareness seeped in. Yesterday, I had found my girlfriend broken and bloodied and washed onto shore. And now, she was safe in my arms and in my bed. Well enough to tease me and tell me I was cute. I hadn't released her, so all I needed to do what tighten my arms to squeeze her into an embrace.

"Oh, Bella." I peppered her with kisses between statements. "Thank god you're okay. I was so worried."

Placing her hands on either side of my face, she stopped the onslaught of kisses. She placed one of her own on my nose before releasing me so she could sign, "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright." It was. I was immensely grateful that she came to me instead of hiding away in the ocean. "I was mostly scared that I had made things worse instead of making them better."

"You didn't make anything worse."

"You were unconscious in my bathtub for almost twelve hours."

Her soft expression vanished as she processed that. I could tell she tried very hard to keep her face void of shock. Apparently, neither Alice nor I had filled her in on how she spent her evening.

"I shouldn't have come to you," she concluded, which was the exact opposite of what I wanted.

"No, no, no!" I disagreed as she kept signing, "I don't think I ever actually told myself to find you. I think my body swam to you all on its own. I'm so sorry,"

"Don't be sorry. I want you to come to me, no matter what."

"Really?" She seemed skeptical, making me wonder all that she got herself into that I didn't know about.

"Absolutely," I swore as she nuzzled her face into my neck for a moment. "I love you, and I want to protect you, too."

She snuggled to brush her lips against mine. "I will never let anything touch you. I told my sisters they were never, ever allowed near you again."

She stopped talking to brush her fingers along my arm, so I encouraged her to continue. "…Is that why they attacked you?"

"Not quite. They teased me for a bit, but I expected that. Then, one of them—Bonnie," she spelled out the name, "the one who dragged you into the water that night, said something particularly cruel. She was trying to provoke me, and it worked. I lashed out at her, which was a stupid thing to do considering she had eight of our sisters there to back her up."

"You attacked her?"

Bella nodded.

"When it was nine against one?"

"If I didn't, they would have seen me as weak. And I needed to show that I'm strong enough to protect what's mine." My heart somersaulted at Bella referring to me as hers.

"What did Bonnie say to you?"

Hesitating, Bella bit her lip. I pressed a few encouraging kisses along her hairline.

"That I didn't want you around them because I knew any one of them could get you to feel for them as you feel for me. That she could take you from me without opening her mouth."

"Bella!" I gasped as her chin dropped in shame. "Baby, I will never love anyone as I love you."

She shook her head. "It's not like that. They say it's impossible for you to care for me in the way I think you do. That everything you feel for me is only because of what I am."

"That's not true," I immediately disagreed. There were so many reasons I had fallen in love with Bella, and none of them had to do with what she was. Her soft kindness, her keen intellect, her silent bravery—all things that drew me to her before I had any clue she was a mermaid or siren or whatever she was. The thought of falling for any of those cruel, mindless monsters was absolutely absurd. "I wanted to be with you before I knew what you are."

She looked at me like I was missing the point.

I wanted to ask her more, but wiggled out of my arms and rolled over towards the side of the bed, silently declaring this conversation was over. I held Bella's waist as she stretched off the bed and grabbed something from the floor. She handed me the laptop and another old DVD. Aquamarine.

"Alice said I needed to watch this next. She said it was about me and her."

"Alright," I agreed, shoving the disc into the old laptop.

I was still exhausted from my sleepless night, so a movie night in bed with Bella sounded heavenly. We could talk about her sisters, later. After all, we were safe in here. Mermaids weren't that daunting of a threat as long as we stayed out of the ocean.