Part 7

Bella had only been at the Lothbrok house once, and it had been with Bjorn and Torvi, while everyone else was out, hunting or doing their own thing. She had only stayed there for an hour before her father picked her up so they could have dinner at La Push.

This time was different, she wasn't here as Bjorn and Torvi's friend, she was here as Rollo's long prophecised Soul Mate and she felt like she'd be judged for every single one of her actions.

"Don't worry, they all already love you, there's no need to be nervous." Rollo reassured her, proving once more how well he knew her.

"What if I do something that upset them in some way?" She asked him.

"That could never happen. Don't worry, be yourself and everything will be fine." He assured her and she believed him.

Rollo put her down on her feet as soon as they crossed the treeline in front of his house and Bella could feel that he had been reluctant to let her go so, needing his comforting presence as well, she placed her hand around his arm.

Smiling, Rollo opened the front door and guided her inside.

"Do you want a tour or did Bjorn and Torvi give you one already?" He asked her.

"They only showed me the first floor. We had homework to do." She smiled.

"I'll show you the rest then, come on." He invited her and she happily followed him.

He showed her the second floor, which held all the bedrooms and bathrooms, and the third floor, which was a large attic that had been turned into a game room with several sort of play stations for video games and a pool table. There was also a dart board on the wall. After that, they went back down and he showed her the garden, the garage filled with cars and motorcycles and finally the dependence, that probably used to be a barn and that was now some sort of training room where they probably sparred a lot.

The garden was beautiful and there were a spot, under a gazebo, that would probably be perfect to read in during the sunny days of spring and summer. It was very pretty and she could guess that, in the spring, beautiful flowers would grow all around it. She wasn't surprised when Rollo told her that he had been the one to carve this gazebo just for her. It touched her and she couldn't help the smile on her face.

He didn't how her the basement, telling her that they used it mostly to store old things but that they also had a large cage there, just in case they had to hold one of their enemies for a while. The cage was strong enough to hold a vampire and she could guess that Rollo had fantasized a lot these past few weeks, of locking Edward inside it.

There was a tool shed that he didn't bother opening, he knew that Bella wouldn't care about it but, just in case she needed something inside one day, he told her where they hid the spare key.

Actually, he told here where all the spare keys were hidden, before he gave her her own set of keys. There were two extra keys and Rollo told here that they were a set of keys for his two cars, just in case she needed them.

"What's mine will be yours eventually, I don't see why I'd wait. If you need it, might as well give you access to it." Rollo told her.

"I don't think I'll ever find myself in urgent need to drive a Lamborghini." She replied with an amused chuckle.

"Who knows, maybe some day." he smiled at her before he showed her more of the outside.

"So, what do you think?" he asked her once he had shown her everything.

"I love it, it's a great house, it suits you all very well but I have to say that my favorite room is still the library that you have downstairs." Bella told him with a smile.

"I figured as much." He chuckled.

"I love how your house is so modern but there's still traces of your culture everywhere, some obvious, others hidden to those who don't know." She complimented.

"Come, the others just came back, Helga is preparing some tea for you." Rollo told her as he guided her to the living room where the rest of the family was waiting for them.

Bella entered nervously the room behind Rollo, half afraid of being rejected. She was greeted by kind smiles and welcoming embrasses from everyone.

"Miss Helga, Miss Gertha, it's nice to see you again." Bella told the two women with a large smile, remembering the two kind women who had been by her side through elementary school and Middle school.

"You can drop the Miss, Bella. You're one of us now, family." Lagertha told her before they both hugged her once more.

Bella spent the rest of the afternoon with the Lothbrok clan, getting to know those she hadn't met yet and she had to admit that she really liked them all. She had things to talk about with all of them and she was happy with them. She felt like she belonged, like she was home.

"Can we talk about Edward now?" Bjorn asked suddenly.

"What about him?" Rollo asked back with a frown.

"I've lead my little investigation today. He only arrived once the car started getting out of control and I asked Charlie if I could take a look at Tyler's car. When I did, I could detect a faint trace of Edward's scent near the front tires where the chains had broken down. I doubt anyone else would have felt it, I only did because of my heighten senses." Bjorn replied.

"So he did try to get me killed." Bella frowned.

"That, or he wanted to be your hero." Torvi replied.

"What do you mean?" Rollo asked in a growl.

"He was about to rush toward the accident seconds before it happened when Jasper and Alice held him back, mentioning that you were around and already in motion. That you'd reach Bella quicker than him and without exposing us all." Torvi added.

"What would he get out of it?" Bella wondered.

"Maybe he thought that you'd be more likely to fall for him if he saved your life. Then he'd be able to poison your mind against my brother." Ragnar suggested.

"These are only supposition though, we don't know anything for sure." Helga shook her head.

"Let's just pretend we don't suspect anything yet. He claims that he wants to be my friend, so I'll pretend I am and I'll spend time with him and his family, maybe I'll manage to find something out, or he'll end up revealing his plan all together. He seems a bit pretentious and arrogant to me, I'm sure he'll make a mistake eventually and we'll finally know his true goal, especially if I pretend I'm all ignorant and innocent. If he thinks that he can easily manipulate me, he won't be as careful." Bella offered.

"It could be dangerous." Rollo growled.

"I'll make sure I'm never alone with him, and I know you'll be around. I'll even tell Edward that after you saved me, we talked, you told me of the prophecy and I'll lie and tell him that it scared me and that I asked you to stay away, that I wasn't ready to believe any of that. It should do the trick, right? Play naive and innocent Bella?" Bella suggested.

"You have a smart little head, I like her plan." Floki nodded with an approving smile.

"I'm not leaving you!" Rollo shook his head.

"You don't have to, you just have to hide away, don't come to see me unless you're sure Edward is away and can't catch you. We'll text. If in a few weeks we haven't found anything, then we'll change strategy." Bella declared.

"We'll keep an eye on her, Uncle, you know that. Alice loves her as well and won't let anything happen to her." Bjorn said and Rollo finally nodded.

In time for dinner, Rollo dropped Bella back at her house, making her promise to call him if she needed anything and promising in return to never be too far away, in case she needed him. Ragnar had volunteered to go to the police station to inform Charlie of their plan, so that he could play along and Bella wouldn't have to lie to him.

.

"I can see why the gods have chosen her for you, Rollo. She's a special one, your little mate." Lagertha told her brother in law when he came back home later that night.

"I don't like that she's taking such a risk with the red headed boy, but I know she's right and that she can take care of herself." Rollo replied.

"She'll be fine and she'll never be alone. I can see the bonds she's formed with our family already. Bjorn already sees her like a little sister, he loves her as much as he used to love Gyda. She's one of us and we protect our own." The blond shield maiden insisted.

"I know. Anyway, I should hunt while she's asleep." Rollo declared.

"In the woods?" Floki asked him, coming in the room.

"No, I was thinking Port Angeles or Seattle. I think I'll have a criminal tonight. Want to come along?" he asked them.

"I hunted yesterday with Ragnar, Bjorn and Torvi went last night." Lagertha shook her head.

"I'll come with you, Helga went to drink some animals with Esme earlier but I think a criminal would do me good." Floki nodded.

.

The next day, Bella went to school and tried to act like nothing had happened the previous day, like nobody was staring at her. She hated being the center of attention and it wasn't about to change now.

"Bella, how are you doing this morning? I was worried, I wanted to visit but your father refused, said that you needed to rest. Carlisle agreed and forbade me to come over." Edward told her as soon as he saw her.

"He was right, I wasn't up for company." She shook her head.

"Except for Rollo, right?" He asked her with a frown.

"It was well time we talked but I don't see how that concerns you." Bella replied, knowing that the moment to play her role was coming.

"What did he tell you? What did he want? Use his hero status to charm you?" Edward asked her with a mocking frown.

"I don't think it's really any of your business, Edward. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to class." She replied.

She knew that if she told him right away, it would seem suspicious. She had to play it well, make him work for it. If she opened up to him too fast, he might think that something is up and if he really tried to kill her, he would do it again.

Bella's morning was the same as usual until lunch. People had quickly given up on staring at her and trying to ask her questions about what happened, especially since she decided to pretend that she barely remembered it because it all happened too fast. She arrived early and sat at an empty table. Bjorn and Torvi sat with her when they arrived and they were soon joined by Alice and Edward. While Bjorn and Torvi shared a tray with just enough food to make it look like they ate, Alice and Edward each had a tray full.

"You know, the two of you should put less food on your tray. I know that money isn't an issue for you but filling a tray with food that you don't eat just raises suspicions. You should put a little less on it, or eat what you took." Bella told them, making Bjorn smile.

"We're acting perfectly human. If people had suspicions about us, I'd know." Edward replied while tapping on his head to tell her how he knew.

"You're wrong." Bella commented and Edward just rolled his eyes while Alice seemed to think about what she had been told.

"You might be right, actually. Throwing it up later isn't the best sensation but taking less would be better." Alice nodded with a smile.

"So Bella, what are you doing after school Friday, next week?" Alice asked Bella after a while.

"I'm not sure. Charlie is going fishing with Billy, Floki and Ragnar all weekend. I'll probably stay in and read." Bella replied.

"Rollo and I are supposed to go with them." Bjorn nodded.

"Helga, Lagertha and I are going to visit a friend of ours in New York, unless something prevents it." Torvi added.

"Why don't you come over and meet the entire family then? There's supposed to be a storm in the area and you'll be able to see us play baseball." Alice suggested and her smile was so hopeful that Bella couldn't get herself to refuse.

"Sure, why not." She nodded.

"Unless you're afraid of coming and see us without Rollo's protection. He seems to always be around." Edward commented.

"If you're so interested, Rollo and I had a very serious conversation yesterday about his presence around me and the so called prophecy. He knows that I'm not ready to believe in any of it. If he wants to stay around and protect me, then that's fine, but he knows that it won't turn into more." Bella declared, knowing that Rollo could probably hear her and that he knew it wasn't true, that she was just playing the part they had agreed on.

"Really? And the two of you are still friends with her?" Edward asked Bjorn and Torvi.

"Our friendship with Bella was never conditional on her decision to honor her potential bond with my uncle. She was always free to make her own decision." Bjorn replied.

"Who knows, maybe she'll change her mind in a few years. In any case, we'll stay friends with her and keep on looking out for our friend." Torvi replied.

"And you don't mind having two vampire babysitters who secretly hope that you honor this bond you refuse?" Edward asked Bella.

"Seeing how clumsy I am, having two vampire babysitter is a good option for someone like me. It's a free world, they're free to hope what they want, just like I'm free to follow the road I want to follow. I made that very clear yesterday and they all understand, even if Rollo was a bit hurt." Bella stated before she took another bite of her pizza.

They all pretended they didn't notice Edward's smirk at Bella's declaration.

Feeling her phone vibrate, Bella took it out and saw that Rollo had texted her a smiley face. Bella replied with one of her own, to let him know that she was fine and that she knew he'd be around later, to talk.

.

During her Biology class, Edward was really nice and charming towards Bella, if she hadn't suspected his real plans, he would have been able to fool her. He made an effort to get to know her and to flirt a bit with her.

"Can I come over after school? We could talk some more." He asked her as he walked her to PE, ignoring Bjorn and Torvi who were walking behind them.

"I'm sorry but I can't. I'm doing my homework with Bjorn and Torvi after school." She shook her head.

"I could help you." Edward insisted.

"That's nice of you but I don't need help. Anyway, after my homework I have to join Charlie at the reservation. We're having dinner with Billy and Jacob." She replied.

"You should be careful over there, they're dangerous. Maybe you shouldn't go on the reservation at all, for your own safety." Edward warned her.

"I've been going there every time I visited my father and I have never been in danger. Charlie spends almost all of his free time there as well and he's always safe. I don't see why it would change." Bella shook her head.

"That's because you don't know everything." Edward shook his head and Bjorn frowned, knowing that the red haired vampire was about to break the Cullen treaty and put Carlisle and the others in danger.

"If you're talking about their little furry problem, then I know all about it. Billy told Charlie and he told me when he found out that I knew about vampires. The ones who have already shifted are pretty nice, they're only dangerous to vampires who come on their territory uninvited or eat humans. It doesn't concern me. Now you should be careful because you came dangerously close to breaking the treaty, and that would have been bad for you and your entire family." She snapped.

"Apparently they don't hunt all the vampires who eat humans." Edward shook his head.

"The humans we feed on are criminals, criminals who deserve to die and escape justice. The rest of the time, we feed on animals. You know this so stop pretending you know more than you actually do." Torvi growled.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to class and injure a few classmates while trying to avoid injuring myself and get a passing grade." Bella told Edward before she followed her friends in PE.

Next chapter, Friday night with the Cullen's.

Review please?

Lorelei Candice Black