"What happened!?" I barked out as I stormed towards the duo. The sight of Bella leaning so heavily against Newton filled me with possessive rage. If anyone should be caring for Bella and helping her through this malady, it should have been me.

"I don't know!" Newton squealed, "We are blood typing in class and she just started to feel faint. She didn't even prick her finger!" Newton's thoughts were barely coherent now, and he was torn between wanting to look after Bella and wanting to flee from me.

My attention was drawn away from the boy's thoughts as Bella released a distressing groan. I watched as she drew her arm across her midsection, clearly trying to ease the nausea she was experiencing. I stepped closer to her and gently placed my hand under her chin, with the softest of touches I coaxed her face upwards to look at me. Bella didn't have the strength to resist me, and she looked at me through tired half closed eyes. No matter how strong she was, it was clear to me that Bella was still more human than not. Her fragility and weak constitution pulled painfully at my chest, she needed someone strong to help and protect her. She needed me.

"I can take her from here." I declared, my eyes still scanning her face relentlessly.

"I was supposed to take her," Newton whimpered.

I ignored him. Bella needed me, I could feel her body trembling and I was sure her legs were about to fail her completely. Poor girl, rendered so defenceless at the mere sight of blood. In a single, fluid motion I lifted Bella off her feet before she could collapse, I tucked one arm under her knees and the other snaked around her waist to hold her securely against my chest. Bella was unusually warm in my arms, her irregular temperature worried me slightly, I was unsure if it was merely a symptom of her… condition, or if it was due to her adverse reaction to blood. I felt her cheek rest against my chest, the heat of her skin bleeding through my shirt.

As I walked towards the office I looked down at her, I needed to be sure she was alright, even as I held her safely in my arms. Bella seemed to be feeling a little bit better, if her complexion was anything to go by. Her cheek's were flushed a beautiful shade of red, and she no longer looked like she was going to lose her lunch. Her breathing was even, and as I turned the final corner towards the office I noticed how she turned her head the tiniest amount. Her little button nose pressed against the fabric of my shirt, and I watched transfixed as she took an abnormally large breath in and then released it in a soft sigh. Was she… smelling me? Bella didn't seem to even recognise her own queer behaviour, showing no sign in her demeanour or heartbeat that she had performed the action intentionally.

I staunchly resisted the urge to bury my nose in her hair and inhale her scent in return, and mercifully I was saved as we had finally arrived at the office.

Mrs Cope gaped at us as we entered.

"She fainted. They are blood typing in biology." I explained.

"There's always one." She muttered with a shake of her head, "This way dear." Mrs Cope led me past the main desk and into the small nurses station, she left for a moment and returned with a damp cloth. She placed it lovingly over Bella's forehead, "Just rest here a moment dear, you will be fine soon."

The older woman smiled warmly at me as she made her exit, closing the door behind her with a soft click. I turned my attention back to Bella, ready to stand vigil until she recovered. Her eyelids fluttered lightly and I could see her look around the room through her lashes. I wanted to approach her, hold her hand and murmur words of comfort, but I wasn't sure if such affections would be welcome.

Bella abruptly shot upright and flung the damp cloth to the side, she swiped at her forehead with the sleeve of her shirt to rid it of the moisture. "Bella!" I gasped and I lurched forward a step to offer my assistance. Was she feeling ill again, did she need to throw up? Panic coursed through me for a moment before I took in the scene before me. Bella sat up on the bed, cool and relaxed, her eyes were light and sparkling and she had a small smirk on her face. Realisation hit me like a bucket of ice water. "You were faking."

Bella's smile dropped from her face and she nodded seriously, "Yes."

"Why would you fake fainting at the sight of blood?" I mused. I had to give the girl credit, she put on a convincing show. Her trembling limbs and pitiful groans would have been enough to deceive anyone, but as a vampire I should have been able to see through the ruse with ease. And yet… she had me fooled. She had baited her trap with the image of a quivering damsel in distress, and she had snared me easily. But why? What would she have to gain from this stunt? Newton said that she fell ill at the first sign of blood, that she hadn't even pricked her finger yet. She hadn't pricked her finger, and her little act had allowed her to skip out on class with a convincing excuse for her absence. "You faked it so you wouldn't have to prick your finger." I voiced my thoughts cautiously.

I could hear Bella's heartbeat steadily rise as I continued my deductions. "Why wouldn't you want to?" I studied her carefully, her posture relaxed and face impassive, and yet her heart rate continued to rise as I probed her relentlessly. "You're not human." I accused. So much for letting her say it first, but at least now I would get something. Either confirmation or a hurried denial.

"You're one to talk." Bella replied snarkily, she seemed to almost immediately regret her words as she closed her eyes and winced slightly.

I took a step closer, our knees almost touching. "So you're not denying it?" I raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"And neither are you." She snapped, her eyes ablaze as she stared me down, we stared at each other in a silent challenge, neither one of us were willing to back down.

The door to the small room opened, and I stepped back quickly. Mrs Cope looked at the pair of us, "Oh, are you feeling better?" She looked at Bella.

"Yes, much." Bella hastily replied, "I think I just needed a moment." She continued as she jumped off the cot.

"Good, because we have another one."

"Okay! Thank you Mrs Cope." Bella stuttered out as she slipped out of the nurses station and out of sight.

I nodded politely to Mrs Cope and ignored Newton completely as I followed Bella outside.

I caught up with her in the hallway, I lurched forward and grabbed her wrist to stop her from escaping me. She spun around, a shocked gasp escaping her lips. "Are you going to explain?" I hissed in a hushed whisper.

"Are you!?" She hissed back with narrowed eyes.

I found myself exasperatingly pulling at my hair with my free hand, "Bella," I breathed her name.

Bella watched me with glassy eyes for a moment before the fire returned to her gaze, she angrily pulled her arm out of my grip. "I know. You can't tell me the truth. Well neither can I." She crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. I watched in fascination as Bella straightened her posture, squared her shoulders, and levelled me in a sinister glare. An impressive performance, but a performance nonetheless. Bella was skilled at slipping into different skins when it was necessary, and I envied her of that. How easily she could pretend to be something she wasn't, like a threatening presence.

I stepped closer to her, "Why not?" I whispered.

"Because it's dangerous." She hastily replied, and she finally broke eye contact as her posture slumped slightly. Bella bit her bottom lip and stared intently at her shoes.

"Dangerous? For who?"

"For you." There wasn't a second of hesitation in her reply, and I had to wonder what possible danger this sweet girl could pose to me. "And for me." She sighed sadly with a shake of her head, that was more understandable, I was a danger to her, but somehow I don't think that's what Bella meant. Bella slowly met my eyes again, "It's dangerous for both of us. I want to be your friend, Edward. Really I do." I had to stop myself from breaking out into a grin at her words. Bella's eyes flickered over my face, cataloguing each feature and reaction, and as I watched her watch me something behind her eyes gave way, and she started to speak, like a dam had broken her words came flooding out. "I know that you are probably right, that it would be better if we weren't friends, but fuck that." I baulked at Bella's casual cursing, "We both have secrets, that much is painfully obvious." She scoffed and rolled her eyes, "And we can't tell them to each other for whatever reason. But I don't see why that means we can't still be friends." She shrugged and eyed me warily.

Bella wanted to be friends, and she seemed to hold no interest in unearthing my secret, all she ask is that I don't try and uncover hers in turn. That seemed… fair. "What do you suggest?" I smirked.

"We can be friends. We don't lie to each other, but we don't have to necessarily tell each other the whole truth, either." I nodded along as Bella outlined the rules of our new friendship, it was simple enough. "That way, we can still be close, but we don't have to tell each other anything that we don't want to. We acknowledge that the other person has secrets, but respect they are secrets for a reason."

My mind zeroed in on a single phrase, "You want to be close to me?" I whispered in wonder as I stepped closer to Bella once again. My breath fanned out over her face with my words. We were almost touching now and I could feel the warmth of her body radiating off of her. I wanted to press myself against her, to feel her soft body give way under mine, but I held back. Bella looked up at me, her brown eyes wide and her plush lips softly parted.

She inhaled sharply and took a step backwards, shaking her head as if to rid herself of her confusion. "Don't let it go to your head." She muttered before she turned on her heel and stalked away. I couldn't stop myself from laughing loudly as I watched her retreating form.

XxXx

I remained silent on the car ride home, purposefully ignoring my siblings. I parked in the garage and we all filed inside, and I was relieved to hear that Carlisle was already home from the hospital.

"I'd like to speak with everyone, please." I said gently, trying not to give anything away.

Once everyone was seated at the dining room table I suddenly felt at a loss for words. I battled with my own anxieties before sighing, "I may have been… mistaken." I admitted ruefully.

"About?" Carlisle prodded.

"Bella Swan is not human, she admitted as much to me." I waited for the uproar, for the relentless scoldings and anger.

"Yes!" Emmett hissed with a triumphant pump of his fist, "Cough up!" He jeered at Jasper who quietly handed him a crisp one hundred dollar bill with nothing more than an embarrassed smile.

"You wagered on this!?" I demanded, completely aghast at their behaviour and shocked at how they had managed to hide it from me.

"Of course not," Jasper drawled, putting a hand against his chest as if he were wounded by the accusation. "We bet on whether or not you'd admit you were wrong." Jasper's toothy smirk widened at my offended expression.

"Yes, yes, Edward is an idiot. This is a well established fact." Rosalie sneered with a wave of her hand, "Can we get back to the fact that the girl isn't human?" She demanded.

Carlisle nodded sagely, "Yes, if she's not human, what is she?" He asked me with a raised brow.

"I don't know." I answered, and Rosalie groaned as if pained. "She wouldn't tell me!" I hurried to defend myself, "And I didn't feel like pushing her for the truth, so we agreed to a… compromise."

"This oughta be good." Rosalie rolled her eyes.

I glared at her but otherwise ignored Rosalie's attitude. "I promised not to try and uncover her secrets, and she promised me the same. We agreed that an 'ask nothing, say nothing' approach would serve us both well." I scanned the dubious expressions on my family's faces, their thoughts matching their expressions even if they didn't want to voice them. Doubt over whether our arrangement could work, doubt over whether or not Bella was still a security risk, doubt over whether I could control myself around her. Mistrust and suspicion swirled around me. What was Bella's motives, could she be trusted? Why was Edward behaving so strangely? How would all this end? Edward's a lose canon, he can't control himself around the girl. He's going to get us all killed. "Oh shut up all of you!" I snapped and shot out of my chair, and it clattered noisily behind me. "I don't care what any of you think! None of you know anything about her! Bella isn't a threat, she's actually a really nice person! She's kind, and funny, and-" I bit my tongue as I realised what I was saying, and with a growl I ran out of the house, planning on taking out my frustrations on an unsuspecting mountain lion.

Alice found me sometime around midnight, "Are you finished sulking yet?" She chirped happily as she approached my perch on a rocky overhang, feet dangling into an abyss as I stared out over the forest.

"I am not sulking." I sneered, but I saw Alice's gentle and knowing expression and sighed. "I just needed to get out of there. That house, everyone's thoughts… it was too much."

Alice offered me a tight-lipped smile before dropping down on the ground next to me, she leaned her head on my shoulder and I lifted my arm and draped it over her to accommodate her small frame. "None of them meant it, you know that if they did they-"

"Would have said it aloud, yes I know." I interrupted sullenly.

"Esme's worried about you, she didn't say as much but she started knitting and you know she only does that when she worries." Alice spoke softly, staring out into the night, watching as the tops of the evergreen trees swayed gently in the nighttime breeze.

"That's just it though, there's nothing to worry about!" I huffed. "No matter what Rose and Jasper think, Bella isn't a threat. And Alice…"

"Hmm?" Alice shifted under my arm to glance up at my face.

"I think I am beginning to care for her." I whispered my confession, the most terrible sin. Even now, as I whispered this secret into the still night air, I minimised it. As if by not confessing to the depth of my affections I could lessen the truth of them.

Alice's eyes held knowledge and age beyond even her many years, "Yes, that seems about right." she replied sagely.

I stared into her honey eyes, trying to decode her thoughts, but all I could glean from her mind was an endless list of inane tasks and future fashion trends. "Alice, what is it? What do you know?" I asked,

Alice sighed wearily and slumped against my side, "The future is unclear." She hummed.

I couldn't stop myself from snorting in amusement, "Oh pray tell, Madame Alice, what does your crystal ball say?" I teased.

"Not funny!" Alice cried indignantly, but as she shoved me away I could see the playful smile on her face.

I chortled loudly, wrapping my arms over my stomach and chest to protect against further attack as I fell back onto the stony ground. "I'm just teasing." I chided lightly as I pulled myself upright. "You have to admit that that was a bit cliché, even for you." Alice rolled her eyes, but I knew I was forgiven. "But what do you mean by that?" I asked.

She sighed again, "I can't see her…" She admitted quietly, I could see the strain this was taking on my sister. Alice seemed more bothered by this than I was with my inability to read Bella's mind. "Bella's future is just… not there. I try to see and…" She huffed angrily. Alice turned to face me, "And Edward, when you're with her you become…" Alice couldn't find the words to explain herself, so for the first time in days she opened her mind completely to me and showed me an image. It was like an over-exposed, out of focus photograph. Dark greens blurred and melted into blues and greys like watercolour on a canvas and in the centre was a figure, red-hair and pale skin and stark yellow eyes were the only indicator that the figure was me. There was a space next to me, but it was even more blurred and over exposed than the rest of the image, bright white swirled around and bleached outwards, infecting the rest of the image with it's light.

I shook my head in confusion, "I don't understand." Alice nodded, and hid her thoughts once again, cutting off her vision. "What is it? What aren't you showing me?" I demanded.

Alice pursed her lips, considering me for a moment. "Everything is all mixed up, and I don't like not knowing where things are going or how we get there." Alice stood up and dusted herself off, before offering me a helping hand. I took it and let Alice pull me to my feet. "All I know is that everything is going to work out in the end. You're going to be… happy." She cocked her head with a strange sort of smile. "I don't want to say anything more than that, in case it ruins things."

"Alright," I relented, "I wont keep asking, and I will stay out of your head. Just promise that if you see anything bad, you'll tell me." I implored.

"Promise," Alice smiled.

XxXx

"You want me to what?" Rosalie muttered bitterly from the backseat as I turned into the parking lot of Forks High.

I knew she had heard me perfectly, but I repeated myself anyway. "Could you please, dear sister, find a replacement side mirror for Bella Swan's truck?" I said in a sickly sweet tone, really laying it on thick.

"Why, pray tell, would I do anything to help her?" She snarked.

I frowned at her through the rear-view mirror, "You're not doing it for her, you're doing it for me. Your favourite brother."

"Jasper's my favourite brother," Rosalie replied snidely at the exact time Jasper said,

"I'm her favourite brother."

I pulled into a car park and turned off the engine before I turned in my seat to scowl at Jasper, that wasn't helpful. "Please, Rosalie. Just do this for me? I want to be her friend, and friends do things for each other and this is the only thing I can think of! Besides, you know every car parts supplier and junkyard owner in the state, if anyone can do it you can." I begged,

Rosalie pretended to think it over some more, but I knew she had already agreed. "Fine." She sniffed. That was the trick with Rosalie, flattery was everything.

It was raining buckets, and so when I got out of the car I opened a large black umbrella to keep myself dry. I watched as Bella's truck – minus one side mirror – came sputtering into the lot. I glided my way over to her, happy to begin our new friendship. I stood by the driver's side door as she opened it and jumped out with a small splash. Bella looked up in confusion before turning around to see me standing there, holding out the umbrella to protect us both.

"Hello, Bella." I smiled warmly, I hoped my tone was friendly enough, without betraying my true emotions.

"Hey…" Bella mumbled

"I thought I could walk you to class." I supplied, gesturing lightly in the direction of the school. That's something that friends did, right? It was perfectly innocent. Anxiety gripped me momentarily as I was reminded that I truly had no idea how to be friends with this slightly-more-than-human girl.

"Yeah, sure, okay. That would be nice." Bella stumbled over her words and blushed adorably. Maybe she was just as lost as I was?

The thought made me chuckle slightly. I gently placed Bella's hand in the crook of my elbow so I could lead her towards the school building. "So, what's this I hear about me being a pigeon?" I teased, remembering the words I had heard her speak with her friend yesterday afternoon.

"You know it's rude to eavesdrop on other's conversations." Bella replied in a similar tone.

"It was a conversation about me, though." I smirked.

"I likened trying to understand your motivations to trying to teach string theory to a pigeon. Completely useless. I never actually said that you're a pigeon." Bella replied with a shrug. I bit my tongue to stop the loud laughter from erupting out of me, she was completely absurd and yet didn't seem to notice. She found me incomprehensible, and yet her own actions were utterly bizarre. Could she not see how she left me completely confounded after every conversation? Strangely, I found it a comfort that at the very least, I seemed to confuse her just as much.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the update. You guys will be pleased to hear that the first chapter of the sequel is almost completed and will be uploaded soon.