I arrived home in a daze. Moving on auto-pilot I parked my car in the garage and ghosted through the house to land in a vacant spot on the living room sofa. The events of the evening echoed in my mind. Bella's hand on my face, her lips against mine, the way her tongue had oh so briefly flicked against my lip, as if she were too shy to push the kiss any further. I could still feel her lips against mine, it was like Bella had branded herself onto my skin.

My family were sitting around the living room watching a movie together, and they were completely oblivious to what had just happened. My entire world had changed. A dying star had just gone supernova in the heart of my very existence, and my family were none the wiser. My secret didn't stay secret for long, Jasper's gift made sure of that. Despite my outward appearance, Jasper could sense my true emotions; a delicious mix of wonder, desire and something that was almost akin to a religious revelation.

Jasper gave me a questioning look, "What's wrong with you, then?" He drawled from his spot on the love seat with Alice.

The rest of the family paid us no mind, choosing to continue to watch their film rather than turn their attentions towards Jasper and me. "She kissed me." I answered distractedly. That got their attention. Six pairs of amber eyes were suddenly studying me as if I were a strange new beast, and not their brother and son.

"Who kissed you?" Esme perked up as she paused the film.

"Bella." I breathed dreamily.

"Bella Swan?" Rosalie asked dubiously.

I nodded as Alice asked, "What happened?" She seemed to be almost vibrating in anticipation.

"I followed her to Port Angeles," I began only to be interrupted,

"Creep." Rosalie fake coughed only to be chastised by Esme.

"Rosalie!" Esme scolded, "Be nice to your brother." She frowned disapprovingly at her, before she turned and offered me an encouraging smile, "Go on, dear."

I was still on cloud nine, so Rosalie's snotty remark didn't faze me in the slightest. "Bella had been followed by some men, they were about to assault her when-"

"Let me guess!" Emmett cut in jubilantly, "You rushed in like a knight in shining armour and saved her! And she was so grateful for your rescue that she flung herself at you and ravished you like a character in one of Esme's bodice ripper novels!" He crowed excitedly.

"Emmett!" Esme scolded, completely scandalised.

"No. No that's not what happened." I shook my head slowly, as I tried to gather my wits about me.

My family was looking at me strangely, and Jasper was no longer the only one to notice my queer disposition. It was like trying to think through a heavenly haze, my limbs felt light and airy, a peculiar absentminded smile was curling my lips, and for the life of me I never wanted the curious sensation to stop. "I didn't stop them, Bella did… she broke the guys arm… broke it so violently so… viciously. I don't even think she realised she had done it until I interrupted her." My voice was light, almost wistful as I recounted the incident.

Good for her. Rosalie's thoughts rung out loudly, clanging in my muddled mind like a church bell. She didn't vocalise her approval of Bella's actions, but when her eyes met mine she gave me an almost imperceptible nod.

"Bella broke a man's arm? How?" Carlisle questioned curiously, eyes alight in fascination.

"She just sorta…" I raised my hand and mimed making a fist before I twisted it to the side, "Snapped it."

Carlisle's mind was a maelstrom of thoughts and ideas, the additional evidence of her strength was filed away with everything else he knew about the girl.

"That's great and everything," Alice interrupted bluntly, "But I don't see how Bella snapping a rapist's arm leads to her kissing you!" She whined.

"Right well," I shook my head to clear my thoughts as I picked the story back up, "Bella was in shock and I got her into the car and was driving out of the city when she started having a panic attack."

"That's understandable, after what she went through." Jasper nodded knowingly,

"Right, that's what I thought too, that she was freaking out because of what almost happened. But she wasn't, she was freaking out because she had hurt someone." I spoke quickly, speeding through my words.

"What?" Rosalie muttered. What kind of girl feels sorry for hurting her attackers? She is either hopelessly naive or dangerously kind.

"I know!" I agreed wholeheartedly with Rosalie's thoughts. I told my family the rest of the story, holding nothing back, and a small part of me wondered if in doing so I was betraying Bella's confidence, but I quickly came to realise that nothing stayed secret in my family for long and if I tried to hold anything back that they would undoubtedly find out, and any attempt of secrecy on my part would just lead to them mistrusting Bella. With that in mind, I shared everything.

I told them how Bella was beside herself with regret, how she confessed to me that she wanted to hurt the man worse than she already had, and the only thing that stopped her from killing the human was my intervention. I admitted bashfully how I had screamed back at her, and how my harsh words had made her cry. My family shared in my utter disbelief when I told them how she threw her arms around me, drawing comfort from my embrace as she called herself a monster. They all understood that sentiment all too well, each having to come to terms with that darker side of themselves, and hearing how Bella struggled with a similar feat seemed to endear her to my family. Finally, I told them how I drove Bella home and asked if I could call on her tomorrow, and instead of giving me an answer, had thrown herself across the centre console and pressed her lips against mine.

When I was finished I waited silently for someone to say something, but no one did. "So?" I hedged, "What should I do now?" I asked anxiously, the dreamy haze had left me during my recounting of the nights events, and all I was left with was a string of nerves a mile long. I hadn't ever kissed anyone before, did Bella enjoy it? I know I did, the warmth that spread through my body at every point of contact was addictive, and I already craved more. But Bella had pulled away so suddenly, disappeared into the night with barely a whispered word. What did it mean? Did she want to start courting, or was the kiss just a spontaneous affair?

"Calm down there, brother." Jasper drawled and helped me along with a gentle pulse of calming energy. I took a deep breath and nodded as Jasper withdrew his gift, "What's got you all tangled up inside?" He raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

I looked around at the comforting faces of my family, even Rosalie was smiling at me gently. Her usual facade of snarky meanness fell away when she realised that I needed love and support. "I don't know what to do, I'm not even sure why she kissed me." I mumbled bashfully.

"She kissed you because she fancies you, my dear." Esme chuckled playfully, a mirthful glean in her eye.

"Perhaps," I mused, Bella did seem to hold some affection for me but I didn't dare to hope, "I just don't know what she wants." I groaned as I tugged a hand through my hair.

"Here's a novel idea, why don't you try asking the girl?" Rosalie piped up, not entirely unkindly but still with a sharp edge of snark. It was a genuine suggestion though, and I appreciated her input.

I nodded seriously, "Okay, but how do I do that, Rose?" I implored, "I never know what to say to her," I lamented.

Rosalie smiled indulgently at me, the ever patient older sister, even though she was in fact younger than I was. "Find a way to bring the kiss into casual conversation, and once you've done that, ask to court her." She said kindly.

"You make it sound so easy." I sighed.

"Well it is… if you're normal." Rosalie sniffed sarcastically. Ah there we go, back to normal, everything was once again right in the world.

I was about to offer my own biting retort when Carlisle's cell phone rang out loudly. Carlisle answered and I remained silent out of politeness, and also because I wanted to listen in on who was calling my father so late at night.

"Dr. Cullen." Carlisle answered swiftly.

To my surprise I heard Bella's father on the other end of the line, "Dr. Cullen, I'm so sorry to call you so late at night, I hope I didn't wake you." The gruff voice replied.

I let out a quiet snicker at that, as did my siblings and our dad shot us a stern warning glance. "Not at all Chief Swan. What can I do for you?" Carlisle returned pleasantly.

"I'm so sorry to ask this of you, I know that it's not your job, but I was hoping you could come out and examine a corpse for me." The chief spoke professionally, but you could hear the fatigue in his voice. There was no inflection in his tone to suggest it was a question, just a simple statement, as if he had asked Carlisle to pick up his dry cleaning, or water his plants while he was out of town.

"A corpse?" Carlisle echoed in confusion, his light eyebrows furrowing as his thin lips pulled down into a frown.

There was an exhausted sigh from the man, "Yes, I'm afraid so. Our Medical Examiner is out sick with the stomach flu and the ME from King County is in New York for some sort of conference. We can't move the body until it's examined at the scene, and I noticed you did some consulting work with the police at your last job in Anchorage. I know it's a lot to ask, but I'm asking anyway." There was a brief pause and I could hear through a shuffling sort of noise as Chief Swan pulled his phone away from his mouth, his voice sounded distant as he shouted, "God damn it, Martinez, get that fucking tarp up! If it starts raining and we lose evidence because of your incompetence I will have your ass, you hear me!?" Ah, now I understood where Bella got it from. There was the muffled sounds of Chief Swan putting the phone back to his ear and he cleared his throat loudly, "I'm gonna be honest with you Dr. Cullen, it's not a pretty sight, but I wouldn't be asking you if I had any other option."

Carlisle didn't even have to think about it, he had already agreed halfway through the man's lengthy explanation. "Of course, Chief. I am more than happy to do anything I can to assist you." Carlisle replied seriously.

Chief Swan heaved a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Dr Cullen. Forks PD owe you one. I'll send a patrol car around to come get you."

"Anytime, Chief Swan." Carlisle intoned before he hung up the phone.

"Well, that was interesting." Jasper remarked casually, as if he were commenting on the weather.

Carlisle stood and stretched his arms above his head, his human facade was so ingrained that it had just become a part of who he was, he groaned as if he could feel his muscles relieve their non-existent tension before he smiled around the room at his family. "I better go get ready, wouldn't want to keep the Chief waiting." He joked lightly.

As Carlisle left to go get changed I couldn't help but over hear his thoughts. It wasn't intentional, Carlisle wasn't trying to be heard, and I wasn't trying particularly hard to listen, but I overheard it anyway. A stream of consciousness from my father hit me as he considered that whatever Bella Swan was, it seemed more than likely her father was the same. The fact I couldn't read either of their minds certainly led Carlisle in that direction anyhow. He was silently stewing in his excitement, thrilled at the idea of being able to work closely with the man, he considered it an opportune moment to study him, to try and figure out what set him and his daughter apart from the rest of humanity.

I frowned at the thoughts, but said nothing. It wouldn't do any harm to allow Carlisle his little research project, and as long as he left Bella alone I could see nothing wrong with it.

XxXx

When Carlisle returned just before dawn, the first words out of his mouth as he came into the living room were, "That man is alarmingly perceptive." Carlisle's hand ran across his jaw worryingly.

"So is his daughter." I remarked from my seat on the plush armchair.

"Understatement." Emmett scoffed as he flicked through the channels of early morning television.

Jasper entered the living room, his blonde hair still damp from his morning shower after a brief late night hunt. "What happened?" He asked as he sat down next to Emmett, he tried to swipe the TV remote off him but Emmett just shoved Jasper away roughly before he settled on a channel that was showing cartoons. I could hear Jasper's agitated thoughts at this, wanting to watch the early morning world news.

"The body was that of a hiker, found by another woodsman just off the trail." Carlisle paused with a sigh and an image of the scene flashed through his mind causing me to physically recoil.

"Oh my god." I groaned and Carlisle made a conscious effort to pull his thoughts away from what he had seen, but it was too late. I had seen it, and now could never forget it. A body of a man lay in a tangle of broken limbs on the forest floor, his clothing was torn and covered in blood and mud but you could tell that he had once been dressed in sturdy hiking gear. Long slashes covered his chest, ribbons of flesh hung off of his frame as if he had been flayed alive. The man's neck was completely destroyed, but even through the brief glance I got through Carlisle's memory, I could see the distinct double half-moon shapes of a vampire's bite tearing through supple flesh.

"That's-" I choked out and Carlisle nodded solemnly.

"The result of a vampire attack" He finished gravely.

That caused Emmett and Jasper to stop the quiet struggle over the television remote, and Emmett quickly turned the cartoons off as Jasper said, "What? Are you sure, Carlisle?"

In a flash the rest of the family appeared in the room, wanting to be present for the conversation. "Unfortunately." Carlisle sighed as Esme put an arm around his waist and leaned into his side, Carlisle perked up at the gentle offering of comfort from his mate. His arms circled around Esme and held her close to him. Carlisle interlocked his fingers as they rested on Esme's hip. "And Chief Swan is far too observant for his own good."

"What happened?" Esme asked softly, staring up at Carlisle with understanding eyes.

"I arrived at the scene and immediately knew what had happened, even before I saw the body I could smell an unfamiliar vampire in the area." Carlisle pulled Esme closer against him, wanting to protect his mate any way he could, "Chief Swan needed me to complete a standard examination of the body and scene, and to determine the cause of death so he could lodge it with the state."

"Well, you couldn't really say the cause of death was 'death by vampire attack'." Emmett snorted at his own joke, but even he couldn't completely hide how the presence of an unknown vampire made him feel uneasy and as Rosalie came to sit next to him he casually draped his arm over her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

"Quite right." Carlisle nodded, "I determined the cause of death to be accidental, an animal attack, perhaps a bear or a mountain lion."

"And he bought that?" Jasper asked warily.

Carlisle scoffed and I was shocked by the level of disdain in the sound, "Not in the slightest." Carlisle seemed incredibly tired by the entire ordeal, "He kept insisting I take another look. That the wounds on the victims abdomen didn't match the claw marks of any known animal in the region," Carlisle shook his head angrily, "Eventually I convinced him to rely on my expertise, after all that was why he called me in. We need to stay vigilant, keep an eye out for any other vampires in the area. And we can not allow the authorities to find another corpse, under any circumstances." Carlisle looked at each of us in turn, an authoritative steel hardened his face, "I fear I will not be able to convince Chief Swan that any additional victims are the work of a wild animal."

The warning was clear as day. If Charlie Swan came across any more victims of the rogue vampire, our secret would be exposed. As a family, we would have to be extra careful over the coming weeks, not to draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves. I was determined to ensure our secret was safe, the risk of exposure meant the threat of us having to leave the area. Leaving the area meant leaving Bella behind. And that was something that I was not willing to do.

XxXx

I was relieved to get out of the house, the tense atmosphere was becoming too much for me to handle and the promise of Bella's company felt like a balm to my wretched soul. And yet, I still found myself inexplicably nervous. Not only was I unsure on how to approach her after the kiss we shared, I also didn't know how to go about ascertaining whether or not she knew what her father had been doing with mine late last night.

I pulled into the driveway of the Swan house, parking next to Bella's massive truck. There was a single heartbeat in the house, so the Chief must have already been at work. I took a moment to collect myself before I exited my car and walked up the path to the front door. The closer I got to the door, the faster the solitary heartbeat inside became. Bella could hear me coming, and the realisation made me pause for a moment on the stoop. As I stood on Bella's front porch, I listened to her rapid heartbeat and tried to puzzle out what it meant. Was she just as nervous as I was? Or was it something more ominous? Did she regret the kiss we shared the night before? As I waited on the porch I could hear Bella's heartbeat settle into a much calmer rhythm. The subtle shift gave me the courage I needed and I raised my hand and knocked lightly on the door.

"It's open!" I heard Bella call out from inside the house and I slowly opened the door and closed it gently behind me. I breathed deeply for the first time since stepping over the threshold and it nearly caused me to crumble to my knees. Bella's scent was everywhere, it was ingrained in everything around me, from the wooden floors under my feet to the faded wallpaper on the walls. There was something else as well, intermingling itself with Bella's scent, something different yet familiar that I could only identify as belonging to Bella's father.

It was a strange scent, completely unlike any other human I had come across before. It was almost acidic, like the ashes of a forest fire that had just burnt itself out. There was heat too it as well. Not like Bella's heat, no. Bella's scent was warm in a gentle way, a welcoming way that felt like home and safety. Of a promise of something brilliant, just ahead on the horizon. This was something different entirely. A sharp heat, like the sting of flesh after the crack of a whip. Charlie Swan's scent was violent, predatory, and it set my teeth on edge. If it weren't for Bella's much more overpowering scent calming my nerves and soothing my vampiric instincts I am sure I would have crouched down to brace myself for an oncoming attack.

If I ever needed further proof that the Swans were more than human, this was all the evidence anyone could ever require. I would have to ask Carlisle if he had noticed the strange scent of the Chief of Police during his consult. He hadn't mentioned anything, but then again he had been rather preoccupied with the situation at hand.

My lurking in the small entryway of the Swan home had not gone unnoticed and I heard Bella call out, "Kitchen!" I pulled myself out of my head, and by focusing on Bella's scent alone I forced my feet to move through the small archway that led to an equally small kitchen.

I knew from the exterior that the Swan house was a humble one. With it's white wooden siding with peeling paint, shutters over windows that were turning green with moss, it was the complete opposite of my own extravagant home. The kitchen was smaller than I had expected it to be, but that may have been because most of the room was taken up by a large table with miss-matched chairs.

My smile faltered and gave away my nerves, "Good morning, Bella." I greeted and mentally chided myself for how stiff and formal I sounded.

Bella stood up and threw back the contents of her mug in a single motion and I was momentarily captivated by the movements of her throat as she swallowed the liquid. She tossed the empty mug into the sink and turned around to face me, she leaned casually against the counter and smiled. "Hello."

I breathed deeply, letting Bella's scent give me strength as I moved further into the small room. I paused near the table and looked Bella over, my eyes flickered over her form as I tried to discern her current attitude. "So… we kissed last night." I held back a pained winced at my awkward words. I could hear Rosalie's belittling jeer in my mind as if she were right there with us, chiding me for being as awkward as a human teenager.

Much to my relief, Bella's eyes twinkled in amusement as a teasing smirk tugged at one side of her beautiful lips and her eyebrows quirked as she studied me. "Yes, yes we did." She nodded slowly.

I rested my hand on the worn wooden table and studied the uneven grain for a moment. I cleared my throat and looked back up at Bella who was still staring at me with utter amusement, her serene confidence fell off of her in waves as she lounged casually against her kitchen counter. "And where does that leave us?" I hedged.

Bella frowned and tilted her head slightly, "I'm not sure I get what you mean."

I tried my best to mirror her confidence as I took a step closer to her, "I mean, are we now courting?"

It wasn't exactly what Rosalie had suggested. I was supposed to ask her to court me directly, but standing there in front of Bella made me take leave of my senses.

Bella's hand came to her mouth to try and smother the chittering giggle that erupted out of her, and I felt as if my stone heart had hit the bottom of my stomach. She was laughing at me, the very thought of courting me was laughable in her eyes. I wanted to be angry, to lash out at her, but I was struck dumb by the sheer sting of rejection. "Courting?" She giggled and I struggled to keep my face neutral, "Seriously? Okay, what I think you just asked was: am I now your girlfriend?" Bella pushed off the counter to stand upright, and with a fire in her eyes she closed the distance between us. Hope filled my chest, had I misunderstood her yet again? Did she simply find my choice in vocabulary humorous? Bella came to a stop right in front of me, and place her warm hand on my chest. Yes, it had been a misunderstanding. I gazed down at here entirely enraptured by the beauty before me as she glanced up at me from under her eyelashes, "I would like that very much." She murmured softly.

I couldn't stop staring at her lips, remembering how soft they felt when pressed against my own. I stopped breathing so I wouldn't run the risk of being overwhelmed by the smell and taste of her as I gently ducked my head down and pressed a chaste kiss against her lips. Bella's lips pursed and moved slightly as she kissed me back and as I pulled away I felt her move forward, as if she were chasing after the sensation of my lips against hers. When I pulled back and opened my eyes I saw that Bella's eyes were wide, pupils blown and with a slight glaze over them as she stared dreamily back at me. "That would make me very happy." I murmured warmly.

I could feel Bella's body release a soft shudder as she slowly exhaled the breath she had been holding, her parted lips had pinked beautifully from our kiss and a delicate blush coloured her features. Bella closed her mouth and shut her eyes for a moment, and it was like she had to physically force herself to step out of my embrace. Not for the first time I considered whether Bella was just as affected by me as I was by her. It was certainly beginning to look that way.

"I gotta warn you though," Bella shot me a sly smile, "I've never been someones girlfriend before."

I shrugged nonchalantly, "Well, it's new territory for me too. I guess we can explore it together." My mind was filled with what exactly said exploration would look like. We were very different beings, I was a vampire, over a hundred years old and raised in a very different time… and Bella was… whatever she was. She certainly acted like a girl raised in the modern world, but doubt bloomed in my mind as I realised just how little I knew about the young woman I would now call my girlfriend. What expectations did she have for our burgeoning relationship? What was the next step now we were courting? I didn't think to ask my family for advice about this, and now I wasn't sure what to do.

Bella shifted nervously, "Uh, so… got any plans today?" She asked.

I released a little chuckle, relieved that she had said something to distract me from my worries. "I was just about to ask you that."

Bella scrunched up her face as she shrugged, "Probably go for a walk in the woods."

I stiffened as I felt my expression darken. Clearly Chief Swan hadn't told his daughter about the dangers that were currently lurking in the nearby forest. Or maybe, even he didn't realise the true nature of the threat? Carlisle seemed certain that the Chief had suspected something was amiss, but also eventually accepted Carlisle's explanation of an animal attack. I needed a way to ensure Bella's safety, without giving anything away. "Bella, I would really prefer it if you didn't go wandering through the forest by yourself. It's not safe."

Bella gave me a strange sort of smile, as if she were confused by the request, and I was glad when she didn't fight me on it. "I won't be by myself though, will I? Because you're coming with me."

I nodded sternly, "Okay, just promise you wont go by yourself." I needed to hear her say the words.

Bella studied me thoughtfully, and I could see in her eyes that she thought my request was ludicrous. She slowly nodded, "Sure thing. Promise." and then quick as lightening she sprung forward and pressed a warm kiss against my cheek. "I'm gonna go get my shoes on, wait here." I was left in a daze as she darted out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

I stayed in my spot in the kitchen as I listen to Bella rummage around upstairs in her room, and then I heard her heavy footsteps come thundering down the staircase. She ducked her head into the kitchen, "Ready?" She chirped.

I smiled at her, "Sure."

I followed Bella as she traipsed out the back door and into the thick forest that bordered her home. It felt much nicer to walk with her in the woods, rather than follow behind her like a stalking predator. I wondered if Bella had noticed me that day, and I truly hoped she hadn't. Bella was kind and forgiving and I knew that if she did know about it she would be much too compassionate to mention it.

"So, other than walking aimlessly through the woods, what do you do for fun?" I asked in a teasing tone, hoping that it masked my very real desire to know everything about her.

"Uhhmm." Bella hummed thoughtfully as she pushed a low hanging branch out of her way, and I had to quickly sidestep to avoid it from smacking me in the face when she let it go. "I like to read. I like learning new things." She eventually continued.

How frustratingly vague. I frowned at the back of her head, "Like what?"

I watched from behind as Bella shrugged, "Anything, really."

I bit back a growl of irritation. Getting information from the girl was like pulling teeth. Why was she so cagey? I wasn't asking anything particularly intimate, I just wanted to get to know her better!

"What else?" I urged.

Bella turned and glanced at me from over her shoulder, eyebrows half-furrowed and half-raised as if trying to figure out what my deal was. Apparently she liked whatever it was she saw on my face and turned back around to continue her peaceful march through the woods. "I used to really love chess." Bella said absentmindedly. It was a softly spoken statement, a throw away comment that she clearly meant to be dismissed or glossed over.

I jumped at it like a ravenous lion, "Used to?" I pressed.

"Yeah, it's hard to love something when no one wants to play with you." Bella said candidly, and I watched from behind as Bella's shoulders hunched down for a moment before she straightened and started to mutter out words at a million miles an hour, "I mean, Renee- uh my mom- she got sick of it pretty quick. She's a sore loser." Bella said the words so rushed and I could smell the blush on her face even though I couldn't see it with her back to me as we moved through the woods. I could tell that this wasn't Bella's attempt at subtlety bragging about her chess skills, she was just trying to explain why she had no opponents to play against.

This was something we had in common, I too liked chess but rarely got the chance to play. After a few decades my family became tired of trying to circumnavigate my mind reading abilities, and as such I haven't had the chance to play a real game of chess in many many years. Alice was the only one who would indulged me. But that usually just resulted in us sitting in front of a chess set, me making a decision and Alice seeing the move in a vision, followed by me rapidly changing my strategy until one of us eventually conceded with a gentle toppling of our king.

"I enjoy chess also, perhaps w could have a game sometime?" I asked lightly as I smiled at the thought.

Bella paused mid-step and slowly turned to face me, eyeing me with her scrutinising gaze. "That wouldn't exactly be a fair match." she accused.

I matched her expression as I crossed my arms and leaned casually against a tree, "And why is that?"

"Because how can I expect to beat an opponent who can read my mind?" Bella scoffed with a roll of her eyes.

Ice cold shock rocked my body, "Who said I could read your mind?"

"You did." Bella pointed an accusing finger at me.

"I did no such thing!" I argued back impotently.

Bella rolled her eyes again, a dramatic motion as if she were tiring of my antics. "Okay, not in so many words. Fine. But you did admit to being able to read minds." She declared haughtily as she put her hands on her hips.

Bella glared at me, standing in the forest with her hands on her hips and her hair in gentle waves around her head she was truly beautifully imposing force of nature. Carlisle's words from this morning echoed in my head alarmingly perceptive. I narrowed my eyes, I wouldn't be able to get anything by her. "Yes. I did admit to being able to read minds. However I can not read your mind."

I watched her carefully for her reaction, she seemed doubtful. "Really?"

I huffed out a humourless laugh, "Really. It's the most frustrating thing in the world."

Bella visibly relaxed at this, "So that's… strange? Has this ever happened before?" She cocked her head curiously. Always so eager for information.

"No. Not until I met you. Although I can not hear your father's thoughts, either." I tugged a hand through my hair but kept an eye on Bella for her reaction to this information. I had noticed that once Bella got talking, became relaxed and content with the company she was with, she began to lose her mind to mouth filter, and I was hoping that I could take advantage of that to try and gain any more knowledge on what she was.

Bella nodded thoughtfully, "Yeah, that makes sense." She mused. I could see the exact moment her words caught up with her brain, it hit her like a devastating wrecking ball. Bella scrunched her eyes closed as she grimaced and cringed away from me as if she were expecting a physical blow. Her entire body tensed and her little hands clenched into tight fists, her knuckles going white with the pressure of it. Bella turned on her heel and abruptly stomped off into the forest, walking much faster than she was before.

"Hey! Wait up!" I hollered out after her, a moved at a slow jog to catch up and matched her stride and she stalked angrily through the woods. "What did you mean? That it makes sense?" I had a pretty good idea, but I wanted Bella to confirm it. I needed to hear her say it, or else I would forever doubt my own conclusions. Whatever protected Bella from my gift, also protected her father.

Bella's step faltered, "Well, my dad and me. We're the same." Bella said meekly.

I was right. "That's certainly interesting." I murmured.

"Glad you think so." Bella muttered bitterly, and I could help but chuckle at her irritation. I now knew just how ferocious Bella could be, I knew what she looked like when overcome with murderous rage and broiling anger. I had heard the spine tingling noises she could create when she was truly angered, sounds that would make any vampire tremble in fear. I had seen through the mind of another the way Bella's warm eyes erupted into a tumultuous tempest, the way her lips could twitch into a villainous smirk as she caused pain to others. After bearing witness to that, I could only find this anger, this juvenile stomping through the forest, as utterly adorable.

We came across a familiar stream and I followed Bella as she turned downstream. I couldn't help but stare at Bella as we walked. She entranced me with her beauty, the way her lips parted slightly as she breathed, the slight flush to her cheeks, the soft curve of her jaw as it led down to her beautiful neck. Bella glanced at me and I quickly looked away, not wanting to be caught staring at her so intensely. I felt Bella's warm hand graze against my own as we walked. Was it accidental? Bella did it again, but this time she curled her fingers around my hand. In my shock it took me a moment to return the gesture, and once our hands were perfectly entwined Bella released a contented sigh, as if holding my hand was the most precious gift she could ever hope for.

"So what about you?" Bella spoke up,

"What about me?"

"I mean, what do you do for fun?" Bella's question was punctuated with a gentle squeeze of my hand, the motion sent lightening strikes surging up my arm.

"I also enjoy reading. I spend a lot of time listening to music." I answered swiftly, trying my best to ignore how the warmth of her hand in mine seemed to leech into my body.

"What kind of music?" Bella asked innocently.

"Classical, but I also like rock." I thought for a moment before scrunching up my face in distaste, "Come to think of it, I like pretty much anything other than country."

Bella arched an eyebrow at me, "And what's wrong with country music?" she challenged.

"Everything." I immediately replied.

Bella stopped walking and turned to face me, "Well I have to disagree with you." She declared defiantly, "Dolly Parton is a national treasure. And Johnny Cash? Lyrical genius." Bella stared me down.

Bella had to be joking, "Dolly Parton? Are you serious?" I asked incredulously

"Are you!?" Bella retorted boldly, "Her songs are fantastic! Jolene is amazing, and don't even get me started on Nine to Five." She scoffed, her disdain for my musical taste was clear.

I smiled bashfully, "I can't tell if you're being serious, or if you're just teasing me."

"Oh, I am deadly serious." She nodded gravely, "Next you'll be telling me you don't like John Denver!" She hooted before she turned and stalked off into the woods.

"I don't like John Denver!" I protested lamely at her retreating form.

"Well then you're wrong!" Bella crowed back with a thundering laugh. I hurried after her, the sound of her laughter brought such joy to my undead heart that I wouldn't hesitate to admit that I was indeed wrong, if it meant hearing that glorious sound, just one more time.

A/N: Thanks for reading, hope you all enjoyed it! I seriously love writing Cullen Family moments. I know that Edward is technically the oldest of the Cullen Kids (Other than Jasper) but I have always seen him as the baby of the family, since he was so young when he was turned.