It's been 87 years...
Hello my favourite internet people! Thank you for all your kind words and encouragement, it was truly heartwarming.
I hope you enjoy and strap yourselves in for some crazy Kate Denali action.
Chapter 16. Restraint
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Bella's POV
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On the day the Denali's were supposed to arrive, Bella found herself practically glued to Rosalie's side on the loveseat in the Cullen's living room. The blonde beauty had been on edge for the entire day and Bella had discovered that close proximity was the only thing that calmed her down. Not that she would ever complain about that. Emmett had proven himself as a great distraction as well and somehow robed Rosalie into playing Super Mario with him on his old Nintendo.
"Have you guys ever wondered why Mario does even bother with Princess Peach?" Bella asked randomly as she watched them play.
"He's in love with her," Alice responded without missing a beat as she materialised out of thin air.
"Yeah maybe that's true but I still think she's a bitch and he deserves better," Bella said with a shrug. Rosalie looked away from the screen for a moment to give her a weird look.
"Why?" Alice wondered.
"Either she is the unluckiest and the most stupid person in the world or she is doing this shit on purpose," Bella explained patiently. "I mean every time he managed to save her ass, she gets abducted again. I bet she's having an affair with that ugly ass turtle mutant,"
"King Koopa," Emmett supplied absently and she nodded.
"I think you're overthinking this babe," Rosalie pointed out with some amusement.
"I'm just saying. The circumstances are highly suspicious," Bella defended with a frown.
"Don't ruin the game for me," Emmett told her gravely. "Mario Brothers is the best game Nintendo ever produced,"
"Untrue," Bella snorted. "Donkey Kong is better," She almost laughed when Emmett paused the game and turned to her with the most offended expression Bella had ever seen on him.
"You can't honestly believe that?" Emmett asked incredulously. Bella smirked and shrugged.
"Not my fault you have shitty opinions," the time-traveler sassed back.
"It's just no way Donkey Kong is better than Mario Brothers! Mario Brothers is a classic!" Emmett exclaimed in his booming voice, but its volume did not startle Bella, but only added to the hilarity of the situation.
"I never said Mario Brothers wasn't a classic or a fun game," she pointed out patiently. "I'm merely saying I personally think Donkey Kong is a better game," Emmett sputtered in outrage, as if she had offended life itself for stating such a thing. He started muttering something under his breath.
"I think he's about to explode," Rosalie observed, making Bella shake in silent laughter.
"I haven't seen him so riled up since '97," Jasper commented as he walked into the room with Edward on his heels.
"Can Vampires even explode?" Alice asked in faux seriousness.
"Pretty sure he's going to be the first one," Rosalie drawled with a deadpan expression.
"Emmett Cullen, cause of death? Nintendo argument," Jasper said in the same manner.
"How tragic," Alice shook her head sadly. "Not a very Shakespearian death,"
"I'm pretty sure that I speak for everyone by saying that the word 'Emmett' and 'Shakespeare' should never be uttered in the same sentence," Edward quipped. Everyone chuckled as Emmett flipped them off.
"So mean," Emmett pouted. "I feel you guys don't appreciate me as much as you should,"
"Correction, I think we appreciate you just the right amount; not too much and not too little," Bella sassed back, which made Rosalie laugh. Emmett stared at Bella in disbelief.
"That was such a Rosalie response. She's corrupting you," Emmett exclaimed with narrowed eyes and pointed accusingly at Rosalie. "Don't fall for it Bella! Come back into the light," he added dramatically.
"Are you saying Rosalie is on the dark side?" Bella managed in between laughter.
"Yes, what exactly are you saying?" Rosalie folded her arms and gave her brother an intense glare, although Bella could detect hidden mirth in them. Emmett however, looked like a deer caught in headlights, staring at Rosalie in fright.
"No!" he almost shouted. "I mean yes but…" Rosalie narrowed her eyes. "No of course not!" Emmett amended unconvincingly. "You are pure light! A fallen angel,"
"Lucifer was a fallen angel," Bella added helpfully, smirking when Emmett shot her a look of betrayal.
"Are you saying I'm Satan?" Rosalie asked in a deadly whisper and Bella took delight in the way Emmett's eyes widened in panic. This was entirely too amusing. Jasper, Alice and Edward seemed to share that opinion, since they were all struggling to hold in their laughter.
"Bella, Rosalie! Stop antagonising Emmett," Esme shouted from the kitchen. Bella pouted while Rosalie shrugged. Emmett stared at them both with narrowed eyes.
"Alice was right. You're such a mean couple," he informed them sulkily.
"Don't be like that buddy," Taking pity on her best friend, Bella gave him a soft smile. "You know you're our favourite," The other three Cullen siblings let out a 'hey!' in protest.
"Speak for yourself," Rosalie quipped.
"Don't listen to her, we both know the truth," Bella whispered conspiratorially. To her amazement, Emmett immediately perked up and his pout was exchanged for a smug grin.
"Well I am pretty awesome," he stated proudly.
"Look what you've done now!" Rosalie glared at Bella, who shrugged.
"I have a question!" the time traveler looked at Jasper. "What happened in'97?"
"Don't you dare answer that," Emmett cut in before the ex-soldier could answer.
"Saved by the bell," Alice smiled at Emmett and true enough, the doorbell rang a second later. Bella looked worriedly at Rosalie, who tensed up immediately. Unsure what else she could do, Bella intertwined their hands, giving it a soft squeeze. While Rosalie did not relax, she did squeeze back in gratitude.
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Rosalie's POV
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The silly banter had calmed her considerably, and while she was still tense, her nerves were lot better than before. Rosalie knew she was probably overthinking everything, her family and Bella certainly liked to think so. The truth was that Rosalie was terrified of starting another fight or a miscommunication. Things between her and Bella was better than ever before, and she didn't want to mess things up. It took a lot of effort from both of them to be in the place they were at, but it was still fragile. Sure, they were a lot more comfortable around one another but there was still uncertainty in the air; mostly from Bella's end but she was trying her best, which Rosalie was incredibly thankful for.
The front door opened and closed, and Rosalie closed her eyes as Carlisle's voice exchanged heartfelt greetings to their cousins. Bella shifted even closer to Rosalie, as if physically trying to ease her doubts. A fleeting smile touched Rosalie's lips. She truly loved that girl.
"I've heard Rosalie has a mate now?" Tanya inquired curiously from the hallway.
"She does," Esme responded happily. "Bella is such a sweetheart,"
"Well she must be a saint if she's supposed deal with Rosalie's bitchy attitude," Irina's voice piped up.
"Hah!" Alice snorted, which ensued chuckles from the rest of Rosalie's family. "Not so bitchy anymore," the pixie fortunately spoke at vampire speed, a small mercy since Bella was still in the same room.
"Say what?" Tanya seemed amused.
"You'll have to see for yourself, otherwise you won't believe it," Edward spoke up, although he didn't bother with the low volume. Bella looked at him with questioning eyes.
"Shut the fuck up," Rosalie glared at her brother.
"Doesn't seem any different to me," Irina remarked, which made Rosalie smirk.
"Oh honey, you've seen nothing yet," Alice laughed.
"This whole seemingly one-sided conversation that's going on right now?" Bella gestured between Alice and Edward. "It's super creepy," Rosalie grinned.
"Oh, she sounds feisty!" Irina commented and just like that, Rosalie's smile fell and a scowl replaced it.
"Babe?" Bella murmured, staring at her in concern. Before Rosalie could respond, the Denali's finally trailed into the living room.
"You must be Bella," Tanya exclaimed with a pleasant smile, thankfully maintaining a respectful distance. Rosalie watched carefully as Bella took in the newcomers. To her credit, her eyes only widened a fraction, but that was the extent of her reaction. "I'm Tanya Denali. It's a pleasure to meet you," she raised her hand as if to offer it for a handshake but seemed to think better of it when she caught Rosalie's watchful gaze. The arm was lowered right away.
"I am indeed," Bella responded politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you too,"
"I'm Irina," Irina offered in kind.
"I'm so glad you're here!" Alice jumped up from the couch and into Tanya's arms with a happy squeal.
"Where are the rest?" Jasper questioned Irina, although he kept shooting amused glances at his wife.
"Eleazar and Carmen are taking a holiday in Spain," Irina answered with a shrug. "Kate is still hunting,"
"Congratulations on finding your mate," Tanya had finally freed herself from Alice's grip. Her smile and eyes were earnest on Rosalie.
"Thank you," Rosalie managed stiffly. Luckily Tanya didn't seem offended.
"We too have an addition to our coven," Tanya turned to Carlisle.
"Really?" the doctor asked in surprise.
"Yes, it seems Irina has finally found her mate," Tanya smiled at Irina, who nodded shyly. Rosalie relaxed a fraction at the information. She observed everyone congratulate her cousin. One less threat then. Rosalie stiffened again. She liked the Denali sisters and truly saw them as family. She hated that she suddenly now saw them as threats. A small squeeze to her hand made Rosalie look at her mate, who offered her a sad yet reassuring smile, as if she hated seeing her emotional struggle. Rosalie's heart filled with warmth.
"Where is he? She?" Alice paused. "They?"
"Laurent is still adjusting to the animal diet so we thought it would be for the best if he remained in Alaska for the time being," Irina answered.
"No worries, you're not missing much," a new voice exclaimed and Rosalie watched as Kate sauntered into the room, sounding completely unapologetic with her remark. "He's rather boring," Bella coughed to hide her laughter but wasn't entirely successful, since Kate flashed her a beaming grin. Bella's smile dropped quickly, and her eyes widened comically.
"Kate?" she blurted out, to everyone's surprise.
"Bella!" the woman exclaimed happily. "What a small world!"
"What the hell?" Rosalie's jaw dropped. "Explain?" she turned to Bella, who was still staring at Kate in surprise.
"You've met?" Tanya wondered, just as baffled as the rest of them.
"Briefly," Bella murmured. "A long time ago," all of the Cullen's, bar Rosalie, nodded in understanding.
"Not that long! I had forgotten how exceptionally attractive you are though," Kate piped up, her eyes taking in Bella's features. Rosalie growled instinctively; her whole posture turning rigid with the comment.
"Behave," Irina hit her sister in the shoulder, who pouted at the action, rubbing the seemingly wounded spot.
"I apologise for my sister's... inappropriate comment," Irina said politely. Rosalie nodded neutrally, although her shoulders did not ease up. Bella squeezed her hand in comfort, silently trying to convey her support. To her endless surprise it worked like a charm and Rosalie breathed easier. Rosalie observed Bella offering the sisters a small smile, which was returned from all – even though Kate's smile was more of a smirk if anything, but Rosalie decided to ignore that.
"So you guys mind sharing with the class?" Emmett asked when the silence had stretched on for too long.
"We met in the woods," Kate replied with a smile.
"In the woods?" Emmett repeated slowly. "What? Why?"
"Not by choice," Bella added darkly. "I wasn't exactly frolicking in woods," that seemed like a code for a bad time travelling experience.
"I'm fine babe," Bella soothed, picking up on Rosalie's unease.
"Babe?" Kate seemed oddly disappointed. "I guess I lost my chance,"
"Bad call," Emmett muttered under his breath.
"What?!" Rosalie sputtered.
"Rose-"
"What do you mean you lost your chance?" the blonde cut Bella off, glaring intently at Kate, who simply shrugged.
"Just that she's a catch," Kate winked at Bella, who literally face palmed.
"Back the fuck up," Rosalie growled. How dare she?
"Whoa! What's with the animosity Rose?" Kate asked surprised.
"Don't call me that!"
"She does!" Kate pointed to Bella.
"She's my mate! She's allowed to!" Rosalie shot back.
"Really?" her cousin zeroed in on their clasped hands. "Huh,"
"Can we circle back to how you guys met in the woods?" Alice demanded impatiently. Rosalie decided to ignore Kate and focused on Bella.
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Bella's POV
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Flashback
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Bella cursed softly under her breath as soon as she regained consciousness. The first thing she noticed when she opened her eyes was that she was in some sort of a meadow, surrounded by trees. The second thing she noticed that it was dark and the only source of light was the night sky, illuminated by a few stars. The third thing was that she was still kind of drunk, which was incredibly inconvenient. The last thing was that it was incredibly cold, and while it was not snowing, there was frost in the air. She shivered and zipped up her thin hoodie. Maybe she should start carrying a backpack with supplies, in case of emergencies. It was incredibly frustrating that she only thought of smart preparation after she had already traveled in time.
Bella shook her head to clear her head, now was not the time to berate herself for lack of organisation skills. She needed to figure out where she was and when. First things first, find shelter before freezing to death. Even in her hazy, slightly drunken state she realised that it was top priority. She waited a moment to allow her eyes adjust to the darkness, before scanning the area. On the far left there was a road, which was probably her safest bet. Roads meant civilisations. Bella nodded to herself and started walking. She was almost halfway when a strange noise halted her movements. She strained her ears but couldn't quite make sense of what she was hearing. Without a thought, her legs began to move again but this time in the opposite direction. What the hell was that? The noise suddenly stopped, which made her halt as well. She peered into the darkness but could only make out the shapes of trees. How odd. Under any other circumstances, at least being sober, she would not hesitate to run in the other direction. Unfortunately she had always been too curious for her own good whilst under the influence, so she started walking again.
A momentary lapse of judgement would be her downfall.
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She ran as fast as she could, using the adrenaline and fear to guide her through the forest. Bella was sure she had never been as fast in her life. How stupid could she be? Why on earth did she think following strange noises in the dark was a sound idea? Had she no self-preservation skills?
Whatever that was chasing her, was closing in. She was already at the brink of exhaustion but didn't dare to stop, acting on pure willpower as her instinct screamed at her to keep running. It was a miracle she was even still alive at this point and sure enough, her luck ran out as her foot caught on a dead tree root. Bella went tumbling down, her body hitting the ground with a loud thud. Fuck, this was it. She squeezed her eyes shut and shot out a silent prayer for her death to be swift and painless, although judging by the terrifying noises; she expected the worst. Then, just as the growls were about reach her, something unexpected happened. A loud smack, loud enough to shake the earth beneath Bella's body, and the growl momentarily ceased. Bella waited with bated breath, curious beyond compare but too scared to investigate or even open her eyes. It was silent for all but two seconds until the growling started again, this time from two different sources. Something else had showed up and even though Bella had no visual, the noises indicated that there was a fight going on. It did not comfort her in the least. Whoever would win this fight would surely kill her. This went on for a long time, and Bella battled with her curious mind. Whatever was going on, it was loud and the ground shook. The sound of two different growls, trees falling down, crashing noises and the earth itself seemed to tremble. Cold sweat ran down Bella's back and she couldn't stop shaking when suddenly everything went silent. This was it. To her endless surprise, nothing happened for a long time. Her heart was beating almost out of her chest as she waited. Everything was still.
"Are you okay?" a melodic voice sounded above her. Bella jumped at the sudden noise, completely taken a back at hearing a human voice. She frowned in confusion and finally raised her head. A beautiful blonde woman was staring down at her worriedly. Bella simply stared at the vision, wondering if she was imagining the whole thing or not.
"You mute or something?" the woman continued when Bella only stared in silence with a stupefied expression.
"No, sorry," Bella awkwardly averted her eyes.
"What are you doing down there?"
"Taking a nap," Bella snapped. The woman raised both hands in surrender, a faint gleam of amusement in topaz eyes. Bella studied the rare eye colour momentarily, mind flashing to five students at her school who had the exact same shade. Strange.
"Feisty," the woman remarked happily. "I'm Kate,"
"Bella," Bella grunted and painstakingly sat up, her body protesting every movement. Her heart was slowly calming, the queerness of the situation overpowering her previous fear.
"So, you often take naps in the middle of the woods?" Kate asked curiously. Bella just stared at her with a deadpan expression.
"Yes, it's a hobby of mine," Bella rolled her eyes. "Is it gone?" she paused.
"Is what gone?" Kate asked almost too innocently.
"Whatever the fuck was chasing me," Bella elaborated. "I can't hear it anymore,"
"I don't know what you are talking about," Kate shrugged. "I didn't hear anything,"
"What?" Bella's eyebrow rose. "How on earth did you not hear that? Or at least felt the ground shake?"
"No idea what you're talking about," Kate offered an angelic smile.
"Right," Bella eyed her doubtfully. There was just no way Kate hadn't heard anything. Come to think of it, her timely arrival was awfully convenient. Everything about this screamed suspicious. "What are you doing here anyways?"
"I was about to take a nap too, obviously," Kate grinned cheekily and despite Bella's suspicion of the woman, she couldn't help but to laugh. She chalked it up to shock, especially since it had a slight hysterical edge to it. Kate looked awfully pleased with herself.
"Well… I guess I should get going," Bella remarked as soon as she calmed down.
"Where are you going?" Kate wondered as she watched Bella awkwardly stand up. The question made Bella pause.
"Good question. I have no idea," she admitted after a beat of silence. "Somewhere with alcohol," The whole experience had sobered her up, which frankly was unacceptable. Bella blinked as Kate threw her a blinding smile.
"I know a place!" the blonde offered happily. Bella stared at the woman for a moment before shrugging. At least she could cross off two stupid things of the list of 'What you should never do', today. Following beautiful strangers to an unknown location was right behind investigating scary noises in a dark forest, after all.
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-End flashback-
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"You just followed her?" Rosalie stared at her incredulously, which frankly was well deserved.
"Not my brightest moment," Bella admitted sheepishly, blushing at her stupidity.
"Hey! I'm an excellent company!" Kate protested.
"And a predator she just met in a dark forest," Alice deadpanned.
"A predator who saved her life!" Kate crossed her arms defensively.
"From what?" Bella perked up. Finally she would get an answer for the question that had been bugging her for months.
"A werewolf,"
"What!?" Rosalie roared, which made everyone flinch. Bella just stared at Kate in shock. First vampires, now werewolves? What else supernatural existed in this world? Apart from time traveling of course.
"Yeah," Kate eyed Rosalie apprehensively before turning to Bella. "I was surprised to see one in the area actually," a pause. "Or to see one in general. I thought they were extinct,"
"So did I," Jasper murmured thoughtfully.
"Where was this?" Alice wondered.
"When was this?" Jasper added.
"Alaska," Kate answered easily. "1987," she paused with a frown and looked at Bella. "Come to think of it, you have not aged a day," this was said with a healthy amount of suspicion.
"Maybe a few days," Bella smirked.
"She's a time traveler," Emmett informed his cousin happily. It was almost comical how Kate's frown morphed into a delighted expression.
"Truly?" Tanya questioned, staring at Bella with more interest now. Bella shifted uneasily under the scrutiny and unconsciously leaned into Rosalie; whose arm tightened around her.
"That explains so much!" Kate announced with relief, almost as if she had been plagued with a dilemma that was finally solved. "Our whole conversation makes more sense. I honestly just thought you were crazy,"
"Nice to clear that up," Bella said dryly.
"Or maybe that you were on drugs," Kate mused.
"Right,"
"Or escaped some asylum,"
"Okay,"
"Maybe a philosophy student having an early existential crisis,"
"Sure,"
"A crazy philosophy student having an early existential crisis after escaping an asylum,"
"We get it!" Bella snapped. The blonde just shrugged, completely unbothered.
"What on earth did you say to her Aristotle?" Emmett asked gleefully.
"Aristotle?" Kate tilted her head. "Apt,"
"Right?" Emmett seemed exceptionally proud. "I came up with it,"
"While this is all very entertaining, " Bella cut in. "Thank you for saving me,"
"You're welcome!" Kate beamed.
"Yes, thank you," Rosalie grumbled, a scowl painting her beautiful features. Bella almost smiled at her grumpy mate and settled on kissing her cheek.
"Oh," Kate watched the couple curiously. "Now it makes sense why you didn't want to have sex with me,"
There was a moment of awkward silence before everything went to hell.
"WHAT?" Rosalie exploded and Bella flinched.
"Babe," the brunette tried to capture her girlfriend's attention, but Rosalie was staring murderously at Kate. In fact, Bella had never seen Rosalie so angry and it unnerved her.
"I mean, can you blame me?" Kate winked suggestively at Bella. "The things I could do to you dear time traveler. You would not be able to walk properly for days," That was the worst possible move to make and before Bella could even begin to address that, there was a blur of motion, a crashing noise accompanied with a loud thud. Bella blinked in surprise as she tried to comprehend what had just happened.
"Rosalie!" Esme scolded.
"Did you just…" Bella trailed off, staring wide eyed at the broken window. Emmett cackle broke the stunned silence. Rosalie had unceremoniously thrown Kate out the window, which frankly was a tamer reaction than any of the vampires in the room expected of her. The human in the room however was completely unprepared and just stared at her snarling mate in shock.
"Normally I would defend my sister but that was warranted," Tanya commented dryly. "I ask you to not do any further damage if possible though?" she shot Carlisle a warning look, who nodded discreetly.
"Maybe you should go for a hunt Rosalie?" the doctor requested softly but Rosalie merely growled at him. Bella shook out of her stupor and took a step forward, only to be stopped by Jasper.
"Maybe wait a moment?" the ex-soldier suggested warily.
"Dude," Bella gave him a pointed look. If anyone in this room could calm down the seething blonde, it was her. "Move," Jasper finally sighed and stepped out of her way. Bella moved cautiously towards Rosalie. "Come with me?" she posed it as a request rather than a demand. Rosalie looked at her, her normally topaz eyes now pitch black. Oddly enough it did not scare Bella, merely worried her. She reached out and gently touched her arm. "Darling, please?" Bella watched in silent awe as Rosalie visibly relaxed under her touch. Emboldened by the reaction, Bella slipped her hand into Rosalie's and tugged her away from the group. Under normal circumstances she would have laughed at the way Rosalie followed her wordlessly, almost like a lost puppy but now it only saddened her. It wasn't until they were safely tucked away inside the garage that Bella freed her hand, and she gathered the blonde into a firm embrace. Rosalie's grip was almost bordering on painful but Bella refrained from commenting, knowing that her mate needed this.
"Nothing happened between us," Bella assured her after a few minutes of silence. Rosalie shifted in her arms but said nothing. "And if you think something ever will, I will throw you out the window," this earned her a weak chuckle.
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Flashback
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"So what do you do Bella?" Kate asked cheerily as soon as Bella had a drink in her hand. Bella nodded gratefully to the barman and took a large sip.
"Suicidal things, mostly," Bella answered dryly. "
"That got dark real fast," the blonde remarked with a small smirk.
"It is what it is,"
"Aren't you going to ask me what I do?" Kate wondered when there was a lull in the conversation.
"Wasn't planning on it, no," Bella shrugged. Kate gave her an unimpressed look. "Fine," the time traveler rolled her eyes. "What do you do Kate?"
"I'm glad you asked!" Kate smiled happily, ignoring Bella's snort. "Mostly I wander into dark woods to find damsels in distress,"
"I was under the impression that you thought I wasn't in distress?" Bella eyed her suspiciously. Topaz eyes widened briefly in alarm.
"Who said I was talking about you?" Kate's expression shifted to nonchalant. "Plus, I didn't know you classified yourself as a damsel?" she added teasingly.
"Oh, I'm far from a damsel," Bella chuckled lowly. "But I got the distress part down to a T,"
"You don't have knight in shining armour to help you out with that?" Kate asked innocently, too innocently. Bella shot her a strange look.
"Knights are overrated," she settled on, glancing around the old-fashioned bar they found themselves in. She had a feeling they were not as liberal in these parts as they were at home. Plus, she didn't owe this stranger her life story.
"Bad experience?" Kate asked curiously.
"You're awfully invested in my affairs," Bella countered, taking another sip of her drink.
"Just being friendly," the blonde shrugged. "I just find it hard to believe that a beautiful woman such yourself is not already taken," Bella blinked. Was she trying to flirt?
"Better believe it,"
"Aren't you going to ask me if I'm taken?" Kate asked innocently. Bella sighed.
"Are we really doing this Q and A situation?"
"You're so grumpy," Kate pouted. "I'm just trying to make conversation,"
"Maybe I'm not in the mood," Bella bit back with a frustrated breath. "Look, I'm sorry. It's been a bad night," she apologised.
"It doesn't have to end badly," Kate smirked seductively. Okay, she was definitely flirting.
"Listen, I'm very flattered," she was, that woman was definitely out of her league. "But I'm not really in the mood for sex," Bella said bluntly. She was sure that her past self would have punched her for that remark.
"You're turning me down?" Kate seemed gob smacked. "That had never happened before," the last part was added as an afterthought. Bella could definitely believe that.
"I'm sorry?"
"No don't be," Kate said dismissively. "I'm just surprised my gaydar failed me,"
"It didn't," Bella decided to be honest.
"So you're in a relationship then?" Kate wondered.
"No,"
"Huh," Kate leaned back in her seat and stared at Bella like she was an interesting puzzle.
"Do you not find me attractive?" Bella glanced up at the ceiling. Was this really happening?
"I do find you attractive," she reluctantly answered when Kate only stared at her expectantly.
"You're strange," the blonde decided with a smile.
"Thanks," Bella drawled sarcastically. A few minutes of silence passed between them and Bella ordered another drink. "So, aren't you going to find someone to go home with?"
"No I've decided to hang out with you. You're interesting,"
"Great," Bella huffed out, unsure if she wanted the company or not.
"So… are you going to tell me more about those suicidal things you do?" Kate wondered.
"I wasn't planning on it," Bella stared down at the drink in her hand. Then the words were out of her mouth before she could rethink them. "I hate time,"
"You hate…time?" Kate gave her a queer look.
"Passionately," Bella admitted with a deep sigh. "Time fucking sucks. They say time heals all wounds? Well I call bullshit,"
"You have a lot of pent-up anger inside of you," Kate leaned forward in her seat with a fascinating expression on her pretty features.
"Time is just a man-made concept anyway," Bella continued. "How can you live in the now when you keep getting pulled in the past? How can one even begin to plan the future when yesterday holds them in shackles?" she took another gulp of her drink. "Does that mean the past is my now?"
"That was deep…" Kate paused. "And entirely confusing. Are you okay?"
"I read somewhere that being here now is important. There's no past and no future. Time is a very misleading thing. All there is ever, is the now. We can gain experience from the past, but we can't relive it; and we can hope for the future, but we don't know if there is one," Bella ignored Kate's worried look. "Where do I fit into all of that?" she added under her breath.
"Maybe you should talk to a professional?" Kate suggested lightly.
"No professional can help me," Bella laughed darkly. They would lock her up and force drugs down her throat if she told a therapist that she was a time traveler.
"Well… I have no idea how to answer your question but my motto in life is pretty much 'live in the moment'," Kate offered hesitantly.
"What if every moment is horrible?"
"That's a cynical view," the blonde frowned.
"We'll I'm a pretty cynical person," Bella shrugged and made eye contact with the bartender, gesturing for another drink. A silence stretched between them, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Do you believe in God?" Bella asked as soon as she was nursing a new drink.
"God?" Kate adopted a pensive expression. "Not really,"
"What about fate? Does fate exist? If so, do we have free will?" Bella blurted.
"I feel like I'm not equipped for this conversation," Kate muttered.
"Sorry," Bella winced. "I'm totally bumming you out,"
"Not really though," Kate's smile was soft. "Mostly you make me question thinks I avoid thinking about," there was underlying sadness in that statement.
"I've been told I ask too many questions," Bella offered with a wry grin.
"All the wise ones do," Kate nodded seriously. "How about we talk about something less morbid but equally depressing. For example the fact why you don't want to have sex with me?"
Bella groaned and downed the rest of her drink.
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-End flashback-
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It took almost an hour for Rosalie to calm down enough to re-enter the living room, her hand firmly placed in Bella's. Rosalie did not apologise to Kate, but she did not glare at her either. Of course Kate had to ruin that right away.
"So I have decided that we're going to be friends," Kate offered Bella a blinding grin. "Of course if you weren't already taken we'd been having a whole different kind of conversation," she winked playfully, which almost made Bella face palm. Just when Rosalie had started to relax, that comment made her tense up again.
"If we're going to be friends you'll have to reel in those kinds of comments," Bella told her dryly.
"I'm not good with behaving," Kate smirked suggestively. This was enough to push Rosalie over the edge and a growl escaped as she took a menacing step towards Kate, who seemed to finally sense the danger and took a step back in return.
"Mine!" Rosalie's gruff voice was laced with menace and possessiveness.
"Rose," Bella grabbed her mate's arm gently and when topaz eyes met brown, she shook her head slightly. Rosalie visibly swallowed and seemed to struggle with herself until she reluctantly stopped advancing.
"You become more interesting with every passing moment. You've tamed Rosalie," Kate grinned.
"Look, I know we've only spoken one time so I obviously don't know you well, but you can't seriously be this stupid?" Bella's usual calm manner was betrayed by subtle anger. "How about you stop blatantly hitting on me and antagonising my mate when she's already on edge. I certainly have not tamed Rosalie Hale, as if anyone could, and she can and will attack you if you continue," Bella glared at Kate, who let out a small whistle.
"Damn, I see who has the fangs in this relationship," Kate smirked, and Emmett laughed at the joke.
"Seriously?" Kate sighed impatiently and despite the tense atmosphere, Emmett let out a small chuckle when Kate held her hands up in defeat and returned to her place next to Tanya. Thankfully Bella's warning words made Rosalie relax once more. Bella barely refrained the urge to sigh. While Kate seemed fun, albeit tactless, her company was already beginning to exhaust her. Bella was honestly impressed by Rosalie's restraint.
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Rosalie's POV
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Rosalie forced herself to breathe and mentally remind herself that Kate was relatively harmless and just enjoyed pushing her buttons. She knew her cousin was only flirting heavily with Bella because she finally found something to annoy Rosalie with.
Truthfully her instincts were screaming at her to attack Kate, but Bella presence was the only thing that stopped her from doing so. Not only did she fear the repercussions of revealing her possessive vampire nature to Bella, but she also didn't want to accidentally hurt her in the process, even though it would be immensely satisfying to rip both arms off of Kate.
"Kate, behave," Tanya hissed when Kate opened her mouth to undoubtably tease Rosalie more. "Rosalie is being remarkably respectful given the circumstances, and your behavior is unacceptable," this made Kate pause and look at Rosalie, who gave her a cold look. Kate hesitated for a moment before her teasing look shifted into apologetic one.
"I'm sorry," the words surprised everyone. "I didn't mean to be an asshole," Kate seemed so sincere about it that Rosalie's couldn't help but to soften a bit. She and Kate had a strange relationship, constantly pushing each other buttons, but they usually got along fine. Rosalie decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
"Fine," was the best thing she could come up with. Kate however brightened at the lacklustre response and gave her a genuine grin.
"I apologise to you too Bella," Kate continued, focusing on the brunette. "I still want to be friends if that's an option,"
"I'll give it a trial run," Bella said diplomatically, squeezing Rosalie's hand in comfort. Rosalie's heart soared at the action, of how sensitive Bella was to her mood.
Luckily the conversation shifted to easier topics after that, mostly about what each respective coven had been up to since they last saw each other and a lot of Emmett and Bella banter, with Kate hesitantly joining in. It didn't take long for Kate and Emmett to team up on teasing Bella, but it was mostly innocent and no more sexual remarks were made from Kate. In fact, Kate's and Bella's interaction reminded Rosalie of how Emmett and Bella engaged, which oddly enough did not bother her as much as she expected. It seemed as if Kate had really regretted her crass behavior and began seeing Bella in a platonic way. Still Rosalie was a bit apprehensive about the development but swallowed her doubts. It was a bit confusing to tell apart her own personal feelings on the manner and her vampire instincts when their mating bond was still this fresh.
"As much fun as this is… I must be getting home," her mate announced when her cheeks had finally cooled down, a result of Emmett's reenacting Bella's flustering behavior around Rosalie. Rosalie carefully hid a smile at the adorable blush her mate sported, knowing it would not earn her any points to tease her as well. Plus, Emmett had enough ammunition against her to shift the teasing onto her, so she remained silent. For the time being at least.
"Why?" Kate pouted, obviously hating the idea.
"Because dear possible friend of mine, while some of us have no prior engagements or direction in life," Bella began with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "The rest of us have duties and responsibilities,"
"I don't have direction?" Kate frowned. "And what exactly is your responsibility? Other than being my best friend,"
"We moved from possible friends to best friends right away?" Bella was definitely amused. It was just such an Emmett thing to say, which only seemed to make her warm up to Kate even more.
"That's my title!" Emmett protested with a glare at his cousin. "Get your own best friend,"
"It is only inevitable, I'm saving a lot of time," Kate waved dismissively, wholly ignoring Emmett. Rosalie was pretty sure Emmett said those exact words once too. "You are avoiding my question Aristotle,"
"Also the nickname I gave her!" Emmett seemed honestly outraged.
"School," Bella answered with a sigh, obviously fighting to keep a straight face when she saw the disgust written all over Kate's face. "Emmett is correct though, he is my best friend," this calmed down the big vampire but Kate seemed intent on ignoring that technicality.
"That's a crime against life," Kate stated. "It's not as if you need school. You're enough of a smartass already,"
"That's a delightfully backhanded compliment," Bella replied dryly.
"If the shoe fits," Kate sang purposely in an off key, making every vampire wince at the harsh sound. Bella just laughed and turned to Rosalie with an expectant look.
"I'll drive you," Rosalie drawled with an eye roll, feigning irritation.
"Don't act as if it's not the highlight of your day," Bella scolded her, drawing out an incredulous look from the blonde.
"I forbid you to spend time with both Kate and Emmett at the same time. Your sass level is off the charts," Rosalie narrowed her eyes playfully.
"You're welcome," Kate sounded way too pleased with herself. Bella only gave her girlfriend an angelic smile, which no one bought. Rosalie rolled her eyes and pushed herself off the sofa, pulling Bella with her. "See you later bestie!" Kate called after them.
"Later bestie," Bella replied, although not as enthusiastically but rather sarcastically. Emmett gasped dramatically. Rosalie laughed at the playful smirk Bella sported.
"And also goodbye to you Kate," Bella waved at Kate and Emmett whooped.
The car ride was silent, both occupants lost in their own thoughts. All in all, despite the part when she threw Kate out the window, the night had ended on a pleasant note. Rosalie eyed her mate, who wore a content smile as she stared out the window. That made Rosalie smile in return. She could get used to a smiling Bella, even if it meant that she had to tolerate Kate's presence.
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Bella's POV
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Two days later, Bella found herself sitting in the Cullen's living room with a plate of freshly made cookies, munching on them happily as she conversed with Kate. True to her words, the vampire had stopped flirting and in return they instantly became fast friends. Bella was honestly surprised with how easily Kate wormed her way inside her inner circle. Even Rosalie had calmed down enough to let them be alone together, although still within reaching distance. Still, Bella was honestly proud of her mate's progress and the fact that she was really trying for Bella.
"If you could choose, then what would you pick?" Kate repeated her question.
"It doesn't matter because I can't choose," Bella pointed out, secretly enjoying the annoyed expression on the Vampire's face.
"Indulge me," Kate demanded stubbornly. Bella rolled her eyes but stroke her cheek in a theatrical thoughtful manner.
"Woodstock," Bella decided finally, almost laughing at the disbelief in Kate's eyes.
"Seriously?" Kate checked, as if she was wondering what the punchline was. Bella's time traveling business was something Kate had never encountered before, so she was an endless flow of questions. Despite her playful persona, she was actually quite sensitive as well and was careful not to ask Bella too much about her bad traveling experience. Tanya and Irina, thankfully, showed the same tact although she could tell they were just as curious. Kate however had decided to aim her curiosity instead to where and when Bella would herself like to travel.
"Deadly serious," Bella nodded gravely.
"Is that a convenient excuse to use drugs in a public setting without getting caught?" Kate teased.
"It would have been at one point," Bella admitted freely, shifting awkwardly in her seat. Kate nodded in acknowledgement, having discovered earlier that day how Bella was trying and somewhat succeeding, so far at least, to give up that lifestyle.
"And what's the reason now?" the blonde pressed on.
"An easy and obvious one," Bella paused for dramatic effect. Kate waited but began tapping her foot impatiently when silence stretched for too long. Deciding to throw her a bone, Bella continued. "To see Janis Joplin perform live,"
"Huh," Kate seemed to consider this. "A good reason as any I suppose," she didn't look convinced.
"Fuck you," Bella declared pleasantly. "She is a legend and should be treated with such respect,"
"I don't know," Kate began thoughtfully. "She's no Katy Perry," Bella's jaw dropped.
"You did not just say that," she pointed at the vampire accusingly. Kate shrugged unapologetically but the amused twinkle in her eye, gave her away.
"What do you have against Katy B?" Kate asked in a faux offended manner.
"Nothing," Bella replied easily. "However, comparing Katy Perry to Janis Joplin is like comparing a toddler's bicycle to a BMW," she ended with flourish. Kate snorted in humour.
"Nice comparison babe," Rosalie yelled from somewhere inside the house. Bella smiled proudly, ignoring the way Kate rolled her eyes and mouthed 'kiss ass'.
"So if you think my ideal travel destination is stupid, where would you go?" Bella raised one eyebrow, observing how Kate smirked and opened her mouth. "If you say a Katy Perry concert, I will punch you, Vampire or not," the blonde's mouth snapped close.
"You're an idiot," Bella remarked pleasantly, laughing when Kate pouted.
"This relationship is getting abusive," she complained.
"Yeah don't refer to our friendship as a relationship, it's weird," Bella frowned.
"A friendship is a type of a – "
"My mate will punch you for me," Bella snorted when Kate's mouth snapped closed again.
"Gladly," Rosalie called again. Bella smirked when she heard other members of the house snicker.
"You guys are so sensitive," Kate muttered. "I would probably travel to Scandinavia during the Viking age," she informed Bella, who did a double take. She did not expect that answer.
"That… was not something I could foresee," she remarked honestly. "Why?"
"I have a thing for Vikings," Kate shrugged, as if it was obvious. Bella's lips quirked.
"You do realise Chris Hemsworth is not a representative of all Vikings?" she reminded her with no small amount of amusement. Kate glared at her.
"Of course not," she shook her head. "Although he is super-hot," a dreamy expression washed over her.
"Snap out of it horny," Bella ordered, laughing when Kate shot her an affronted look. "So, let me get this straight. You would travel to 700 AC just to fuck a Viking?" she asked crassly, almost laughing when she heard a loud commotion coming from the kitchen. She could only assume that Esme dropped something in surprise. Kate must have realised the same because her body shook with silent laughter.
"Yes," the blonde managed after a moment.
"You do realise they were probably smelly as hell?" Bella pointed out. "Sure they bathed more regularly than the average person of that time but that's not exactly up to our standards, well at least mine. They were also extremely rude and actually huge perverts who thought they were entitled to everything, women especially? I might be gay but even I can see that's not exactly an alluring picture," she forced herself to keep a straight face as Kate's facial expressions shifted from doubtful, to disgust and lastly to suspicious.
"And how the hell do you even know that?" Kate crossed her arms defensively.
"Because history literally teaches that?" Bella shot back, mirroring her body language.
"So, you're a history buff all of the sudden?" Kate asked dubiously.
"Not all of the sudden," Bella argued. "I've always been a history buff, you do remember that I am a time traveler? Plus, it's kind of important to know my ancestry,"
"What?" Kate let out in surprise.
"I'm a descendant of Vikings," Bella shrugged as if it was no big deal. "Turns out Rene had some Icelandic blood in her,"
"Lucky you," Kate deadpanned. "After all you just made that sound very appealing,"
"Dude, I just described the men. Plus, I only said I was a descendant, not that I wanted to fuck one," the brunette sassed back, earning an amused snort in return.
"Whatever," Kate deflated for all but two seconds. "Wait, so as a descendant of Vikings, shouldn't you be flattered that I'd choose to go back to your roots?" Bella gave her a queer look.
"Why on earth would I be flattered by the fact you want to fuck dirty savages?" she asked in return. Bella gave a start when there were suddenly howls of laughter coming from different directions in the house. She looked at Kate, who seemed as if she would be blushing if she wasn't a Vampire.
"I hate you," Kate settled on
"That's no way to talk to your best friend," Bella gasped in false outrage and Kate only rolled her eyes.
"Second best friend!" Emmett hollered from the next room.
"Whatever, I want to change my answer then," Kate declared stubbornly.
"Please don't say 200.000 years ago and try to make an argument that the Neanderthal were hot," Bella said in a begging tone, endlessly amused when Kate sputtered at the thought.
"You are a delight Bella," Irina appeared out of nowhere, smirking down at her scowling sister.
"At least someone acknowledges that fact," Bella drawled with a pointed look to Kate.
"You're way too full of yourself," Kate muttered under her breath.
"Hi Pot, I'm Kettle. Did you know you are also black?" Bella sassed without skipping a beat, making Irina laugh. Kate rolled her eyes good-naturedly, a small smile playing at her lips.
"I feel like I should say an inappropriate racial joke right about now," Kate mused out loud.
"Don't," Bella said firmly, eyeing the woman cautiously. "I will literally stop speaking to you," she added. "Forever," Kate paused and seemed to think on this, wondering if she should brave it. Finally, her shoulders slumped, and she gave up on the idea. Bella smirked proudly.
"I wish that threat would work for me," Irina commented with a frown.
"Second best friend privileges," Bella shrugged, ignoring Kate's glare.
"I feel you're abusing this relationship – "
"Not a relationship,"
"I don't know if you've ever picked up a dictionary, but friendship is a type of a – "
"Pineapple!"
"-relation… Wait what?"
"You need me?" Rosalie appeared out of thin air, staring at Bella with clear amusement in her eyes. Kate stared at the couple in bafflement.
"This was such a great idea," Bella told her with a beaming smile. Rosalie chuckled and leaned down to kiss her.
"I am confused on so many levels," Kate commented with a frown.
"Nothing new then?" Irina quipped dryly.
"Fuck you," Kate shot back.
"As flattered as I am, save all your pent-up sexual tension for smelly savages," Irina scolded lightly. Bella laughed loudly and winked playfully at Irina, who smirked proudly in return.
"I hate you," Kate threw at Bella, who just kept laughing.
"I think I'll hang out with you more Bella; you just keep giving me ammunition to use against Kate," Irina told her with a grin.
"Are you guys seriously going to gang up on me?" Kate complained loudly.
"I have over thousand years to make up for Kate," Irina raised one eyebrow at her sister, who oddly enough seemed a bit sheepish at the response. Bella wondered just how much mischief Kate brought into the life of the Denali's.
"I'm not that bad," Kate crossed her arms with a sulky expression.
"Is that so?" Irina matched her stance. "What about the incident with Santa Clause?"
Rosalie and Bella shared a puzzled look.
"Okay that was funny! You even admitted that later," Kate argued.
"And when you burned the house down?" Irina continued.
"That was an accident,"
"What about when you forged my signature and bought an illegal sex dungeon in my name?"
"The look on your face was priceless when the police knocked on our door,"
"And when Tanya came home to see the mail man tied to the refrigerator?"
"In my defense, he was just as into is as I was,"
"You once bought a Llama and named him Drama. Then you set him loose in the supermarket where he proceeded to spit on costumers. And the only thing you did was to yell 'Drama!' and point at him the entire time!" Tanya entered the conversation. That piece of information made Bella snort in laughter. Her reaction encouraged Kate and she smiled proudly.
"That was hilarious," Kate rebuked.
"Should I even mention that time in Russia when you convinced our entire neighbourhood that we were in the mafia and I was a crime boss?"
"I didn't have to convince them; I just dropped a few hints and they made up the rest. Maybe you should have been nicer to them because they believed it way too readily,"
"They were terrified of me!"
"And that was your fault,"
Bella glanced at her girlfriend, who was staring at the sisters in what could only be a mixture of astonishment and amusement. Bella stifled her laughter; afraid she might accidentally interrupt this hilarious dialogue. Her new (second) best friend was more awesome than she realised.
"What about that time where you taught a parrot to curse and set it free in an elementary school?"
"Okay I'll admit that was in bad taste," Kate winced at the memory.
"It was an all-girl catholic school," Irina informed Rosalie and Bella. "In the late 19th century," she added. Bella bit her lips to stop laughter from escaping.
"She taught an entire new generation to swear in a small village in Pennsylvania," Tanya added with a frown.
"It's important to expand one's vocabulary," Kate said in a stern manner. That did it for Bella and she completely lost it, practically howling with laughter. Rosalie took one look at her mate and broke down too, although in a more controlled manner. Tanya and Irina rolled their eyes at Kate, who beamed at the couple, obviously pleased with herself.
"You are such an idiot," Bella gasped, tears streaming down her face.
"The good kind?" Kate asked hopefully.
"The best kind," Bella confirmed when she got herself under control. Kate's smile could have lit up the room.
"Don't encourage her!" Tanya and Irina snapped at the same time. That only made Bella laugh again.
It was nice to laugh freely again, she had almost forgotten the feeling. Between Emmett and Kate, Bella was pretty sure she should get used to it on a daily basis. Sure, she was painfully aware that her life was still beyond complicated and that nagging feeling that something bad was about to happen, still lingered at the back of her mind. But right now, she decided to cuddle into her mate and listen to the Denali sisters argue. She's had worse afternoons.
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To be continued...
Yes, I had entirely too much fun with this chapter. Life has been throwing me a lot of curveballs lately so I wanted to keep this update on a lighter note. I need it and for some reason I have a feeling you guys need that too.
I'm curious about your thoughts on Kate's presence and personality (personally I think she's a joy and so much fun to write). I am aware Rosalie could have done more damage to Kate but for the sake of personal growth, I decided to keep it relatively tame. Well...aside from throwing her out the window.
It goes without saying at this point, but please leave a review and add this story to your favourite. It fuels my writer's inspiration tank and we all know how that's a scientifically proven fact.