A/N: Quick thank you to all those who had such sweet things to say, it made me want to release this new chapter way earlier than planned, so here it is. Now, for something important I need to say; whether through PM or review, I always accept constructive criticism. I also get super excited to read every review or message I get even when I'm shit at replying to them. However, being a general bitch or saying mean shit about my stories doesn't help anyone. It makes you look like a jackass, hurts my ability to write not just the story you're talking about but others as well, and just causes general not so fun fuckery. So, that's all for my little rant. Thank you for tuning in.
Chapter 2
Four Months Earlier
It had only been only hours since Bella had insisted on alone time with Edward after school, less than an hour since she and Edward had found a quiet place to talk, and only five minutes since Bella had confronted Edward with the knowledge that he and his family were vampires. Edward hadn't even tried to deny it. From the moment he looked into Bella's eyes and saw that fire in them, he knew anything he said or did to try and sway her would be futile. She knew what they were, and she'd call bullshit at any attempts he made to convince her otherwise. So he had quietly told her yes, it was true; he and his family were vampires.
Despite her being the one to confront him in the middle of the forest, he still expected her to either laugh at him or to run away screaming in fear. His undead heart twisted painfully in his chest as he thought about what he would have to do to keep himself and his family safe if she were to have the second reaction, and his fear that he wouldn't be able to go through with it. Since the day he had first met Bella, there had been a connection there. Something that drew them together in a way he couldn't begin to explain.
But Bella didn't have either of those reactions. Instead, she threw her hands up in the air with an exclaimed, "Finally!" and fell back on the grass-nearly hitting her head on a particularly sharp rock, had Edward's hand not darted out to catch her by the back of her head and help her lie down in a less potentially deadly position.
"Is that all you have to say?" Edward asked, because surely that couldn't be it, right? Bella had to have a bigger reaction than that.
"I mean, I have a ton of questions, but besides that? I'm just finally happy I'm in the loop." Bella let out a huge huff as she turned to look up at the sky, barely visible through the trees. "I mean, I knew something was off ever since you saved me from being squished by Tyler's van, but you sure did your best at hiding it since. It was driving me crazy."
Edward frowned when he saw how relaxed the girl appeared to be. Not for the first time, he wished he could see into Bella's mind, if only to understand what she was thinking. "Aren't you afraid? I'm a vampire, I've killed people. My entire family has. What's to make you think I won't kill you? Or one of my family won't?" The pain in Edward's voice was tangible, his voice subdued.
Bella let out a soft laugh, not to mock him. It was reassuring, strangely enough. "You won't hurt me, Edward. Your family won't either; not even your cranky sister. You know, the rose one?" There was such conviction in her voice that Edward couldn't do anything but believe her. When she patted the grass next to her, Edward slowly stretched out next to her, still half expecting the terror or hysterics to set in at any moment. It never did.
"Rosalie, Bella. Her name is Rosalie," Edward replied dryly.
"Right. See, you knew who I was talking about." Bella's response made him snort, and for a moment, they both stared up at the sky, watching the leaves rustle and dance with the wind. It was relaxing for Edward, freeing and quiet in a way he had never experienced with someone else, even before he became a vampire.
"You said you had questions?" Edward asked at last, knowing someone had to break the moment eventually.
"Yeah, I do." Bella glanced at him out of the corner of her eye for a moment. "You up for answering them all?"
"Yes, Bella. I'll do what I can to answer any questions you throw at me."
"Good. Because I have a lot."
In those hours since, they had talked about everything and anything Bella asked about in regards to vampires. She asked about when they were turned, what they drank from, how often they drank, what the thirst was like, and so much more. The questions appeared endless, but Bella seemed to never go too far. Despite Edward promising to answer every question as best as he could, she never strayed into personal territory for him or his siblings. She had already figured out their biggest secret, so apparently decided if there was anything personal Edward or the others would ever want to share with her, they would do so themselves.
Edward had never felt so free in talking to someone before. Now that the big secret was out, he felt like he could tell her anything. Before he knew it, he admitted to being a mindreader, Bella once again surprising him with her reaction by asking what her mind sounded like to him. When he admitted that he couldn't read her, she simply said something about her mind always being weird, and that was that. He tried to make her feel better by telling her about his siblings and how Jasper was an empath and couldn't feel her, and that Alice was a seer and couldn't see her future either, and that when Edward was close to Bella, they couldn't feel his emotions or see his future either. He said she probably had some kind of gift that was powerful enough to manifest despite her being human, and that seemed to be an interest to Bella. Although that interest didn't last for long; she was much more interested in everything about Edward then in potentially having a super power.
Soon he was admitting to his struggle in his early years of vampirism, how he would use his power to hunt the human monsters of society. She never once condemned him, her scent never betrayed a hint of fear and her heart never skipped a beat. In fact, she seemed to sympathize with his plight.
The sun had just started to set when Bella had finally run out of questions, and both of them were once again staring up at the sky. Once again, Edward was the one to break the silence; he felt like he had to tell her how she made him feel so free and at peace. How, for whatever reason, he could forget about how he felt cursed by his immortal existence with her around. So he turned on his side to face the human properly, propping his head in his hand.
"Bella, I need to tell you something," Edward said. His tone was so serious that Bella knew something was up, and so she also turned on her side, mirroring his position almost exactly. She didn't say anything, but the curious look in her eyes and the slight tilt to her head was all the prompt he needed. "I...this may sound weird, but there's something about you...from the moment we met, I felt a connection. That you're special. And you make me feel special. I'm not the best with words, but I just wanted to convey how much you mean to me. Despite all I've done and despite what I am, you make me feel like I'm not a monster."
She was about to tell Edward she felt the same, but then she saw it. Bella saw the sincerity in his eyes, but there was also intensity there. It was similar to other looks she's seen before when some of her old friends brought up a "serious" topic with her before, the kind that made her heart drop and her throat feel tight and dry. Despite only knowing him for two months, she loved Edward. She felt like she had something special in him, a kind of friendship that was so strong she had never felt before. Bella didn't want to lose that, but the look in his eyes could mean she already had. It made her realize she had to give Edward a truth of her own, or she might lose him forever.
Edward smelled her fear and panic, and it made him panic himself. He didn't know where he had gone wrong, but he wanted to fix it. Needed to fix it. If he lost Bella now…
"I'm gay!" Bella blurted, and at her admission, they both froze, wearing similar wide eyed, deer in the headlights expressions on their faces. Edward relaxed once he realized it wasn't something he had done to scare Bella, but the fear that came with the confession. He relaxed back onto the grass, rolling onto his back once more as he let out a laugh of relief.
"So am I," he admitted. It was the first time he had ever said such a thing aloud as a human or vampire; he had never dared to do it before. Yet he was already so comfortable with Bella that he didn't even feel a single stirring of anxiety saying it now.
Bella let out a breath of air she hadn't realized she had been holding. "Seriously?"
Edward released another laugh. He almost felt giddy at this point. "Yes, Bella; seriously."
The human let out a huff. She was now a bit embarrassed about her assumption, but the look Edward had given her…she had learned from past mistakes that it would be stupid to blow it off. "You can be super intense sometimes, you know that?"
Edward frowned, brow creased in confusion. "Well, yes, I have been told that before. Why are you bringing it up now?"
"Because you were so intense I thought you were going to do something crazy. Like, propose level of crazy," Bella muttered, her cheeks turning a bright red in embarrassment. The one time she chooses to say something to try to head off potential disaster, and it's the one time she couldn't have been more wrong.
Edward sat up so fast, Bella felt dizzy just watching him. "Wait, you thought...that I…? With you?"
Bella nodded, unable to look him in the eye. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."
More laughter spilled forth from Edward's lips. "I assure you, Bella. I do find you to be incredibly special, and there's definitely some kind of bond between us; however, that something is in no way romantic, and it never will be."
"Right. Because of the mutual gay thing," Bella said with a nod.
"Yes, Bella. That."
"I do feel the same, you know. It's like we've known each other forever," Bella said, and Edward smiled, happy to know Bella felt the same. A vampire's feelings were always so much more intense, a part of him worried Bella hadn't felt anything close to what Edward did. Hearing her say such a thing was such a relief.
"Thank you, Bella." Edward felt her questioning gaze on him and felt the need to clarify. "For being you."
"Well thank you for being you too, Edward," Bella said with a soft snort, one Edward echoed.
Once more, comfortable silence fell between them. Only this time, the one to break it was Bella.
"Have you ever told anyone before? About the gay thing." Bella's voice was so quiet, if Edward hadn't been a vampire, he would have had to ask her to repeat herself.
Thankfully, Edward was a vampire and didn't have to make Bella repeat herself. He could tell how hard it was for her to ask it the first time. "Never. The first time I ever said it out loud was when I said it to you." Edward paused for a moment before adding, "And you?"
"Nope, never. I think my mom might have had suspicions though, she started treating me worse. It's the main reasons I moved here. I'm not sure about how my dad would take it, but this is a small town, and he grew up in it. If I tell him and he doesn't take it well, I'll have nowhere to go." Not to mention she'd be heartbroken by her dad being unable to handle her sexuality, but that was probably going to be something she had to face someday regardless.
"I knew my parents weren't going to take it well either," Edward said. It was the truth, of course, but he mostly said it to sympathize. To show Bella that she wasn't alone.
That was a bit of a surprise; maybe it shouldn't be given that Edward hadn't told anyone, but it was a surprise just the same. While she hadn't met them yet, Edward made it sound like the two walked on water. "Really? From the way you talk about them, you made it sound like Carlisle and Esme would accept anything."
"I'm not talking about them. I mean my human parents. My father was a pastor, and I grew up in a very religious household. By the time I realized what I felt for men was what I was supposed to feel for women, I had already been taught how wrong it was, and knew being disowned would have been the least of my problems if they were to find out." Strangely enough, in some ways, the influenza and Carlisle had basically saved him from that fate. "Not to say that your problems are less than mine. I just meant, like you, I believe my father was becoming suspicious as I wasn't showing any interest in women. If he found out the truth, he most likely would have killed me." Admitting that he would have gone from his parent's greatest joy to something deserving of death because of his sexuality was a hard pill to swallow. "I was actually happy when I realized I would die by the Spanish Influenza. At least that way, I wouldn't have to live to disappoint my human parents."
"But now you have Carlisle and Esme," Bella said gently, a reminder to the boy whose eyes had taken on a distant look. Like he was lost to the past.
Thankfully her words worked, and Edward's eyes became clear. "Yes, I do. And they're amazing." Edward let out a long sigh. "But, I'm afraid. Carlisle was also a religious man. He's very accepting and has, of course, treated patients of all kinds and sexualities while treating them all with the same compassion and kindness. But I'm different. I'm his son. What if he finds out and he doesn't like it? I say I'm only interested in having sex with my mate so that I'm only seen as a prude, but what if he realizes it's more than that? What if Esme realizes it?" His eyes became glossy with tears, but not a single one fell. "They're the best parents a person could hope for. I can't imagine losing them. If only I was born normal..."
Bella knew that pointing out that the best parents wouldn't throw away their son, but accept him. She couldn't say that if they didn't, they didn't deserve him. She'd sound like she was spouting off crap, or at least be one of the biggest hypocrites of all time. After all, she had the same feelings as Edward in regards to Charlie; and while Edward hadn't said it in so many words, she knew they held the same self loathing for their sexuality.
"Well, now you have me," Bella said, and Edward offered her a watery smile.
"I do." Edward let out a side and slammed his head once against the ground in a way that, had Bella attempted the same, most likely would have led to a cracked skull. "I know I can't continue this charade forever. But if there was a way I could rid my family of any suspicion for even another year, I would do it."
"Same."
That's when the idea came to Bella. A stupid idea, admittedly, but it was definitely worth something. Edward saw the way Bella's face lit up and regarded her warily.
"What are you thinking and how afraid should I be?" Edward asked, with no small amount of dread. In the time since he had first met Bella, he had learned to fear the human when she got that devious look on her face.
"I've just got a stupidly amazing idea." Or amazingly stupid idea, but Bella wasn't one to dwell on semantics right then. She sat up to face Edward, reaching over to grab her hands and shake them in her excitement. "You want to keep your family in the dark for a little while longer, and I want to do the same with Charlie and get some of the boys off my back. So you know what we should do?"
Edward had a feeling he knew where this was going, and he wasn't quite sure he liked it. "What?"
"We should pretend date!"
Yeah, that went exactly where Edward thought it would. Still, he wasn't sure how he should feel about it. "Bella, I made it clear I would only date my mate."
Bella just shrugged. "So say that I'm your mate. Then someday when you run into your actual mate or feel like telling the truth or whatever, just say 'oops' and say you made a mistake and I'm not what you thought I was."
Edward didn't like how Bella almost treated herself as if she was disposable, but he would address that another time. "You don't understand; from the moment a vampire's eyes meet the eyes of their mate, there's a bond there. The feeling is instantaneous. There's no way a vampire would get confused over such a thing."
Bella wasn't about to be deterred, even for a second. "But you said it yourself! That from the moment we met, you felt something between us. Yeah, the gay thing makes it obvious that it's not a mate bond, but it's clearly something. Not like you're just pulling a bond out of thin air; if you ever end up in some kind of bind because of this and you don't want to come out and admit to the gay thing, just say you confused the bond for something else."
"Right." Edward couldn't believe it, but he actually started to feel like this could be a good idea. Then he remembered. "What about Jasper? All he has to do is feel my emotions, and he'd realize the love I feel for you isn't romantic or at all mate like."
"You said it yourself; that Jasper and Alice can't see or feel anything from you when you're close to me. And we've been joined at the hip pretty much every waking moment, so I bet he didn't even feel what you felt when we first met. We just have to keep doing what we do, be a little clingy-not that we aren't already, but even more so-and act like a couple. Probably announce it too. Do couples even announce it when they're together? I've never been in a relationship before, so I don't really know." Seeing the frown and nearly pensive look on Edward's face made the human deflate. "I'm not trying to push you into it, you know. I just thought it would be a good idea. If you don't want to do it…"
"No, Bella, it's not that. I'm just thinking about it," Edward was quick to assure her. Short term, he really couldn't come up with any downsides, and it might actually make both of them more comfortable with themselves in the process. It would even give them an excuse to hang out more, an excuse as to why Edward "let" Bella find out that they're all vampires without killing her, and he'd even have an excuse to bring her around the family. He wanted Bella to meet Carlisle and Esme, and even had some kind of tiny hope that they would see her as family. That way, at least, there was no way her future would be in jeopardy even if they did find out the truth of their relationship.
Bella had started squirming, and the longer Edward thought, the more anxious she became. It wasn't too much longer that Bella couldn't handle waiting anymore. "So?" she blurted at last.
"So," Edward said, giving Bella a grin. He held out his hand for her to shake. "I do say it's nice to officially meet you, 'mate.'"
Bella grinned right back, body relaxing with relief. She knocked Edward's hand aside with enough force that Edward knew her hand would bruise and then threw herself into Edward's arms. The two hugged each other tight, and soon they were laughing so hard anyone who came across the scene might find them insane.
Finally, Bella calmed enough to kiss Edward on the cheek and say, "Right back at you, 'mate.'"
Just like that, the power "couple" was born.
Present
"Bella, please, calm down!" Edward begged the human as she thrashed in Edward's arms, eyes fixated on the three ancients and promising pain. The only problem was that any pain that would be delivered would be Bella's if she tried to actually hit any of the vampires. He knew how unlikely it was to get through to Bella when she got like this; she tended to take overprotectiveness to an extreme. That didn't mean he couldn't try; he couldn't call himself a man if he let his best friend/fake mate break her bones on vampires to defend him. "You can't fight them!"
"Hell yeah I can, just watch me. Someone needs to teach those bitches a lesson!" Bella tried to break his hold in an attempt to throw herself once more at the blondes. She didn't even notice how frozen and torn they appeared at seeing their mate attempt to attack them. "Did you not hear what that one said to you? And I know the others wanted to hurt you. I don't know what their deal is with you, but I'm not going to stand by and do nothing. What kind of mate would I be if I just let them treat you like that?" Bella's words made the Denali sisters all let loose a growl, and Bella stopped thrashing just enough to point at them. "Do you not see them glaring at you? Because I see them glaring at you."
"Bella, they're vampires," Edward tried to explain.
"So?" was Bella's first reaction, but then realization dawned. "Oh shit, right. You're saying there's no way I can actually win if I fight them."
"Well, yes. But I'm also trying to say they're acting like this because…" Edward trailed off, suddenly aware of all the eyes on him; not just the eyes of the three sisters, but the eyes of every single member of his family. He froze, realizing if he admitted so easily to Bella that they were her real mates, that would be outing her without her permission-even if her mates being three beautiful women was technically an outing of itself-but he would also out himself in the process. He'd have to explain that he knew Bella wasn't his mate and the reason why he "dated" her anyway. If he acted surprised, at least that could account for something. So what should he do? Say?
"Because they're my mortal enemies? Hell yeah they are! Anyone who comes after my boyfriend like that for no reason is a piece of shit in my book." Bella was too busy glancing up at Edward to notice the hurt that flashed in the three blonde's eyes, but everyone else saw it, and it only added to the confusion and chaos. "You're my boyfriend mate thing and we love each other. I might not be able to hurt them now, but the first thing I do when you change me is we're going to band together and kick their asses."
Tanya put a hand on Kate and Irina to restrain them, but couldn't completely restrain herself. "That's not happening." Not by him. The ones to turn Bella, the ones to properly love her, would be Tanya and her sisters alone.
Bella turned her focus back on the three blondes. "Hell yeah it will. You might think you're some kind of all-powerful vampire triad, but you're not invulnerable. Edward and I could totally win, so you better watch your ba-"
"Isabella, that's enough," Esme cut in, the first Cullen to finally recover from whatever was happening before them. She gave Bella a disapproving frown that made the human girl wilt as she stepped between the Denalis and her children, giving the three blondes a look that held its own warning; she would not take any threat to her family lying down, even if she wasn't quite sure what was going on. "These women are our family, and we will not be threatening them in this household."
"They sure don't act like it," Bella muttered under her breath, and while everyone could hear her, everyone felt it was best not to respond.
Carlisle took his own step between the Denalis and his kids, meeting Tanya's gaze firmly. "Now, why don't we all take a seat and try to calm down? Then we can discuss what just happened."
"Are you kidding me? Sit down and act like everything is peachy when he-?"
Irina put her hand on Kate's arm, both to restrain her sister and restrain herself. Kate quieted, and with a single glance at her hostile mate, she realized it was best not to say another word for the moment.
Everyone shuffled into the living room, many people shooting the Denalis unsure-or in Rosalie's case, protective, "don't you dare touch my family"-looks. All former cheer was gone as everyone struggled not to react to the tension in the room. Bella was as fierce as Rosalie with her glare, clinging tight to Edward's side and keeping her body between the Denalis and Edward the entire time.
Tanya forced herself to sit down on the chair across from the couch, even as every instinct in her screamed to take Bella away from Edward, to rip the mindreader limb from limb, to claim Bella in any and every way possible. The space was too much, especially around so many other vampires. Bella should be with Tanya and her sisters, safe and happy. Not with Edward, not glaring at the Denali sisters like they were there to personally ruin Bella's happiness when all they wanted was to be the ones to give it.
Irina half sat one one arm of the chair while Kate sat on the other. Carlisle stayed standing while Esme went back to the kitchen to get Bella food. All three Denalis nearly lost it again when Bella sat in Edward's lap, Edward automatically wrapping his arms around her in a way that told them he had done it so many times before. Rosalie sat on one side of Bella, Alice the other, with both Jasper and Emmett standing next to their mates, ready to intervene should any Denali lose it.
Irina couldn't help but torture herself as she wondered how far Edward and Bella had gone, how close they were. Even now, despite Edward's arms only being around her waist and his hands nowhere inappropriate, Irina was raging. The idea of them having gone any further stabbed at her undead heart, making her experience such pain that she never thought possible. What hurt even more was that Bella was so hostile to them, openly rejecting them to such a degree. She hated it. She wanted to make Edward pay for filling the human's head with lies and making her think for even a second that she was his.
Kate was struggling with her own emotions. She had always been an woman of action, and right now, everything in her was screaming that she had to act, and she had to act now. It was ironic; she had once laughed at Edward's expense, imagining how much he was suffering having a human for a mate, and now she and her sisters were the ones to experience it. Experience not just having a human mate, but having a human mate who another vampire was trying to lay claim to.
If she and her sisters had been any younger, they wouldn't have been able to control themselves. They would have done everything they could to tear through the Cullen clan and claim their mate. It probably would have made Bella hate them even more in the process, and that was what really stayed Kate's hand. She didn't think she could handle her mate hating her or any of her sisters further.
Esme came back only a few moments into the tense silence, setting a plate of some kind of disgusting, smelly finger food in front of Bella. Once the furious gaze of their mate left the sisters to focus on the food, Tanya found it in her to finally be able to speak.
"She's ours, Carlisle. Not your son's, but ours," Tanya spoke at a volume that Bella couldn't hear so as not to potentially set Bella off again. Despite their strange behavior earlier, it still came as quite a shock to all of the Cullens, save for Edward of course.
"Are you su-?" Carlisle started, voice just as low, but the glare all three women sent his way made him stop himself from finishing the question. Of course they were sure, there was no way someone could mistake a mate bond. But in that case, could his son be lying about the bond? Why would he do such a thing?
Edward tried not to visibly react as he heard all of the confusion and doubts in his family's minds. He had thought of so many possible ways that their faking could go wrong, but not like this.
"I'd like to speak to Bella alone for a moment," Edward whispered. If they got a moment alone, he could explain everything that was happening to Bella. That way she could make her choice on how to react, what to do, if she was willing to come out, especially in such a way. If she wanted it, he would easily take all of the blame for his best friend. He loved her that much, was that loyal.
"Like hell we're letting you be alone with her!" Irina hissed, nearly jumping out of her seat. Her eyes were black, teeth bared. The only thing that held her back from jumping him was that a now startled Bella was still in Edward's lap. The human was currently poised and ready to throw a fry at Irina should she so much as twitch wrong, and while it obviously wouldn't physically hurt her, Irina wasn't sure how much it would wreck her to know her mate would try to throw anything at Irina to "protect" someone from her. "You'll probably take the moment to fill her head with lies, or…" she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. But her mind filled with images of Bella and Edward in less than proper positions, and even though all of the important naked bits were hidden, it still nearly made Edward gag.
Jasper grimaced at the amount of pain he felt, and of course Alice noticed. She always noticed. He knew she was about to tell him he could leave, but he shook his head. He would never forgive himself if he let his gift get the best of him in such a moment when his family might need him.
"Son, no one will be mad at you-" Carlisle started at a normal volume, making Bella cock her head in confusion as to why anyone would be mad at Edward.
"Hell yeah we will be," Kate growled, and no one could fault her for it.
Carlisle continued as if he had never been interrupted. "We just need to know. Is Bella really your mate?"
Edward glanced down at Bella, who looked confused and almost hurt that he hadn't answered immediately like she would have for him. If only he could take a minute to explain things...but he couldn't. All the thoughts that held threats and promises of pain from the Denalis-and from Rosalie if Edward had actually been lying to Bella all this time-faded away as he stared down at his best friend. And he knew, no matter what happened, no matter how much pain he caused, he couldn't betray Bella in even the slightest of ways. And right now, saying anything but "yes" would be seen as a betrayal.
"Yes, Carlisle. I'm sure," Edward said, never taking his eyes off of Bella's-partially so as not to see the pain, confusion, and whatever other emotions his answer would cause, and partially because he needed confirmation that he had done the right thing. And the way Bella brightened and smiled at him made it clear that he had, in that moment, certainly done the right thing.
Now all he had to do was take her aside for a moment of privacy, explain everything, and decide together on what to do from there.
We won't let you have her. Lie to yourself all you want, but she belongs to us. Kate's thoughts were like a spear, stabbing him right through his heart.
How dare you? She's ours and you know it! I never thought you'd go so low as to try to take someone else's mate. Once she realizes the truth, we'll make you pay for the pain you caused. To her and to us. Irina's thoughts were just as fierce, but acted more like a snake or a rope, wrapping around Edward's neck and choking him.
You better start counting your days, because that lie of yours has sealed your fate with us. Now that we know what a deceitful little weasel you are, we're never going to leave you alone with her again. We will have our mate, Edward. We're going to tear down whatever peaceful world you created for yourself with those lies of yours. Just you wait, Edward. While Tanya's words were cold, the force and dangerous tone to them made Edward feel like he was being burned from the inside out. For one of the first times in his life since becoming a vampire, he felt truly and utterly helpless. He had never been so sure of his demise until that moment, and for the first time, he feared it.
Thankfully, all he needed was a minute alone with Bella to tell her the truth. While Tanya had said they wouldn't let him be alone with her for even a moment, she and her sisters couldn't actually follow through with it. Right?
