Part 10

Bella sighed, she could already hear the arguing before they had cleared the forest as she and Jane returned from their discussion.

Jane chuckled beside her as she could hear the voice of Edward dispersed between Jasper and the other male, Emmett. She turned to Bella, grinning at the eye roll. "He's still mine right?" She asked hopefully. Face plants into trees aside, Bella always kept to her word with her and the other guards.

"Yes."

Jane scowled when Bella just kept pace and still left her with no real information. She huffed in frustration then growled as she caught the smirk on her friends face. But by then it was too late and they were out into the clearing and slowing to walk up the back steps and into the Cullen house.

Bella ignored the stunned looks on the faces before her as she raced up the stairs towards her mate leaving Jane to deal with the fallout of returning to the home smelling of human blood. Not that she doubted Jane wouldn't relish the moment. With the trouble the Cullen's were already facing they had little ground to complain over the actions of members of the Volturi.

But given the last few hours Bella was sure they would anyway. Jane would enjoy that. She just hoped the noise would be kept to a minimum with her human sleeping.

It was only when she was outside the room that held her mate did she pause to consider her next actions.

"Use the second door on the right." Was the order that emanated from the room.

Bella bared her fangs and growled softly in warning.

"I could smell you long before you came inside. Go wash off the damn blood before you come in here." Rosalie growled back at Bella.

Bella let her fangs recede but kept scowling at the vampire hidden behind Alice's door. She snapped her teeth together before turning and doing as instructed. She could smell the human stench on herself but the need to be clean was weighed against the need for her mate and that was a tough struggle for her.

In the end she chose her mate anyway.

With the volume of blood that had soaked into her clothes even a human would catch the coppery scent from her. So removing all trace from her skin was just the smart thing to do.

The blonde's attitude would keep for now.

Finding the room Bella closed the door behind her and stripped naked before stepping under the shower head and switching it on. The ice cold water that sprayed down on her was a welcome distraction for the moment. She sniffed at the few bottles that sat on a ledge at waist height, and picking the least offensive of them Bella squirted some into her hair and started scrubbing the dirt, thank you Jane, and the dried blood from her head. The water turned a dark red until it finally ran clear.

Happy with the effort Bella gave herself a final rinse then turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. She glanced around and found a towel, as she started drying off a tentative knock sounded on the door to the room.

Unconcerned by her nudity Bella opened the door.

Bree quickly averted her eyes and practically threw the clothes at the older vampire. "Thought you might need these."

Bella only just had a grip on the items before the other vampire was hurrying back down the hallway. She shook her head and retreated back into the shower room. She glanced between her own clothes piled on the floor still covered in her last meal and the clothes she had been given.

She began to dress with a sigh knowing it was her own fault. "Shouldn't have played with the food." She murmured to herself grumpily. It was just sweat pants and a dark blue t-shirt but they were not her own clothes and they held no scent of her mate so they had little appeal for Bella.

But they would serve a purpose for now. No need to frighten the human with seeing her stark naked so soon. They had barely kissed after all.

She chuckled to herself, not over how Alice might react to such an advance but over how freaked out the Cullen's would get if she tried. It was almost too good an opportunity to let go but Bella would not disrespect her mate that way.

She would get her amusement of the Cullen's another way.

Placing her own clothes into the sink and running a tap to remove some of the blood from them Bella then left them to soak as she padded bare foot back towards her mate's bedroom.

This time there was no pause as Bella walked into the bedroom. She frowned when she was confronted with Rosalie sat against the headboard of Alice's bed as the girl slept underneath the blankets.

"Out." She growled, careful not to wake the human. As much as she knew Rosalie was a friend to her human her vampire instinct wanted the other female away from her mate.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and got up slowly, making sure to walk towards the door giving the bed, and the sleeping girl, a wide berth knowing it was a good idea not to rile up the other vampire.

Bella continued to watch Rosalie and growl at her until the younger female left the room. She then went over and made sure the door was closed properly. After satisfying herself that she was now alone with her mate Bella turned and took in the sight of Alice asleep in her bed. The girl was beautiful and the fact that she belonged to Bella thrilled the older vampire. Not in all her years had she ever feel such a pull before, and certainly never to a human.

Which made the small girl all the more precious to Bella.

Walk over to where the dark hair stood out despite the darkness of the room, Bella eased around to the side Rosalie had been sat. She scowled at the offend scent left behind, displeased that it was so near her mate. It was almost as bad as the stench from the dogs.

Making a face Bella how the girl would take it she was to ask her to refrain from hugging the other vampires in the household.

Still frowning Bella climbed onto the bed and rested her body over the spot Rosalie had been sitting, letting her own scent replace the blonde's.

"What are you doing?" Came the sleepy voice beside her.

Bella paused mid wiggle and turned her head to face the human. Alice was grinning at her. "Nothing." She replied innocently and settled into place.

Alice chuckled not believing a word of it. "I missed you." She confessed as she shuffled over and gave the vampire a hug.

Bella's eyes widened as the girl pressed into her. Carefully she let her own hand come up to touch Alice's back gently. She had missed the human too but wasn't ready to say that aloud. Instead she tightened her grip and whispered back, "Well I'm here now. You should sleep." That was what humans did when the sun went down wasn't it? At least the younger ones.

Alice sighed and laid her head on Bella's shoulder and closed her eyes. "You'll still be here when I wake up?" She asked softly, her voice trailing off as sleep began to claim her once more.

"Yes." There was nowhere else Bella planned to be than with her human.

The girl made a noise but Bella could tell from her breathing that she had fallen asleep again. Partly on top of her. Which wasn't as bad as it could have been, at least this way Bella was assured that the girl would carry her own scent on her come morning.

That made Bella grin to herself. She sniffed at the human enjoying the aroma of her mate. She had never really paid much attention to the different scents humans could produce, mostly she was only concerned with avoiding bad blood when she was hungry. Disease made some humans very unpalatable, Alice however smelled like an early spring morning deep in a forest.

Bella took another breath and rested her head against Alice's and let her own eyes close. While she could not sleep herself she was going to enjoy the next few hours holding her human to her.

xxxxx

"Is that such a good idea?" Esme asked her husband as they listened to Bella and Alice talk before silence fell from that floor of the house.

Carlisle sighed and gave his wife a weary look. "Do you really want me to antagonise her more tonight?"

Jane grinned from her seat. The Cullen's had been gathered in the living area debating what to do about the wolf pack when she and Bella had arrived. Only Rosalie had been missing as she watched over Alice, but with Bella taking her place the blonde was now curled up against her own mate.

"Oh, please do." Jane directed at Carlisle as she let her fangs show. While Bella had been urged to wash the scent of blood and death from her before approaching the human, Jane's clothes still held evidence of the fresh kills.

Esme shot the small vampire a look but held her tongue.

"Why don't you and her just get out of our home?" Edward bit out as he scowled at Jane.

Rosalie sighed as Jane turned her attention to her brother. "You do smell." She muttered hoping to defuse the situation. And it was also true. The smell was permeating from the Volturi guard, not as strongly as it had from Bella, but it was still making her nauseous. Jasper was twitching from a corner of the room and Bree didn't look any more comfortable it.

Jane snapped her mouth closed and snarled at Rosalie. "Be grateful we didn't bring a snack back here for later!" She snapped at the blonde not used to being taken to task over sating her hunger before. She was so angry her power starting to make her skin tingle.

Jasper cleared his throat feeling the tension in the room rise to potentially dangerous levels. "Perhaps we should all follow Alice's lead and retire for tonight." He offered calmly as he tried his best to subtly sway the rest of the Cullen's. "I'm sure there will be more than enough time tomorrow to continue this discussion."

Edward huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine, but they still have to leave."

Jasper narrowed his eyes at Edward for being difficult. He thought Edward should be more than happy just to have all his limbs intact given the stunt he pulled with the La Push pack. A stunt that left one member of the wolf pack dead and several of them injured.

Carlisle stood wearily and gestured with his hand towards the stairs. "Everyone to their rooms please. Jasper is correct, there will be time enough for this in morning."

Jasper and Bree were the first to leave, both of them ill at ease with the smell of such fresh kills.

Edward shook his head at them.

Emmett eased to his feet with Rosalie and took her hand. He knew how his wife felt about killing humans but he also knew with Alice asleep she was unlikely to want to go far with the Volturi around. Bella being mates with Alice didn't mean there was no danger for the human.

"Goodnight." Rosalie said to Esme and Carlisle as she passed by them, her hand still linked with Emmett as he trailed behind her. He turned and grinned at Jane. "You play nice now, Alice needs her sleep."

Jane chuckled and gave the hulking vampire a salute. She liked the vampire, he reminded her a little of Felix. She was starting to miss her home despite the entertainment Bella had so far provide her during her short visit. The only thing that made it tolerable, beyond seeing her friend so enraptured with such a little human girl, was knowing she would have Edward soon.

Edward ignored his parents departure and Carlisle's warning not to worsen their relationship with the two Volturi guards.

Instead he was spell bound by the thoughts of the blonde witch in front of him.

He felt a chill run down his spin when Jane turned smiling red eyes towards him. On meeting his gaze her thoughts just continued to repeat over and over again in his head.

Mine.

Mine.

Mine.

xxxxx

AN/

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