Inquiring Minds
AN: Surprise!
"I need to talk with Tanya." Bella says with a firm nod, already getting up from the table and grabbing her jacket from the coatrack. She looks to Kate who is still sitting at the table with a grin on her face. "Now would be nice Kate."
"Oh look at you, Miss Demanding." Kate jests as she takes her time standing from the table and joining Bella by the now open door.
"Sometime this century would be nice Kate." Bella growls out as Kate literally drags her feet as she passes Bella. Bella gets the urge to hit her, but after everything Kate has explained to her she wisely chooses not to. They load into Kate's insanely expensive car and Bella has barely a second to put on her seatbelt before Kate's taking off through the streets.
The drive to Tanya's house has never been a short one but right now Bella feels as though time barely passed before they're pulling into the drive. Tanya is waiting on the porch as Bella exits the car and makes her way toward the house. Kate follows close behind. "Hey." Bella breathes out under her breath.
"Hey." Tanya responds in return. They stare at one another, Bella looks for any change in Tanya's eyes but there's none and still she stares.
"What the fuck Kate!" Bella screams as Kate zaps her ass but Kate's gone before Bella can turn around. "You're a pain in the ass! Literally!" Balle calls into the house, looking over Tanya's shoulder. Tanya's soft giggle makes Bella return her focus back to the coven leader. "We need to talk." Bella says simply.
Tanya sobers immediately, her shoulders straightening and posture turning a bit rigid. "Come in, Bella." She allows Bella to enter first and when she reaches for Bella's jacket Bella automatically takes it off so she can hang it up. Bella heads toward the living room by routine.
"Are we alone?" Bella inquires as she sees the empty room.
"Yes." Tanya confirms as she sits on the loveseat, Bella sits on the couch, leaving the coffee table in between them. "I sent them away."
Bella frowns and then rolls her eyes. "Another vampire trick I'm sure, enhanced senses?" Bella guesses. Tanya merely nods in return and as Bella takes her in, she's surprised to see Tanya looking nervous. She's never really seen Tanya act anything less than confident. "So...you're a vampire." Bella breaks the small silence.
Tanya's rigid posture breaks enough for a small smile to grace her lips. "I am."
"Tell me about that." Bella requests. This is how it starts. Tanya all too willingly starts in on her story and Bella sits there memorized by the whole thing and firing her questions one after another. She asks about Tanya's life before being a vampire and learns just how old Tanya really is. Bella wonders at all Tanya has seen as the centuries went by. She asks about the way a human gets turned and what that means and Bella flinches back at the description of the fire Tanya had to endure. Tanya tells her about the things she's done, the people she's killed and how the Cullens first came into their life and how Carlisle taught them how to feed from animals.
Tanya tells Bella about her mother and what the Volturi did. Bella comes to understand the gravity of the need to follow the Volturi's law and how much risk Tanya took in revealing her secret. Bella starts to gain even more respect and quite a bit more understanding on just who Tanya is, which leads to the biggest issue. "Kate told you about mates?"
Bella sighs, "Not really. She only said that Edward thinks I'm his mate and then she inferred that you believe the same." She answers honestly. "Why do you think so?" She doesn't ask about Edward because honestly he doesn't matter, he means nothing to Bella.
"You have to understand that when a vampire sees their mate for the first time the feelings are instant, it's a true case of love at first sight." Bella swallows hard at the word 'love'. "When your mate is a human though, the human doesn't come to love as instantaneous. They will love the vampire just as fiercely and true but it takes longer for the human to truly recognize the mating bond. Mates complete and compliment each other. Most vampires wait centuries before finding their mate, I know I have." Tanya gives Bella a secret sort of smile like she's said a joke, but Bella isn't positive that she wants to know the punchline.
"Eventually I'll have to be changed...or killed." Bella changes the subject and with it she changes the atmosphere.
Tanya lets out a hiss that makes Bella's eyes grow wide. "I will not allow anyone to hurt you let alone kill you."
For a moment Bella sees Tanya's eyes grow dark and then Tanya takes a deep breath, her eyes closed, and their back to those beautiful golden hues. "I believe you." The simple statement is enough for Tanya to grin brightly and Bella is stunned for a few long seconds. When she comes back to her sense she does so with a heavy sigh. "I can't be your mate, Tanya." That grin is wiped away in an instant. "I can be your friend though."
Tanya doesn't speak right away choosing instead to bore into Bella's eyes, looking for something, but what? "Fine, I accept...for now." Tanya smirks at Bella and it makes Bella feel like prey. "I will make you fall for me, Bella. It's inevitable."
Bella rolls her eyes and laughs with a shake of her head. "Are all vampires this cocky?" Bella quirks her eyebrow up.
"When it comes down to your feelings for me Bella, I will always be this confident." Tanya rebuttals as she stands.
Bella watches her move before making eye contact and she smirks at Tanya. "Cocky." Tanya merely laughs.
So what does one do when they find out that the world isn't as they thought it to be? For Bella, the answer is simple, keep calm and carry on. Cliche but effective. Bella's trying not the question the little things that are changing in her life lest they become bigger things by putting too much thought into them. Little things like Tanya wrapping a scarf around Bella's neck because Bella still forgets just how cold nights are in Alaska or how there's always a warm cup of coffee waiting for her any time she shows up to the Denali house, no matter the time, because Tanya knows Bella prefers coffee over tea. Tanya always grabs a hold to Bella when they step over an icy patch because Bella's to caught up in the conversation to notice and like a fool, Bella blushes every time.
The roses however, cannot be ignored. Bella finds them in the strangest of places, in one of her shoes, at the bottom of her coffee cup when she pulls in out of her cupboard, in the glovebox of her truck, her backpack and even taped to the outside of her locker. Her friends find it hard to ignore it as well and they aren't content with Bella's pretend aloofness about the mysterious roses.
"I think it's Edward Cullen." Jessica states as they all sit around the lunch table. Bella rolls her eyes and laughs, because no, it's not Edward Cullen.
"No." Bella easily denies.
Angela smiles, "If you're so sure it's not Edward, then you must know who they're from, Bella."
Bella blushes and looks away. "Oh my god! You do know!" Jessica starts and pushes Bella's shoulder a bit. "Come on, Bella, just tell us already! Please!"
"I…" Bella pauses. It's not like she can't tell them, Tanya has been more than obvious about her attentions even her usually clueless father knows they come from Tanya, and he has way too much fun teasing Bella about it. Angela and Jessica lean in close while Mike sits with a pout on his face, Eric and Tyler are more interested in some new comic Eric brought to school. Bella chews on her bottom lip and fiddles with her bottle of water.
"Oh. My. God." Jessica's eyes are wide as she stares over Bella's shoulder.
"What?" Bella asks, turning around to see a delivery man with yet another rose, this time Bella can see a small piece of paper attached to the stem.
"Isabella Swan?" He asks as he reaches Bella.
"Y-yeah." He hands her the rose and takes off as quick as he appeared. Bella blushes as she feels the attention of the entire cafeteria on her. It's not everyday that someone gets a flower delivery at school.
"Read the note, read the note!" Jessica squeals.
Bella does and if she thought she was blushing before, it's nothing compared to the shade of red that now covers her face.
'I've waited a lifetime,
And I'll wait a thousand more,
If it means in the end,
You'll be mine.
Eternally yours,
-Tanya.'
"Bella, you have to tell us now! Come on, best friends don't keep secrets from each other." Jessica points out. Bella snorts, because there's plenty of secrets she's keeping from her friends.
"Tanya." Bella states as she gives in to Jessica's demands. She looks up as she tucks the note into her back pocket. The table looks stunned, even Eric and Tyler.
"Ms. Denali?" Mike says dumbly. "That's illegal."
Bella glares at him. "Actually, it's not. She's not a teacher here anymore, besides I knew her before I started school here." The lie slips out easily, it's the same one she told her father.
"You're dating Ms. Denali?" Jessica asks with wonder in her voice.
Bella blushes again, damn she needs to get a handle on that. "No." She denies firmly.
"But she wants to." Jessica grins. "If I was being spoiled with roses I don't think I'd be able to say no to someone as hot as her." She sits back in her chair and Bella lets out a loaded breath. So far so good, thankfully.
Mike's head snaps to Jessica. "You like girls too?" His voice cracks.
Jessica glares at him. "No, Mike but if one treated me like Tanya obviously treats Bella, well, then I'd definitely entertain the thought, especially when the boys around here are clueless idiots who can't take a hint." Mike doesn't have anything to say about that, he justs sits there with his mouth hanging open like a fly trap. "Anyway, Angella can I take a look at your Biology homework? I had trouble on the last question." Bella sighs as the subject is dropped and not for the first time, she's thankful for finding a good friend in Jessica and Angela.
"This is getting ridiculous, Tanya." Bella ties to sound mad but the grin on her face gives her away.
Tanya smirks. "I'm sorry my dear, but it just cannot be helped. How am I supposed to deny myself the pleasure of spoiling you when it results in such pretty smiles and blushes?" She purrs as Bella passes her and enters the house. Like always, Tanya takes her coat and Bella turns to face her as Tanya hangs it up on the coat rack.
"I'm sure the whole town knows by now." Bella points out.
"Good, then they know you're taken." Tanya sounds way too pleased at this.
Bella raises an eyebrow in defiance and crosses her arms. "Is that what you think? That I'm taken?" Bella steps into Tanya's personal space and she watches as Tanya's eyes darken. "I guess I missed that part."
Tanya licks her lips and Bella's only distracted for a minute, okay, maybe two minutes. When those lips quirk in a small smirk, Bella's eyes return to Tanya's now bright gold eyes. "Like I said, Bella...it's inevitable."
"You're so cocky for someone who hasn't even asked me out on a date." Bella fires at her.
Tanya takes a step forward, Bella steps back. Tanya continues to advance until Bella's pinned to the door, she doesn't even know when they switched places. Stupid, sneaky vampire. "Is that what you want, Bella?" Tanya whispers into the small space between them. "You want me to ask you on a date? You want me to plead, because I can. I can plead and beg, on bended knee, until you say yes to me. I'll go to any height to make you mine, tell me Bella, tell me what you want and I'll make it happen. I'll give you anything, no, I'll give you everything...all you have to do is say yes." Tanya's hands are on either side of Bella's face, her body is an inch within Bella, not close enough to touch, but a tease nonetheless. "Go on a date with me, Bella."
Bella stares into those eyes that always seem to effortlessly and she knows that her resistance to Tanya's charms have finally failed her. "Yes."