Chapter 12

It hadn't been an easy 3 days. Between keeping her façade as close to her chest as possible, keeping her newly adjustable relationship with Edward quiet from wandering eyes and still standing at Aro's side with a straight face. Only now was she starting to realise just how cold and empty the walls seemed.

"And what are you thinking about?" Edward pondered teasingly, a playful smirk on his stupidly beautiful face. The two of them were hidden away in her room away from prying eyes, no one would dare to come into her private space and so as for now their secret was safe with them.

'Just thinking about your family.' Her smile triumphed his.

The shock on his face was laughable "Was that-? Was that your-?"

"My mind?" She laughed, "Yes it was."

He looked flustered, she found it adorable. "But how?"

"I'm a shield Edward, I always have been. I've had 20 years to master it."

A prideful grin took over his face as his eyes filled with warmth….it made her stomach feel uneasy, in a good way. "You're amazing."

Had she still had blood coursing through her body the compliment would have had her blushing red. She was still getting use to all these emotions that were still so fresh to her she didn't know how to properly respond, especially when the state of their new but old relationship was still so fragile…in fact she wasn't quite sure what she should call them. Instead she brushed it aside, "Seriously though Edward, every time I walk by Alice she looks like I kicked her puppy in the face. Honestly I'm surprise that she hasn't parent trapped us yet." Edward looked at her with a crooked smile at her reference, "What? I still remember movies Edward."

He stared at her wishfully doing little to cover his smirk before opening his mouth, "Alice has been even more annoyingly observant than usual lately." His arms crossed over his chest looking thoughtful, "You're probably right."

"Of course I'm right." She muttered facing away from him under a curtain of hair that moved with her as she span.

"Where are you going?"

"To go see your family. Whilst I still have all this motivation and- no, where are you going? You stay here. Well, no actually, don't wait around in my room but I can't have you showing up with me to go and see your family. Conveniently show up in 10 minutes or… something." She closed the door on his perplexed face before he even had a chance to speak.

On her short walk from one room to Alice's she tried to eloquently plan out her words but of course everything scattered from her hands the minute she knocked on the door. Anxiety took over, yet another long suppressed emotion she wished she could have left behind as the feeling was still far too foreign and unwanted for her liking, she could feel her body twitch aching to get into fight mode, the familiar heat tingling across her forearms. A coward could have ran, though Bella was anything but a coward.

As the door opened she found herself adopting her typical cold emotionless demeanour as her arms stiffened at her side. A surprised Alice met her eyes.

"Bella?!" She gasped, her voice wavered through emotions all of which Bella noted, "Hi."

Bella pursed her lips and stepped through the open door noticing the filled out room with each and every member of the Cullens. All eyes turned to her making her feel like a walking exhibit, in her moment of vulnerability she barked the remark out, almost instantly regretting it though too stubborn to show it.

With the tense silence, which Bella knew she stood in the centre of, Carlisle, as he oh so often tended to, took charge. "Bella." He smiled, "What can we do for you?"

Oh, this was a terrible idea.

"I-" Her voice wavered, "I wanted to apologise. Not for my feelings but for how I may have alluded them to you since you've arrived." Part of her wanted to keep her eyes attached to the floor too frightened to look up for what she might find but the cold persona she had adjusted to for the past 2 decades refused to be seen cowering.

What she did find looking back at her were a group of confused and equally shocked expressions.

"I-" The door opened and Edward strolled in, he just looked at her and had the audacity to smile looking smug to which she matched his stance and stared back.

"That was not 10 minutes."

The room must have caught onto their casual familiarity because Alice screamed startling all of them, "Oh my god. Oh my god!" She looked between them both, her head turning back and forth, "You actually managed to charm the pants off of her!"

"I- you what?" Bella muttered adorably befuddled as Alice continued not even hearing her.

"Bella!" The barely 5ft frame slammed into her own, she stood frozen for a second as Alice hugged her to her chest unsure how to react before slowly she moved her hands up to rest on her back. She still felt like a stranger in her own body sometimes. "I had complete and utter faith that you'd get her back."

A nervous laugh escaped her throat, "We're not- we're not back together." She didn't miss the way Edward's face fell slightly at the reminder, "I mean- we've talked. Friends. We've agreed to be…friends." She wasn't sure why she felt the need to clarify herself.

"That's exactly the kind of nervous Bella ramble we've missed hearing around the house." Emmett smiled teasingly looking at her with no judgement.

She appreciated the sentiment. Noticing an empty chair behind her she took a seat, all eyes still on her, she fiddled with the black material of her pantsuit letting the feeling sink in her stomach at how much she felt out of place.

"Bella." Alice's timid voice caught her attention, now lacking any of its earlier enthusiasm, "You were right, about what you said the other day. When we left it was to respect Edward's wishes but…we never should have done that you. It was wrong for us- for me to have made you feel that we abandoned you. And I'm really sorry."

There it was again, the emotions. "Thank you Alice." As much as she wished an apology could erase 20 years of feeling, it simply couldn't.

"…And so what now?" Alice quipped, "Are you coming home with us?"

And there it was. The questions she had been avoiding with Edward, dreading having to consider. Of course, rationally she knew there was little chance of her keeping any relationship with Edward if he were gone and she remained, the irony was that it wasn't even the distance that was her main concern, but the chilling knowledge that stuck behind these walls she would reform back into her old ways.

She didn't want to be that girl anymore.

"Unfortunately I don't think it's that easy Alice." The harsh reality crumbled on her, "Your position here?"

Aro was hardly going to just let her escape, not when he had her cornered in his grasp.

"He let you go didn't he?" She could hear Emmett asking though her attention was otherwise elsewhere.

"Well yes but I was of no interest to him power wise. Unfortunately that doesn't apply to Bella."

She was part of his guard, she was one of his prized collections. They had just celebrated her position within the guard barely a week ago…

"Don't worry Bella, we won't let Aro keep you trapped here-"

"No."

"Bella, what?" Edward asked concerned at her bluntness.

"This is my concern, I'll deal with it."

"But Bella, you don't have to do it alone. We want to help." Alice added.

"I know that and I'm grateful, I really am, but I just feel that this is something I need to do myself." As a final separation between herself and the Volturi, a clean cut, "I'll figure something out. It will be fine."

Even said with confidence she was herself filled with anxiety. Though she refused to show it.

It was her problem, the Cullens shouldn't have to worry about her.

"And then- and then what happens? When this is all over?" Timidity unfortunately coursed her voice.

Alice jumped at the answer, "You can stay with us!" After looking at her blanked overwhelmed expression she continued, "In one of the spare rooms of course, you'll have plenty of space if you need it; though feel free to stop me at any time because of course we value your opinion." She paused, "Will you consider it?"

"Well if the offer extends…" She looked shyly towards both Esme and Carlisle who nodded along.

"Bella honey, you are always welcome. Our home is your home." Esme flashed a warm smile.

"YAY!" Alice cheered, clapping excitedly with a contagious grin that made even Bella tug a smile. "By the way, how long has this-" She looked ominously between herself and Edward for a second time, "Friendship been a thing?"

Bella was about to speak when Edward beat her to it, "Since Monday."

"You mean to tell me that you've both been on speaking terms for THREE DAYS and no one told me!-"