Full Summary: Edward Masen has lived the life of a nomadic vampire, travelling with James and Victoria since he awoke as an immortal. His ability to read minds has had the unusual side effect of making him a vampire with a conscience. Despite the ridicule from his coven mates, he's confident he's making the best of his existence and doing what's morally right... until he stumbles upon a brown-eyed girl reading in a meadow in Forks. As he attempts to befriend her and learns more about the sleepy town of Forks, Edward finds there's a lot more to being a vampire than he ever thought possible.

Pairings: Canon

Rating: M, for language and sexing.

Chapter: Twenty-two; Audacious

POV: Edward

AN: Another chapter… and less than a month later. Improvement! ;) Thank you to Jana who held my hand through this chapter, despite all the kicking and screaming on my part.

Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates :) Hope you have a white Christmas, because those are the best kind. (It's freezing cold here, but no snow. I'm feeling cheated.)

As always thanks to all you readers, hope you enjoy the chapter :)

xx

"Bella?" Charlie's gruff voice called questioningly from the next room, the muffled sounds of a hockey game playing in the background.

"Who else?" Bella laughed as we removed and hung up all our outerwear. "Do you have another daughter I don't know about?" She took my hand, leading me in the direction of her father's voice.

"Just you," he answered softly.

The warm smile he'd worn for his daughter faded when his gaze landed on me. He regarded me silently, fixing me with a stare I presumed was usually reserved for police work. He flicked off the TV, swinging his lounger to face us.

"Who's your friend?"

Bella squeezed my hand, attempting to tug me closer to her father. Reluctantly, I allowed my stone joints to bend to her will.

"Dad," she beamed proudly, "this is Edward. He's a friend of the Cullens."

Charlie glanced between me and his daughter, a questioning undertone to his muddled thoughts. He wasn't sure of my place in Bella's life, though our body language had saddled him with several suspicions about the nature of our relationship. He tried not to think too hard about it.

"Hello, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you." Carefully, not wanting to hurt her feelings, I disentangled my fingers from Bella's. I offered my hand to her father.

He sat stoically, one leg crossed over his knee. He glanced at my hand a moment too long before accepting it in a too-firm-to-be-friendly handshake. The hard coldness of my skin registered with him instantly, nudging out his respect for the strength of my grip.

"Sorry my hands are so frozen," I offered the necessary apology, forcing a sheepish expression. "It's cold out and I forgot my gloves."

"It's fine," he said dismissively. "So how do you know my Bella?" There was no mistaking the underlying paternal protectiveness. He might be a man of few words but he got his meaning across loud and clear.

Bella sighed. "Dad, be nice, please? Edward… he's important to me, okay? We've known one another for awhile. You would have met sooner but well, you know…" She bit her lip, clearly unsure whether it was wise to reveal any more.

Charlie leaned back in his chair, his mustache twitching, barely concealing his amusement. "Sorry, wasn't aware I wasn't being 'nice,'" he grumbled sardonically. "Apparently standards have changed. Compared to when I met your mother's Pa, I was being downright chipper. So Edward, you're a friend of the Cullens? The newest adoption? I assume that's a reasonable question?" He looked to his daughter with raised eyebrows, challenging her to contradict him. Bella rolled her eyes.

"Not exactly, sir," I explained respectfully, ignoring the father-daughter head-butting playing out before me. If he wanted assurances, I would give him them. "Until recently, I was living with my sister and her husband. They travel a lot… for their work and I've tagged along. I knew Alice prior to her adoption. The Cullens have been kind enough to offer me a permanent residence on the basis of my relationship to Alice."

Charlie's face was impassive. "Your sister? Aren't you a little young to be living without adult supervision?"

If only he knew I was multiple times his age. "She's quite a bit older than me," I offered the first of a series of half-truths. "Living with her wasn't a matter of choice so much as necessity. My parents passed away a long time ago. Victoria and James are the only family I've known most of my life. Until recently," I finished honestly.

Recently, my life had been turned upside-down and inside out when a girl with long brown hair and chocolate eyes had stumbled into my world and promptly become my world. She was the only family I would ever need. The warm acceptance the Cullens provided was nice but a mere shadow of the meaning Bella brought to my life.

Charlie assumed I was talking about the Cullens. I didn't bother correct him. He wouldn't appreciate my devotion to his daughter yet.

"So, this offer Dr. Cullen has extended, to adopt you, I presume… are you planning to accept?"

"I'm not sure yet, sir," I admitted. "I haven't made a decision. The Cullens seem very nice but I don't know them as well as I'd like."

"The Cullens are a very respectable family." His mind simmered with respect for Carlisle. He remembered a time when Bella had been hospitalized – I couldn't make out details, a fact for which I was grateful – and the other man's soft-spoken kindness. "So how did you know Alice again?"

"Is this really necessary, Dad?" Bella cut in, reclaiming my hand. She pushed herself protectively between her father and me. She knew as well as I did that it wasn't wise for him to go rooting too deeply into my family life. "You didn't ask Angela or Jessica or Jacob for their family history."

His eyebrows lifted in amusement. "Only because it's common knowledge. Forks is a small town. Their fathers and I grew up together. I just want to know a little about the people you're spending your time with. Is that so bad?"

"Can we at least save the overview of Edward's family tree for the second meeting?" Bella asked impatiently. "He's barely said hello and you're asking for his life history? Is that really necessary?"

"Oh, I don't know…" Charlie looked at his daughter wryly, his thoughts flitting uncomfortably between Bella and I and the comfortable ease of our relationship. "The way you're looking at the boy, I'd say it's very necessary."

Bella glowed pink, tilting her head to the floor in embarrassment. "Dad."

"I'm sorry, Bells. I don't know what you want from me." He scrubbed his chin tiredly. "This is new to me. You've always been so reserved. Kept to yourself and a few friends. I know you're eighteen and can do as you please… but sometimes," his tone took on a wistful quality, "I can still see you with the little brown pigtails your mother used to love so much. I blame only seeing you in the summers for most your life. Hard to remember you're on your way to adulthood, now."

"I had to grow up eventually," Bella stated gently. "If you'd just give Edward a chance, I think you'd like him. He's really good for me."

"Look, I trust your judgment," Charlie conceded, his moustache hiding the beginnings of a smile. "You're like me that way; you've always been a good judge of character. If you say I should give him a chance, I will." He turned to me, his gaze level and deadly serious. "You're making my daughter beam like she swallowed the sun. That alone is worth my approval… but if you ever make her cry… I have a shotgun I know how to use and a backyard big enough to get lost in."

"I promise you, sir, Bella's happiness means as much to me as it does to you," I swore, utterly serious. "If I make her cry, I assure you, there's nothing you could do that would make me feel any worse than knowing it was my fault." The very thought of Bella crying because of something I had done made me ache.

Charlie pursed his lips and offered a single approving nod. "Okay. That's all I want to hear." Without another word, he turned the TV back on and resumed watching the hockey game in thoughtful silence.

Bella tugged on my hand, leading me into the cozy kitchen area. She hugged me tightly once we were out of sight.

"I think that went well," she murmured.

"Better than expected," I agreed, kissing the top of her head. "No sign of a gun. Though he did mention one. To be fair, it was only mentioned in conjunction with me making you cry."

"I think he liked you," she admitted, tilting her head back to meet my eyes.

"And he claims to be a good judge of character."

Bella glared at me. "You're a good person, Edward."

"You do make me feel redeemable, most days," I confessed, not wanting to rehash the now familiar argument. "You shine your light on me."

"You being good has nothing to do with me," Bella countered stubbornly. "You were fine just the way you were before you met me."

"If you say so," I replied flippantly, amused by her chagrined expression. I tugged her ponytail, hoping to divert her attention. "Are you hungry? It's been a while since you had breakfast… and humans should eat three balanced meals a day."

Bella chuckled into my shirt, her exhale not the only thing warming me. "Three balanced meals? Been watching many cereal commercials?"

I shrugged. "Studies have shown it's healthy for humans to eat often. Four or five small meals a day would be preferable, but with time constraints, three is the more socially accepted standard."

"You're going to drive me insane with healthy living tips for the rest of my life, aren't you? How do you know so much about this anyway?"

"I hear things," I mumbled into her hair. "I told you, people think about anything you can imagine. Food and sex are easily the top two. Money comes close, though. So are you going to eat or not?"

She pretended to think. "Well I suppose I could eat, since my boyfriend says it's the healthy thing to do. I want to be able to keep up with him. He's really fast."

My throat clenched hearing call me her boyfriend. Though the sentiment was vastly inadequate to describe the growing feelings between us, it was more than I could have hoped for.

"I think that's a good idea. He's very wise," I stated solemnly.

"Yeah…" She pulled away to rummage in the refrigerator, loading up her arms with the ingredients for a sandwich. I took them from her, setting them on the counter. "He's a little smug, though."

I peered at her innocently. "He just wants what's best for you. It's not his fault he's a veritable well of useful information."

"He is pretty special," she agreed, winding around the kitchen retrieving the tools to complete her sandwich.

Working in tandem, slicing and spreading, we quickly pulled together two turkey clubs. We offered one to a grateful Charlie and took the second up to Bella's room for some privacy. Charlie watched us climb the stairs. He made no comment, but spared a penetrating warning glance in my direction.

In the safety of her room, Bella sat on her bed with crossed legs and took a bite of her sandwich. I sat down next to her, watching her eat. Even doing something as mundane as eating a sandwich, she looked beautiful.

She glanced up at me through her fallen bangs. "Are you just going to sit there and watch me eat?"

"Why not?" I tucked her hair behind her ear, wanting to see her eyes more clearly. "You are far and away the most fascinating thing in this room."

She paused mid-chew, nodding towards her bookshelf. "You dare say that in the presence of the almighty works of Shakespeare?"

"I do. Words are words. Some are nicer than others but when it comes down to it, they are what they are. You're never what you seem."

She laughed, resuming devouring her sandwich like a woman starving. Tree-climbing had taken more out of her than I'd expected.

"Is that a good thing?"

"A very good thing. It's not easy to keep a vampire on his toes and you do it flawlessly. I've never met someone so endearingly, infuriatingly unpredictable."

"Perhaps because you know what everyone else is thinking, almost before they do," she teased. "Having to wonder how others are going to act is what the rest of us normal people deal with on a daily basis."

"How you all function is a mystery," I drawled.

"It's what we know." She shoved her empty plate onto the night table behind her.

"That was fast," I observed, tilting my head to the empty dish. "Seems you were hungry in spite of all the disputation."

"Or just eager to move onto better things," she suggested, leaning to kiss the corner of my mouth. "I liked hanging out with you in the tree but it's kind of hard to do that a hundred feet in the air."

"We spent a portion of the morning doing that, before the trees," I teased, wrapping her into my arms and pulling her down so that we were laying side by side on her tiny bed. "Insatiable, aren't you?"

"Just with you."

I hummed in contentment. There were much worse things she could be.

She laid her head on my chest, pressing an ear to it and listening intently. "You sound just like the kitten my mom had during her save-the-animals phase when you do that. You sort of rumble but in a cute, sweet way. It's really adorable."

I hummed again, just to see her smile.

She threw a leg over mine, drawing herself closer. "Actually, it's more than adorable, it's kind of… sexy." She whispered the word like she was embarrassed to be caught saying it.

She looked gorgeous, all tousled hair and pink cheeks, half wrapped around me. However, with Charlie downstairs, on high alert, now that his daughter had introduced him to a boy he was pretty sure she had done unthinkable things with, I knew now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. The places they would take me would lead nowhere good.

"Bella," I warned, gripping her thigh to stop it from creeping any higher.

It was one thing to push boundaries in the Cullen home, where all the occupants knew the extent of our relationship and a room and privacy had been offered. It was another to mess around in her father's house when he had shown signs of possibly accepting me as someone significant in his daughter's life, on the condition that I treat her right. Defiling her childhood bed in any way, shape or form would definitely not be treating her right.

"Shh," she quieted me. "I know we're not ready to go there but I thought, we could… mess around a little. Don't you want to?"

"Oh, I want to," I admitted easily. I was baffled she had to ask. "But do you really think it's wise to do that… in your father's house? It seemed like he didn't hate me. I don't want to give him a reason to."

My diplomatic attitude must have been mistaken for encouragement because she slithered closer to me, her eyes playful.

"I'm eighteen. Legally, I'm an adult. I can do what I want, especially with my body," she growled, pressing her warm frame against me pointedly. I had to admit it was a compelling argument. I struggled against temptation.

"But your father…" I countered weakly.

"Does not factor into this equation."

"He's just downstairs. That has to mean something to you. You don't want us to get caught, do you?"

"Edward," she stated as though speaking to a stubborn three-year-old. "He's watching sports. Unless you're skating around wearing a helmet and carrying a big stick, you're off his radar."

"But there are commercial breaks…" My voice was feebler than I'd hoped. I was on the verge of giving in – as I always seemed to when it came to Bella – and it sounded like it.

"You'll know if he's coming. You can hear him coming a mile away. What's he thinking now?"

"About the game," I admitted. "He also liked the sandwich you made him."

"See?" Ignoring my hand on her thigh, she lifted herself to straddle my lap fully. Knowing I would never forgive myself if I bruised her while trying to stop her, I relented, removing my hand so she could move freely. She took advantage, slithering closer.

"Besides, we're teenagers in a new relationship." She pouted, pointing her full bottom lip at me. "We're supposed to have a little fun, aren't we? You have fun when we're together, don't you?" She licked her lips. "There's nothing wrong with that. Right?"

I touched her face gently, stroking the unyielding softness. "You really play unfair, you know that?"

She grinned eagerly, all sultriness fading. "So we can...?"

"You're too tempting for your own good. If we're going to this though, we're going to play by my rules," I demanded. "And that means I'm in control."

I held her hips, carefully reversing our position so that I was on top, cradled between her legs. I held all my weight over her, not wanting to crush her. I was a lot heavier than I looked.

Bella squealed as the bed hit her back, beaming wider than before. Her ancient bed squeaked obnoxiously. I stilled, listening for Charlie's thoughts to shift. He was too enraptured with the television to notice.

"Is that supposed to be a deterrent? Because I've gotta say, I kind of like it when you get bossy."

"Oh, I can be bossy," I promised wickedly, intending to abuse this newfound power dynamic to the fullest degree. "Since I'm in charge, we're taking this slow. No getting carried away."

She grumbled incoherently. "Who knew vampires were such prudes? You know, on TV they make you guys out to be all passionate and sultry and lustful and stuff. I'm disappointed."

I pressed my lips firmly against hers, effectively putting an end to her complaints. I nudged her lips open, pouring every ounce of love and passion I felt into my affectionate assault. I pulled away only when it became apparent she needed to breathe.

"Sorry, love," I said innocently, "you were saying?"

"That vampire stereotypes are well-researched," she hummed in between gulps of air. Her face was flushed prettily. I couldn't help but admire my handiwork.

I kissed both her cheeks then her soft lips. "Good."

She lifted her hips off the bed, pushing them into mine, her sly expression making it abundantly clear she knew she was testing my finely tethered restraint and enjoying every moment of it.

"Bella," I groaned, pressing her back down to the bed and distancing myself from her eager body. "Don't you value your life at all? If you keep doing that… I could…" I couldn't finish the thought. "I couldn't live with myself if I was the cause of your pain," I said instead.

"You won't hurt me." Her voice was strong and certain, full of a promise that I didn't know if I could keep. "Eleazar said you've got an exorbitant amount of self-control. As long as you don't want to hurt me, you won't. If you'd just try…"

I pressed my forehead to hers. "Not now. We both have some acclimating to do, first. We have time. Forever, if that's what you want. We talked about this. Don't rush."

She tugged on a lock of her hair in frustration. "What if it just feels right? Don't you feel it, too?"

"Of course I do, silly girl." I pecked her twisted pout. "However, I think one of us needs to think logically."

She sighed in resignation. "Ugh. Logic. What is that good for?"

"I didn't say we had to stop," I reminded, kissing her deeply. "I said we had to go slow. You did agree to play by my rules…"

"Okay. I guess I can live with slow," she said, her expression a total contradiction of her words. She sulked adorably, her hands twisting into my hair to pull my face back to hers. She tugged more forcefully when I didn't budge.

"Ed-ward," she whined.

"Sorry, love. When you get frustrated, you get this look on your face… and I can't help but stop to admire how utterly lovely you are."

"Less admiring, more action." It was a command not a suggestion. She had the nerve to call me bossy?

Not wanting to incur her wrath – kittenish as it was – I complied, pressing my mouth to hers. I opened it to her willingly, ever mindful of my teeth and their proximity to her delicate flesh. She readily reciprocated, greedily taking what I offered. Her hands were as active as her mouth, travelling eagerly over my clothed body. Sneakily, probably thinking I didn't notice, she undid a button on my shirt.

When she would start to lose her breath, I slowed our kisses to soft pecks so her lungs could reclaim some much needed oxygen. As soon as her heartbeat calmed to a more regular rhythm, she eagerly picked up where we had left off. I was so enraptured with her and the cycle of exploration that we had gotten tangled in that I almost didn't notice Charlie's decision.

Rightfully tentative with worry about what he might find, he decided it was a good time to check on Bella and her "friend." I thanked the heavens I'd been able to read the jumbled train of thought well enough to discern his intention. I drew away from Bella who shot me an icy, withering stare that screamed "what now?"

"Your father is coming to ensure I haven't compromised your virtue," I said simply.

She sat up like a shot, hastily straightening her disheveled clothes. And just like that the intimate little moment we'd cultivated was brought to an abrupt halt like a crescendo cut off before its peak.

She cursed. "Of all the crappy timing. I thought he would be glued to the game for at least an hour."

I smirked. "It's a commercial break."

Her lips set in a stubborn line. "Are you expecting me to say that you were right?"

"No. But it would be nice," I teased.

She rolled her eyes, doing up the three buttons she'd managed to undo on my shirt. "My dad's on his way up here, about to catch us mid make out, and you're joking around? You do realize it's not too late for him to bring out the big guns. And I do mean that literally."

"Relax," I soothed, straightening the strands of unruly hair that had been rumpled by her pillow. "He's only on his way up the stairs now. We have fifteen seconds."

She dug through the nightstand, digging out a tube of strawberry scented lip-balm.

"And now we have twelve! What's your point?" Her eyes were frantic as she clumsily attempted to straighten the covers on her bed with one hand and apply the lip-balm to her swollen lips with the other.

Calmly, I stopped her harried actions, swiftly finishing the half-completed bed straightening. Speeding across the room to her bookshelf, I grabbed two titles off of it, returning to her side within the second.

"That twelve seconds is plenty to a vampire," I smirked. "Here read this." I tossed her one of the books, encouraging her to sit and cross her legs in an innocent reading position while I did the same with the other.

Not two seconds after we settled into position Bella's bedroom door was pushed open by Charlie, a short, cursory knock his only warning.

"Hey Bells," he said stiffly, taking in our innocent poses with sharp, suspicious eyes.

His thoughts raked over our too-innocent expressions for a moment. He quickly dismissed the possibility of anything objectionable having happened, against his better instinct, not wanting to think any further about losing his little girl to some boy. His thoughts on the matter were so intent I heard them perfectly.

"Just checking how it's going, entertaining your friend."

"We're fine, Dad." To her credit, her voice wavered only slightly, all but a trace of breathiness gone. Charlie's thoughts flickered again but he tamped them down.

His eyes flicked from her to me, his lips pursing. "Well okay then. As long as everything is okay." He turned to leave but paused with the doorknob in hand. "If you need anything… I'll be downstairs."

Bella bobbed her head appreciatively. "Thanks." She let out a breath when the door clicked behind him, chewing her lip nervously. "That went better than expected. Did he suspect anything?"

"He knew. He's trying to come to terms."

"That's good, right?"

I shrugged. I didn't want to make that judgment for either of them. "He's been alone for a long time. He likes having you around. He feels like he's losing you when he just got you back. He doesn't want to push you to leave any sooner than necessary."

"That's ridiculous," she said stubbornly. "He's my dad. Of course he's not losing me."

"Well, to be fair, you haven't been spending much time with him lately," I observed, knowing my honesty would make her feel guilty. "Since we met, you've been spending all your evenings in our meadow. You used to make dinner for him most nights, before. He misses spending that time with you."

Bella flopped on her bed, leaning her chin on her elbows. "I can't believe this… why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know. Meeting me has made him realize how much he needs you." I tucked her drooping hair behind her ear, tilting her downcast face to mine. "You should spend some time with him. It would benefit you both."

"But you–"

"Will be here later. I love being with you but I'm not the only person you need to spend time with. Your father needs you. I have some things I need to do, anyway. It's been a few days since I've seen James or Victoria. They'll start to get suspicious if I'm away much longer. I don't really want to draw any unnecessary attention."

"Maybe you're right." Her expression was resigned, her voice small and worried. "I'll see you soon?"

I nodded, kissing her cheek. "I'll be back before you go to bed."

"I know I need to spend time with my dad, but… are you sure it's a good idea for you to go see them?" she spat, her dislike of James and Victoria evident. Her brow puckered and her small hand closed protectively around my larger one. "They might hurt you. You could visit the Cullens instead?"

"They won't hurt me, Bella."

"What makes you so sure?"

"As long as you're okay, I will be too. Nothing they can do to me matters as long as you're safe." She didn't look convinced so I added, "When it comes down to it, they need me. I'm the cornerstone of their lifestyle."

To some it might have sounded immodest but it was the truth. In their eyes, it was my job as the member of their coven with the most financially viable gift to feed our bank account. All the insider tips I had access to made it simple to play the stock market like a pro. Collecting large jackpots in casinos required even less work.

"But you're not the same now. What if they notice? What if they try to–"

I shushed her soothingly. "Bella, I've lived with them for almost nine decades. I know what I'm doing. I'll be careful." My assurances did little to ease the painful worry in her eyes. I softened my tone. "I won't do anything dangerous, I promise you."

"Okay. I don't like it, but okay."

I kissed her pursed lips gently. "I'll be back before you know it. Leave your window unlatched."

xx

I turned the doorknob to the cabin slowly, unsure why I was bothering with the effort of keeping quiet. James and Victoria would hear me approaching long before I reached the entryway.

I blinked behind the pair of dark glasses I wore as I stepped into the cold, unwelcoming cabin. The flimsy plastic contacts Alice had prescribed were already starting to melt in my venom, blurring my vision to an irritating degree. It was like looking at the world through a misshapen bubble. As Alice anticipated, I flatly refused to wear the baseball cap.

The foyer and kitchen area were blessedly empty, prolonging my run in with either of the vampires I'd spent the last several days avoiding.

I knew they were inside; I could hear the empty buzzing sounds I'd come to recognize as James and Victoria's thoughts. Though they each had their own unique resonance I so rarely heard them apart that I recognized them better as a single joined sound.

I found them on the sofa, their attention focused the television which was playing a WWII era first person shooter game. Victoria was curled around James who was flicking at the controller, one-handed, his playing flawless. His expression might have exuded boredom had it not been for the underlying smugness. He loved nothing more than reveling in his own superior reflexes.

I stepped a little louder than necessary to draw their attention, heading for the room that had been designated as mine. I kept to the shadows to avoid giving them a direct view of my face.

"Dude," James crowed, disgusted. He peered up at me with slitted eyes. "Why do you smell like livestock? It smells like you've been rolling around in a barn."

I straightened my expression into an innocent configuration. James' tracking ability made his sense of smell even more powerful than the average vampire's. I'd showered after leaving Bella's so he was probably smelling the animal blood that had made up my diet as of late.

"I might have had an incident with a barn," I said innocuously.

"Whatever. You stink. I think I prefer that fruity strawberry bath swill you seem to enjoy so much. Is roadkill the latest couture scent with the humans you love so much, or something?"

I rolled my eyes at his snide tone, not that he would be able to see that through the dark glasses. "Thank you very much for your opinion. I don't recall asking for it. If you're done sniffing me, I think I'll be…" I gestured to the closed door I'd been making a beeline for before the interlude with James. The sooner I got the requisite appearance over with the better.

"Wait, Edward," Victoria simpered, her little girl's voice scraping at my eardrums. "Is everything alright? You seem upset. You didn't even say hello to me."

"Hello."

I knew I was being insolent, but I couldn't really find the patience. Before, I'd known I was being steamrolled by James and Victoria, but had resigned myself to the fact that there was little I could do without potentially facing a fight to the death. With the Cullens support behind me, I felt astonishingly empowered.

It was a pleasant feeling, knowing that I could do as I pleased, without having to answer to James and Victoria. It made me say things I probably shouldn't have. Alice had warned me about saying too much but I couldn't seem to help myself faced with Victoria's patronizing attitude.

"Don't think she meant that literally, dumbass." James butted in. "Vic's right, though. You've got a bigger bug up your ass than usual. What's your problem n–"

"Nothing is wrong," I cut over James. "While I was in Seattle, I was thinking… perhaps it would be a good idea if I had some time to myself. I've been considering going out on my own for awhile now."

"Edward, you need us. We're your family," Victoria said, her voice syrupy. "Do you really think it's wise for us to be separated for an extended period of time? You know we need you, too." She ignored James' scoff. "Think about what you're saying."

"I have thought about it, I assure you. I think perhaps we might want different things at this point in time."

"This isn't like you, Edward." Victoria shook her head, disappointed in me. At one time, that expression might have crumbled my resolve. Now it made me want to remove it from her face. I might have, had my mother not taught me to always treat women – even ones as two-faced as Victoria – with respect.

"Then it seems you don't know me as well as you thought, doesn't it?"

"Edward." This time Victoria's tactic changed. He voice was harder, colder, like a mother scolding a misbehaving child. "What has gotten into you? You're not acting like yourself."

With my change in diet, maybe it was partly a matter of what had gotten into me, but there was much more to it than that. However I wasn't foolhardy enough to disregard Alice's advice to keep quiet completely. I'd already done enough damage by suggesting I wanted to leave. So I kept my head down and my eyes focused anywhere but the sofa, not wanting to take the chance blackout sun-wear didn't live up to its claims.

"Nothing," I lied.

"Leave the kid alone, Vicky," James interjected gruffly, playing the peacemaker in an unusual role reversal. Usually he was the instigator of any trouble. I tended to get along with Victoria well. "If he wants to go out on his own, let him. It's about time he learned the world out there is a cruel place. He'll see how easy he's had it under our protection. Maybe it'll teach him some respect."

He glared pointedly at my sunglasses. "If he wants to go run off and play house, wearing his trendy little glasses and the latest disasters humans call fashion while he tries to save them from themselves, let him. He doesn't deserve the title of vampire."

So much for James playing peacemaker. In a roundabout way, he was helping my cause – entirely by coincidence, of course – but his methodology left a lot to be desired.

"James," Victoria snapped, "let's not encourage this absurdity, shall we? He belongs with us."

James growled. "Does he? He's been nothing but a tagalong for the last century. Have you ever thought we might be happier on our own? Just the two of us? Like we were before you found him?"

Victoria stroked his cheek soothingly. "Of course I've considered it, baby. I know we had fun back then but Edward is a part of our lives now and we're still happy, aren't we? Nothing's changed, really. Now we can afford to live differently, that's all. You're still my mate. I'll never want anyone else, not ever. That's what's important. You know it, I know it and Edward knows it. Don't you, Edward?"

I grit out something akin to a "yes," though Victoria's theatricality was painfully transparent. James was too easily swayed by the hypnotic power she dangled over him.

"See?" she simpered, peering woefully into James face, her crimson eyes doe-like. "He wants us to be happy. He'd never do anything to threaten us or our coven."

James glanced at me, his expression cold. "Anything for you, Victoria, you know that."

"Perhaps we could negotiate a compromise?" I suggested logically. "James feels the two of you need your space. I want a little time to myself. I could take an extended trip to Seattle for the next couple weeks? Maybe some distance would benefit us all."

It was only a temporary solution but it would buy me some time away from their scrutiny. Two weeks was a drop in the bucket of eternity but it was still two weeks more to keep Bella away from them.

A taste of life alone with James might be all that was required for Victoria to change her tune. Alice had promised something would happen to make my exit from their lives a smoother transition. Perhaps this was the key.

"Vicky?" James eyed her imploringly, obviously wanting me gone.

Victoria ground her teeth. "If this is what will make my boys happy, fine," she said, her sweet tone a complete contradiction to her thunderous expression.

"Thank you," James said simply. It was the first time in my entire existence that I could remember him uttering the phrase.

I cleared my throat, an immense weight lifted. "Well, I suppose I'll be on my way. Seattle awaits."

I couldn't get back to Bella fast enough. I'd only been away from her for a matter of hours but it had felt much longer. I ran to Seattle, just in case James decided to check where I'd been, before arcing back to Forks, making a wide berth around the area James and Victoria had been using as hunting grounds.

The moment I caught Bella's warm scent, hidden amongst the leaves in the meadow, relief washed through me. It was amazing how much I'd missed her. I ran the remaining distance as fast as my legs would carry me.

Noiselessly, I slipped through her window. I found her sitting on her bed reading, her gaze intent on her book. The look of studious concentration was adorable. I stood leaning against the window for several moments, admiring her, before she noticed me.

"You're back." She grinned at me, dropping the book that had held her unwavering attention without a second glance at it, immediately scrambling across her bed towards me.

I kissed her forehead and enveloped her in a tight hug.