Title: Secret Identities

Author: Nadia Mack

Rated: T

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Twilight/Covenant related. I own utterly nothing, which is depressing.

Author's Notes: This chapter focuses on the progression of Bella and Edward's relationship. I've taken a lot of dialogue and a few passages from both the film and the book as well as put my own spin with additional dialogue and thought processes. While Edward has already fallen in love with Bella, this and next chapter is Bella fully realizing that she's falling in love with him too.

Previously…

"I… don't… have the strength to stay away from you anymore."

Her answer seemed simple. "Then don't."

Chapter 2

Edward drove Bella home in silence and while Bella was by no means in a hurry to get home, she would like nothing more than for the owner of the car to drive a little slower, or at least nowhere far above 70 mph with Washington's constantly changing weather patterns. Speed wasn't so much a problem if she was still capable of using her powers and since she wasn't invulnerable as her companion seemed to be, she felt more than a little nervous.

"Is there something wrong?" Edward asked.

"Uh, could you lighten on the gas pedal a little?"

Edward crinkled his nose with obvious distaste and Bella held her arms out in mock surrender. "My dad's the Chief of Police, I was raised to obey traffic laws." She made a mental note not to tell him of some questionable incidents that occurred back East unless absolutely necessary. It was a story for another time, she was interested in his.

"Better?"

The Volvo decreased in speed just below 70. Bella figured that was the best he could do.

Bella nodded reluctantly before feeling the heat in the car rise dramatically due to their enclosed space. "Okay, I'm pretty warm now." She reached to turn the heater off but he beat her to it, grazing her fingers just as she pulled back. In addition to the unsuspecting electrical bolt that passed between them, his fingers were ice cold.

She glanced at him in surprise.

Edward looked away distressed while a number of facts surfaced in Bella's thoughts. One by one, parts of the Cullen puzzle began piecing itself together forming a cohesive picture that she would never had fathomed if it wasn't for the obvious truth sitting next to her.

Bella was about to address these very facts to him when he slowed down as the sight of police lights blinked furiously against the night.

"That's my dad's cruiser." Bella pointed out. "He's still here."

"My father's car is on the other side," Edward added, his father's black Mercedes parked a couple of spaces away. "What's he doing here?" He turned the wheel and drove into the lot and parked in front of the station. They stepped out of the vehicle just as Dr. Cullen exited the building.

"Carlisle, what's going on?" Edward asked.

"Frank Weyland's body was found at the docks. I just finished examining the body."

Bella's eyes widened, recognizing the name. "Weyland's dead?"

Dr. Cullen nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry Bella."

"What happened?"

"Animal attack."

"Like the man at the Mills." Charlie had told her about that incident a few days ago but she thought it was an isolated incident. Bella tried to calm down disliking the helplessness she felt. "It's getting closer to town."

"Bella, you should go inside and see your father. Weyland was a close friend."

Bella nodded. "Of course." She turned to Edward, concern on her face. "I'll see you later?"

Edward could not summon a smile but nodded. He knew these weren't normal animal attacks but he didn't want to frighten her. As soon as she disappeared in the relative safety of the police station, he turned to his father with his own concerns.

"Has Alice seen anything more about our unwanted guests?"

Carlisle shook his head. "She thinks they'll be leaving the vicinity soon, but if this happens again, we're going to have to approach them ourselves."

Edward agreed to the plan knowing that these nomadic vampires presence can also threaten Bella if they got anywhere near her scent. He couldn't hear their thoughts because they were too far for him to pinpoint, but he didn't want to take any chances.

"I'll be there with you if it comes to that."

"I know, son." Carlisle laid a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder. "Let's go home."

Inside the station, Bella comforted her own father the best she could, even going as far as grudgingly taking the mace spray he urged her to have to alleviate his own obvious fears for her safety. They may not be as close as she was to Renee, but there was an unspoken affection and love between them that did not need to be openly expressed. They were alike in more ways than she originally thought.

That night, dreams of Edward became more prominent in her subconscious. She couldn't recall having such vivid dreams about someone so much in the past, yet last night had been a turning point in their strange relationship. She didn't know what today would bring but she knew that after researching what she had discovered last night that there was just some things that needed to be answered, and it could only come from him.

When she reached the courtyard outside the school, she saw Edward waiting for her and it was obvious that he knew what she wanted. Walking briskly passed him; Edward followed her into the woods that surrounded the school.

As soon as they were far enough away, she unceremoniously dropped her bag and gathered her thoughts. Ignoring the cold, she faced away from him and began… "You're impossibly fast… and strong. You're skin is pale white and ice cold. Your eyes change color. And sometimes you speak, like… like you're from a different time. You never eat or drink anything, you don't go out into the sunlight." She paused. "How old are you?"

He stood close behind her. "Seventeen," he replied huskily.

"How long have you been seventeen?"

"A while"

Her breathing grew quick. "I know what you are."

"Say it." Desperation filled his voice. "Out loud. Say it."

"Vampire."

"Are you afraid?"

Bella turned and answered him with utter certainty. "No."

"Then ask me the most basic question. What do we eat?"

"You won't hurt me."

Edward took her hand and dragged her further into the woods. This time there was no more hiding. He wanted her to know exactly what he was so she could stay away from him. He knew without a doubt that he he could not do it himself.

"Where are we going?"

"Up the mountain," he said, keeping their fingers locked together. His pace quickened and she struggled to keep up. "Out of the cloud bank. You need to see me in the sunlight." With lighting fast reflexes, Edward had her clinging on his back as he ran up the mountain so quickly, Bella held onto him as tight as she possibly could barely processing what was happening.

The trees breezed past them in a whirl of colored greens and browns until they reached their destination. Once there, he let her go and she fought to catch her breath. "This is why we don't show ourselves in the sunlight." He moved to stand on a small stone slab where the sun hit. He unbuttoned his shirt to show her exactly why she should fear him. "People would know we were different." He turned to her finally, revealing what he is. "This is what I am."

Numerous things crossed Bella's thoughts but none of them was the monster Edward described himself to be. The light refracted from his skin was nothing like she's ever seen before. "It's like diamonds," she said in awe. Her unorthodox upbringing and special heritage did not prepare her for this. "You're beautiful."

"Beautiful?" Edward scoffed at the description, hating himself for what he was. "This is the skin of a killer, Bella."

Bella held back the impulse to prove him wrong. There are far worse things out there than him and though she may be ignorant of his kind, she wasn't naive. "Human's aren't as fragile as you think we are."

Edward chuckled but he was anything but amused. "I'm a killer," he repeated with further disgust.

Bella blinked and saw the conflict in his eyes. "I don't believe that."

"That's because you believe the lie. Camouflage." Edward tried desperately to make her understand. This could be his only chance to let her go and live her life, free from the dangers his kind could reap upon her. It just had to be her choice because he was too weak to let her go himself. "I'm the world's most dangerous predator. Everything about me invites you in." His voice turned hard. "My voice. My face. Even my smell." He reached out to touch her but didn't. "As if I would've need any of that." He disappeared and reappeared from a distance within a blink of an eye. "As if you could outrun me!" he yelled.

Edward jumped off the edge and reappeared just as quickly right in front of her. "As if you could fight me off." He took a deep-rooted tree, uprooted it and threw it angrily across from her where it hit a thick oak and cracked in half. "I'm designed to kill."

Self-preservation was a natural human reaction, but she couldn't stay away. The physiological draw she had with him was agonizingly too tangible to easily withdraw from. A large part of her knew very well that he was a killer, but another more emotional and instinctual part of her knew he wouldn't harm her. "I should care but I don't."

"I've killed people before."

Due to Bella's own compassionate nature, his words hit its mark but it was short-lived in the face of this particular adversity. "You can't change what you've done in the past." Bella's understanding of him only strengthened her growing attachment to this dangerously supernatural creature with the face of an angel. As she attempted to close the distance between them, Edward stepped away. "What matters to me is in the here and now, and I know you would never hurt me."

"I wanted to kill you." Edward revealed suddenly but Bella forced herself not to react. "I never wanted a human's blood so much in my life."

The distance he put between them for all those months finally made sense to her. "I trust you."

"Don't."

"I'm here. I trust you." She leaned forward but he fearfully moved away, disappearing once again before ending up crouched on a tree branch a couple of yards behind her.

"My family, we're different from others of our kind," he explained, his features tight with tension. "We only hunt animals. We learned how to control our thirst. But it's you…" He hovered a few inches from her face as one hand held onto the tree. "Your scent; it's like a drug to me." He swallowed hard. "You're like my own personal brand of heroin."

She moved to the other side of the tree as he maneuvered to face her. But he was still afraid to touch her. She looked up at him with sudden clarity. "Is that why you hated me so much when we met?"

"I did, only because you made me want you so badly. I still don't know if I could control myself."

All this time Bella had thought he was just your average teenage angst in play with a flair for the dramatics but it turned out to be so much more than she expected.

"I know you can."

"You don't know that."

"All right." Against better judgment, Bella tilted her neck to the side and showed her bare neck to his view. Had she been a different type of person, this would have been as close to suicide as one can get, but she truly felt that Edward wouldn't hurt her. "Go ahead. Hurt me."

The pain on his face made Bella regret her rash decision but she remained steadfast. If they couldn't get pass this point, there was no reason to go forward. She had done the only thing that she was raised never to do, and that was to give her life into someone else's hands.

She was falling fast, like free fall.

"Bella." Edward's voice was pained and she longed to make it go away. He looked at her meaningfully, the intensity between them magnifying tenfold. The pull was unbearably magnetic, unexplainable and completely irrational when one stopped to really think about it.

He jumped off the tree and walked backwards, getting further away from her but she followed him anyway and it brought them into a tight rocky crevice hidden further into the woods. "I can't read your mind." He turned to her, begging. He laid both his hands against the flat boulder, enclosing her. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"Now I'm afraid."

He let one arm dangle on his side, giving her the opening she needed to be free of him. "Good." Edward turned away from her then, ashamed. "You should be."

"No, that's not what I meant," she said, pulling his body back to face her. "I'm not afraid of you, I'm only afraid of losing you, I feel like you're going to disappear."

Edward looked at her in a way no man had ever done before, and she was scared to put it into words.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for you."

Their breathing was heavy even though he had no need for air. Then Slowly, carefully, he placed his hand gently over her heart and let the rhythm soothe him. "And so the lion fell in love with the lamb."

"What a stupid lamb," she whispered softly.

A slow grin and then a smile made its way to his lips. "What a sick masochistic lion."

His amazing eyes seemed to glow with rash excitement. Then, as the seconds passed, they dimmed. His expression folded into a mask of ancient sadness. He took her hand; the coldness of it barely fazed her as he led her out of the rock crevice and into a clearing.

A beautiful meadow untouched by civilization.

Bella watched him closely. "You're afraid."

"I am," he said hoarsely. "I'm afraid… because, for, well, obvious reasons, I can't stay with you. And I'm afraid that I'd like to stay with you, much more than I should."

"I don't want you to leave."

Edward smiled weakly. "It's better that I do. But don't worry. I'm essentially a selfish creature. I crave your company too much to do what I should."

Bella breathed out a sigh of relief. At some point, she too had her own secrets to share, but she couldn't do it now. The unexplainable but fragile bond between them was too new and she was drawn to him too much to shake it. Ironically, she too have become selfish without really knowing until it happened.

The Families would be pissed for sure but they'll get over it. For all their rules, they would never harm one of their own, and if this bond she had with Edward became something more, she had to be absolutely sure that he wouldn't be caught in the crossfire. Other than the consequences that occurs should any gifted member abuse their abilities, The Covenant did not really have any natural enemies besides mankind's fear over things they didn't understand.

Edward continued to lead her slowly into the meadow where the trees were light and the sun was slowly appearing through the cloudy skies. She laid down as he did the same, letting the tension that filled the silence turn to comfort. Time seemed to stand still as they stayed that way for a while and Bella couldn't help but bask at the sight of Edward when the sun hit his face, illuminating his pale skin and turning it into diamonds made of flesh.

A vampire.

It was almost surreal to think of him as such. It was an amazing contrast against the general knowledge the world had of his kind. Had she met another with dangerous intent, she would have immediately told the Covenant and they would naturally take precautions but this was Edward, and she was just as oddly protective of him as he was to her. It had started the moment he saved her life.

"What are you thinking?" he asked softly.

Bella smiled. "Just wondering what you see in me." It was partly true. She didn't particularly have a large self-esteem, but she was confident when she needed to be, and having Caleb and the others helped. But there is some insecurity that inevitably made itself known even as she hid it behind a carefully masked facade of indifference.

"Everything," he answered simply, but it came out as so much more.

"It really bothers you that you can't read my mind?"

"It can be frustrating sometimes." Edward looked at her, eyes his warm with sudden affection. "Especially at first. But that's only because I've grown used to it, like breathing is for you." He paused, thinking. "And then there are moments where I find it liberating."

Bella raised an inquisitive brow. "How so?"

"Like with my family. I know there are just some things they don't want anybody to hear, least of all me, but it's something I can't stop. It's a lot easier to manage in a large crowd. Where everything merges into one big beehive of sound. The fewer the people, the more clear their thoughts become even when I'm not listening for it."

"I can't imagine dealing with that kind of distraction. I have a hard enough time keeping my thoughts straight let alone a room full of people."

Edward smiled. "I do get curious with you. You don't respond as most humans would do had another been in your position."

"Do you… ah… often do this?" she asked nervously.

"No. This would be my first."

"Oh." Bella honestly did not expect that. "That's… good."

The hours passed so quickly that one of them had to break the contented silence. Edward broke first.

"We should head back," he said, the light in the sky slowly descending but he made no move to leave.

"We should." Bella agreed, reluctantly sitting up. "People might start talking."

Edward gave her a lop-sided grin that heightened Bella's already changing emotions for this amazing man before her. Though she had to admit he can be rather infuriating when he wanted to be. The first semester proved that.

"Can I drive you to school tomorrow?" he asked, his tone hopeful.

She frowned at the attention that alone would bring. "That would definitely have people talking."

He stood up and held his hand out to help her do the same. For a vampire, he acted so much like a gentleman. "Then let them talk." When he saw her eyes widen, he backtracked. "Unless that really bothers you."

"No, no. So long as you'll be there, I think I can manage."

"I've noticed you like to keep to yourself as much as my family does."

"I don't normally get close to a lot of people."

The only other person outside the Covenant's circle that Bella associated with was Sarah and Kate. They were Caleb and Pogue's girlfriends. It also helped that Sarah knew about who they were so the fear of discovery wasn't an issue. She also knew that at the rate Pogue and Kate were going with their relationship, she'd end up knowing about their special heritage as well and that would certainly make things so much more easier on all of them.

"Why is that?"

Bella shrugged. "Spencer is the kind of school where students tend to segregate themselves into groups."

They began to make their descent from up the mountain but this time in a slow leisurely pace. They've practically ditched school so there was no point in hurrying.

"Spencer Academy." For some odd reason, Edward found this particular fact fascinating. "That's an elite private school, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"That explains why you're ahead of your classes." Edward searched his memory and recalled that at one point a couple of decades ago, it was one of the schools Carlisle was thinking of enrolling them at. "The first time we talked, I thought you were older than you claimed."

"You mean the first time you interrogated me?"

Edward had the grace to look embarrassed.

Bella chuckled. "My mom always said that I was born thirty-five and that I get more middle-aged every year."

Edward grinned. "I can believe that."

"Anyway, I was content with the people I had around me. We had too much attention as it is. Being in Forks is almost otherworldly, pardon the pun."

Edward chuckled but then his mood changed as he thought over her words. "Too much attention?"

"Oh." Bella felt her heart skip a beat with the unintentional information she had given him, but she didn't want to keep any more secrets from him than she had to. "I come from a very old family. Colonial times. My ancestors from my mother's side migrated to America from Europe during the early 17th century. Even our first colony house still stands, but its kind of decrepit now. I'm sort of amazed the foundation hasn't caved in."

Edward looked intrigued. "I bet your family has a lot of stories to tell."

"I'm sure yours are more… vivid."

Edward's eyes suddenly narrowed and Bella worried he had caught onto something she wasn't quite ready to explain yet. "If you come from an old family, and you went to Spencer, then why on Earth are you driving a beat up old truck that would barely make it to Seattle or even Port Angeles on two tanks of gas? It can't be safe."

At this, Bella's mouth hung open. She shut it quickly and proceeded to slap him on the shoulder, albeit playfully.

"Hey! I like that truck. It's a very good truck," she defended with zeal. "It's no Jaguar but it gets me where I need to be."

"It won't survive long." Edward's eyes suddenly lit up. "You've driven a Jaguar."

"That's neither here nor there."

"What year?"

She waved the question off. "Irrelevant."

"Can you at least tell me what model?"

"I don't speak Car & Driver"

Edward sighed, looking utterly disappointed.

"Of all the things…" She pursed her lips together to keep from finishing that sentence. Vampire or not, what is it with men and their toys… "Leave my truck alone, I'm perfectly happy with it. It works for me just fine, thank you very much."

"You really love that truck."

Bella rolled her eyes. "There's no use of having something and not appreciating its value. Besides, Charlie… I mean my dad got it for me, and, well, that matters."

Edward's eyes turned soft at this newfound knowledge and Bella had no choice but to melt under his gaze.

"You're doing it again."

He blinked. "What?"

She carefully worked her way down the steep slope. "You're dazzling me."

Edward smiled, looking absolutely smug about it too as he remained by her side without any trouble making his way down.

"Totally unfair of you, just so you know," she added.

"Duly noted." Edward took her arm and confidently placed her on his back again. "Do you mind?" he asked, gesturing to the distance they have to cover to get her backpack before heading home.

For the first time since moving to Forks, Bella had something to really look forward to.

"Just don't hit any trees, okay?"

To be continued…

I'd like to thank those who took the time to leave comments. I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. I wasn't sure if the lack of feedback was due to general disinterest in crossovers or whatnot. I don't see them often but this was an idea that kept bugging me so I ended up writing it myself.

By the way, I wanted to re-emphasize that Bella will get her powers back, just not in the way people may expect. Since The Covenant catered to only male first-born heirs who inherited the gifts, Bella is a bit of an aberration. There's a back-story to her that will be slowly revealed.