Well, at least it didn't take as long as the last chapter :).

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

CHAPTER 8: Legendary

"Actually, no. Angela isn't Buffy the Vampire Slayer." He hesitated before adding, "Domen is."

Edward felt Bella stiffen under his arm and mumble something under her breath. It sounded like, "Bella, you have now entered the Twilight Zone."

He couldn't prevent the silent laughter that shook his chest. Feeling it, Bella glared up at the face that was now so close to hers.

"OK Edward," she announced, "There's no way I'll be able to sleep without knowing the details. I'm going to walk over to that counter, pour a glass of that fabulous pinot grigio you brought, and listen while you explain to me exactly what the hell is going on here."

"Almost," countered Edward, getting to his feet. "I'm bringing you the fabulous pinot grigio. You stay put."

Before she even had a chance to protest, he'd already placed the bottle and wine glass on the coffee table. Of course, he'd already assessed how long ago Bella had taken her prescription ibuprofen, and knew full well that she'd refused to ingest a single Vicodin. He sighed as he sank down next to her. "If I were human I'd join you. The past thirty-six hours have been…"

"Surreal?"

"Yes."

Bella leaned back and sipped the light golden liquid. For the fifty-third time since he'd known her, Edward wished he could hear her thoughts. She's probably beyond freaked out, he surmised. She wants to pack up, move to Florida, and forget this whole mess ever happened. She's wondering why on earth…

"You're fidgeting."

"What?" Make that the fifty-fourth time.

Bella looked amused. Maybe she could read his mind.

"I've never known a vampire to fidget. Have you always run your hand through your hair like that?"

"I'm not…" Well, drat. He self-consciously lowered his hand. "Perhaps you're bringing out the human in me." For some reason, his answer seemed to please her.

"Thank you for the wine," Bella said quietly. "Please don't let me drink more than three glasses. I lose my verbal filter by then, and I don't want to do that with you…again."

He cocked an inquisitive eyebrow, but all she said was "Tell me about Domen. I saw you two talking for a long time."

Edward nodded, his mind going back to that particular conversation. Better start at the beginning, Cullen, he instructed himself. She'll know if you're not telling her everything.

Briefly Edward wondered at how Domen never met Alice and Jasper before. Perhaps Alice had some vision that it wouldn't be a good idea. She could have warned me, he thought with a touch of irritation. He clearly needed to speak with that elfin vampire again…later. Right now, Bella was his priority.

"When Domen saw me," he began, "he was reminded of a legend his grandfather told him about the Priculics of Wallachia. Wallachia, as you may know, combined with Moldova to form Romania. Transylvania joined about half a century later. During the day, the Priculics is supposed to be a handsome young man with pale skin, red hair and two hearts, but at night it turns into a huge black dog that drinks the blood of humans."

"A vampire?" breathed Bella. Edward nodded, and she took a hasty sip of her wine. "But Domen is Croatian, not Romanian."

"Yes, this is true. However, it seems that his grandfather performed quite a study of vampires and vampire legends. He swore that they were real, although Domen didn't believe him. He thought they were the ramblings of an old man."

Edward now watched Bella very carefully. She was taking this unexpectedly well. But then, vampires were a part of her life. Was she truly this accepting, or was her mind shielding her from a normal reaction?

"Go on," Bella prompted.

"Domen's family is from Istria, a region of Croatia on the Adriatic, sometimes called the 'Croatian Tuscany.' It has several beautiful resort towns, including Pula, which contains the ruins of a Roman coliseum." Great, he was babbling. Since when did vampires babble? Since now.

Bella nodded. "The Romans called it 'terra magica.' Domen is very proud of his home. Edward, please tell me what's going on with my brother."

"Legends from this region speak of 'krsnik' and 'vorkudlak,' which are essentially incarnations of good and evil. A baby born with a caul would become either a kresnik or a kudlak. The kudlaks are supposedly sheathed in red or black cauls, and kresniks in white ones."

Ah, now he had Bella's attention. "Domen's last name is Kresnik. He's really a…vampire hunter? Slayer?"

"In his case, yes he is. So, it appears, was his grandfather. Just because he was born with a white caul doesn't make him a kresnik, but for some reason all actual kresniks have one. Real vampires, of course, don't turn into black dogs at night, and you know that vampires aren't born, but created. It's also highly unlikely that Domen would turn into a white beast, as the legend portends."

"Does he…does he want to kill you? Can he?" Bella seemed to have forgotten all about her wine glass, which she held frozen in mid-air.

"We're instinctual enemies, Bella," Edward responded seriously. "In my presence, Domen observed that his hearing and vision became sharper, and his strength increased. I'm sure you noticed what happened to the broom. He heard me tell you that I hadn't danced with a human since 1918. It confirmed his suspicions of what I am."

"So he could possibly kill you?" persisted the beautiful human next to him, worry lacing her voice.

"Yes." He could also kill Domen. Why was she so concerned about himself? Perhaps she hadn't considered that possibility yet.

"Does he want to kill you? Why did he leave me alone with you, after he found out what you are?"

Edward smiled wryly. "I'm hoping that I talked him out of ending my existence. This is all new to him. As I said, he thought they were merely a bunch of legends to frighten children and explain odd disappearances. Now the stories are suddenly real, and Domen is in the middle of them. Regarding him leaving you alone with me, that wasn't easy." To put it mildly, he added silently. Domen was ready to bolt with his "sister" the second he realized.

"I explained the differences between 'vegetarian' vampires and the usual human-drinking type. I also brought up Alice and Jasper, who have been your friends for years. Not to mention that your honorary brother is interested in joining us against James and Victoria."

Oh, and I might have admitted that I'm falling in love with you and would rather die than have any harm come to you, he added silently. That sort of tipped the scale in my favor.

"He actually believed you?" Bella looked dubious, as well she should. She took another swallow of her wine.

"I never said it was easy to convince him," countered Edward. "He still doesn't trust me completely, but he seems to have an innate ability to determine if someone is lying. Besides that, at the moment I'm the only one he can talk to about this."

Surprisingly, Bella giggled. "Domen's bull shit radar strikes again. He's known for it."

Edward studied his friend. She hadn't even finished her second glass of wine. However, her cheeks were flushed, and her beautiful brown eyes appeared slightly glassy. She'd also edged closer, her scent and the warmth of her body radiating out to him.

"So he's not going to tear you to pieces?"

"I fervently hope not."

"And you won't hurt him either."

"I have no reason to. He's a good guy, on top of being your 'brother.'"

Bella's eyelids were starting to droop. "I'm glad. I don't want to lose either of you."

She looked as if she'd flop sideways at any moment. Edward scooted closer to her, until they were sitting arm-to-arm.

"Mmm…nice and cool," she murmured. He smiled down at her. Honestly, she reminded him of a sleepy kitten. Nervous excitement fluttered through his body as he swallowed the venom pooling in his mouth.

"Nice and warm," he teased back. And tasty, his inner monster added gleefully. Shut it, Edward warned the monster, effectively shoving him back.

He could tell that Bella was struggling to keep her eyes open, and the wine wasn't helping. By now, her head had dropped onto his shoulder. "Bella, don't you want to go to bed?"

Not that he wanted her to leave this spot. He'd be happy to let her stay cuddled up against him like this all night.

"Hmmm…if you come with me."

"What?" he exclaimed, startled. Why, oh why, couldn't he read her mind? He needed to figure out the trigger for her shield – fast.

The jerk of his shoulder brought Bella to her senses. She immediately lifted her head and moved slightly away from him, her cheeks flaming.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "That came out wrong. I guess my verbal filter left early."

"Only two glasses," Edward informed her, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. She's adorable when flustered, he decided. I need to do that more often.

"So what else did you tell Domen?" asked Bella hurriedly, clearly trying to draw the conversation away from herself.

Resigned, Edward continued. "I needed him to trust me, so I told him as much about vampires as I could. He now knows about the Volturi. What's more, his is aware that the only way to destroy a vampire is to incinerate them, preferably tearing them to pieces first so they can't get away from the fire."

Bella shuddered, a horrifying image of that happening to the man beside her crossing her mind.

"Bella? Are you cold?" Edward immediately moved further away, in case his body was chilling her.

"No. I just…I don't want such a thing to ever happen to you. Or to Alice or Jasper either."

Outside he may be a centenarian vampire, but his inner human teenager bounced with elation. This was the second time tonight that Bella indicated that she didn't want him harmed.

Oh, get real, his inner voice scoffed. She says she doesn't want you to die violently, and you think she's in love with you. Jeez.

"It won't happen, Bella," he told her soothingly, unconsciously scooting toward her again.

Her beautiful brown eyes narrowed. "You can't promise me that."

"No," sighed Edward, "I can't. However, the chances are very, very slim."

Bella didn't respond immediately, and he could see that her eyes were drooping again. He also noted the tension around the corners of her mouth, as if she were in pain. Her damaged ribs must be aching.

"You need to sleep," he told her softly. "The monsters can wait."

"You're not a monster," she responded drowsily, struggling to her feet. "And you always wait for me…whoa!" Edward quickly stood and grasped Bella's elbow as she swayed. She graced him with a vague, beatific smile, leaning awkwardly on him.

"Two glasses, huh?" he repeated teasingly. She'd only taken a couple more lurching steps before Edward decided it was time to intervene. Before Bella could react, he'd scooped her up bridal style (mindful of her bruised ribs) and was striding toward her bedroom.

"Edward!" she shrieked. "Put me down!"

He grinned down at her, enjoying the sensation of holding this lovely human, her arms clutching his shoulders for dear life. As if there were even a chance of him dropping her.

'What do you think you're doing?"

He sat her gently on her mattress. Bella, as anticipated, was beet red. His amber eyes twinkled wickedly.

"I must admit, I've never had such a difficult time getting a woman to bed."

"Edward!" How was it possible for Bella to be more flushed? She covered her face with her hands. "Oh God. I hope I don't remember this in the morning."

Edward laughed. "I hope you do!" He decided to take pity on her. "I'll put the wine away and settle in with my book. Will you be alright?"

Bella nodded, still hiding her face. Ten minutes of quiet later, Edward decided to check on her, and discovered her still in her day clothes, propped up against her pillows, dozing. He was glad that she wasn't actually lying down, given the state of her ribs.

Smilingly shaking his head, he unearthed Bella's spare blanket and gently tucked it around her. She stirred and pulled the blanket up to her chin.

"Mmm…thank you Edward," she murmured contentedly, eyes still closed.

"You're welcome," he whispered softly. He was just about to leave the room when her sleepy voice halted him.

"I still don't know why you bother."

Edward frowned. "Bother with what?"

"Me…must feel sorry…"

Her words went straight through his unbeating heart. He flashed to her side, crouching down so that he was level with her. Bella's eyes were still closed, and he just barely stopped himself from smoothing away the little frown line between her eyebrows with his finger.

"No love," he whispered. "It's not pity or guilt. It's because you're worth it."

Edward wasn't sure if she'd even heard him, but after a brief moment her lips lifted into a faint smile. Two minutes later she was asleep. For a long while he simply watched her, listening to her heartbeat and slow, gentle breathing. Then he retreated to the living room to make a few phone calls.

The first involved a lengthy discussion with Carlisle regarding kresniks. From what Edward could gather, Carlisle was torn between worry about his son's safety and curiosity to meet an actual vampire hunter. The curiosity was winning.

When the topic changed to protecting the humans from James and Victoria, Carlisle asked, "Did you say Angela Weber? Reverend Weber's daughter? He mentioned that his daughter and her boyfriend Ben would be visiting this weekend. She's Bella's roommate?"

OK, this was getting to be a bit much. "You know her?"

"Not in person. Her father is quite proud of her, however. That would mean…" Edward could practically hear his father's brain turning. "Ah, now I remember. Charlie Swan was the chief of police here in Forks about seven years ago, before he retired. I recall his daughter coming into the emergency room a couple of times." There was amusement in his voice.

"You know Bella? Where was I?"

"You were in the Six Year Med program at Northwestern. It was soon after we moved here. She was somewhat accident-prone."

Edward groaned. "Why am I not surprised?"

His father was silent for a moment. "We'll keep watch over Angela and Ben while they're in town. You focus on Bella."

"As if I could focus on anything else," murmured Edward, half to himself.

He sent his love to his family, then hung up, leaving him to his thoughts. Those and the thoughts of approximately two hundred other people in very close proximity. Living in an apartment building was, to him, like having a mild headache all the time. There were just too many people, no break from the hundreds of thoughts surrounding him, no matter how well he managed to put them in the background.

It didn't help that several couples (or more) in adjacent apartments were in various stages of…er…relationship development. And there was his own mate sleeping in the next room. How was that supposed to work out?

He couldn't help himself. He had to see her. So, like some sort of creepy stalker, he carefully opened Bella's bedroom door and silently sat on the floor by her bed, allowing his thoughts to run away with him while he watched her sleep.

Would she ever be able to see me as a man instead of just a vampire friend, he wondered. Could I ever see myself that way? Would that kind of relationship even be possible with a human? With Bella? Should he even be considering this?

No, no he shouldn't. He wasn't stupid. Although Bella tried to hide it, he knew that in some way she was attracted to him. She'd even admitted it to Angela. He heard her heart rate pick up sometimes when she saw him. If his heart were still beating, it would be doing the same thing. At first he thought it was fear or nervousness, but her eyes were always warm and welcoming.

Edward surmised that it was a response to the lures vampires used to attract prey, perhaps with a touch of hero worship. He based his hypothesis on the thoughts of other women, both human and vampire. There was no way that Bella could ever actually love a vampire as she would a human mate. She would be giving up too much to be with him.

So, once the immediate threat of James and Victoria is removed, he decided, I'll leave her alone to live a happy, human life. Maybe I'll observe from a distance, just to make sure she's safe. I'll watch over her children and grandchildren as well. That, at least, I could do for her.

His gloomy thoughts were interrupted by his cell phone vibrating in the living room. Incoming text message. Edward gently brushed a strand of hair from Bella's face, then went to check who was contacting him.

It was from Alice.

Bad choice, Edward. U won't be able to stay away.

Edward scowled. Interfering pixie vampire.

"We'll see," he muttered.

With a glance toward Bella's room, he determinedly parked himself on Bella's sofa and opened his pediatric neurobiology book once more. Concentrate, Cullen, he ordered himself. No more stalkerish behavior. You can ignore the pull of the human woman in the bed over there. The beautiful, beguiling, freesia-scented woman…oh hell.

It was nearly two hours after Bella fell asleep that Edward heard her moving restlessly. Another nightmare? Her heart rate spiked, and he could hear her muttering something.

If she screams, I'm running in there, resolution or not. But she didn't scream. However, she was making small fretful sounds that worried him. Once he thought her utter, "Come back." Drat, that's what she said during the last nightmare, before the hysteria started. Edward hovered at Bella's door. See? Not inside the room. Right, technicalities.

"Edward," she murmured. Bella's breath hitched, her heart rate spiking again. Edward inhaled a sharp, unnecessary breath along with her. And with it he smelled…arousal? This wasn't a nightmare, it was…and he was in it. Oh, holy….

Go on, boy, his inner monster taunted. Go make her dreams come true, then feed me!

Instinctively, fascinated, Edward moved forward, resolution already forgotten, until he was standing next to Bella. As if sensing his presence, she calmed, emitting a satisfied "Mmmm," a small smile on her lips. Her fingers, which had been gripping the blanket, relaxed.

Edward's brain, and other parts of his anatomy, were in overdrive. He did what any gentlemanly, vegetarian vampire, when confronted with his unsuspecting human mate and singer having erotic dreams, would do in this situation. He bolted for the living room.

Oh, thank god, the pediatric neurology text. In most patients, the disease results from homozygous deletions involving exon 7 of the SMN gene at locus 5q13. Edward sighed, shifting uncomfortably.

It was going to be a long night.

Sorry - a little fluffy. However, the next chapter is already in the works! I toyed with the idea of an "I told you so" message from Alice. What do you think?

Happy New Year, everyone!