A/N: Thanks for reading, and thanks for the awesome reviews - keep them coming please!

(Previously):

"So how are you handling things so far, Bella?" Edward asked as we sat on the benches that were cut from logs, both of us keeping one eye on our kids.

"Well, it seems as though I have a bit of a clumsy camper on my hands...that should be interesting," I replied, glancing back at Sophie.

"Yes, I noticed that as well...perhaps we could have Alice or Rosalie switch one of their girls with Sophie? I do worry about the times when I'm not able to be around you..." Edward trailed off, his gaze resting apprehensively on Sophie.

"Absolutely not! Sophie is not going to be taken out of my group - first of all, the poor girl would wonder why she was being moved to someone else's group, and she already seems insecure as it is. Second of all, I can handle it - I'll just have to be extra careful around her," I huffed in defiance. It was one thing when I was questioning my ability to care for the girl, but when the possibility of Sophie leaving my group came up, I suddenly felt defensive. I knew what it felt like to not really fit in, and I couldn't help but feel a bit protective of her even though I knew perfectly well that Edward was merely worried about our safety.

Edward didn't look convinced, but knew better than to argue with me when I was like this. Instead, he pursed his lips as he studied Sophie, most likely trying to come up with some sort of plan to protect both of us.

Chapter 6:

Moments later all the other groups started making their way out of their cabins, and mingled in with the rest of us. Alice found us immediately, and bounced her way in our direction.

"So Bella, how is everything going for you so far?" she asked excitedly.

"Ok I guess - but I could have used your help earlier when I almost did a face-plant along with one of my kids," I replied, still a little bitter about that particular moment.

Guilt momentarily swept across Alice 's features. "Sorry about that, Bella. I was just so distracted - my group is just so fascinating – it's a lot to take in!" she said, drifting off as her gaze returned to her campers.

"What exactly is so fascinating about them Alice ? You've only known them for an hour or so," I replied, trying to understand what she meant.

"Well, for starters, they're really quite stylish children, you know – did you see some of the outfits they showed up in? There were some decent labels involved there – it seems maybe some of their parents actually know what they're doing," Alice murmured, becoming distracted again as she watched her group. "We seem to have so much in common already," she added, almost to herself.

I shook my head; somehow I doubted that I would ever understand the way Alice 's mind works. I did have to admit though, that as much as much as I'd been irritated at her lack of attention to me moments ago, suddenly things looked much different to me – these kids might actually be a buffer zone for Alice 's overenthusiastic behavior towards me.

Emmett was still over with his group. One of the boys was animatedly saying something to him, and Emmett's expression was one of bemusement. He shook his head, then gently patted the kid on the top of his head before heading over to us.

"These kids are hilarious. One of them was just trying to convince me there's a "Great Forest Fairy" in the woods. He said his big brother who'd been a camper here once told him about it - apparently, if you leave offerings for it, it will reward you or something. He's pretty serious about it, poor guy," Emmett chuckled, glancing back over at his group.

"Yes, he is..." Edward murmured in assent, his gaze also fixed on Emmett's group. "You'll have to talk some sense into him," he added, shaking his head as if bewildered by the kid's thoughts.

Our conversation was cut short as we noticed it was time for everyone to leave for the mess hall for lunch.

*********************************

As we filed into the mess hall, we directed the kids over to the cafeteria counter, where they all began forming a line and the rest of us followed behind. It was sort of comforting to see Esme behind the counter, happily serving delicious-looking food to the campers. At least we knew that she and Carlisle had arrived, although I still hadn't seen him yet.

All the kids sat where they chose, and Edward, Alice , Rosalie, Emmett and I settled in at our own table. Mike and Jessica sat at the table next to ours, but clearly didn't want to sit with us, which seemed to satisfy Edward. Angela decided upon the end of their table, which sort of put her in the middle of the group – she was able to talk to us as well as Mike and Jessica without appearing to be rude to anyone. Angela greeted me warmly and expressed how inspirational and selfless Edward and I were to volunteer to be counselors with just weeks to go before our wedding – if she only knew. Jasper showed up at the last minute and didn't even bother with the pretense of getting a tray of food – instead, he just settled in next to Alice, who immediately lit up upon seeing him.

We were about halfway through our meal - and the rest of the Cullens were halfway through faking theirs - when the door opened, and Sue tromped into the building and headed for the podium up front. After tapping the microphone to be sure it was working, she cleared her throat, and waited for everyone to quiet down.

"Once again, welcome campers. I'm sure by now you've gotten to know your counselors a bit, and hopefully everyone is happy. Anyway, your counselors each have an itinerary which they can come up and collect from me shortly. You will all participate in one activity per day, and two cabins will be paired together for each activity. You will also have some free time to get to know your new friends better, or to do whatever you wish - as long as you're supervised by a counselor. After dinner, you'll all return to the campsite, where you'll be allowed to have nightly campfires and s'mores - and counselors, be sure to clean up afterwards, as we don't want any kind of...unwanted visitors attracted by food." She paused again as she heard a loud snort coming from our table. She was unable to locate the responsible party, but we all knew who it was - Emmett. Surely he was remembering the incident when I'd left the s'mores out and he'd gotten a bear for a midnight snack of his own. Great.

"The daily schedules will allow for some flexibility; I'm assigning Tuesday and Thursday as entirely free days, so you can let your counselors know what you'd like to do and they will make the final decision. Also, as some of you return campers know, the previous camp owners liked to change everything when the weekend came around since it's the last couple days of camp, and I'd like to keep that tradition. Saturday morning starts with an awards ceremony to recognize the top performers or most creative campers in each activity. The rest of the morning will be spent doing something you all choose – it's usually a competition or game of sorts. There's a suggestion box outside the mess hall, and you're welcome to submit ideas there. I'll announce what the choice will be on Wednesday at dinner time. Saturday afternoon will be when we hold the annual carnival, which you'll learn more about later on. All I ask for now is that the counselors submit a suggestion for what station they'd like to be in charge of for it," Sue added.

Well that would be an interesting twist. Glancing around, I could see I wasn't alone in my thinking. Alice was practically bouncing in her seat, clearly excited about something, and Emmett was suddenly paying extremely close attention while casting curious glances back at his kids as if he were sizing them up. I also couldn't help but notice Edward's expression - he looked smug. I didn't have to look far to see whose thoughts he was listening to - Mike was practically glaring at Edward. I'd definitely have to ask about that later, but before I could put much more thought into it, Sue began speaking again.

"Now, for those of you returning campers, this year we have a guest physician who will be standing if for Nurse Bradley. I'd like you all to give a warm welcome to Dr. Cullen, who will be more than happy to take care of any medical problems you may have," Sue said, motioning to the corner of the room, where Carlisle stood up so the kids could see him. When the heck did he come in? Had he been here the whole time, watching us? As the kids clapped for him, he smiled warmly, and discreetly glanced over at our table, most likely making sure I was still in one piece.

"One more thing, campers - while you're here, your counselors are your utmost authority figures. I'm not around much, so pay strict attention to what they say. I'll be checking back on Wednesday to collect the entries in the suggestion box, so be sure to get your ideas in by then. Oh - and don't forget to pay a visit to the Great Forest Fairy for extra luck!" Sue said, winking at her audience.

A sudden splash of water on my wrist made me jump, and I looked around for the guilty party. Emmett had dropped the bottle of water he'd been pretending to drink from, and was staring back and forth between Sue and the kid who'd told him about the Great Forest Fairy, as if trying to figure something out.

Rolling his eyes, Edward quickly leaned over and wiped up the mess with a few napkins. "Unbelievable...he's starting to think it's real," he muttered under his breath.

"Well, that's all I have for now – go out there and have a great first day here at Camp Catawba ! Sue finished enthusiastically as she stepped down from the podium.

Assuming that was our cue, the other counselors and I got up to go receive our itineraries.

The rest of the lunch hour was spent looking over our new schedules. I couldn't help but be a bit nervous as I glanced down at this afternoon's activity for my group...archery. I still couldn't believe that was an option here - weren't these kids too young for that?

Looking up from my sheet, I noticed Edward was gone. As I scanned the room for him, I noticed him talking to Emmett - rather heatedly - in the back corner of the room. What on earth was the problem? I turned my attention to Alice, who merely waved her hand at me as she shook her head - apparently it was nothing to worry about.

It was time to make our way to our activities, so there was no point in stalling. I gathered my group and told them to wait while I went to say goodbye to Edward. After looking for him, I found him in another serious-looking conversation with Alice . When I got closer to them, they broke off their conversation and turned to me.

"Edward, I just wanted to say goodbye - I'm getting ready to take my group to Archery lessons. It's a good thing the counselors don't have to participate, isn't it?" I laughed, nervously biting my bottom lip. "I hope my group doesn't mind me not trying it."

Edward moved forward and placed both his hands securely on either of my arms. "Bella…I'm sure they won't mind, they'll most likely just be excited to try it themselves. Don't worry."

"Oh - good," I murmured. Then I remembered Edward's odd behavior. "What's going on - what happened with Emmett earlier? Why were you and Alice having some kind of secret conversation?" I asked suspiciously. "And what was with the look Mike was giving you?"

Guilt flashed across Edward's features. "I'm sorry, Bella. It's just that I noticed Emmett's group was assigned to go to Archery with yours, and I was trying to get him to switch - it's not like Sue would ever know, she's gone home. I'd rather be with you, so I can keep a closer eye on you - I mean it is Archery..." he said, his gaze shifting to the floor.

He went on to explain that Emmett had refused his request; apparently, Emmett had been thrilled to learn that he had Archery as his group's activity for the afternoon - even more thrilled when he'd learned my group would be involved. Surely he was looking forward to whatever catastrophe I would cause. Little did he know, I wasn't going anywhere near the bows and arrows - it was entirely too risky with children around. Sue had explained the day before that it was set up for young children – the arrows had plastic safety tips on them, and the bows were smaller, but I could only imagine that even with the tips, those arrows would hurt quite a bit if they hit someone.

Edward also explained that he'd been going over the future repeatedly with Alice since Emmett refused to cooperate, just to be safe. She hadn't seen anything, so I suppose that was good, although I remembered all too well how 'last minute decisions' could change everything.

"As far as Newton …well he was just thinking how he'd love to finally beat me at something, and was wondering how he'd get the chance – what he could put in the suggestion box that would put the odds in his team's favor on Saturday. I was merely thinking how ridiculous he was being – he could never beat me at anything," Edward chuckled confidently. I just shook my head and reluctantly gave his had a quick squeeze before leaving – kids were everywhere, and I didn't think it would go over very well if I jumped into his arms and kissed him goodbye.

Ten minutes later my group was gathered at the Archery course waiting. Emmett and his group arrived shortly after as well as the instructor. This was one of the few activities that they actually brought an instructor in for - most everything else would just be supervised by the counselors or volunteers. The woman's name was Jill, and she greeted all of us enthusiastically, her gaze resting on Emmett a second too long - good thing Rosalie wasn't around.

Emmett's group went first, and Emmett himself was incredibly eager to participate. He let the kids go first, and then when they were finally done he stepped up and one after the other effortlessly sent ten arrows flying straight into the bull's-eye. His campers stood gaping in awe at him, their mouths literally hanging open, until they all started cheering madly for him. Even the instructor was at a loss for words.

As my group began to take their turns, I encouraged them while standing at a slight distance - I refused to test fate any more than necessary. Emmett was standing off to the side, looking slightly bored now - he was hoping I had planned on participating of course, and was disappointed with my decision. His campers were off in the adjacent grassy area, all talking about their super-awesome counselor, who they believed could hit a target with his eyes closed. They were probably right.

Most of my kids were done, and as the last few moved forward in line, I noticed that little Sophie was among them. I could only hope things went all right for her - I remembered how I felt growing up with people always making fun of my clumsiness, and I'd hate for her to have to go through that too.

Glancing at her watch, the instructor asked if we would mind tending to the last few kids ourselves. She had an important phone call to make, and she'd already delayed it by ten minutes. There were only a few kids left so Emmett and I nodded in understanding, and she smiled gratefully as she mentioned to just leave the equipment behind the target for Wednesday's lesson before leaving.

I stepped closer to the shooting area; I figured I'd better make sure no one needed any help, since Jill was gone. Not that I knew what I was doing, but I could at least try. Given my close proximity to the arrows, Emmett immediately began to pay closer attention. Despite his odd behavior at times, he really would make a good brother-in-law.

Finally it was Sophie's turn. She carefully picked up the small bow, and tried to secure the arrow. Surprisingly, she did fairly well, and was ready to take her first shot, but she suddenly hesitated.

"What's wrong Sophie? You're all ready, go ahead and try it," I encouraged, smiling at her. My words seemed to make her more confident, and she focused her attention back on the target. Just as she was about to release the arrow, I felt a piercing pain on the back of my leg.

"OW!" I yelped loudly, smacking away the annoying culprit - a bee.

The next thing I heard was Sophie gasp; my outburst had frightened her, and as she was releasing the arrow, she had suddenly begun to turn towards me to see what was wrong, causing her arrow to change course - drastically. Instead of shooting towards the target, she had accidentally shot right at Emmett - and hit him directly in the upper arm.

Both groups were completely silent, all staring, mouths hanging open again. Emmett was looking at Sophie as if amused, not realizing at all that the impact should have hurt quite a bit. Quickly taking in the situation, I cleared my throat.

"Wow - Emmett, are you ok? That had to have really hurt - even with the safety tips, these arrows would still cause quite a bit of pain." Emmett met my gaze, blinked a couple times, then caught on.

"Argh! My arm! Those things are sharp even with the safety tips!" His opposite arm shot up to cover the point of impact, holding it as if he were in pain.

One of his campers cautiously moved toward Emmett and slowly picked up the arrow - which was now bent at a very odd angle - and held it up for the other kids to see.

"Well...those things are just made poorly, that's all. It harmed me more than I harmed it," Emmett muttered, glancing back towards me for help.

"Yes, I'd say so - you'd better see Dr. Cullen just to be sure you're all right," I continued.

Just then, Edward and his group appeared on the path behind us, most likely on their way back to camp having finished their activity. Edward leaned down and said something to his kids, who all nodded in response and wandered over to Emmett's campers.

"What exactly happened here?" Edward asked as he approached the Archery area. He was keeping up pretenses - obviously he already knew what happened - I was sure he'd listened to Emmett's thoughts. Sophie and a couple other girls were still standing with us though, so he had to appear confused. It didn't escape me that his gaze shifted to the back of my leg where I'd been stung, and for a moment irritation washed over his features.

"Just an accident - Bella frightened the girl and she lost her focus - I'll be all right, after some medical attention," Emmett replied, cringing as he patted his 'wounded' area.

I leaned over to Sophie, who was still looking rather shocked. "Sophie, why don't you and your friends go join all the other kids - there's nothing to worry about - it was an accident, and I'm sorry for scaring you, ok?" I grinned.

Sophie smiled and looked relieved. She and the other girls went to join the rest of their friends near Emmett and Edward's groups.

Edward sighed. "You can knock it off now Emmett. Bella, love - are you all right? That welt on your leg is swelling quite a bit. You should probably go see Carlisle ," he added, concerned.

"I'll be fine, Edward. It's really nobody's fault – it was just an accident. Not even Alice could have seen that coming," I added, trying to lighten his mood as I scratched at the new sore on my leg. It was true – it's not like I had decided to be stung – and as far as my reaction to it, well – who could blame me?

Edward's expression didn't change. "I know, Bella, I just worry…and I really do think it's necessary for you to go to Carlisle . He'll surely have some ointment that will help with the irritation."

"I'll take her. I'm supposed to be heading in that direction anyway – you know, for my 'wound,'" Emmett smirked, still clutching his arm.

Edward glared at him for a moment before turning back to me. "I'd much rather if I accompanied you, but someone has to get all the kids back to camp, and since Emmett here is apparently in need of a physician's care, he'll have to take you, Bella," he said regrettably.

"Its fine, Edward. Take the kids, and I'll catch up with you later, ok?" I smiled at him, still trying to make him realize everything was really all right.

He gave me a small grin before squeezing my hand lightly, and then turned to tend to all our campers.

As the kids and Edward disappeared over the hill headed back to camp, Emmett linked his arm through mine. "C'mon, Bella – off to see Carlisle – just like old times!" he laughed.

I swayed slightly as I blinked to clear my vision; everything looked slightly blurry for a second. Emmett looked curiously at me, probably hoping I'd fall over or something stupid. "Yeah, yeah Emmett, let's go," I said, and just as I was about to move forward with him, my legs buckled beneath me.

Instead of hearing the laughter I was expecting, Emmett caught me before I hit the ground and threw me over his shoulder, swiftly running in the direction of Carlisle 's office. My mind was fading in and out, and my hands and feet were tingling.

I was only slightly aware when Emmett charged through the door to Carlisle 's office and gently laid me down on the cold examination table. He was speaking to Carlisle , saying something about a bee sting.

Suddenly Carlisle 's face peered directly into mine. "Bella – are you allergic to bees?" he asked loudly, as if I were deaf.

"I don't know," I managed to get out before erupting into a tremendous fit of coughing; I felt like I couldn't catch my breath. I'd never been stung before, so how would I know if I was allergic?

He disappeared for a moment, but was back quickly with a giant sized syringe in his hands. The last thing I saw was the huge needle as he lowered it to my skin – then the room went black.

A/N: I really want to get the number of reviews up for this story, so if you are reading, please take a moment to leave a note - thanks!