A/N: Wow, I am a terrible person to have kept you all waiting for so long. I really wanted to get this chapter up sooner, but my first semester collage exams caught up with me, not to mention my first ever case of serious writers block, which really sucks by the way. I couldn't get this chapter the way I wanted for the longest time and I hope that I managed at least a modest standard. Again, sorry for the delay, but real life cannot be put on hold. (Believe me, I've tried.)

Anyhow, you should probably thank Layfra02 for making me feel so guilty that I spent a few hours trying to finish this chapter. Yay for guilt-trips!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

BPOV

It was a beautiful morning, the sun that prevented my family from going to school was just rising, turning the few clouds there were into glowing puff balls in the sky. A scattering of raindrops still dampened the huge balcony outside my bedroom from the sun shower that had happened moments before and the air had that fresh, crisp scent that always came after such an event.

I was lounging in the hammock that Jesse had installed for me on the edge of the balcony, strung between two of the dark-wood poles that had been placed there for that very purpose. It was windy out, so the hammock rocked back and forth, a soothing motion that had put me into a sort of meditative state. Sanderson was curled up near my shoulder, one paw resting on my ear, his purring loud due to the close proximity.

Other than flying, lounging in the hammock was my favourite thing to do when I felt the need to relax. Currently, I had two reasons to do that. Reason number one, was that the police had called, asking for me to come in 'at a time that was convenient for me' to give my statement on what had happened last week. Although I had to admit, these cops were a lot nicer than the ones in our last town.

Reason number two, and by far the one that was making me the most nervous, was that it was Friday, which meant my date with Alice. I had dealt with police officers before, but dates? Not so much. I was excited, that much was clear. Then again, who wouldn't be? I was going on a date with Alice Cullen. But I was still nervous, afraid that I'd screw up and make an ass of myself. Not to mention the fact that I was going to tell her about me.

Normally, I wouldn't even consider telling someone I had just met a few weeks ago, but I wanted a relationship with her and it wouldn't be fair to her to have to go in blind. Not that that made it any easier. I had told my parents that the damage had already been done and putting a name to it wouldn't make much of a difference, but the truth was that it would make a huge difference. It wasn't exactly something that you could just shrug off.

"Oh Sandy, life is so simple for a cat," I sighed. "If you found a nice tabby, you could just bring her a dead mouse and she'd be happy." I scratched him behind the ear, smiling slightly as he made a sleepy meow and stretched into a more comfortable position, his paw moving from my ear to my cheek, his face nuzzling into my neck.

The mention of a gift brought my eyes to the leather wrapped tube with a carrying strap lying on my bed, the kind old-fashioned pages used to deliver the messages, which I could see through the glass double doors that led to the balcony. It was better than a dead mouse, but I fervently hoped that she liked it. I had been agonizing over what to get her for the entire week; using our nightly phone calls to weasel out information discreetly. That was also how I'd found out what to do for our date tonight and I thanked God that Alice was very forthcoming about her hobbies and interests.

I smiled again. Ever since that first time, Alice had called every night at the same time, like clockwork and I'm not ashamed to admit that I'd been caught staring at the phone in anticipation more than once by my family members, much to their amusement.

"Bella! Pancakes are done!" Clare's voice jolted me out of my silent contemplation of the box and my face lit up. I lovedpancakes.

"Sorry dude, I gotta go," I muttered to Sanderson, lifting him off of me and putting him back down on the hammock, feeling irrationally guilty as he hooked his claws in my t-shirt in a vain effort to get me to stay. Unhooking them gently, I patted him apologetically on the head and trotted downstairs to the kitchen, the scent of pancakes, maple syrup and orange juice permeating the house.

Our kitchen was a nice one, full of stainless steel appliances and more of the dark-wood that was common in our home. There was a central eating area, bigger than was strictly necessary for a household in which only one person actually ate food, made of black marble with a few wooden seats placed in front of it. A plate of pancakes was already there, glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and container of syrup resting quietly beside it.

"Better eat it before it gets cold." Clare said, smiling as she finished putting away the equipment she'd used for cooking. She had never been much of a chef when she was human, and had never had a reason to for decades when she became a vampire, but she'd really stepped up when I came along, even going so far as to take classes, which I still wished I could have seen. I could just imagine her staring confusedly at a skillet, while sneakily eyeing the person beside her to see what they were doing.

Lee scoffed from his spot on the counter, the book he had been reading while conversing with our mother figure resting in his lap. "Like that would bother her. Bella would dig a whole to the center of the earth if it meant getting to blueberry pancakes. Or pretzels, or croissants, or any kind of fruit." He turned to look at me, affectionately ruffling my hair into complete disarray. "You know, for someone who eats as little as you do, you sure love food."

I scowled at him, the threat ruined by me taking a huge bite of blueberry pancakes.

"So, what time is Alice arriving at?" Clare asked, her short blond hair falling into her eyes as she spoke.

I glanced up at her, trying to gauge her mood. "She's coming to pick me up at seven." I had tried to convince her to let me pick her up, but she had insisted that if I was organizing the date, the least she could do was drive. I had the sneaking suspicion that she just wanted to show me her car, which she seemed to be in love with, if our conversations were any indication. She is one stubborn little pixie and it was only after I'd given her directions and said she could drive did she stop using the 'pouty voice'.

"Good, that'll give us plenty of time to get to know her."

I narrowed my eyes. "Mom, you have to promise me that you won't do anything drastic."

Her eyes widened innocently. "Like what? When have we ever done anything drastic?"

I had to stop my mouth from gaping open. "What about that time when I was thirteen and that boy, Dale, asked if I'd like to go to the water park with him?"

"That was completely different. And it wasn't that bad."

I gave her a flat stare. "Dad pretended to be a police officer and told him that all the dogs in town were infected with rabies and that he should go home, lock all doors and windows and wait for the all clear. Dale sat alone in his house with a baseball bat for four hours before his parents came home. Jesse and Lee spent the entire time wandering around his house growling and snarling and scratching at the door. How was that not drastic?"

"You were thirteen years old and he had no right to ask you out at such a young age. Besides, you didn't even like him."

I groaned. "That's not the point. Just promise me. I really don't want my crazy family to scare Alice off before I even get a chance with her."

Clare sighed, looking hard done by, as though not harassing Alice was tiring her. "Oh, alright. But you have to formally introduce her to us as soon as she arrives. I want to meet her and see what she's like."

"Me too, and I know that Jesse is going to give her the once over to make sure that she's right for you," Lee piped up cheerily from beside me, no doubt happily recalling memories of the 'Dale Incident', as we referred to it now.

Clare put her hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, Bella. We won't do anything that would jeopardize your budding relationship with this girl. We're just doing what any family would do."

I took another bite of the pancakes, hoping to God that Alice would survive the night.

XXXXX

APOV

"Rosalie! I need help!" I yelled, my nervousness coming to the fore and causing my voice to become more high-pitched than usual. My room was in a terrible state of disrepair, clothes strewn all over the place, on the previously unnecessary but now highly interesting double bed, all across the floor, on top of the various dressers and surfaces. The door to my enormous walk-in closet was thrown open, clothes trailing out of it like blood at a crime scene, leading to me, pacing in front of the bookshelf that had not escaped the flurry of flying fabrics.

"Oh, for God's sakes Alice, it's only three o' clock. She's still in school and you have plenty of time. Will you relax." Rosalie's voice was irritated, but I could hear the undercurrent of amusement. The entire family was thoroughly enjoying the fact that the most confident member of our little group was acting like a blushing teenager. Not that I could help it.

She blurred up the stairs and stopped when she saw the state of my room, eyes widening. "Jeez, Alice, it looks like a tornado came through here."

I clutched a dark green top to my chest and looked around helplessly. "Nothing is right for tonight. It's either too dull, too eccentric or too flashy and if I wear something like that, Bella will think I'm trying too hard."

Rosalie raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow at me. "You are trying too hard."

"But she's not supposed to know that!" I hissed, throwing the green top down to pick up a navy blue top, holding it to my chest and glancing in the mirror before flinging it away to land somewhere in the vicinity of the TV. "She also said that I should wear pants, I don't exactly know why, but she specified on the pants and I can't find the perfect pants!"

Rosalie leaned against the door frame, watching me flail around in a panic. "So what do you want me to do about it?"

I stopped the aforementioned flailing, turning to face her. "I need you to help me choose an outfit."

Both eyebrows rose this time. "Since when have you needed help dressing youself?"

"Since I realized that nothing in my wardrobe is right. I already told you this. Keep up."

She pursed her lips, looking at me thoughtfully. "Fine. Come on." Walking into the room, she grabbed my arm and dragged me downstairs. We passed Edward and Jasper sitting on the couch, each giving us identical, confused looks.

"What are you doing?" I asked, having to trot slightly to keep up with her longer legs.

"I'm helping," she stated simply, pulling me into the garage and stopping next to her red BMW. She let go of my arm and walked around to the driver's side, glancing at me over the roof. "Get in."

My eyebrows drew down in confusion, but I complied, opening the door and slipping into the dark leather seats that were always kept in immaculate condition. No matter how long she has them, Rosalie's cars always smell new, something that I was always pleased with.

She slid in beside me, closing the door gently, as though it were made of glass. The key was in the ignition and the car was coming to life before she had even closed the door. The button beside the rearview mirror that allowed us to open the garage door was pressed and we were pulling out onto our driveway.

"Ok, Rosalie, seriously, where are we going?" Her silence was bugging me and I was half afraid that she was going to do something rash, like drive to an abandoned lot and throw me out so that I'd stop pacing and interrupting her 'quiet time' with Emmet.

She glanced at me and grinned. "Shopping."

We spent a solid two hours in the mall, pouring through all the different stores trying to find the perfect outfit. It was at times like these that I really saw how caring my older sister could be. She liked shopping, but when the focus was on someone else and she wasn't getting anything, it lost its appeal for her. The fact that she ignored her own needs, including a 50%-off sale at her favourite store, and focused solely on me was slightly endearing. In the end, after many, many different stores, we settled on black jeans, a white blouse, black jacket and a yellow scarf. It was simple, which Bella would like, but it was also a great outfit and looked great on me, something that Rosalie told me time and time again.

Upon returning home at five o' clock, I realized that I only had two hours before I had to pick up Bella, which would involve meeting her parents. That was a big part of why I was so nervous. I had seen the scene played out hundreds of times on TV and plays, but I had never realized what a terrifying experience it would be. I was half tempted to call her and tell her to meet me in a non-descript part of a shady forest somewhere, wearing a trench coat and dark glasses. Sure, it was an overreaction, but it would make me feel better. Then again, I was the one who wanted to pick her up at her house, partly because I loved driving my car and was insanely proud of it, but also because it felt right to me somehow. This entire business, despite the fact that it involved a vampire and whatever Bella was, seemed so normal, someone going to pick up their date and meet her parents for the first time. If her father told me to have her back by eleven, it would have slipped from weird to completely surreal.

I chose to ignore the fact that normal was something that I viewed as weird, and went downstairs to calm my nerves, which was accomplished by fervently hacking virtual zombies to pieces with Emmett while trying to ignore his constant, and now ever-present, lesbian jokes.

After twenty-three successive wins, it was six o'clock, time to start getting ready.

Being a vampire, my regime only took about twenty minutes. I hopped in the shower, dried my hair, put on my clothes and once again went downstairs to wait until it was time to leave.

I was so engrossed in staring at the window sill that I didn't notice Edward walking up behind me until he spoke. "Alice, could I talk to you for a minute?"

I frowned when I realized that he seemed nervous about something, but nodded anyway. "Sure, what about?"

He sat down on the couch beside me, staring at me hard. "Are you…feeling alright?"

My brows drew down in confusion. "Well, I'm nervous right now, but I feel fine. "Why?"

He shifted on his seat and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Well, I didn't want to say anything in case it was nothing, but over the last few days, I've been finding it harder to 'read' you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's not all the time, just occasionally, but sometimes your thoughts are kind of…fuzzy and sometimes they blank out completely for a few seconds."

"Has this ever happened to you before?" I asked.

"Not exactly like this, but all of us have been having trouble with our abilities since the Van Allens showed up." He gave me a look. "Also, this started happening about the same time that you started getting your visions back."

"So it's more than likely that they are responsible somehow."

"Yeah, and I was just wondering if maybe you'd ask her about it at some point today?"

I raised an eyebrow and stared at him. "What is it with this family that makes them all ask me to use my dates with Bella to ferret out information from her?"

He looked sheepish and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. "Ah, that's not what I was asking, I was just wondering if you'd-"

"Use my date with Bella to ferret out information from her?" I cut him off.

He seemed at a loss on how to continue. "Well…yes."

I stood up and walked to the other window in the room. "Sorry Edward, but not having you snooping around in my head for once is kind of refreshing. I have a feeling that it will all be resolved tonight anyway."

He looked at me in surprise. "You had a vision?"

"No, it's more a…feeling." I glanced at my watch, something that I'd been doing on and off for the past three hours and realized that it was time to leave. I flitted to the door and was about to grab hold of the doorknob, when someone coughed behind me.

I turned around to find the rest of my family arranged before the staircase. Damn, I was unobservant today.

Carlisle and Esme were standing shoulder to shoulder, huge grins on their faces. Even Rosalie had a tiny little curve of her lip.

"What?" I asked, hand still on the doorknob.

Esme shuffled and I saw the gleam of tears in her eyes, which she quickly dispelled. "Now all of my children have someone." She said by way of explanation, wrapping an arm around Carlisle.

Emmett stepped forward, blinking rapidly and dramatically waving a hand at his eyes, like an overwhelmed prom queen about to give her speech. "Our little Alice is finally growing up."

Carlisle smiled. "I wonder Alice, when do we get to meet this girl?"

I thought about that for a moment. My siblings had seen Bella at school, but had never really talked to her, except for that one time with Edward in the Biology lab. Other than that, their interactions with her had been solely observing myself and her in conversation. Esme and Carlisle had never even met her, nor her family members. Usually whenever we came across new vampires we introduced ourselves, provided they weren't bat-shit crazy, but with the mystery of what Bella was and their unresponsiveness, it seemed to have been put on hold. I assumed that now that Bella and I were in a relationship, introductions would soon follow.

"I guess sooner rather than later. I'll see if I can persuade her to meet you guys at some point in the near future." I smiled at the thought of bringing Bella home to meet my family and hoped to God that Emmett went easy on the practical jokes.

Smiling again, I waved at my family and opened the door, glancing at them once more before I shut it. The smile I saw on Esme's face could have powered New York City for a month.

"Have fun," she called as I was walking to the door of my car, which I had left outside the front door for easy access.

The drive to Bella's house wasn't a long one, but it was far enough away to ensure that we didn't run into the Van Allen's while they were hunting, as no incidents had occurred.

Her directions were clear and accurate and I had no problem finding their house. The long driveway closed in by trees was reminiscent of our own, and the secluded location was a must for a family of four vampires and one unknown. Breaching the tree line, I came to a clearing that was pressed up against a high cliff face, dark green trees casting shadows over the house at its centre.

The Van Allen home was gorgeous, easily as impressive as our own. It was three stories tall, the outside composed of a dark stone, with dark wooden fixtures around the high-arced windows, which were very large and numerous. I was facing the house, so I couldn't see the back, but I caught a glimpse of what must have been a huge balcony as I walked towards the house from an angle. Steps lead up to intricately carved wooden double doors and a two-meter-wide wrap-around porch. The whole house was dark, but it wasn't foreboding, it was simply beautiful, everything fitting perfectly together like a work of art.

However, what really caught my eye were the two stone lions that were on the ground on either side of the double doors. They were huge, made from a marble as black as pitch and standing at least six feet high. I couldn't help the gasp that came from my slack jaw when I saw them, for in all my years on this earth, I had never seen a piece of stone look so lifelike. The level of detail was astounding, each feature expertly wrought, down to the last hair. Their jaws were slightly open, showing the fearsome teeth, the huge claws exposed and digging into the earth. They looked pretty damn scary.

When I managed to tear my eyes away, I noticed evidence of further statues, if one could even call them that. Two ravens were perched on top of the chimney and only my vampire sight allowed me to tell that they weren't real. An owl sat on the railing surrounding one of the smaller windows and a wolf was crouched in the trees to my left, almost hidden by the growth. My steps faltered slightly as I saw all of these, my eyes eagerly drinking in their beauty before thoughts of Bella managed to pull me towards the door.

That, of course, was when my nerves kicked into overdrive. Ok, no need to panic, it's just Bella's family…who I've never met personally before. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door, waiting patiently until it opened. I knew that they had heard me when I was still on the drive over, but habits are hard to shake.

The woman on the other side was beautiful, not that I was expecting anything less from a vampire, but her beauty was that of a timeless classic, with short, soft blond hair, unreadable golden eyes and delicate facial features. She was almost as tall as Rosalie and carried herself with an air of confidence and at the same time, gentleness. She seemed like the kind of person who would risk her life for a loved one, yet still happily tear your head off if you crossed her. Intimidating was an understatement.

I held my hand out, trying my hardest to not let my nerves get the better of me. "Hello, you must be Mrs. Van Allen. I'm Alice Cullen; it's a pleasure to meet you."

She stared at me for a split second and I almost gulped in nervousness, when her lips curved in an amused smile and she took my small hand in her slightly larger one. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you too Alice. Please, call me Clare." She released my hand with a satisfied smile and stepped to the side, gesturing for me to enter the house.

The foyer was big, with wooden floors and painted a nice blue colour that reminded me of a clear sky. There was a set of stairs that led to the second floor to the left of the door, the carved wooden posts depicting two eagles, wings outstretched.

"Come on into the living room, the rest of the family are eager to meet you," Clare told me, placing a hand on my shoulder to steer me where I needed to go to 'meet the family'.

Trying not to let my nerves show, I went where she directed me until I came into a very cozy room, complete with white leather furniture, deep wooden floors and a white marble fireplace. Jesse and Lee, Bella's siblings, were perched on a white leather love seat, curled up together lazily. Both of them looked at me curiously as I entered, not bothering to disguise their interest. They gave me a slight wave and a smile.

Another man entered the room from a door that seemed to lead out to the garage, if the glance at the family's Toyota was anything to go by. He was tall and very well built, with short, dark brown hair and inquisitive eyes, his face adorned by a permanent five o' clock shadow. The black wife-beater and dark green combat pants he wore were covered in a fine white powder, which also made his hair seem whitish-grey and made his skin tone like that of a statue. From the scent, I'd guess it was stone dust and I remembered Bella telling me her father's passion was stone carving, meaning that he was responsible for the statues outside.

This must have been Micheal. Just like his wife, he stared at me for a few moments before he smiled, walking towards me. "Hello there Alice, I'm Micheal. It's nice to finally meet you in person." He extended his hand, only to glance at it and realize that it was covered in dust. "Oh, well, never mind that then."

Clare chuckled and handed him a wet cloth to clean up. Turning to face me, she gestured to Jesse and Lee, who were still sitting on the love seat. "I take it you've already met those two."

I nodded, waiting until she gestured towards on the couch before taking a seat. She and Micheal sat down opposite me on a two-seater armchair, glancing at me curiously. I looked around the room, trying to calm my nerves down, noting that Bella wasn't down yet as I could hear her up in what must be her room, shuffling around with her insanely light footfalls.

Jesse leaned forward and placed her chin on her hand. "So, Alice, tell us a little about yourself while we wait for Bella."

I shrugged my shoulders. "What do you want to know?"

"Any deep-rooted desires for world domination? Any homicidal tendencies? Any specific aversion to cats?"

My brows furrowed in slight confusion. What kind of questions were those? I was expecting 'where were you born?' or 'how long have you been a vegetarian?'

"Not that I know of, on all counts."

Lee, who up until now had been silent, chuckled slightly. "Any fear of heights?"

Before I could wonder at the looks of amusement on their faces, I heard a soft pitter-patter coming down the stairs. At first, the silence of the steps lead me to believe that it was Bella, so my head whipped around towards it, only to be met by a large grey, white and black tomcat. It sat at the bottom of the stairs for a moment before padding over towards me.

I was at a loss.

Cats hated vampires and this one was not only sitting in a house full of them, but was walking over towards one. The scent alone should have been enough to drive it away with fear, yet it seemed merely curious.

As soon as it reached the couch, it hopped up and promptly plonked itself down on my lap, batting me lazily with its paw. When I didn't respond to its prodding's, still staring in shock, it opened its mouth and let out a low, drawn out meow that lasted at least six whole seconds.

"I'd pet him if I were you, otherwise he won't stop," a soft voice said from my left. I jerked in surprise, nearly dislodging the cat, which looked at me in annoyance. Turning my head, I saw Bella standing there with her arms crossed. In an instant, all of my nerves vanished, the calm feeling that I felt when Bella was near soothing my frazzled emotions, almost like Jasper would, but at the same time, not. Despite the fact that her family was sitting only a few paces away, I couldn't stop my eyes from giving her the once-over.

She wore a pair of dark jeans, a black shirt and a dark brown leather jacket, the dark color highlighting her pale skin and making the ever-present ring on her finger shine brilliantly. Her dark hair fell in gentle waves down her back, framing her face to perfection. She carried what appeared to be a leather wrapped tube in one hand, with a strap that was obviously used to wrap around a persons torso.

I suddenly became aware that I was staring when Bella smiled amusedly, which only grew when the cat sat up and began nuzzling my face with what could only be described as intense determination. I tried to move my head to the side but he just followed, placing both paws on my chest for better leverage. Quickly following Bella's advice, I tentatively raised a hand and patted him gently on the head. As soon as my hand made contact, a deep rumbling purr that sounded like someone was sawing logs issued from the cat and he flopped down with a look of ecstasy on his little face.

I looked back to Bella, my questions evident.

She took a step forward, transferring the tube to the other hand. "That's Sanderson. He's the family pet," she said by way of explanation.

"But how? Cats hate vampires," I said, my voice no doubt carrying the happiness and confusion that I felt. I had always loved cats, but their aversion to vampires had made getting one slightly harder than normal.

Jesse chuckled, leaning forward. "Sandy did hate vampires, but he loved Bella, so she sort of eased him into living with us a couple of years ago." She shot him a look that was part affection and part annoyance. "Now the damn thing won't leave us alone."

"Oh shut up, you love him," Bella huffed indignantly.

Jesse rolled her eyes but didn't dispute her statement.

"He really likes you. That's a good sign; he's a great judge of character." Clare's voice was just as amused as Bella looked and I knew that if I could blush I would be.

The huge cat still sitting on my lap began to roll about, trying to angle himself so I would rub his stomach. The only problem was that he was big and my lap was small. He fell off and landed on the floor with a thud, barely managing to get his feet under himself. The look of sheer bewilderment on his face when he righted himself caused me to burst out laughing and I was thankful that I heard the others joining in.

He looked at me once, as though wondering whether or not he should try again and instead he went over to the fire place and stretched out in front of it.

I glanced around to see that Bella was watching me, a small smile on her face. Our eyes connected and for a split second, I could have sworn that hers became lighter, almost luminescent. As quickly as I'd seen it, it was gone and I began to wonder if I'd seen it at all.

Someone cleared their throat and the connection was broken, my gaze turning to Micheal who had a serious look on his face. "Alice, you and Bella have to leave soon to be in time for your date and whatnot, but before you go I have a very important question to ask you."

I nodded my head, waiting for him to ask whatever he needed.

"If you are going to be with my daughter, I need to know one thing." He folded his hands and leaned forward, his expression becoming grave. "How do you feel about leather?"

For a moment, I though that I'd misheard him, until Bella's horrified 'Dad!' cut through the silence. She looked equal parts mortified and murderous, her face blushing furiously.

Her father's head tipped back and he laughed amusedly. His shoulders shook and he shook his head. "I'm sorry, I just needed to see her reaction. It was fine, by the way, very shocked."

Clare smiled kindly at me. "I apologize for my husband's behavior; he has a twisted sense of humor."

Both of Bella's siblings were smiling widely, glancing between their pseudo-father and my own, no doubt bewildered face.

"You know, we should really be getting a move on, I'm sure you'll all have plenty of chances to talk some other time," Bella stated quickly, ushering me towards the front door, blush still firmly in place.

"Have fun you two," Clare called, waving happily while patting her mate soothingly on the back.

We had just shut the door and were turning around towards the car when Jesse's "Alice, don't forget that Bella isn't legal yet!" rang out from behind us.

"Oh, God," Bella groaned, quickening her pace. We made it to the car, Bella taking the time from her embarrassment to glance at it appreciatively, and then we were driving up the long road that the Van Allens used as a driveway.

The cloud cover and the nearness of winter made the sky dark, wreathing the car in shadows. The purring of the engine was the only sound for a few minutes until Bella spoke.

"Sorry about them, they have a terrible habit of harassing anyone who tries to date me."

Despite the fact that I was now on the receiving end of that harassment, I was glad that they had kept away any other suitors. "Well they're not going to scare me away, trust me." I smiled at her, which she returned, eyes flickering around the interior of the car.

"Oh, I know that. They went easy on you because they like you," she told me, her hand running down the leather of the seat.

I turned to face her, eyes narrowed in skepticism. "You think that they like me?"

She grinned. "Of course they do, they were all very civil. Plus, they trust you." She went back to her silent examination of the car.

"But how can they like, or trust me. They only just met me, for like, two minutes and most of that was taken up by the cat."

She regarded me quietly for a moment. "Well, you know how Clare said that Sanderson was a great judge of character-"

"Hold on," I cut her off with a raised hand. "Your family based their judgment of me on the opinion of a cat?"

She laughed. "No, but if you'd let me finish, that would have made more sense." Her eyes twinkled with amusement, her fingers tapping out a tune on her jean clad knee. "What I was going to say, was that it isn't Sanderson who's a great judge of character. It's Clare." She glanced out the window, eyes locking onto trees as they passed by. "She was always good at that, as a human. She was a librarian, so when she didn't have her nose in a book, she spent a lot of time people-watching. As a result, she gained an ability when she became a vampire." She looked back at me, smiling once again. "They like you and trust you, because had you been a bad person, or meant me even a modicum of harm, Clare would have known about it the moment she touched your hand and you wouldn't have made it past the threshold."

I stared at her, eyebrows raised. "That sounds slightly ominous. So her ability is to be able to see if a person is trustworthy or not?"

"Well, it's a little more complicated than that, but that's the jist of it."

We fell into a comfortable silence for about ten minutes, when suddenly Bella laughed quietly. I turned to look at her, only to see her watching me, another amused smile on her face. "What's so funny?" I asked.

"It's just the idea of going on a date with you seems very strange to me for some reason," she chuckled.

"And why is that?"

She bit her lip and I had the instant desire to kiss her, which I fervently repressed. "Well, I never really thought that I'd end up dating anybody, to be perfectly honest. It just wasn't something that I'd envisioned happening."

"How could you have not seen this coming? I mean, you're a beautiful, kind, intelligent individual, surely people have asked you." That thought pissed me off to no end, but she didn't need to know that part.

She rolled her eyes, a strand of dark hair falling to cover one side of her face. "Oh, people have asked, lots of people, but I've never actually been interested in anyone before."

"No-one? You've never had a crush before?" She shook her head. "Really?"

"No, I was actually beginning to think that something was wrong with me-well, besides the obvious-, and then you came along. It surprised the hell out of me at first, to say the least."

"Well, don't I feel special. To what do I owe the honor?"

Bella smiled, a slow, curving smile that would have made me gulp had I not had such great self-control. She glanced at the road for a split second before leaning over to place her lips gently against mine.

Her lips were as soft as I remembered and even warmer and before I could reciprocate, she was gone.

Smiling happily, she faced road once more. "Now that would be telling. Turn left up here."

The rapid change in subject threw me for a second, before I spotted the turn-off and I shifted the car. It went in between the trees, the kind of road that led to wilderness parks and I once again wondered what we were doing.

Deciding to voice my question, I spoke up. "You know, you still haven't told me what we're doing."

"Patience is a virtue."

"Well, it's not one that I have much experience with."

She laughed. "I can tell. It's just up here on the right." The tapping on her knee resumed and for the first time, I realized that she was just as, if not more, nervous than I was. It not only made me feel better about acting like a teenager, but it was kind of endearing.

We pulled into a large clearing, an expanse of clear ground resting beside a lake that had a thin sheet of ice covering the dark waters. The moon wasn't full, but a small sliver of light had managed to breach the cloud-cover and illuminate some of the scene, the rest bathed in silent shadows.

What really drew my attention was the large white sheet that was strung up between two trees, a small, brown couch lying in front of it. Behind the couch, facing the sheet was an old fashioned projector, resting in the bed of a pick-up truck.

I blinked slowly, taking it all in. The sheet was strategically placed so that it was covered in darkness, which was easier for the projector to work with. I started slightly when Bella opened my door, not even having noticed her getting out of the car.

"So, are you just going to stare, or do you intend to leave the car any time soon?" Her voice was amused, but I could hear the tension underneath. Her nervousness was showing through.

She extended her hand, which I took and she pulled me out, shutting the door after me.

"What is all this?" I asked, eyes still on the projector.

She blushed, eyes straying down towards her feet. "Well, you told me you loved old movies, especially Laurel and Hardy, so I figured we could have our own private showing."

She bit her lip again, and this time I gave in to the instinct to kiss her, holding her gently by the shoulders. I looked her in the eyes, genuinely touched that she went to so much trouble for me. "Bella, I love it." She smiled back at me, the tension leaving her shoulders slightly.

I couldn't stop the grin from spreading across my face and I quickly grabbed her hand, pulling her along to the projector.

There was a rack of old films, mainly Laurel and Hardy. They were the first films I ever remembered watching, and I had always loved them to no end. There were a lot of them, but the one on top caused the breath to leave my body. I stared at it for at least ten seconds, reading the name over and over again.

"What is it?" Bella asked, curious about my sudden silence.

"Is that 'Hats Off'?" My voice was quivering with barely suppressed excitement.

Understanding shone in Bella's eyes. "Yes. I thought you might like that."

My fingers brushed it with the kind of reverence usually saved for religious artifacts. "But how? It's supposed to be lost. I mean, it hasn't been seen since the 1930's."

"My Dad's a huge fan of Laurel and Hardy too, but don't ask him how he got his hands on the entire collection, even I don't know."

I looked up at her, my eyes only reaching her chin. "The entire collection? You mean he has the other lost films too?" I was on the verge of squealing and jumping up and down in excitement.

"Yes, now sit down before you start doing cartwheels." She gently shoved me towards the couch then returned to the projector, hands moving expertly across it.

As soon as I sat down, Bella sat down beside me, the quite flutter of the projector the only sound as we watched the screen.

The movie was silent, but I had never minded that, it just added to the feelings of nostalgia I got whenever I watched movies like these. I was a die-hard fan of Laurel and Hardy, and I had seen every one of them, except this one. Trying to tack it down was pointless, it was reportedly lost. However, now I knew that there was at least one copy out there and it was in the hands of a vampire family. It was no doubt worth a fortune.

Bella proved herself to be a fan too, and soon we were in stitches, practically falling over each other as we watched. Each movie was around twenty minutes long, so we ended up watching about ten of them, interspersed with some old time Looney Toons. At some point during the third one, we somehow ended up cuddling on the couch, Bella producing a blanket from somewhere. The night was cold and while it wouldn't have affected me anyway, Bella's body warmth chased away any chill that I would have felt.

I knew that she glanced at me periodically throughout the movies, and I confess to the same thing, but seeing her sitting beside me, lips spread in a grin, eyes glittering as she laughed, it was addictive.

The ending credits of the last film rolled onto the screen and I once again found myself looking at the girl beside me. Her eyes met mine, and by unspoken consent, we leaned in for a kiss.

She was even warmer than usual, her lips like liquid fire. That warmth seemed to flow into me, removing the chill that I had felt inside me ever since becoming a vampire all those years ago.

I broke the kiss and drank in her gaze, once again noticing that her eyes seemed a tiny bit lighter. "Thank you so much, that was amazing."

She blushed, and I could tell that the nerves were back. "Well, it's not finished yet."

Before I could question her, she stood up quickly and extended her hand. "Come on, let's take a walk."

Pushing aside my questions, I took it and we pulled the cover over the projector and walked into the woods.

The spot she had chosen was secluded, not even a wisp of scent to indicate humans had been here in a long time. The trees accepted us into their dark embrace, shielding us from the moons light. Suddenly understanding Bella's request for pants and good shoes, I followed her into the dark woods, her hand still wrapped around mine.

The set of her shoulders was tense, tenser than I had ever seen her and I was suddenly worried. Her hair blocked her face from my view, so I couldn't see her expression, but I knew that it wouldn't bee good. "Bella, what's wrong?"

She turned to me, giving me a weak smile. "Nothing, I just want to…show you something."

We fell back into silence and walked for about twenty minutes. I knew that we could have run at a blinding pace to our destination, but despite Bella's tension, it was kind of peaceful.

The tinkling of water reached my ears long before we stepped into a gorgeous clearing. Despite the chill, wildflowers were still in bloom, seeming almost unnatural in their perfection. It was at the bottom of a cliff, trees climbing up the rock, opposing the direction of the crystal clear water that cascaded down from above. The moon shone full force, no covering of trees to thwart the light.

"It's beautiful," I gasped, wondering how in the hell I had never seen this place before. I mean, Forks had a few waterfalls, but none this beautiful.

Bella's smile was tense. "Yeah, there's a much better place to go, but it's…hard to get to. But I thought that this was a good place to do this." She shuffled her feet, wringing her hands before her. "Listen, Alice, I brought you out here because I have something to tell you."

For a single, absurd moment, I though she was going to end our budding relationship, that's how grave her voice was, so when she said what she said next, I was shocked. "I-I want to tell you…about me. What I am."

Suddenly her nervousness made complete sense. I walked towards her and placed my hand on her cheek. "Bella, if telling me makes you uncomfortable, then you don't have to just yet, we can wait." It almost killed me to say it, because I was dying to know, but I wanted her to tell me because she wanted to, not because she felt pressured.

She took my hand from her cheek and kissed it gently. "I want to tell you, I do. I'm only nervous because I've never actually told anyone before. I mean, one or two people have found out and my family raised me, so technically they knew before I did, but I've never said it to someone."

"What made you decide to do it now?"

"Well, I told you in the car that I've never had romantic feelings for someone before, not matter how nice or attractive they were, so I figure that there's something special about you, it just feels right." She exhaled heavily. "Besides, I want to have a relationship with you, not just a friendship, so it's your right to know."

I'm sure if it could, my heart would be beating a mile a minute. I had waited for a long time to find Bella, and then I had to wait some more. Now she was going to be open with me, honest. "I'll be honest, Bella, I've though about this a lot. Trying to figure it out by myself didn't help, because I got everything from elf to jinn."

Bella choked out a laugh. "You thought I was an elf? Do my ears look pointy to you? I also don't come with a golden lamp, as cool as that would be, so no three wishes for you."

"Hey, I was taking wild guesses here and for all I know, you could be hiding a tail."

She laughed again, the sound bringing a smile to my face. I didn't miss the fact that her laughter had a slight edge to it, but it was still beautiful.

Sighing, she looked down, twisting the silver ring on her finger. "Well, I guess I'll get started." She turned her back on me, taking several steps away from me and pacing for a few moments before she spoke. "You know how I told you that I was adopted into my family when I was about one month old?" I nodded and she continued. "Well, they sort of found me in the forest, after I had…fallen from the sky." She said the last part in a rush, once again twisting her ring on her finger.

I looked at her for a few moments, then at the sky, as though I were expecting the answers to fall on me like rain. "Huh?" Eloquence aside, that was all I could manage.

Bella made a sound that managed to sound both exasperated, amused and nervous at the same time. Raising both hands as though I were a jumper on the edge of a sky-scraper, she took a step backwards. "Ok, ok. I think that it'll be easier if I just show you."

She let out a shuddering breath, standing in full view in the moonlight, took hold of her ring in one hand and looked me square in the eyes.

"Here goes nothing," she said.

Then she pulled off the ring.

A/N: DON'T KILL ME! (Hides behind conveniently placed rock)

I know you guys must hate me for ending it there, especially after leaving it so damn long to update, but I just had to. The date is obviously not over, and there is much to come, but I ask your patience, if I rush writing it, then the chapters will suck, so I can't do that, but I will make sure that you don't have to wait another two months for the next update.

Please review and tell me what you think of it, if you want to guess what happens next, or throw out some ideas of what you would like to happen next, or even to (sigh) criticize me for sucking (please be constructive), then go right ahead.

R&R.