Because it's been TOO long, I shall save the AN rambling for the end.

Enjoy!

Chapter 11

EPOV

Alice left me alone with my thoughts. It was difficult for me to focus on anything with Bella's heartbeat waxing and waning throughout the household. I wished more than anything to be inside her head, to know what she was feeling and how much she understood of what was going on around her. I listened to Carlisle and Renee chat idly while their thoughts swirled around my head, eliciting low growls that no one was around to hear. Renee's mind continued to anger me and I contemplated leaving to avoid a confrontation with the woman.

She was, after all, Bella's mother. Perhaps I loved Bella and maybe she returned those feelings, but I could not compete with the blood-ties between mother and daughter. No matter the callousness of the former.

Before I was able to escape, another one of Renee's fleeting thoughts lured me back. She was reflecting on the night her daughter was bitten. I searched through the brief flash for a sense remorse or guilt, and found none. Leaning against the balcony outside my bedroom, I let another one of Renee's memories engulf me.

She stood in a small camp, frantically looking between the being in front of her and the child behind her. The child was shaking, her brown eyes wide with fear. A man with shoulder length black hair and olive skin crouched and wrapped his arms around the little girl. Renee moved to create a shield from the vampire.

The vampire was unremarkable. The sharp angles of his face didn't seem to fit him. His dirty hair was pulled back into a ponytail and his mouth was twisted into a smile. The burgundy eyes flitted between Renee and the crying girl. He laughed.

The camp around them had been destroyed. Tents were knocked over, trees uprooted and several fires burned. A human body lay lifeless several feet from the small child. The olive-skinned man was doing little to comfort her and she began sobbing loudly.

"James, I am not going to fight for you." Renee's voice shook as she moved closer to her daughter.

"But you will fight for your child? She means nothing to me. Nothing to us. I want you, and you are mine." His red eyes narrowed at the woman in front of him.

"I'm not afraid to kill you," she responded coldly.

"You can't, my love. You want to be with me, now let me eliminate that which stands in our way."

"Demetri!" Renee screamed, anticipating what came next.

His bulky body lunged forward, knocking Renee out of the way. First, he grabbed the man holding the girl. Demetri fought back but couldn't get a heavy grasp on James's neck. James lifted Demetri up by his throat. In one fluid move, the flesh was ripped away from his collar bone. Seconds and bites later, Demetri was tossed aside.

"You," he started, kneeling down to the little girl, "are only getting in the way."

She spit in his face and turned to run away but he caught her without effort. He grabbed her by the arm as she kicked and screamed. They stared at each other for a moment and he bit her.

The slender leg of a tiny vampire shot out and kicked him in the face. He flew backwards, tossing the child as he went. Alice moved toward him with deliberation, shoulders squared and gait steady. They crashed together several times. She nipped at his throat while he clawed at her back. A tall, blond vampire was grabbing James from behind. It allowed access for the small vampire to break his neck. With one last show of strength, James knocked Carlisle and Alice off of him and ran into the woods.

Alice went to chase after him, but Renee grabbed her arm. "My daughter," she choked.

Lying next to Demetri, Bella was screaming and seizing.

"They'll kill her!" Renee was going into hysterics. Alice slapped her across the face.

"We're here to help," was all she said.

Carlisle took the fragile child in his arms and began to suck the venom out through her wound. A fire raged behind them and the scent of burning venom wafted clearly through the air as Alice grabbed stray body parts and tossed them into the fire. She did the same with the human that was entirely drained of blood. Renee looked on, rocking back and forth. Bella's 8 year-old frame curled into Carlisle and she stopped screaming.

"She'll be okay," he said.

"Who are you?" Renee's voice shook.

"I'm Carlisle. That is my daughter Alice."

"I'm Renee, that little girl you just saved is my Bella. That poor man making the change is Demetri." She stood up and took her daughter from Carlisle's arms.

"We need to go to the Volturi," Alice yelled as she continued to throw the rest of the camp into the fire.

"Why? She'll be alright." Renee spoke softly as she stared at the little girl in her arms.

"I've seen it. If we don't go, they'll come looking for you. They'll take her away."

"Come on, we've got a plane a few miles out. We'll go now." Carlisle picked up Demetri and led the way into the jungle.

I reflected on the memory as a means to understand what was happening to Bella. How were these Keepers able to match a vampire blow for blow? While human memories are often tinged with embellishment and exaggeration, Renee's nostalgia only reminded me of my thoughts on the pier. What was so special about these humans? And they were humans, there were two distinct heartbeats thrumming in my ears.

Renee's image filled my mind. She had been of little consequence to me, as my concern and attention remained with Bella from the moment I inhaled her scent. Faced with the uncertainty of what Bella was supposed to be and what she could be, Renee was the only person who could answer my questions—whether through direct questioning or otherwise.

Renee was a young mother; I had come to understand this as the community reflected on the whirlwind romance of Bella's parents. While I dismissed Renee's youthful appearance the moment I heard her mind, upon appraisal I realized she looked too young. In reality, that woman was in her early forties. Physically, she appeared to be in her twenties. I surmised the mutated gene slowed the aging process.

I wonder if she knows that strapless dress makes her look like she has man shoulders.

If I was considering going back downstairs and speak with Renee, her last thought pushed me out the door. How that person could be responsible for producing something so important to me tested my faith. With a reassuring beat of Bella's heart, I left in search of a distraction.

That distraction came in the form of lips and tongues. Mine and hers.

She was upset and crying. I had hurt her, I realized, by failing to be there for when she finally woke. Instead of the strong, sarcastic, infuriating woman I was falling in love with, I was met with an insecure little girl. She avoided my gazes and talked into my chest. The pain at the thought of losing her was intense. What I felt about causing the change in her demeanor was worse. These human emotions that dictated my actions kept me wrapped up in her. Then our lips pressed together.

Something changed in that moment. In the frenzy of animal instincts and human hormones, everything seemed to stop. As long as her mouth hungrily searched mine, we existed outside of time.

I was acutely aware of her legs wrapping around my waist and I pulled away from her, resting my forehead on hers. Swallowing back the venom, I looked into her eyes. Her lids were heavy and a slight amber sparkled in the brown of her irises. She sighed and I felt her legs releasing their hold and quickly reached to grab her hips. I placed a few gentle kisses along her jaw.

She smelled different. The overpowering scent of flowers and fresh fruit I had grown accustomed to was less daunting and mingled with a slight earthen aroma. There was something inhuman about her skin, too. The light didn't refract off of her, but an iridescent sheen covered her visible body. I felt her lips pressed against my neck and averted my attention.

Even the previous tango of tongues did not provide adequate preparation for what came next.

She gripped my hair and pulled my face close, her sweet breath causing the venom to swell. The intense burn in her eyes caused something else to swell, but before I could set her down, her mouth attacked mine. Attack being the only appropriate way to describe the action.

It was quick and hard, lacking the gentleness of the first kiss. Her mouth moved with raw need to possess mine. I responded to her in tandem, willing the venom away as her heartbeat grew frantic. I felt the soft pull of my hair disappear as her lips began to slow. She ended our connection, resting her head on my chest to catch her breath.

With her legs wound tightly around me and my hands firmly grasping her behind, I had never felt more complete. The gentle hum of her pulse wrapped around me and the subtle bouquet of her blood offered me comfort. In that moment, there was no erratic mother. The nomads ceased to exist. Our complicated biological make-ups were irrelevant. She shivered against me and breathed my name. It was her and me. And I doubted anything else had ever existed.

She laughed abruptly and I allowed her to plant her feet on the ground.

"I'm starving," she stated.

"For what?" I quirked an eyebrow and her eyes widened in understanding.

"Pancakes," she replied.

She tugged me forward before I could question her further. I used our hike back to closely observe her. The differences were minimal. Branches and debris brushed against her bare legs, each abrasion unnoticed by her. I watched as they all healed quickly, leaving her skin unmarred. The bite on her wrist and a few smaller scars I noticed before indicated that fast healing was not something she possessed prior. It didn't seem to be touching anything with her hands. That was strange. Even if she was moving things aside quickly, I would have seen it. She simply was not making contact.

I didn't struggle to keep up with her, but the thundering of her heart suggested she was trying to move faster than her human organs allowed. We stopped for her to catch her breath. The soft skin under her eyes was a deep yellow against her usual paleness. Her feet had dirt and mud caked on them, which went nicely with the leaves accumulating in her wild hair. She was inspecting the hem of her green dress when the penetration of my stare must have caught her attention, because her eyes met mine. They were wide with emotions I couldn't remember until her.

She looked like an Earth goddess when the sun hit the top of her head, illuminating her natural auburn highlights and causing the slight emerald glitter in her dress to sparkle.

"What's wrong?" She began frantically smoothing her hair and wiping the make up from under her eyes.

"You're beautiful," I chuckled and stopped her hands from their self-conscious rubbing and tugging.

She grimaced and shifted to continue jogging down the same path. I placed my hand on her shoulder and whispered, "Wait."

I dropped down one knee and urged her to climb on my back.

"I'm not doing it," she huffed.

"You're tired. I'm faster. Please," I begged.

"I can walk on my own," she sighed, her resolve falling away.

"Yes, I know. But it would really mean a lot to me if you would allow me to do this for you."

She shifted her weight from foot to foot. "But I'm dirty," she whined.

"Bella, please."

She complied before I grew more impatient. Her arms wrapped tightly around my neck and her legs securely clamped around my waist. My long fingers gently held on to the backs of her thighs as I took off running. The hold on my neck tightened as I dodged uprooted pines and flew past rows of sycamores and her steady pulse increased. Her scent was heavy with adrenaline. She sighed into my ear and rested her head against my shoulder.

We reached her car and she loosened her grip. I bent over to allow her to dismount, but I turned around quickly to catch her in my arms.

"It will take a moment to adjust. Would you like me to drive?"

She pulled away from my embrace and blinked at me. "Nobody has ever driven my Ferrari except Renee," she whispered.

"I think I can treat it with the utmost respect." My eyebrows rose in response to her arms crossing.

"I believe you, but can you trust that I know when to ask for help?" She rocked back on her heels and took her lower lip in between her teeth.

I groaned. As small and fragile as she looked, she was strong. And she knew how to play me.

"Fine," I sighed as I walked to the passenger side. It was a position I rarely found myself in, but as I watched Bella take control and start the car, I decided it was something I could easily adjust to.

She maneuvered back to the main road and headed to Forks. "How did you find me?" I asked as she took a quick turn.

"I was trying to get as far away from you as possible," she started. When I grimaced, she answered, "You know, some of us don't just get to look like teenagers. I am a teenage girl, Edward, and sometimes I will and do act accordingly." She quirked her eyebrow at me.

"You seem to bring out the teenager in me," I muttered.

A soft giggle escaped her lips and she peered at me out of the corner of her eyes. Her small, slender fingers played with dials and switched gears. I caught myself staring at the muscles in her neck and shoulder as she took turns. Bella's skin glistened with sweat and she looked even more beautiful in the late morning light than she did when I arrived at her house the previous night.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" Her sharp tone woke me from my reverie.

"You're beautiful."

"Give me a break. You are beautiful. Next to you, I'm lucky if I can even be considered plain," she scoffed.

Warm ran through me. Bella thought I was beautiful. My basking was cut short by the realization that she did not believe herself to be beautiful.

"Don't be absurd. You're incredibly attractive, and you know it." She had to know it.

"I have mascara staining my cheeks, dead leaves in my hair and a rip up the side of the only designer dress I've ever owned. I spent the night in a fiery coma listening to the vampire I think I'm falling in love with arguing with my mother. When I woke up from said coma, that stupid vampire was nowhere to be found. And sure, maybe he's a good kisser, but that doesn't make up for the shitty fucking night I just had. So please, Edward Cullen, do not make me say I think I am beautiful." She shot me a glare that was supposed to frighten me.

"You think I'm a good kisser?" I could feel my face widening into a rather frightening grin.

"I do think you're a good kisser. But I also think you're going to make a bad boyfriend if you can't focus on the big picture here."

"What's the big picture, then?" I knew the answer, but I wanted to hear her say it.

"I think I'm falling in love with you." Her words fell flat.

"You don't think that is acceptable?" I was almost offended by her tone. Her resignation also comforted me. As much as I cared for her, the thought of us being together seemed impossible.

"I don't think that is good news for either of us," she sighed and put the car into park.

Charlie's hurried thoughts inside the house were focused on Bella. An endless of stream of "should-haves" poured from his mind.

I should have never let Renee take her.

I should have fought for custody.

I should have been a better father.

I should have said no.

Each thought was accompanied by younger versions of Bella. In every vision, her eyes looked older. His pacing steps echoed against his worries. I felt her hot hand around my elbow and her weight pulling me toward her front door. Her father swung the door open before she touched the knob. He looked at me first. Then his eyes shifted to his only daughter.

I saw her through his eyes. She was not the goddess I thought her to be. To him, she was a child. Scared and broken.

If only she was strong enough to stand up to her mother. God knows I never could.

"Thanks for saving her," he sighed at me.

"She's pretty good at holding her own."

"Dad, I'm okay. You know how Mom is." She hugged him and I never wanted to read her mind so badly. Did her thoughts echo his? Did she finally feel safe? Had Renee broken her like Charlie assumed?

"It's a pancake kind of morning, isn't it?" Charlie finally asked.

"Nothing gets past you, Dad. I'm taking a shower. Why don't you let Edward help you so you don't burn the place down," she laughed and began moving up the stairs.

"Come on Edward, the birthday girl demands pancakes."

I took it upon myself to prepare the breakfast, since Charlie's recent kitchen memories ended in disaster. Apparently, last weekend's omelets ended in a small fire. We only spoke when I needed to find a particular utensil or if he had some advice on how to mix the batter. I tried to ignore the thoughts and visions emanating from him. The more he thought about the kind of mother Renee turned out to be, the more I wondered what he had seen in that woman. I had to ask.

"How did you meet Bella's mother?"

"In high school," he sighed.

"Has she always been so…imposing?" I was trying not to be insulting and found it difficult.

"Yes," he chuckled, "everyone thought she was quiet. It was misleading. That woman has always had her own opinions and she's not afraid to tell you all about them."

"She seems rather narrow minded." I shrugged.

"Stubborn, really." He stood next to me and shook his head. "She was something else, Edward. Bella mostly got her mom's looks. Renee used to wear her dark hair straight down her back. The other boys in school were fawning over her all the time. She came off shy, but there was always something about the way she moved. Still is."

I flipped the last pancake onto a plate and faced him. Thinking about Renee made him unhappy and nostalgic. He eyed Bella's breakfast and smiled. One day, that girl is going to leave us both behind and make something huge for herself. I was listening to Charlie's unspoken words when I felt her in the room.

"I'm glad to see you boys didn't burn the kitchen down." She smirked.

Charlie's phone rang in his pocket and he excused himself.

"Do you notice anything…different…about me," Bella whispered as she closed the space between us.

"You look cleaner," I laughed. Her face fell for a moment, then her brow furrowed and her eyes glared back at me.

"Be serious," she snapped.

"Small things. And, you smell different." Her nose wrinkled and I added, "Not bad, just different."

"I thought I looked paler. I should have cut myself shaving, by the skin never broke." She shrugged.

"There's been another attack. Charlie's being called to the scene," I reported since I knew it mattered to both of us and he wasn't going to tell her where he was going.

"Where?"

"Almost to La Push. Too close," I whispered.

"They're coming for me," she whispered back.

"Hey kids, duty calls," Charlie yelled when he emerged from the other room.

"Dad, be careful." Her arms wrapped around her waist and she tucked her head down.

"I will kiddo. Happy birthday, I promise we'll do something special when I get off work." He was thinking about taking her out to dinner in Port Angeles.

"Don't worry about me, I had plenty of birthday surprises to last me for awhile," she let out a weary laugh.

"Edward, you take good care of her." He damn well better take good care of her.

"I will, sir." I gave him a small smile before he turned to leave.

"What's your plan?" She asked as soon as the door shut.

"Jasper is the strategist. He and Alice will be here soon, I hope."

She piled a plate up with pancakes, grabbed a bottle of syrup and sat down at the kitchen table. Aside from a few stray thoughts of the neighbors, the only sound was her fork scraping against ceramic. Her dark hair was beginning to dry in waves around her face. With her legs tucked underneath her and the crude way she went after her food, Bella reminded me of a five year-old.

"Why do you keep staring?" She managed between chews.

"Tell me about The Keepers."

"I would ask you to tell me about being polite, but you wouldn't know anything about that," she scoffed.

"I'm sorry. Please tell me about The Keepers. The more you tell me, the more helpful I can be," I sighed.

"You should know," she said in between rather large bites of a granulated sugar filled breakfast, "that I would rather read one Bronte novel for the rest of my life than study one more genetic theory." The fork felt out of her hand and crashed onto the plate.

"What about Steinbeck?"

"Well when you put it that way, bring on the science."

I followed her into the living room and stood in the doorway as she sunk down into the couch. She pulled her knees up to her chin and ran her hands through her damp hair before clasping them around her legs. One sweet, heavy sigh escaped her mouth and lingered in the air. Her head bobbed vigorously toward the empty seat and I joined her.

"I don't know how I got this way or how the Keepers came into being. My best guess is that our story is closely related to yours, some kind of survival of the fittest." She shrugged her shoulders before continuing, "Every camp has its own bullshit story. Ask my mom, she's a better storyteller than I am."

"She's more dramatic. What's supposed to happen when you turn 18?"

"We become something close to superhuman or improved human. I like to call it vampire-light. Our skin gets tighter and stronger; vampire teeth are the only things that can penetrate it. Of course, that's an untested theory. We're faster. I could probably outrun Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France, but I'd never be able to beat you in a foot race."

She dropped her knees and crossed her legs and held out her arm. "I could probably beat you in an arm wrestling match, especially with the steroid like effect of the venom." She winked and dropped her hands into her lap.

"Any special gifts?" I twined my fingers with hers and waited for an answer.

"My shield ability is supposed to physically manifest. I know a few other Keepers with some sweet powers. Telekinesis, astral projection, freaking pyro shit. The pyrokenesis comes in very handy when you want to kill vampires." She gripped my hand tightly and leaned into my shoulder.

"I think it's time you make your own destiny." The words came out too quickly and her body tensed.

"I always thought I would, but I'm not so sure anymore," she sighed, not moving her head.

"Let me help you. We can do it together," I whispered into her hair.

"Edward," she yelled as she sat straight up, "I could die tomorrow. I could cut myself washing dishes and you could kill me. Maybe I'll even get old and die, but I'm not sure Keepers can do that. Don't say we'll do anything together, because I'm not going to live forever."

"Bella." I took her face in my hands and looked into her brown eyes. "I love you. Today. Tomorrow. Forever. Until there's not enough of me left to give love or enough of you left to receive it. Either way, you have me, if you want me."

"I want you." Her voice was so tiny only vampire ears could hear.

Mine. And I could tell by the visions floating in my head that Alice had heard her too. Jasper chuckled before he knocked on the door. Bella jumped when the door opened.

"Well, ain't ya'll gonna invite us in?" Jasper twanged.

Alright!

First of all, let me say that overall fail has caused me to take two months to write this. On the bright side, (or maybe not, depending on how you look at it) there's only about 5 chapters left. I'm probably gonna just push through on the new chapters for as long as I can. But, like the rest of you, I do have a job...and a boyfriend...and a family...and all kinds of things that get in the way of writing. *SIGH*

The other reason it took me forever was because several of my favorite fics were heavy updating and finishing up. If you haven't read them, for the love of god! In the Blink of an Eye, Tropic of Virgo, Creature of Habbit all finished up and they are AMAZING. I also get distracted by updates from Mr. Horrible. If Love Could Light a Candle is also getting close to finished. AND, while I was in the middle of a tequila frenzy, one of my recent faves, Secrets Don't Make Friends, updated. So, shoot. I'm spending too much time reading and not enough time writing. I suck. For that, I apolgoize.

Anyways, I would personally shout out to everyone who makes my life worth living...but it's easier to just say THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO IS STILL READING THIS. Because, let's face it...you know I appreciate you. But, I do have to say thanks to Twilighted's wonkeygirl...my wonderful revision beta...for pushing me further than I ever wanted to be.

And, I hope to NEVER go that long without an update again.