Part IV: "Bella has her own 'Oh Shit' moment."

The next afternoon, Bella and Garrett were cozied up on the sofa, enjoying each other's company, when the sound of a car pulling up and a door opening and closing caught their attention. They both heard a human heartbeat, indicating that it wasn't one of the Cullens. "I wonder who that is," Bella pondered aloud as Garrett stood up, preparing to answer the door when the bell rang.

As Garrett answered the doorbell, Bella heard him talking to someone and then heard a familiar voice - it was Jill. Bella smiled at the unexpected visit from her friend. She went to the door to see what Jill wanted, but her smile faded as soon as she saw her friend's expression. Jill looked troubled and confused, it was clear that something was very wrong.

"Jill, what's the matter?" Bella asked, her concern evident in her voice. "Are you okay? Come sit down in the living room and tell us what's wrong."

Jill entered the living room with a bag in tow and sat down in a side chair while Bella and Garrett sat on the sofa. Bella waited for Jill to speak, but when she didn't and continued to appear uneasy, Bella couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong, Jill? Is it something to do with Ted or Ben?" Bella prayed nothing terrible had happened to her friend's husband or son.

Jill shifted uncomfortably and appeared visibly unsure of what to do or say. Finally, she managed to get out, "Could I speak with you alone, Bella?"

"Of course, Jill," Bella said, her eyebrows furrowing in concern as she looked at Garrett with a quick nod.

Garrett sprang up from his seat and turned to face the two women. "I hope everything is alright. You talk to Bella, Jill," he said, his voice laced with worry. "I'm going to head out for a couple of hours to run some errands. If you need anything, Bella, please call me."

With that, Garrett headed towards the front door, his footsteps echoing across the hardwood floor. The sound of the door closing reverberated through the silent living room, leaving Bella alone with her troubled friend.

Bella turned to Jill, her eyes searching her friend's face for any signs of distress. "Talk to me, Jill," she said, her voice soft and gentle. "You're scaring me."

Jill glanced nervously at Bella before slowly removing something from the bag. As Bella looked on, she realized it was a stuffed teddy bear and felt confused.

"We thought the sitter was stealing from us, so we bought a nanny camera and kept it in the living room. This morning, I checked the footage to see if my suspicions were confirmed from the sitter's visit last night when we went to the movies. Since I hadn't checked it in several weeks, there was a lot of footage to go through." Jill paused and looked at Bella intently. "I came to the time when you and Garrett were watching Ben," she said, her voice trailing off.

Bella's eyes widened as she realized what Jill was talking about. She knew she was in deep trouble. Jill had seen everything, and there was no way to deny it. Bella thought quickly, trying to figure out what she could say or do.

Her first words were a muttered "Oh shit," but then she composed herself. "Let me think for a second, Jill. I didn't expect this is where the conversation was headed. Obviously, I didn't anticipate this would happen. But I need to know, did you tell anyone else? Did you tell Ted?" Bella looked at Jill, praying that she had kept this to herself.

"No, Bella. I wanted to talk to you first. I'm really confused and don't know what to make of what I saw," Jill said, her voice filled with uncertainty.

Bella breathed a sigh of relief. She could keep this contained. "Okay, that's good, Jill," she said, feeling grateful that her friend had not told anyone else. "But I need you to promise me that you'll never tell anyone about what you saw. It's not just for my protection, but also for yours. I can't stress enough how important this is. There are others in the world Jill who would do anything to keep this information secret. It would be very dangerous for you if they found out you know something. I'm not trying to threaten you, Jill. I'm just telling you the truth. And I'm so sorry for putting you in this situation."

Bella's words were earnest, and she looked at Jill imploringly, hoping that her friend would understand the gravity of the matter. She couldn't afford to have her secret exposed, and she knew that Jill's safety was also at risk.

Jill stared at Bella, her best friend of nearly a decade, with her eyes wide open for the first time. As she took in Bella's features, they seemed strikingly beautiful, almost too perfect. Her skin was flawless, and her features were chiseled and refined. It was as if she hadn't aged a day since they first met eight long years ago. Jill couldn't help but notice the way Bella's golden eyes sparkled with an inner light. She thought to herself, "Humans don't have golden eyes."

It was only then that Jill began to realize the truth. Her beauty was otherworldly, Jill finally began to put all the pieces together. "You're not human, are you?" Jill asked, unable to conceal the shock in her voice. "What are you?"

Bella looked at her friend. "I'll be as honest as I can, Jill. No, I'm not human. I can't tell you what I am though. My people have laws, and the most important one is to keep our existence a secret. Now, you don't know, and that's a good thing. Just know that our friendship was real, and you knew the real me. I just never told you everything about me."

Jill stared at Bella, amazed. "Are you an alien?" she asked.

Bella chuckled and shook her head. "No, I'm not an alien," she said, trying to lighten the mood. "But I'm serious when I say I can't tell you, Jill. It's not just about me keeping a secret, it's for your safety as well. Trust me, the less you know, the better."

Bella could sense the confusion and curiosity emanating from her friend, but she knew that revealing her true identity could put both of them in danger. "Please don't ask any more questions in an attempt to figure it out," Bella continued. "I'll tell you what I can, but I need you to trust me when I say that it's for the best if you don't know everything. Okay?"

Jill nodded, her curiosity piqued. She waited patiently for Bella to explain further. Bella took a deep breath and began, "Okay, as you saw, I have some abilities. You might think it's like magic, but it really isn't. It's just a part of who I am. As for Ben, I promise you he was completely safe when I was playing with him. I just thought it was his one chance to really experience flying and I thought he would enjoy it. But now I realize how much of a mistake it was. I'm sorry again, Jill," Bella said, her voice filled with regret.

Bella took a deep breath and considered her words carefully. "Here's what you need to know, Jill. You must never let anyone know that you suspect anything different about me. There are people in the world who have the ability to learn things from others without them saying anything, and we don't want to draw their attention. I promise you that whatever you tell me will remain between us. I have abilities that will block anyone else from finding out that you know something. When Garrett comes back, you cannot tell him anything about this. It's very important, and I need you to understand that. We also have superior hearing, so please don't whisper anything to me even if you think we are alone. To be safe, it's best not to mention anything about this visit ever again. If it is safe to talk in the future, I will let you know."

Bella hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Jill, I want you to know that I value our friendship more than anything. But I would understand if you don't want to be friends with me anymore." She couldn't bear the thought of losing her best friend, but she knew that she had put Jill in danger and it should be up to her if they maintained there friendship.

Jill looked at Bella, surprised by her friend's words. "What are you talking about, Bella? Why would I end our friendship just because you're different?" She shook her head, unable to understand why Bella would even think that. "You're my best friend, and nothing could change that. I don't care if you're not human. You're still the same person I've always known and loved."

Jill took a deep breath before speaking. "Bella, can I ask you a few questions? Not about what you are, but about other things?" Her curiosity was getting the better of her.

"Of course, Jill," Bella replied, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. "But I won't lie to you. If I can't answer a question, I'll let you know."

Jill nodded, grateful for Bella's honesty. "Is Garrett like you?" she asked, already suspecting the answer.

Bella nodded in confirmation. "Yes, Garrett is like me."

"Is that why you didn't date anyone for your first three years of college? I never understood why you wouldn't even hook up with guys," Jill asked.

Bella smiled knowingly. "Yeah, I didn't want to date a human. I had seen some try and it never ended well. I wanted to wait until I met someone like me. Luckily, Garrett came along, and you know how fast we fell in love."

Jill looked at Bella, her eyes alight with curiosity. "So you can fly? What else can you do?" she asked. When she had seen Ben start to fly around the room, she had thought she was going insane for a minute.

"Well, it's not really flying," Bella explained, smiling. "I know it looks like it, but the best way I can explain it is that I have what I think of as a shield that I can control. I can form it into any shape and move it where ever I want with my mind. In Ben's case, I formed the shield around him and moved it around the room. It just made it look like Ben was flying."

Jill was fascinated. "That's incredible," she said. "I've never heard of anything like that before. Can you show me?"

"Sure," Bella said. "Here, I'll place a shield in front of you. Reach out to touch it slowly. You can't see it, and I don't want you to hurt your hand."

Bella placed the shield in front of Jill and watched as she slowly moved her hand towards it and was surprised when it stopped suddenly, as if hitting an invisible wall.

"This is amazing, Bella. So you can fly with this shield around you?" Jill asked, her voice filled with wonder.

"Well, I'm still working on perfecting the flying part to my satisfaction," Bella explained. "It's not like Superman flying or anything. It was much easier with Benny since I was able to move him so slowly. However, I've gotten much better with flying over the years. When you first met me, I was just learning how to control my abilities, and they paled in comparison to what I can do now."

Jill was fascinated by what Bella was telling her. "That's incredible," she said. "Can Garrett do the same things as you?"

Bella chuckled, "He wishes. No, Garrett doesn't have any extra abilities. Only some of my kind do. I'm just lucky to have some very interesting ones." Despite enjoying the conversation with Jill, Bella remained wary on how much she should say.

Jill's curiosity was piqued as she asked Bella, "What other abilities do you have?"

Bella hesitated for a moment before responding, "I don't think it's a good idea to reveal all my abilities, but I can tell you that I possess increased strength, eyesight, hearing, and I can run really fast."

Jill's eyes widened in amazement. "I can't believe it, my best friend is a fucking superhero!" she exclaimed, impressed by her friend's abilities.

Bella shook her head. "I wouldn't go that far. I'm just lucky to have some interesting abilities, that's all."

Jill gave her a challenging look. "Come on, Bella, tell me the truth. Have you ever used your abilities to save anyone's life?"

Bella hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I have. But I had to be very careful not to let anyone see or know I had done anything."

"Okay, you saved people, that makes you a superhero." Jill gave Bella a look as don't challenge me on this one.

"Okay, okay. I hear you," Bella said with a smile before pausing to gather her thoughts. "I do have something I want to tell you," she finally said. Bella thought for a moment about how to phrase her next words. "I don't really know how to say it, but Garrett and I don't age the same way as you do. I had planned to use makeup and other methods to make it appear that we were aging when we see you in the future, and we still will. Garrett shouldn't know anything about what we are talking about today. I'm just telling you this now, so if you ever see anything weird or if we ever mess up in the future, please just gloss over it and don't call us out on it."

Jill looked at Bella with surprise. "What do you mean you don't age the same way? Does that mean you'll still look like a supermodel when I'm old and wrinkled? You bitch!" Despite her words, Jill couldn't help but laugh.

Bella chuckled. "I know, it's a heavy burden to bear," she joked.

Jill furrowed her brow and fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, she looked up at Bella with a shocked expression and yelled, "You pervert!"

Bella was taken aback. "What?"

Jill shook her head with a grin, as if to say 'shame, shame.' "I was just remembering a conversation we once had. You made a joke to embarrass me, saying you were there when Ted and I first got together. You made some crude jokes which I thought was just you being you, but you have super hearing. I can't believe you got off listening to Ted and me doing it."

"Hey, at least you were getting some at that point. I had no one. Trust me, I didn't want to listen in. It was just unavoidable." Bella said, shrugging with a wry smile.

Jill chuckled. "Why didn't you take advantage of Ted's friend Dan? We both know he would have been more then willing."

"Well," Bella began, "I'd never had sex before, and I was afraid I might accidentally hurt him due to my strength. You know that I can control my strength, but I was worried that I might lose control in the heat of passion and break something off that Dan found important." Bella giggled at the memory, and Jill couldn't help but join in.

"Well, that must have sucked for you. I could never understand why you turned down every guy in school. I'm glad that mystery is solved," Jill said.

As Bella and Jill continued to chat, Bella found herself opening up a little more than usual. She shared some details about her and Garrett's life that she would normally keep to herself around humans.

Jill's voice was filled with curiosity and wonder as she finally built up the courage to ask Bella something, "Bella, I know you're being honest with me now, and I get that in the future we can't talk about any of this. So, I'd just like to ask now, if this is my one chance, can I see some of the things you can do? I mean, I saw how happy little Benny was, and I'd like to experience what you can show me, just this once."

Bella looked at her friend and knew that showing Jill a few things she was capable of wouldn't do any more damage. "Okay," Bella said, smiling. "I can show you a couple of things I think you'll like. Let's go to the backyard."

As they stepped outside, Jill couldn't help but notice how isolated their house was. She realized that it was probably so they could be themselves without worrying about prying eyes. Bella caught her friend's gaze and nodded, as if confirming her thoughts. "Yeah," she said, "it's nice to have some privacy."

Bella stopped and looked at Jill. "Okay, if you want to see some stuff, I suggest you hop on my back. I know you'll feel foolish, but don't worry, it won't affect my movement," she said, with a mischievous grin.

Bella turned around and bent low. Jill tentatively climbed on her back, wrapping her legs around Bella's waist and her arms around her neck. As she did, she felt Bella's cold skin and the hard muscles beneath. "You always told me you had poor circulation. I guess that wasn't the truth, was it?" Jill remarked, noticing Bella's amused expression.

"No, sorry, this is just the temperature we are," Bella said with a hint of playfulness in her voice. "If you must know, Garrett and I feel normal to each other. You, on the other hand, are really hot when you touch me."

Jill giggled, feeling a surge of excitement as she prepared to experience something completely new. "I knew you found me hot," she joked.

Bella laughed, feeling a sense of relief that she could finally let loose and have some fun with her friend. "Of course I do, Jill. You know you're a smoke show, even after you popped out little Benny," she chuckled. "Okay, now I'm going to start running slow. Whenever you want me to increase my speed, just say 'go faster.' Trust me, I can run faster than you want me to, so I'll let you control the speed. Let's see how daring you are. And don't worry, I won't hit any trees or anything like that." Bella joked, excited to show her friend what she was truly capable of.

With that, Bella took off at what she considered a light jog. Jill eagerly shouted "Go faster!" as she clung to Bella's back. Without hesitation, Bella increased her speed, effortlessly weaving through the trees, jumping over logs and dodging branches. The wind rushed past them, whipping Jill's hair wildly as she let out exhilarating screams.

As they raced through the forest, Bella showed off her agility and grace, effortlessly maneuvering around obstacles and taking sharp turns with ease. Jill's heart raced with excitement as she felt the rush of the wind and the thrill of the ride. She laughed and shouted, enjoying the freedom and adrenaline of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Finally, Bella asked Jill if she wanted to see something else. Jill eagerly screamed "Yes!" and Bella began to concentrate. She focused on creating shields under her feet and soon they were running higher and higher, lifting themselves as she ran until they were running on thin air above the treetops.

Jill couldn't believe it and screamed, "Oh my god, this is amazing!" Bella grinned and continued to run, her movements more fluid and effortless as they soared through the sky. Suddenly, Bella yelled back, "Want to try flying?"

Jill laughed in excitement and yelled back, "Damn straight I do! Up, up and away!"

Bella took a deep breath, and leap high up into the air with incredible force, propelling them both upwards into the sky. As they soared, Bella adjusted the shield around them, attempting to simulate the sensation of flying. She still had a lot to learn, but she was getting better at it with each attempt.

Jill's screams of excitement filled the air as they flew higher and higher. Bella couldn't help but feel exhilarated herself as she maneuvered them so they were now flying over the treetops, the wind rushing past them. She could hear the rustling of the leaves and the calls of the birds below, and for a moment, she felt like she was truly free.

They soared over the breathtaking Colorado forest, covering several miles of scenic landscapes. Bella reveled in the flight and enjoyed hearing Jill's gasps of astonishment as they flew. Bella even ascended to the peak of the nearest mountain before descending and making their way back towards home. As they approached, Bella spotted her house far in the distance and gradually decelerated, coming to a graceful stop. With ease, she conjured a flat, disc-shaped shield beneath them, suspended high above the treetops. Carefully, she guided their descent and skillfully landed on the shield, so they would still be able to view the entire landscape around them.

As Jill perched on Bella's back, she looked out at the breathtaking Colorado skyline from a vantage point she never imagined possible. The sight of the all the distant mountains, bathed in the warm glow of the sun, took her breath away.

She felt a sense of weightlessness as they floated in the sky, and Jill's heart swelled with gratitude towards Bella. The ride had been the most exhilarating experience of her life. It was a shame that she could never tell anyone else about it, but she understood the importance of keeping Bella's secret. But in that moment, as they both gazed out at the stunning Colorado landscape, nothing else mattered.

"That was amazing, Bella," Jill said, her voice filled with wonder and gratitude.

"Thanks," Bella replied, pleased to see the wonder in Jill's eyes. "Why don't you hop down? You're safe to do so. I've created a shield around us that covers a wide area. You can even walk around a little if you like."

Jill carefully dismounted from Bella's back and placed a foot on the shield's surface. She marveled at the sensation of standing on an invisible platform, high above the treetops. "This is crazy, Bella," she said, looking around in awe. "It's a shame you can't show this off. It must be hard for you to be able to do so much but not be able to share it with anyone."

Bella nodded at Jill. "It is tough. But you saw me in college. I really just wanted to be like everyone else. I tried not to let what I am affect me if it was at all possible."

Jill listened, nodding in understanding. "Well, you did a great job. I had no idea," she said, smiling. "Hey, your old boyfriend Edward, he was like you too. I didn't want to say anything to you, but I thought he was really weird. You do a much better job of pretending to be human."

"Oh, I know," Bella said with a smile. "Edward has actually started to change for the better recently. He's even got a girlfriend now, which is a big step for him. But yeah, he's never been great at pretending to be human."

Bella thought it was time to head back. "Are you ready to go down?"

Jill nodded in agreement, so Bella slowly lowered them to the ground. As their feet touched the grass, Jill let out a big sigh of relief.

"Wow, that was amazing, Bella. Thank you so much for showing me," Jill said with a wide smile.

Bella returned Jill's smile, happy to have shared a part of herself with her best friend. "It's no problem, Jill. It's nice to be honest with someone about who I really am. I can't tell you everything, but I'm glad I can share some things with you," Bella replied. "But let's head back and burn that doll before Garrett gets back. We don't want him to have any questions or think anything is amiss."

With that, Bella knelt down, allowing Jill to climb onto her back again. The wind whipped through their hair as Bella sped them back to her house.

As they arrived, Bella led Jill to the backyard and quickly found a spot to burn the doll. Flames licked at the furry bear, reducing it to ash. The smoke wafted up and dissipated into the afternoon air.

Bella and Jill continued their conversation, sitting on the sofa as they chatted about their future plans. It wasn't long before Garrett returned home, and he immediately went to Jill to see if she was feeling better.

Jill explained how Bella had helped her, and Garrett was thankful that Bella had been able to help her friend. Soon, Jill said she had to get home to make dinner for Benny and Ted and gave Bella a big hug thanking her for her help.

Bella was glad that everything had worked out, and as Jill left, she wished Bella and Garrett a good trip to India.

Here is just one occasion of vampire abilities being exposed to humans. In reality, I think it would be impossible for vampires to stay hidden. They are zooming all over the place, and there are cameras everywhere. But we just have to believe that this does not occur, as it ruins the whole aspect of living in secrecy in the Twilight universe. I'll play along as well, and no one ever notices Bella flying around through the forest or anywhere else she feels like going :)

I have a new one-shot story that I will post on Monday. It is a 'What could have been' story and is an offshoot of this 'My Beautiful Angel' story. In it, we find out what would have happened in Vegas that night if Bella had convinced Edward to further their relationship instead of what really happened, which led to their breakup. Really, it was just an excuse to write a lemon for Bella and Edward, but I included some humor in their coupling.