Breaking Tides

4 February 2010

Sum: What if Edward wasn't the first vampire Bella met?

Chapter 5

AN: I know that I've switched the order around a little bit, but I did that on purpose, I felt in this case, Bella deserves to be informed long before they have to tell her, seeing as she already knows. Also, I reread the first chapter and I'm going to have to go in there and make some minor editing, I can't believe how many typos there are! Oops, that's what I get for writing it at 1AM, right? Hehee..

So for awhile, they were at an impasse, and whenever she decided to go down to see Jacob, Alice wouldn't be able to see Bella, as soon as she set foot on their property and would relay that to Edward instantly, who would in turn glare at her and warn her that she was taking her life in her own hands when she did so.

Bella ignored him, he might be right in some cases and he might actually be looking out for her best interests, but she needed to keep Jacob in the loop and really, she enjoyed her best friend's company. Then when she saw Alice in the halls, she'd be glared at from that front too. Bella had to ignore her as well, though Alice kept wanting to come over and talk her, but was probably being held back by the rest of her family.

They told her so much more than she needed to be told, but she was glad they did, it was a token of trust they'd extended towards her, and she'd already proven her trustworthiness by not outing them, but she also felt odd for knowing such details, but not sharing anything with them. They knew a lot, but nothing about her personally. She'd like to keep it that way, but at times she just wanted to blurt things out to Edward when they talked in Biology.

It was a lot more than just working together, they actually talked about their lives as well. Bella got to know him better and he got to know the 'reason' she'd left Phoenix, he thought it was very gracious of her to do that for her mother and her new husband. Bella felt the slightest bit guilty for lying to him on the real reason for leaving, especially as she felt herself growing closer to him, but in a way, she'd probably be here anyways. If it wasn't for the other vampire, she might have chosen to do the same thing anyways. That part of her life wouldn't have changed, Phil would still be going on the road and her mom would still be torn between if she wanted to stay with Bella or to go with Phil. Bella would have come to live with her dad, just as she said, to let them have a chance to be together and for her to see and live with her dad for a little while before moving onto college.

So he had no reason to suspect her of lying and she enjoyed the rest of their conversations about likes, dislikes, interests, she found it especially entertaining to hear about the different lifetimes that he'd lived through. He glossed over part of a decade but she didn't push it, because she didn't want to be pushed back. She didn't know how they got there, but she enjoyed his company and found out that they'd had a lot in common and a lot of differences.

It was also interesting to see changes occur in him every day, each day it seemed a little less difficult for him to breath, a little less harsh sounding in his voice after breathing her in, he was slowly gravitating towards her during their discussions. He smiled more, and it was such an amazing smile, it was crooked and she'd never seen it towards anyone else, not even his family. She felt special for the first time in her life, and it was a good special.

This 50 minutes of her day could even be chalked up to her favorite part. It took her mind off of the feeling that she was being watched at night, that her nightmares were just as bad as they had been before she left Phoenix and the guilt over not telling Jacob about these strange interludes during the day. He'd vastly disapprove of them, probably get angry too, at the Cullens, and at her, for being so stupid, and not learning from past experiences. She didn't know how she would tackle Jacob on this yet, but it really was nothing. Even if Edward got her laughing and smiling the entire day, lingering memories from their discussions and during class. It couldn't be considered as anything important, it wasn't like she was spending time with them outside of class, wasn't putting herself in anymore danger than the rest of the student population. Even if she was, it was different with Edward, he was so different from the other vampire she'd been in close proximity to. The other one had always just seemed slightly off to her, and talking with Edward made her realize just how off she had felt about him, and how right Edward seemed. He was slowly correcting her self doubt on her ability to read people's intentions.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward was leaning away from her, but only so he could look at her face and watch the emotions flicker through her eyes as her thoughts touched briefly on different subject matters.

Bella laughed a little self-consciously. "Oh, you and your family actually." She covered quickly, which was true, that had been part of the thoughts.

"Oh? What's that? Want to meet the rest of them?" He teased and she shrugged.

"I could, but I was thinking more along the lines that it was weird that you guys are together. How did that happen?"

"Ah.." Class's bell rung and interrupted his answer. He grinned at her. "A topic for the next time."

She scowled, she hated being left in suspense. "Fine. Let me leave you with something that you're hanging on the edge of your seat to hear the answer to."

Edward chuckled and rose to his feet, he swooped up her backpack and held it out for her. "You do that anyways. So no harm done."

"What does that mean?" She asked taking it from him, but being careful not to touch him, he still had that distance policy at all costs, and she understood it was for her wellbeing that he had it. Not that his cold skin was a shock to her at all.

"It's just your thoughts are so much more interesting to me than most, even if I could hear them, it would want me wanting to hear more."

Bella couldn't help but smile at that compliment. "Thank you, Edward, that was very sweet of you to say."

Edward shook his head. "You undervalue yourself, did you know that?" He walked her to her next class, a first for them and left her at the doors to gym. "Say hi to Alice, hmm? Even if she knows I accept it now, she might be afraid of me changing my mind, and really, it all boils down to your decisions, and what makes you comfortable. If you don't go up to her, then she has a right to be scared if she were to break the distance between you. You don't have to, but I know she's dragging her feet every day in self-pity for not being able to be your friend."

"But-"

"I know you don't like us, but maybe if you talk to more than just me, you'll see that we're really what we say we are." Edward suggested hopefully.

"Ok." Bella said goodbye to him and entered the locker room, to be greeted by wide eyes.

"Did Edward Cullen just walk you to class?" Jessica squealed.

"Uh... yeah, but we were talking about something we had started in class." It was true, in a way.

"Oh, ok then. He was probably just asking you about a concept he might have missed during one of his retreats. I swear that family takes so many vacations together, it's sweet in a way, just wish I could join them." Jessica started babbling incoherently again so Bella let her believe whatever she wanted and changed into her gym clothes.

When they got onto the gym floor, Alice was waiting for them near the doors, but not directly in Bella's path. She could walk around Alice if she really wanted to, but Bella made a B-line directly towards her and stopped an arms' reach away from the vampire. A few people stared and whispered at the weird duo and why Bella would ever want to associate with Alice unless it was for the clothes. Bella ignored them and smiled tentatively at Alice, who also held back until that reaction. Alice squealed and would have thrown herself at Bella, but Bella held up her hands to ward her off. "How are you?" She asked instead.

"I can't give you a hug?" Alice pouted.

"It's so public here." Bella hedged, she really didn't want to be pounced on by a vampire, again. She might be growing more comfortable with Edward, but there was still a line that had to be drawn, they were still vampires and even though she wasn't scared of these two vampires, she had the wolves to be aware of and her own painful memories to keep her just slightly more cautious than she wanted to be with them.

"Oh." Alice looked put out for a moment, not really seeing the present and then she brightened. "Ok, I can deal with that, you'll change your attitude about all of this eventually."

"Please don't do that." Bella whispered. "It's a little scary and disconcerting to be told your future."

"My brother would prefer me to tell you that its not written in stone and that it can always be changed, based off of our decisions." Alice grumbled, and Bella understood part of it, but not the real reason that the girl might be annoyed by the words.

"Do you get to sit out on the side-lines?" She asked, looking at Alice's outfit, and only seeing the designer clothing that most people wouldn't recognize as such if they were from here. But Bella had been around some of the richest people in the nation and realized even the most simple thing could have high complexity in design. You were really only paying for fit.

"Yeah, I have a note from Carlisle to get me out of all but the actual class, apparently it needs to be on my transcripts if I want to graduate, the actual activities involved don't need to be disclosed." Alice rolled her eyes. "It'd be a completely unfair, and dangerous advantage if I participated."

Bella nodded then looked over her shoulder when her name was called by one of the other students. She gave them a "1 second" sign and then smiled kindly at Alice. "Well, see you around!" She waved as she ran off to join the rest of the group activities, though she probably should have been given the same permission to sit out, it'd be less dangerous for all involved with her not playing as well. The team she was on gave her a large berth and Mike clung to her side, trying to help out and take care of everything that she missed or got knocked into and then spin vicariously out of the way. Their team did manage to win a game or two.

When class finally ended, and Bella had several more bruises and was sure she could walk as well as she could, she changed and then headed out towards her truck. She had to remember not to let Jacob give her a ride anymore, it had been a long walk home because she hadn't thought ahead to ask one of the kids for a ride. Angela probably wouldn't have minded, Jessica would have held it against her, waiting for her opportunity to get her reward for being 'nice' and the boys, well... that would have just been awkward. She could have called Charlie too, but she didn't want to bother him at work. Besides, she had her cell on her if she got in trouble to get a hold of Jacob, who'd promised to stick around more because he'd rather take down her vampire if it came than go gallivanting off chasing the others.

She reached her truck and glanced around as she unlocked the door, the Cullens were all by the shiny silver Volvo that she had no reason to have ever doubted was theirs across the lot, the rest of the kids were joking around, near respective vehicles. It rained while they were in class, so there were large puddles of water that Bella had made great care to avoid. Tyler backed out his car from down the lot and tore down the parking lot, avoiding students, but then one of his wheels caught a particularly deep puddle and he hydroplaned, loosing all control and Bella stopped breathing as she realized it was heading straight towards her.

She didn't have any time to move, anything she could even try to do, would only result in a different position in which she'd be crushed. Her eyes locked onto Edward Cullen's from across the lot and he looked horrified. The vehicle cut off her view from him and the next thing she knew she was being knocked down onto the hard surface of the pavement. She heard a crunch and saw the van spiraling towards her suddenly stop and saw Edward's hands just above her head, bracing against her truck and his shoulders digging into Tyler's van, his body was shielding her from any fallout from the crash and she breathed a sigh of relief when everything stopped moving.

"Are you all right?" He leaned over her, but still keeping his distance. She could see him trying to work out the dent in the shape of his body from Tyler's side panel and glancing fretfully at her vehicle. He looked over his shoulder at Emmett, silently communicating with him and he reached over and pulled out the two hand dents so it would look like the only impact was in the bed where her truck was hit by the van.

"Go." She whispered. "Before they find you here."

He looked her over, uncertain. "But-"

"I'm fine, it's you who won't be if they see you, you were nowhere near me. Please, go." Edward hesitated only a second longer, reaching out to push a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I will see you shortly." He promised, and vaulted over her truck to return to his siblings' side, just in time for a crowd to gather around and try to find her in the mess.

"Bella!" Voices cried out.

"I'm fine!" She yelled, not moving as there really was nowhere for her to move to. It took only a few more minutes for the paramedics to come and Tyler was in pretty bad shape as they loaded him and the police worked on disentangling their vehicles. Charlie was there before the medical team could and he took her shoulders into his hands. "I'm fine dad." She promised.

"We'll have the doctor announce that, it'll be the only time I'll be able to believe it." Charlie seemed worked up with emotion and Bella only rested a hand over his. She knew she was fine, thanks to a saving demon and she searched for him with her eyes, but all of the Cullens seemed to have disappeared. She sighed, this was going to change everything again, and she really didn't want to find out what it would mean.

"Looks like you were pretty lucky Bella, not even a scrape on you." The doctor told her.

Bella was looking at her doctor with incredibility but responded how she should have anyways. "Yeah it was the truck that got the most damage, must just be a very good car. How's Tyler?"

The doctor's golden eyes were kind as he smiled reassuringly. "He'll be out of here in a day or two, not too bad of injuries, he might be hurting though for awhile."

Bella nodded, still not able to get over that the reclusive father of the Cullens was a doctor, not even just a doctor, but a surgical one that spent all his days elbow deep in human blood. "Sure she hasn't gotten a head injury?" Charlie joked seeing the look of amazement on his daughter's features. "I've never seen her so quiet."

"Nope, all the scans came up fine. Your daughter is in practically perfect health. Lots of healed fractures though, at least nothing new."

Charlie took it as the challenge that Carlisle laid for him and he straightened, from what Bella understood until then, was that Charlie liked the Cullens, had great respect for them. She didn't understand why suddenly they were so at odds. "She's inherited my talent for walking, if you were to see my own x-rays and case history, you'd see even more fractures and breaks."

"I'm looking forward to the day that I grow out of that, like my dad has." Bella shared a grin with her father. "What can I say? I'm an inherent klutz, I just got several bruises from gym today, and an earlier one from falling flat on my face during a different rainstorm."

Carlisle nodded. "I suppose that's true, I just haven't gotten your case history from all your years spent with your mother. It's just a surprise to see so many in someone so young. Forgive me Charlie, for any rudeness, it's the department, when you see someone with multiple injuries over their young years, one has to wonder at the origins."

"No harm done, I would be suspect of any other kid's parents too if I had seen it. We just know our history with the ability to put one foot in front of the other." Bella nodded her agreement, her face a wry expression of wishing it wasn't so, but it was ironically something she shared with her father.

Carlisle chuckled and took down the x-ray. "All right then, you're free to go. I think you have a few well-wishers in the lobby, wanting to see how you're doing."

"I have to call your mother, so go ahead and run along, I'll join you shortly."

"I can't believe you told mom!" Bella grouched, hopping off the examination table and almost fell, Carlisle caught her and Bella straightened up away from him. "Thank you for everything Dr. Cullen." He let her go with a knowing look that they were both aware of what it meant.

Edward was pacing the hallways outside the infirmary and running his hand through his hair, musing it up more than it normally was. He stopped when he became aware of her presence. He turned to look at her a little uncertain as to what she was going to say, but that was good because she was going to blow his mind.

"Why did you stop the van?" Bella demanded. "You should have just let it crush me and then all of your worries would have been over!"

"Did you hit your head?" He barked, coming to stand in front of her, if they both breathed in very deeply, they might have been able to touch. She was surprised at the distance he chose, and was a little off-center by it. His presence did things to her, things that no other vampire could touch, no other being.

"No." She drawled. "I got a clean bill of health, why don't you just read that off of your father's thoughts?"

He paused a moment as if doing so, and she wondered if he was taking her advice, instead he was only reorienting himself for a new plan of action. "Are you ok then, really?"

Edward sounded so concerned, that it made her take a mental step backwards, her body refused to move from his. "Yes, but I wouldn't be if you hadn't interfered."

Edward shook his head, struggling with himself to touch her, but was afraid he'd rather strangle her than reassure her. She needed to stop talking that way. "I told you, I don't want you harmed."

"But it would have solved all of your family's worries."

"They're already solved, both Alice and I have assured them that you aren't going to breath a word of this to anyone else, that however you knew was just you, and we didn't have to worry about being outed." Edward exhaled deeply and Bella thought that was a mistake, cause now he had to breath her in, and he did, taking one large long inhale.

She should have felt her self backing off, knowing what was going to come her way now that he'd lapsed in that one small way. But he didn't even spasm, he only locked her in his gaze. Maybe she'd died and not know it, they could be that quick, and her brain just hadn't caught up to it.

All of her worries would have ended then as well, no more vampires, no more worry over Jacob and his pack, no more worrying about getting old and not knowing what to do with her life or concern over the wellbeing of her family. But, she hadn't wanted it to end, and she doesn't still, she wanted to live, she felt like for the first time in her life she had a reason to live for, but it was escaping her what that change was, what she felt was important enough to live.

Her eyes searched his and she relaxed. "Thank you, Edward."

"It wasn't like I was about to let you die, you know? Like I've said, you're too important." He reached out a hand and for the second time in a day touched her, this time to tug on her pony-tail.

Bella returned the smile that he had for her and then he was leaving her side. "See you tomorrow at school?" He asked as he headed down the hallway. She nodded her agreement and she was pleased to see the crooked smile cross his features and that she had put it there.

"Ready to go?" Charlie asked, and Bella looked up to her father and smiled her agreement, he hooked an arm around her shoulders. "Well, then, it's time for your surprise. I've picked up some of your favorite food from that restaurant we both like so much here in town."

"You didn't need to do that." Bella argued.

"No, I didn't, but its not every day that my daughter almost gets flattened between two vehicles, I think it's cause for a celebration that you're still alive." Charlie led her out, and from the corner of her eye, Bella looked to see if she could see any of the Cullens still hanging around. She was out of luck.