Disclaimer: I do not own either Twilight or the Covenant. They are the property of their respective creators. I am simply playing with them for fun. It is my take on what might have happened during N.M. and afterward if maybe Bella had given her heart to and made plans with someone else before Edward.
[A/n: This story will go back and forth from the past to the present. Flashbacks will be in Italics. Also thank you, to all of you readers and reviewers. I greatly appreciate each and every single of your comments.]
Bella's was shocked by what she had just heard. Tyler thought that he had lost her. He had taken that letter as her confessing to having gotten involved and fallen in love with another man. Bella sighed in relief now seeing that this would be a lot simpler to deal with than she had thought. She would be able to hopefully set the record straight and mend his broken heart and ego.
Bella began by slowly looking "Tyler, you didn't lose me. I did not want the advances of the boys here nor did I welcome them. I especially never welcomed his. I never knew what to make of him or expect. He was moody, possessive and arrogant. On top of that he was a complete chauvinist. In other words all wrong for me." With this her mind drifted to the details that she knew that she was holding back from Tyler. Details like the fact that Edward and his family were vegetarian vampires and the whole ordeal with James and his mate Victoria.
Tyler listened somewhat relieved by her reply but not all together convinced. He placed his ring finger and thumb underneath her chin raising it up to look him more directly in the eyes. "What are you not telling me, Bella? I can't help if I don't know what it is that is happening or did happen as the case might be."
Bella took a deep breath before saying, "Tyler what I am about to tell you is something that will sound crazy. It's something that very few people know. It has to with the Cullen's." Tyler nodded indicating for Bella to continue. They did not get a chance to continue their conversation though because it was then they heard the close of the door on Charlie's cruiser.
Charlie came in just then saying, "Hey Bells, whose your friend?" It was just like Charlie to be so casual off handed about such things. Then again Charlie did not too much like a father since he had been out of Bella's life for so long.
Bella smiled, "Hey Ch…I'm sorry Dad, this is Tyler Simms." That got raised eye brows and an appraising look from Charlie. It was a gesture that had become familiar to Bella over her time here and she knew that he was making sure that everything was alright. She smiled to reassure him.
Charlie remembered what Renee had told him years back about this boy. He had thought that they had just fallen out of touch or something, but apparently not. He would have to make more of an effort to get to know this one. Tyler had stuck it out writing and emailing with Bella for years. Apparently the relationship had even survived the whole thing with Cullen kid if he was here now. Charlie came back to the present asking, "So, what's for dinner?"
Bella smiled, "I figured that we'd just order pizza tonight. I hope that is alright." Charlie nodded going into put away his coat and gun, "That will be just fine Bells." So Bella made her way over to the phone to order pizza, a Hawaiian (Canadian bacon and pineapple) which she knew they would all enjoy.
During dinner that evening Charlie made a point of getting to know Tyler something that he's never bothered really doing with Edward. Tyler was more than a little surprised by this because it was so different from what he'd expected. He'd always gathered from Bella's letters that Charlie was sort of a missing in action parent. It was a pleasant different though. Charlie asked him questions like: "What colleges have you applied to?"
Tyler replied, "I have applications in at: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Georgetown, BU and Stanford. I am pretty well assured of a place at Harvard though, my father Dr. Glen Simms is an alumni there" Charlie had nodded, that he understood what it meant since Tyler was a legacy.
The next question followed logically, "What do you think you'll study there." Charlie had wanted to know if the kid had ever put any real thought into what he wanted to do with his future. He had never known a young guy especially the ones with money to put much though to their futures.
Tyler gave a slight chuchkle, "It's okay I get that question from my folks all of the time too. I am debating between going Pre-law or Pre-med at the moment." This answer both surprised and pleased Charlie. It told him that Tyler was serious and had truly considered the kind of career that he wanted to have and how he would support a family. That would be especially important in his mind he wanted to marry Bella.
After dinner was done Charlie offered to do the dishes for a change and the two teens went in to the other room. They flicked through the channels hoping to find something decent on. When they found nothing worth watching they turned it off and turned to the simple topic of school.
Bella told Tyler about her classes and the boring simple mindedness of the students here. "Really, aside from Angela most of them seem to have one track minds and even she seems to go there every so often. At least she is capable of thinking about other things though. The other girls really grate my nerves sometimes. Jessica can be nice though."
Tyler had nodded listening to her describe the sort of people that she had been going to school with out here. Hearing her stories made him feel lucky to go to a place like Spencer where they were somewhat forced think critically and analytically. He could see and understand why it would bore Bella. Bella had been an advanced student in Phoenix but they didn't have any such program here. The result she had been put in with the general student population.
Once, they knew that Charlie had gone to bed Tyler turned the conversation back to the topic that had been interrupted by Charlie's arrival. Bella listened momentarily for Charlie's snores knowing that once he was there nothing could wake him up. Bella sighed; she had known that she would not get away from this topic of conversation going uncovered.
Bella took a deep breath and began, "The Cullen's are a very different lot. Everyone in town was scared of them. For some reason even though I probably should have been I was not. In fact, they intrigued me. I sort of ended up being brought in after Edward kept me from being hit by that van. After that things just got really weird." Bella paused then not really wanting to go into details.
However she was spared that by a loud crashing sound coming from the upstairs. Both teens listened for a split second more trying to determine what the source might be. Bell went to the downstairs closet where Charlie had a stock pile of pepper spray in ready supply. With Bella armed and Tyler's eyes turned black, as the entirety of the covenant membership did when they were ready to use they proceeded to the stair way. They made their way upstairs as quietly as they could. Bella was careful to skip the step that squeaked so as not to alert the intruder.
Reaching the top of the stairs they decided to check Bella's room first. There they found her room cleaned up even more than it had been. Then looking to the other side of the room she saw that her window was open. The teens went over and looked out of the window and sure enough there in the old tree across from her window was a pixie girl. The girl had dark brown almost black hair and amber eyes. Her pale skin looked like marble and she sat there in a black knee length dress and black heels. She wore a scarf on her head and had perfectly done make-up not that she would need it. Sitting in the tree was none other than Alice Cullen.
Bella sigh, "What is going on Alice? I thought you had left with the others." This was not supposed to happen. Now she would possible have more than a little explaining to do. She didn't let herself look back to where Tyler stood ready if anything went wrong.
Alice's musical voice came through, "I just came back to check on you. I had a vision and you were in it. Edward made me swear that I would not look into your future but it came through anyhow. When I got here I realized that I was interrupting something." Alice giggled at that like the school girl that she pretended to be."
Bella more than a little annoyed at the inference rolled her eyes. "We were downstairs talking and catching up. I don't think that is on either of our minds right now." Alice laughed, "Okay I get your point. For future reference you might want to get some oil put on that window again. It might come in handy if it is easier to open and doesn't squeak" Bella nodded in response. Then realizing her lapse in manners made the introductions. That small nicety done she registered Tyler's eyes narrowing at the other girl now.
He knew the thing that Bella was struggling to tell him. The Cullen's were vampires and this added a whole separate layer of trouble to what she had told him. Regaining his senses and ability to speak he found himself needing to ask the question that now seemed most pertinent, "How much danger did your "brother" put her in?"
Alice narrowed her eyes at Tyler appraisingly before becoming defensive, "No more than you do. At least he managed to protect her from the danger that he placed her in. I'm not so sure that you can. What I saw in the vision it was your fault." That statement sent Tyler's mind reeling. After all there was little that the sons were not capable of. For the most part their limitations were self-imposed. Calming himself and taking a deep breath, he prepared himself to ask the next most logical question. "What did you see?"
The three sat down on Bella's bed as Alice began to tell them what she had seen in her vision. "I saw a teenage boy just about 19 with hazel eyes and brown hair. He was probably 6 feet tall with a medium build. He was in some wooded area that was near the water. I know that because I could see the wood and I heard water. He is watching a group of young people at a party. Then as people started to leave he made his way down when it was just the two of you. I watched as his eyes turned black and then he snapped his fingers and tied Bella up and brought her to him. He said something about wanting you to will him your powers if you wanted her to live."
This news made Tyler really uneasy. This was confirmation of something that the covenant had feared but never known for sure. It was also the one possible danger that Tyler could not protect her from. Somehow the pixie had pegged his fear. Tyler frowned looking at the girl trying to decide if she was for real or if she was bluffing. There was a chance of that being the case after all this was Edward's sister the guy who had caused such a huge disruption in Bella's carefully ordered universe. Then again how would she have known about Chase! He nodded and then Alice waved and was out the window again and running though the woods.
Tyler turned to Bella his eyes completely earnest, "Is she for real? I can totally believe in vampire after all I'm from the family that I am from. However, what gets me is I want to know if she is a real psychic." It was something that he needed to hear before any other decisions were made.
Bella nodded indicating the affirmative. "She sees the course that someone is on right now. These can always be changed if the person makes a different decision and it put them on a different path."
Tyler nodded, "It makes sense. After all nothing is ever concrete about the future it is always in a fluctuating state. If there was people would call it the past. It is good have a heads up on that though. What she saw must have been Chase coming after me when I ascend. "
At this Bella raised an eye brow in question. Tyler took a deep breath and began to tell her the story of what had been Caleb's 18th birthday just a week prior at the opening of the harvest festival. Bella listened intently as he told her everything that he been able to gather from Caleb. As he told her this very real fear was radiating out of him. He looked down at the floor scared that this might change Bella's mind about things even if nothing else did.
Bella decided to make her self very clear, "Whatever happens you can't will him your powers. Someone like that doesn't need more power and I won't have you die because of me. If he does gain more power he will only crave more and become more dangerous to others around him." Tyler nodded knowing that she was right and knowing that he would honor her wishes. He also knew that he needed to do something to protect her. Noting the time he decided that he needed to get back to the hotel. "Bella, I'll talk to you again tomorrow, but I have to get back and get some sleep." Lifting her lips up to his thumb and ring finger beneath her chin he kissed her good night and left to go to the hotel.