Chapter 11: Mates and Explanations

A/N: This isn't a true A/N except to tell you to read the A/N at the bottom for an explanation!

Charlotte POV

I was coming back from hunting when I sensed another vampire near me. My first instinct was to protect the others so I began to lead him away from the house. He caught up to me quickly and grabbed my arm, spinning me around. As soon as I saw his messy bronze hair and golden eyes, I knew that this was Edward. I also knew that this was my mate and that, no matter how badly I wanted to, I couldn't deny the pull.

We stood there staring at each other for a while, unaware of the time, until his phone buzzed. He didn't break his gaze as he snapped it open and put it to his ear.

"What, Alice?" he asked with a slight hint of aggravation in his tone.

"I know Char is beautiful, and I know she's your mate, but you both should come to the house now. We have a lot to discuss and everyone here is getting antsy because I won't let them leave until you get here."

"See you in a few Sissy," he said, closing the phone and putting it in his pocket. He smiled crookedly and shook his head.

"So, you're Charlotte? I've heard about you, mostly through the thoughts of the rest of the family. I'm sure you've heard a lot of horrible things about me and that, despite the mating bond, you absolutely detest me. I understand completely. I've come to terms with a lot of things over the past twenty-four hours though, a lot of realizations. Will you come back to the house with me and hear me out? Please?"

He seemed so earnest, sincere, and truly ashamed. Even if I had wanted to say no, there was no way that I could have. He was my mate; I would be at his side for the rest of eternity.

"Yes, Edward, I will join you. However, you're right: I really don't like you right now."

He chuckled, grabbed my hand, and we raced off towards the white house in the distance.

Bella POV

I have absolutely no idea what's going through that Pixie's brain right now but she won't let anyone leave. I don't really have anywhere to go but Peter is dying to get out of here for some reason or another.

"Peter, why are you so anxious baby? I'm sure everything will be fine, just calm down a bit, please?" I pleaded with my anxious-pire. He shook his head and pulled me onto his lap, nuzzling his face into my hair.

"Bella, my spidey-senses are going off and something's about to go down. I don't want you around it in case you get hurt. Someone's about to show up that I want nothing to do with, I just don't know who. I just want to protect you and I can't do that if we can't leave this house right this very second."

I ran my fingers through his hair and shushed him, murmuring into his ear softly like one would do to soothe a child. 'Isn't this a bit of a role reversal? The human calming the vampire to keep said vampire from having an anxiety attack? Where in the hell is Jazz so he can help me with his brother?' I wondered.

I heard a soft hissing that must have come from Alice and everyone came into the living room and settled down on the various pieces of furniture. I turned my head and met Jasper's eyes, pleading with him to help me.

A few seconds later, I felt Peter physically relax beneath me and his grip around my waist wasn't quite as tight. I settled into him further and kissed his cheek, nuzzled his neck, and whispered that we'd all be just fine.

I was about to ask Alice what was going on when the back door opened and a familiar voice that I had no desire to hear in the near future rang out, "Hey, everyone."

There was a flurry of movement and, before I knew it, I was behind a snarling Peter, Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle, with Rosalie and Esme at my sides, ready to grab me and go if needed. Only Alice didn't step back with everyone else and I realized that she knew that he was going to return. I also realized that, if she didn't tell anyone of his return and she wasn't freaking out like everyone else, then he truly meant no harm.

Thinking quickly before everyone attacked Edward and Charlotte (who I'd just noticed was standing a bit closer to him than was friendly), I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and hoped what I was about to do would work.

Figuring that, although I'm sure everyone was angry with him for showing up, Jasper was probably projecting a bit, I concentrated on him and the most calm, peaceful feeling I'd ever felt in my life in hopes that it would calm him enough to affect everyone else.

It appeared to work momentarily when Jasper stood from his crouch and turned to me with wide eyes. It just didn't work quickly enough because he didn't have time to project before Emmett charged at Edward with an obvious intent to kill.

I felt a snap within me and almost immediately Emmett was stopped in his tracks by an invisible force. He turned in a circle with the most amusing look on his face and started attacking the force around him. I could feel every strike against it but it didn't hurt me one bit; it just felt like minute vibrations, almost like the trembles in the earth after a particularly loud rumble of thunder.

Alice and Peter turned to me with shocked looks on their faces; apparently they weren't expecting this to happen. To see Alice shocked was the funniest thing ever and I would have laughed out loud if I didn't need to sit down from the exertion of my…what was this thing? A shield?

"Emmett," I called weakly, "Are you done attacking my shield and are you going to quit attempting to attack Edward? It's pretty sad when the human's brain catches up to Alice's before the other six vampires in the room."

He nodded and I tried to release the shield from him by thinking about it snapping back to myself and it happened with a slight sting.

"Ow, I'm gonna have to remember to do that more gently next time," I muttered.

"Bella, how long have you known about your shield?" asked Carlisle.

"I don't know, Carlisle, it was an instinctive reaction to protect. Peter, don't interrupt me like I know you're going to, just wait until after everything is revealed and we'll discuss it then. I left him for you, remember? I begged you to protect me. I wasn't protecting him because I want to be with him, I was protecting him for Charlotte's sake and for Emmett's sake because, as much as everyone loathes him right now, I know that any one of the people in this house with the exception of you would be in extreme emotional pain later on down the road if you hurt him. So, let's not act rashly. Instead, everyone take a seat and listen to what Edward has to say, please. For me?" I asked.

Everyone acquiesced and sat down with their mates. Peter scooped me up and curled me on his lap with a blanked wrapped around me to keep me warm. I'm exhausted but I want to hear what has to be said and to see if the asshat-pire is man enough to actually apologize to me for everything that he put me through.

Asshat-pire (AKA Edward) POV

I immediately launched into my explanation. I assured everyone that, in the beginning, my relationship with Bella was as it seemed. I also explained that I wasn't sure when it turned from love to possessiveness. I just felt like I had to own her, consume her, make her bend to my will. It was as if, instead of me being the one to read the thoughts of others in their heads, someone else was forcing thoughts and actions into mine.

When she met Peter and they instantly mated, part of me acknowledged that and was more than ready to stand down, defeated. Who was I to fight the mating bond? I knew we weren't mates; if we were, I wouldn't have been able to walk away from her in the first place. However, there was a stronger need from somewhere that was forcing me to fight, to make an attempt to keep her as mine.

Carlisle stopped me at this point to ask a question.

"Son, did this possessiveness start before or after you went to Volterra?"

I thought about it for a moment but it was Bella who piped up.

"It was after we got back from Volterra. He was never like this before he went there. However, I started noticing subtle changes while we were on the plane but brushed them aside, blaming them on the fact that he thought he lost me and almost dying himself in the process, along with the now-looming date of changing me. Over the next week or two, it got much worse. It got so bad that he would barely let me out of his sight and made his threats towards my family. Carlisle, do you think that someone in Volterra could have some kind of gift that could be strong enough to reach him from Volterra? Or that someone followed us from Volterra, at the very least, and put some kind of hold on him?" she said.

Everyone besides Carlisle looked at her in shock. Why didn't any of us think of that?

Carlisle's face was grim and he said, "It appears so."

A/N: OMG, I am soooo sorry for the major delay! RL and college is kicking my butt this semester! I promise that this story is going to really pick up soon.

Disclaimer: I don't own, you don't sue.

Credit where credit is due: Thanks to 01katie for pre-reading this for me! You're awesome chica!