Lookit! It's another chapter already! Not even two months have passed! There must be something wrong with me, right? My muse gave me some ideas for this story and wouldn't shut up until I got it down. No working on other stories until she lets me, I guess. So here's a new chapter. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 7

No one would look at her. In fact, they were studiously looking at anything but Bella, finding the most mundane items such as walls, floors, and shoes suddenly the most interesting things in the world. But also, none of them were saying, "no." Nor were they coming up with any scoff-life remarks telling her how ridiculous she sounded. Then it dawned on her. "Okay, I'm guessing you can't actually say yes, can you? But at the same time, you don't want to lie to me."

"I guess I'm the only one not truly bound by Volturi Law," Jasper piped up. "The answer to your question is yes. We are. All of us."

"Okay, and why do you have such different eye colors?"

Carlisle chose this moment to join the conversation. "That's a reflection of our diet. My family and I do not drink human blood, but rather blood from animals."

"And you don't?" Bella asked Jasper. He simply nodded in response. Okay, so the Cullens didn't kill humans, but Jasper and his ilk did. "Why don't you drink human blood?"

"Because we don't want to be monsters," Edward answered.

This irked Bella. "And because Jasper and his cohorts drink from humans, that automatically makes him a monster? By what estimation? Because all I've seen from him is kindness, compassion, and selflessness. In my mind, that does not a monster make." Bella felt a sense of pride and possibly love rolling off him towards me. That was odd.

"Don't be fooled by how he is around you, Bella," Rosalie said. "Jasper is also known as The Major and the God of War. He is quite renowned among our kind for being ruthless, cruel and extremely dangerous. That's why we were trying to get you to stay away from him. But he's also a persistent and stubborn bastard."

"Hey, my parents were happily married before I was conceived, and died old and still in love, thank you very much. I am not a bastard."

"When exactly was that?" Bella asked.

Jasper looked down. "Um, I was born in 1842 in Houston, Texas. I was turned in 1864."

"So you're twenty-two plus… plus a century and a half or so," Bella replied, not really looking for confirmation.

"Carlisle's older, by another couple centuries, if that makes you feel better," he added. "Yet, I don't sense it does actually help."

"Who's the youngest?" Bella asked.

"I am," Emmett interjected. "I was turned in Thirty-five."

Wow, so that meant the youngest of them had been a vampire for eighty years already. "Okay, are my clothes somewhere?" Bella queried, looking at Esme.

"Yes, they're on the dresser in your room," she told Bella. Her room… it wasn't her room. It was the room she stayed in, but it certainly wasn't hers. What was everyone's play here? They were all vampires, that much was certain, but what did they really want with Bella? The Cullens had been nothing but kind and welcoming since she arrived, which she now knew was not the norm in New York. Was James telling her the truth? She'd yet to actually ask any of them about that bit of his rant. She wasn't sure how she felt about being someone's mate, whatever that meant, let alone a queen of some kind. Bella quickly changed into her clothes, brushed her hair and found all of her belongings. "So I'm gonna go now. Um, thanks for patching me up, Doc. I promise to take it easy for a couple days," she stated. "Come on Jazz," she said to her dog who stood up and followed her to the door. His leash was hanging on a hook on the coatrack there. Bella grabbed it and her shoes that were by the door and opened it. No one was making a move to stop her, which was slightly surprising. She guessed they were going to give her the space she so desperately needed. At the very least, they weren't going to keep her here against her will.

She noticed three of Jasper's minions standing regiment outside the door, and recognized one as Peter. "You brought Jasper here, yes?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I thought it was going to be difficult, but once I said, 'hey buddy let's go see your mama,' he calmed right down.

"Yeah, you figured out the key words. Nicely done. Thanks for bringing him, I was glad to have woken up with him nearby and knowing he was alright." He simply smiled in response.

Another one, Bella vaguely recognized from the scene of the attack. "You… you saved me?" she asked.

He nodded. "The name's Allen, Ma'am," he told her.

"Thank you Allen." She reached and kissed his cheek before turning and leaving the building and hailing the first cab she could find. As it pulled up, she turned back towards Allen. "I'm guessing Jasper won't be lifting my security detail any time soon, regardless of my wishes, so just know that I won't be pissed if I see you hanging around."

He gave her a small smile in return and nodded once. Getting in the cab, Bella told the driver her address. She'd left her phone at her apartment, so she couldn't start her next plan until she was home. Once inside, she locked the apartment door, noticing the locking mechanism looked a little different than it had before. She guessed that when Peter came to get Jasper, he had to break in, and considering said minion was a vampire, it probably wasn't a difficult task. But then he had come back to repair the damage, which made Bella smile a little.

She had a lot to work through, and it simply wasn't going to happen here. She needed familiarity and someone she knew that wasn't a supernatural creature. Bella called a delivery service and had them pick up the paintings that she'd completed for Jasper's restaurant and deliver them to the address she'd been given, along with a note for the vampire. Then she got online and purchased two first class tickets to Sheboygan. Yep, she was going home for a bit. In order for Jasper to ride in the cabin instead of in cargo, Bella had to sit in first class with him, which she certainly wasn't opposed to. He was an emotional support dog, so he went where she went, no matter what. Bella texted Angela as she was getting on the plane that she could expect her arrival in a few hours. During her trek to the airport, she thought for sure she'd catch a glimpse of Allen at least, if not Jasper himself, but none of them showed their faces.

Bella settled into her seat, with Jasper at her side, and thought about how the hell she got myself mixed up with feuding vampire covens.

Meanwhile at the Cullen home:

"You idiot! You ran her off!" Rosalie hollered at Jasper, raising her hand as if to slap him. The look on his face had her thinking better of her decision to strike him.

"And just what would you have me do, Hale?" The Major retorted. "Lie to her until she's turned against her will? I don't think so. Look at it this way, we didn't tell her vampires existed, James did. And now he's dead. Plus if your bosses want her so badly, I'm pretty sure they'll let this slide in favor of getting her on their side.

"Also, she didn't exactly run. Once she asked us about vampires, she continued asking questions, remaining calm and collected the entire time. I can't feel her emotions, but she's still fairly easy to read. Not once did she freak out, even internally. Her decision to leave wasn't rash nor out of fear. She likely just needs some time to herself to sort all of this out. Can you blame her for that?"

"So you think she'll be okay?" Esme asked.

"She has to be," Edward replied. "Either way, she's part of this world now. There's no going back, and there's no hiding, whether she's aware of that or not. I'd bet money that she's going to go home to Sheboygan to get her space."

"Why do you think that?" Jasper asked.

Edward shrugged. "It's where she's from. It's familiar to her. She's only been in this city a short while, Not much is going to feel like home for her just yet. I'd bet that she's gone home to spend time with family and friends. And I think we need to simply give her all the space and time she needs."

"And what if Aro calls to ask about our progress with her?"

"The odds of that happening are slim, but… that's when we lie," Edward suggested. "We lie by telling the truth. We say she's finished her paintings that she was commissioned for and went home for a little family time. It's not out of the realm of possibilities, and Aro will understand that we can't keep her under lock and key all the time. Really, her identity as Destiny will only help in this endeavor."

Jasper hated to admit it, but the red-head had a point. Bella probably did just need some space to process all she'd learned. Hell, not only had she learned that vampires were real, but she was dropped right the middle of a feud not too unlike the Hatfields and McCoys. He took his leave then, thanking the Cullens for allowing him to stay while Bella was unconscious. Now that she was gone, there was little reason for him to stay.

Garrett briefed him on what Bella had told him. Jasper couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy for the revolutionary vampire, as he'd gotten a kiss from Bella. Sure it was just a thank you for saving her life, but Jasper wanted all her kisses. However, her willingness to get that physically close to a human-drinker told him that she wasn't thoroughly repulsed by nor afraid of his kind.

Back at his fortress slash office, Jasper sat and waited to hear something about Bella. Garrett had gone to her home to keep watch and saw her take her dog on a short walk and then they left in a cab, a large duffel bag in tow. He followed until he knew for certain the cab was headed to La Guardia airport.

"I can't say for sure without hacking into the airport servers, but she's probably flying home. She's from Wisconsin or something, right?"

Jasper nodded. "Sheboygan," he specified.

"Should I have the plane readied?" Garrett asked.

Shaking his head, Jasper replied. "Not just yet. I want to give her some space. Literally and figuratively. I have every confidence that she'll come back when she's ready. And now that James and Victoria are no longer in the picture, she should be safe."

Garrett nodded and left the room. In the morning, there was a delivery to Jasper's restaurant. He ventured over to see what the deal was and saw a large crate addressed to him. Inside the crate were several canvases. Attached to one of the canvases was a note with his name on it.

"Jasper,

I'm going home for a while. I'm not afraid, I just need to process. Please don't follow me or send anyone to watch me. Thank you though, for having me looked after for the whole James debacle. If Garrett hadn't been there, I hate to think of what might have happened to me.

Anyway, I'll send word when I plan to return. Once again, please do not come to Sheboygan or send anyone here. I survived here just fine for twenty-two years. I'm sure I'll be just fine now, regardless of what information I might be aware of now. I trust you'll pass this information onto the Cullens for me.

I'll talk to you soon,

Destiny."

She even signed Destiny, to ensure the name Bella Swan was in no way associated with these paintings, Jasper noticed. He took out the paintings and looked them over. She topped her last series by far. They were incredible.

"Jared, get these framed and have them put up ASAP. A single tear on a single canvas and you'll be ash by day's end. Understood?" he said to one of his human underlings. They didn't know what he was, but they knew he was not to be messed with. He knew he could trust Jared though. He was the one that found Destiny's art in that Sheboygan gallery in the first place.

"Yes, sir, of course. I'll be cautious." Jasper nodded and left the restaurant, heading towards his building. When he arrived at the entrance, none other than Carlisle Cullen was standing there waiting for him.

"Have you heard anything?" the Volturi sympathizer asked.

"Yes, as Edward predicted, she's flown home. I've no idea how long she'll be gone, but she expressly forbade anyone to follow her."

Carlisle nodded. "Yes, I suspected she'd reach out to you. She's drawn to you whether she realizes it or not. You are truly mates, aren't you?" Jasper nodded. "Well, then I don't know how this is all going to work out with the Volturi then. If she's been prophesied to be the queen, yet she's your mate… that would have to mean a regime change, wouldn't you think?"

Jasper thought for a moment. "Yes, and maybe it's about time for something like that. They've been in charge for what… two thousand years?"

"Give or take a few hundred years, yes," Carlisle agreed. "I think it's safe to say that we won't move against you. I can't speak for the rest of the Volturi followers here in the states, but you have my word that the Cullen clan and the Denali clan will not take up arms against you should it come to that. I can't guarantee we'll move to your side, but we certainly won't fight you.

"Bella is important to us. Not just because of the prophecy, but my family has grown very fond of her. She's like a long lost puzzle piece we didn't know was missing."

Taking in the Cullen leader's words, Jasper decided not to hate the man anymore. "I think we can call this a truce then," Jasper stated. "I still will never understand your diet choices, though." The two shared a laugh before parting ways.

Mere days in the city and Bella Swan already had two feuding covens making a truce. She would be a very interesting vampire, that was for sure. If she could end a century long feud so easily as a human, what would she be capable of once immortal?

Sheboygan, WI

Angela and Ben met Bella at the airport. Jasper was so excited to see Angela. He whined and pranced around her, wagging his tail like crazy. "Jasper! I'm so happy to see you!" Angela yelled as she kneeled down to give him a proper hug and a kiss on his snout.

"Jeepers Ange, I missed you, too," Bella teased. Angela giggled and stood up to hug her. She hadn't changed at all. Not even a single hair was longer or shorter than when Bella had seen her last. Granted it hadn't been long, but still. Maybe she thought her being engaged would suddenly make her look different than she has all these years.

"Let's get you home. Charlie's chomping at the bit to see you. He wanted to be here to pick you up, but someone called in sick at the station, so he had to work." Bella nodded in understanding. Ben helped toss her duffle into the boot while she and Jasper hopped in the back seat. He sat next to her, panting happily.

Charlie was home for lunch when they arrived. He ran out of the house right to Bella and picked her up in a bear hug. This was very unlike Charlie, but she wasn't going to complain. "Jeez Dad, it hasn't been that long!"

"I know, kiddo, but you live in the Big City now. It's far away and dangerous. I'm always worried, and nothing you do or say will convince me to be otherwise. The only time I'll not be worried is when you're home with me."

He'd fixed a few sandwiches for the four of them to have before he had to go back to the station. After lunch, he left with a kiss on Bella's forehead and she took Jasper for a walk. There was a dog park nearby and she knew he would love the chance to run around off-leash.

A few of the neighborhood dogs were there and Bella was able to catch up with them while Jasper ran around and played with his buddies. Angela and Ben strolled up behind her and the three of them stood with the other owners while their dogs played. "So what prompted your visit, Bella? I mean I thought it would at least be a month before you came home. Barely a week has gone by. So that tells me that something has happened. Care to elaborate?" Bella noticed the other owners had wandered away or left, so she was free to talk with Angela openly.

"I was attacked," Bella answered quietly.

She gasped. "What? When? How? Why didn't you tell me?! Are you okay? Did you call the police? Does Charlie know?! Where was Jasper?"

"Whoa, Ange. One question at a time please. It was when I went out for a second, I was cornered by these two crazy loons and one of them tried to kill me. Thankfully, though, unbeknownst to me, Mr. Whitlock had been providing me with a security detail and they got there in the nick of time.

"I suffered some bruising and a few superficial cuts, but nothing serious. Afterwards, I learned some things about him and about the family that's basically taken me under their wing and just needed a few days away to process everything. And where better to do that than Sheboygan, Wisconsin? And no Charlie doesn't know… nor will he… ever!"

Angela's lips were pursed in thought, her nose scrunched adorably. Bella always thought she resembled a bunny when she did this. "You're really okay. Your attackers didn't… um… they didn't…"

"No, Angela, no. They didn't." Angela was no stranger to sexual abuse. Before Ben, she dated this guy from their high school, Mike Newton. He'd coaxed her behind the bleachers and tried to force her into sex. Thankfully, she was able to get away, and Mike went to jail, but still she's scarred from that experience. If Bella hadn't called out her name, looking for her, Mike wouldn't have let up his hold on her and she wouldn't have gotten away. Bella and Angela had been good friends before that, but that event cemented their sisterhood.

"My parents asked me to help clean out the attic. Wanna lend a hand?" she asked, effectively changing the subject.

"Oh joy, just what I always wanted! To bathe in dust bunnies!" Bella agreed. They collected Jasper, said their goodbyes to the other dog-owners still there and headed back to Charlie's. They piled into Angela's car and headed to her house. Ben had this uneasy look on his face and Bella couldn't quite figure it out. Maybe he thought Bella wouldn't approve of their engagement? No that couldn't be it. Ben knew Bella loved him. Something was bugging him, but she didn't want to single him out and ask if he wasn't ready to talk about it.

Once inside, Angela's parents greeted Bella and Jasper warmly. Angela's little brothers Isaac and Joshua offered to take him outside to play while the girls worked on the attic. "Thanks for your help, Bella. There are just too many boxes to look through on our own."

Bella smiled. "No worries. I think it'll help clear my mind, anyway. So really, you're doing me a favor here, not the other way around. Alright Angela. Lead the way, toots."

Angela headed up the two flights of stairs and then pulled down the dusty ladder that led to the attic. "After you," she offered, a wry smile on her face.

"Mm hmm, what you really mean is that you want me to be attacked by the attic monsters first. If they eat me, they may not be hungry enough to eat you, right?"

Angela laughed. "You know me so well."

Together they sorted the boxes into categories. Old documents that didn't need to be kept, but should probably be burned, old photos that needed to be gone through, clothing that could be donated, and clothing that needed to be disposed of, and finally, old knick knacks. "I'd bet those guys from that American Pickers show would love some of this stuff," Bella suggested.

"You and the history channel," Angela teased. "First Counts Kustoms and now American Pickers. What's next? That Pawn stars show?"

"It's Counting Cars, not Count's Kustoms. That's the name of the business, not the name of the show. And you should try watching those shows some time. They're actually pretty good."

Angela rolled her eyes. "I'll take your word for it. I'm gonna go get another lamp so we have some better light up here. I'll be right back. Want a sweet tea or something?"

"You know me so well," Bella quipped. "Sweet tea would be great, thanks." Angela had a hopeful look on her face, but also mixed with a bit of fear. It almost mirrored Ben's expression from earlier. Plus where was he? Wasn't he supposed to be helping them in the attic?

Bella spared a glance out the attic window which overlooked the backyard and saw Ben there with Jasper, Isaac, and Joshua. They were all running around playing tag of some sort. "Oh well," Bella said to herself. "It's not like there's really enough room up here for three people anyway."

She grabbed the next box and opened it to decide which pile it belonged in. "Old photos," she declared. And just as she was about to close it back up, one of the photos caught her eye. She pulled it out and saw it appeared to be Angela. But it was such an old photo, it couldn't have been. Unless it was one of Ben's photoshop projects, but still, even the paper it was printed on seemed super old. And there was at least a decade of dust on the box, so how could a new picture be in this box?

Then again, maybe it was an ancestor that Angela bore a close resemblance to. Her curiosity piqued, Bella took out another photo. This one also appeared to be of Angela but she had two small children at her sides. They weren't Joshua and Isaac. A quick peek at the back said, "Angela with her children: Rebecca and David." Those were her parent's names, Bella realized. Why would there be a picture of Angela with her parents as children?

Either this was some kind of elaborate joke or something else was going on. Given Bella's new-found knowledge of the existence of vampires, anything was possible. She didn't thing Angela was a vampire, considering her skin was warm, and she knew she'd seen her in sunlight. Plus, most of the vampire mythology indicates they can't have children. Were Rebecca and David really her kids and not her parents?

Bella always thought it was odd that Rebecca and David never regarded each other as husband and wife. In fact, they acted more like siblings than anything. Bella could hear Angela coming back up the ladder. "You left these for me to find, didn't you," Bella said as Angela's head came in view. "These are all photos of you. Your parents are your children, aren't they?"

"Yes," Angela replies. "So are the twins." Bella was slightly surprised by that, but then thought about it. Every time she was over, it was Angela that treated the boys like her own kids. She did the discipline, she prepared the meals, she did a lot for them. Rebecca and David helped of course, but neither of them were as dedicated to the boys as Angela was. And now Bella knew why. It was a mother's love she had for them, not a sister's.

"What are you?" Bella asked. "You don't seem to be a vampire."

Angela looked surprised. "Vampire? Wait, why do you know about vampires?"

"Don't change the subject."

"I'm a Silverblood," Angela told her. "Basically it means I'm immortal."

Bella took a deep breath, processing the information. She thought back to when she first met Angela. They were twelve. At least, Bella was twelve. Angela was simply tall for her age, or at least that's what she said. Looking back, Bella could tell that Angela had never really changed over the years. She just made herself look younger by dressing for that age and doing her hair that way. "How old are you?" Bella asked.

"Nearly two hundred," she answered. "I stopped aging when I was about nineteen. Haven't changed since. Silverbloods are immortal humans. We can age, but the more we're injured, the more likely it is we'll stop aging. Look." Angela picked up a pair of old rusty shears and took them to her arm.

"Stop! What are you doing?!" Bella screeched.

"Relax and just watch, Bella," Angela replied calmly. She pressed the rusty blade to her skin and cut a line across her forearm. Blood began seeping out almost immediately, but then before her very eyes, the blood receded and the cut healed. There wasn't even a scar left behind. "We heal really fast. Do you remember me ever being sick or getting hurt in the ten years you've known me?" Bella shook her head. "That's because I've never been sick or gotten hurt. Well, if I am injured, I heal almost instantly, as you can see. And my immune system fights off any illnesses before I can even show symptoms."

"Wow," was all Bella could manage to say. "First I find out vampires are real and now this… what else is out there?"

Angela shrugged. "Just about everything I suppose. All myths are rooted in some truth, right?"

"I guess," Bella agreed.

"So how did you find out about vampires?" Angela asked.

"Jasper Whitlock is one," Bella replied, her eyes unfocused as she processed everything she'd just learned.

"Does he have any connection to the Volturi?" Angela asked.

"The what? No, I don't think so. I mean, he's never mentioned it. Why?"

"The Volturi are the vampires' leaders. They're based in Italy. I just know they see Silverbloods as precious commodities and would love to have one in their grasp. I was going to suggest you cut ties with any vampires that may be associated with the Volturi, that's all."

"This is all just too much. I thought by coming home, I could escape the supernatural for a minute, but clearly that's not the case. I feel honored that you trust me enough to tell me the truth about you, but I wish you'd have waited a bit."

"You… you're not scared of me?" Angela asked, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. She got that from Bella. Or maybe Bella got it from her. They both had been doing it for so long, Bella wasn't sure who started it.

"Of course not. It's not like you want to drink my blood, right?" Bella realized then that she also wasn't afraid of the Cullens, or even of Jasper, even though he was a human blood drinker. "I think something's wrong with me."

Angela's eyebrows scrunched together. "What do you mean? Are you ill?"

"No, I mean… I'm not afraid of you. I'm not afraid of Jasper or any of the other vampires I met. Even after I learned what they are. I mean, I should have gone running and screaming out of their house the moment they admitted it, right? So why didn't I? Hell, I kissed one on the cheek when I realized he was the one that saved me in my attack."

"You never did have much of a sense for self-preservation," Angela told her. "How many times did I grab you before you fell to your death off the bleachers in junior high and high school? How many times did you trip over your own feet down the hallways? It's like you concentrate on everything but yourself. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but maybe your brain is wired differently. I mean, not only are you apparently not afraid of supernatural creatures, you are accepting of us."

"Well yeah, you're still my Bunny, Ange. I don't care that you're two hundred years old and heal like a freak. Just like I don't care that Jasper is a vampire and probably wants to drink my blood."

Angela scooted closer to Bella. "So your attack…it wasn't by humans, was it?"

Bella shook her head. "Nope it was this crazed vampire named James and his girlfriend Victoria. He was a bartender at this club I went to, and I guess that's what set his sights on me. That or the fact that I was associating with members of both major covens in New York. They're feuding like the Hatfields and McCoys, I swear. It's a wonder that the city hasn't been reduced to rubble with all their squabbling. James honed in on that connection and targeted me.

"I had gone out for a short walk without Jasper and made a wrong turn down an alley on my way to the storefronts. James and Victoria found me and told me that not only were vampires real but that I was intended to become one. He told me that Jasper wanted me for his mate and the Cullens, the other coven I know there, wanted me as their queen. I have no idea what any of that means, or if I will even have any choice in the matter, but still."

Angela stayed quiet a long time. "I have a solution, and you can take it or leave it. It looks, though, that either way you slice it, you're going to be immortal."

"What are you talking about?" Bella asked.

"You could become a Silverblood," Angela said as if it was as common as becoming a librarian. "I can transfuse my blood into your body which will alter your DNA to have the Silverblood gene. You'll be like me. It's what I'm doing for Ben."

"Is that why he's been all quiet all day?"

Angela nodded. "He's coming to terms with it. I told him the truth when he proposed. I wasn't about to marry a man that didn't know the truth about me. Not again, anyway. In the past I've fallen for someone, married him, bore him children, then had to disappear before he realized that I never seem to get any older. I moved here with the kids shortly after the twins were born.

"Ben is the one, though. I don't ever want to be with anyone else, and I also don't want to have to be without him once he dies. So I offered him immortality. After a brief freak-out, he agreed. He doesn't ever want to be without me, either."

Bella smiled. "That's got to be the most romantic thing I've ever heard. But how does making me like you solve my issue?"

"I'm immune to vampire venom, Bella. You would be, too. They'd never be able to turn you, but you'd be immortal like them."

Bella's eyes went wide. "They're venomous?!"

"Oh, they didn't explain the mechanics to you?" Angela asked, confused.

"Um, no. I kind of left before I gave them the chance to do so."

"I see. Well, that's how they create more of their kind. The venom has two functions. It incapacitates the prey so they can feed without the person screaming up a storm or thrashing about. It's very painful, and makes it so it's the only thing you can focus on. But then the vampire drains the person dry and they die. However if they simply bite, but don't drink, the venom is left to spread. It converts the person's cells, and after three or so days, they're a vampire."

"So instead of vampire venom converting me into immortality, you want to do it with your blood. Either way I'd be immortal, so I still don't see how this helps."

"You wouldn't have to be a vampire, Bella. That's what I mean. You would still be able to sleep, eat, and have kids if you want. If you become a vampire, all you'll ever want is more blood. Sure you can still function like a person, but that thirst is always at the back of your mind. It never goes away."

Basically Bella was staring at two ends of an immortality stick, and she didn't want to get stuck with the short end. "Are there any perks of being a vampire?"

"Well, you'd be crazy fast and strong, your features would change. You're already drop-dead gorgeous, but the change enhances your features, so you'd be even more beautiful than you already are. Your mind expands, too. You'll be able to process information much faster and you can store more information in your mind."

"How do you know all of this stuff?" Bella asked.

"Been around a while," Angela replied. She was nearly two-hundred, Bella remembered. Of course that was plenty of time to learn a thing or two. "Plus I dated a vampire for a few years once. Even bore him a kid. That was a painful delivery…"

Bella's mind continued to be blown. "Wait, he got you pregnant?!"

Angela nodded. "Yep, neither he nor I knew it was possible. I probably wouldn't have survived the pregnancy let alone the delivery if I wasn't a Silverblood. Poor baby chewed her way out of me. I have a half-Silverblood half-vampire daughter. She's about to turn a hundred soon. Her name is Bree."

"Are all your kids immortal?" Bella asked.

"No, just Bree. Plus any kids I have with Ben after he's changed. To have Silverblood children, both parents have to be Silverbloods. Or so the legends say."

"So where are your parents, then? Don't tell me they're Tyler and Jessica because I just might croak."

Angela laughed. "No, no. I have no idea where or who my parents are. They left me in a basket outside a church when I was born. Could be I was an anomaly. A Silverblood born to two normal humans. That's been known to happen. Once I learned what I was, I searched for them. Never found anything out. But the only sure way to create more Silverbloods is either the blood transfusion method I described, or to have children with another Silverblood," she explained.

"I'm gonna head home for a bit, if that's alright," Bella said. "I just need some time to process this. Which is why I came home in the first palce and now there's more."

"I understand," Angela replied. "Do you want a ride?"

Bella shook her head. "No, I'll run with Jasper. It'll be good for us, I think. I'll um… I'll call tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure, but know that if you don't, I'm coming over. We're not going to let this come between us, okay? I didn't tell you my truth for you to just run away."

"Never, Ange. We'll always be best buds. Apparently for even longer than I thought. Like I said, I just need to process. Maybe get a few more paintings done, too. We'll just have to see."

Angela said goodbye to her friend and watched as she and Jasper took off down the road. She really hoped it wasn't the last she'd see of the best friend she'd had in two hundred years.

There I did it. I brought my Silverbloods into this fic. Because why not?! If you read my story Rocky Beginnings, there's a Silverblood there, too. So what do you think? Should Bella become a Silverblood or a Vampire? Let me know in a review! Thank you for reading!