Rosalie held the door open for Bella. "I gotta hand it to you Cullens. You always have the best cars."
Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Overexcited puppy," Rosalie muttered.
"Be nice," Bella scolded.
Rosalie shut the door and climbed into the driver's seat. She took Bella's hand and drove off to Angela's house.
"How do you know where Angela lives?" Paul asked suspiciously.
"She's Bella's friend," Rosalie reminded him. She saw him frown in the rearview mirror. "Relax mutt, I have my own mate, remember?" She lifted her hand, still linked to Bella's.
"Right," Paul muttered. "Sorry."
Rosalie kissed the back of her hand before putting their linked hands back in her lap. "Go get your girl wolf," Rosalie told him.
"Are you going to tease him the entire time?" Bella asked.
"No, not the entire time." Rosalie glanced at Bella and sighed. "I'll stop teasing him."
Paul led Angela back to the car. Rosalie released Bella's hand, unsure how close Bella wanted them to be. Bella saw the two and frowned. She grabbed Rosalie's hand. She didn't care if Angela knew. She was going to find out about Rosalie and the Cullens anyway. It was only a matter of time before vampire mating came up.
Rosalie rubbed the back of Bella's hand with her thumb. "It'll be okay love," Rosalie promised.
Paul held the door open for Angela. Angela climbed into the car with Paul right behind her. "Bella, it's so good to see you," Angela exclaimed. "Hello Rosalie."
"Angela," Rosalie greeted. She threw the car in drive and sped out of Forks.
Angela turned her attention back to Bella. She caught sight of the linked hands "Are you two together now?" Angela asked Bella.
"Yes," Bella replied tightening her grip on Rosalie's hand as if she was afraid Angela would try to separate them.
"Careful love, you'll hurt your hand," Rosalie warned. Her voice so low only Bella and Paul could hear her.
"That's great," Angela said oblivious to Bella's fear. "I'm happy for you both."
"Thanks Angela," Rosalie said. She felt Bella relax beside her. It allowed Rosalie to relax.
"Where are we going?" Angela asked curious.
"Port Angeles," Rosalie replied. "There's an Italian restaurant there that has excellent ratings."
Angela nodded. "How have you been Bella? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."
"I'm… good," Bella half-lied. Rosalie glanced at her but didn't comment. It was mostly true. She wasn't great but thanks to Rosalie and Jasper she was doing okay. As long as she had Rosalie beside her, she knew she would be okay.
"What did you do yesterday?" Angela asked curious. "I had to babysit my brothers so I didn't get to do anything fun."
Bella relaxed. Talking with Angela was always so easy. "Jasper and I went to the Civil War exhibit in Seattle," Bella told her. "I spent most of the day letting Alice and Rosalie dress me up."
"Don't pretend you didn't enjoy it," Rosalie teased.
"Only because you were there," Bella said softly. Rosalie kissed her hand.
Angela watched the two with a smile on her face. She hadn't been sure about Rosalie and Bella at first, especially with how differently Bella had been acting. Now she knew she had been wrong about them. They were good together and obviously in love.
Angela shivered. The car was cold but she didn't want to say anything. Paul saw it. "Are you cold?" he asked concerned.
"A little," she admitted. Rosalie turned the heat up while Paul removed his jacket and handed it to Angela. Angela wrapped the jacket around her shoulders and she immediately warmed up. The jacket felt like it was just pulled out of the dryer. "Woah, this is so warm."
"Are you cold?" Rosalie asked Bella.
"No," Bella told her. "I like the cold."
Rosalie smiled at her mate. She pushed the vent toward Bella. She may like the coldness of her body but that wasn't the same as the coldness from the air.
Rosalie pulled into the parking lot minutes later Angela couldn't believe they were already in Port Angeles. "Rose drives like a maniac," Bella explained when they got out of the car. Rosalie rolled her eyes and wrapped her arm around Bella's waist.
The four made their way inside the restaurant. "Reservations for Hale," Rosalie told the host. She slipped him a hundred-dollar bill. "Somewhere secluded."
Rosalie and Paul at the waiter seating them stared at their mates. It was as if he was trying to decide which one was more likely to agree to go out with him. Bella cringed into Rosalie's side, as they slid into the booth. She was practically in Rosalie's lap. Paul noticed and that made him even more angry.
Angela was also aware of Bella's reaction but didn't know how to react. She could hear Paul growling, like actually growling like a dog. She kind of liked it. It made her feel safe. Deep down she knew Paul would always protect her.
The waiter focused his attention on Bella. Rosalie gently stroked her mate's thigh in an attempt to calm Bell and herself. She was starting to regret her decision to abstain from human blood again.
The four ordered drinks. Well three, Rosalie ordered for Bella as she wasn't in a position to do it herself. "Go get our drinks," Rosalie snarled at him when he didn't leave.
The waiter scurried away in fear. "If you want to tell her Paul, I suggest you do it now before I do something that exposes us." She would apologize to Paul after. She didn't want to ruin this for him but her self-control was rather limited.
Paul nodded. Though this isn't what he imagined he understood. He could see Rosalie's control slipping. His own was slipping as well.
"Tell me what?" Angela asked curious. "Is Bella okay?"
"Bella, love," Rosalie said softly. "Do you want to go outside? Do you need me to call Jasper?"
"I'm okay," Bella whispered. "Don't leave me."
Rosalie held Bella close. "I will never leave you," she swore. She nodded at Paul to continue.
Before Paul could say anything, the waiter returned with their drinks. He continued to stare at Bella while he took their food orders. Rosalie ordered a cheese ravioli while Bella ordered the eggplant parmigiana. Bella barely stuttered out the order before Rosalie snapped. "Keep your eyes to yourself or I will rip them out and feed them to you," Rosalie snapped.
The man paled and turned to Paul and Angela to take their orders. Angela ordered the vegetarian lasagna. Paul ordered three meals: spaghetti and meatballs, the Tour of Italy which was comprised of chicken parmesan, chicken alfredo and lasagna, and the steak and alfredo. He also ordered one of every appetizer.
The waiter was too scared of Rosalie to comment on Paul's appetite. He didn't say anything else. He simply ran away so he could put the order in.
"That guy was seriously creepy," Angela muttered sipping on her lemonade.
Paul straightened up in his seat. Now was his chance. "Angela, do you remember the bonfire?"
"Yes," Angela said slowly. She wasn't sure where this was going.
"Do you remember the legends that Billy talked about?" Paul continued.
"The legends about the wolves?" Angela asked confused. "What about the legends?"
Paul glanced at Rosalie but Rosalie was too focused on Bella to help him. He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's all true," Paul admitted. "The wolves, the cold ones, all of it."
Angela frowned. "I don't understand. Your tribe turns into wolves? And what exactly are cold ones?"
"Not the whole tribe," Paul said. "It's certain males that come from the original bloodline. Me, Sam, Jared… there's potential for others."
"You," Angela said slowly. "You're one of these wolves?"
"I am," Paul confirmed. He offered his hand to Angela. She was continued but she took it. Her eyes widened at how hot his skin was. "I would show you but now isn't the place. But my temperature runs around 109. It's normal, for me."
Angela glanced at Bella. If Bella said it was true, she would believe him. "Bella," she said softly.
"It's all true Ang," Bella said. "Paul is a giant wolf and Rose…" She stopped talking. She wasn't sure if Rose was ready for that.
"Rose is what?" Angela asked. Rosalie had yet to take her eyes off Bella. The level of devotion Rosalie had for Bella was unlike anything she had ever seen. Come to think of it, Paul had a similar look that seemed to be directed at her.
"A cold one," Rosalie said. "Or vampire if you prefer."
"A good vampire," Bella corrected.
Their conversation was put on hold while the waiter, and two other servers, brought their appetizers to the table. Eight plates in total were dropped off. There was barely room for the table. One look at Rosalie and the waiter ran away without a word.
Once they were alone Angela focused her attention on Rosalie. "A vampire," she repeated. "How are you able to go outside?"
Rosalie snorted. "Myth. Most of what you know about your kind is untrue. Any questions you have, I will be happy to answer them."
Angela nodded. "Is Bella safe with you?" To her that was the most important thing. Bella was her best friend. She couldn't allow anyone, human or not, to hurt her.
"I will always be safe with Rose," Bella promised before Rosalie could say anything. She reached over to put some calamari onto her plate.
"Okay," Angela said. "That's all I needed to know."
"There's more you need to know, about me," Paul said. His plate was piled high. "As wolves we have this, uh, thing called imprinting. It's our soul mate. The one person we are destined to be with. I…uh, well I imprinted on you that day at Bella's house."
"Oh," Angela said unsure how to respond. "What exactly does that mean for me?"
"Well, it means whatever you want it to mean," Paul said nervously. "If you want me to be a friend or a brother then that's what I will be. If you want more… then I will be that too."
It was silent for a full five minutes while Angela processed the information. Their meals were delivered and empty plates were taken away. "What if we took it slow?" Angela suggested. "We could start by going on a date, just us two?"
"Yes," Paul agreed. It was far more than he could hope for.
Bella grinned. She was thrilled Paul was getting his chance at happiness. She was also happy Rosalie would be able to answer any of her questions. Unfortunately, Bella just wanted this day to be over. Dealing with the waiter brought up bad memories. After this she had no desire to ever go back to Port Angeles. She would rather go to Seattle. With Rosalie driving it would not take long to get there.
"Do you have imprinting too?" Angela asked. She figured it was one of the safer topics.
"Not imprinting but something similar," Rosalie said. She dropped her fork and pushed her plate away. She had a couple of bites and had no desire to eat anymore. "We have mates, soul mates, to be exact."
"Bella is yours." It wasn't a question. Angela could tell she was right.
"Yes. Alice and Jasper and Carlisle and Esme are also mates," Rosalie told her.
"What about Edward and Emmett?"
Rosalie growled at the mention of Edward. She was still furious at him. She doubted she would ever forgive him. "They are both unmated."
Angela glanced at Bella and Bella shook her head. If Bella had her way Angela would never find out about Port Angeles.
"What about the wolves?" Angela asked Paul.
"All three of us imprinted," Paul answered. "Sam on Emily, Jared on Kim and me on you."
They ate in silence for a while. "I thought you were with Emmett?"
"We were together out of convenience," Rosalie answered. "Seventy years is a long time to be alone. Plus, it kept the humans away."
"Seventy years," Angela squeaked. "Is that how old you are?"
"No," Rosalie said slowly. "I'm ninety actually. I was born in 1915."
Angela dropped her fork in surprise. "I didn't think you would be into older women Bella," Angela teased.
Bella blushed while Paul and Rosalie laughed. Rosalie kissed her cheek.
Angela scooted closer to Paul. His warm body was nice in the cold restaurant. Bella had the opposite issue. She always preferred Rosalie's cold body, even if she was cold. Rosalie shrugged off her jacket and wrapped it around Bella. Bella breathed in the sweet scent and relaxed.
The waiter returned. He cleared his throat when no one looked at him. "Do you need anything else?"
"Boxes and the check," Rosalie replied.
"You didn't eat much," Angela said with a frown.
"My body doesn't handle food well," Rosalie said with a shrug. "I'm sure Bella will eat it at some point." She specifically picked out the meal knowing Bella liked it.
The waiter returned with the check and boxes. Rosalie took two boxes and the check and passed the rest to Paul. "Take it all home," Rosalie muttered to him.
"You sure?" Paul asked nodding toward Bella.
"Don't worry about it. I can go out and get Bella something if she wants it," Rosalie said.
Paul nodded and started dumping what was left of the appetizers and his and Angela's food into the boxes. Bella put hers and Rosalie's food away while Rosalie grabbed her credit card.
Angela had her wallet in hand when Rosalie passed her card to the waiter. "You shouldn't have to pay. You didn't even eat," Angela said with a frown.
"It's fine Angela," Rosalie assured her. "I did this for Bella. Besides, not everyone can afford to feed a wolf."
The waiter returned and Rosalie scribbled the tip. She was tempted to leave him nothing for making Bella uncomfortable but she didn't want the innocent humans to suffer.
They got up and left the restaurant. "Do you want to go home?" Rosalie asked her mate.
Part of Bella wanted to leave. Port Angeles brought back bad memories. But she was here with Paul… and more importantly, Rosalie. Rosalie would protect her.
Bella bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. Rosalie's eyes darkened but not in hunger. Bella could see the concern. Rosalie stepped forward and gently touch her lip in an attempt to see the damage.
"I'm okay," Bella promised.
"We can leave," Rose said softly, ignoring Paul and Angela.
"No, I want to stay," Bella said. "We can go to that ice cream shop down the road." Rosalie studied Bella's face. "Really Rose. I'll be fine. I have you."
Rosalie pulled Bella into her arms. "Okay." She turned to the others. "You two okay with going for a walk?"
Angela shivered and Paul wrapped his arm around her. "That's fine with me," Angela said leaning into his touch.
They dropped off the food in Rosalie's car, Rosalie only complained once about the smell, before heading down the street. Rosalie made sure they steered clear of the alleyway where Bella was attacked. The smell of blood was long gone. Not that it mattered. Nothing was more important than Bella.
Bella and Angela walked side by side. Rosalie and Paul stood on the outside, holding and protecting their mates. "Did you know Tyler thinks he's taking you to prom?" Angela whispered to Bella, not knowing Paul and Rosalie could hear her.
Rosalie growled. "What?" Bella yelped. "No. I'm not going with him. I…" she trailed off. She wasn't even sure if she was going to prom. "No."
"I'm sure he'll figure that out, especially if you two are together school," Angela said. She could swear she heard Rosalie mutter something about breaking his neck. "Um, Rosalie, can I ask more questions?"
Rose sighed. "Yes, of course."
"How do you handle people around people all the time?" Angela asked. "Don't you, uh…eat people?"
Bella giggled, and Rosalie glared at her, a small smile on her face. "My family is what we call vegetarians. We feed on the blood of animals. It's why our eyes are gold. Vampires that feed on humans have crimson eyes," Rosalie explained.
"You drink animal blood," Angela repeated. "But why?"
Bella laughed. That had been her reaction too. "I said the same thing."
"We like living among humans," Rosalie explained. "Humans are naturally wary of us. Gold eyes tend to put humans more at ease." Except Bella, she amended in her head. Bella was the only human she knew of that was comforted by her red eyes.
"Have you had human blood?" Angela asked curious.
"Yes," Rosalie said shortly. She refused to elaborate unless Bella agreed to it.
"What about the myths?" Angela asked when she realized Rosalie wasn't going to say any more.
"Most are untrue," Rosalie answered. "We have the speed and strength. Our skin is cold as ice and hard as stone. Nothing can penetrate it other than our teeth." Bella shuddered at the thought. "Thinks like holy water, crosses and garlic do nothing. We don't eat or sleep."
Angela frowned. Vampires sounded complicated. "But you did eat," she pointed out.
"We can eat," Rosalie amended. "But food tastes disgusting and our body has to wait for the venom to break it down. It's an uncomfortable feeling."
Angela hung back with Paul so she could ask him questions. "What about werewolves?"
Paul was much more relaxed than Rosalie when it came to answering questions. "What do you want to know?"
"Your temperature runs hot," Angela said. Paul nodded. "Is there anything else?"
"Well we're faster, stronger and more durable than humans," Paul began. "We're also more agile and heal faster. All of our senses are heightened. Vampires are our natural enemies so we are equal to them in almost every way."
"If you guys are enemies, how are you and Rosalie here together?" Angela asked surprised.
"Our tribe has a treaty with the Cullens," Paul explained. "Also, Bella is my friend and Rosalie's mate. That forces us to be friendly."
"The treaty, is that why the Cullens never go to La Push?" Angela asked.
"Yes. Per the treaty the Cullens are not allowed to bite a human, to feed or turn, and they have to stay off our lands. In exchange, we stay off their lands. We also keep their identities a secret and vice versa."
While Paul discussed being a werewolf with Angela, Bella and Rosalie were having their own conversation.
"I'm going to kill him," Rosalie growled.
"Rose, I'm not going to prom with Tyler," Bella assured her.
Rose glanced at Bella. "Will you go with me?"
Bella stared at the vampire. "You want to go to the prom with me?" Rosalie nodded. "You know I can't dance."
Rosalie pulled Bella into her arms. "I can," she whispered in her ear.
Bella studied her face. Rosalie seemed eager to go to prom. "Okay," she agreed. "I'll go to prom with you," Rosalie beamed. "But you have to protect me from Alice."
Rosalie laughed. "That I can do," she promised. "Do you still want ice cream?"
Bella looked up and found that they were now standing outside of the ice cream shop. Bella frowned. She was still full but ice cream sounded good. "Okay. A small cone."
Rosalie turned to the other two, who had just caught up with them. "Ice cream?" Rosalie asked.
Paul's eyes lit up. He turned to Angela. "You want some?"
"Just a vanilla cone," Angela requested.
Paul and Rosalie went inside leaving their mates to find a table. They picked one next to the door. "How are doing with everything?" Bella asked. She gently rubbed her injured hand. It was starting to bother her.
"It's strange," Angela admitted. "I like Paul. He's really nice and really cute." Bella laughed. "How do you handle all this?"
Bella shrugged. "When I look at Rosalie, nothing else matters," she confessed. "What she is doesn't matter, what matters is who she is as a person. Does that make sense?" Bella pushed her hair out of her face.
"Yes it does." Angela's eyes locked on Bella's hand. "What happened?"
Bella showed her the bandaged hand. "Oh, I was cooking for Charlie and cut my hand. Rosalie bandaged me up." Bella rubbed the outside of her bandage.
"Is it bothering you?" Angela asked with a small frown on her face.
"It's a little painful," Bella admitted. "I was using Rose as an ice pack since her skin is so cold."
Angela dug through her bag. She pulled out a bottle of Tylenol. "Here. Take this."
Bella took the pills from Angela along with the bottle of water Angela gave her. She quickly downed the pills and half the water. "Thanks," she said gratefully.
"So, how do the rest of the Cullens fit into all this?" Angela asked. "I mean, they're vampires too right?"
"Yes," Bella confirmed. She playing with the bottle cap. "Carlisle changed Esme, Rosalie, Emmett and Edward. Alice and Jasper came to the family on their own."
"How did you end up getting involved with them?" Angela asked curious. "I mean, you looked like you were getting close to Edward and now you cringe at the mention of him."
"When we went to La Push, I ran into Jacob," Bella started. "I knew there was something off about the Cullens. Edward stopped that van with his hands and I saw it. Jacob had told me about the legends. I went to a bookstore in Port Angeles to confirm what I learned." Bella trailed off, unsure if she should continue. "I got lost trying to get back to my truck. Some men found me and cornered me." Bella glanced at Angela's horrified face.
"That explains so much," Angela muttered to herself. "What did your dad say?" Bella looked down. "You didn't tell him. Bella, he has to know."
"No," Bella said firmly. "Rosalie killed those men. If I told Charlie he would want to investigate. I can't put Rosalie in danger like that."
"They're really gone?" Angela asked. If they were dead then there was nothing Charlie could do.
"They're really gone," Bella confirmed. "I watched Rosalie drain the life out of them. They will never come back."
Angela relaxed slightly. "Okay. I won't say anything, promise."
Rosalie and Paul took that moment to come out of the ice cream shop. Rosalie handed ice cream cones to Bella and Angela, while Paul quickly ate his own. "Paul's skin is too hot and was melting the ice cream."
"Ah," Angela said. "Thank you."
"Are you alright love?" Rosalie whispered to Bella.
"I'm good," Bella said leaning against Rosalie. "Can we go home?"
Rosalie glanced at Paul and he nodded. "Sure Bella. We can go home."
Angela quickly finished her ice cream cone while they walked back to Rosalie's car. "Is Carlisle and Esme going to be home?" Bella asked.
"I don't know," Rosalie said honestly. "Carlisle's been avoiding the house."
"Because of me?" Bella said sadly.
"Because I supposedly stole Edward's mate," Rosalie sneered.
Bella leaned against Rosalie. "You didn't steal me Rose," Bella said softly. "I was never his to begin with."
"I know Bella," Rosalie said putting her arm around Bella. "It hurts that Carlisle doesn't trust me. He thinks that I would try to sabotage someone's relationship with their mate. That's the worst crime anyone could commit."
"Maybe he's embarrassed for thinking badly of you?" Bella suggested.
"Maybe," Rosalie said, though she wasn't convinced. Rosalie held up the keys in front of Paul. "Do you want to drive?" His eyes lit up and he nodded. "If you scratch my car I will kill you."
"Your car will be fine," Paul muttered. He unlocked the car and held open the passenger door for Angela. Rosalie and Bella climbed into the backseat. Bella laid in Rosalie's arms, not bothering with the seatbelt.
Paul pulled out of the parking lot and sped back to Forks.