It took a whole day before Bella was ready to meet Edward. It was an entire day of decision being made and Alice checking to see how it would go. If it went bad they would change something and check that. It was a long day for Alice and everyone involved.
Carlisle and Esme had returned in the evening. After filling them in, the two decided it was best for the 'kids' to handle this. Adding Carlisle and Esme to the mix simply created too many variables and was becoming too much for Alice.
After much arguing it was decided that Rosalie would not be beside Bella during this meeting. Rosalie's presence was enough to set Edward off, no matter what happened. In the end, it was decided that Alice and Jasper would stick close to Bella. Alice, because she was Edward's favorite sibling and therefore least likely to provoke him, and Jasper because he was the best fighter. It was Jasper's responsibility to keep Bella safe, while Alice's job was to try and keep Edward calm if things went sideways.
It wasn't the best plan but it was most likely to have the best results. Rosalie, Peter and Charlotte would be in the woods, ready to intervene if Victoria showed up. While Alice didn't see Victoria showing up, it was best for them to be prepared. Alice had a harder time seeing Victoria than the other two nomads. Everyone was working under the assumption that she had a gift that allowed her to remain undetected.
The closer it got to the meeting, the more nervous Bella became. Using Alice's phone, Bella had called Edward and ask to talk at the Cullen house. Edward had been quick to agree to the conversation which made Rosalie worried but Alice had assured her it was okay.
Bella was standing in front of the house. Jasper and Alice were inside the house. They weren't trying to hide from Edward. They wanted Edward to know they were there, so he wouldn't try to do anything stupid. Rosalie was convinced Edward was stupid enough to do something and Jasper had to agree.
Bella heard the rustling in the trees before she saw anything. She looked in the direction of the noise and waited. She was sure it was Edward. Peter and Charlotte would have come out immediately so she knew she was safe. Rosalie would have been by her side already.
Edward stepped out into the open. Edward hadn't changed since the last time she'd seen in at the Cullen house. It wasn't surprising as vampires didn't change but a part of her had expected some type of different. His eyes were still the same gold they'd always been. His eyes would never not be gold from what Bella understood. While Bella liked the gold eyes on the other Cullens, on Edward it just seemed…unsettling. She missed the red of Rosalie's eyes.
"Bella," he greeted with a grin. He stared at her, hoping to get a glimpse into her mind. It was a futile attempt, which he knew, but still he tried.
"Edward," Bella said cautiously.
He stepped closer to her. He didn't get too close. He knew his innocent mate was corrupted by Rosalie. She wouldn't welcome his advances yet so he had to proceed with caution. He needed to earn her trust, like he did before. It was the only way. He was confident he could do it.
"Bella," he said softly. "How are you?"
Bella froze. She wasn't expecting Edward to be so… nice. It reminded her of those brief moments, months earlier when she cared about him. It was… strange.
"I'm okay," Bella said. She didn't want to go straight to her issues with him. Alice had made it very clear he needed to be as calm as possible. Angering him as soon as he arrived was stupid. For now, she would talk to him and try to ease him into that conversation. "How have you been?"
"Better now," he said. He flashed a crooked smile at her, one that dazzled her in the beginning. This time it had no effect on her. He turned toward the house. "You have protectors in there," he commented.
Bella walked over to the bench in front of the house and sat down. Edward followed. "Yes," Bella agreed. "Jasper and Alice didn't want to leave me alone. They're… overprotective after everything."
"Because of me?" Edward questioned.
Bella glanced at him. "No, not you. The nomads and Port Angeles," Bella told him. She hoped he didn't overreact, especially since the nomads were his fault. So was Port Angeles come to think about it.
"I'm sorry about the nomads," Edward said after a minute of silence. "I sent them to protect you. I didn't realize…" he shook his head. "I should have known better than to have human drinkers around you. Your scent is irresistible." He flashed the crooked grin again. "Once I realized James' intention, I was going to kill him but the others beat me to it."
"What about Charlie?" Bella questioned. "Did you know what Victoria was going to do to him?"
"No," Edward said honestly. "I met with them a few times but overall, they did their own thing. As long as they kept an eye on you, I didn't pay much attention to them."
"James tried to kill me," Bella said bluntly. "You brought him to me."
"I know and I can never apologize enough for that," Edward said.
Bella glanced at him. She believed he really was sorry. It was strange. She hated him for everything he'd done to her, or allowed to be done to her. But in this moment, it was hard to believe he was the same Edward. This Edward reminded her of the boy she met months ago. The boy that saved her from Tyler's van. She would never forgive him for what he had done but she was finding it harder to hate him.
"I know you're sorry," Bella said softly. "But I don't know if I can forgive you."
That was the wrong thing to say. Bella could feel the change immediately. Edward tensed up beside her. His calm demeanor was gone. "You can't forgive me," he repeated with a hard tone. "But you've forgiven Rosalie for wanting to kill you?"
"This isn't about Rosalie," Bella said. She needed to move the conversation away from her mate. Talking about Rosalie was the quickest way to escalate Edward and that was what she was trying to avoid. Plus, she didn't like hearing Edward talking bad about her. "This is about you and me."
"Is there a you and me?" Edward asked.
Bella froze. She did not know how to respond to that. She didn't want to lie to him as she felt that would cause problems. But telling the truth may cause even more problems. "No Edward," Bella said finally. "There is no you and me. There never was a you and me."
Edward clenched his fist. "You don't mean that," he said firmly.
Bella stood and walked away from Edward. There needed to be some distance between the two of them. Bella could see he was starting to lose control. She was surprised Alice and Jasper hadn't intervened yet.
"I do mean it Edward," Bella said. She couldn't face him. She didn't want to see the anger in his eyes. "You let me get attacked in Port Angeles. You…"
"I couldn't intervene," Edward yelled, standing up. "I wanted to help you but there was too much blood. I couldn't risk killing you."
Bella turned around. Edward's eyes were dark. "You claim I'm your mate but you let me get hurt," Bella said softly. This was her last chance to convince Edward they weren't meant to be. Either he would accept it or he would do something stupid.
"You are my mate," Edward hissed. He took a step toward Bella but Bella held her ground.
"No, I'm not," Bella argued. "If I was your mate you wouldn't be able to hurt me."
"Is that what your precious Rosalie told you?" Edward asked. "She'd do anything to keep you away from me. I can help you Bella, if you come with me, I can protect you from her."
Bella backed away. Edward wanted to take her away from here, from Rosalie. Bella and the others hadn't considered that, although they probably should have. She didn't want to be anywhere near Edward in case he decided to grab her and run.
"I don't need protection from her," Bella said firmly. "So far, I've only needed protection from you."
Edward closed his eyes in an attempt to calm himself down. "Bella, you're letting her manipulate you," Edward said. He appeared calm but Bella could tell he was anything but. There was something in his eyes that scared her… yet Jasper and Alice still hadn't intervened. What were they waiting for?
"I'm not Edward," Bella said. "I love her. You need to accept that and move on."
"No," Edward shouted. He moved toward her, his now black eyes locked on her. "I won't let Rosalie take you away from me."
He reached out toward Bella. Bella closed her eyes. She didn't know what was about to happen and she didn't want to know. "Rosalie," Bella called out, praying her mate could hear her and would come protect her. She worried something had happened to Alice and Jasper.
She felt the breeze she associated with vampire speed and opened her eyes. Edward was no longer moving toward her. Instead, he was across the yard with Jasper crouched down in front of her. Bella wasn't sure but it looked as if Jasper threw him away from Bella. Alice was standing beside Bella, ready to fight Edward or offer comfort to Bella, whichever was needed.
"Where's Rosalie?" Bella asked Alice.
Edward smirked and Bella felt her heart drop. There was no way she was dead. Edward had been here, with her. It wasn't possible that he killed her. "I imagine dear Rosalie will be ashes soon enough," he taunted.
Bella choked back a sob. "Don't listen to him Bella," Alice said squeezing her hand. "Rosalie's okay. Victoria attacked and Peter and Charlotte were able to help. She'll be here soon." She turned her attention to Edward. "You need to leave Edward, now."
Edward stepped forward and Jasper growled at him. His muscles were tense and though Bella couldn't see his face, she knew he was ready to kill. "I'm not leaving without my mate," Edward said firmly.
He took another step forward and Jasper lunged. Edward attempted to side-step him, relying on his gift to counteract Jasper. Jasper, however, wasn't easily tricked. He'd lived with Edward for over fifty years, they even sparred together, Edward may be the mind reader but Jasper knew how he thought. Jasper found Edward predictable in that respect.
Jasper grabbed Edward and threw him back. Edward got up, ready to charge at Jasper again, when he heard movement and the thoughts of Rosalie, Peter and Charlotte. The three walked out of the woods seconds later, tensed and ready to fight. Edward looked at Bella one last time before running away.
Once Edward was gone, Rosalie ran to Bella's side. "Are you okay?" Bella asked concerned. She looked around for any sign that Rosalie was hurt again. Other than some torn clothes and dirt, Rosalie looked fine.
"I'm fine Bella," Rosalie assured her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay," Bella promised. "He scared me but he never touched me. He said you were going to die."
"Victoria showed up," Rosalie explained. "I don't know if they planned it or not. I was listening in on your conversation and she managed to grab me and throw me. We fought for a minute before Peter and Charlotte showed up."
"Is she dead?" Bella asked.
Rosalie led Bella inside. Alice and Jasper followed behind. "No, she's still alive," Rosalie said. It was clear to everyone she was not happy about it. "Peter almost got ahold of her, she slipped away at the last second. I don't know how she was able to do that. Not even Jasper would have been able to avoid that move."
"She has a gift," Peter said walking into the house followed by Charlotte. "Some form of evasion most likely."
"Did you catch her?" Rosalie asked looking back and forth between the two.
"No," Peter said with a sigh. "We almost got her twice. Even working together, we were struggling."
"I think Edward is counting on Victoria's gift to help him," Jasper said thoughtfully. "He tried to get to Bella and failed. He will most likely rework his plans, perhaps even have Victoria attempt to kidnap Bella." He turned his attention to Bella. "I'm sorry Bella. When we heard Victoria, we went to go help until Alice realized it wasn't a good idea. We shouldn't have done that."
"It's okay," Bella said. "I was worried when you didn't show up. But I figured Alice had it under control." Alice looked down. It was her decision to help Rosalie until she realized it was a trap. "It's okay Alice," Bella said softly. "I knew you and Jasper would be there if I needed you."
Alice perked up a little but she still felt incredibly guilty. She should have seen what her decision would lead to. It appeared Victoria's gift allowed her to avoid Alice's gift to some extent. It was something that none of them were happy about.
"So, what now?" Bella asked no one in particular.
"For now, you continue to live your life and we keep an eye on the area," Peter told her.
"You did mention inviting Angela over," Rosalie reminded her. "Do you want to call her and Paul and if they want to come? One of us could run and get you guys some pizza."
"Yeah I should do that," Bella muttered. "Do you think Angela will be safe here? I know Paul will want to know." She pulled her phone out of her pocket but didn't dial Angela's number just yet.
"She'll be safe," Rosalie promised. "Paul will watch out for her and I'll be with you. The rest will be around just in case."
"I highly doubt Edward will try anything today," Jasper added. He felt as Bella calmed down at his words. He hadn't realized how much Bella relied on his experience as a Major. "He knows we're on high alert now. Especially since we watched him try to grab Bella."
Rosalie growled at the reminder of how close she had been to losing Bella. She wrapped her arms around Bella and held her close. Bella shifted in Rosalie's arms so she could dial Angela's number.
"Hello?" Angela answered.
"Angela, it's Bella," Bella said.
"Bella! It's so good to hear from you. I was worried when you didn't come back after lunch the other day," Angela said.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Bella muttered. "Are you free right now? I was wondering if you and Paul wanted to come hang out at the Cullen house?"
"Sure," Angela exclaimed loudly. "Paul is on his way over. We were going to hang out at my house. We can be over in thirty minutes or so. It'll depend on when Paul gets here. I'm not sure if he's running or driving."
"If you two want to hang out alone then I don't want to interrupt," Bella said.
"No, we would love to come over," Angela said firmly. "I'll text you when we're on our way."
"Okay Angela," Bella said. "I'll see you soon. Bye."
Bella hung up the phone.
"I'll run and grab some pizzas," Alice said. "Is there anything else you guys will want?"
"Some snacks for Paul?" Bella suggested. "He's not picky on which ones."
"What do you want?" Alice questioned.
Bella wanted to say nothing but knew Alice wouldn't allow it. "Chocolate," Bella decided. "Dark chocolate."
Alice nodded and took off out of the house. Jasper put a football game on the TV in case Paul was interested in watching it. It was likely that the TV would be on with no one watching.
"Char and I will patrol," Peter announced.
"You don't have to," Bella said. "Angela already knows about you."
Peter grinned at her. "I know. But someone needs to keep an eye out for Edward and that redhead. I'm hoping I get to her first."
Rosalie growled softly. "I want to kill her," she said. "I owe her for Charlie."
"I'll save you a piece," Peter promised. "Char?"
"Yeah lets go," Charlotte said. "We need to hunt anyway."
The two took off leaving Bella alone with Rosalie and Jasper. "Are they worried about being here with Angela?" Bella asked confused.
Jasper laughed. "No. They would never hurt Angela. They really do want to patrol and hunt."
"I'm sure Paul's presence has something to do with it," Rosalie said with a laugh. Bella frowned. "Vampires and wolves don't smell good to each other," Rosalie explained. "We smell sickly sweet to them and they smell like wet dog to us."
Bella found it strange since they all smelled fine to her but she figured it was some weird supernatural thing she wouldn't understand unless she turned. She still wasn't sure if she wanted to turn but with Charlie a vampire now, she was starting to see the appeal.
Bella's phone buzzed. She pulled it out and saw a text from Angela telling her they were on their way. "They're on their way," Bella announced.
Bella closed her eyes and leaned against Rosalie, hoping to get a quick nap before they got here. She had done her part and tried to save Edward from certain death. Now she could relax, knowing that if he was killed, it was his own fault. She had tried because she didn't want his death on her conscious.
A little while later Rosalie nudged Bella. "They're here," Rosalie muttered.
Bella's eyes flew open and she rubbed her face. "Already?" Bella asked with a yawn. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Only twenty minutes," Rosalie answered. "You needed the sleep so I didn't see a reason to wake you until they got here."
Jasper got up and left the room so he could answer the door.
Angela's hand was raised, ready to knock, but it never made contact. "Told you they would hear our arrival," Paul said with a grin.
Angela gently smacked him, knowing from what Paul had told her that too much pressure would end up hurting her. "Shush you," she scolded.
"Yes dear," he retorted. He wrapped his arms around Angela. "Hey Jasper."
"Angela," Jasper greeted with the tilt of his head. "Come on in. Bella and Rosalie are in the living room."
Paul and Angela followed Jasper inside. "Where are the others?" Paul asked when he realized there were only two vampires in the house.
"Alice is getting food for you guys," Jasper answered. "Peter and Charlotte are patrolling and Carlisle and Esme are at a function at the hospital."
"Is that safe though, leaving two of you to protect Bella?" Paul asked concerned.
Jasper raised an eyebrow at him. "I am more than capable of protecting Bella," he told him. "And never underestimate a vampire protecting their mate." Paul nodded in understanding.
They walked into the living room where Rosalie and Bella were. "Hey guys," Bella greeted. She jumped off the couch so she could hug them both.
"Bella," Angela said relieved. "I'm glad you're okay. How did it go with Edward?"
Bella tensed up and Rosalie growled. "Not good," Bella admitted. "I thought I was getting through to him but turned out he wanted to grab me and take me away."
Paul started growling and shaking. Angela put her hand on his arm and he stopped. "What are we doing about him?" Paul demanded.
"I'm going to kill him," Rosalie said calmly. "With the tracker gone, there's only one nomad left. The others can take care of her but Edward is mine."
"I'll help if you need it," Paul offered. He was dying for a chance to sink his teeth into Edward.
Rosalie opened her mouth to decline his offer of help but Jasper cut in. "We may need your help," he said. Rosalie glared at him. "Edward isn't a fighter but his gift makes him more dangerous. The more of us attacking him, the more likely it is that he won't be able to counter us."
"You'll be okay right?" Angela asked Paul.
Paul nodded. "I'll be fine," he promised. "The others are likely to help too if it's needed. They won't let me get hurt."
"Good," Angela said softly.
Angela sat down on the couch beside Bella while Paul sat on the other side of Angela. "The games on," Paul said excitedly. He hadn't noticed when they first arrived, more concerned about Bella.
Rosalie tossed him the remote. "Fill free to change it," she said. "The only one that actually likes football is Emmett and he's not here."
Paul flipped between the many sports channels in an attempt to determine which game he wanted to watch. Finally, he settled on a college football game, Washington vs. Texas.
They had watched the game in silence for the most part. Angela and Bella were whispering amongst themselves, neither one was interested in football but both were happy to let Paul watch.
"How's Charlie?" Angela asked.
"He's good," Bella answered. "I talked to him once after he got to Denali. Rose has been keeping in contact with Emmett. Charlie wants to come back but Emmett and the Denali's keep telling him no."
"Why can't he come back?" Angela asked. She didn't know much about vampires but was always eager to learn more.
"Well everyone thinks he's dead," Bella reminded her. Angela blushed. She had forgotten that part. "And vampires aren't safe for the first year or so after they turn. They're likely to attack anyone in their path."
"Did he attack you?" Angela asked concerned.
"He tried," Bella admitted. "But the others were here before he could get close. They knew how much it meant to me to see him, which is why they allowed it in the first place."
Angela nodded in understanding. She understood how much Charlie meant to Bella. "Is he okay with being a vampire?" she questioned. As much as she liked Bella and the Cullen's, she did not like the idea of being a vampire. She was perfectly content remaining human for the rest of her life. Being the imprint of a wolf was good enough for her.
"He is," Bella confirmed. "When Victoria attacked him, she told him about vampires. So, when Rose and I got there, he was okay with Rose turning him. Honestly, I think he mostly did it for me. But I plan on turning at some point in the future so I don't feel guilty." She was thrilled she would have Charlie in her life forever.
"What about your mom?" Angela questioned. "Have you heard from her?"
Bella winced and Rosalie wrapped an arm around her. "She called once after Charlie's death was announced. She assumed I was going to be on the next flight to Jacksonville. I told her I was staying with the Cullen's and that Charlie had given guardianship to them in the event of his death and… well she lost it. I haven't spoken to her since."
"I'm sorry Bella," Angela whispered. "It must be hard choosing between your mother and Rosalie."
"That's the thing. It wasn't hard at all," Bella admitted. "My mother and I…I've always had to take care of her. When she got married, I saw it as my chance to get away and have some semblance of a childhood before I went off to college. And with Charlie… it hasn't been perfect but he tried to do the right thing by me and I appreciate that more then I can say. When it came down to it, I wasn't choosing between my mom and Rosalie. I was choosing between my mom and Charlie and I did the one thing she never did… I chose Charlie."