Chapter 6:

"I told Bella that Edward is in love with her."

"Alice!" Esme exclaimed. "That wasn't your secret to share."

Edward simply ran his fingers through his tousled hair, knowing where this conversation was going.

"I couldn't help it." Alice said, not even attempting to hide her grin. "I'm pretty sure Bella compelled me to tell the truth. She asked me a question and I just literally couldn't help the words that came out of my mouth."

It only took a few seconds for the reality to sink in for the rest of the Cullens. Edward and Carlisle had already contemplated Bella's ability to influence vampires; Edward's control of his bloodlust was a prime example. Alice stilled completely as a vision came to her, Jasper's arm on her elbow.

This vision was clear. Bella sat at her desk in her room working on something on her computer. Rosalie appeared behind her with a syringe pilfered from Carlisle in her hand and a composed look on her inhumanly beautiful face. This followed closely with Bella lying immobile and lifeless on the floor.

Edward snarled at the same time Alice ripped herself from the vision to hiss at her sister.

"What's going on?" Carlisle asked, looking between his children.

"Rosalie wants to get rid of Bella." Alice's voice was positively venomous, but it didn't seem to bother Rose one bit.

"If she can compel us, which you and our brother dear seem to think, then she is a liability. A danger to us and it seems like I'm the only one around here not in love with her." Rosalie said, crossing her arms.

"You will not touch her Rose." Edward curled his hands into fists so tightly his knuckles protested. Esme nodded in agreement and looked to Carlisle.

"Edward and I are aware of the risks. Although he has not come outright with his intention to court Bella, I believe that is the natural course of his infatuation." Carlisle spoke with authority in his voice, leaving no room for interpretation. Bella was off limits and the discussion for her life was over.

"This affects us all. If this ends badly or she finds out too much it could expose us. Edward might be at the heart of this, but we are all connected." Rose looked to Emmett almost as if she was waiting for him to confirm what she was thinking.

"I see what you're saying, but to deny Edward happiness because you don't agree with it is selfish and not in the best interest of the family." Jasper had been quiet for almost the entirety of Edward's fascination with Bella. This was the first time he had voiced his opinions to the others out loud. Jasper's one and only concern was the danger Bella had toward Alice and although he was uneasy about this new information about Bella, he had decided to follow Alice's lead.

"Normally, I would go along with everything you say Rose, but if it were me and you in this situation I would make the same decision Edward is. There would be nothing that could keep me away from you." Emmett stared at Rosalie intensely.

Rosalie arched her brow and looked between Emmett and Carlisle, they and Esme were the only ones whose opinions she cared for. She was tense for a moment, but then with a breeze she was out the door and across the yard. Edward looked quickly to Alice who immediately started searching for Rosalie's future trying to see if she would indeed keep away from Bella.

Edward was mildly comforted seeing that Rose kept to the forest and away from Forks. Emmett made a move to follow Rosalie, but was stopped by Carlisle's hand on his arm.

"Let her cool off a bit. She only wishes to keep the family together and I believe she feels like we've all convened against her." Carlisle started to lead Emmett and Esme back through the house. "We will welcome her back when she returns."

Relief and calm flooded through Edward and he gave Jasper an exaggerated look. Jasper merely shrugged his shoulders and gave him a small smirk.

"Alice, you weren't lying when you told me you were going hunting afterschool." Jasper wrapped his arm around her waist. "When did you change your mind?"

"Oh, I didn't." Alice kissed Jasper sweetly on his cheek. "You assumed I was hunting dinner. I was really hunting for Edward's girlfriend."

"Alice." Edward turned toward his smaller sister and she tried to give him an innocent smile. "I may not look like it, but I'm still angry with you about this stunt. It was unwise for you to bring Bella here."

"If it wasn't for her gift, it would have worked out perfectly." Alice responded.

'If it wasn't for her gift, she wouldn't be alive today." Edward said softly, thinking about that first day in class. "I doubt I would have been able to resist her."

"Don't be so gloomy Edward." Alice pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. "Everything will work out. You'll get the girl, I'll get a best friend, and we will all live happily ever after." Edward snorted through his nose, but returned Alice's embrace.

Don't worry about Rose. I'll keep an eye on her and you'll be the first to know if she doesn't listen to Carlisle.

"Thanks Alice." Edward knew that Rosalie would stay away from Bella tonight, but the urge to see her with his own eyes was substantial. As his plan solidified, Alice could see Bella clearly in her mind. Edward watching over Bella as she slept and throughout the day as the sun kept him in the shadows.

Damn, sunny skies up until Thursday afternoon.

Alice threw an apologetic look at Edward as she pulled Jasper from the room, murmuring something about needing to spend some time with him.

Edward didn't linger at home and instead walked at human pace towards Bella's house. It would be some time before Bella and her father would go to bed and Edward felt better about watching over her if she were asleep. He hunted along the way, draining two deer that had crossed his path. By the time that Edward came upon the Swan house it was well into the night and the house was dark.

There were the faint sounds of heartbeats from the second floor along with the deep breathing of slumber. Edward climbed what he designated 'his tree' and leaned against the trunk where he could see Bella clearly through the window. She looked quite peaceful in what little moonlight there was, but that quickly ended when her brow furrowed and she mumbled something too low even for Edward's enhanced hearing.

Edward leapt down from his tree and crossed the yard. He had scaled the side of the house and was hanging from the eaves by her windowsill before he even realized he had moved. Breathing the clean night air deeply Edward pulled her unlocked window open and climbed inside her room.

Edward was torn between wanting to be closer to Bella and to go back outside. He knew objectively that what he was doing was wrong, but he couldn't bring himself to back out now. Edward settled himself in the rocking chair by the window discreetly to keep it from creaking. Gripping the arms of the chair he inhaled slightly. Bella's scent permeated the room and Edward found himself surrounded in warm freesia and fresh chamomile.

The burn in his throat was mild in comparison to the day he smelled her for the first time, but the fact that it was slowly coming back bothered Edward. Would her power fade with time until eventually Edward was incapable of keeping himself from her blood? Was he only accomplished in keeping the monster contained because of her? Or was this simply an effect from being completely enveloped in her heady scent?

Bella was twisted in her sheets with her hands tucked under her cheek. There was a v in between her brows that was the only indication that she was uncomfortable. It was a few minutes before Bella started to toss around in her bed and Edward tensed, ready to disappear should she wake.

"Mom." Bella mumbled under her breath, obviously dreaming. Her words were slurred and disjointed. "Mom, don't go." Her heartbeat was increasing in response to whatever nightmare she was experiencing.

Edward hesitated before going to her bedside. He knelt next to the bed so that he was level with her face. A lock of her hair had fallen across Bella's face and with every breath it drifted around her. Careful not to touch her skin, Edward tucked the errant lock back behind her ear. His fingers paused just a hairsbreadth from her cheek, absorbing the warmth that emanated from her skin.

"Ward." Bella hummed in her sleep. "Edward." There was a slight smile to her lips now and her features had smoothed out.

If Edward's heart could beat it would have skipped a rhythm. He felt his chest tighten with some emotion only Jasper could sort out and define. Bella was dreaming of him and from the look on her face as she burrowed further into her blankets it was a good dream. Edward leaned against the bed frame, keeping still so as not to wake her.

Peacefulness invaded the room with the minutes only measured in Bella's deep breaths and heartbeat. Edward started humming to himself as quietly as he possibly could. It was the melody he had been toying with at the piano. Although unfinished it fit perfectly in this dark room and Edward found other pieces of the song as he watched Bella. It was a lullaby, just for her.

In true vampire fashion, Edward couldn't wait for sunset. He had never before hated the sun with such disdain. All these days he wasted being near Bella, but not speaking, afraid for her to express her dislike of him. Now that he had found a way to be close to her Edward was eager to be there.

After that first night in her bedroom Edward couldn't keep himself away. He tried to justify his presence as keeping her nightmares away as she slept, but he was simply in denial. Without fail every night Bella struggled through her dreams, calling out for her mother and sometimes crying in her sleep. Edward would softly comb his fingers through her hair and hum the lullaby he was creating for her. She would settle in her sleep and mumble his name under her breath much to Edward's satisfaction. It was almost as if she were thanking him for being there for her.

One night Edward had to duck inside her closet when her father came to check on her after he got home from a particularly late shift. Edward watched from between the clothes as Charlie brushed Bella's hair back in much the same manner that Edward had.

Thursday evening Edward felt such joy knowing that he could go back to school the next day. Although he enjoyed being close to Bella while she slept, he missed her deep brown eyes. Everything about her was unexpected and he had determined that he would try to talk to her. The increasing way she spoke his name in her sleep was a sign of her affection towards Edward no matter how small.

"You're eating lunch outside today."

Edward looked to Alice with an arch in his brow. One never could expect what came out of her mouth some days.

"I can't see you sitting with us at lunch." Alice adjusted the collars of her shirt to lay properly out of her designer sweater. "Bella is hazy still, but I'm guessing that she might go find you."

Edward was puzzled, but could see Alice replaying the visions she had of them at school. She was frustrated at how little she could see Bella who was still lost in static unless one of the Cullens was with her. Glimpses and flashes of Bella in the halls walking near them were all that Alice saw.

"I think that my visions don't work with her because of her gift." Alice turned to her brother. "She can change anything through her willpower, not only her future, but others within an instant."

"Anyone can change their future in an instant. You only see the futures where decisions are made to influence them, shouldn't you be able to see hers as well?" Edward held the car door open for Alice.

"I think it's more than that." Jasper said from the back seat. "If she's as powerful as you think she is then maybe it just surrounds her. If it can affect those around her as instantly as you say it does."

"Your visions aren't always exact Alice. Sometimes they end differently because someone decided on something else at the last minute. You've even seen multiple futures of an event because someone hadn't settled completely on a decision. Maybe Bella is simply conflicted in her decisions right now and you'll be able to see her in the future."

"Even if she was conflicted I think I would see something. Everything I do see of her is involved with one of us. Usually, you Edward." Alice huffed, crossing her arms irritably. "I just hate this feeling."

Edward paused as he started the car, looking toward the empty space in the garage where Rosalie's red BMW was usually parked.

Emmett had only let Rosalie out of his sight for an hour before he followed her. They spent the majority of the week up in Canada somewhere and had only returned right before they dressed and left for school. Edward was glad for the reprieve of her bitter thoughts, but knew that Esme was disappointed over their departure. Alice said that Rose wasn't planning on harming Bella, but that only meant that she just wasn't planning on it right now.

Edward walked through the day as he normally had, watching Bella through the minds of their classmates. He was comforted that her restless nights hadn't impaired her too much. Although there were shadows under her eyes she smiled and conversed with her friends animatedly.

Following Alice's directions Edward sat outside in the courtyard. The tables were empty, but Edward pulled his jacket tighter around himself pretending to be affected by the chill in the air. Hands tucked firmly into the pockets, Edward focused on the trees in front of him and started counting the leaves he could see on the branches. He managed to get to 1,472 before the sound of crunching footsteps faltered behind him. Without even turning around Edward knew it was her. He could pick out that heartbeat from a crowded room he was so attuned to it.

Edward waited until she started walking again, a normal human boy wouldn't have been able to hear her yet. The wait was agonizing to him, but the prize was worth it. When Edward finally turned toward her and met eyes with her his breath, had he any, would have been stolen. Borrowing human eyes to watch her left something to be desired.

Bella's face was pink and flushed from the cold air giving her pale complexion a peaches and cream look. The dark blue sweater peeking through her jacket complemented her as well. Her dark hair was pulled to the side in a braid, but the wind had plucked wisps that framed her face becomingly. Her mouth parted as she inhaled and Edward waited patiently for her to speak first.

"Hi, Edward."

Edward felt a familiar tightness in his chest at the sound of his name on her lips. Even though he had heard it every night he had appeared in her room, there was just something special about her speaking it to him consciously.

"Hello, Bella." Edward nodded his head hesitantly to the bench across from him. "Would you like to sit?"

There was no one else out here with them, but would it have been a coincidence if Bella had just wandered out here to be alone and was just being polite? She only gave a moment's hesitation where Edward cursed himself for asking before she came over and put her bag down next to her seat.

"Are you speaking to me now?" Edward asked carefully, trying to keep his tone light. He could see the blush rising to Bella's cheeks in obvious discomfort and tried not to smile.

"No…Yes…" Bella struggled with her words momentarily. "I don't know yet."

Edward cleared his throat. "Alice told me you didn't want to be friends."

"I don't think we should be friends. Not that I didn't want to be." Bella dropped her gaze to the table as if it were the most interesting thing in front of her.

"Why shouldn't we be friends Bella?"

The breeze picked up right then, pulling the tendrils around Bella's face and casting her scent to Edward. Warmth flooded his throat as the thirst came back. It wasn't nearly as bad as it had been, but the gradual return was enough to put Edward on edge.

"I know you told your sister about me. About what I can do." Bella kept her eyes down, but Edward was completely captivated by her. "There's things I've done….some that I'm not proud of."

"We all have regrets Bella." Edward spoke just above a whisper, thinking back to a time where he let his monster justify his kills because of his own gift. Could he really compare all of the blood on his hands with anything Bella could possibly have done?

"You don't understand." Bella shook her head before meeting his eyes again. "I don't regret the things I've done. That's what makes me a monster."

Monster?

There's no way Edward could equate Bella with a monster. Sweet, shy, soft Bella wouldn't even be on the same wavelength as a monster. Comparatively to Edward who followed her, crept into her bedroom at night, and at one time who had planned her demise. Edward who had stalked and murdered people for years. Although they may have deserved punishment for their crimes it wasn't for Edward to be the judge, jury and executioner.

"I don't think anything you could do would be monstrous."

"You don't think it's weird? Crazy or creepy?" Bella crossed her arms and put her elbows on the table clearly uncomfortable with where this was leading. She seemed to close herself off in anticipation of rejection.

Edward contemplated on the best way to answer her. In reality he should probably end this in a way that kept Bella from him entirely, but he was far too selfish and embedded in her life already. It was far too much to expect his family to be accepting of him exposing their true secret to her.

"If I were to keep your secret, would you keep mine?" Edward said, watching her face. Bella's brows scrunched adorably in confusion. He leaned in closer to her, breathing in her scent as she followed suit. "I have a gift as well. Only I can read minds."

As soon as Edward finished speaking Bella pulled back looking angry. She must have though he was teasing her, but oh how wrong she would be. She took a deep breath to probably yell at him, but Edward gave her a lopsided grin that gave her pause.

"I can prove it to you." Edward stood quickly as the bell began to ring. He held his hand out for Bella to take. She looked a bit startled, but quickly recovered.

"My hands are cold." Bella said quickly, tucking her hand into his.

"Mine are as well. Perhaps you could warm it for me." Edward hoped that he wasn't being too forward, but this was tame in comparison to the way some of the other students went about courting one another. Her hand was soft and warm in his grasp and Edward felt lighter than he had in weeks.