Bella sat donned in the only shirt that survived their interrupted sex-capade in Peter's lap, wordlessly eating her food while the vampires conversed around her.

She had been lost in thought, remembering the last 20 minutes trying to commit it to memory.

Peter's chest reverberated with a loud, viciously possessive growl that echoed through the trees scattering the birds

Something primal in Bella had awoken at the sound and she used the distraction to free her wrists from Peter's grip. One hand desperately tangling in his wavy nearly silver locks, the other struggled to find purchase on his back. Her mouth crashed into his with a hasty carnal desire as her tongue seeked frantically for entrance.

That seemed to snap Peter out of it, his tongue shoved its way forcefully into her mouth, desperately trying to devour her essence. He couldn't seem to satiate his need for his little human, they didn't know it was his instincts reacting to the perceived threat of Garrett.

Bella knew she had been wound up tight like a coil spring but she hadn't expected her reaction to Peter's actions.

She found her body clinging to Peter's who was now kneeling on his knees, her body flushed against his and still connected. Her body felt like all of her nerves were electrified, as she moaned into his mouth attempting to roll her hips before his arms tightened a fraction stilling her.

She never saw it coming, his mouth traveled down her jaw leaving love bites in its wake. His tongue ran over the large red mark he left earlier, his eyes locked onto Garrett's over her shoulder. A dangerously possessive glint shone in their inky depths.

The fell over the edge together the moment she recognized his teeth in her flesh, and the monent her blood touched his touch. His hips pumped with the rhythm of his savored mouthfuls of his mates precious blood before sealing the wound. He ensured to leave no serious amounts of venom behind.

"Mine.." his growl adoringly possessive.

"Mhmm… just like you're mine.." she purred, her head resting on his shoulder as she dreamily watched his face.

His eyes never left Garrett's until he had Bella safely dressed in his shirt, and his mark exposed on her neck.

She'd never experienced anything like it before, granted she hadn't had many sexual experiences, let alone the fact that she was under the impression relations with a vampire weren't possible. She was starting to realize however that a seed of anger was beginning to grow. The Cullens had hardly ever been honest with her and that fact was starting to piss her off to the max.

The fucking audacity those motherfuckers had.

She was pulled from her reverie when a delightful shiver ran through her as Peter ghosted his nose against his fresh mark. Almost as if he could sense her growing seed of anger. She did note that they felt more in tune with each other the moment he entered her.

Her head turned a fraction, their noses lightly brushing, her eyes heavily hooded.

"I need civilization." Her voice was huskier than she would have liked.

"An infected tattoo is a sad tattoo" She murmured, holding her bandaged left wrist up. She had asked for dermaskin along with an opaque patch. She wasn't sure at the time if she could properly care for it when she got it. Better safe than sorry.

Peter hummed in agreement, his tongue coming out to taste the skin behind her ear.

Garrett cleared his throat awkwardly bringing the freshly mated couple out of their bubble.

"I'd still like to know how you two met now that you're done eating your pile of grease." He spoke with curiosity but he couldn't quite hold his repulsive sneer about her food.

"And I think it's time you tell us the whole story, little Swan." He leaned with his back against the side of the truck watching the couple from a safe distance. He was aware a freshly mated vampire was on edge, he expected Peter to be on the extreme side simply because he was freshly mated to a human. Mostly sturdy as his mate was, still a breakable human nonetheless.

Bella looked up from Peter's gaze with a scowl that could kill in Garrett's direction.

"I'd like to tell Peter alone first, Garrett." She gritted her teeth as she spoke. She wasn't fond of company other than Peter's at this point, and all she wanted to do was be alone with him.

"Well, it's hardly my fault you haven't told him yet, besides I knew you first." He said gruffly, turning to face the couple.

Peter saw the flash of anger in Bella's eyes that he was all too familiar with and held a baited breath. He would never admit it to her but his little spitfire was scary when she was angry. He thought that before she went crazy with her Macgyver flamethrower.

"Garrett, if I remember correctly, and granted I've done plenty of drugs since I last saw you–" she paused momentarily, her voice deadly calm. "I remember you specifically saying I don't owe you a goddamn thing, since–" she paused again, her voice going up an octave. "Since I just happened to be in the area, and you were in an unsavory situation!" She was screaming his words he had once said back to him in a poor impression of himself.

Peter growled lowly in his chest, glowering in a nervous Garrett's direction.

"We'll tell you how we met, but then you'll fuck off, and if we happen to run into you in the future, Bella can tell you her story." His voice was gruff from the growl struggling to escape his throat. The last words were practically unintelligible to the human amongst them.

Garrett swallowed the nervous lump that formed in his throat, first by the angry human, and then by his angry southern war veteran that he called a friend.

He gave a curt, jerky nod of his head.

"Of course.. I didn't mean to insinuate–" his apology was cut short.

"Yes, you fucking did and you know it." Bella all but growled before grabbing a cigarette and lighting it, never taking her eyes off of Garrett.

Bella threw him a bone, er cigarette, she did like Garrett even if her new found sense of self preservation perceived him as a threat. She'd learn later it was the bond.

Garrett gave her a grateful look before casting his eyes back to the ground. He knew his friends were on edge, he didn't take into account the consequences of his actions when he interrupted them.

Peter nuzzled his face into the crown of Bella's head taking a deep breath of her scent in an attempt to ground himself. He needed to claim her properly and scent her. His instincts were screaming at him because of her vulnerability.

"I was in the woods about.. a month ago at this point.. doing typical Bella stuff.." She was all but whispering but she knew the vampire in their company could hear her. Peter pulled her closer to his chest, a low purr vibrating through him.

Garrett raised an eyebrow before nodding with understanding.

"You were trying to kill yourself." His voice was flat as he clarified the words.

She tensed slightly in Peter's embrace. She never said the words out loud other than her admission to no longer having a death wish to her mate.

"Y..yes..but you have to understand–" her voice cracked with emotion but Peter interrupted.

"You owe no one an explanation." His voice was firm but nothing short of affectionate. The purr still reverberating through his chest.

"I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Peter.." her voice was less shaky at that admission but the realization almost brought a crushing pain at the epiphany she almost lost her chance with him.

"I would have never let that happen.." he whispered softly in her ear, low enough only for her to hear. "We'll talk about semantics later; no beating yourself about what if, and could haves in the meantime." He murmured against her neck before turning her head to kiss her as fiercely as he could manage. He didn't want his mate to over think about the almost consequences.

She nodded at his words after he broke away, giving her a chance to breathe. She could get lost so easily in his touches and kisses.

"We've been together since.." She finished, slowly shifting her gaze to Garrett.

He watched them with a skeptical look plastered on his face.

"You've been together a month.. and you've only just claimed her?" His head tilted with the question.

Peter let out a dark chuckle, meeting Garrett's gaze.

"She left out all the juicy details." He snickered gently, ghosting his fingertips up her sides.

"She left out all the fighting, catching me on fire, coming to terms with the good doctor's coven being lying sacks of shits." He casually said the first two statements, the last only low enough for Bella to feel the breath of his words against her ear.

She melted into his chest, turning her head to nuzzle his neck.

"She tried to catch you on fire?" Garrett gaped at him. "You tried to catch him on fire?" He exasperatedly questioned her.

"He shouldn't have flushed my drugs." she shrugged noncommittally, as if it were a sane explanation.

"There was a learning curve.." Peter explained with a chuckle, gently nipping at the mark on Bella's neck.

Bella watched Garrett shift his weight uncomfortably on his feet.

"So… that's it?" Garrett inquired.

"That's it." Bella said in confirmation.

"Then.. I'll see you guys around eventually I guess..?" the question was clear in his voice. She didn't think vampires were capable of having insecurities.

"Within the decade I'm sure " Peter spoke up from his ministrations against his mate's neck. He couldn't wait any longer to scent her.

Bella nodded to Garrett in agreement with Peter's words, before watching him ghost away.

"Come on, cowboy." She murmured softly. "Civilization and then we gotta head to where it all started." She turned in his arms, hers coiling affectionately around his neck.

"Can we trade the truck for one of my faster cars?" The question was clear even if his voice was thick with desire.

"Do I get to drive it?" She asked the question with an air of breathlessness.

"Anything for you, Sweetpea." He whispered before claiming her mouth in a passionate kiss.