Bella was finally able to feel the shock of what had almost happened to her right before she reached the front door of her father's house. She had barely been aware of the BMW revving when Emmett disappeared around the corner. She was entirely unaware of how Rosalie walked her up the broken stones of the front path, remaining just a step behind her. Exhaustion made her drag her feet, causing her to trip on the last step. She barely caught herself, took a deep breath, then opened the front door. "Dad?" Her voice felt weak and sounded thin to her own ears.

"Bella, should I-" Rosalie's quiet question was cut off as Charlie flew out of the living room. He looked disheveled, with his hair sticking up and bright red eyes. His t-shirt was hanging low around the neck as if he had been pulling at it for the last two days. Billy rolled out behind him.

"Isabella Marie Swan, where have you been!?" Rather than answer, she threw her arms around her dad's neck and started to cry. "Bella, are you okay? Where were you?"

"I'm so sorry, Dad. I'm okay. I'll never disappear again." Her heart clenched, twitching around the lie. She pulled him tighter, bracing for his reaction. "The Cullen's needed my help."

Charlie pulled back, glaring at her. "Are you kidding me? Fucking Edmund again?"

Bella let him go and wiped wiped her eyes. She glared at Billy behind her father, wondering what he had said. "No, it wasn't for Edward. Alice and Rosalie needed my help, and my phone died. But I had to help them. Not him."

Charlie's eyes landed on Rosalie behind Bella, and Rosalie said words that made Bella's blood run cold. "Hello, Chief Swan. I'm Rosalie, Bella's girlfriend." Bella sputtered and spun around to glare at Rosalie. She felt her jaw drop as Rosalie offered her hand to shake Charlie's. "I am so sorry for the drama and stress we caused. My fool brother was in trouble that we couldn't get him out of. Bella is a brilliant, kind girlfriend, and she risked getting in trouble to help him, even though he treated her like trash." Rosalie released his hand and put an arm around Bella's waist, gently pulling her close. "She is the best woman I could have ever asked for. You raised her to be amazing, and I hope her punishment won't be too steep or that I can make it up to you both in some way."

Rosalie smiled so broadly at Charlie that he took a step back. Bella was going to die. Her cheeks were on fire, her heart was smashing through her chest, and she felt goosebumps covering her arms. She wished she could just melt through the floor and disappear in the gaps between the wooden planks. Charlie stuttered, looked at Bella, then looked back at Rosalie, and she knew they would have so much to discuss later. "You're grounded."

She nodded. That had been expected. "I understand."

"Go up to your room. Now." Uh oh, Charlie used his Sheriff voice for that one.

Rosalie let go of Bella. "Sir, may I speak to Bella for a few minutes before I leave?"

Charlie shook his head like a dog, clearing water from his ears. "Five minutes." He took a step back and let them come into the house. "And leave the door open!"

Bella walked past Billy and stomped up the stairs. She was overwhelmed. She was mortified. Her head hurt. There was a crick in her neck from sleeping on the plane. As soon as they were alone, she whirled on the vampire and angrily whispered, "What the fuck was that?"

The vampire's eye roll made her angrier. "Groundwork."

"Telling my dad we're dating is groundwork?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes again and stared at the ceiling. "That's exactly what it is. What did I tell the Volturi?"

"We're mates, and you're going to change me."

Rosalie's eye's flickered from Bella's angry face to the window behind her. "I'm going to come back and get you tonight, okay? I have to explain, but in a place we can't be overheard."

Bella looked at Rosalie. She felt like the vampire's face had subtitles; she was so easy to read. Rosalie was irritated with Bella, but she was also afraid. Bella didn't know exactly what danger they were in at that moment, but the danger was still there. "Okay."

"I'll be back when your dad is asleep." Bella nodded as she heard her dad start coming up the stairs. Their five minutes must be up. "Trust me, okay?"

Bella scoffed. "Okay." Quicker than she could process, Rosalie closed the space between them. She reached for Bella's face, gently tilting her chin up. She leaned in and paused with only millimeters between them.

She could feel Rosalie's cool breath on her lips as she whispered, "Don't worry, I wouldn't kiss you without permission."

"That's enough, times up!" Charlie barked from behind Rosalie. The girls jumped apart. Bella felt distinctly caught, like her father had just seen her kissing a girl. "Time to go home, Rosalie." Bella's cheeks burned. She hadn't even kissed Edward in front of Charlie because she was embarrassed. Rosalie had planned this, and now she got to leave while Bella dealt with the fallout.

"Yes, sir, Chief Swan. Thank you for the five minutes."

"I'll walk you out," Charlie said. He took a step back, indicating for Rosalie to leave. The two of them walked down the stairs. Bella watched him gently shut the door behind her before he leaned against the wall and rubbed his hands on his face. He took a deep breath, then stood up straight again. "Bella!" She tried to act like she hadn't been spying on him when she answered. "Before I take your cell phone away, call Renee."

Billy looked at her, disappointment on his face. Bella groaned before doing what she was told. This was only the beginning of a well-deserved punishment.

When Bella's sleep was disturbed that night, she almost screamed. An angry, glaring angel was leaning over her, shaking her awake. She shot straight up, backing into the headboard. "Relax. I told you I was coming to get you tonight. Let's go."

Rosalie seemed to have zero patience, and Bella didn't want to try her. She threw off her blanket and clambered out of the bed. She'd laid down with jeans and a t-shirt on, unsure how long she would have to wait for her vampire escort. She slid into her shoes as Rosalie watched. "How did you get in? Did you climb through the window?"

"Why the hell would I climb through the window? I'm not some sexual predator." Bella looked at the floor as she tied her shoes. "Oh my god, is that how he got in while you two were dating?" Bella couldn't bring herself to answer. "Jesus Christ, Bella, I'm gonna kill him."

"How did you get in, then?"

"A rock by the front door with a secret key in it is a cliche at this point. You would think the chief of police would be a little more creative." Rosalie tossed the key to Bella. She did not catch it.

Bella picked the key up off her bed. "Did you run or drive?"

"Drove. The car's just around the corner. Let's go. Skip the fourth step. It creaks."

"Yes, I'm aware. I do live here."

The ride to the Cullen house was quiet. Rosalie needed to tell Bella everything now, and she wasn't sure how it would go. Would Bella be happy with the plan she and Alice had created to save their lives? Would the sacrifice be too great? It was possible that the girl would rather be dead than suffer through what was coming.

Rosalie huffed and rolled her eyes as she pulled up to the house. Both her parents were out front waiting for them, waiting for Bella. Rosalie sped around the car and opened the door for Bella. She offered her hand to help the girl up from the low BMW, but she didn't take it.

"Bella," Carlisle began. "Thank you for coming to this family meeting. We'll be having it in my office."

As they walked up the stairs to the porch, Esme couldn't control herself. "Bella, can I hug you?" Her mother figure looked so earnest that Rosalie looked away. Bella nodded, and Esme folded her arms around the human, holding her close. "Thank you again. Thank you for bringing them all home." Esme leaned back, eyes shining. "I know I said it earlier, but thank you. I'm so sorry. Thank you."

Bella cleared her throat. "Of course."

"Let's get inside. Everyone else is waiting." Carlisle was anxious, and Rosalie was too. She had called this family meeting, and she would have to lead it.

She hated family meetings.

When the last person entered the room, Rosalie shut the door tight. Jasper was avoiding the eyes of everyone around him, so she gave him a job. "Jaz, pull the thick curtains, please." He walked the back wall, shutting the blinds and pulling sound-dampening curtains, closing off the darkness of the woods beyond. Rosalie sat on the empty couch. "Bella, sit by me, please?" The girl did, looking like a deer in the lion's den.

Rosalie took stock of the family. Edward sat alone, looking like a pretentious model who had been handed a burger covered in tacks. Carlisle and Esme sat together at his desk, her on his lap. Emmett sat on the opposite couch, Alice and Jasper next to him. Everyone looked at her expectantly.

Rosalie tried to figure out where to begin. She looked at each member of the family again.

"You should probably start at the beginning, obviously."

She snarled at Edward, and decided where to begin. "A few days ago, I made a mistake. I misunderstood a vision Alice had and told me about. When she went off to confirm it, I mentioned it to Edward. He took it to mean Bella was dead and went off to die. He was sure that if something had happened to her, it was his fault, and he should pay for it. Catholic guilt and all." Bella snorted. "I came here to get Bella and Alice on a plane to Italy, where Bella saved Edward's dumb ass." Rosalie tried to quickly condense the danger they'd been in. "Aro wanted to kill Bella for being aware of us. Alice and I made a gamble to save us all."

Rosalie looked directly at Bella. "Aro can see your thoughts, just like Edward can, but only if he touches you. Like Edward, he can be tricked if you focus really hard on something. I claimed you as my mate to try and save you. It's extremely unlikely for the vampire lords to kill one mate and not the other because when someone loses their true mate, they go insane. What I was trying was essentially betting both our lives to save yours. Aro touched me, and all I allowed myself to think was, 'I can't lose my mate when I've only just accepted her.' It's common knowledge that Emmett isn't my mate, so I was just hoping that would help get out of there alive. Maybe they'd forget about us. Let us carry on."

Rosalie sighed, then looked at her parents, hoping they would understand what was done next. "It wasn't enough. They were still going to kill us. Alice saved us by sharing a vision of Bella becoming a vampire back when she and Edward were still together. We guaranteed that Bella would become one of us. And now, to save all our lives, Bella no longer has a choice." Rosalie felt her stomach rebel, though nothing was in it to expel. She never, ever, took choices away from anyone, and now she would have to. Rosalie looked away from her parents and back at the human beside her. "Bella, what I did-"

"What we did!" Alice cut in.

"What Alice and I did means you have to become a vampire. I know you used to want that, but I never wanted that for you. Edward didn't want that for you, either. I have no idea who you've been lately, what you've done, or what you want. Now, all our lives hinge on you becoming a vampire. I'm so sorry."

Bella nodded. Rosalie was going to have to share the final part.

"Now, the reason for the charade at your dad's house. We told the Vampire Lords that you are my mate. I claimed you as my own." She told them about the message on her phone. "We are being watched. Our safety - and time for you to continue living your human life for a while longer - hinges on us looking like believable mates. In any place where we can be observed, we have to play the loving couple. That means your house, school, out in public, anywhere. Anywhere except for here."

"You did the best you could in the-" Rosalie held up a hand. She didn't need Carlisle's reassurance. She needed Bella's thoughts. Bella's agreement.

"Bella?"

Warm brown eyes had watched her the entire time she spoke, and now Bella was looking at the ground. "Well, there's not much to be done about it now, is there? I'm glad I'm not dead, at least. I did want to be a vampire six months ago, at least. Now, I guess it's fine. Why did you have to tell my dad right away, though? We could have eased him into it!" Bella looked at Rosalie with fear in her eyes. "Do you know how Jessica Stanley will react to this news!?" Bella gave a watery smile, and soft chuckles came from around the room.

"Bella," Rosalie was ready to chastise her. The girl wasn't grasping the gravity of the situation.

"Rose." Presumptuous of her. "Thank you. I understand why you did it. I appreciate that I'm still breathing." She looked around the room at the statues watching her. "At least I have a few months to spend as a human. I get to say goodbye to my parents. And as far as a mate? I could do worse."

Rosalie couldn't help it; she scoffed. "A fake mate, and obviously, you could do worse." Rosalie tried not to look at Edward. She really did. But she still looked. He growled.

"Shut up, Edward." Every pair of eyes in the room settled on Bella, surprised at her words. "You don't get to growl at people. You caused this. Be happy we all cared about you enough to save you." Edward stood up, mouth open. Bella stood up, too. "No, no. Don't even try. You could have handled any of this differently, and none of us would be here right now. Not one. So, I'll say it again: Shut up." Edward left the room. One minute he was there, and the next, the door was wide open, and he was gone.

"Oops. I might be too tired to be kind." Bella followed the statement with a giant yawn. "Definitely tired. Thank you for the explanation, Rosalie. I assume I'll be spending lots of time here once my lockdown is lifted. Charlie said we can talk about how much longer my punishment will be in two weeks. He's so angry he didn't actually know how to begin." Bella swayed, and Rosalie steadied her without thinking about it. "Basically, I have no idea how long I'm grounded. Oh god," she paused, and her cheeks flamed. Everyone looked at Jasper but Bella, who was looking at Rosalie. "Jacob. He's gonna lose it." Rosalie didn't ask about Bella's blushing. Instead, she stood up and gently offered her hand. Bella didn't take it. "Take me home. Please?"

Rather than answer, Rosalie simply nodded. She had been reminded of Bella's last visit to the house when Jasper had attempted to smear the girl over every wall. Why had she brought her here? This was dangerous and reckless, but where else could they safely have these meetings, talk, anything? She felt protective of this girl she had doomed. A small voice at the back of her head said, 'Only a part of this is your fault.' Yet, if Bella died here because Jasper killed her, that couldn't be blamed entirely on Edward. She followed the human out of the house, doing her best not to resent the future that had been taken from her.

On the way out of the house, Bella tripped again. Rosalie considered letting her fall but caught her instead. If the girl scraped her knee, Jasper might be impossible to stop.

The next day Rosalie was waiting on Bella's porch after ringing the bell. She had spent the night in the house, but Charlie Swan didn't need to know that. Thank God Charlie hadn't decided to install a bunch of cameras around the house. She was relatively confident she was faster than the frame rate of most cameras, but she didn't really want to test that theory now. She could be doing anything this morning, instead she was standing, awkwardly shuffling foot to foot to imitate humanity, and waiting for a forty-year-old cop to let her in (or not, who knew).

The door opened, and a disgruntled Sheriff answered. How early was it? "Rosaline, right? Do you know it's eight am?"

Rosalie did her best to look chastised. He at least said her name right, so clearly he hates Edward more than her. "I'm so sorry, sir. I was anxious to see Bella, and she doesn't have her phone. I was hoping I could see her," Rosalie paused, trying to look contrite to win the man over, "Or even just learn what her punishment is?" She started to wring her hands to look nervous. "We've been separated for so long that I didn't want to be split up longer than we needed to be. I'm sorry, sir. I really am." She stared hard at her feet, hoping she looked like a young, anxious lesbian. "I know you're mad, and I understand why, but I love her." She met the eyes of the annoyed man. "I understand why my family isn't your favorite, but I live and die by Bella's existence. If I could even just have..." Rosalie wracked her brain. What the fuck would a heartsick teenager say? "Visiting hours? I'm not Edward, and I've punched him more than once if that makes you feel better."

Chief Swan chuckled. He didn't open the door further, but that felt like a step in the right direction. "You know, I never liked him."

"I barely like him."

Chief Swan laughed a little more and opened the door a fraction of an inch. She was winning, just a little bit. "What grade are you in?"

"I'm a senior." She could not even remember if that was true at the moment.

"What kind of grades do you get?"

"Straight A's." She paused. "Except trigonometry. That's a B. I hate math."

"And you love my daughter?"

This was an easy question to answer to win the Chief's favor. "I do. And if I could have kept her out of trouble, I would have. I promise." Lies. all lies.

The Chief nodded, but he was shutting the door again, as well. "Come back around noon, Rosalie. I need to talk to my daughter, but maybe I carve out time in her punishment for someone like you." Rosalie breathed out a sigh of relief. "I don't know if I'm going to give her back her phone anytime soon, so you'll have to find out in person. Good luck." He did shut the door then, but Rosalie had a good feeling. It also helped that she could hear him on the other side of the door sighing and saying, "Finally. A good one."

Rosalie had very few options while she waited. She didn't want to go home, but what else could she do? An aggressively loud engine came up behind her as an old, poorly cared-for dirt bike pulled up to Bella's house. The scent of the driver hit her before the bike fully stopped. Under the scent of oil and gas exhaust was that of an angry young wolf. The boy seemed in control of his shift, but he smelled exactly like what he was.

The boy's senses clearly worked even in a human form. He sneered, nose wrinkling in distaste. Rosalie imagined her face mirrored his. "Cullen," he sneered. "I'm not breaking the treaty. I'm just making no sure you didn't."

Rosalie didn't acknowledge the pup. She slid back into her BMW and fired it up. As she prepared to peel out, she decided to roll down her windows and taunt the dog, just a bit. "I'll be back at noon. Be gone by then." She sped off, leaving the sneering wolf in a neutral zone where he was forbidden to attack her.