Wherever they were taking her wasn't far.

Bella felt the wind brushing against her skin, warm and soft. She felt the rigidity of the body carrying her, the tension in his chest and his arms. She felt the gentle brush of branches as they ran through the thick forest. She felt a small undercurrent of panic and fear, so suppressed, it was almost unreachable to her conscious thought.

Overshadowing all of these feelings, though, was the massive, colossal, inescapable weight of calm that was being pressed down on her by some supernatural force. It obscured almost every other sensation, weighing her limbs down into uselessness, filling her chest and forcing out the panic. She had never experienced anything like it. She wanted to be afraid, but couldn't seem to be able to.

Within minutes, something changed. They weren't in the forest anymore, and a soft yellow glow lit up the clearing they were in.

A house, she thought, surprised. A large, lovely house stood in the middle of a small clearing, its lights the source of the glow.

Were there humans nearby?

Bella took in a deep inhale. No, no humans. Just the scent of several vampires and the damp, earthy smell of the Pacific Northwest woods.

In two seconds, they were inside and Bella felt the arms become restraining again. Bella wanted to fight them off, but that damn lethargy was still there, if not slightly lighter. She felt herself twitch, and the arms tightened in response.

"Jasper, please."

The leader was facing them, standing about six feet away.

"Carlisle, we can't risk it," her captor replied. His voice sounded oddly strained, as if he were exerting himself.

"He's right," the bronze-haired male was standing by the door they had entered. Bella wanted to hiss at his posture, tense and scowling, his eyes staring at her with an odd concentration. "She's a panicky little thing."

Little thing? She would show him what this "little thing" was capable of. She was certain she could annihilate him with ease.

If it weren't for his odd coven, who certainly would put a stop to said-annihilation.

"Not helping."

Bella felt the words rumble in the chest of her captor, the one they called Jasper. He had gritted the words out through his teeth.

Bronze Hair grinned a humorless grin. Just wait she wanted to spit at him. Just wait until I get you alone.

She was distracted then by the leader approaching cautiously.

"We do not want to have to restrain you, but we will do so if we think you will run. I promise you, we don't want to hurt you. Just to talk."

His voice was so pleasant, his face oddly kind. She was startled by the yellow coloring of his eyes. What could that possibly mean? She wanted to believe him, but didn't trust herself to make that call while her emotions were being so easily manipulated.

The leader continued, "Jasper can let you go if you promise not to run. All we need to do is talk with you, and if you wish to leave when we are through, then we would be happy to escort you out of our territory and let you be on your way."

She thought through these words carefully, her eyes darting from the leader, to Bronze Hair by the door, to the tiny female by the stairs. She knew the others were somewhere behind her, which made her uneasy. They were probably manning every possible exit. It's what she would have done.

Running would probably put her right back into the position she was in. Fighting would probably end up with her ripped apart. Staying in her current position was very unappealing.

She nodded once, agreeing to the leader's terms. If he was true to his word, she would hear them out then demand to be escorted to freedom. She pictured herself on the run again, Forks and yellow-eyed vampires and wolf bear things falling quickly into the past. An inexplicable loneliness overcame her.

The arms around her flexed slightly. Almost surprised.

"Jasper, please."

His arms slowly came away from her, but he left a hand on her shoulder. She wanted to shrug it off, but resisted. She heard the others shifting, getting closer. They were expecting her to bolt, and it took every fiber of her self-control to resist the urge.

With her release also came another surprise. The weight of calm was lightened considerably and her panic slammed into her with a vengeance. Bella's eyes widened at the impact, and she clenched her fists to try and keep from falling back on her instincts to flee, to fight. Jasper's hand flexed, too, his fingers pressing into her shoulder. Bella clenched her jaw to keep from reacting.

"Thank you." Carlisle gave her a genuine smile. She didn't return it. "Is it okay if we have a quick conversation?"

He was asking? Wasn't that the bargain for her not running?

She nodded once again. When they hadn't immediately attacked, her panic had ebbed away slowly. The rush of her encounter with the wolves was dissipating, and her battle focus was gone completely. She was able to make more civilized observations.

For one, if they had wanted to kill her, they would have done so already.

"Wonderful," the leader smiled again. "Why don't we start with some introductions? My name is Carlisle. Right behind you is Jasper."

Right, she already knew those ones; she shifted slightly under Jasper's continued touch.

"Alice is Jasper's mate." He gestured to the small female by the stairs, who smiled and waved. Bella's eyebrows pulled together, perplexed.

"Rosalie and Emmett." Vampire Hulk wandered into her field of vision, grinning. His arm was around the tall blonde female, who was not smiling. She was exceptionally beautiful, like a female Jamie. She lacked Jamie's coldness though, and the immediate sense of quiet danger that he seemed to exude.

"My mate, Esme." Another female had come from behind, caramel hair and a sweet face. She was smiling shyly at Bella as she made her way to Carlisle's side.

"And Edward." Bronze Hair had not moved from the door. Like Rosalie, he was beautiful, still unsmiling, tense, untrusting. He was scrutinizing her, his eyes boring into hers as if trying to bore directly into her brain. It was annoying.

Bella turned her eyes back to Carlisle, who was still smiling softly. "Would you tell us what your name is?"

She hesitated, unsure, but finally opened her mouth to speak. "Bella."

The reaction from Edward was surprising. He suddenly relaxed, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Carlisle," he whispered, but they all heard it clearly. The attention shifted to the male by the door.

The female on the stairs gave a little gasp and let out a soft, "Oh, no."

Bella felt her panic rising again, and the hand on her shoulder tightened.

What is happening?

She was missing something.

Carlisle turned back to her, his eyes scrutinizing her face. "Isabella Swan?"

She reacted immediately, turning to flee out the now-undefended back of the house.

The hand on her shoulder was faster, and before she knew it, she was back in her scarred-arm cage. At least he allowed her to stay on her feet this time.

"How do you know who I am?" She tried to temper her panic, hoping that they had a reasonable response.

What an odd thing to hope, she thought.

"Please, don't be alarmed. Your father, Chief Swan, has been searching for you for several months now, you see. We've seen your picture," Carlisle said. "I'm sorry we didn't make the connection sooner. You look much different now than you did in his outdated picture."

It seemed like a reasonable enough answer. But it brought her some sorrow, as well. Charlie had mourned. Had searched for her. He hadn't even had a recent picture of his daughter to post, hadn't been able to reach out to her mother for a new one.

The arms loosened, but still held her. Gauging her reaction, she guessed.

"My father," Bella said carefully. "Is he okay now? I mean…" She swallowed unnecessarily. "Has he…moved on?"

The ensuing silence was all the answer she needed. She closed her eyes for half a second in sadness, the only amount of time she felt safe cutting off one of her senses. But it was for Charlie.

"Is he why you came back?" It wasn't Carlisle who asked this, but the bronze-haired boy. Edward, she remembered. His voice was much softer than before. Lovely, even.

She nodded.

"I just-" How much could she share with them? How much should she? But she felt safe, and an inexplicable trust. She found she wanted to tell them. "He's all I have left. My mother-"

No, she couldn't bring herself to say the words.

"My mother was with me when-" she started and stopped again. No, that wasn't an easier way to put it, either.

"Was she turned, as well?" Carlisle asked gently.

She shook her head once.

If they didn't figure it out from there, they were as stupid as they were powerful.

But they weren't stupid, it seemed, because the subject was changed.

"When we found you, you had made your acquaintance with some friends of ours."

Bella's eyes snapped back to the leader again when he spoke of the wolf bear things.

Friends?

But no, he was smiling slightly. A joke. They couldn't be friends with those monsters.

Watch who you're calling monster, her thoughts rebuked her.

"Yes, the Quileute tribe has their own defenses against our kind, but we have an agreement with them. We do not cross into their land, and they leave us be. You were unaware of that, of course, and so if you decide to leave us, we will show you the safest way around it."

Leave? Somehow the thought was not as appealing as it had been previously. She was feeling more comfortable here, with these strange vampires in their very human house.

"Why don't we table this discussion until you've had a chance to freshen up?"

Bella was suddenly aware of their refined appearances: fancy, un-tattered clothing and nicely combed hair. She must look like an absolute savage in their immaculate white home.

"Okay," Bella answered.

Carlisle nodded and Alice was suddenly at her side, smiling widely. Bella was startled, but somehow didn't feel threatened.

"Come with me, I can show you to the bathroom and find you some new clothes."

Bella cautiously followed her, narrowing her eyes at Jasper as he moved to follow. He alone had not dropped his guard, had not smiled once. She stiffened, wanting to rip the hand that was still on her shoulder clean off his wrist.

"Jasper will, of course, wait outside the door. He has some extra gifts that may be of assistance in tempering your discomfort," Carlisle explained delicately.

"I've noticed," Bella answered wryly, earning herself a chuckle from a few of the vampires. Jasper was not one of them.

Bella was startled by her appearance in the full-length mirror of the bathroom. The moonlit reflection in the water had softened the horror. Her eyes were blazing red, fresh from her recent meal. Her scars stood out starkly against the rest of her skin, marring what had briefly been an attractive face. Her hair was poorly controlled, but at least it looked as if she had removed all the debris. Her clothes, though, were done for.

A fight to the death with her own coven, followed by a cross-country trip through desert and forest and ocean, along with her meal in the park had not done her poor tank top and jeans any favors.

She peeled away the offending garments and tossed them in the garbage, already knowing they were unsalvageable.

The shower felt absolutely luxurious. It was something she had not experienced in all her memories. Maybe her memories of showers as a human had been lost, or maybe she just had never showered in what appeared to be a 5-star hotel with luxury amenities. She let herself think as the hot water ran over her, feeling just safe enough to turn her attention inward, if only for a few minutes.

The sheer civility and refinement of these vampires were probably the starkest difference she had noticed. They also lacked the unspoken instinctual threat she had learned to recognize in other vampires, even those of her own coven. This family certainly seemed to not wish her harm, but she couldn't let her guard down. Even so, her curiosity was piqued, and she resolved to stay at least long enough to get a few answers.

After what felt like too short a time, she forced herself to shut off the water.

The clothes Alice provided fit her perfectly, which was odd because from what Bella had observed, she was not the same size as any of the females.

Oh well, she thought as she pulled on the fresh pair of dark-wash jeans and lovely white sweater. It was incredibly soft, softer than anything she had felt.

She combed gently through her wet hair, re-examining her appearance.

Much better, if you could look past the scars. Unlikely that anyone would be able to.

Then there were the eyes, which still glowed rose-red. They had lost the signature newborn brightness slightly, but were still brighter than she had remembered Jamie's, Leanne's, and Xavi's to be.

That brought to mind the odd golden color of the vampires' eyes below. She was intrigued, and slightly wary. Curiosity won out though, and she resolved to find an appropriate way to ask.

Alice was waiting in the attached bedroom, smiling approvingly at her.

"You look lovely!"

"Thank you," Bella murmured, glancing around the room. Large bed, armoire, side tables, expensive-looking art and fabrics. It was awfully human.

Finally, Bella's eyes were drawn to the closed door, where she knew and sensed that Jasper was hovering. If any of them posed the kind of threat she was used to, it was him. Although, Bella begrudgingly acknowledged, even when she had been hostile, he had only acted to subdue rather than harm.

Alice followed Bella's gaze, and smirked. "Jazz isn't so bad. I promise." She winked.

Bella wasn't quite convinced, particularly when "Jazz" escorted them back down, scowl and slightly-restraining hand back in place.

They congregated back in the living room, Carlisle once again taking the lead.

"So, we have many questions for you. But, I'm sure you've got several for us, as well. Would you like to go first?"

Bella was a little taken aback at the offer, but realized she did have many questions. She couldn't help the first one.

"Your eyes," she offered simply, looking around the group. All of them had eyes of varying shades of gold.

"Ah, yes. That is usually the first question. Our eyes reflect our unique choice of diet," Carlisle replied.

Bella stilled in panic. Was their "unique diet" other vampires? Was that possible? Could vampires be cannibals? Is that why she was here, being lulled into a false sense of security?

She heard a snort of laughter, and turned an incredulous eye on Jasper.

"We abstain from drinking the blood of humans," Carlisle hurried to explain, possibly to avoid another conflict. "Our diet is strictly one of animal blood."

That answer was almost as surprising as cannibalism would have been.

Animals?

Bella thought about how simple that answer was, how elegantly simple. It caused a tangle of questions and emotions, ones she couldn't quite discern. Except for one: hope. The memory of her red-eyed appearance in the mirror came back to her, but this time she tried to imagine golden eyes. Was it possible? Could she do it?

"Why do you all act so…" She let her eyes wander around the room, lit by light that none of them needed. "… human," she finished, perplexed.

Carlisle chuckled again. "Force of habit, I suppose. We become a part of the human community in our lifestyle. It requires some blending in."

So not only did they not kill humans, but they associated with them, too? It was almost too much to take in. She moved on.

"How do you all live together?" She asked, scanning the group again. Her eyes lingered on the one called Edward, who was still staring at her with an odd intensity. What was his problem?

She listened to the explanations and their backstories. They lived a much more civilized life than she had ever seen in her own kind, which allowed for harmony and larger numbers. She listened to how Carlisle had created Edward, Esme, Rosalie, then Emmett. The details of how Alice and Jasper had come to them were glossed over, but she didn't pay that much mind. She didn't need too much explaining to know what was in Jasper's history.

They went to high school. Carlisle worked as a doctor. Esme had a passion for home renovation. They played games, traveled, learned, and had absurdly large wardrobes.

They loved each other.

"Now," Carlisle hesitated. "Would you be okay answering a few of our questions?"

Bella wanted to protest. She had only had a handful of questions when she came down from her shower. After getting answers, it felt like she had about a thousand more to ask. But she nodded, hoping she'd get another turn.

"Where did you travel from?" He went with an easy first one.

"Louisiana." Bella answered, and felt Jasper's hand flex again on her shoulder. It seemed more reflex than restraining, though, and so she let it pass without reaction.

"That's quite a journey." Esme spoke for the first time, and Bella turned her eyes to examine the woman. Her voice had been so sincere, so kind. She was looking at Bella with something akin to concern. Bella decided she liked her.

"It was."

"Were you a part of a coven, or nomadic before then?" Carlisle's voice was careful now.

"A coven." Bella went with simplicity; she wasn't sure how much she wanted to surrender. But they were all silent following this, watching her expectantly, and she felt compelled to continue. "Jamie created Xavi first, then Leanne, then me. It was a large coven. Well, I guess not by your standards."

That earned another chuckle from the group. That pleased Bella, for some reason, though she wasn't sure why.

"Was there conflict?" Jasper asked.

"Yes, many times. But Jamie is very…" she searched for the right word. "…strict, I suppose you could say. If you step out of line, there are consequences."

"Were there ever any others that joined? Even briefly?" Jasper asked.

She knew what he was getting at. Bella tensed, unsure how they would react. She had gone from wanting to escape this odd family to wanting to stay with them longer. Would they allow that if she shared her violent history?

"Yes."

They didn't press for more, but Jasper didn't speak again for a while. It had been answer enough for him, she supposed.

"Why did you come to Forks?" Rosalie asked her first question, and managed to make it sound somewhat accusatory. Bella bristled a little, but brushed it off.

"My father is here. I just wanted…" She wasn't sure what she had wanted.

"It's normal to seek out family at times of distress." Carlisle was being kind again.

"Yeah, I suppose that was it. He's the only family I have left now. I just wanted to feel…I don't know… not alone. Even if I could only see him from a distance."

She had shared more than she had intended, and knew she sounded pathetic. Bella tensed as another, softer hand, was touching her, but calmed when she saw that Esme had reached out and laid a hand on her arm. Comfort. It had been so long since she had felt a touch like that. She wanted to lean into it, but was sure it would be seen as threatening. And she didn't want to threaten this sweet creature.

"Can we ask about how you were turned?" Carlisle asked.

"Jamie and Xavi were hunting, and my mother and I happened to be there. Wrong place, wrong time." It hurt her to describe her mother's death as something as trivial as that. But it was true. Pure chance.

"Do you know why they turned you?"

Bella hesitated. There were two answers to this, and she didn't want to give either of them. One was a secret she planned to hold close, a secret that might force her into a situation she had been in before. And the other-

She felt a flood of shame, and actually looked down at the floor. She didn't want to tell them about the type of relationship she had had with Jamie. Surely civilized vampires like these would frown at such behavior. But it was better than telling them she was a shield. She chanced a glance back up at Carlisle. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad here, forced to follow this kind leader around, shielding his mind. But she couldn't risk it.

"I looked like someone Jamie knew. Someone he had cared about who died. It made him decide to change me."

They didn't seem suspicious.

She chanced a glance around to gauge the group, but was distracted from wondering about their reactions to her story when her eyes landed on the male still standing by the door.

Edward.

He was tense, as if waiting for her to attack. His hands were in fists at his sides, and he was watching her with grave intensity.

She instinctively responded to his posture, her lip curling into a half-snarl as she shifted her weight subtly, preparing for this defensive male to lose his cool.

"What is your problem?" she growled.

Instantly, Jasper's hand, which had weakened its grip, was tight on her shoulder and she knew what would follow: a smothering of her instincts. She was starting to become uneasy.

"Stop that!" She snarled, twisting out from under his grip. She still felt the offending calm, but it was much milder than when he was in physical contact with her. It was resistible.

Within a couple seconds, their civil conversation had devolved. The rest of them naturally stiffened defensively, the tall female hissing; even Esme shifted back to stand between Bella and Edward.

All of them had reacted except Carlisle.

"Bella, please don't take offense." Carlisle gestured behind him. "Edward sometimes has difficulty with newcomers. Just give him some time."

Something rang false in his words, and Bella didn't relax her stance.

"No one here means you any harm." Jasper was close to her again, but kept his hands and his weird emotional waves to himself.

She slowly let herself ease up, but eyed Edward warily. He didn't look upset by her reaction, but continued to study her with equal wariness.

So old Bronze Hair can go to high school with humans, but has a problem meeting someone of his own kind?

She kept those thoughts to herself, though.

"Well, perhaps that's enough questions for now. Bella, you are, of course, welcome to remain with us for however long you like. If you'd prefer to be on your way, though, we will not detain you. We do ask you not to hunt in the region if you decide to stay, and that you respect the boundary with our Quileute neighbors."

Bella processed what Carlisle had just offered.

However long you like.

So they were okay with her staying? She looked around at the group once again, and they seemed to be expecting her to answer. She felt an odd pull, a contentment buried underneath her instinctual hesitation. She was surprised that she wanted to stay, at least for a little while. She wanted to see if they truly lived so differently from Jamie's coven.

"I'd like to stay."

She waited, holding her breath, waiting for them to kick her out. She, who had caused them so many problems in such a short span of time.

Carlisle smiled, but it was Alice who responded most animatedly.

She squealed with what seemed to be happiness as she flitted over to Bella's side. Jasper, who seemed to be expecting Bella to feel threatened and react accordingly, jumped between her and his tiny mate.

"Alice!" he growled warningly.

"Oh, stop overreacting." Alice sidestepped Jasper and slid her arm around a bemused Bella. "You know Jazz, sometimes you could do with a dose of your own medicine."

Bella snorted, but stopped short, unsure how they would take her laughing at one of them so soon after they had allowed her to stay.

But Alice put her fears to rest when she grinned conspiratorially at her.

"Now, the most important part about being a Cullen is having impeccable style. And you don't have to worry, because I've got you covered."

This elicited a variety of responses, mostly humored, from the dispersing family.

"Don't scare her off so soon, Alice. I'm looking forward to a rematch with this little one," Emmett joked, and Bella wasn't sure how to take that, so she just gave a tight smile.

"Godspeed, Bella." Carlisle smiled reassuringly at her as Alice began leading her towards the stairs. Jasper was not far behind, so Bella supposed he was joining them for what seemed to be a fashion lesson.

Their joking was odd, and would take some getting used to, but Bella could only focus on one thing.

Alice had called her a "Cullen", and she wasn't sure what that meant. They had offered her an extended visit, but did that make her one of them? She had felt the pull to remain and learn more about these strange vampires, but did that mean she wanted to stay indefinitely?

She wasn't sure about anything, but decided to find out.