If there was one positive to being a mind reader, it was knowing when someone was keeping a secret. Edward was the keeper of secrets, if there ever was a title, knowing more about the people around him than he ever wished to know. He often found himself on the end of a long line of unappreciative for keeping that information to himself, no matter how often he wanted to add a quip here and there that would immediately oust him as a mind reader. Instead, he kept the world's secrets to himself.

Then, Bella Swan came into their lives and dashed the long history of secret-keeping. And, worst of all, she didn't even know it.

If it was possible, he knew his head would be pounding with a migraine, eyes strained from the countless hours he spent staring at the back of her head, willing whatever supernatural ability, because there was no other explanation, that kept him out of her thoughts to break. His staring only ensured her interest in him, it seemed, as her own scrutiny intensified. Despite the constant blush she had when their eyes met, he could tell she was slowly becoming desensitized to his intensity, daring to meet his stare head-on more than a few times.

Did her stare bother him? Only sometimes. Did he lash out because her stare annoyed him? …fine, yes.

And, if it wasn't enough that he had to deal with Bella Swan's secrets, but for months, Alice was slowly keeping more and more of her own. Keeping him out of her mind, quickly changing her thought patterns, and even going as far as leaving the room if she was thinking about a vision. It irritated him, not because she was hiding her thoughts, but because she went out of her way to be so obvious about it.

So, when the family was finally forced indoors, into closer quarters than usual, he finally had to snap, "Would you quit that?"

Saturday morning was usually a welcome reprieve from the humanness of the weekdays, but this Saturday was soured by the fact that they had been locked inside and fighting, far away from any information the school could provide on Bella Swan's activities thanks to that year's unusually nice weather. Charlie Swan also was keeping a tight lip on the recent murder, meaning there was no confirmation whether it was linked to the nomads. A month since Whitney Ward's death, and neither the police nor the Cullens had gotten any closer to finding the nomads. It made them nervous, which in turn, made them upset. Mix that with tight quarters, and it was only a matter of time before one of them exploded.

He was only surprised it wasn't Rosalie.

"I haven't said anything." Alice had the audacity to look at him confused, as if she hadn't consciously blocked him out by thinking of the same five ABBA songs on repeat.

"Exactly," he snapped. "Either tell me what's bothering you, or stop changing your mind. I can't listen to 'Dancing Queen' for another two days."

Alice whipped her head to and fro, peering out the windows of the living room and the door to the kitchen as if she suspected someone was spying on them. If Lettie was there, he knew he would have been able to reel in his eye roll, but as she was currently on another patrol with Jasper and Emmett, there was nothing stopping him from showing his annoyance, rolling his eyes so hard his head moved. Rosalie and Esme were deep in conversation upstairs, flipping through magazines for the house in Wateeridge, and Carlisle was on a conference call, which meant there was nothing more than unnecessary paranoia keeping Alice from spilling whatever was making her more jumpy than usual. The second verse of 'Mamma Mia' started again when she finally looked his way again, and he audibly groaned.

"Please, Alice,-"

"I found out more about my family," she whispered quickly, ducking her head. Edward straightened from his slouched position on the couch, instantly intrigued.

"What? When?"

"A while ago. Around Christmas."

"Christ-" Alice shushed him quickly, bringing his, rightfully, scandalized voice back to a whisper. "Christmas?! You've had this information for months?"

"I stopped looking for a while," she tried to reason, but it did little to quell Edward's annoyance, "with everything ramping up with James, and Bella's introduction to school, it just didn't seem important. And then…I got angry." She sighed. "I am, was, so mad at Jasper for babying me, so I tried to occupy my time with other things. That's when I found my file again."

"So you've found yourself?" She nodded. "You don't seem too happy."

Alice opened and closed her mouth, a thousand thoughts all wanting to spill out at once rendering her mute. She opened her mouth and tried again, only for a squeak to appear. Edward's eyes widened as her face crumbled, not expecting such a quick change in emotion.

"I had a sister. Cynthia. She's gone, but apparently, she married, had a kid. I have a niece." Her voice wobbled, unshed tears gathering behind her lids, bottled emotions finally able to be spilled. Edward felt a knot in his throat, and scooted closer to her, placing a comforting hand on her arm. "Mary. She's still alive, can you believe it?"

He could, actually. After he was turned, Edward was so consumed with everything his newborn instincts introduced that he didn't think twice about his human life, didn't really have the mental capacity to. But, about five years after his 'death', Carlisle informed him about his family's estate. Apparently, some of Edward's extended family were annoyed that it went to an unnamed doctor they'd never heard of and were demanding it be returned, along with the rest of the family's wealth and possessions. Carlisle explained his Mother guaranteed his family assets went to Edward, or Carlisle, if Edward were to die, in hopes her greedy family wouldn't ever get it. Ever since then, he's revealed himself as a long-lost relative every couple of decades, adding himself to the family tree and inheriting his family's wealth to distribute it as he saw fit. There was still an old crone from his time as a human who demanded a rereading of the will every time he did so.

"Where is she?" he asked softly.

"As far as I can tell, she's still in Biloxi. She's married, has two kids. I couldn't find much else, but that didn't surprise me." Alice hastily whipped at her eyes.

"Alice, that's amazing." Edward tried to keep his voice light, happy. Focus on the good parts of that, and not the fact that Cynthia was gone. "We could go see-"

"No!" This time, it was Edward who jumped, surprised by the horrified look on her face. Broken from her concentration, a vision slipped to the forefront of her mind. Alice, sitting beside an older-looking woman, laughing and hugging, the summer sun making the cozy kitchen interior all the more warm. James, appearing at the door, giving Alice a smile before ripping the woman apart. Alice forcefully pulled herself away from Edward, standing, breaking their connection to the vision. "I've seen it. Hundreds of times. No matter what, if I leave Forks, he'll find me. He'll find them, and every time, he kills them."

"We can protect-" Alice cut him off with a shake of her head.

"If we send anyone, he'll get suspicious, and that will only put them in more danger. No, we stay put, and they never know I exist."

"Alice-"

"And it's not just that." It was as if she was weighed down by the words she'd held secret for so long, flopping onto the couch, simultaneously relieved and burdened by saying them aloud. "James, he's close. Closer than ever. I've been getting visions almost daily of him attacking the school, or getting us on the way home, or breaking in here and grabbing me. He's getting reckless, and impatient."

Before Edward could open his mouth to rebut, to scold her for keeping her safety secret, she sighed louder, slouching further, her chin practically resting against her sternum in the awkward position.

"I didn't want anyone to freak out. You're already sacrificing so much of yourselves to do this for me."

"We would do anything for you, Alice. You're our family."

"But James is something we've never faced before. We can't protect everyone."

Despite knowing her for less than 60 years, a blink in the long life of a vampire, there had never been anyone who understood him as intrinsically as Alice. Jasper knew his struggle, Rosalie knew his pain, Emmett knew his strengths, but Alice? Alice knew his very being, an unspoken connection that went further than the connection they had as a coven. She knew him just as he knew her. Keeping this secret, she didn't do it lightly, as much as it annoyed him. The endless possibilities of the future always weighed on her, even when she tried to play it off, bury it deep beneath her bubbly personality.

And now, not only was he fortunate to have a sister who knew him so deeply, he also had a friend who was willing to dig deeper, who was so different from him that every effort she made to learn about him meant all that much more. She ridiculed him when he deserved it, and held his hand when he felt like he was floating away. Lettie's smiling face was enough to soothe his fried nerves, and someone was trying to take that away. He didn't know what Samuel was planning, couldn't even fathom why they joined leagues with a group of nomads, nor why they were so persistent in getting Lettie by their side, and that made him terrified.

How had he found himself beautifully burdened by increasing his six weaknesses to seven? And, why wasn't he upset by that?

"I just don't know what to do," Alice admitted softly, throwing her head into her hands. Her shoulders trembled with her silent sobs. Edward sighed and reached out to pat her head gently. He tried to smile reassuringly at her, even as worry consumed him.

The patrol yielded as little as the others had, the nomad's trails criss-crossing back and forth over reservation land that any progress made was immediately lost. Jasper wanted to run drills again, working the family to the bone with endless fighting techniques and spars to keep them focused, but he was stunned silent at a suggestion from Alice, the first time in days she willingly spoke to him first.

"Port Angeles?" Rosalie said, disgusted.

"The humans will be shopping for their Prom outfits. It only seems fair that we go and keep an eye on them, to make sure none of the nomads get an opportunity to get them." Edward was surprised how firm her voice sounded when only an hour ago she had despaired at the prospect of outwitting James. Now, she looked determined, eyes shining and shoulders wide. She looked ready for anything thrown her way. When she met his eyes, the flash of several visions passed through; James attacking a group of students, Alice being taken from the home, Edward stepping in just in time to save a dark figure in an alley, a group of laughing girls trying on dresses, a good time at a restaurant. Oh, he thought, we could save them.

"Leaving here isn't a good idea," Jasper tried to argue. "We can't leave the town vulnerable."

"Then we split up."

"Split-?!"

"Jasper, trust me. We'll want people in Port Angeles."

"Alice," only Carlisle was brave enough to speak up, cutting the hard stare the two shared, "did you see something?"

"Only flashes," she said, shaking her head, "but enough to know that if we aren't there to protect people, the nomads will use the opportunity to attack."

"Are we all there?" Esme asked this time, reaching out to clasp her hand around Carlisle's.

"No. Two or three of us usually," she spared a glance at Jasper, "but never me."

It was decided, then, that Edward and Emmett would go, keeping Lettie at the house with the most protection. Despite her protests, Edward had to agree. They still weren't completely sure of Samuel's intentions, and it was risky enough to bring her along on patrol. In a situation where Edward and Emmett had to have their focus on humans, there were too many possibilities of Lettie being attacked or taken, and Samuel could use the humans as a distraction, forcing them to break vampire law in order to apprehend him. No, as much as he hated being away from her, Lettie was safer.

He had to admit, the prospect of finally being useful did help in the decision.

Port Angeles was just as bustling as it was the last time they were there to shop for Prom, pubescent teens running amok as they tried on dresses and ties, all hoping for the promised best night of their lives to be truly that. Edward and Emmett patrolled the populous streets for a time, zig-zagging down any offshoots that could potentially hide the nomads. So far, there was no sign of them, but neither Edward nor Emmett relented.

It was only as the sun set that they stepped out, noses flared to see if they could pinpoint any whiff of vampire. They lounged on a bench, trying to seem like the other exhausted teenagers around them, all shopped out for the day. Edward's head was down, trying to shut out the whining to pinpoint anything that might be bloodlust, Emmett at his side keeping a watchful eye on the moving crowds.

"Is that Edward?" Jessica Stanley's annoying voice was hard to ignore, especially since she did such a bad job of hiding the squeal in her voice. She and Angela had just stepped out of the nearest boutique, garment bags draped over their arms. "Edward! Hey!"

Edward gritted his teeth but managed to school his features into disinterest rather than disgust.

"We thought that was you!" Jessica Stanley continued, pretending to be oblivious to his obvious dislike. "Are you here to do some shopping?"

"Yes, but as you can see, we were out of luck this time," he gritted out, managing to at least give Angela a small smile. She returned it with a shy one of her own, waving at Emmett, who looked back at them with a cocky smirk, a natural expression around humans. "We were just on our way home."

"That's a shame." As they rose from the bench, Jessica Stanely stepped in his way, closer than she'd ever dared. He took two quick steps away. "We were just about to head to dinner. Would you like to join us?"

"Our Mother is expecting us back for dinner."

"Booo!" She whined teasingly, before turning to Emmett. "What about you? Think Rosalie would mind if we borrowed you for a quick date?"

"There's only one girl I want to be on a date with, and it's not you," Emmett retorted quickly. Jessica Stanley's face fell, shocked, before she quickly schooled it in an expression Edward had seen on Lauren Mallory's face more than a dozen times.

"That's a shame. We could have had fun." She huffed, then turned to Angela. "Let's go."

"Bye, guys," Angela whispered before darting after her friend.

Emmett gave him a look, and Edward only shook his head. What Angela saw in Jessica Stanley of all people to keep around was beyond him. He only hoped that whatever genius school Angela was no doubt going to go to would introduce her to better friends, ones that had a level deeper than the surface.

"Bella's going to be so sad she missed him," Jessica Stanley teased, barely halfway down the road, though there was snideness to it that marked it as less teasing and more crude. Edward paused, ears perked unwittingly. Angela made a noise of disapproval as Emmett gave him a confused look. Edward simply nodded his head in the direction of the retreating girls.

"Speaking of, we should hurry to the restaurant. I haven't seen her in a while, so maybe she's already there." Jessica Stanley scoffed.

"Knowing her, she probably fell and is lying in a ditch somewhere."

"Jess!"

"What? She's so clumsy, I'm surprised she's not always covered in bandages."

"She was just going to that bookstore. I'm sure she's just wrapped up in it." Angela's mind flashed with the thought the piece of paper Bella Swan showed her, a map to a bookstore called Thunderbird and Whale. Though he didn't recognize it, the name alone set him on edge. A bookstore like that could have sources on Quileute legends and stories. It felt too coincidental, not with the way Bella Swan had been acting recently. "Besides, she's been fighting with her friend. She probably just needs some alone time."

"Ugh, don't remind me. She really does have all the boys wrapped around her finger." Jessica Stanley huffed, stomping her foot.

"He's fifteen, Jess!"

"Still…" But Edward was already on the move, mind too preoccupied to pay attention as their voices slowly faded away.

"Bella Swan?" Emmett questioned as they jumped into the car. Edward barely waited for the doors to close before pulling away from the curb, heading in the direction of Angela's memory map. "I thought that wolf would have told her everything?"

"I imagine his father wasn't too pleased to find out Bella Swan was privy to their tribes' stories." Carlisle had informed the wolf pack that Bella Swan might be privy to their secret, which meant the wolves would be at risk of discovery too. While they weren't pleased, they were more angry at Jacob Black, who could have been the only person to have told her. "Angela implied she and Jacob Black are fighting."

"Then, you think he had to take it back?"

"Knowing what I know of Bella Swan, she probably tried to pry it out of him, but he either respects his tribe or his father's orders too much to tell her more. It was too late though, her curiosity had already peaked."

"Then, what? Are we trying to find her?"

"I don't know how long she's been separated, but if we can get to her before she reaches that bookstore, we can buy ourselves more time." His car screeched lightly as he turned down a narrow street, walls practically scraping his side mirrors.

The bookstore was tucked several streets away from the main road, winding up a steep street in a cul-de-sac. It was the only shop around, the bright lights from the window the only real sign of life. The car barely rolled to a stop before he was sticking his head out the window, sniffing deeply. All at once, her scent assaulted his nose. He clapped a hand over it, ignoring Emmett's cackle.

"We're too late."

"Maybe she didn't find anything?"

"No, her scent is strong. She was here for a while, and based on that dreamcatcher in the window, they definitely had a book on Quileute legends." He sighed.

"Then let's steal the book." Edward turned his head, brow arched, but Emmett looked completely serious. "Maybe she found something, but there's no guarantee she read everything. Let's take the book so she doesn't have the chance."

"What? How would we even-?"

"It's not like we need her in our good books." Though he sounded ridiculous, he had to admit, Emmett made a good point. She already disliked him, or, at the very least, was scared of him enough that she had kept whatever she'd learned about their family a secret. So what if he took her book? It wasn't like she could come all the way out here again, especially with her hunk of junk car. Yes, stealing the book could buy them time, even if it was ridiculously playgroundesk to do so.

Just as he was about to open his mouth, though even he wasn't entirely sure if he was going to agree or disagree with the plan, a violent, stabbing thought drilled into his brain. A woman walking down the street, long brown hair trailing down her back. A hand, the person thinking such disgusting thoughts hand, reached out to grab it, winding it around until she was immobile. Taking her against her will, stopping her from screaming for help by putting his other hand over her mouth, watching as those big, brown eyes looked up at him in fear.

Bella Swan's brown eyes looked up at him in fear.

"What was that?" Emmett asked urgently, watching as Edward's face pulled into a grimace.

"Bella Swan is about to be in a lot of trouble." He quickly shifted gears, spinning the car expertly on the narrow road to head back the way they came.

"When isn't she?" Emmett asked figuratively. Edward winced. Though the thoughts weren't pretty, and more of them coming from the original scumbags accomplices, Edward repeated them to the best of his abilities. Emmett, as much as he wanted to say something, kept his mouth shut, moving his hands from the dash lest he break something.

As Edward spoke, Rosalie's face flashed across Emmett's mind, her figure replacing Bella Swan's in a dark alley, screaming for help and no one coming to her rescue. His hands clenched, anger and fear repeating the scene over and over until Edward swerved the car, whipping corner after corner as the disgusting thoughts got stronger and stronger.

Even if he hated Bella Swan, no one deserved to go through that.

They found her just as two of the men got their hands on her, one bringing a lock of her hair to sniff it, while the other held her wrist tightly, their bodies reeking of alcohol. Bella Swan was fighting, evident by one of the men on the floor holding his groin, but it was no use against the rest, all bigger and stronger than her. The headlights of their car were enough to pause the main pursuit, but none of them let her go, nor did they step away. Not until, that is, Emmett stepped out of the car, a hulking figure revealed as an imposing silhouette. Fear flashed in all their minds, bar Bella Swan's, who could only look at them in confusion. Edward quickly stepped out as well, wary of the thoughts going through Emmett's head.

"Get in," he growled out to her, pulling open the back door more quickly than he probably should have.

Bella Swan tried to pull away, but the man kept his grip on her wrist. Emmett took another step forward, then another, giving the man a chance to pull away, and when he didn't, Emmett grasped his arm, and squeezed. Bella Swan looked sick as the human beside her collapsed to the ground screaming, grasping his arm that now hung uselessly at his side. The crack of his bones still echoed in the alley as Emmett turned to the other two men.

"Now," Edward tried again, and this time, she listened, rushing towards him, despite the painful tug on her hair from one of the other men, too distracted by his friend on the floor to let go and too drunk to realize he was going to be next. Bella Swan reached him just as Emmett rushed forward, kick shattering the knee of the sobering frat boy. Edward only just managed to catch her head before she could turn, ushering her into the car. Doors still opened, Edward jumped into the front seat, tires screeching as he turned the passenger side towards Emmett, hiding his deeds from the blinding headlights. The third and final man, now whimpering on the floor, was begging Emmett for mercy, snot lisping his words.

"Try that again, and I'll come back and finish what I started," Emmett growled out, grabbing his arm and wrenching until it practically spun in its socket. The man didn't even get a chance to scream before he fainted, the pain too great to process what had just happened. Emmett growled again, daring any of them to make another move, before speeding to the car, weight nearly sending them skidding. The car was already pulling out of the alley by the time all the doors were closed.

"What - no, how did you find -?" Bella Swan stammered, heart still pounding with adrenaline. She was trying to wrap her head around what just happened, still curled up sideways in the backseat from the abrupt turn. Edward leaned his head out of the open window slightly, trying to catch some fresh air to temper his instincts. Still, his mouth filled with venom.

"I should go back and rip their heads off," Emmett growled, eyes black, face slightly contorted.

"They've learned their lesson," Edward tried to reason, but it was more for the benefit of the unwitting human in their backseat than because he disagreed. Bella Swan was still shaking.

"Do you think they'll…" do something like that again?

"No," Edward reassured firmly. "You made sure of it. Their minds were spinning."

"Do you know that for sure?" Bella Swan stammered out. Edward spared her a glance.

"It's not hard to guess."

By the time they reached the restaurant, the one Edward remembered from Angela's mind, Bella Swan had stopped shaking, her breath returning evenly. Though he desperately wished to know what she was thinking, for once, he was glad she had a moment to process things on her own, in the most private setting she was going to get. He pulled up directly behind Jessica Stanley's blue Beetle, and he watched as her face lit up in recognition. She was as graceful as a newborn deer as she scrambled out, barely catching herself on the door.

"I'm wondering," she managed as she untangled her feet, barely meeting his eyes as he joined her outside, "how many more times you're going to save my life."

"I'm trying not to make it a habit," he ground out, giving her a once-over. When he was sure she was somewhat alright, he reached around her, ignoring as she flinched violently at his sudden movement. His hands curled around the strap of her bag, swinging it towards him. It looked ready to fall apart, seams nearly coming undone as he flipped open the top, but her scent was so deeply soaked into it that he knew she'd had it for years. Sentimental humans.

"What are you-?"

"Payment. For saving your life," Edward said simply, pulling the book from her bag. When she tried to protest, Edward simply tossed it to Emmett, who tucked it under him, butt making sure it wasn't going to move. He shoved the now lighter bag into her arms. He admitted to himself that she was brave to meet his glare head-on so easily. "Let this be a warning to stop meddling in things you don't understand." He felt like he was scolding a child, but he didn't know how else to get it through to her. To deter her from continuously putting herself in danger.

Bella Swan's face turned towards the ground. Her hands encircled her bag, holding it close to her in a crushing hug. Her hands were trembling her bottom lip matching as two tears fell from her downcast eyes. The night's terrors, it seemed, finally caught up to her.

Edward sighed.

"Your friends are waiting," he said after a beat, far softer than he ever thought he'd speak to her. Her head turned towards the restaurant, following his outstretched hand to the front window. Angela and Jessica Stanley were laughing, with empty plates in front of them and faces flushed from a good meal. A small smile tugged at her lips. She turned back to him, and he managed a small nod. "Get home safe."

Bella Swan looked back at him four times as she made her way up the path to La Bella Italia. Friends were waving at her from their seats in the window, and they finally spotted her. He barely spared them a glance, even as Jessica Stanley's inquisitive eyes found him, brain spinning a mile a minute, wondering why Edward Cullen, self-proclaimed Bella Swan hater, was seen dropping her off at a restaurant.

He groaned, flopping into the driver's seat, ignoring Emmett's million questions as he started up the car. Somehow, it was still Saturday.