Hybrid

by KorKor11

She should have died once the venom entered her system, but she didn't. Now, Bella Swan is a strange hybrid of sorts, half vampire and half shifter. She flees from her pack in Arizona, stuck with the maker bond that ties her to her attacker, she tries to make a new home with her father in Forks. With a hatred for vampires, things only get worse when she meets her imprint, Rosalie H

2. Chapter 2

Tyler: So your plan is to give the ice queen the cold shoulder?

Tyler: Thats stupid

Bella: I just don't think we'd be a good fit. I don't even know if she likes girls!

Tyler: So ask

Bella: As soon as you ask Mike if he likes boys

Tyler: …touche

"Not to sound like a dad or anything, but how's school going?" Jake asked, sitting down next to Bella on the log and making her put her phone away.

Jake should have been easier to befriend than the humans, but Bella ultimately found him to be more difficult. She was wary about befriending any shifter. She feared it would lead back into a life she had tried so desperately to escape, especially if she befriended another Alpha.

She was playing human, and she was having a fun time doing so. She was re-learning herself in a way that was impossible when she was part of her pack in Arizona.

As much as she would have loved to have given Jake her all, she wasn't sure if she wanted to risk it.

She was already struggling with bloodsuckers at her school, two of whom wanted to be friends with her for whatever reason. She had been in Forks a whole week and the vampires hadn't tried anything yet, much to her annoyance.

Bella didn't know what their deal was. She didn't know what they were waiting for, she didn't know why their eyes were gold, and she didn't know what to make of her imprint…who she refused to think about.

"It's pretty cool. I've made a lot of new friends." She pondered asking him about the parasites but decided against it. He hadn't shifted yet, he most likely didn't know what he was. And she didn't want to get further entangled with the shifter, not if she could help it.

The hybrid could feel the watchful gaze of Billy and Charlie on them.

The minute they arrived at La Push he practically shoved her into Jake's open arms and ran away with Billy. She bet they were pleased with themselves, toasting each other with budlights and planning her and Jake's future wedding.

I'll have to have the talk with Charlie sooner rather than later.

Her phone buzzed and she looked down.

Unknown: Hey new girl

Unknown: This is Lauren

Bella grinned, shooting back a quick text as she turned to face the crackling flames of the fire.

It was a cold fall evening, she had on a light jacket but nothing else. Truthfully, the jacket was just for show. She didn't feel cold anymore, and as a shifter, it had already been difficult for her to feel anything other than hot.

But now she was the perfect temperature. Never too hot and never too cold.

Bella: Hiiii Lauren! I knew you'd come around :p

Supervisor: Jess said u were funny

Bella: I've got a few jokes

Supervisor: Well, I cant supervise in PE but I can supervise u

Supervisor: Ur jokes I mean and tell u if they r any good

Bella: :) yes ma'am supervisor ma'am

Supervisor: r u always this happy?

Bella: :D

"Texting your boyfriend?" Bella looked up to see Jake watching her curiously. He looked a little cagey by the question, and Bella couldn't help but frown at him.

"No…" She felt bad for somewhat ignoring him, he had invited her after all. "This girl at my school, she's a little grumpy but she finally texted me. It only took her a week, I bet that's a new record." She laughed and Jake's laughter echoed her own.

"You go out of your way to befriend grumps?"

Bella shook her head, still smiling as she tucked her phone away, but not before she texted Lauren that she'd talk to her later. "Nope. I just like making new friends." She hesitated before saying, "I was homeschooled, so it's nice to meet new people."

Jake nodded slowly, resting his head on the palm of his hand. "That's nice…you don't have any friends from Arizona?"

Her smile faded away as she looked down at her hands. She had blocked her old pack, and Paul had fled from Arizona a few years ago.

She had tried to reach out to him, but he ditched his old phone, and now she had no clue where he was. She hated thinking about him, she hated thinking about his mother, Dakota.

Dakota had always been a second mother to her. When Renee would forget to bring home groceries, it was Dakota and some of the other pack moms who would take care of Bella.

Part of her couldn't blame Paul and his mother for leaving without a word. But part of her was hurt. Betrayed. Part of her hated Paul for leaving her to spiral within James's pack. She had become unrecognizable, and maybe that's part of the reason he didn't say anything.

Maybe that's part of the reason he had smiled at her widely as they discussed their future plans, before leaving without a trace the next day.

She had long since come to the conclusion that, since she had been their Beta, Paul had every reason not to tell her. But it didn't make it hurt any less.

Bella had pleaded with their Alpha, they had to track down Paul. And their Alpha had scoffed at her, reminding her that Paul left on his own accord, and that they shouldn't waste time tracking a weak wolf.

But Paul had been her best friend since they were kids and-

"No," Bella finally said, standing to her feet with a sigh. "I'll be right back, I'm getting a hotdog…want one?"

Jake looked at her apologetically. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, Jake. I just need to walk it off. You couldn't have known." She assured him, offering a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes as she said, "Hell, I didn't know it would upset me either. Sorry." She turned on her heel, leaving before he could say another word.

She felt bad for bringing down the mood, but she honestly didn't expect his question to sour her own.

"You don't have to be alone, little wolf."

A shiver ran down her spine as she reached the food table.

At the very least, the thought of the redhead took her mind off of Paul and Dakota. But at what cost?

She stared numbly at the hotdogs, putting a trembling hand in her pocket as she reached out with her free hand and grabbed one. Her appetite was gone, but food used to be a good way to forget about her troubles.

Inevitably, as they always did, her thoughts drifted to Rosalie. To honey blonde hair and beautiful gold eyes and her reserved smiles and-

"She's just some human. Their lifespans are just as laughable as their opinions."

Her heart hardened.

Rosalie Hale was no better than that red-headed parasite. They were all the same, even the brown haired bloodsucker who had tricked her in Arizona.

They're all the same, but now I'm tied to two of them.

She was revolted with herself for imprinting on such a monster. And she was even more revolted with herself for yearning for the comfort and closeness of her attacker.

It was strange. Unnatural. How could she miss that monster yet fear her all the same?

Bella had never been scared of a parasite before, but the redhead terrified her. She had been harmed by plenty of parasites, but none had broken her the way that woman had.

Whatever connection they shared only made Bella even more vulnerable and more frightened.

She wondered, if she ever ran into her again, would she be able to kill her?

The very thought nearly made her flinch.

You can't. You need her.

A hiss almost escaped her, and she shook her head as she took a bite of her hotdog. It tasted like hopelessness, she felt like shit. And when the intrusive thoughts of Rosalie returned, she let them.

My imprint. My everything.

Because thinking of Rosalie instantly made her stop thinking about the redhead. It was a vicious cycle of revolving bloodsuckers, and Bella worried she would be driven to insanity.

A different wet dog scent was approaching her; this one wasn't as potent, and it smelled all too familiar. "Hope you aren't as aggressive with your blowjobs as you are eating that hotdog."

She felt her body tremble and she whipped around. "Why don't you go-" her eyes widened and the world came screeching to a halt. "Paul?"

He looked the same, but his brown eyes seemed lighter, happier. He had the build of Emmett and his black hair had been cropped short with spiked tips. His devilish grin was still in place as was his chiseled jawline and well-defined abs that he always had on display.

His grin softened, and there was a touch of uncertainty there as he took a step forward. "Hey, Bells." He murmured, guilt flashing in dark brown eyes as he said, "I've missed you."

Bella wanted to yell at him; she wanted to cry, but a large part of her pushed down those emotions as she stared at her former best friend.

She knew she should have been honest with him, told him how much his absence had hurt her, but she felt desperate as she stared at him and thought of all the good times they had together.

She was tired of painful memories and conflicting thoughts of bloodsuckers and shifters. She wanted certainty, she wanted the familiarity and comfort that came with her friendship with Paul. She wanted to at least be friends with one shifter who could tell her what was going on. She wanted to be friends with one shifter who had known her better than anyone.

Bella knew this would come back to bite her in the ass. She had so many unresolved feelings, so many grievances she wanted to get out, but now wasn't the time for that.

"Nice to know you still give off douchebag vibes." The tension between them dissipated and Paul laughed loudly, embracing her tightly and swinging her around.

These arms are warm, not cold.

She felt as though she couldn't breathe. She could almost feel the cracking of her ribs despite the hug being a gentle one. Her jaw clenched, the grip on her hotdog tightened and, much to her dismay, she smashed it to mush.

She felt angry again.

The redhead did this.

And she wondered how much longer she'd be plagued with nightmares and flashbacks and scared of hugs.

Paul set her down and she tossed her hotdog on the sand, wiping the mush from her hands with a sigh, "You made me squish my hotdog." It bothered her more than she let on, but she didn't show it.

Calm down. You're on the beach at La Push with Paul. The bloodsucker can't find you here. There's more food at the table.

Paul got a good look at her and his eyes widened. "Jesus, Bells, your eyes...whoa, you got hot!" She playfully punched his stomach and he grunted, scowling as he bent over slightly. "Ow, fuck, okay I'm sorry!"

Bella frowned. "Chill out, I barely hit you."

Reel it in, Swan.

He rubbed his stomach, grumbling under his breath before smiling again, running his thumb over the scar on the corner of her lip. "How'd you get this little number? You know, chicks dig scars."

She huffed, pushing his hand away. "I'm a lesbian, I know what girls are into. And I'm a girl! I know, Paul!"

He could barely contain his smirk, bowing his head. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Swan. I was trying to teach the master, and that was foolish of me."

Their familiar banter made it easier to push down her feelings of betrayal. She had missed this, she had missed him.

Bella patted his head. "Think nothing of it, douchebag, your kind is naturally patronizing, but never forget that the common straight man ranks below the lesbian." They both laughed and she felt good, better now that Paul was here.

He looked at her. "So, you finally got out." Her eyes fell to their old pack tattoo on his wrist, jagged claw marks colored in black ink. "I'm sorry I left you. I just...I had to leave and-"

"We can talk about anything else."

Paul looked stricken with guilt, and he grabbed her hand. "Bella…"

She ignored his plea. "Is your mom here?" She sniffed the air, somewhat relieved when she didn't pick up on her scent.

It was for the best.

Despite her love for Dakota, she didn't think she could handle seeing both her and Paul on the same day.

The shifter looked hesitant for a moment, clearly not wanting to change the subject but he followed her lead. "No, she's patrolling the border." He smiled softly at her. "She'll be so happy to see you."

If I can pull this off with Paul, I'd bet I could pull it off with Dakota. No matter what happened, I do miss her.

The thought made Bella smile, and with great effort, she forced down the dread she felt at being reunited with them once again.

Don't ruin things with your emotions, again.

"Not as happy as I'll be to see her." Dakota was the only true mother she had ever known, and she wondered if seeing her would help ease her fractured mind or make it worse.

The answer worried her.

Don't ruin this. Just be grateful you even get to see her again.

For all her misfortune things were finally starting to look up again.

She had human friends, she got along great with her father, she reconnected with Paul, and soon she would see Dakota again.

This is good.

Thoughts of red and gold eyes lingered in the back of her mind.

Seeing Dakota will be good…it has to be good.

They were quiet for a moment, her hand still in his, and he gave her a gentle squeeze before frowning. "Huh, you smell different, I almost couldn't tell it was you." She had no excuse for that. "And you're colder than I remember."

"Well, it's colder in Washington."

He chuckled, "Smartass." He then jutted his thumb towards the group of men he arrived with. "You should join our pack. It's run by Sam Uley until Jake is ready to lead." He seemed excited by the prospect, smile broadening as he said, "It's like...it's like a family here, Bells. The only thing Sam forces me to do is calm down, that's it. And his girlfriend cooks us so much good food and-"

James's pack used to be our family.

James and Joseph had been fathers to them. Rasheera and Dakota were the pack mothers, helping James and Joseph with the rowdy shifter children while loving them unconditionally.

We had a family, and you left when it fell apart.

"I can't."

Bitterness aside, she couldn't risk any of the shifters finding out her secret. They would attack her without hesitation, and if Paul had learned anything from James, he would attack her too.

I would do the same.

A hybrid like herself was a threat to humans, a threat to shifters. Had anyone else in her pack been inflicted as she had been, she wouldn't think twice about putting them down.

Bella wondered if she had made a mistake by not going to James and being put down. Instead, she ran away like a coward.

She thinks about all the people she could have hurt. She thinks about how much of a hypocrite she is, because a good wolf would have sentenced themselves to death if they had been infected by a bloodsucker.

But I ran…just like Paul did.

And now here she was, listening to him talk about family, as though that word truly meant something to him.

He ran because pack life became hard. Bella ran because she would have died otherwise. Their circumstances weren't the same.

Despite whether or not Bella should have stayed and faced the consequences of her existence, she had never planned to leave the pack, no matter how difficult life became.

What does Paul know about family when he left his? How long will he stay with Sam before he runs away again?

The betrayal ran deep. She was still hurt. And hearing Paul gush about his new pack was something she couldn't handle.

"I'm sure pack life is great but...I need to be on my own for a while. I just want to get through school and then...maybe I'll consider it," she lied; she had no intention of joining another pack, despite Paul's promises of family and good cooking. "Can you just...keep this to yourself?"

No matter how much she missed her pack's dynamic, there was no way she would or could join this new pack. Not after everything she had been through. Not after all the pain and anger she had left in her wake.

"Bella-"

"Paul," she said sharply, causing him to flinch, and she grimaced. "I mean it. You know what we went through, you know I have every right to want to keep to myself. Don't do what James did and force me into any bullshit."

Paul had left two years before she did. She had been furious, unhinged, and James had used that to his advantage.

Paul had the decency to look ashamed, and he nodded, pulling her in for another hug. "You're right, I'm sorry." She stiffened, squeezing her eyes shut and hugging him back, trying to fight the images of red hair and red eyes. "We should still go running together, sometimes." He offered, pulling away but keeping her hand in his. "We have so much forest here, we only have to stay away from the bloodsuckers' territory, but even then we can run for miles."

Bella's eyes narrowed, and she felt an insurmountable rage as she said, "The parasites have their own territory here?" Paul winced as her hands began to tremble. "Why haven't they been torn to pieces? Why are they in a school full of humans?" She demanded, feeling her inner Beta rise to the surface as she continued. "Why aren't there wolves posted in the school?"

Her friend looked down, lowering his head slightly as he responded. "The treaty was made before we were even born. The Cullens are animal-drinkers. They don't drink from humans, so they're allowed to be in town and have their own territory here. In exchange, they protect the town so the wolves can protect the Rez. If they break the treaty by turning a human or drinking from them while in Forks, then we can attack. But they've been coming and going from Forks for years with no incidents."

Rosalie's an animal-drinker?

She didn't know there were leeches that could survive on animal blood. She figured that, as a hybrid, she could survive since she wasn't a full leech. She thought about how her eye had once been red but turned gold when she spent days drinking animal blood.

She kept thinking about Rosalie.

She was filled with a sense of relief. Her imprint wasn't a monster, she didn't hunt humans and drink them dry, she hunted animals instead.

Maybe her humanity is still intact. Maybe she's different. She hasn't attacked a human-

Bella couldn't believe what she was hearing, much less what she was thinking. "Yet," she growled. "They haven't had any incidents, yet." She shook her head with a sneer. "I've been fooled by a leech before, I won't be fooled by them again."

It had happened a year after he left; he didn't know what she was talking about, and she was glad he didn't ask.

Paul looked just as angry as she felt. "I tried to tell Sam but…" he trailed off with a grunt, lowering his eyes again and Bella nearly hissed in frustration.

The sharp sting in her back returned, a reminder forever etched upon her skin of her failure and foolishness for letting a parasite live.

"I don't harm innocents, you have to believe me!"

And she had been stupid enough to listen.

She was deserving of every scar she had gained that day.

The former Beta shook her head. "I know some of them have powers. How many of them do they have? And I know they have 'adopted parents.' Is my headcount of seven correct?"

Paul nodded, still keeping his gaze lowered. "Seven parasites. Carlisle and Esme are their leaders, they have no powers. Edward can read minds. Jasper can read emotions and manipulate them. Alice can see into the future, but she can't see when our kind is around. Emmett doesn't have any abilities but he's uncommonly strong for a parasite, apparently. Then there's Rosalie, she has the power of fear. With one look, she can send you running in the opposite direction. But her power is dependent on the individual," he listed off. "On our first meeting, Sam made the parasites tell us about their powers again, just to make sure nothing had changed."

Bella was reeling at the information. They were the most powerful coven she had ever come across. She hated the fact that she was pleased that her imprint had a power, that she was strong and could protect herself.

The hybrid wondered if her power would work on her. Edward couldn't read her mind, and Alice couldn't see her future. Jasper could read her emotions; would Rosalie also be an exception to her protected mind? She couldn't be sure.

But she did know one thing.

"The only good leech is a dead one, and the fact that they're all alive…" She couldn't blame his new pack for maintaining their end of the treaty. It was made long before any of them were born, with the purpose of protecting the humans in Forks and La Push.

It was only right that they kept their word, but to allow parasites to reside so close to humans…

She had been fooled before by the brown haired bloodsucker. A lying leech who pretended as though she were well-intentioned with her appetite.

What if that's what the gold-eyed leeches were doing? Acting good whenever they were in Forks and feeding when they left?

"How many wolves do we have?" She asked him, and he grimaced.

"Four, five, including you. But Jake, Embry, Quil, and the Clearwater siblings are close to turning."

Her eyes widened. "That's too many inexperienced wolves. We're outmatched, Paul. Why haven't they shifted sooner? We shifted when we were ten-" she stopped herself, realizing she was falling back into old patterns.

I'm not a Beta anymore. I don't have a pack anymore.

The reminder filled her with an ache of loneliness, it made her feel hollow as she took a breath and remained silent.

I'm just Bella, now.

"I'm not happy about it either, Bells," Paul said, finally lifting his gaze to look at her. "If it were up to me, the leeches would have already been torn to pieces, and our pack would have more than four of us. The only good leech is a dead one."

He gave her a nod, and she was reminded that, although they were no longer in James's pack, his teachings would most likely forever be ingrained in them.

The reminder made her relax ever so slightly, feeling guilty about her outburst as she sighed. "I'm sorry, Paul. I didn't mean to get so...I didn't mean to be…"

I didn't mean to be me.

She wanted to tell him that she wasn't the same Beta that answered to James. She wanted to tell him about her new human friends, and how she was more like her old self than she had ever been.

But she couldn't find the words, too worried about broken promises and meaningless reassurances. Her display of anger had only shown that she had a lot more work to do. She had a lot more to unlearn before she re-learned who she really was before their pack fell apart.

She wondered if Paul wanted to talk about it, if he was curious about how the pack had been doing since his absence, but Bella found that she would rather talk about anything but. Especially since the last thing she wanted to think about was the residual anger she felt towards her friend.

"You're fine, Bells." The shifter chuckled, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "You did better than me when I first found out about the leeches. I shifted, they had to restrain me." She could smell the blood rushing to his cheeks, but unlike human blood, it did not affect her. "I'm still a hothead, but I've been trying."

Bella nodded. "I've been trying too. I'm proud of you…I'm glad you're happy," she told him truthfully. Because, despite her mixed feelings about his absence, she had only ever wanted the best for her best friend.

Her sharp ears picked up on her father's voice. "Hey, Billy, who's Bella with?" She heard suspicion creep into his voice. "Why are they holding hands?"

She could feel Billy's gaze on her and Paul. "Oh, that's Paul Lahote. He's a good kid, he helps Sam Uley out around the Rez." She could hear the slight disapproval in his voice as he said, "He's a bit of a ladies' man…"

A few feet away, she could hear the shifters talk amongst each other. "Who's Paul with? Shit, he works fast."

Another laughed, his voice was deep and soothing. "Are you surprised? I know you wish you had the balls to go up to Embry."

"Sam."

"Jared."

The two began playfully squabbling with one another, and Bella's attention was drawn back to Paul as he gave her a playful bump with his shoulder.

"You're getting soft on me, Bells." He smiled. "But thanks." He was quiet for a moment before asking, "What about you? Are you happy?"

She thought about the redhead. She thought about Rosalie.

"Just peachy," she muttered, using her free hand to reach into her pocket and pull out her phone. "Actually, I really like school. I made a lot of new friends!" She perked up, showing him the selfies she had taken with each one.

She had initially been worried about whether she would show up in photos or not, on account of being a half bloodsucker. However, after a few selfies she took in the privacy of her room, she was relieved to discover that it was just another myth. Bloodsuckers could show up in photos.

"This is Eric. Mike. Jess. Tyler. Angela. Lauren. And Monique." Paul nodded as he looked at each photo, before grinning when he saw Monique.

"Ooh, the ladykiller strikes again." He laughed. "Monique, huh? She's pretty cute. So were the other girls." He plucked her phone out of her hands, putting in his new number before handing it back to her.

Bella would have blushed if she could as she shook her head and shoved her phone into her pocket. "They're my friends, Paul." She paused for a moment before admitting, "Well, Monique said we need to get to know each other first, then we can be friends." Her embarrassment melted away as enthusiasm took over. "She's really nice and she even DJs at the gay bar! And Mike plays basketball, Tyler plays football, Angela and Eric are the leaders of the debate team, and Jess is a really good cheerleader," she prattled off. "And Lauren is our supervisor."

"Supervisor?"

She nodded at him seriously. "Yes, she supervises us." She smiled again. "My new friends are all so talented!"

Paul grinned at her. "Sounds like it, but not as talented as me, obviously."

"You're right, none of them are nearly as conceited or-" he shoved her playfully, and she laughed as she consciously stumbled backward, trying to remember herself and that she was only a shifter, not a halfbreed.

"Shut up, jackass!"

For a moment, it felt as though everything was normal.

Bella wasn't a freak that liked blood, Paul hadn't left the pack after Joseph's death, and for that one moment in time, everything was good.

For that one moment in time, Bella looked around as though their packmates would be with them.

She half expected to see James with his long blonde ponytail, smiling widely as he wrapped an arm around Rasheera. Lesa would be in Chanel's lap, whispering sweet nothings and making Diego gag at whatever lude comment she made. Tilly would kick someone's ass at dominos, usually Bella's.

Joseph would sit at the campfire, rallying the younger shifters like Bree and Tanner, telling them the same goofy stories he had told Paul, Bella, Tilly, and Diego when they were growing up.

Sweet Terra would trap someone, usually Raven, into a conversation about something arbitrary yet positive. And Raven would sit there stoically, looking as though she wished she could be anywhere else, but secretly, they all knew how fond she was of her friend.

Dakota would always suggest that they made s'mores, or she would find a campfire song to sing. Renee would find some innocent, poor soul to babble at, and Bella would have to find a way to save them.

It always made them laugh, the pack's inside joke, and her mother had always been a good sport about it.

"Oh, shut up! You're all just jealous of my fabulous life!"

Renee was a poor mother and a poor wolf, but she wasn't horrible. Especially when things were good.

Because when things were good, Bella could really appreciate her mom and all the strangeness that came with her.

And Janet would always have a game of poker going, Paul would usually lose because he never knew how to play. He'd always go all in, thinking we'd back out…

Bella blinked, meeting the curious gaze of Billy Black instead, and quickly remembering herself as she looked away.

Those days were gone. Some of those wolves were gone. And they were never coming back.

Her heart twisted painfully at the reminder of all that she had lost, at all that she had helped to ruin.

It wasn't just me. The parasites took so much from us…is it any wonder how we became this way? How I became this way?

She ignored Paul's worried gaze, looking past him and into the flames of the fire.

"Don't make excuses, Bella. You're better than that. Smarter than that."

Am I?

A warm hand took hers. "So, how's going to school with the leeches?" He was genuinely curious, and she could hear the caution in his voice as he checked in with her. "Do they know what you are?"

Released from the swirling thoughts that cluttered her brain, the hybrid felt herself relax. "Jesus Christ, they smell like shit." Paul boomed out a laugh as Bella shook her head. "They can't tell I'm a wolf. So far, you're the only one that knows."

And you don't even know that I'm half bloodsucker.

Paul looked pleased with that fact. "Of course, because I'm your bestie."

You were.

Bella ignored the bitter thought and smiled. "You sure are." She paused before saying, "And the mind-reading leech can't read mine for some reason."

"Holy shit, really?" Paul looked worried for a moment. "What…did something happen in Arizona? Why can't he-"

"I'm not talking about Arizona," Bella snapped. "I'm not in Arizona anymore, I'm not…"

I'm not that person anymore.

She took a deep breath, shaking her head as she gave his hand a light squeeze. "Sorry, I just…change the subject, please."

Paul looked at her warily, squeezing her hand back before he relaxed. "You know, you do smell different. I couldn't even tell you were a wolf, I just knew you were here because of all the gossip. You smell like cinnamon now, it's weird."

Despite her conflicting thoughts, she did want to tell Paul about what she was. But they had both been raised in James's pack, telling him could backfire completely and lead him to hunting her. That was the last thing she needed, not when she could finally live a normal life.

Or, as normal a life as she could, what with her desire for blood and her desire to kill every leech she came across.

"Thanks, just what every girl wants to hear," she replied dryly.

"I'm still quite the ladykiller." He winked.

"Straight women have no taste, so it doesn't count."

He laughed and shook his head. "God I've missed you."

Have you?

She swallowed back her snarky reply. "I missed you, too." That was the truth of it, she didn't need to start any drama.

She should just be grateful to have her friend back. But it was more complicated than that, and they both knew it. At some point, they would have to have a serious conversation about Arizona, but until then, Bella could wait.

The strong scent of Jake burned her nose, and they both turned to see him approaching. He was trembling slightly, dark eyes focused on her and Paul's intertwined hands.

Hand holding had been a thing of comfort for Bella and Paul. When Bella had been broken down, it was Paul who held her hand until she was strong enough to let him hold her; and when Paul would explode in a fit of rage, it was Bella who would grab his hand and bring him back to reality.

Bella gave Paul's hand a squeeze before she pulled away. "Here comes the puppy," Paul muttered, and she shot him a glare.

"Paul."

"I know, I know. I'll play nice." She didn't believe him.

Jake's hands were balled into fists and he stared at Bella, completely ignoring Paul. "Bella, I didn't know you knew him."

And Paul's reputation precedes him.

His rage wasn't a surprise, given that he hadn't shifted yet, which was when he would be the most volatile.

"Oh, Bella and I go way back. We actually share a very intimate past-" she slapped his arm and he laughed, wearing a shit-eating grin and evoking an eye roll from her.

She pretended she didn't notice Jake's increased heart rate, but every nerve in her body was screaming at her to attack or flee. Her bloodsucker side recognized the danger of an unhinged wolf, a danger her own wolf didn't pay any mind to.

"Paul and I were friends in Phoenix. He's like the brother I never wanted."

"Is it normal to hold hands with your brother?" Jake asked testily, and Bella sighed while Paul smirked.

"Fuck if I know, Jake, I don't have any siblings. Would you chill out? Even if Paul and I were together, that's none of your business. He's just my friend." This caused him to relax ever so slightly.

"Is everything okay here?"

Jake tensed once again.

Son of a bitch.

A large man stood before them. He had the same cropped black hair, brown skin, and tribal tattoo on his shoulder like Paul. He was flanked by two other shifters and Bella could smell that he was a Beta.

Sam.

He radiated power and authority usually seen in Betas that were without their Alphas. But there was a calm to him that James no longer had and that relieved her.

"Everything was fine until you got here, Sam," Jake snarled. She wondered why he hated Sam but thought better than to ask. Tonight was tense, no need to make it worse.

Bella grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the seats around the bonfire. "Hey, come on, you're about to pop a blood vessel."

And you don't even smell good enough for that to sound remotely appealing.

Jake glared at them as he was dragged away, gritting his teeth when Paul gave him a cheeky wave. Bella shot Paul a look, who winked at her in response and nearly made her laugh under her breath. If Jake weren't so volatile, she would have.

When they were seated the younger shifter blinked, breathing deeply as he calmed down and bowed his head in embarrassment. "Uh, sorry, Bella. I don't know where that came from. I'm not usually so…I don't know. I don't normally get like that," he confessed.

She understood completely, after all, she and Paul had gotten into a fist fight right before they shifted. "I get it, Jake. Thanks for the apology," she told him genuinely. "But you have to understand, I'm not yours. You can't get possessive…" She paused, wondering if she should tell him before she said, "I'm a lesbian."

His eyes widened, and for a moment, she thought he would react negatively. "Oh." He sounded crestfallen before a quiet laugh escaped him. "Wow, so you really don't like Paul."

Bella laughed, leaning against him as she shook her head. "No. No, I really don't. I hate that fucker." She joked, eyes gleaming with mirth as Jake leaned his head against hers.

"Me too," he muttered, half joking and half serious. "Sorry for being weird…and thanks for telling me. I…I don't know a lot of gay people, but I'll keep it to myself." He promised, and she wrapped an arm around his side, giving him a thankful squeeze before she listened to his father's story.

Billy Black told them the story of the third wife, of her sacrifice that led to the defeat of the Cold Ones.

If bloodsuckers are the Cold Ones, and I'm half bloodsucker, does that mean I'm a Warm One?

For a moment, she wished at least one person knew she was a hybrid so she could tell them that joke.

When the bonfire was over, Bella said goodbye to Jake before making her way over to Paul. He stood with Sam and Jared, speaking in hushed tones about Jake shifting before Bella made her way to them.

They all became silent, and Sam's curious stare would have unnerved anyone else, but not her.

"See you later, douchebag." He laughed, leaning in to hug her, but she stopped him by putting her hand up. "Save the hugs for later, you sap." She patted his chest before she turned to walk away.

Paul called after her, "Text me! We have to hang out sometime!"

She turned to him with a cheeky smile. "If you're lucky." Seeing him with his new pack, seeing him with Sam and Jared instead of with James and Joseph…it was different. Difficult.

So much had changed.

"This…our pack, it's all over. You need to run, and don't look back."

Bella turned her back to him, unable to deal with the heavy weight of it all.

It's all over.

Maybe she needed to distance herself from Paul, but she didn't think she was strong enough to do so. He was all she had of her past, all the good and bad encapsulated in her best friend. He didn't judge her for her mistakes.

But he looked at me differently. Dakota looked at me differently.

She remembers it vividly.

But it's over now…and maybe that's for the best.

Bella brushed off her conflicted feelings, deciding she should just be happy to reunite with her best friend. There was no need to complicate things, not now.

"Paul, she's human. You know you can't spend time with her, it's too dangerous," Sam uttered under his breath, and Bella had to refrain from turning around to look at the shifters again.

"I wouldn't hurt her, Sam," Paul all but hissed at him. "Never her. You have to give me a chance."

"We'll talk about this later…what we should talk about is you antagonizing Black. What if he had shifted in front of everyone? What if he had hurt them?"

Paul groaned as he began to get lectured, and Bella wondered if Sam was truly as fair as her friend claimed him to be.

Wouldn't be surprised if he turned his back on me, again.

The thought came out of nowhere, sparking residual anger and making her hand curl into a fist. She knew she would have to forgive him, she knew she would have to talk to him about their past, but she wasn't ready.

Releasing a breath, she walked to the car, relieved to see her father already waiting for her. His scent was masked by the smell of the shifters, making his blood even more unappealing to her, and she was able to suppress her gag when she came closer to him.

Luckily, it didn't take her long to get used to his scent. And with a gentle hand, she managed to open the door to the cruiser without incident.

Charlie greeted her warmly, and she returned the greeting as she buckled her seatbelt and pulled out her phone as it vibrated.

Jess: Bella! We're going homecoming shopping next weekend! Ik it's early but you got to come with ussssss plsssssss !

Bella relaxed, grateful for the distractions that her friend provided her with as she texted her response.

Bella: Hell yeah!

She wasn't much of a shopper, but maybe that had changed over the years. She still had so much to learn about herself, and she vowed to go out of her comfort zone as often as possible to see what new things she could discover.

Jess: Yay! Its gonna b so fun!

Her father cleared her throat and she looked up from her phone. "So, you and Jake seemed really close. Did you have fun?" The suggestion in his tone wasn't lost on her, and she couldn't help but scowl at him.

"Dad-"

"And I saw you with that Paul fellow. Billy said he's a good kid, but he's bad news when it comes to girls." He shrugged. "I won't tell you what to do, but Jake seems like the better choice. The safer choice. He seems like-"

"Then why don't you date him?" She baited, waiting patiently to see his response.

He glanced at her as he drove off the dirt path and onto the main road. "That's inappropriate, Bells. I'm far too old."

A peal of laughter escaped her. She wasn't sure how he was going to respond, but she hadn't expected that. His laughter mixed with hers, and he reached over the console to take her hand in his.

"I'm sorry, Bells. I don't mean to overstep. I just want you to be happy and safe, that's it. I, uh, I don't care who you're with…and…ugh sorry, I won't push it," he grumbled awkwardly, blood rushing to his cheeks and making the hybrid hold her breath on instinct.

Bella smiled, giving his hand a squeeze. "I hope that's true…" She cleared her throat, releasing his hand as she said, "Because I'm gay."

Silence engulfed the car.

And while Bella originally hadn't cared what her father thought, she now found herself waiting with bated breath.

Her father frowned pensively as he looked out at the road. "Huh."

Hating the silence, Bella said, "Yep." Popping the 'p' as she leaned back in her seat and stared out the window.

She told herself she didn't care what he thought, and that was partially true. Through no fault of his own, Charlie hadn't been much of a father to her. But it would be easier if he accepted her for who she was.

"Well," he finally said, "Good for you." She looked at him in surprise. "Women are prettier than men." He chuckled as she facepalmed, smothering her laughter behind her hand. "Jokes aside…I'm glad you felt you could trust me." He was quiet for a moment before saying, "I don't know any gay people, or…gay women…"

"Lesbians." She filled in for him.

"I didn't want to be rude."

She had to refrain from laughing again. "That's not rude, that's what we're called."

Charlie smiled. "Well, I just don't want to be insensitive. You're my daughter and I love you and I support you, alright? All that matters to me is that you're happy." He then said, "And, I hope I'm not asking too much but, be patient with me? I've got a lot of learning to do and I might mess up but I never want you to think that I don't love you and support you-" he was rambling now, almost running out of breath as he tripped over his words.

Bella couldn't help but beam at him, leaning over the console to rest her head against his shoulder. "I understand…thanks for understanding me." A sniffle escaped him as he tapped his head against hers, and she leaned back to look at him with wide eyes. "Are you crying?"

Even in the dark, she could make out the red rim around his eyes as he blinked back his tears and shook his head. "No," his voice cracked and he cleared his throat, sounding more sure of himself as he said, "My daughter's…you're…you're just wonderful, Bella. And I'm so glad you're here."

Renee hadn't had much of a reaction to Bella's confession. And while she had been relieved that her mother hadn't cared, a small part of her had wished she had given her the reassurance she had needed.

"Oh…well, that's fine, Bella. There are a lot of gay people."

They hadn't talked about it since. Not when Bella brought her first girlfriend home, and not when Bella had her first heartbreak at sixteen years old. Her mother still talked to her about cute boys, she acknowledged Bella's sexual orientation, but she didn't care either way about it.

Because her daughter being a lesbian didn't personally affect Renee. So, of course, what else was there for them to discuss? Bella liked girls, who cared?

"I love you, Bells. And whoever you love, I'm sure I'll love them too."

Bella felt her own eyes burn as she looked away from him, staring out of the window as she said, "I, uh, I love you too, dad. And I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

When they returned home, Bella bid her father goodnight before collapsing in her bed.

The night had been overwhelming.

Charlie, Paul, Jake, Sam, Dakota, all of it had been too much. If her father didn't have to work so early in the morning, she would have insisted they stay up together.

She would have done anything to avoid being alone with her thoughts. In lieu of lamenting over Paul and Dakota's return, coming out to her father and Jake, or thinking about animal-drinking leeches, Bella instead chose to think about the third wife.

She wondered if she could ever sacrifice herself the way the third wife had. And she thought it was criminal that, even in the stories, they didn't speak her name. She was a hero, she aided in the killing of the cold ones, distracting them in a way only a human could.

But, as they often did, her thoughts inevitably drifted to the redhead.

She had been like the monsters in the stories, she had been like every other leech Bella and her pack had torn apart.

The bite on her wrist throbbed, and the unmistakable pull tugged at her chest, nearly causing her to whine as she thought of sharp smiles and red eyes.

"Shhh, little wolf. It'll all be over soon."

Bella remembered her cold body pressed against her burning one. The woman had held her as she lay dying, she had stroked her hair and softly scolded her.

"Why did you make me hurt you?"

Bella had burrowed into her, whimpering into the bloodsucker's neck. She had wrapped around her, feeling scared and lost and in need of someone. Anyone.

The leech had been her light in the darkness, the only comfort she had. Even though she had sentenced Bella to death, the hybrid had realized she didn't want to die alone.

It was pitiful, she had been pitiful.

The pain had been so intense that Bella had kept blacking out. The only relief she felt from the burning was the icy cold skin of her attacker, and it had revolted her yet calmed her all the same. It had felt sickening but right, as though she should always be at Bella's side.

The shifter sat up, sighing heavily as she shook her head. "Fucking parasite," she grumbled, rubbing at her chest in discomfort as she tried to think about anything or anyone else.

And she did. Her curse yet her saving grace, Rosalie Hale.

She hadn't talked to her since her first day at school in the gymnasium. Volleyball was continuing, but they were no longer on the same teams, making it easier for the hybrid to avoid her imprint altogether.

But it was becoming increasingly difficult to stay away from her. She wondered if Rosalie felt the same. She knew that bloodsuckers had mates, but did they ever mate on non-bloodsuckers?

The thought rattled her.

I'm half bloodsucker, that has to count for something-

"Dammit to fucking hell, Swan, get a grip!" She stood to her feet, knowing she would be getting no sleep tonight as she opened up her window. "Who cares if she likes you or not. It would be better if she…mated on someone else or whatever."

But the very thought of it made her hands tremble, and she could hear the crack in the wood of her windowsill. She jumped back in surprise, putting her hands up in surrender as she stopped herself from ripping it off the wall.

"Fuck." She clenched and unclenched her fists, shaking her head again as her phone began ringing. It was late, she couldn't imagine who would be calling her at this hour.

When she saw who the call was from, she rolled her eyes and answered it. "What do you want, clingy?"

A deep laugh came through the speaker. "You're such an ass." He was quiet for a moment. "Just checking in on you. Looked like things were going better with Jake-"

"No thanks to you, Paul," she retorted.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be nice. Hey, you free? Want to go for a run?"

"Not every wolf is made for this life, Bella. That's why they ran away, like cowards. They left us. They left you."

This rubbed her the wrong way, making her frown despite him not being able to see it. "I can't…I told Jess I would call her after the bonfire and I still haven't."

Her fresh start was supposed to be without the shifters and leeches but now she was stuck with both. She was supposed to be over Paul, she was supposed to be over their friendship and making new friends with her humans instead.

But he was here…who was she to reject him, after everything she'd done?

People like me don't get fresh starts. We get what we deserve.

Which was the emotional entanglement with two leeches, one of whom attacked her and left her for dead. And now, to add insult to injury, she was rekindling her friendship with Paul. Her once ex-best friend, who had abandoned her when she needed him the most.

The very thought of seeing Dakota again after reconciling the abandonment was nearly enough to bring tears to her eyes-

"But another time let's do it, I'll text you?"

Paul didn't sound upset by it and took the rejection in stride. "Sure! We'll run by your house…Cullens might get a little testy about us being so close to their precious woods but fuck them."

Bella smiled, but there was no mirth to be found. "Yeah…I need to call Jess. I'll talk to you later."

Her mixed feelings about Paul were going to have to come to a head sooner or later. But at the moment, she couldn't think about it; she couldn't think about him.

"Alright, I love you."

She nearly flinched, remembering a time she thought she would never hear those words from him again. "I…yeah, love you too," she replied quietly, relieved to know that whatever their history, she truly meant it.

Bella hung up, and again she was left alone.

---

They were early, they always were.

Edward stood with his siblings in the parking lot, watching as the buses pulled in to take them on their biology field trip.

All the juniors and seniors went to the greenhouses at the local community college, and he tried to find the wonder in going somewhere else on this dreary day.

But it felt monotonous.

Rosalie and Alice sat in Rosalie's convertible with the hood down. Emmett was propped up on the hood of his jeep, while Jasper stood next to Edward, leaning against Emmett's car, because he knew better than to lean against Rosalie's.

It's about time we had a field trip, Alice thought, humming happily to herself as she leaned back in her seat. I've been so bored!

He wished he could share in his sister's excitement.

"Hey," he felt the nudge of Jasper and turned to look at him. "Bella's comin', shouldn't you be less moody?" The soldier teased, making Edward smile slightly.

"I suppose…though she doesn't seem to be very fond of me."

Rosalie scoffed, not looking in his direction as she got on her phone. "No one's very fond of you."

His eyebrows raised, and Alice looked at her in shock. "Rose! Why would you say that-"

Emmett's booming laugh cut her off, and their brother leaned forward with a grin. "It's a joke, Ally! C'mon, tell them, Rose!"

Rosalie didn't bother looking at anyone as she scrolled through her phone. "I wasn't joking."

Emmett laughed again. "See! She's hilarious!" He hopped off his car, slinging an arm around Edward and saying, "Besides, Bella's not fond of any of us. I mean, one of her friends is Lauren."

The empath nodded. "Bella feels hostile and fearful whenever we're around. Some humans can detect that we're predators, most likely she's one of the few that can." It made sense, but he wished he knew how to get her out of that mindset.

Edward's mind reached out on its own, never still, never content with its own thoughts, and it clung to Jasper's as they continued talking.

She's always hyper aware around us, the empath glanced at the mind reader. Alice and Emmett are usually best at makin' new friends. It's odd seein' someone so resilient to their charm.

He nodded in agreement. "It's as you said, she knows we're different."

Emmett shrugged his broad shoulders. "I mean, she's different too, right? We don't know why one of her eyes is gold."

"A strange genetic mutation, perhaps?"

"It even darkens when she's angry," Alice chimed in, making Edward's brow furrow.

Jasper sighed, "Until we get closer to her, I doubt we'll figure out the eye situation."

"We don't need to get closer to her," Rosalie argued. "She has a heartbeat and a weird eye. If anything, we should stay away from her."

Emmett frowned at his sister. "But she's so cute, why can't we keep her? She doesn't have to know about us-"

"Don't be obtuse. There's a reason we don't have human friends, Emmett." Rosalie rolled her eyes. "If she found out about us the Volturi would have our heads."

Alice smiled impishly at her. "Unlesssss we turned her."

A terrible idea.

One Edward wouldn't allow.

Rosalie's eyes narrowed, turning pitch black at the mere suggestion of biting Bella. "No one touches her." She blinked, eyes reverting back to gold as she looked back down at her phone. "Besides, it would break the treaty. Remember when I told Emmett not to be obtuse? I was hoping that would apply to everyone and that I wouldn't have to repeat myself." She drolly looked back up at her fuming sister. "But I suppose this is what I deserve for being so foolishly optimistic."

"Relax, ice queen, we get it," Jasper drawled, making Rosalie glare at him.

"Let's hope your wife gets it. No one touches Bella, no one thinks about biting her," she all but growled. "And then we can avoid a pointless war with the shifters." She tacked on, looking away from them and back down at her phone as she relaxed in her seat.

Jasper gave his sister a harsh look while Alice rolled her eyes, but she didn't continue the argument as she pouted and slumped further into the passenger seat. She never could stand being chastised, just as Rosalie never could stand when she didn't get the last word.

But her protectiveness was strange, different. Rosalie had never cared for humans since she became a vampire. She didn't desire to drain them dry or have any form of relationship with them.

And yet, she yearned for her humanity all the same.

Emmett cleared his throat, trying to break the tension as he said, "Well, it's like Jasper said, she's more alert of us anyway. It would be a while before anyone befriends her…if she even lets us."

"I wish I knew what she was thinking," Edward confessed. Talking to Bella was like going in blind. It was extremely difficult, especially because she was so guarded whenever he was around her.

Rosalie looked up at him, gold eyes burning black. "Why? So you can invade someone else's privacy without their consent? Consider experiencing some shame, Edward. You're acting more pitiful than normal."

Edward blinked at her in surprise, unsure as to where all her hostility was coming from. However, despite his urge to know what she was thinking, he stayed in Jasper's mind.

Rosalie was the only one in their family who demanded Edward stay out of her head, and he respected that. The two were normally close, nearly inseparable, but now he could feel the distance between them.

He felt it ever since Bella's first day of school…

She's angry, but I'm unsure as to why. She feels possessive, jealous, Jasper thought.

Edward's eyes widened in realization.

I think she likes Bella a little more than she lets on.

Oh.

That would explain why Rosalie had been avoiding him lately, and why she had been snippier at Jasper and warning him to keep his powers to himself.

Despite Edward's feelings towards Bella, he couldn't help but feel happy for his sister. And he knew better than to announce her secret to their family. She would tell them all in time.

If she doesn't self-sabotage first.

There were many things he liked about Bella, though he hadn't known her long. She was beautiful and funny and witty and seemed to be a very genuine person. Despite her discomfort towards the Cullens, she got along well with just about everyone she met.

He supposed what truly drew him to her was his inability to read her mind. It was pure silence, a wonderful reprieve from the loud minds of high schoolers or the private thoughts of his family members.

Edward thought, despite Bella not being his mate, that the two of them could potentially be something more. She balanced him out well; she could maintain her privacy from his prying power, and she wouldn't become annoyed with him as his family sometimes could.

No one understood the pains that came with such a gift. He could never shut it off, never be free, never stay in his own mind.

But with Bella, it had been wonderful, he thought that maybe a life with her could be wonderful.

It wasn't meant to be, and that was okay. He could easily put aside his feelings if it meant Rosalie could be happy in the way that Alice and Jasper were. She was his sister, one of his closest confidants, and he wouldn't stand in the way of her happiness.

His mind drifted.

It's not fair! I'm the perfect best friend material, but Bella doesn't pay me any attention!

Edward wished that Alice was also aware of Rosalie mating on Bella. She was much better at scheming in order to get her way. She had the advantage of her big doe eyes and award-winning smiles, while Edward struggled with his own awkwardness whenever it came to interacting with others.

He was too formal, wanting to be polite but coming off as a bit stuffy instead. He had been working on it, but that's just who he was.

He imagines Rosalie interacting with Bella, and how, in her current state it would most likely be a nightmare. She would most likely end up hurting the girl's feelings, then feel guilty about it later, and use that as another reason as to why she doesn't deserve to find true happiness.

So dramatic.

It almost made him smile.

But is Bella your mate? Or is she a crush?

Rosalie Hale didn't have crushes. Not even when the Denali sisters had first thrown themselves at her had she shown the slightest bit of interest.

"I don't like blondes," she had told them, eyes dark with annoyance and teeth bared in warning.

No, Rosalie Hale didn't have crushes, humans and vampires had crushes on Rosalie Hale.

Before anyone could speak, Edward smiled gently at his sister. "My apologies, Rose. You're right, I don't need to be in Bella's mind. It's intrusive, and I'll be mindful of that in the future."

If his sister was surprised, she didn't show it. Instead, she sneered at him before turning her attention back towards her phone, scrolling aimlessly through social media as other students began pulling into the parking lot.

Emmett and Alice exchanged confused glances while Jasper acted as though he was also unaware of Rosalie's newly discovered affections.

The loud rumblings of a truck blasted down the road, making all the vampires look up to see Bella pull into the parking lot with a few cars on her tail.

Edward glanced at his sister, noticing her staring attentively at Bella through the windshield. The brunette rolled her window down, grinning at the van that parked next to her, a few lanes across from the Cullens.

Tyler got out of the van, smiling all the while as he walked around to Bella's truck and leaned on it, making idle conversation as they waited for their friends to arrive.

"Let me know when you wanna ditch the rustbucket, newbie. I can start giving you lifts to school, my house is only a few blocks away from yours."

Bella gasped, stroking the steering wheel of her rusted orange truck and shaking her head. "Aw, he doesn't mean it, baby," she cooed before shooting Tyler a glare. "Stuff it, Crowley. She's not going anywhere!" She paused before smiling at him. "But thanks for the offer."

He laughed and nodded, stepping back as she got out of the truck. "No problem." He glanced at the buses and winced. "I'd sit with you but I always sit with Mike-"

Bella waved him off, leaning against her truck with her crooked smile still intact. "Don't worry, Jess called dibs on sitting with me. Apparently, Lauren and Angie are sitting together. Eric will have to sit on your lap."

Tyler's brow furrowed. "Uh, Eric and Angie are sitting together. He texted me about it last night. Jess chose you as her bus buddy first, soooo," he waggled his eyebrows. "Eric took his chance."

Monique pulled up next to Tyler in her Taurus, stepping out and approaching Tyler and Bella with a smile. "Hey."

Bella greeted her happily, "Hey, Mo." She turned her attention back to Tyler with a frown. "So…wait, why would Jess lie and say Angie was sitting with Lauren? She could have just asked me and I would have said yes."

Emmett's deep chuckle made Edward smile. "Christ, she's so oblivious it's cute." He turned to Edward with a wink. "I get why you like her."

The mind reader suppressed his grimace, feeling Rosalie's eyes burn holes into the back of his head as he turned his attention back towards the humans.

Tyler rolled his eyes while Monique laughed, propping her arm up on Bella's shoulder and giving her a pretty smile. "Why do you think, lover girl?"

Rosalie muttered something under her breath, tearing her gaze away from Monique and Bella and choosing to glare at Edward instead, as though it were somehow his fault that Monique and Bella got along.

Jasper, Alice, and Emmett went back to talking quietly amongst themselves. Meanwhile, Edward and Rosalie paid close attention to Bella.

Bella appeared flustered for a moment, looking away and shaking her head. "No clue, Mo. Maybe she felt nervous?" She regained her bearings and smiled brightly. "I get nervous too with new friends. I don't want to come off as weird and mess things up."

Monique blinked, now flustered herself as she tore her gaze away from Bella's smile. "Close enough." She looked at Bella again, patting her cheek before pulling away. "I'll see around, lover girl." As she left, she squeezed Tyler's shoulder. "You too, Ty."

"Later, Mo." He gripped her hand lightly before she withdrew, finding her group of friends in the now crowded parking lot.

Bella watched her walk away with a frown before she looked at Tyler. "Was I missing something?"

This girl is hopeless, Tyler thought, sounding more amused than annoyed.

Tyler shook his head. "Don't worry about it." He glanced at the vampires before nudging Bella with his shoulder. "You have bigger fish to fry, right, lover girl?"

She turned her head, instantly looking at Rosalie before quickly looking away. Her heart stuttered in her chest for a moment before it went back to normal.

"Can you shut the fuck-"

"Heyyy, bus buddy!" Edward watched as the bubbly Jessica Stanley all but bounced up to the smiling brunette. "Hey, Ty!" She greeted, wrapping herself around Bella's arm as she grinned. "We have to get our friends at the greenhouses and like, pose with the topiaries."

Edward didn't have to look at Rosalie to know she was glaring daggers at Jessica's head.

Angela trailed behind her friend with a small laugh, tugging Lauren around as she said, "I don't know if the greenhouse will have topiaries, Jess."

Lauren chimed in, "Don't worry, we'll still take photos with something green."

Jessica leaned her head against Bella's shoulder. "Good! Thanks, girls!" She looked up at Bella, waiting for a response.

For a moment, Edward thought Bella might call Jessica out for her lie, or ask her what she had been so nervous about.

But evidently she was too kind to do that, instead she smiled at Jessica, genuinely happy to see her. Jessica's heart thumped loudly in her chest and the mind reader could make out the light blush that burned against her brown cheeks.

Her thoughts were loud.

She's so sweet! Not that I like her-no! No! I just think she's nice and super gorgeous and I can't stop thinking about her but that's normal…right?

"I'm glad we're bus buddies." Bella told her honestly before saying, "And thanks for talking with me last night…sorry for the late call." She sounded sheepish, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly.

Are you kidding? That was, like, the best call-

"Anytime!" The cheerleader blurted out, drawing some attention and making her duck her head in slight embarrassment. "I mean, I was like, totally awake anyway so I'm glad you…I'm glad we got to gossip!" She enthused.

Tyler looked in between them with a frown. "Wait, why didn't either of you call me too? We could have all talked." He sighed, "I had shit else to do but lay in bed. Couldn't sleep worth a damn."

Jessica scowled at him. "Why didn't you call me! You always call me!"

"I thought you'd be sleeping!"

"You could have asked!"

Eric's thoughts garnered Edward's attention.

I wonder when these two will finally get married.

Tyler's mind was filled with memories of him texting Mike, hoping he would be awake and be a cure to his boredom. A cure to his loneliness.

The intimacy of his thoughts, the amount of care he felt for the basketball player, was enough to make Edward's mind drift to another. Tyler's adoration for Mike was surprising, yet a very beautiful thing that the vampire felt he shouldn't be privy to.

What did those two gossip about? It better not have been me, Lauren thought grumpily.

Bella smiled. "I'll call you both next time."

"And me," Lauren interjected, making Bella perk up.

"I'll chat too. Late night calls are the best," Angela enthused.

Bella looked so happy that Edward couldn't help but smile. "Sounds like a plan."

"Cool." Lauren looked around their group. "Does anyone not have a bus buddy?"

Silence.

Bella scratched the back of her neck again, shooting her a nervous smile as she said, "Want to sit on my lap?"

Lauren blushed, blinking rapidly in disbelief before she laughed and shook her head. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Bella's nervous smile smoothed out into a real one as she laughed with her. "No homo?"

"Yeah, new girl, no homo." She then shrugged. "I'll just sit across from you guys, it's not a big deal."

Are they starting to hate me? Am I-

"I'll sit with you on the ride back," Bella promised, dispelling Lauren's unsettled thoughts.

In that moment, she softened, both visibly and in her mind as her posture relaxed and a grateful smile spread across her lips.

"Oh…thanks, Bella."

…

Edward loved Rosalie, which is why he decided to help her.

The seniors and juniors walked through the greenhouse, and Edward caught up to Bella, clearing his throat to gain her attention. "Excuse me, I hate to interrupt, but may I speak to you for a moment?"

Bella glared at him while Jessica smiled, giving Bella a nudge with her elbow. "I'll go find Angie and Lauren, catch up with us when you're, like, done."

Jessica's thoughts were loud as she walked away.

Does Edward Cullen have a crush on Bella? Ugh, god, who doesn't have a crush on Bella?

She tried to play it off as though it were annoying that all the boys paid Bella so much attention, but Edward knew better.

Jessica Stanley was learning more about her sexual orientation the more time she spent with Bella, and he swiftly left her mind to give her the privacy to do so.

It would have been amusing if she weren't so panicked about it. He found himself feeling bad for her, especially because he knew his sister detested Jessica, and now he knew why.

"What do you want?" Bella asked, looking less hostile than before but still looking annoyed all the same.

Edward gently brushed past a large ficus, careful not to damage the leaves before giving his attention to the human. "I overheard Mr. Banner talking. We have a project coming up, you and I will need to work together to find and examine bacterial profiles from different places."

"Oh shit, are you serious?" She groaned, ramming her hands into her pockets and shaking her head. "Well…how many places?"

Edward shrugged. "I'm not sure," five, "but we have to work together because we're biology partners-"

"I know. I sit by you every day," Bella groused, glaring at the ground in front of her as they continued walking. "Well…do we have to be together when we do it?"

The vampire winced at her obvious displeasure. "I understand it's not ideal, but we will be partners for the entire year. It would be best for us to get used to working with one another." She didn't reply so he continued, "I thought we could do our houses first. If you'd like, you can come over for dinner when it's assigned, and then I could come to yours-"

Bella's eyes tightened, and she looked up at him in horror. "No!" She blurted out, shaking her head vehemently. "You can't come to my house and I can't…" she took a breath, looking frazzled as she put more distance between them. "Sorry…no one's been to my house and I'd rather keep it that way for now." Her voice quieted, and she lowered her gaze as she became more docile. "And I…I can't come to yours. I hardly know you."

Her outburst had been surprising, and Edward wondered if Jasper was right. Bella was subconsciously aware of their predatory nature, and he felt bad for making her feel so panicked. But he also wondered if she had a sordid past with men, and if that was another large reason for her discomfort.

Edward wanted to be as sensitive as possible to her situation, not wanting to force his presence on Bella.

To relax her, he took a step away, putting as much distance between them as possible in the cramped greenhouse. "I apologize…would it put you more at ease if I brought my sisters with me when we collected the samples?" He quickly added, "And we can do our houses separately, because you're right, you hardly know me. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

She stared at him warily, but she was no longer tense as she cursed under her breath. "Fuck me." Her brow furrowed, she appeared conflicted as she slowly reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. "Okay…" She handed it to him, and he looked at her in surprise. "Put your number in…it's just for the project, okay? So don't get any ideas."

Edward smiled at her, feeling relieved that they had taken a positive step forward. "No ideas, I promise." Bella snorted, quickly wiping her smile from her face when he glanced back up at her. "Would you like my sisters' numbers as well?"

Dual colored eyes widened in disbelief. "Oh my god, did Alice send you?"

Emmett barked out a laugh, and Alice gasped in offense. "Are you…ugh! I would never-"

Edward, fix this! How are we going to be best friends when she thinks I'd do something as underhanded as this! Alice's mind was swirling with panic and disbelief and Edward couldn't suppress his amused smile.

Jasper's amused voice reached Edward's ears. "Darlin', that is somethin' you would do."

The seer gasped again, whispering too quietly for human ears, "You're supposed to be on my side! What kind of a husband are you?"

"An honest one," Rosalie remarked dryly. "You're the worst at boundaries."

"Hey!" She protested, defending her name while Edward tuned them out.

"Alice didn't send me." The mind reader assured her, hesitating before asking, "Would you be more comfortable if I only put in Rosalie's number?"

Rosalie hissed quietly at him. "You better not."

"Wait, what?" Alice all but gasped. "Edward! Put my number in her phone, she's my future best friend!" She demanded, but the mind reader ignored her.

Bella blanched before scowling and shrugging her shoulders. "I don't care, do what you want." She watched with rapt attention as he put Rosalie's number in. "I don't even need your sisters to show up, okay? I'm not scared of you," she said defiantly, making his smile grow slightly as he nodded.

"I know." He handed Bella her phone back.

"This doesn't make us friends, okay? We're only lab partners." She shot him a quick text so he had her number.

Bella: This means nothing

Edward smiled, putting his finger up as he sent a text back.

Edward: Yes, ma'am.

Bella rolled her eyes at the message, but a glint of amusement came as quickly as it left. "Always so formal." She crammed her phone into her pocket before giving him a slight wave. "See ya, Eddie…and thanks for the heads up," she said begrudgingly.

Eddie, really?

Edward nodded. "Glad I could help." He watched as she slipped into the crowd, finding her friend group and instantly relaxing when she was around them.

Mike slung an arm around her shoulders while Jessica linked their arms and demanded to know what Bella and Edward had talked about. Tyler and Eric walked backward, looking at Bella curiously while Lauren muttered unhappily under her breath.

Bella loosely slipped an arm around Mike's waist as she shrugged her shoulders. "He was just telling me about a project we have to work on together. It was no big deal."

Angela smiled knowingly at her. "No big deal? Edward hardly talks to anyone."

"Yeah, and I wish he kept it that way," Bella complained, earning a laugh from Lauren.

Huh, Jess was right, Lauren thought, smirking at Bella before turning to face forward. Bella is pretty funny.

Edward slipped out of her mind, stepping to the side to let his siblings catch up with him. Rosalie was the first to reach him, shoulder-checking him as she walked by with a huff and making him laugh quietly as he quickened his pace and caught up to her.

"Rose-"

"You had no right to give her my number," Rosalie hissed, crossing her arms over her chest as she shot him a glare. "I'm not going to become friends with some stupid little human, Edward. I don't care how much you like her-"

The angrier his sister became, the more likely she was lying, especially when it came to vulnerable feelings such as having a crush of all things. Or caring about someone who wasn't family, her precious cars, or her beautiful garden.

And, as much as he loved Rosalie, he would never miss the chance to mess with her.

Just a little bit.

"I do like her a lot." He agreed, not exactly lying as he ran a hand through his bronze hair. "However, I want her to be comfortable. Having you around could make her more comfortable. I'm sure the two of you will get along well."

For a moment, Rosalie softened. Edward didn't have to read her mind to know that she appreciated his thoughtfulness.

Before Carlisle rescued Rosalie from her attackers, Edward had once struggled with boundaries. He was too invasive, too forceful in his approach, and his mother's stern warnings hadn't gotten through to him.

But when Rosalie joined their coven, she had quickly taken charge. She was demanding, insufferable, and never satisfied. She preached about needing privacy, she reprimanded Edward when he crossed boundaries, she would use her powers to frighten him and keep him away from her.

She had been so infuriating.

She then became his best friend.

He would do right by her; he always would. Because if anyone deserved to be happy, it was his prickly younger sister.

As always, her softness didn't last, and she scowled at Edward again. "I don't bond with humans, and I won't bond with the likes of her." The blonde then stalked past him, shouldering through other students and getting trapped with Bella and her friends.

They had allowed the rest of the group to pass them on the tour, stopping by tall green plants and looking around as they chatted with one another. The Cullens were the last ones to pass.

Jasper snickered under his breath when Eric asked Rosalie to take a picture of them. All his friends were staring at him in disbelief, save for Bella, who was looking at Rosalie with wide eyes.

Shit, I wasn't paying attention, I didn't even realize…shit shit… Eric's face reddened as he held up his camera, frozen like a statue as he waited for the vampire's response.

Rosalie stared at him blankly until he awkwardly muttered, "Uh, never mind…sorry." She proceeded to walk away, and Alice swooped in with a cheery smile as she plucked the camera out of his hands.

"I'll take it!"

Eric looked dazed for a moment before he sheepishly smiled back. "Thanks." The remaining Cullen siblings busied themselves with being on their phones or looking at other plants as they waited for Alice.

Edward slyly observed as mild annoyance flashed across Bella's face. A look she hadn't once given Rosalie.

Humans couldn't fully feel the effects of the mate bond, not until they were turned. But they could feel the pull, they were drawn to their vampire mate in ways that could drive them to obsession. Should the mate bond be ignored by either party, both vampire and human would suffer for it.

This worried him, Rosalie's lack of action worried him.

The humans posed with one another. Mike and Tyler flexed their muscles, pressing their sides together and making goofy faces at the camera.

Jessica gestured at the plants behind her with one arm, and her other arm wrapped around Bella's as she gave the camera an open-mouthed smile.

Eric awkwardly threw his arm around Angela's waist, who was blushing as she leaned into him. Lauren leaned against Bella's other side, smiling as she threw up a peace sign.

And Bella was grinning broadly, one arm linked with Jessica and her other slung around Lauren's shoulders.

Alice was beaming at them, and from her thoughts, he could tell she was thoroughly endeared by the humans. She took many pictures, encouraging them to change poses and joining in their laughter.

They all playfully bantered with one another, including Alice in on the fun and making his sister so happy she could burst.

In that moment of time, as she snapped their photos and shared in their laughter and smiles, she didn't feel like an outsider. She didn't feel like a freak. She felt normal, and Edward left her mind in order to give her that space to feel such jubilation in the privacy of her own thoughts.

Jasper was smiling at his wife, and Edward couldn't stop a small smile of his own from appearing on his lips.

Tyler lifted Jessica up, setting her on his shoulder as she did a cheerleader pose. Lauren and Angela crossed their arms over their chests, puckering their lips at the camera. Bella winked at the camera, flexing a bicep as she rested her hand on her hip. And Mike and Eric fell to their knees, looking at the women in reverence as the camera flashed another photo.

"Jessica Stanley! Get down from there!" A teacher hollered.

Jessica's cheeks turned a dusky red, just barely visible beneath her light brown skin. Tyler quickly and carefully slipped her off his shoulder, laughing as she swatted his arm and complained about the teacher.

Eric took the camera back from Alice, looking at a few photos before he beamed at her. "Thanks, these are really good." He hesitated before asking, "Would you like to be in one? Or I can get your family-"

Alice tapped her chin before cutting him off. "Both, please!"

Jasper shot his wife a look, and Edward couldn't help but grimace.

They weren't supposed to be in photos. That's why they were always gone for picture day, never to grace the yearbooks in whichever school they attended

Alice flashed him a wink.

Don't worry, after the photos are printed I'll delete them. Promise. And you know mom would love to have more pictures of us.

This made him relax, and he gave Jasper a slight nod. His brother relaxed ever so slightly, as did Emmett, who had been on high alert the moment Alice asked to be in one.

Eric, oblivious to it all, chuckled and nodded. "You got it."

Emmett muttered, too quietly for human ears to hear, "Dammit, I want to be in them."

The levity in the group became more muted, all of them unsure of what to do when Alice approached them. Save for Bella, who regarded Alice with slight suspicion as she stopped in front of her.

The vampire beamed up at the tall human. "Pose with me?"

She was taken aback by the question, looking embarrassed as all eyes fell on her. "Uh…how do you want to-" she flinched when Alice stepped behind her, jumping on her back and cheesing at the camera.

Bella looked panicked for a second before she swallowed thickly, relaxing with a strained smile as her friends looked at her in surprise. "C'mon, let's do it." She encouraged, her smile smoothing into a genuine one when Angela giggled and put bunny ears behind Alice before sticking her tongue out at the camera.

Lauren looked displeased but smoothed her expression into a serious one as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against Tyler. Tyler rested his arm around Lauren's shoulders, using his free hand to support Jessica as she jumped onto his back and mirrored Alice's smile.

Mike gave the camera a cheeky smile, flipping it off as he knelt down in front of Lauren.

Before Eric could take the photo, Edward stepped forward and held out his hand. "I can take it for you, if you'd like to be in it," he said, giving a polite smile when Eric turned to him with wide eyes.

"Uh…thanks!"

A groan escaped Mike, whose legs were beginning to shake in their crouched position. "Hurry up, my thighs are on fire!" This earned him a laugh and a few jabs from Tyler and Jessica.

Eric handed Edward the camera, rushing forward to join his friends.

With a grin, Eric wrapped his arm around Angela's waist. This made her smile instead as she leaned into him and, with her free hand, held up bunny ears behind Alice's head.

Just as Edward snapped the photo, Emmett jumped partially in the way.

He bared his teeth at the camera, his head the only part of him that got into the shot and blocked half of Alice's face. The bunny ears were still visible, but now so was only half of Alice's smile, while the rest of the humans were completely visible, spared from Emmett's photobombing.

The humans laughed, save for Bella, who hastily slipped Alice off her back and jolted forward.

He once again wished he could read her mind.

She took the camera from Edward without so much as a thank you before she looked at the photo. For a moment, that panicked look returned, and he watched a tremor run down her spine as she stepped away from Edward.

Does she know what we are?

Her look of discomfort was quickly replaced by an amused smile as she held the camera up for her friends to see. "Sorry, Alice. You look pretty out of it," she teased.

The seer gawked at the picture, staring at where she had been halfway cut out by Emmett's head while Emmett burst out laughing.

"Ugh! Emmett, you weren't even supposed to be in the photo! You weren't invited!" The two began bickering as Bella handed Eric his camera back.

The humans looked through all the photos, each picture was met with a "that's yearbook worthy" comment from one of them.

Bella looked at Edward with an unreadable expression before she said, "Thanks."

He smiled at her. "I'm assuming this still changes nothing?"

She almost smiled back, he could see the amusement in her dual colored eyes as she nodded. "Doesn't mean shit, Eddie…but maybe you should take up photography, or something."

The compliment surprised him, but he didn't let it show. "Maybe I should. Thank you."

He didn't have many hobbies aside from playing the piano and the violin. He had learned a few languages in his free time, but he didn't have much that kept him busy.

Maybe I should give photography a try.

Alice managed to drag Rosalie back, and the humans moved out of the way so Eric could take the Cullen siblings' picture.

Bella stayed by Eric's side as the rest of their friends wandered off, looking at other plants as they slowly made their way to join the group.

She said nothing as Eric snapped a few photos, looking as though she were his bodyguard as she gave the Cullens a wary glance.

Edward gave a small smile at the camera as Emmett rested his arm around his shoulders. His strongest brother was grinning widely, putting his other arm around Rosalie who didn't deign them with a smile at all, looking stone-faced at the camera but not looking unhappy.

Alice held Rosalie's hand while resting against Jasper's side. She smiled brightly at the camera while Jasper mirrored Edward's miniscule smile.

After Eric snapped a few more photos he showed it to them. Only Alice and Emmett had taken goofy ones, however, Jasper had humored his wife and had stuck his tongue out for a few of them.

"You guys look great."

I wonder if they'll kill me if they don't like the pictures.

It was a passing thought, one that surprised both Eric and Edward. He wondered if they really came off that hostile.

When they had first attended school, the humans hadn't left them alone. It was borderline harassment, so when the more prickly members of their family, Rosalie and Jasper and Edward, put a stop to things then the rumors started flying around.

The Cullens put up their boundaries and didn't bother reaching out to the others. Alice had made a few attempts but Jasper was protective, urging her to leave the humans be, since they weren't exactly friendly.

When Bella arrived, they had done the same thing to her. Gawking and whispering and trying to get closer in ways that weren't entirely appropriate based on their thoughts.

Except she had found a group of humans that she had embraced. Most likely because she was human herself, she was able to connect with them on a level that the vampires couldn't.

It helped that she seemed to be a bit oblivious and, to his surprise, her social naivety hadn't hindered her chances at making friends. Instead, her genuine nature only attracted even the likes of Lauren Mallory.

Bella stared at the photos over Eric's shoulder. Were Edward less perceptive, he wouldn't have noticed her eyes glued on Rosalie's photograph the entire time.

He glanced at his sister, who was staring at Bella through narrowed eyes. She looked conflicted, torn between ignoring and talking to Bella. He almost laughed at the sight.

Instead, Edward smiled gratefully at Eric, who appeared stunned for a moment. "These are perfect, thank you."

He blinked, clearing his throat and nodding his head. "Y-Yeah, no problem." He glanced at Bella, who was still staring at the photos. "What do you think? Good shots, huh?"

There was a pause, Bella's brow furrowed as she examined the pictures again. Her jaw tightened for a moment, though her eyes told another story. Balancing on the precipice of agitation and adoration, looking unsure as to what would be an appropriate response as her lips moved.

But she didn't say a word, teetering on the edge as her eyes found Eric's.

Finally, she relaxed. Looking more at ease than she previously had as she looked the Cullens over once more.

Edward didn't know what she was searching for, maybe Bella didn't know what she was searching for either. But whatever it was, it was difficult to tell if she could find it.

It was as though her eyes couldn't help but gravitate towards Rosalie, ducking her head slightly as she shrugged her broad shoulders. "Yeah…I'd say they're yearbook worthy." She quickly looked away from her, turning on her heel and linking her arm with Eric's. "We should find everyone else."

Eric smiled. "Good idea." He turned and waved at them before they walked off.

Rosalie stared after Bella.

And Edward wondered how he had been so oblivious.

---

She detested what she was.

Piercing gold eyes narrowed at the sight of her own sparkling skin, frustrated they couldn't go to school today. Frustrated she couldn't see-

Enough.

Rosalie adjusted her gloves, trying to focus on the task at hand.

She detested what she was, and that was exactly why she couldn't have a human as a mate.

With gentle fingers, she plucked the weeds from her garden, carefully working around her plants with a delicate touch that was often reserved for her cars.

The warmth of the sun did not affect her, but the purple petals of her asters happily soaked up the rays of sunlight, as did their roots now that the weeds were gone.

The vampire sat back on her heels, thoughts straying to dual colored eyes and broad smiles.

Bella was so full of life, lighting up everyone around her with joy and energy. She had even gotten Edward's undead heart racing. The thought of her brother pursuing her mate created such a visceral picture that she almost hissed in disgust.

First Jessica, then Mike, then Monique, and now Edward.

She knew it was silly, but she felt betrayed by his interest in Bella. He was, begrudgingly, her best friend, her closest confidant, and there he was mooning over her soulmate-

Stop it.

Bella and Rosalie didn't talk.

In PE they were separated into different teams for volleyball. And even when they were around one another, not a word was spoken between them.

Bella was surrounded by her friends, charming every human she met with her dazzling smile and sunny personality. She was so full of joy, so full of life. She was somewhat similar to Alice and Emmett in that sense, finding happiness in the mundane, in the unordinary, like Lauren Mallory or Mike Newton.

The girl was an open book, very honest with those around her about her intentions. And for that, Rosalie found that she was relieved. Her mate was blunt, but not cruel. And while she had clear reservations when it came to the vampires, Rosalie couldn't help but notice how often Bella stared at her.

She knew it was the work of the mate bond. She knew she should be pleased that the human felt it so strongly. But she found that it was more of a hindrance than anything. She found herself craving Bella's attention at all times.

It was maddening that she desired something she had always so easily attained. Attention, adoration, reverence.

But Bella, most likely intimidated, shied away from her.

Or maybe she's aware of what we are, and she's rightfully scared of us.

It would explain her gold eye, but it wouldn't explain her heartbeat, her appetite, or her other human mannerisms.

She sighed and pushed Bella out of her thoughts.

Rosalie Hale didn't pine, and she refused to pine for a human. Especially one that was so full of life when Rosalie was so…

Her thoughts drifted to her past.

To her choice.

Carlisle had saved her from a fate worse than death, and then presented her with a choice. He presented her with freedom.

Sometimes she wondered if she had chosen wrong. While vampirism had freed her from her oppressive father and her horrid husband-to-be, it had also stripped away a lot of what she had loved about humanity.

No sense dwelling on that now.

She wasn't Edward. She didn't hate herself.

She looked down at her sparkling skin, dancing like diamonds in the rays of the sun.

She hated that she was a vampire.

Rosalie sat back on her heels as she watched Edward exit the house.

In a matter of seconds, he was sitting by the flowerbed. Gold eyes roved over her flowers, and a small smile adorned his lips as he crossed his legs and rested his cheek on the palm of his hand.

"They look beautiful."

Rosalie's mood soured. "I know," she scoffed. "How's your human doing? Is she as obnoxious as she seems?" She couldn't help but ask. Not because she actually cared, or missed her, but because…because…

Because I'm curious how close they are. If that idiot isn't careful, he could expose our secret.

Edward looked amused, much to her annoyance. "Bella is wonderful, thank you for asking…though she isn't mine," he pointed out. "And we don't speak often unless we're in class."

Rosalie could appreciate that he corrected her, but she would never let him know that. "Whatever."

Edward and Bella had more interactions with one another. And while Bella was wary of him, whether it be a fear of men or knowledge of what they were, it seemed as though she had softened to him slightly.

It was infuriating.

Rosalie brushed the dirt off her knees before standing to her feet, towering over her brother with a sneer. "You pant after her like a dog. Even the shifters have more tact."

Edward stared up at her from his seat, smiling slightly as he said, "Not the boar shifters. The ones from Switzerland-"

"What do you want, Edward?"

A look of hurt flashed through his eyes, and it was almost enough to make Rosalie feel remorseful. "I normally sit with you while you're gardening." This was true. "And Alice wanted to know if you'd come shopping with us for homecoming this weekend."

Rosalie narrowed her eyes. "And why'd she send you instead of asking me herself?"

Edward smiled, revealing cute dimples and perfect white teeth as he stood. "She saw that you'd be more likely to join us if I were the one to ask." Now he looked down at her, and she rolled her eyes.

"Tell that pest she's wrong, since you're the new messenger boy," she retorted. "I'm going because I need a new dress. That's it."

Her brother looked knowingly at her. "Right. That's it," he agreed as they walked into the house together.

Emmett and Jasper were playing video games, sitting shoulder to shoulder on the couch while attempting to shoot each other's character on the screen.

Alice had brought her easel downstairs, setting it up next to the couch so she could watch them play while she painted. In her back pocket was her 3DS, and she was painting a picture of her Animal Crossing town, working first on the fall trees and leaves and moving on to the town hall next.

Esme and Carlisle shared the recliner that was nestled on the other side of the couch. Carlisle was re-reading one of his many weathered medical books while Esme watched her sons play with rapt attention.

Recently, her mother had been getting invested in video games. Though she struggled somewhat with the controls, she found that she enjoyed attempting to shoot her sons in their various war games. And she had been delighted to learn how to place Animal Crossing with Alice and beautify one another's town.

Edward made his way to the loveseat, offering for Rosalie to sit down first but she refused. Instead, she moved closer to Emmett, hissing at him to scoot over.

Her burly brother grinned, shoving Jasper closer to the armrest before making room for his sister. Jasper grunted, moving aside and muttering under his breath before the brothers continued shooting at one another.

Esme smiled at her daughter, leaning out and gently placing a hand on her arm. "How's the garden doing?"

Rosalie holds her tongue, wanting to tell her mother that the garden's doing as well as every other time she's asked, which is every day.

But she doesn't have the heart to be snarky towards her maker, at least, not now.

Instead, she gave her a slight nod. "Good." She contemplated disappearing into the garage and working on the cars for the rest of the evening, but decided to indulge her mother in more conversation.

Esme beamed at her, giving her arm a slight squeeze before pulling away. "Good! I'm glad we had a sunny day. This is nice."

Carlisle looked up from his book. "This is. It's not often we can spend the day together." Normally, they could only spend the evenings together since their father worked so late at the hospital. "Rose, have you decided which flowers you'd like to grow next?" He asked. "Or, perhaps you'd like to grow some fruits or vegetables," he suggested.

She nearly rolled her eyes. "I already planted an apple tree for mom. I'm not growing any more food, seeing as we can't eat them," she reminded him with thinly veiled annoyance.

Esme had enjoyed apples and apple pies in her human years. And she had all but begged Rosalie to grow an apple tree, in the middle of fall no less. The blonde still wasn't sure why she agreed, as though winter wouldn't engulf the sprout before too long.

He smiled at her. "I know, but I was thinking that we could use the food to make baked goods or meals for our neighbors. Your mother's been helping me learn how to cook and-"

"Maybe she can take you grocery shopping too," she drawled, pulling out her phone and scrolling absentmindedly on social media.

They all had to have fake accounts for obvious reasons, with their profile pictures remaining blank or, in Emmett and Alice's case, consisting of a video game or cartoon character. Rosalie wasn't sure why she even indulged in something as mundane as Twitter, but it was better than falling into the rabbit hole of TikTok, and being forced to do all the TikTok trends with her sister.

It wasn't as though they could ever post photos or videos. But Alice would most definitely insist on doing the silly trends with her sister and keep the videos locked away until she was ready to reminisce or embarrass Rosalie.

"What's got you so moody?" Emmett asked, finding Jasper's hiding spot in their game and ending him with a spray of bullets.

Jasper accepted defeat with a curse under his breath while Alice chimed in, "Oh, it's probably Bella. She's been super grumpy about her lately."

"Chief Swan's daughter?" Esme asked, looking at Rosalie with a frown.

"Yep!" Alice responded absentmindedly. "The one with the gold eye."

Rosalie shot a glare at Alice, who clearly had no ill intent as she continued painting her town. She was focused, her tongue slightly poking out from between her lips as her eyes narrowed in concentration.

Pest.

She turned back to her mother with an eye roll. "That human doesn't concern me. It's the fact that your thoughtless daughter mentioned turning her the other day. And that your brainless son has a strange infatuation with her," she retorted, maneuvering the conversation so that her change in mood was no longer called into question.

Carlisle sat up in his seat, clearly alarmed as the seer glowered at Rosalie. "Rose! I wasn't being serious!"

"When it comes to you, it's difficult to tell," she snarked. "It seems I'm the only one in this family who doesn't want to get killed by the Volturi or attacked by the shifters."

Jasper paused his game and turned to her with a scowl. "No one's gonna tell her-"

"You'd better hope not, cowboy," Rosalie hissed. "Or I'll handle it, personally."

Silence engulfed the room.

Rosalie's jaw tightened at the startled gazes that fell on her. But she kept her head up defiantly, challenging each gaze with a glare of her own.

She's perfect. I won't let you all ruin her life with your nonsense-

"Rose." The gentle voice of her mother garnered her attention. "It won't come to that. We'll leave before it comes to that." There was a firmness in her tone, a finality to it, and were Rosalie a newborn, she would have been more easily cowed by her maker.

But it had been decades since she was turned.

"If you harm her-" Carlisle started, making his daughter scoff at him.

"Just because I have the strongest spine in this family doesn't mean I'm a monster." Her father set his book to the side, opening his mouth to speak but she didn't allow him to. "I'm the practical one, villainize me all you'd like. But when everything comes crashing down, just know that I'll be right around the corner. Ready to say 'I told you so.'"

She leaned back in her seat, staring at the paused game before turning to Emmett. "You can play. We have nothing more to discuss."

"Rose-"

Her brother nodded, always the one to enable her. He leaned over and hit play on Jasper's controller, seeking out his character quickly and killing him with a loud cheer.

The soldier hissed, glaring at Emmett. "Cheating ain't somethin' to be proud of!"

"Losing isn't something to be proud of!"

The two began bickering, and the tension slowly seeped out of the room.

It was obvious her parents had more to say. No doubt some tired lecture about Rosalie being too harsh, too cold, too mean. But they held their tongues, and for that Rosalie was grateful.

She ignored the reproachful look of her father and the worried glance of her mother. Their opinions on Bella didn't concern her.

None of their opinions on my mate matter.

She nearly bristled at the thought but maintained her composure as she stared blankly at the television. She felt such a mixture of elation and dread and it was all-encompassing. She felt overwhelmed by the severity of her emotions, overwhelmed with knowing her mate was only a few miles away yet still so out of reach.

She fears us. It should stay that way.

She remembered how panicked Bella had looked when Alice jumped on her back. The fear in her eyes had almost made Rosalie rush into action. But the human had smoothed over her discomfort well, and quickly. Her strained smile had turned genuine for the photo.

Regardless of that, Rosalie had taken the time to scold Alice for getting so close to the humans in the first place. Her sister had been reckless, taking those photos with the humans had been reckless. And if Alice didn't clean up her mess then Rosalie would be forced to do so.

Pest.

Edward was staring at her thoughtfully and only looked away when she met his gaze. Her brother didn't disturb her thoughts, he hadn't for years, and for that, she appreciated him.

Rosalie knew if she was honest with Edward that he would no longer pursue Bella.

He was her best friend, her brother. He would want her to be happy. And while he infuriated her, especially when they had first met, she wanted the same for him.

But he would find no happiness with Bella, she wasn't his mate.

---

"Little wolf."

The large, russet-colored wolf growled low and deep, hackles raising as she warily watched the redhead approach her. Red eyes glinted with curiosity and excitement as the leech crept closer.

"You caught me. No one ever catches me, but you finally did." The leech wore a white fur coat, and black ripped jeans. Beneath her coat was a black bra, exposing her toned abdomen.

She smelled as all the others did, too sweet, but there was a hint of pine and copper in her scent, most likely from the blood she had been drinking.

She was beautiful, with sharp features and a sharp smile to match as she stared up at Bella. "I saw you, you know. With that other vampire, last year. Do you remember me?"

How could she forget her? Her pack had been hunting her for months now, and Bella finally had her cornered.

In response, she bared her teeth, snapping her jaws at the leech when she tried to touch her. The redhead laughed, pulling her hand back quickly and tilting her head to the side as she smirked up at her.

"You waste your talents with this pack. I've been watching you." Her voice was pleasing to the ear, as most bloodsuckers were. Hers was husky and suggestive, matching the mischief in her red eyes as she stared up at Bella with a look akin to reverence.

"I see how your Alpha treats you. You deserve better," she murmured, eyes softening ever so slightly.

Bella froze, no longer snarling as she listened to the words pouring from the bloodsucker's lips. What would she know about pack dynamics? What would she know about fair treatment? Her entire life was dedicated to hunting those weaker than her.

But just how much of Bella had the redhead seen? How haven't they noticed her? They were always on patrol, always on the lookout for bloodsuckers. So how, after all this time, had this leech been able to evade them?

The leech continued, taking another step closer to the wolf. "I was like you once. Taking abuse from people who thought they were superior to me. But I showed them, I showed them all," she boasted, raising her hand to touch Bella's chest. "With my gift, no one who means to harm me will ever catch me. But you caught me."

Brown eyes flitted to the scar she had left on the bloodsucker's wrist. A dark, deep scar that Bella had left behind with her razor sharp canines. She had barely managed to grab the leech, and she had been so close to ripping her arm off completely had she not twisted free.

A cold hand pressed against warm fur, and a snarl escaped the russet colored wolf. "Shhhh, easy now." With her thumb, she stroked the wolf's broad chest, and Bella bared her teeth in warning but the leech ignored it. "For so long I've been searching for my equal. Someone who could keep up. I never thought it'd be a wolf but…here you are," she breathed.

"Come with me."

It had to be a trap, and even if it wasn't there was no way in hell she would run away with a leech. She could never turn her back on her pack, no matter how far gone James was.

But she hesitated. Joseph's warnings echoed in her mind as she stared down at the redhead.

'What if she's my way to freedom?'

But what would she do then? Spend the rest of her days with a leech? Allow her to feed on whomever she pleased without consequence?

No, she could never sit idly by while the redhead hunted innocents. Especially when she had already killed so many. Bella remembered the brunette leech. The one that had appealed to her sense of humanity. The one that had tricked her into thinking that these monsters had a soul.

She wouldn't be fooled again.

Bella snapped her jaws at the redhead's face but she was gone in an instant.

Everything was a blur.

One moment, Bella was charging at the redhead, the next the redhead had managed to wrap her arms around the wolf. She had squeezed her so tightly that the loud crack of her ribs echoed through the forest, and Bella howled as the searing pain enveloped her body.

She pawed weakly at the leech's back while her hind legs scrambled on the dirt floor, trying desperately to get away from her, but to no avail. She could hardly breathe as blood pooled from her jowls and dripped onto the white coat that the leech wore.

Bella shifted back, still in the bloodsucker's embrace but this time she held on to her. With shaking hands, she clung to the cold arms that embraced her, and she whined pathetically as she leaned her forehead against the redhead's shoulder.

"Shhhhh," the leech soothed, pressing a kiss to her ear before saying, "I know your temper can get the better of you. So let's try this one more time." She began stroking her back with feather-light fingers, making Bella's skin prickle in discomfort as the leech said, "Come with me."

She felt dizzy, gasping for breath and struggling not to choke on her blood as she lay limp in the leech's arms. Her senses were clouded by the taste and smell of copper, and a ragged cough escaped her as she shook her head.

"I-I'd rather die," she growled, coughing up more blood with a wheeze.

At that moment, her pride had overcome her fear.

She didn't want to die, but there were worse things than death.

"...little wolf, why must you make me hurt you?" Strangely enough, she sounded sad, disappointed.

Bella doesn't remember much else. She was bitten, thrown in a cave, and fought with all her strength not to scream. And, for a time, the bloodsucker stayed by her side.

At one point she had held up her scarred wrist to Bella's and said, "We're the same, little wolf. I just hate that you couldn't see it." She had stroked her hair then, even wiped away some of Bella's tears. And Bella had clung to her, seeking the relief of cold flesh from her own feverish skin and burning blood.

"It's okay, little wolf. I'm here."

Bella stared down at her scarred wrist, blinking back frustrated tears as she covered it back up with her wristband.

No, you're not.

She hadn't meant to think so vividly of her transformation, especially before meeting up with her friends. But, for a moment, she could have sworn she saw a flash of red in the crowd. It triggered the horrible memory, made her think of the redhead, and she wondered if she would ever be free of the intrusive thoughts and horrible flashbacks.

You get what you deserve.

She had been a horrible Beta to her pack. A minion of James who dealt out his cruelty without question. But she hadn't always been that way.

Stop it. You're not like that anymore. You're better now.

But was she? Was running away without making amends indicative of becoming a better person? She had left everything and everyone behind, just as Paul had, but at least she had a better excuse for doing so.

Bella swallowed back the bitter taste of anger, refusing to let it coil in her chest and deciding to deal with it later. She was here to have fun, she was here to spend time with her favorite humans. Nothing could ruin this day.

Not even her.

She released a deep breath, shaking off the memory and forcing a smile as she walked into the dress store.

Jessica, Angela, and surprisingly, Lauren, greeted her with excitement. It was Jessica who grabbed Bella's hand and began dragging her around the store, commenting on various dresses and turning her nose up at more than a few of them.

Lauren and Angela trailed behind, both speaking far quieter than Jessica and laughing ever so often as they perused the various gowns.

Bella had been on the fence about dress shopping, only because she had no intention of wearing a dress to homecoming on account of the scars that riddled her back. But she was glad she came. Her friends offered her a much needed distraction from her thoughts of her attacker and Rosalie.

Rosalie…

She hadn't seen her in a few days and she wondered why.

The sun had come out and the Cullens had disappeared. They were allegedly on a camping trip, but Bella knew better. Whatever the sun did to leeches, she wasn't sure, but she did notice that it made her own skin faintly glow. She wondered if it made the Cullens glow even more than she did.

"Hmmm…what about this one? You'd look so good in red!" Jessica enthused, holding out a dress to Bella and making her shake her head.

"I told you I'm not trying on dresses," she reminded her.

Lauren scoffed at that. "Well, what are you going to wear? A suit?"

Bella turned and looked at her thoughtfully. "Maybe."

This caused her eyebrows to shoot upward. "What?"

Angela intervened with a chuckle. "You should have gone suit shopping with the boys today." It was clear she was trying to keep the peace, but Bella found that, as she grew closer to her friends, she wasn't as nervous about coming out.

If they're actually my friends, they'll support me.

They weren't the only ones in the dress shop, but even so, it was clear Lauren had no intentions of letting this go. "Are you…I get you're a tomboy and all but…" She looked mildly uncomfortable for a moment, and Bella couldn't help but feel slightly saddened by her friend's obvious reluctance.

All the girls stared at her, and she straightened her posture as she asked, "Would that bother you if I was?"

Lauren looked taken aback, blue eyes widening as she scrambled for an answer. "Uh…well…I don't know. I've never…" she trailed off, cheeks flushing as she swallowed thickly and looked away from her. "Look, it'd be kinda weird, I guess."

Angela scowled at her. "Lauren!"

It made her flinch as she met her friend's angry glare. "I didn't say it was bad!" She snapped, drawing the attention of a few shoppers as she ducked her head and lowered her voice. "I just…" She turned back to Bella with a frown. "Do you only like women?"

Bella nodded, relieved when she felt Jessica give her hand a light squeeze rather than pulling away in disgust.

Lauren grunted at that and her cheeks burned red once again. "Oh."

She smells so good. Like-

Bella blinked, holding her breath through gritted teeth before she forced herself to answer. "Yeah." It came out in almost a growl, but if her friends had noticed, they didn't say anything as she moved her shoulders subtly up and down.

I need to go hunting after this.

It had been three days, and apparently, that was too long a time to go without blood.

It was difficult to hunt with the shifters and vampires roaming the woods. She had accidentally stumbled too close to the Cullen territory when she had been hunting. Lucky for her, she had been in her human form, so they would expect nothing strange from her little hike to their neck of the woods.

Not to mention, she had been spending so much time with her new friends that she had put taking care of herself on the back burner. She ate rare meats, sopping up the blood from burgers and steaks and hoping that would suffice. But it was never enough to truly quench the burn in her throat.

She wondered if she could ever go longer without what she craved the most. It was maddening to have that persistent burn in the back of her throat, and she wondered if all bloodsuckers felt the same as she did.

She wondered if that's why they were so desperate to drink from humans.

Bella almost empathized with them. Almost.

They could drink animal blood. There's no excuse.

And even then, how many humans had the Cullens slaughtered before they figured that out?

Monsters.

Her thoughts drifted to Rosalie and to her minuscule, perfect smile.

All of them.

They were silent for a moment, but Bella remained patient as Lauren collected her thoughts. Once the girl's blush faded, Bella allowed herself to breathe, but focused specifically on Jessica's jasmine perfume to help keep the scent of blood at bay.

"Have you tried to like boys?" It was asked with genuine curiosity, and the hybrid felt herself involuntarily relax.

"Tried and failed," she answered truthfully.

"Oh." Her frown returned. "Look, I only said it was weird because I can't…well, I can't imagine liking girls. I've never met a…"

"Lesbian."

"Yeah, that," she said with a nod. "I've never met one of you before." She then glanced down at Bella and Jessica's interlaced fingers. "Do you have a crush on any of us?" It was a genuine question, not one filled with malice or disgust.

Thoughts of Rosalie's honey blonde hair and vivid gold eyes filled her head.

Bella chuckled at the question. "Nope. You're all just my very good friends. Just because I'm a lesbian doesn't mean I like every girl I see," she pointed out.

Lauren looked surprised for a moment before her brow furrowed in contemplation. "Just like…just like I don't like every boy I see," she said, connecting the dots and making the hybrid smile.

"Exactly."

"Huh…okay." She looked up at Bella with determination. "Well, it doesn't bother me that you like girls." She then smiled playfully at her. "More boys for me."

This made Bella grin, and with a free hand, she gave Lauren a salute. "They're all yours, boss."

Lauren laughed before ducking her head sheepishly. "You're not weird, by the way. Sorry."

"It's fine…but I am a little weird." Still, she appreciated the apology.

Lauren's reaction to her coming out was better than she could have hoped. Forks was a small town, and the fact that her friends and her father were so accepting of her was a huge relief. She could forgive their ignorance.

Jessica gave her a chipper smile. "Omg our friend group is, like, so diverse!" Her heart stuttered in her chest when Bella smiled at her, and the hybrid wondered why.

Angela sighed. "Not the point, Jess."

The cheerleader blushed and Bella held her breath. "Oh! Sorry!" She ignored Lauren's laugh as she beamed up at Bella. "We support you!" She gave her hand a slight squeeze before saying, "We should come back to Port Angeles to go to the gay bar! Wouldn't that be, like, so fun? We could invite the boys-"

"Bella doesn't like boys so why should we invite them?" Lauren huffed.

The hybrid choked back a laugh while Angela pinched the bridge of her nose. "Because they're still our friends, Lauren," she reminded her. "But what if Bella isn't ready to come out to them?" She then narrowed her eyes at Jessica and Lauren. "You gossips better not say anything about Bella being gay, do you understand me? It's not our place to out her."

Lauren and Jessica glanced at each other, fear sparked in their eyes at Angela's ire and they both nodded vigorously. "Our lips are, like, so sealed," Jessica squeaked out.

"We won't say a word," Lauren agreed.

Angela looked appeased, and she turned to face Bella. "Sorry, I shouldn't talk about you like you're not here. And thank you for trusting us, we really appreciate it," she said, giving her a shy smile. "Where should we go from here? Are you comfortable telling the boys?"

Bella wondered if Angela knew about Tyler. She was well versed in how to treat the more delicate situation than she had expected, and she made a mental note to ask Tyler about it later.

"Sure, it's no big deal," Bella said with a shrug. Tyler already knew and she doubted Eric or Mike would be anything but supportive towards her. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Jessica shrugged, resuming her search for a dress with the hybrid in tow as she said, "Mike gets his heartbroken. But he'll be fine."

"Wait? Why would he be heartbroken? Does he not like lesbians?"

Her friend turned to her, brown eyes wide with disbelief before a quiet laugh slipped past her lips. "You're lucky you're cute." If possible, her eyes widened even more and she straightened as blood rushed to her cheeks. "Um! I mean, he won't care about the lesbian thing! It's, like, not a huge deal! Let's just keep dress shopping!" She rambled, dragging Bella forward and quickly turning her back to her.

Lauren and Angela exchanged startled glances but said nothing about their friend's odd behavior.

Jessica's hand was beginning to feel clammy in Bella's own, but the wolf didn't mind. And she made sure to focus on the scent of her jasmine perfume so as not to be tempted by the hint of red that crept up Jessica's jaw.

…

She gave them the excuse of having to go to the bookstore, but really, she had to get away from humans altogether.

Bella's canines ached, her mind felt foggy as she drifted to the alleyway, subconsciously following the scents of five human men that lingered. Human blood smelled so much sweeter than animal blood, she bet it tasted better, too.

What are you doing? Stop!

Her inner wolf snarled at her, making her flinch, and her lidded eyes snapped wide open.

What was she doing?

She held her breath, but that could only help so much when she could hear their thundering pulses and steady heartbeats.

Shit. Turn around.

They noticed her. They started approaching her. But she could hardly make out a word they were saying.

"Hey! Pretty girl!"

"Damn! Look-!"

"-have some fun with us?"

Bella swallowed thickly, putting on her best smile as she said, "Hey, fellas. I'm not interested but thank you." They were much closer to her now, and as she turned her back to them she felt one of the men reach out and grab her wrist.

"Aw, don't leave, pretty girl. We just want to have some fun."

She could feel the blood pulsing to his fingertips and a tremor ran down her spine.

Stop.

The hybrid felt a growl burn deep in her chest as she ripped her hand away. "I said I'm not interested."

"You think I give a fuck if you're interested or not?" He sneered, pale blue eyes were bloodshot and his meaty hand reached out to grab her again.

She side-stepped him, making him stumble as he missed and his friends laughed and continued calling out to her as they moved to surround her.

"Wait! You don't have to kill me!"

Bella continued to hold her breath as the man with the pale blue eyes began to scream at her. But she could hardly make out what he was saying. She could only focus on the blood that had crept up his neck and colored his face red.

"I only drain the blood of humans who hurt other humans. Murderers and assaulters. Look, he has a gun in his pocket, he was going to hurt someone. Smell his hands, can't you smell the woman he grabbed? He was going to kill her until I intervened."

The world around her was becoming hazy, she could detect the excitement of their pounding hearts as they drew closer to her, and she felt herself begin to salivate.

"I don't harm innocents."

Bella swallowed a mouthful of venom as the man reached out to grab her again.

"I only drink from the guilty."

She had refused to drink human blood but maybe…

"You and I, we're not so different. We help keep humans safe from monsters."

…maybe she could make an exception.

No. No! We're not like them! We're not murderers!

Her inner vampire waged war against her inner wolf.

We'd be doing the world a favor killing men like this! They're no better than the bloodsuckers you claim to hate so much!

Before he could grab her the squeal of tires made the group of men jump away from her. Bright headlights lit up the alleyway, but the hybrid couldn't detect a heartbeat coming from the car.

She turned her head at the slam of the car door, eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Rosalie Hale.

She wore black heels that contrasted with her white blouse. Her jeans were also white but had a black velvet trim that ran down the sides and wrapped around the cuffs of her ankles. Her arms were bare, exposing her sinewy muscles, and her eyes were the color of pitch. Black and pulsing with fury as she glowered at the men who stood before her.

Bella allowed herself to breathe, though she felt breathless at the sight of Rosalie alone. Roses washed away the scent of blood that she had been craving only a few seconds ago.

The bloodsucker was mesmerizing. She looked like a wingless angel, ready to enact justice, ready to rip the men apart.

The hybrid came to her senses, torn between letting Rosalie do as she wished and protecting the humans from the livid leech that stood before them.

They don't deserve protection.

Her wolf reminded her.

Not when they harm other humans.

This was enough to put her mind at ease. And, she reminded herself, Rosalie was an animal-drinker. She wouldn't drain the humans.

And even if she did, you wouldn't harm your imprint. You can't harm your imprint.

Bella wanted to be annoyed by her inner wolf but she could only focus on Rosalie.

She saved me from killing them. From draining them dry.

Perhaps Bella wouldn't have felt guilty about the deaths of the men, but it was against her very nature to drink human blood, and for that, she would not forgive herself.

"Bella," Rosalie's voice was cold as ice, and she never took her eyes off the men. "Please get in the car."

---

Rosalie nearly snarled as the pale-eyed man grabbed Bella's wrist. "Sorry, blondie. We saw her first. But feel free to join if you want-"

"Let her go, or I'll break your arm," she said softly, refusing to lose composure as she heard Bella's heartbeat speed up ever so slightly.

The man laughed, so did his friends, and it grated on her ears.

Her canines ached, but it wasn't blood she wanted. No. She wanted to tear them apart with her teeth. She wanted to rip them limb from limb, slowly, painfully, and she wanted the others to watch as they waited their turn for death.

She could have used her gift, it would have been faster. But she needed to make a point, she needed to make these men suffer the consequences of their actions.

Bella was staring at her, but Rosalie couldn't take her eyes off the pale-eyed man with the patchy stubble on his chin and the leery smile on his lips.

It would be a miracle if she didn't kill him.

He was going to hurt your mate, he deserves a fate worse than death.

Her vampire hissed, but she knew better than to act on her more primal urges. She would come back for these men later, but right now she needed to focus on getting Bella to safety.

With a purposeful stride, she approached the man, ignoring the way his pulse jumped as she drew closer. His excitement was palpable, and she sneered in disgust as she stopped an arms-length away from them.

"Let her go."

"Make me-" he was cut off by his own scream, releasing Bella and stumbling backward as he held his arm. It was snapped in the wrong direction, and his bone was nearly poking through his skin.

The other men were startled, either flinching or jumping as they looked at his arm in disbelief. One man ran off, but she would find him later.

She would find all of them later.

She wouldn't kill them. A quick death was too good for these animals. She would take her time as she had with Royce and his friends. She would hunt them one by one, force them to turn themselves in, but only after she had her fun.

Rosalie kept her eyes on him. "Bella, please get in the car." She made sure to keep her tone even and calm. The human hesitated for a moment, looking between Rosalie and the men before she reached out and took Rosalie's hand in hers.

"Not without you."

This startled the vampire, but she didn't let it show.

"I can handle myself."

Bella's hand was warm and inviting. Comforting. Rosalie couldn't remember the last time a human was brave enough to touch her, and if she was shocked by how cold she was she didn't react.

Bella interlaced their fingers. "I know," she murmured, giving her a light tug. "You made your point, let's go."

But she hadn't made her point, not in the way she wanted to.

Leaving wouldn't be letting them get away. It would only be delaying their consequences.

With this in mind she felt herself relax even more. She couldn't think only about herself, not when Bella had been on the verge of being assaulted. She had already been through a lot, and the last thing Rosalie wanted to do was take her anger out on the human.

Bella didn't deserve that. She deserved the same comfort and reassurance that Esme had provided Rosalie after Carlisle had saved her.

Instead of arguing, Rosalie looked each man in the eyes, filling them with fear and dread as she conjured up visions of just how badly she wanted to rip the skin from their flesh.

Her gift always worked on humans, and these men were no different. They all scattered, screaming loudly as they shoved past each other to escape Rosalie, but it brought her little satisfaction.

Bella was staring at her.

"Let's go," Rosalie kept her tone of voice gentle, leading them to the car with their fingers still intertwined. "Are you alright?"

Bella was still staring at her, her singular gold eye was darker than normal. "I'm…I'm a lot better now. Thank you." They parted, Rosalie missed her warmth, she yearned for it, and the very thought revolted her.

Since when had she gotten so soft?

Only when Bella buckled her seatbelt did Rosalie take off driving.

She was still enraged, she wanted to drive fast but didn't want to risk scaring her human.

My human?

Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the thought, but it was so fitting to call Bella that, because that's exactly who she was to her. Her sweet, oblivious human-

"Do you need anything? Is there anything I can do to make you…" she trailed off, staring at the road as she tried to comfort her. "That situation was overwhelming, I'm sure. I'm sorry if I scared you."

Bella was quiet for a moment before saying, "You didn't scare me. You saved me." A quiet laugh escaped her. "You really broke that guy's arm."

She would have done worse if given the chance.

"He shouldn't have touched you," the vampire snapped, pausing momentarily when she realized she lost her composure. "I'm sorry."

Being vulnerable was difficult. But she wanted to be a comfort to Bella, hell, she would want to be a comfort to anyone who just experienced this situation.

When Carlisle had saved her he had done the best he could to comfort her. But he had been somewhat clinical, and Rosalie had been wary of him. However, Esme had been gentle and inviting. She had been soft in a way Rosalie didn't know if she could ever be.

But for Bella, she would try.

"You don't have to apologize, Rosalie." She liked how Bella said her name. She spoke her name with care, reverence, even, as though it were deserving of all the respect she could muster.

She spared her a glance. "I thought you'd be more shaken up."

Bella shrugged, giving her an uncertain smile as she said, "Must be my adrenaline. I was ready to kick some serious ass before you showed up."

She did notice how tense she was, however. Her muscles were coiled, and her jaw was tight. But it didn't look to be out of fear, it looked as though she were fighting something. Suppressing an urge.

Rosalie scowled at her in return. "This isn't a joking matter, Bella. You could have gotten hurt."

"So could you," she pointed out. "How did you do that anyway? I barely saw you move and suddenly that guy's arm was broken." She spoke with genuine curiosity, staring at Rosalie in disbelief and awe and something else Rosalie couldn't quite place. It made her wish she had Jasper's ability, if only for a moment.

Shit.

"Then you glared at them and they all ran away screaming. How is that possible-"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "You're in shock, I wouldn't be surprised if your brain tuned out some of the finer details of what happened."

Bella hummed thoughtfully. "Are you gaslighting me?"

Rosalie couldn't help but feel slightly endeared, and the corner of her lip tugged upward as she asked, "Are you hungry?" She knew the girl liked to eat, everyone at their school knew that. Each lunch period she would fill her trey with so much food that it reminded Rosalie of the shifters.

"Ah, now you're distracting me." Bella faced forward. "How'd you know where I was?"

The vampire huffed and rolled her eyes again. "Do you always ask so many unnecessary questions? Does it matter how I found you?" Despite what had happened, Bella didn't seem the slightest bit shaken up. It was strange, even her heartbeat was steady. "Why weren't you scared?"

Bella leaned back in her seat. "Oh, I was terrified." She sounded truthful, and she inhaled deeply before she sighed. "But I wasn't…have you ever hurt someone and regretted it?"

The question surprised her, but she didn't let it show. Rosalie wasn't sure whether or not to be honest with Bella. "I've only ever hurt those who deserved it."

She glanced at Bella to see her shift her attention to her hands in her lap. "I…I wish I could say the same." Her hands curled into fists.

Rosalie was skeptical; she couldn't imagine the happy-go-lucky goofball hurting a fly, even with her large muscles and powerful stature. She especially couldn't imagine Bella hurting innocents. She was intrigued, wondering what else there was to her mate that she didn't know.

"If you had hurt those men, they would have deserved it."

"And if I had killed them?"

This caused Rosalie's eyebrows to raise, and she turned to Bella, unable to stop a vicious smile from appearing on her lips. "Then I would have called you a woman after my own heart."

…

They stopped at a restaurant a few miles away. Bella was the first one out of the car, quickly walking to Rosalie's side and anxiously waiting for her. After the vampire's comment, they had driven in silence.

Rosalie was somewhat worried that she had made Bella even more scared than she initially was. Though, she wondered how the human would have managed to kill those men all by herself.

The blonde discarded the thought, those men had been vile, anyone in Bella's position would have had fantasies of killing them.

"You could get my door, since you have nothing better to do," Rosalie said through the window, hoping to evoke some mirth from the brunette.

To her surprise, Bella muttered, "Right," and gently opened her door for her.

Rosalie blinked up at her from her seat, while Bella waited by the door with her eyes lowered.

"Glad you're a good listener."

This was evidently the wrong thing to say as Bella shot her a glare. "I was just being polite." Her demeanor changed abruptly, and her cantankerous attitude rolled off her in waves. "Just…we don't have to do this. The dinner thing. You can take me back to my truck and-"

"I'm not a chauffeur." Rosalie narrowed her eyes. "You need to eat. Then, since you seem so insistent on it, we never have to talk again."

That would be for the best, but Rosalie hated the very thought of that outcome. She already had to watch Bella from afar, but who was she to mess with her wonderful human life? Making her a vampire would ruin her, make her resentful as it had made Rosalie. She wouldn't wish that on anyone, especially her mate.

Bella clenched her jaw, looking even more angered by Rosalie's comment, but she said nothing. Instead, she took a deep breath, closing her eyes as a tremor ran down her spine. "You saved my life, the least I could do is buy you dinner." She hesitated before a scowl twisted upon her lips, as though she were remembering that she, in fact, did not like the Cullens or the Hales. "Um…ugh…" Her shoulders slumped and her scowl vanished. "I'll tell you what I told your brother. This doesn't change anything between us."

"What, you taking me on a date means nothing?" Rosalie found that, surprisingly, she wasn't offended. Because she knew that this was for the best. They shouldn't even be getting food together, much less spending more time with one another.

She deserves better than what I can give her.

Bella, however, huffed out a begrudging laugh as she checked for her debit card. "A date? I can't thank my savior without there being any romantic undertones?" She paused before ducking her head sheepishly. "Um, well, I'm sorry. Look, I'm not trying to be an ass. You're gorgeous and going on a date with you…I'm going to stop talking now," she grumbled, scratching the back of her neck and keeping her gaze fixed on the ground.

Bella's mood was confusing. It was clear she wanted to be more abrasive, maybe because Lauren was in her ear or something of the sort, but she wasn't very good at it. Her naturally more cheerful and friendly nature seemed to get the better of her, it seemed to make her forget herself and her hatred for the Cullens and Hales. And, Rosalie wasn't blind. She saw how Bella looked at her, it was clear the brunette was at least physically attracted to her.

Who wasn't?

But her more hostile attitude was unwarranted and suspicious in its own right. Was she really that good of friends with Lauren to hate them all based on some rumors and gossip? Or had Edward offended her that badly in their shared biology class?

Rosalie recalled Bella's look of terror when Alice had jumped onto her back. Maybe Bella was just an extremely perceptive human who was aware that there was more to the Cullens. Maybe she really could sense their predatory nature and feared them for that reason alone.

But she didn't seem to fear Rosalie. She was on edge, but that was most likely from their previous encounter with those men. But her heartbeat was steady, as was her breathing, and she didn't seem to mind being in such close proximity to her as she had minded Edward being too close in her personal space.

Rosalie deduced that she had the mating bond to thank for that. Bella was more at ease around Rosalie, despite not being able to feel the mate bond fully. Though, Rosalie wondered how the mate bond felt to a human. There was a pull, of that she was certain, but she didn't know to what extent Bella felt it.

However, she was curious as to why Bella detested the rest of her family so much. At the very most she despised them, at the very least she was indifferent. Bella and Edward's relationship seemed to be on the mend from what her brother told her, Bella was less grouchy with him and more tolerant of his presence. But that was most likely because she was stuck with him all year.

It was clear that she was uncomfortable with Emmett and Alice, and more often than not, she eyed Jasper with distrust. But many humans were wary of Jasper; he was getting used to being around humans and didn't quite know how to act more natural when he was near them.

"Rosalie?"

She was ripped from her musings by Bella's voice. "Humor me?"

Bella crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to look at her as she said, "Depends."

Rosalie stepped out of the car, almost smiling as Bella closed the door behind her. "Why do you hate my family?"

Bella's gaze snapped upwards, meeting Rosalie's. "I don't…I just…look, your siblings are just…odd."

"They are," she conceded, not pleased with her answer but she decided not to pry. It was clear Bella would rather talk about anything else.

They stood silently in that parking lot, just staring at one another.

Rosalie wanted to take Bella's hand in hers, to feel their fingers once again intertwine and she longed to feel the warmth of her skin against her palm.

But she knew better than to do that.

Bella finally averted her gaze, clearing her throat as she said, "We should go in. Are you hungry?"

She wasn't.

"I could eat."

Bella met her gaze once again as she nodded. "Cool. Me too." They walked into the restaurant, and again, Bella held the door open for her.

Rosalie found that she appreciated the gesture, and was glad that her human knew how to treat a lady.

Enough. She's not yours.

This displeased her inner vampire.

She is. She always has been.

She refrained from rolling her eyes, allowing the hostess to lead them to the booth before sitting across from Bella. They didn't speak as they looked over the menu, Bella seemed to instantly know what she wanted as she set her menu down and rested her chin on her fist.

Her dual colored eyes roved around the establishment, her brow furrowed as though she were concentrating and her breaths quickened slightly as their waitress appeared at their table.

Odd.

Their waitress was pretty, but she wasn't nearly as gorgeous as Rosalie. She had long blonde hair, tanned skin, and bright blue eyes.

Rosalie had blue eyes when she was human, she doesn't know why the thought crossed her mind, but she does know that Bella's rapt attention on the waitress bothered her.

"I've always been partial to blondes."

Rosalie scowled at her menu, not sparing the waitress a glance as she asked for water. Bella asked for one as well and the waitress, who hadn't taken her eyes off Bella, promised to be back shortly with them.

Bella sighed when she left, relaxing into her seat and rubbing her hand down her face. "Jesus." She sounded tired. Rosalie wanted to make a snarky remark about her interest in the waitress, but realized that Bella's newfound exhaustion could be from all the events of the night finally hitting her.

She set her menu down. "Tonight was a lot. Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm just starving and-" her phone buzzed but she ignored it. "I don't know. Sorry if I'm acting weird. Just…" She opened and closed her mouth with a frown, appearing frustrated. Clearly, she had more to say, but whatever odd vendetta she had against the Cullens seemed to be keeping her from being more open.

Rosalie could respect a grudge.

She shook her head. "You've been through a lot tonight. You're not being weird."

Bella contemplated something for a moment, as though unsure of how to respond before she grumbled, "Thanks, Rosalie. For everything." She then gestured at her menu. "Order whatever you want. My treat-"

"With all due respect, Bella. I've seen your wardrobe." Rosalie pulled out her own wallet. "Money is no object to me. I'll pay."

The brunette blinked at her before barking out a laugh, perking up ever so slightly as she leaned her elbow on the table. "Did you just call me poor?" Bella was a good sport, Rosalie liked that about her.

"No, I just emphasized my own affluence in comparison," she said, glancing over the menu again and trying to decide what she felt like throwing up later. She hated that she could no longer enjoy food, another reason she despised being a vampire.

Bella crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, princess."

"Don't call me that. It's not cute." She corrected her swiftly, setting her menu aside after having decided on a house salad. It would be much easier on her stomach and much easier coming back up compared to a more hearty meal choice.

She raised her hands halfway in mock surrender. "Sorry, I'll find a better nickname."

Rosalie raised a bemused brow. "Or, you could just call me by my name."

"I could, I could do that…" she trailed off, as though remembering herself, and she became more reserved almost instantly. "Rosalie it is."

She was a little disappointed that she had given up so easily. But, for whatever reason, Bella was trying to put some distance between them. Rosalie knew it was for the best, but she felt a pang in her chest at the thought of her mate avoiding her and acting so closed off.

Especially when she was so lively with her group of human friends.

She can tell something's off about you. Don't act so surprised.

Rosalie felt her mirth wane, and she looked away from Bella, her face becoming neutral. "Thank you. I don't have time for any of your ridiculous nicknames." It was a reactionary response, wanting to hurt Bella for having hurt her first. She hadn't meant to be so cold, but maybe this was necessary in order to deter Bella from interacting with her again.

A look of hurt flashed through gold and brown eyes, but it was quickly smothered by agitation. "Yeah, neither of us does."

Before she could respond, their waitress returned, and Bella was fixated on her once again. She straightened her posture, once again becoming rigid as the waitress brought them their waters. Bella swallowed thickly at her approach, clenching her jaw momentarily before offering a small smile.

"Here you go," their waitress said with a small smile of her own, blushing slightly as she set Bella's cup down in front of her. "Are you ready to order?"

Rosalie hummed, completely unamused. "Yes, we are."

Flustered, the waitress quickly turned her attention towards the blonde. "Of course! What can I get for you?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes and ordered her salad, whereas Bella sighed almost dreamily and ordered a rare steak. The vampire was relieved when the waitress left and when Bella once again slumped in her seat.

"Do us both a favor. Instead of gawking at our waitress, why don't you just ask her out like you clearly want to," Rosalie all but hissed.

Bella scowled at her. "What the hell is your problem? I'm not gawking at her-"

"Could have fooled me."

Her jaw clenched and a tremor ran down her spine, much to Rosalie's confusion. "Sure, she's pretty, but I'm not into her like that."

"Oh, so you admit she's pretty?" Her jealousy got the better of her. She was used to Bella only staring and gawking at her, not some random waitress.

Bella threw her hands up in frustration. "What do you care?"

You're my ma-

"I don't," Rosalie snapped. "Just tired of watching that sickening display."

Her mate grew quiet for a moment, looking hurt as she put her hands in her lap. "Oh…do…so do you not like gay people?"

Is she blind?

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "What? I'm a lesbian, Bella. This isn't about you being gay."

Bella looked at her in surprise, eyes widening ever so slightly. "You're a lesbian?"

"Obviously."

A wide smile broke out across Bella's face as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh. Well, that's good to know." All her anger dissipated, and she smiled as though she were a kid on Christmas day.

"What?" Rosalie snapped in irritation.

"Nothing." The waitress returned with their food, and this time Bella only smiled at her politely and thanked her before turning her attention to her steak. "Thank god," she mumbled, tearing into her food vigorously.

Her steak was as bloody as they came, and Rosalie winced at the complete lack of disregard Bella had for her clothes as she messily ate her meal.

"Bella, slow down. You'll make yourself sick." Rosalie picked up her fork, stabbing a piece of lettuce, and only then did Bella stop eating in order to watch her. "What?"

Bella said nothing, watching with rapt attention as Rosalie suppressed a grimace and took a bite of her salad.

"Huh." The brunette watched her chew and swallow her food. "Neat," Bella mused before digging back into her food.

Rosalie wrinkled her nose as she forced another bite of her salad. "Do you always eat like an animal?" However, Bella looked somewhat better now. Not as tired and not as infatuated with the waitress, much to Rosalie's confusion and relief.

Then she noticed her singular gold eye start to brighten as she soaked her steak in the juices and scooped them into her mouth with her spoon.

Strange.

Her lack of reaction to the men about to attack her. Her strange infatuation with the waitress, who didn't possess even half of Rosalie's beauty. Her fear of Rosalie's family. The way she ordered a bloody steak and now her gold eye was brightening up…

"Bella." She paused her eating, looking up from her food to frown at Rosalie.

"Yeah?"

It was a gamble; Rosalie would have to be as tactful about this as possible. She glanced around the restaurant, hardly a soul was there, and no prying eyes or ears would be able to hear their conversation from their secluded booth.

But she had to get to the bottom of this. If Bella really was like them, then that meant…

I didn't mate on a human.

"Why does my family frighten you?"

The question seemed to startle her, and Bella's frown deepened before she took another bite. "Uh, frighten isn't the right word. They're just weird and intrusive."

She couldn't help but ask, "Do I frighten you?"

"No." Her response was immediate, and Rosalie couldn't help but be relieved by her answer.

She then asked, "Tonight…your reaction was different than what I expected. Have you ever been…attacked before?"

Bella stiffened at the question, narrowing her eyes at Rosalie. "Why?"

Rosalie shrugged, remaining calm in the face of her scrutiny. "Edward mentioned that he made you uncomfortable, and that's why he gave you my phone number."

"Ever consider that your freak of a brother should learn some boundaries?"

"Careful," she warned. "I'm not trying to upset you. I just-"

"You just what? You care about me all of a sudden, is that it?" She all but growled, her gold eye darkening slightly in anger, all but confirming what Rosalie already knew.

The blonde frowned at her hostility. "Tonight would be a traumatic night for anyone. Your discomfort towards my brothers would make sense."

But your comfort with Mike, Eric, and Tyler would not make sense.

"Yeah, your family is a bit unsettling. They shouldn't…what is the point of this conversation?" She was growing more enraged by the second, but Rosalie wasn't afraid of her, not in the slightest.

"They shouldn't, what? Bella?" If Bella had been attacked by vampires then her hostility towards the Cullens would make more sense. She was comfortable around the male humans, but not the vampires. And her reaction towards Alice was a questionable one as well.

"Nothing," Bella muttered, taking a deep breath before she focused on her food once again. "It's nothing. Can you just stop with the questions? I'm trying to eat."

Rosalie huffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, forgive me for being concerned. Please, continue to stuff your face."

Bella glared at her. "Concerned? Or nosey?"

Rosalie smiled sharply at her. "Believe me, I can multitask very well."

"Whatever." She hunched her shoulders and took another bite of her steak. "I appreciate you for saving me and taking me out for dinner, but this doesn't mean we're friends. You and your family…something's off about you guys. You're all bad news."

You're right. And you should stay away from us.

"You just got here. You know nothing about us," Rosalie retorted. "But that attitude right there is exactly why we keep to ourselves."

Bella clenched her jaw. "I know everything I need to know about your family."

She couldn't help but grow defensive. "Oh? Why? Because Lauren Mallory refuses to be honest about her own mediocrity and so she spreads rumors about us instead?"

Her gold eye grew even darker. "She's not mediocre-"

"Your friend who threw herself at my brother, got rejected, threw herself at me, all but begging for a friendship, and got rejected again." Rosalie examined her nails with a careless shrug. "She is mediocre. Pitiful. The fact that you can even stomach her presence is truly something. I would call you a saint for befriending her, but it's clear you're just dimwitted."

Another tremor ran down Bella's spine and her grip on her spoon tightened. "And you're an ass! I don't have to take this, not from you!" She got up abruptly, reaching into her other pocket and pulling out some cash. "Here. Don't worry about doing any charity work. I've got my bill covered." She slapped the money on the table and stormed out of the restaurant.

Rosalie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she got up to follow her out. "Bella, don't be an idiot. You can't walk-"

"Fuck you!"

How had it spiraled into this? She hadn't meant to let her anger get the better of her, but she was extremely protective of her family, and Bella's constant judgment had been grating on her nerves.

Still, I shouldn't have lost my temper.

Rosalie caught up to her as she reached the parking lot, reaching out to grab her hand but stopping herself. "Bella-"

"What!" She whirled on her, towering over her with bared teeth and a once gold eye that had now turned black. "Want to insult me some more? Maybe say more mean shit about my friends?"

She bristled at this and looked up at her with a glare. "Depends, would you like to continue insulting my family?"

"Oh, I could keep going," Bella laughed bitterly and turned her back on her. "Don't worry about driving me. I'd rather walk than spend another second with you."

Rosalie sneered at her back. "I'm not leaving you alone. Not after what just happened. Let me take you back to your truck, and we'll never speak to each other again."

Bella scoffed at that. "Promise?"

No.

Rosalie didn't respond, instead, she unlocked her car door and got in the driver's seat. Bella, after a moment of hesitation, got into the passenger's seat.

They didn't say a word to each other the whole drive.

AN: Sorry for the wait. I've been slammed with school and work and LIFE has been kicking my ass but we made it!

I love Rosella even when they bicker over stupid shit. Like that's MY couple right there.

Poorly edited but I'm rushing to go hang with my friends and I'm LATE! FAWK!

I love you all! What would you guys like to see next? More Rosella next chapter and more angst. Plus I'm missing Vicky, I wonder how she's doing :) JK too soon! God poor Rosalie already has to beat everyone off with a stick. She needs a break!

Okay bye fr cuz I'm late as hell!