Chapter 5
"So how's it going with Bella?" Emmett asks.
"Uhhhh." Edward hesitates.
"Ed?" Alice questions.
"Uhhhh."
"You told me that vampires were smooth and amazing and basically perfect." Angela scolds Alice.
"And if you let my sire change you, you would know that Edward just has something he doesn't want to share with the group."
"Edward?" Their newest coven sibling by marriage asks.
"Hi, Paul."
"Hi. What are we discussing?" Paul sits on his husband's lap.
"Bella." Emmett informs him kissing his cheek.
"Yes." Angela responds. "Edward, what is going on the girl you've been in love with since freshman year?"
"Other than my being 27 when we met?" They try to distract their family.
"She was 23." Paul waves it away.
"And human." Emmett points out so Edward doesn't.
"And Rose is still after her." Alice adds.
Edward is out of reasons.
"Wait, Rose?" Angela is confused. "As in her editor friend?"
"Friend." Emmett makes the quotations in the air. "A friend who only became interested in her after Edward suggested her paper was the best written in the whole class."
"After they stated it," Alice argues.
"Are you on Rose's side?"
"Never." Alice shutters. "Okay, fine. So there's nothing on the Bella front?"
"Wait, why are you all letting my sister be friends with an editor you don't like?" Angela asks, stuck.
"Bella is using her just as much." Alice replies.
"What? Rude." Angela says and leaves the frame.
"Go after her." Paul instructs.
"Eh. She'll be fine." Alice speeds for vampire and werewolf only hearing.
"As a new member of the most secretive coven, Go After Her." Paul repeats.
Alice rolls her eyes but closes her computer.
"So things? How are they?" Emmett asks again.
"Bella knows about the supernatural." Edward states.
"Fuck." Emmett says.
"Yeah, she's going to be ---"
"She is going to be pissed at you when she finds out." Emmett finishes.
"What? Why?" Edward asks surprised.
"Look, uh person, I've only known Bella a little while but this is going to hurt her investigative pride."
"Well, I'm not worried about that right now. Bella told Carlisle to turn down Esme."
"Shit, what?" Emmett reacts loudly. "I couldn't figure it out. Yikes."
"Yes. Those two are meant to be. But they will work it out. What does this have to do with the supernatural?" Paul wonders.
"Bella is supervising an intern. He's a wolf. And she wants Carlisle to be with him."
Paul and Emmett stare at them, blank.
"Paul isn't this where you get excited about no longer being a lone wolf?" Edward asks tired.
"I'm a bit too stuck on the Carlisle is ultra straight and totally in love with Esme part to process the wolf part." He semi jokes.
"Yeah. I'm with Paul."
"We know." Edward snarks.
"Shut up." Emmett says before kissing his husband.
"You shut up." Edward smarts at the kissing.
"I was quiet then."
"It's a wonder you two aren't related like Edward and Alice." Paul breaks in. "Anyway. Um, Bella is being ridiculous."
"She's always said she was "too pan to understand"." Emmett mocks.
"Yes, but Carlisle... with a guy? I mean if there's a person who could be more open and willing to find out things about himself and others, I've yet to meet them. But 4 minutes with Carlisle tells you he wants a hot blooded woman."
"Esme is a vampire." Edward corrects.
"It's a saying, Squid." Emmett defends his partner.
"Ward." Edward finishes because he has to. "Wait. You suck."
Emmett shrugs and goes to lower his computer. Paul stops him.
"Doesn't anyone say goodbye anymore?"
Emmett starts humming the song.
"The wolf is my mate." Edward announces.
"What?!?!"
They vampire speed close the laptop.
Chapter 6
"So. You forgive me?" Jacob asks.
"Love, there's nothing to forgive."
"You ran away." He argues.
"You ran away first." She counters.
"When?"
"When you met Edward."
Jacob conjoins Edward in his mind.
Goddamn. That person. That person ruined everything.
Yup, turns out he sees more in Bella than a mentor. Or even friendship.
He was-- he was in love with her.
And yet his imprint was Edward.
Such a fucking mess.
"Jacob?"
"Sorry. What did you say?"
"I haven't said anything in 2 minutes."
"Sorry."
"Never mind that. You'll come to dinner then?"
Another dinner with Bella? Yes.
Where he had learned Edward's scent? Uh.
Great.
----- ----- -----
Carlisle and Jacob got along like fish in water.
Okay, not Bella's finest metaphor. But still her triumph was real.
Until that is, she noticed Jacob and Carlisle seemed to be talking without her choice. Oh, sure they had her approval. But she was to make it happen.
"So now, I'm too friendly with the person you wanted me to be friends with?" Carlisle asks for clarification.
"I'm just saying. He's my mentee."
"And?"
"And he said you had the final reading of his last paper."
"It was an excellent paper. You are a great mentor." Carlisle praises.
Coming from a Cadbury awardee three times over, that was very pleasing.
But, Bella shook herself. Not the point.
"I found him, Carlisle. I will not let you steal him."
"Even though you want us to date?" Carlisle inquires, smirking.
"Carlisle. Where -- where did you hear such things?"
"Edward." Carlisle states, raising an eyebrow.
Everyone knew how Edward and Bella were each other's special confidantes.
The group had been - Edward and Alice. Edward and Emmett. Edward and Carlisle. Carlisle and Esme.
But for how much Edward was connected to others, even their sister, Bella was their number one.
And they hers.
No, if it came from Edward, Carlisle could trust it was coming from Bella.
"How could they tell you?"
"They told me as I talked about how weird Esme has been lately. Which of course had them pointing at Esme had no way to behave having poured out her heart and been rejected by me. WHen I found out you wanted me with young wolf, I realized you knew me least of all. And that your advice about Esme was completely biased towards your values not mine."
Carlisle walked out of her cubicle at their co-working space.
She heard the front door close.
She had ended his work day?
Carlisle NEVER quit early.
Chapter 7
Okay, okay. No reason to freak out.
So Carlisle had chosen to ignore her. So he and Esme had posted their date. So their friends had congratulated them. So she had felt forced to join in the fray.
Jacob still deserved love.
He deserved someone to transform with and run through the forest.
Who should it be?
Chapter 8
Maybe that scary girl?
Leah would be nicer to her once she was with Jacob. Right?
Chapter 9
Bella hangs up with Rose.
Maybe.. Maybe Rose?
Bella had always felt bad for taking the last place in the fratsorar. Taking the place that seemed to belong to literary legacy of 3 centuries.
The fact that Rose went into editing was almost a sin against her heritage but her writing suggestions fixed it all.
And Rose had won the most awards of all of them.
Yes.
Rose would be perfect for him.
But maybe ... maybe she should include Leah just in case. Not that she doubted herself.
Chapter 10
Bella leaves Leah and Jacob talking to finish cooking the meal.
She wouldn't say that Leah had been particularly polite but it was a much different atmosphere than the last time she saw the young woman.
Yes, if it was Leah in the end, Jacob and Bella could remain friends.'
There's a strong knock.
Oh! Rose.
Even better.
"Hello darling." Rose says kissing Bella's cheek after she opened the door.
"Always a pleasure to see you, Rose."
"Rose?!" Leah shouts.
"Leah?!" Rose yells.
"You should have told me she was coming." Both scream at Bella.
Rose turns and leaves.
Leah waits 3 beats before going out the door and turning the other way.
"Um, the fuck just happened?"
Bella's rules have been thrown out the window since she found out about wolves.
"What do you know about how vampires, or shifters for that matter, find love?" Jacob asks, gently.
"There's vampires too?"
'Shit.' Jacob thinks.
Chapter 11
Werewolves evolving from a need to kill vampires before they full endangered and then ended the human species made sense she supposes.
But vamps and wolves (shapeshifters, Jacob insists), having had a somehow secret ultimate was did not.
Nor did them coming to terms and making a treaty. Why Jacob used the word treaty, she will never understand. But okay.
Vampires had willing volunteers who donated blood. Romantic, sexual, just kinky aces. A little too much info for Bella.
Apparently they could buy blood and even make blood from some kind of fertilizer. And all these insane hacks that let them stop attacking people.
Including Sunny D and iron supplements.
It's ridiculous. Because Rose?!
Rose has been a vampire all this time?
But if Rose has been a vampire, anyone could have been. Could be.
Bella stopped moving.
Finally sees Jacob in front of her again.
"Wait. The fratsorar has always been supernatural, hasn't it?"
"Uh." Jacob says.
Which admits he knows more.
"Edward?!" She shouts.
"Uh. I've got to go."
Chapter 12
Jacob rings the number the person had given him weeks ago.
The person who knocked on his bedroom winder 2 hours after meeting at Bella's.
----- ----- -----
"Um, yeah not sure what you know, so I don't know what to say, hanging off his window sill like it's nothing.
Which it is nothing because as Jacob just learned vampires exist and Edward is one.
One that he's mated to.
"So you know everything." Edward surmises, handing him a piece of paper.
"How do you--?"
"Know?" Edward finishes. "I read minds."
"That's unfair, Goodbye."
Jacob pushes them out the window.
For a second, he worries. Then he hears Edward's feet land on the ground.
----- ----- -----
"Uh, Jacob. I can hear you breathing."
"Right. Well Bella knows."
"Shit."
"Right?"
There's a beat.
"Wait. What does Bella know?"
"That I'm supposed to be in love with you?"
"Yes. I mean no. But yes."
"No. She doesn't know that. And she doesn't know that you are in love with her." Jacob growls.
"Okay." A needless inhale. "Um, I never said I was in love with Bella."
"Edward, I've heard enough about you. Bella is just as in love with you."
There's more silence.
"I'm sorry."
"You heard me."
"Not excuse me. I'm saying I'm sorry."
"I don't need your pity."
"You know Jacob, just because of our supposed love, it doesn't mean I'll never care for you that way."
Jacob clenches his steering wheel.
"I don''t need that."
"Jake--"
"No." Jacob stops him.
More silence.
"Oh, uh, Bella is calling me."
"And you must answer."
Jacob hangs up to stop Edward's excuses. Or their attempts at excuses.
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