"Tell me why we're doing this again?" Rosalie asked as she threw the salad bowl onto the kitchen island.
"Because this is Edward's first time bringing a girl home, Rose," Esme said, using a gentle tone to try and calm her daughter.
"Is she even Italian?"
"Her name's Bella," Emmett justified. "Come on, babe, one meal that's it."
"I'm sure she'll love it no matter what," Carlisle reassured as he stirred the pasta sauce and added the lettuce to the salad.
Lizzie took the fresh bread out of the oven, rolling her eyes at the complaints of her sister. Esme slapped her hand away as she tried to break a piece off to eat, causing a small whine of 'But Momma' to slip out of Lizzie's mouth. Esme kissed Lizzie's cheek as compensation but still took the bread away. She sighed and let the human food be as she grabbed a coke and a blood bag from the fridge. Quickly Lizzie mixed the two before sipping at it as she watched the rest of her family help prepare dinner.
She was glad Bella confronted Edward, she was even happier when Edward decided to tell Bella instead of chickening out again. Granted Lizzie did somewhat threaten him too, but still. She liked the Chief's daughter a lot, considering her a really good and true friend. It was all just so much easier once the Swan girl found out and the next day Edward and Bella went 'public'. That was last week. Lizzie heard the purr of Edward's Volvo in the driveway as well as the Black Chevy Impala, and a smile spread across her face as the four entered the house.
"Bella, Dean, Sam!" Esme stepped away from the kitchen island. "We're making Italiano for you three."
"Oh, Bon Giorno," Bella said awkwardly feeling caught off guard before giving Lizzie a comfortable smile when her eyes found her.
"Molto Bene," Esme said contently, glancing back at Carlisle with a smile.
Lizzie stepped forward to stand beside her mom. "Don't mind, Momma, Bells. She's just super excited to meet you all." Dean felt more at ease with Lizzie closer to him and Sam. He knew what he was doing, bringing Sam into a household of vampires was dangerous. John would kill him if he knew, but still, Dean couldn't bring himself to care. He had a feeling, a really good feeling about this. Or maybe that was just his confidence trying to reassure his stupidity.
"Bella, Dean, Sam, this is Esme, our mother for all intents and purposes."
Carlisle turned the sauce from a boil to a simmer before joining his wife and daughter. "Cooking for you gives us an excuse to use the kitchen."
"But I thought Lizzie also... "
"I mainly cook for myself or just get takeout from the Forks diner," she quickly explained.
"Yes, and she only lets me attempt her breakfasts... sometimes, if I'm lucky," Esme laughed from beside the girl. "Did I go overboard with dinner? I hope you're all hungry."
"Yeah, absolutely.
"Mmm, starving."
"Sure."
"They already ate."
The sound of glass shattering echoed the kitchen. Lizzie looked to the side to see the salad on the floor and the bowl in shards at Rosalie's feet. Her sister sighed heavily, almost emitting a growl as her fists clenched at her sides and she stomped up the small step.
"Perfect." Rosalie gritted through tight lips.
Immediately, Dean pulled Sam closer almost hiding the younger boy in his side protectively. He wasn't sure what to expect, but when Lizzie shot him a look and a small shake of her head, he relaxed slightly. She didn't want him and Sam to worry. Bella, she knew could handle it like the typical awkward human, but the Winchesters were hunters at heart or more like from childhood.
"Yeah, it's just--it's just I know you guys don't eat so... " Bella stuttered out.
"They were just thinking of us, Rose," Lizzie said to her sister as Emmett came up behind Rosalie to comfort her.
"Of course, that's very considerate of you," Esme said. She smiled at Bella and the two Winchesters politely before shooting Rosalie a warning look.
"Just ignore Rosalie. I do," Edward said as he kept an arm around Bella's waist.
"Good to know," Dean commented.
"Yeah!" Rosalie snapped. "Let's just keep pretending like this isn't dangerous for all of us."
"I would never tell anybody anything," Bella promised.
"Yeah, and I promised Lizzie the same," Dean interjected. "You don't have to worry about that."
Lizzie felt torn between her family and her friends---potential human brothers. She felt bad for Bella being on the receiving end of Rosalie's disapproval, but then again she understood her sister's worries. Bringing a human into a family of vampires wasn't good. While bringing two hunters in was just begging for trouble. They had the treaty with the Quileutes to abide by, not to mention they had to consider the vampire laws and the Volturi who upheld them no matter the price.
"She knows that," Carlisle nodded.
"Yeah, well the problem is you and Edward have gone public now, so... "
"Emmett!" Esme scolded.
"No, they should know," Rosalie started. "The entire family will be implicated if this ends badly."
"Badly as in... we would become the meal." Bella guessed. Dean didn't say anything just stiffened in place. He didn't like the thought that gave him a very good reality check of what he was doing, willingly entering a vampire's home. Sam didn't seem too bothered though, typical Sam, who was probably soaking up all the information before later exploding with questions.
Edward couldn't help but read Lizzie's thoughts at that moment, the both of them letting out a laugh at the absurdity. Carlisle put a hand over his mouth, Esme smiled, Emmett grinned, and even Rosalie quirked a smirk.
"Hi, Bella. Hi, Dean. Hi, Sam."
Alice balanced on a tree branch outside before jumping down onto the balcony and walking over to them, Jasper trailing along behind her. Lizzie instinctively left Esme's side for Jasper's and Dean noticed the small change in atmosphere.
Like with Edward, Lizzie extended her hand and without thinking Jasper took it. She might have been the youngest in the family but Jasper was the newest, especially when it came to their vegetarian diet. Human blood still bothered him immensely, even at school. Lizzie's nearness eased the cravings, the need to kill anything human, and underwhelmed his gift of feeling everyone's overwhelming emotions.
Alice smiled at the exchange, stepping back from hugging the three and letting Jasper introduce himself. Bella saw it coming, having heard about Alice through Edward. Dean and Sam, on the other hand, were surprised.
"Pleasure to meet you all."
"It's so cool to meet you guys!" Sam finally exclaimed. Chuckles echoed the kitchen at his small excited outburst and even Rosalie couldn't help but smile. She'd always had a soft spot for children and Sam being only fourteen was still a kid in her eyes.
Lizzie looked down fishing for her phone in her pocket when she felt it vibrate. If she still had a beating heart it would have skipped as she smiled down at the text before quickly remembering where she was and composing herself. Both Edward and Jasper whipped their heads around to stare at their sister, Lizzie becoming the new center of attention for the family. She cursed her brothers for having the gifts they did.
Jasper could feel the sudden happiness flowing off of her as well as a touch of nervousness and irritation he couldn't quite place. He'd never felt that level of emotions come from his sister before. Edward had only gotten part of the message but thankfully no name and no face. She wouldn't have heard the end of it if he had.
Lizzie was singing her favorite song, listing off different numbers, and thinking of anything and everything she could at the same time. Edward wouldn't drop this, she was sure of it. None of her siblings would, not once Edward and Jasper told them what happened. Lizzie rushed around the kitchen, glad Bella, Dean, and Sam were acquainted with their secret so she could vamp speed around the house without a problem.
Even so, it didn't stop Dean from jumping in surprise and Sam whipping his head around at neckbreaking speed. Bella, however, just watched in fascination.
Lizzie wrapped up the food Bella and the boys weren't going to eat into different Tupperware containers along with the bread Esme tried to stop her from eating. She stopped at the fridge and grabbed two sodas and two ice teas before placing everything in a to-go bag.
"What?" she asked when everyone stared. "They're not going to eat it. Can't let good food go to waste like this." She then turned to her bear of a brother. "Hey, Em. Is the hardtop still on the jeep and where are the keys?"
"Yeah? And they're here." Emmett looked confused as he reached into his jean pocket for the Jeep's keys. He held them out and before anyone could blink Lizzie had snatched them from him.
"Perfect, thank you! I'm taking the Jeep." Lizzie walked past everyone with a smile and not a thought on her mind.
"Wait Lizzie, what? What's going on?"
"I'll tell you later," she murmured to Bella, who was looking at her with a questioning look. The Swan girl nodded and Lizzie smiled back before Edward caught her arm.
"Why'd you block me out?" he wasn't mad, but he wasn't pleased either when he couldn't hear his sister's ever-flowing thoughts. "Are you okay?"
"Fine, Eddie," Lizzie answered with a shrug, she then gave his hand on her arm a reassuring squeeze before turning around and meeting Dean and Sam's curious faces. "Walk me out?" she asked.
"Uh... sure." Again Dean was hesitant with Lizzie's strange behavior but again it didn't stop him from doing what she asked. He reluctantly left Sam with Bella and Edward before escorting Lizzie back down the staircase and to the front door.
"You and Sam will be safe here," she promised as if reading Dean's worrisome thoughts. "Rosalie likes your little brother."
"Really?" he scoffed. "How can you tell?"
"She's a softy for kids and babies, she's also not as bad as she acts out to be, trust me."
"So, where are you going anyway?"
"Somewhere," Lizzie simply replied.
"You're not going to tell me?"
"In a house full of vampires with superhuman hearing? Yeah, no."
Dean rolled his eyes but understood. After all, he guessed even the supernatural needed some privacy away from their annoying siblings and nosy parents.
"Fine, can you at least tell me what Edward meant about you blocking him out?" he asked curiously as they reached the door and stepped out onto the porch.
"Edward can read minds," Lizzie said. "I didn't want him knowing something so I closed my thought off to him." She knew her family could hear her and so she was choosing her words very carefully.
"He can read minds?" Dean asked shocked, his eyes widening. "You're joking, right?"
"Nope."
"How?"
"It's his gift as a vampire," Lizzie explained. "Some Cold One's get a gift, mostly it depends on their human life and sometimes it doesn't."
He couldn't believe it. Gifts? What the hell did that even mean. Why would someone give psychic powers to an already deadly bloodsucking creature. What the hell?!
"What's yours?" Dean then asked, coming out of his newfound revelation.
"I used to think it was extreme self-control just like my dad," Lizzie smiled at the thought and Dean felt his heart drop slightly.
If this was Sarah and she eventually did remember her past life, he knew for sure she wouldn't be talking about John like she was about Carlisle. She was proud to be a Cullen, proud to have the parents and siblings she had, and the thought made him think his hope was exaggerated.
"But Carlisle's convinced it's actually humanity. You know, the way I don't get so affected by the sun, how I can eat human food, and when my brothers get overwhelmed with their gifts I'm the only one who can really calm them down before anything happens."
"It suits you. Humanity," he clarified, smiling but Lizzie could sense the small shift between them, she just couldn't understand it.
"Thanks... Look, I gotta go. Don't worry everything's going to be fine," she quickly reassured Dean as they reached her brother's car. "Edward's there and Esme and Carlisle, even Alice will make sure nothing goes wrong."
"Okay," Dean murmured. He watched almost mournfully as Lizzie smiled at him before sliding into the driver's side of Emmett's Jeep.
She took her phone out and texted. Same spot. Then slotted the key into the ignition hearing the roar of the engine as it came to life.
Meet you there.