Bella had made a decision by the end of the day. She would tell the Cullen's about what had happened to her. She wasn't too keen on Edward. If she was honest with herself, she wasn't bothered by him either. She had expected being around him to hurt. You were supposed to be attached to your first love. She had truly loved him at the time. But she had felt inferior. She had felt like she couldn't belong with him. She couldn't believe he had been with her, and so she had easily accepted he would leave her. That pain sat in her chest for months. But now? Now, Bella was just grateful. She would always be thankful to him for not letting her become a vampire. The cold scar on her hand would be a constant reminder of his willpower and his dedication to doing what he believed was right. With this in mind, Bella wanted to make sure Edward knew she didn't hold their past against him. During lunch she had struggled to lift the barrier from her mind while thinking only I forgive you, I promise. It was slightly awkward to be around Edward to be sure, but she didn't feel any pain. She had no regrets about dating him, and if she was honest, she'd grown so much after he left her. The girl who had laid down in the woods and waited to die after he left was truly dead and gone.
Bella remembered the first few hours without Edward. She had been devastated, but not just by him. They had all left her. They had all abandoned her. When Sam Uley had carried her out of the woods and handed her to Charlie, she hadn't been sure she would make it. She was cold, she was wet, and she was heartbroken. Bella had never been completely abandoned before. Emmett had been kidding when he called her the Cullen pet. He was wrong about her being their pet, but he was quite close. She had been more of the Cullen's mascot. Someone to cheer for, to appreciate, to enjoy. A part of the team, but not a player. She had convinced herself that she was part of the family, but she knew when they left that she had been nothing. She was the home team mascot, and they didn't bring her to away games.
Bella smirked, knowing that the world had changed. They obviously cared about her. They came back because they were worried about her. She never wanted to be their mascot again. She wasn't a frail human who needed to be protected. Bella was determined to even the playing field. The only way to truly do that would be to show them who she is now. Mascot Bella was gone. Bella was strong, she was confident, and she was determined to live to the best of her ability. She didn't have to prove anything to them, but she would, if for no other reason than she could.
Bella checked her phone. She had no messages, and that was good news. Making it through an entire day without having to wolf out and check the perimeter of the rez was a good sign. The return of the Cullens may have the Quileutes on edge, but they had seen neither head nor hair of Victoria since their return. It made the wolves anxious that she had just disappeared. Jacob had told Bella today that some of the younger boys on the reservation were experiencing nausea and noticeable growth spurts. They didn't know what it meant, but it seemed connected to the return of the Cullens. Bella had shrugged at Jacob's concern. She knew Victoria would be back soon. Recently Bella had adopted a, 'What comes will come and we must meet it when it does' attitude. Quil and Embry loved it. Jacob? Not so much.
Bella wondered if she should tell Sam where she was going, but she decided against it. Instead, she sent Leah a quick text, 'Heading to the Cullen's, call me if you need me.' Feeling particularly excited, Bella ran and tried to slide across her truck hood. The old rusted paint had no gloss left to it, and did not give Bella the 'Dukes of Hazzard' slide she had been hoping for. Bella rolled off the hood and landed on her hands and knees on the pavement. She hopped up, trying to recover before anyone could see her. There was no one around. Bella watched the scratches on her hands heal. She had torn a hole in her jeans. Oh well, better luck next time. Bella chose to jog around the side of the truck, ripping the door open. The hinges squealed in protest. The truck roared to life. It was music to her ears. As fast as she could run, her beautiful monster of a truck was still her prized possession. Bella pulled out of her driveway, making her was to the Cullen's as fast as the old red beast would allow. So, not very fast.
By the time Bella got to the Cullen's, she was humming to herself. She jumped out of the truck while the song in her head escaped her lips. "Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry."
Emmett's booming baritone joined in, "Them good ol' boys were drinking whiskey and rye!" Emmett waved from the porch.
Bella laughed. "Don McLean Emmett, really? I never would have guessed.
"Bella Boop, you wound me! The '70s were a great time for music." He groaned. "Also, if I'm totally honest, I was singing the Madonna version."
Bella bounded up to the stairs, happily hugging Emmett. "You big softy, I should have known. Where's my family?" Emmett grinned from ear to ear, looking a little like a serial killer trapped in a child's body. Bella steeled herself, a bit of nervousness hitting her. She wondered if that had been a step too far. She hadn't seen Carlisle and Esme in a year. Was she even allowed to consider them her family? Did they even feel that way about her anymore? Her wolf demanded she show nothing but confidence, but the person she'd been her whole life showed through sometimes. She swallowed the feeling, opened the door, and let herself in.
The Cullen's were in the foyer waiting. Jasper and Alice stood on the stairs, his arm around her shoulders. Edward was seated at his piano, slowly playing a melody with his back to the door. Bella was thankful it wasn't her lullaby. She was not above slapping a man if he made a situation awkward. Rosalie sat on the couch, reading without acknowledging Bella's presence. The wolf in Bella hummed contentedly at finally being in the vicinity of Rosalie's disapproval. When Bella was away from Rose she felt tense, almost like she was in a car filling with water, and her seatbelt was jammed. That feeling melted away.
Finally, Bella's gaze fell on Carlisle and Esme. They stood back at a respectable distance. There was a single moment, just long enough for Bella to take a breath, where the pair looked concerned like they didn't know how to react. A beat passed. "Carlisle, Esme." The warmth with which Bella addressed them sliced through the tension. They both revealed smiles that movie stars would have killed for.
Emma held open her arms, making it obvious what she was going for. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around both of them at once. They hugged her back gently, careful not to hurt her. She hugged them tighter. They stepped back.
Esme's eyes shined. "Bella, I am so happy to see you. You look beautiful. How are you? How's Charlie?"
"He's good. He's kicking butt, keeping Forks safe from everything except vampires, you know."
Esme took Bella's face gently in her hands. The cool on her skin felt nice. "Can you ever forgive us for leaving you like that? We all thought a clean break would be best. Alice has told us that we were wrong."
"I told them before it was wrong!" Alice called from the stairs. Jasper covered her mouth.
"Of course, Esme." Bella didn't realize until she said it, but she had completely forgiven them. Her forgiveness wasn't conditional. It wasn't just for her best friend Alice. Forgiveness wasn't just for the mountain of a teddy bear that was Emmett. She was so unrestrainedly happy to have them back. If she wasn't careful she might accidentally wolf out right now, just so she could chase her tail. It had happened once, and she told herself it would never happen again. The urge was still there though.
"Bella, what's happened to you?" Carlisle asked, walking around Bella. "Forgive me for being so forward. I am so happy to see you. But in all my years practicing medicine, I have never seen a human change so dramatically. Not after puberty."
Bella laughed awkwardly, her cheeks getting slightly warmer. Rosalie finally looked up, accidentally letting curiosity cross her face. Bella looked in her direction, distracted by the movement. Edward gasped. "Finally!" Edward mused. "I wondered what happened! Forgive me Bella, but previously I could hardly stand to be around you."
Bella turned to glare at Alice. Jasper's hand was still around Alice's mouth, but it hadn't helped stop her mind. "Thanks, dude, thanks a lot." Bella rolled her eyes. "Alice, you're dead."
"You're not my singer anymore, Bella! I had never heard of that changing, and Carlisle hadn't either!" Edward looked perturbed. He left the piano, walking up to her. "This is amazing."
Rosalie huffed. "Would any of you insufferable freaks care to clue the rest of us in?"
"Why? Do you want to know what's going on with your friend?" Bella answered quickly. She looked at Esme and Carlisle. "Rosalie and I are friends now."
Rosalie rolled her eyes and went back to her book. Her eyes no longer followed the words on the page, Bella noticed.
"Bella is a shifter!" Everyone in the room, except for Alice, looked surprised.
"Wow Edward, way to steal my thunder." Bella rolled her eyes.
"Great," Rosalie said sarcastically. Only here eyebrows gave away her surprise as they climbed closer to her hairline. "I guess you were right, Emmett. She is kind of like our pet."
"Rosalie!" Esme chided her daughter.
"No worries, Esme. We're friends, remember?" She smiled at Rosalie. "Thank you for gracing me with your insults." Bella bowed. Rosalie snapped her book shut and walked out the front door without a word. Alice giggled.
Carlisle commanded their attention. "I had heard rumors that the shifters could turn humans, but those were unconfirmed. This is amazing." Bella was starting to feel like a science experiment. "What is it like?"
Bella assumed he meant the shift. "It's painful. My bones break. They elongate, they rearrange. But it is the most amazing feeling, being a wolf. I'm stronger than I've ever been. I'm faster. I've gotten so good at the shift that it only takes a second. Cuts down on the hurt if I do it quickly."
"Does the moon affect you at all?" Edward asked.
"Nope! We're immune to the lunar cycle. Seems like not all rumors are correct."
"Don't let the dog pee on the carpet!" Rosalie shouted from the woods, some distance away from the house.
Esme looked appalled. "I did not raise her to act like this."
"You want I should teach her a lesson?" Bella asked, with a devious gleam in her eye.
"What do you mean?" Esme asked at the same time Emmett yelled, "Yes!"
"You dare me?" Bella whirled on Emmett.
"Yes!"
"What do I get if I do it?" Bella was already trembling, ready to accept the dare no matter what he offered. "My jeep. Do it!" He psyched her up.
"Deal!" Bella ran from the house. "Rosalieeeeee! Where are you!" She called from the expansive back yard.
Rosalie appeared on the perimeter, the book still in her hand. "What do you want?"
"Just to know where you were," Bella smirked, tossing off her plaid shirt and running towards Rosalie in the woods.
"What the fu-" Rosalie yelled, right before Bella shifted and burst into her wolf form midflight. She landed on Rosalie. Bella had never seen her so angry. Rosalie rolled onto her back, got her legs under Bella's soft furry Belly and kicked straight out. The force of the kick shattered one of Bella's ribs. Her own momentum kept her going. She flew through a tree, then rolled over, landing on her feet.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Rosalie shouted, wiping dirt from her yellow shirt's elbows. "Are you kidding me?" Rosalie's eyes blazed a furious ring of gold. Her pupils had exploded out, darkening in her rage. A smarter person might have been afraid. Bella was not that person.
Bella dropped low, eyes on Rosalie. She hopped side to side, making it obvious she was going to dive again. "Don't you dare, Clifford. I swear to whatever you believe in, I will end you!"
Bella woofed! It was a playful sound, but it echoed far and wide over the woods. It echoed back to them, sounding like there were several playful Bella's in the distance. Bella got lower, wiggled her tail, and launched at Rosalie again. Rose swung one powerful fist out, connecting with Bella's jaw. She whimpered in surprise. It wasn't broken, but it had hurt. Bella dove for Rosalie, dancing to the right just before Rosalie could hit her again. She spun behind Rosalie and grabbed the back of her shirt. For a moment Bella had Rosalie lifted in her jaws, but then the shirt tore. Rose screamed in unbridled rage, and Bella knew she had done it then. Rosalie spun around and leaped on top of Bella. She wrapped her arms around the wolf's neck, choking her into submission. Bella whimpered, and Rosalie laughed in satisfaction. Right before Bella lost consciousness Rosalie let go of her. Bella hit the ground. She rolled onto her back, belly exposed, letting her rival know she submitted. They were in the middle of the woods, surrounded by flattened trees.
Understanding flashed across Rosalie's face. "Okay, what did he bet you, Balto?"
Bella shifted, the bright white wolf quickly replaced by Bella. "His jeep," Bella said sheepishly. She stood up, feeling how sore her jaw was. Rosalie averted her eyes. Bella was naked. Bella's cheeks burned bright. "Hey, what's a little nudity between friends?"
Rosalie looked at her torn shirt. It hung off her frame, exposing her toned stomach. She was enraged again. "Indeed." She huffed.
"So you admit it?"
"What?" Rosalie snapped, eyes locked on Bella's again.
"We're friends," Bella smirked.
Rosalie turned away, stomping through the scarred ground to the house. She could see Rosalie's perfect back, exposed where Bella's teeth had gripped the shirt before it tore to bits. "I'll admit one thing, Lassie. You've got guts."
"I'm glad we're friends!" Bella hollered, hands cupped around her mouth. The next moment she turned back into a wolf, needing the extra speed to dodge a tree branch that was flying in her direction. The branch hit behind her. Shortly after, Bella heard the sound of metal being ripped to pieces and crumpled up. Looks like I'm not getting that Jeep after all.