Bella laid in bed after eating her pizza and she wiped her hands with tissues to get as much grease off her fingers as possible. She absolutely refused to go downstairs to wash her hands, just in case she met Harry on the way. Her thoughts had gone somewhere that she never though they would ever go and her heart threatened to beat out of her chest.

Her mind couldn't get past that glimpse she had seen of Harry through that gap in his towel and her face burned as she wondered what the whole thing looked like. She rolled onto her side and closed her eyes, careful to not touch anything, and her mind went over the sex education class she had the year before.

Bella knew what a penis looked like from pictures and from the video the teacher showed. She also remembered the teacher's warning that all of them were different, because every person was different. The same applied to women and their bodies, too. Their breasts were all different sizes and their lower parts could have all kinds of different things going on, despite them all having the same parts and functions.

It was a little confusing and a little off-putting, because her breasts weren't huge by comparison to some of the other girls, especially Jessica's. Her outfits showcased her chest a lot and Bella's showcased her smaller frame and emphasized her body as a whole, which was probably why Jessica and Lauren liked her clothing so much. They made all of her look good and not just one part of her.

Bella tried to tell them that it was all her mother's fault for teaching her everything she knew and for buying the clothes in the first place. The two girls wouldn't listen, because they believed it was her being modest and not wanting to admit that she was a secret fashionista.

That thought made Bella sigh and she took several deep breaths, because her mind had finally gotten past her almost encounter with Harry in the kitchen. She laid there for quite some time before she heard the creaking of a floorboard in the hallway. She barely managed to keep her breathing even and kept her eyes closed as she pretended to be asleep.

“Bella?” Harry whispered at her open door and she didn't respond. He saw the plate on her nightstand and carefully walked in to retrieve it. He couldn't leave a dirty dish anywhere and always cleaned up after Charlie, so he didn't think anything of it as he stopped beside the bed to pick up the plate. He looked down at Bella's sleeping form and he couldn't help but notice how pretty she was.

His mind flashed back to seeing her that first time in the airport and his heart had stopped at her utter beauty. Like he had told the guys from the reserve, he had to ignore her beauty in order to function. The last thing he wanted was for her to see him as a drooling idiot, even though he became that way whenever she surprised him... like she had in the kitchen with just wearing a towel that he wanted to tear off of her.

“Bella.” Harry whispered and he slowly sat down on the edge of her bed. “Bella, I'm so sorry about today. I only get called occasionally and it never crossed my mind that I'd be called for anything until at least the new year, or I would have told you all about it.”

Bella kept her breathing even and didn't respond.

“I know I should be telling you this when you're awake and I'd love to tell you everything. If I wasn't sworn to keep the tribe's secrets, I... god, I just... you're my Bella. I should be allowed to tell you.” Harry whispered, a little lost. “I would be breaking tribal secrecy if I told you about anything, let alone about the sacred rituals I get to participate in.”

He stopped talking and turned his head to look at her sleeping face. He reached out and lightly touched her hair to move it out of the way to get an even better look. He refrained from caressing her skin, because he suspected that she would wake as soon as he did so.

“My beautiful Bella.” Harry whispered. “You just had to come back at both the best and worst time.”

“Hmm.” Bella lightly moaned a little and Harry stopped touching her hair.

“I was so happy you're here and I'm also terrified, now that things are going to get so much more dangerous around here.” Harry whispered and turned away to stare at the dirty plate in his hand. “I want so badly to tell you... to warn you... about the ancient enemies without having to be so circular in my words. The tribe has fought to protect people from them for generations and it wasn't until the last group appeared that they had thought their job was finally done and they could live in peace.”

He took a deep breath and let it out. He sat there for several minutes before speaking again.

“I know why Charlie's so busy lately. They found a body in the woods. A hiker. I know this because the tribe called me to go out there to perform a ritual to see what had killed him.” Harry said. “I didn't want to admit that it was true, that they broke the treaty after all these years; but, they just came back from being away 2 years ago and there's no one else nearby...”

He sighed and closed his eyes as he hunched his shoulders.

“I'm going to be doing something tomorrow night that's going to change things. Even the chief doesn't know if it'll be for the better, not after I found two more bodies.”

Bella's breathing stopped and she hoped that Harry didn't notice.

“The vampires are making a move and the tribe is panicking. They're desperate to get their most sacred protector brought forth to help. I'll be using my abilities to help as much as I can, because I swore when they agreed to teach me to be a shaman and to use magic, that I'd do everything I could to uphold their traditions and to protect their people as if they were my own.”

Bella barely stopped herself from commenting that he was no longer whispering. The fact that he admitted he could use magic wouldn't hit her until later.

“Dark times are coming. There will be a time when we have to choose between what is right and what we can live with.” Harry said and stood. “The truth is... Old Harry once said that the truth is a beautiful and terrible thing. It needs to be treated with great caution, because it can both bond people closer and also destroy them.”

Harry turned to look down at Bella's sleeping face and he made his decision.

“I'm going to petition the tribe to let me tell you everything, even if you aren't bound by blood to keep quiet, as tribal custom requires.” Harry said and walked over to the door of her room. “I've never told anyone everything, not even the others in the tribe.”

The door closed behind him and Bella lifted her head from her pillow to stare at the door.

“Once again, you'll be the first person that I'm going to trust completely.” Harry's voice said as if he was still in the room, which was just like what happened back in the hospital. “I can only hope that you don't leave me again.”

Bella felt tears in her eyes and she wiped at her face before they fell. She thought about going after him, to ask him if he knew she was awake the whole time, and she decided that it was better if she let the charade go on until he said something to her. She laid back down and her mind reeled over everything that she had just learned.

Charlie was right. Harry did know what was going on. Bella thought, which was the first of many revelations that she was going to have that night. Her mind started to make a bunch of little connections because of everything that had been happening and her newly acquired knowledge of the situation was assimilated.

*

Harry went to his bedroom and began his preparations. He was going to need to be at his peak if he was going to perform the ritual flawlessly and also get away with what he was planning to do to protect Bella. He gathered the things he had slowly been taking from the practice rituals. Old Harry hadn't noticed anything missing, thankfully.

Harry set up the ritual circle to allow him to meditate without interruption for the next six hours. It meant he wouldn't have a normal night's sleep, so he added two hours of restful meditation at the end to make up for it. That was a full eight hours, nearly twice as long as he normally did it, and he hoped that it was enough.

He picked up his modified and self constructed summoning stick that had taken him years to create. It was his pride and joy, because it gave him so much more control over his abilities than the one Old Harry had. He had researched it and he couldn't figure out why this one worked so much better than the borrowed one. He didn't question it, though. His magic ability liked this one a lot more than the other one and he used it as much as he could.

Harry assumed the lotus position and politely asked the flame spirits to light the candles. They all lit as one and he thanked them for their help before he closed his eyes and began to chant. No one outside the circle could hear what he was saying, thanks to the silence runes he had drawn into the outer ring of the circle.

The world faded away from his perception and another world formed around him. It was the world of the spirits that Old Harry called the spirit realm. Harry knew it wasn't a different realm at all, since it had everything in it that existed in the regular world, except it was formed by the essences of living things that had died.

Trees, animals, and people existed there and it was so much easier to commune with them while meditating than it was to bring them across into the physical world and try to talk to them there. The problem was the time consumption when doing it this way. It would take Harry nearly all night to find the old shaman and ask for his help.

Each time Harry went looking for the old bastard, the shaman would hide and laugh at his pathetic perception skills. He would prod at Harry and joke around for hours before finally agreeing to give Harry the lessons he needed. At least, that's what had happened every other time Harry had sought him.

Almost as soon as Harry entered the spirit realm, the old shaman stood before him. He was dressed in the traditional shaman outfit that they all wore when performing important rituals and his body was white and ghost-like with wisps of white smoke seemingly floating around him.

“You know already.” Harry said as he saw the old man's face and gave the old man a very sad look in return.

“Yes, little papoose.” The old man said, his normal joking tone of voice completely absent. “You did well summoning the hiker and giving him some of your power. He has spread the warning to all whom reside here, albeit reluctantly.”

“He did say that he didn't want to talk to the others.” Harry admitted.

“That's because he was the lucky one and was only slashed and drained.” The old shaman said as he sat across from him. “The hunter was gutted and the other hiker lost his head. Literally.”

“Oh, damn.” Harry said with a sigh. “Charlie's not going to be happy.”

“You have much bigger worries than what your adopted father thinks of mangled bodies, papoose.”

Harry took a deep breath and let it out. “I, the shaman in training for the Quileute Tribe, do hereby request your knowledge of bringing forth the tribe's protector.”

The old shaman barked a laugh. “Ah, papoose! You are not thinking clearly.” He said and Harry's eyes widened. “You are going to need more than just the one to deal with this threat.”

“What do you mean?” Harry asked, a little concerned.

“A Pack Leader needs his pack.” The old shaman said and Harry's mouth dropped open. “Yes, you understand. Good.” He pat Harry's knee. “I will also help you in your own side quest.”

That shocked Harry even more than being told he would need to perform the Protector Ritual several times and not just the once like the chief and Old Harry wanted.

“We don't have much time.” The old man said and waved his hand. Twenty other spirits formed around them and Harry did his best to not stare at the collection of elders, shamans, and chiefs around him.

“Revered elders.” Harry said and bowed as much as his body could in the lotus position.

“He really does respect the old ways.” An old woman said and sat down next to the old shaman. “I thought you were pulling my leg, you old coot.”

“I've also got his spiritual perception up to your standards, you old biddy.” The old shaman said with a chuckle.

The old woman laughed and looked at Harry. “Did your namesake teach you how to detect people crossing the wards on our protected lands?”

“Yes.” Harry said. “I can even detect tribe magic being used or activated, as long as I had a hand in its creation or know of its existence. Old Harry taught me that while we went to the first body.”

“Hmm. That's not bad.” The old woman said. “It's a crude way of achieving the same thing that we used to do. With your permission, will you let me fix that?”

“I will accept any wisdom you wish to impart upon me, dear elder.” Harry accepted her help formally.

The old lady let out a short cackle and the old shaman groaned. “I hope you're ready for this, papoose!” She said and lunged for Harry, then she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Harry was too shocked by the move to react and stayed perfectly still, not even kissing her back. She broke the kiss and leaned back to look into his face.

“Is it working?” The old woman asked and Harry started to shake his head, then he stopped when her wrinkles started to sink into her face. Her short grey hair rippled and turned black as it grew out. Her deep set eyes and her wizened face filled out and now she looked to be about twenty years old and was damn near the spitting image of Sunflower.

“I think so.” Harry said. “You look beautiful now.”

The now young woman laughed a womanly laugh and not her old lady cackle. “The energy siphon works both ways, papoose. I needed your energy to give mine back.”

“You're going to...”

“You're going to enjoy this now.” She said with a wicked smile and leaned back in to kiss him like she used to kiss her husband.

Harry really did enjoy it. He also started to feel things start to filter into his mind. Refined techniques for the spells he was using, a better detection sense if he practised a certain ritual twice a day. That was if he was normal shaman. He wasn't, since they had never met anyone as strong with magic as him, so she gave him instructions to perform it every hour instead.

It was one of the longest make out sessions that Harry had had, with only the one he shared with Rachel before she went off to college lasting longer. The young woman broke the kiss and she eased her hold on him, then moved back to sit by the old shaman.

“That wasn't really necessary.” The old shaman said to her with a glare.

“Speak for yourself.” The young woman said with a satisfied sigh.

“Would you have taken his first time if he wasn't saving it for the woman he loves?” One of the other old women asked.

“Definitely.” The young woman said. “You have to feel his spiritual essence. It's amazingly pure.”

“I've seen his animal summons.” The other old woman said. “I admit that they are rather strong.”

One of the old chiefs laughed. “Strong? Ha ha! They can almost be classed as familiars and they are only spirit beasts!”

“Familiars?” Harry asked the old chief.

“I suppose it's my turn to impart some knowledge to you, papoose.” He said and held a hand out. “I won't ask for a kiss, though. That's (name undecipherable in English)'s fetish.”

“Wait, that wasn't necessary for the knowledge transfer?” Harry asked and nearly all of them laughed.

“Oh, it was. For my part, anyway.” The young woman said demurely as she looked down at Harry's crotch and the tent pole there. “You know, sex with a spirit doesn't count as...”

The old shaman beside her whacked her on the side of the head with the back of his hand.

“OW!” She said and rubbed the spot.

“We're here to help him learn, not take advantage of him.” The old shaman admonished her.

“You didn't have to hit me.” She said.

“You're lucky I didn't use my summoning stick.” The old shaman said. “Now apologize.”

“I'm sorry for suggesting such a thing, Harry.” The young woman said with a sigh.

Harry gave her an appraising look to tease her. “How long will you look like that?”

“Several weeks, at least. Maybe a month.” She responded, quite happy.

Harry didn't say anything else and took the old chief's hand. An electric shock went through Harry and up his arm. “Whoa.” He said as his mind expanded just a little bit. The old chief smiled and then started to impart to Harry the proper rituals and spells to use to establish a familiar bond with a spirit animal.

This process lasted an hour and then another old man took his hand. Harry learned another warding spell, one that could be quickly cast in any area, to ward off both people and creatures, friendly or not. He could also specify exceptions, which was great. It was going to be handy to have.

An old woman held a hand out and he took it eagerly. After fifteen minutes, she had given him another talisman recipe to boost spiritual power, which would enhance the protectors and their powers. She didn't have to verbalize that he could use it on himself, because he was going to do that right away. He was going to need the extra help to perform multiple rituals.

*

Bella slept fitfully all night and woke up the next morning both bleary-eyed and tired. The things she had learned the night before were just too world altering for her to settle her mind properly. Vampires are real. Honest to god vampires. She thought and rubbed her face as she walked by Harry's bedroom door. She felt a tug on her top and looked down to see the pendant she wore had slid to the side to point towards his door under her pyjama top.

She touched it and it seemed to act like a magnet and resisted being moved. She moved her body away from the door a little and the pull lessened, then she moved back and it became more pronounced. That was really weird and she reached out to open the door of the bedroom. It wasn't locked and swung open freely. The problem she had was that her mind refused to see what she was seeing at first. It was just too unbelievable.

She could see ghosts, or what she assumed were ghosts. They were white wispy things with slight faces that she could make out when they moved and some of the wisps were touching Harry's arms, hands, and knees. The longer she looked, the stronger the images of them seemed to become. She could make out hair on the ghosts now and a bit of clothing. The wisps became arms and hands and lightly caressed him.

“S-stop. Stop.” Bella said before she realized that she was probably interrupting something important.

One of the ghosts, clearly female, turned her head to stare at her. “Chosen.” Was spoken and the word floated through the air to Bella's ears, even though the ghost hadn't opened her mouth to say it.

“I don't care. You shouldn't paw at him like that.” Bella said with a frown.

“Jealous.” The ghost's mouth moved this time and also smiled.

Bella's face flushed red a little as the ghost's hand slowly moved down Harry's chest towards another area. Before she knew what she was doing, Bella strode into the room and grabbed the ghost's shoulder and flung her away. The pendant around her neck flared a little and the ghost laughed as it faded away. Bella took several shallow breaths at what had just happened, that she had physically touched a ghost, and then she realized that the ghosts were physically touching Harry.

She glanced at her hands for a moment, then started to swat the ghosts away without concern or any particular aim, except to make them stop touching him. She didn't notice that as she pushed each ghost away, one of the candles went out as well. She wasn't very athletic and was also tired, so she ran out of stamina fairly quickly as the last ghost was only lightly pushed away.

The old man's face gave her a reassuring smile, instead of anger for some reason, then he faded away as the last candle was extinguished.

Bella bent down to put her hands on Harry's shoulders to shake him a little. “Harry! Harry, wake up!”

He didn't respond, so she shook him a little harder. That didn't work either, until the pendant jerked towards him and she lost her balance. She fell forward and pushed Harry backwards onto the floor as she fell on top of him. He didn't grunt or anything from the impact as his head thumped onto the floor, not until one of the candles was knocked over and out of position.

That broke the meditation ritual circle and the power seeped away. The pendant around Bella's neck also stopped pulling her towards him, too.

“Owww.” Harry groaned and felt a weight on top of him. He had a splitting headache and it felt like something had whacked the back of his head, too. He kept his eyes closed, sure that the light of early morning was going to be both blinding and cause the pain to intensify. He was glad that his legs had popped out of the Lotus position or he would have been in a lot more pain from falling over with them still locked together.

His arms went around whatever was on top of him to see what it was and his probing hands met soft and very warm flesh. There was a bit of a distinctive female moan when he touched a particularly nice and rounded bit and he caught his breath and held on without moving his hands any more.

It couldn't be. Harry thought, his mind whirring over what he was sure was the cheek of a very nice ass gripped in his hand. He slowly opened his eyes and the light seared into his retinas, so he snapped them closed again. “Owwww. That hurt.”

“H-H-Harry, I'm s-sorry.” Bella said, her voice a little shaky. “I tried to wake you and... fell over and...”

“It's all right. I was... meditating.” Harry said as an explanation, not wanting to admit that he was actually communing with spirits.

“Is that... what it was?” Bella asked, her voice unsure. “They looked like ghosts to me.”

Harry took in a quick breath and his hands gripped a little tighter.

“Mmm.” Bella moaned, then she took in a sharp breath. “Harry!” She gasped. “Let... let me go. You're holding my...”

Harry let her ass go and moved his hand up to her waist instead. “I'm sorry! I didn't mean to...”

“It's... it's all right.” Bella said, haltingly. For some unknown reason, she didn't try to move or tried to get up off of him. “Can you open your eyes?”

“I think so.” Harry said and opened then a tiny little bit. The flicker of pain was intense; but, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. He opened them a bit more and then his eyes widened as Bella's beautiful face hovered right above his. Her wavy dark brown hair flowed down around her face and his like a curtain and it blocked out a lot of the early morning light.

Bella leaned in close and Harry's breathing sped up slightly as she gently touched the side of his face. “Your pupils are larger than they should be.” She whispered. “You might have a concussion.”

“Or I need my glasses.” Harry responded, also in a whisper.

“No, your pupils dilate with light sensitivity and a minor brain injury.” Bella breathed. “It's one of the first signs to look for, along with a headache and eye pain.”

“Both of which I have.” Harry admitted. “Wait, how do you know that?” He asked, curious.

“Renee's husband Phil is a minor league baseball player and it's one of their main worries about getting hit in the head with the ball.” Bella said in a calm voice.

For some reason, she was perfectly fine with laying on top of Harry and having a normal conversation with him. She wasn't feeling uncomfortable, not even after he had so firmly grabbed her ass by accident. She would never admit that it felt absolutely wonderful, though. Nope, never. She was keeping that secret all to herself.

“I guess that would be a constant fear with all those balls flying around.” Harry said, also completely calm.

For some reason, holding Bella like his felt completely natural to him. It was like she was meant to be there and there wasn't any awkwardness or anything between them, except for him grabbing her ass before. That was both embarrassing and a huge turn on for him, especially after all the scenarios he had run through his mind after seeing her wearing just a towel.

The best part was that Bella hadn't gotten angry at him over it. In fact, he was sure that he heard her moan a little. He was also sure that she would deny it adamantly if he ever mentioned it, even if he told her that his hand hadn't felt any underwear through the thin cloth of her pyjama bottoms. His mind immediately went to what she could be wearing, if anything, and his body responded.

Bella felt something growing between them, thanks to her weight being pressed down on that area, and her mind immediately went to what she had seen a glimpse of when Harry's towel had gaped open. Her face flushed a little red and she fought against it, even as her own body responded to a quite blatant sexual display with one of her own.

Harry felt Bella's nipples press into his chest and he barely managed to stop his hands from caressing her back and possibly more. He didn't want to scare her away by how much he wanted her, even though he was sure that she knew. It was too soon for them to do something like that, anyway. Even Harry had to admit that waiting was better than forcing things, because he didn't want to ruin what could be the best relationship that either of them could ever have.

“So, Doctor Bella.” Harry said without letting his voice shake from excitement, and saw her smile. “What do you recommend as treatment?”

“There's not much that can be done professionally.” Bella said, her own voice normal, even though she really liked the feeling of him pressed between them. Her thin pyjamas and his shorts proved to be almost no barrier and she could feel almost his full shape on her abdomen, which was quite a thrill for her.

“What... what about... personally?” Harry asked, unable to keep the eagerness fully contained.

“You just need to get some rest, a bit of exercise later, and some mental stimulation like reading or easy puzzle solving.” Bella said with a smile as she looked into his bright green eyes that she had wanted to see directly for weeks. They were even lovelier than she suspected.

“The floor isn't very soft, so maybe... maybe we can move to the bed?” Harry suggested.

Bella's heart beat faster than she thought was possible. “H-Harry, that...” She whispered and her lips seemed to expand slightly, making them even more kissable than they had been a second before. “...is a good idea.”

Neither of them moved, both reluctant to end this moment or to break whatever magic was in the air between them. The two of them laid there and stared into each other's eyes for several minutes without moving or saying anything.

“I'M LEAVING!” Charlie's voice cut through the house like lightning.

Both Harry and Bella gasped and jerked from it, as if they had been caught red handed doing something they shouldn't have.

“SEE YOU TOMORROW!” Charlie said and the sound of the front door plunged the house back into silence. Harry's and Bella's eyes were very wide for a second, then they both let out nervous laughs.

“We better get up.” Bella said, reluctantly.

Harry nodded and eased his hold on her, then did his best to help her balance as she shifted her weight and then sat up. It put her right over his crotch and they both blushed as their parts rubbed together. Neither said anything as Bella got to her knees and then she stood up.

Harry started to sit up and felt a wave of dizziness. “I might... need a hand.” He said and braced a hand on the floor.

“Is the room spinning?” Bella asked, concerned. Her previous uncomfortable state quickly forgotten by Harry's need for her.

“Only a few dozen times a second.” Harry joked and she knelt to let him put his arm over her shoulder. He used her as a crutch and managed to get to his knees before he felt sick. “Wait.” He said and covered his mouth, just in case.

“You're not hamming it up so you can hug me again, are you?” Bella asked to try and lighten the mood.

Harry waited a moment before he uncovered his mouth. “I wish I was that devious.”

Bella raised her eyebrows at him and he sighed.

“Bella, I... I know you probably won't believe me when I say this...”

“Then don't say it.” Bella said and helped Harry stand. They took five steps to the bed and Bella carefully sat Harry down on it.

“Bella...” Harry started to say and she covered his mouth.

“Hush, or do you want me to leave the room to let you recover alone?” Bella asked as she moved her hand to hear his answer.

“Never.” Harry said and groaned as he laid down to rest his head on his pillow. “Don't go.”

“I won't.” Bella said and had him move back, then climbed onto the bed with him. “You can't sleep, all right? This is the mental stimulation part of your recovery and you need to pay attention.”

“I'll always pay attention... to you.” Harry said and closed his eyes.

“No! Keep looking at me!” Bella said and put her hand on his cheek. “Harry!”

“I'm awake.” Harry said and blinked his eyes to try and focus them on her face. “I was up all night. I didn't sleep and I missed my resting meditation session for some reason.”

Bella sighed and rested her head on the pillow to stare at me. “I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't think about anything except stopping the ghosts from molesting you.”

Harry laughed softly and Bella liked the sound. “She definitely pushed her luck by kissing me like she did.”

“Wh-what? She kissed you?” Bella asked, surprised. “I didn't see that! I only saw her reach for...” Her face blushed a little and she looked down at his crotch. Her eyes caught sight of the tip of him sticking out of his shorts and she gasped and put her eyes right back onto his face. I didn't just see that! I didn't! Nope, nope, nope!

“I know, it surprised me, too.” Harry said, completely misunderstanding the surprised look on her face. “She could kiss pretty passionately, even if she lacked some technique.”

Bella stared at Harry and wasn't sure what to say, because now she was in a bit of a moral quandary. Would he say the same thing about me if we kissed? She asked herself. Wait! What am I thinking? I don't want to kiss him! He's Harry! I grew up with him and... he's my... he's... Her thoughts trailed off as she thought about what he actually was.

Her mind had first assumed that she had him firmly pegged into the 'brother' slot before coming back here to Charlie. The thing was, she had no reason to do that. They were only six when she was taken away to live with Renee. When she was old enough, she became a mother figure to Renee.

It wasn't until they were living under the same roof that she realized she hadn't acted much like a sister, any more than Harry had acted like a brother. They had a dynamic that was oddly comforting despite that shortcoming. She knew that Harry would do anything for her, and she liked that a lot. She also believed that she would do anything for him, too.

In her eyes, she had mistaken that for something that siblings would always do for each other, not realizing that it wasn't a requirement. Friends, family, and people that cared about each other would do the same thing. She could see now that wasn't what they had, because there was no way that she could be turned on so much by someone without any feelings being there.

It took Bella a few minutes to come up with the term. Sexual tension! That's what this is between us. She thought and her hand on his face slid down to rest on his chest. Renee said she and Phil had tons of it when they first met and... She could feel Harry's heart beating faster than normal, just like hers was. He's feeling it, too!

“You're awfully quiet for someone trying to keep me mentally stimulated.” Harry said with a lazy smile and Bella looked surprised for a moment, then she laughed.

“I'm just thinking really hard.” Bella said.

“I know. I could smell the smoke from the gears grinding.” Harry joked.

Bella thought about smacking him, then sighed. “I owe you a good whack later.”

“I can't wait. The last one was a doozy.” Harry said and Bella looked sad. “Hey, it was an accident. I don't want you to feel bad about it, okay?”

“I gave you a concussion, Harry.” Bella said, a bit sheepishly.

“I thought it was you throwing that sexy body on me and crushing me to the ground that did it.”

Bella's eyes flashed angrily. “Did you just say I was fat?”

“No way. You're perfect.” Harry said and then yawned for about five seconds. “You're the best looking girl in the whole state.”

Bella blushed. “You're such a liar.”

“Hey, it's not my fault I only have the state to compare you to. I haven't been anywhere else.” Harry said, honestly.

“The Cullens...” Bella started to say.

“Are some of the ugliest things on the planet.” Harry said and his face showed anger for a few seconds before he sighed. “You do realize that beauty isn't just skin deep, right?”

“Eevryone thinks they're pretty and handsome.” Bella said.

“Well, people as a whole are idiots.”

Bella laughed before she could stop herself. “Hey! That's not funny.”

“Yes, it was.” Harry grinned briefly. “It's also true. Look at mobs and gangs for instance. When people gather into a group, their collective intelligence drops to the lowest common denominator.”

“But, what if there was someone really smart there?” Bella asked.

“Easily drowned out by the others. Majority rules, remember? One lone voice has a hard time speaking out against the masses. It's always been this way.”

“How do you know that?” Bella asked.

“I'm not supposed to tell you that the spirits have lots of knowledge to share.” Harry said.

“I thought you couldn't talk about it because it breaks tribal law or something?”

“You walked in on me communing with the spirits and saw them for yourself.” Harry said with a shrug.

“You left the door unlocked.” Bella said.

“No, I didn't. It's also warded to warn me when someone crosses it.” Harry said and her eyes widened. “Yes, I know you were in my room a few times.”

“Why... why didn't you say anything?” Bella asked in a whisper, because she felt bad that he always knew she had been violating his space like that.

“Why would I? Everything that's mine is yours, Bella. You know that.” Harry said, matter of factly.

“Wh-what? Why would I know that?” Bella asked, shocked.

“We promised each other when we were kids that everything we had, the other had, too. We shared everything, no matter what it was.”

Bella didn't say anything and just stared into Harry's eyes for several minutes.

“What are you thinking?” Harry whispered when he couldn't take the silence anymore.

Bella didn't want to admit what she was really thinking about. One was the thing that was still poking out of his shorts and begging her to touch it or tuck it away. The other was what he would say if she showed him the racy panties she was currently wearing.

“I really like wearing your jogging pants. They're a lot more comfortable than mine.” Bella said instead.

Harry let out a snort and laughed for a few seconds, because he finally found his missing jogging pants, then he groaned and gripped his forehead. “Owww. I shouldn't have laughed that hard.”

Bella moved her hand from his chest and gently rubbed his forehead. “I remember a deep red scar used to be there. What happened to it?”

Harry relaxed as he told her all about what had happened with it, the fund raising, and the doctor being hailed as a hero when he left.

“That was really nice of everyone.” Bella said and her fingers traced over the spot as if the thing was still there.

“You remember the shape.” Harry whispered and she nodded. “I didn't think... I mean, no one else...”

“I saw it every day, along with your bright green eyes.” Bella whispered back and looked into the eyes in question. “How could I not... memorize... them.”

They both laid there and stared into each other's eyes for quite some time.

*

There was a light grumbling coming from one of the men and Charlie ignored it like he had the other three times it had happened.

“We can't get there any faster.” The hunter leading them said, clearly hearing the complaint. “Unless you want to sprain an ankle and have to crawl or be carried the rest of the way.”

“I'd rather be carried!” One of the deputies said. “Someone else can take my pack, too.”

That made a couple of them laugh.

“Be lucky that we brought the light stretcher that can be dragged.” One of the paramedics said. “We could have taken the one with the wheels.”

“Ugh.” The other paramedic groaned. “That damn thing is heavy on normal ground and the wheels are tiny. Taking it through here would be a nightmare.”

“Oh, I know.” The first paramedic said with a chuckle. “With this one we can take turns and switch out with the deputies occasionally to drag the light one back to the ambulance.”

“I just hope there's something left for us to take back.” Charlie said and that brought their conversation to a halt. None of them had thought about carnivores making a meal out of the body and none of them wanted to think about it now.

“One hundred thousand bottles of beer on the wall, one hundred thousand bottles of beer, take one down, pass it around, ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine bottle of beer on the wall.” One of the deputies started to sing.

“Oh, for Christ's sake, don't start that crap up again!” Another said.

“A hundred thousand bottles? You're nuts to start so high. Do a thousand or something. That's not as annoying.” One of the paramedics said.

The conversation quickly devolved into the merits of beer and the best brands. Charlie let them do it, too. The best leader didn't try to stop his men's creativity. He would instead direct it to where it needed to go or used it to keep them on track to the task before them. The task right now was a long hike through rough terrain to get to a body. Arguing over the best bottled beer in the state was perfect for that.

*

“He's still not here.” Angela said through her tears as the school bell rang.

“After what happened yesterday, I'm sure he's at home taking care of Bella.” Jessica said. “We can ask the teacher if she's heard anything, all right?”

Angela nodded and let Jessica lead her to class with Lauren looking concerned.

“You said Doctor Cullen claimed that Bella was fine, right? Even though she fainted?” Lauren asked.

Angela nodded. “He said she wasn't hurt, except for maybe a bruise on her butt from falling on it.”

“Okay, then that means her dad's forcing her to stay home.” Jessica said, wisely. “You know she's too stubborn to stay home otherwise.”

“What makes you say that?” Lauren asked.

“Yeah, why?” Angela asked.

“She wants us to see her wearing those great outfits, remember?” Jessica asked and both of the other girls stared at her. “Hey, she's the center of attention and now with the accident...”

“Is she here?” A young man's voice asked, a bit frantically, as he grabbed Jessica's arm and spun her around. He also looked teary-eyed again. “I need to apologize to her before...”

“Jesus, Tony! Piss off!” Jessica spat at him and pulled her arm from his grip. “If you dare try to come after Bella like that, I'll kick you so hard between the legs, you'll be singing soprano for the rest of your pathetic life!”

Tony's mouth dropped open and he didn't know what to say in response.

“Just the shin today.” Jessica said as she hauled her foot back, then slammed her pointed toe shoe right into the front of his shin.

“AGHH!” Tony yelled and hopped around on one foot as he gripped his shin. It had felt like she had stabbed him and he cried from the pain.

“You hurt my arm, you asshole.” Jessica said and rubbed her upper arm that he had grabbed so roughly. “The next time you come near us, I won't wait for Bella to show up to aim for your little dangling bits.”

Tony was too busy nursing his own pain to answer.

Jessica stepped close and flicked his ear to make him flinch. “Get! Lost!”

Tony nodded several times and hobbled away, not even bothering to wipe the tears from his face. Everyone knew he was a crybaby already and there was no point in hiding it.

“How is it?” Angela asked.

Lauren lifted the half sleeve of Jessica's top to look at her arm and took a hissing breath and let the sleeve go.

“It's already bruising, isn't it?” Jessica asked with a sigh and Lauren nodded. “I left my concealer at home.”

“I have some.” Lauren said.

“You're a life saver.” Jessica said and they continued on to class. They sat down and Lauren handed her the make-up container and they both carefully applied it to her arm.

“I wonder if we're still having the sleepover?” Angela asked.

“Definitely.” Jessica and Lauren said, then both smiled a little.

“She's going to be desperate for our company after being stuck inside her house for two whole days with just Harry and her dad.” Jessica said, sure of that fact. “She might even call for us to go earlier.”

“Do you think so?” Angela asked and she nodded. “That would be nice.”

Lauren and Jessica exchanged looks and didn't comment about Harry probably not wanting to have anything to do with her now. They both knew he was a bit fickle with who he spends his time with. Once he chose to not do that with someone anymore, there wasn't much chance of it continuing. Ever.

*

Bella reluctantly climbed off of the bed when both of their stomachs rumbled again. They had missed breakfast while she had kept Harry talking to make sure that he didn't fall asleep. She went downstairs and made up a quick breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast. She remembered their first day of school and Harry asking her if she wanted eggs and bacon or bacon with eggs.

She chuckled at the memory and did up two plates for them, with a little extra, so they wouldn't have to worry about missing lunch. She turned everything off and carried both plates up the stairs. She entered the room and put the plates down on the desk and looked at his sleeping face. His sleeping face!

“Harry!” Bella gasped and knelt by the bed to check him. His breathing was sped up, as was his pulse. “Harry! HARRY! Wake UP!”

Harry looked like he was in a bit of a nightmare and Bella tried to wake him as gently and firmly as possible. He suddenly took in a sharp breath and his hand shot out to grab Bella's wrist.

“Harry! What...” Bella stopped talking and closed her eyes as a wave of something passed over her. When she opened her eyes, she was inside a quaint little cottage that was not their house. Standing in front of her was a gorgeous redheaded woman holding a baby. A very cute little baby. A very recognizable baby.

“H-Harry?” Bella asked and the baby turned his head to look at her.

“Bebba!” Baby Harry said and reached for her, then the world seemed to explode.

Bella was on the floor and stared up at a dark cloaked figure that looked like death personified as it stood in the remains of the front door and part of the wall that had blown up. It terrified her for only a moment, until she saw where the figure was looking. He was looking at the prone form of the redheaded woman on the floor and the baby she clung to that was looking over her shoulder.

“Harry!” Bella exclaimed.

“Lily, run!” A man's voice said as he ran into the living room and then tried to physically tackle the dark cloaked figure. “Leave us alone!”

A green light from the stick that the dark cloaked figure held, made the man fall to the floor, dead.

“I'm only here for the boy.” The figure said in a menacing voice.

“N-no... no, not... my Harry.” The redheaded woman whispered as she managed to get to her feet and stumbled up the stairs.

The dark cloaked figure sighed and slowly followed the woman's feeble attempts at escape, because going up the stairs ensured that she would be caught, since there would be nowhere for her to run.

Bella felt exactly the same way as the redheaded woman named Lily and she climbed the stairs with a bit more strength than she thought she should have after suffering through an explosion like that. She reached the room, the baby's room, and her eyes widened as the redheaded woman refused to move.

“You vex me, woman. The man that desires you wants me to spare you.” The dark cloaked figure said and she shook her head. “You can always have another.”

“NO! Harry's the only one! He can only ever be the only one!” Lilly said, then a bright green light made her fall to the floor, dead.

No! Bella thought as the stick was raised to point at Baby Harry next.

“With this blow, I secure the end of my fated rival and ensure my eternal life. With you dead, no one can ever kill me.” The figure said and smiled.

Bella didn't even think about hesitating as she lunged forward and threw herself between Baby Harry and the pulse of bright green light that was going to kill him. She was shocked when she didn't die and the green light bounced back and struck the dark cloaked figure instead. The figure, that looked like death personified, crumpled to the floor, dead.

“Bebba.” Baby Harry said and Bella turned to the crib to stare at him. “Hep Bebba.”

Bella reached into the crib and picked Baby Harry up. “Of course I'll help you, Harry.”

Baby Harry shook his head. “Hep.” He touched his own chest. With tears in his eyes and a freshly bleeding lightning bolt scar on his forehead, he reached up and touched her face. “Hep Bebba.”

“Help me?” Bella asked and Baby Harry nodded. “Why?” She asked as everything started to fade to black and Baby Harry's weight disappeared from her arms. “Wait! Why? Why did I see all of this?”

When the physical sensations stopped and all that was left was a black so dark that nothing could possibly penetrate it, Bella felt something hug her mind and she embraced it. It was warm, and comforting, and she felt like she could bask in it for all eternity.

It was the only sensation Bella felt in the darkness and she clung to it as tightly as she could, afraid that if she ever let it go, she would lose everything she was. As she held on desperately, two words floated through the darkness to her ears.

“My Bebba.” Baby Harry whispered to her and then there was nothing.