Disclaimer: I have no claim to the copyrights of Twilight.

Note: All together, now! Sandwiches are the best!

Five.

Melissa sat outside on the back porch of the Cullen's house, eating another massive sandwich. It had been two days since they had arrived and things had settled down slightly. Melissa had slept through much of the discussions between Sophia and the Cullens but understood from what she heard when she rejoined them that planning was going well.

It was quiet. Three Cullen siblings were at school, Dr Cullen was at the hospital and Esme was in town working on a restoration project. Sophia and Alice had gone into Port Angeles to recon and so Melissa was alone at the house just then. She finished her sandwich and brushed the crumbs off her face and clothes, and then leaned back on her elbows, staring out into the gloomy forest.

Sophia had predicted that there would be a mass attack a few days from the day they arrived in Forks. The proxy leader of the vampire gang in Seattle would have his hands full trying to control a large crowd of hungry newborns and would be up the walls without any contact from his lover, Victoria. She and Alice had gone up to scout around and find out when exactly the attack would be. The others would wait until then.

When they were ready Melissa, Alice, Edward and Jasper along with Rosalie and Emmett would go into town and eliminate the out of control newborns. Sophia would stay behind to ensure no one tried to slip into Forks and go after Bella, or anyone else. It was a very simple plan, one that had little chance of failure with Alice and Sophia coordinating together. The only thing necessary was that she be patient.

During the days she spent waiting, Melissa observed the vampires around her, fine-tuned her control over aspects of her power and warily made friends with Bella Swan. The teenager was a very quiet person and took quite a bit of time to approach Melissa after they were first introduced, even though she was constantly curious and hung around frequently with Edward hovering behind when Melissa decided to practice within view of the house.

Bella wasn't the only one to watch her practice; Jasper and Emmett watched her sessions as well. The first time Melissa and Bella met was when she came back from Phoenix where she had been visiting with her mother. Melissa was in the kitchen making herself dinner that afternoon when Sophia darted into the kitchen and planted herself right next to the stove, inhaling the scent of stir-fried chicken deeply as Melissa watched in surprise.

"What on earth did you do that for?" she asked in amazement.

"Edward's Mate is back. I'm just trying to be less hungry. She'll be here in a few minutes." Sophia moved back from the stove and sat down on a stool.

"Okay, if you think that will work," said Melissa. She transferred sliced peppers into the pan and stirred, mixing up her ingredients with a splash of soy sauce and some salt. "That fragrant enough for you?' she asked.

Sophia gagged. "Very fragrant," she agreed. A minute later Melissa took her pan off the stove as her friend twitched and then stuck her head over the cooling stir-fry yet again. "She smells like flowers used to smell, Melissa. Flowers. I didn't see that coming, and it upsets me."

Melissa frowned. "I don't know if I should be offended that you don't react the same way to me or if I should sit on you until the kid leaves the house."

Sophia scoffed at her before dishing out the stirfry onto a waiting plate set out on the counter. Immediately after she set the plate down in front of Melissa, Edward came in, making faces at the smell. He was followed by an ordinary teenager with brown hair and eyes. Even with her incredibly pale skin she wouldn't have stood out in a crowd. She stood just behind Edward as he came up to the island.

"Bella, these are our guests, Melissa Hawkins and Sophia Roland." He gestured at each of them in turn. "Melissa, Sophia, this is Bella Swan."

Melissa leaned over the country and held out her hand. "Nice to finally meet you, Bella."

The girl looked slightly taken aback and shot a quick glance at Edward before taking her hand.

"Um, hi?" she responded tentatively.

Sophia grinned at her and reached out as well. This time Bella hesitated a little longer but after another glance at Edward she shook Sophia's hand as well, seeming to shrink in on herself slightly as she met Sophia's burning orange eyes.