Chapter 4 as promised. I've been having so much fun and seeing you guys enjoy my work and help me along with suggestions of your own has been awesome.

DISCLAIMER: Twilight and all of its wonderful characters belong to Stephenie Meyer

Enjoy!

His golden hues stared back at Bella as she stood there waiting for an explanation. Ever since her first day at school Bella knew something was off, but the events that transpired this particular morning had all confirmed that there was more to the Cullens than they'd let on.

"Well?" she questioned pointedly.

Jasper got out of the car and made his way around the vehicle to close the distance between him and the girl. "Could you maybe not cause a scene?" he shot back. There was a severity to his words and Bella knew instantly. What happened this morning shouldn't have happened.

"Tell me how you got to me so fast."

"Bella, I was standing right next to you. It was pure luck."

"No it wasn't!" she replied quickly, "I don't get why you're denying it. Why are you and Edward lying? You were on the other side of the parking lot. I saw you. One second a car's coming at me and the next you're there stopping it with your hand." It finally dawned on her that he wasn't hurt. "How do you push back on a full-sized van and not break bones." It wasn't a question. She knew what she had seen and Jasper and his family denying it so furiously only solidified her belief that there was something else going on here.

"Bella, I think you hit your head a bit too hard. You're distraught. You don't know what you're talking about. You should go home and try not to repeat these hallucination to anybody else. They'll have you committed." He spoke in hushed tones, but his glare was intense and his stance defensive.

His gaze went past her and Bella turned to see Edward making his way over. There was quiet for a few moments and as the brothers made eye contact, Bella couldn't help, but feel as though they were having some sort of private conversation. How that was happening was beyond her, but she was feeling extremely out of the loop as she stood there.

"Bella," Edward addressed her immediately, "Your dad's been looking for you. He's waiting for you in the lobby. We should probably get going too. It's been a long day for all of us."

She had so many questions, so much she wanted to say, but it was obvious that Jasper and his family were going to remain tight-lipped at least for now. Edward moved past her to get into the driver's seat of his car. Jasper moved too, but before he could move away Bella made a bold move as she grabbed his arm. Jasper stopped mid-stride. Their eyes locked and Bella silently pleaded for some kind of answer.

"Please," he begged, "Just let it go. You'll be better off."

"Jasper," Edward called out, a hint of a warning in his voice. He didn't want his brother saying anything else. The blond boy broke out of her grasp way too easily and she was left standing there as the engine came to life and they sped off.

Bella had no choice, but to make her way back to the hospital lobby to meet up with Charlie. Her headache seemed to worsen as more questions filled her mind. If Jasper thought she was going to let this go, he had another thing coming.

Bella spent most of her impromptu day off trying to rest. There was nothing good playing on the television which was a pity since she was in dire need of a distraction. Daytime TV always was a bit of a disappointment anyway. Charlie took the day off too, wanting to stay home and keep an eye on her. It was odd for her as it probably was for him. They had spent the last few weeks building a routine that required very little hovering. The phone had been going off all day and with every passing hour, Bella could see Charlie growing more and more agitated as he gave the same answer to what seemed like the whole town.

Evening came at an agonizing pace and with it came visitors. Bella heard voices at the door and rounded the corner just in time to see Charlie stepping aside so a teenage boy around her age could push a man in on a wheelchair. The older man and the boy were obviously related. Their eyes gave that away easily. It was the first feature Bella noticed these days.

"Bella, you remember Billy Black and his son Jacob."

The boy grinned at her, "Hi Bella. Long time no see." She offered a "hi" in return, raising a hand in a half-hearted wave.

Billy nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it's hardly fair that you go trying to get yourself killed before we even get a chance to see you."

She grimaced before turning to her dad, knowing he had told them what happened at school earlier. He simply shrugged a little helplessly in response. "Billy's an old friend. Plus, they do have a point. They hadn't seen you since you got back. It seemed like a perfectly good excuse to come check up on you."

"Oh don't blame your old man. We would have heard about it eventually. Plus, we brought dinner," Billy interjected, holding up a large tupperware container. Bella moved to take it from him, but Charlie stepped in, taking it instead. "You get some rest. Go sit down and catch up with Jacob."

Bella hated being treated like an invalid, but nodded anyway. There was already too much on her mind.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Jacob asked, flopping down on the couch beside her. She half wondered if telling people was even a good idea. What had Jasper said earlier? "They'll have you committed."

"Nothing... Just something I've been trying to figure out, but it sounds kind of stupid when I think about telling anyone else."

"Try me."

Something glimmered in Jacob's friendly eyes and Bella felt like he just might not laugh when she tried to explain what had been on her mind. "Do you know the Cullens?"

Jacob laughed, "I've heard tons, but they're mostly just ghost stories that they tell kids on the Rez."

"Ghost stories?" The term had definitely peaked her interest.

"Now I'm worried you'll laugh at me if I try telling you all the things I've heard."

"Try me," she echoed his own words back at him.

Jacob looked over his shoulder in the direction of the kitchen where Charlie and Billy's voices could be heard. The two men were engrossed in a conversation of their own and didn't seem like they'd be interrupting any time soon.

"So there's these legends in the Quileute tribe. Like there's one that says we descend from wolves. Crazy right? But there's this other one. It's about the cold ones."

"The cold ones? What's that supposed to mean?"

"According to the legend, my own great grandfather knew them and was the one to make the treaty— the one that keeps them off our lands. Supposedly, these cold ones are our natural enemies."

"What makes them the enemy?"

"Think about it. Wolves— werewolves have only ever had one enemy." Jacob waited for Bella to fill in the blank, but the teenager sensed her reluctance to utter the word.

"Vampires."

There was a pregnant pause that was eventually interrupted by Jacob's laughter.

"Told you it all sounds a little crazy."

"Crazy is a relative term." Her mind kept going back to Jasper's words. People would think she was crazy if she tried explaining all that she had witnessed this morning.

"Anyway, these cold ones apparently didn't hunt like all the others do. They insisted they weren't dangerous. That's where the treaty came in. As long as they didn't come onto our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the pale faces."

"Hunt? Like—?" she trailed off awkwardly.

"Yup." Hunting as in drinking blood.

Bella tried to connect the dots, but there was still information that didn't quite make sense. "What does this have to do with the Cullens though? Are they... Are they like the cold ones your great grandfather met?"

Jacob shook his head. "No... They're the same ones."

Bella almost didn't know what to say. It made sense. As crazy and ridiculous the whole thing sounded, it explained a lot. Finally, the pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall into place. Jasper's words once again rang in her ears.

"You'll be better off."

"Wow, I wish you could see your face right now," Jacob chuckled, sighing as he leaned back into the sofa. "Like I said, it's just a scary story. Nothing to lose sleep over."

Oh how wrong he was. Jacob and his father left not too long after dinner. Bella excused herself soon after, telling Charlie she wanted to get to bed sooner rather than later. She was completely set on going back to school the following day.

Bella laid there in bed as she mulled over what Jacob had told her. When it was clear that she wasn't going to be falling asleep any time soon, she sat up with a heavy sigh. It didn't take long before she was at her computer, researching anything and everything related to "vampires" or "cold ones". There was so much to read up on that Bella almost didn't even know where to start. She clicked the first link she saw and quickly fell down the rabbit hole.

Countries all over the world apparently had their own legends about vampires. Romania, Malasyia, Poland, China. Web page after web page spilled the secrets of supposed vampires that resided in all these far off places. Characteristics like cold skin, beautiful, blood-drinking, unusual speed and strength all pulled Bella in.

Hours went by, but Bella kept reading. The more she read, the more her interest grew, the more she felt her doubts confirmed. It wasn't until her eyes truly stung with exhaustion and the light of early morning began to peek through her window that she pulled away from the monitor. Her headache which had dulled down earlier now pulsed through her temples from exhaustion. Maybe staying home for a day wasn't the worst idea.

It didn't take much. She already looked a little worse for wear. Charlie was more than happy to make the call to the school and they were equally cooperative. It seemed to be the least they could do after her narrow brush with death.

Bella took the morning to catch up on the sleep she lost the day before. When she woke up it was half past noon, but at least her headache was almost gone. All that was left was the weak reminder every time she ran a hand through her hair. At least it let her know that it all happened— that it was all real.

The snow was still thick on the ground outside. Driving anywhere seemed like a terrible idea at the moment. Being stuck at home with a brain full of preposterous notions of vampires and specifically the Cullens being vampires was probably going to make her stir crazy.

The next day at school was almost as bad as the last, but Bella could deal with the hoards of classmates asking her the same questions over and over again if she could get a moment to talk to Jasper. The first half of the day moved at a sluggish pace, making her anxious to get to lunch so she could see him. However, today there were only four Cullens seated at their usual table and Jasper wasn't among them. Had it been their conversation in the parking lot of the hospital? Had she driven the poor boy to leave school just to get away from irritating presence? Would the rest follow? She started making her way back to her regular table, Jessica, Mike, and the others already expecting her when her footsteps faltered halfway. Instead she changed direction, making her way over to the Cullens. She watched as they exchanged looks, some of confusion, some of concern.

Bella took a nervous breath and spoke, "I'm sorry if what happened the other day inconvenienced any of you... I'd say I didn't mean to, but I think that part's obvious. Nobody ever wants to be hit by a car." Her attempt at a lighthearted joke wasn't exactly a riot, but Emmett let out a deep guffaw while Alice smiled on her words. It was enough encouragement for her to continue. "If you could tell Jasper I need to speak with him, I'd really appreciate it."

"Is that all?" Rosalie interjected, her tone way past the point of agitated.

She wanted to say so much more. She wanted to tell them about her night of reading. Mostly, she wanted them to know that whatever they were, she wasn't a threat to them. They had to know she would never tell anyone. Edward's eyes searched hers curiously. He was looking for answers and was failing.

"Yeah, that's all." Bella offered a weak smile before turning on her heel and walking back to her friends. She should have known that they were already staring at her. Had nobody ever approached the Cullens before?

"What was that about?" Jessica asked as casually as possible. it was clear she was having a hard time keeping her nose out of it.

"Just wanted to ask if Jasper was okay."

The Cullens had waited until she was out of earshot to speak. Apparently, you could never be too safe around Bella Swan.

"Edward?" Emmett called out.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I've been trying since the incident and I can't hear one thought." It was obvious how frustrated he was with the fact.

Rosalie spoke up, "She's being an absolute nuisance. Do we have to indulge her idiotic request?"

Alice joined the conversation if only to quiet her sister. "Rosalie... Jasper would want to know that she asked. We're telling him."

"I don't get it. He knows better than any of us that this is dangerous," Emmett responded, his eyes following Bella as she took a seat at her usual table.

"Ridiculously dangerous," Edward revised, "She's his singer. I'm surprised he's managed to restrain himself this long."

"Give him some credit, Edward." Alice covered his hand with her own dainty one in an effort to comfort him. "You know she's different."

"Alice, I know what you've seen, but that can all change. One small mistake, one wrong move, and she'll end up dead. Jasper would never forgive himself."

"Then we just need to make sure he's strong enough to get through this."

Rosalie rolled her eyes at the pair. "You're both delusional if you think this doesn't end badly."

"Let's just all calm down," Emmett drawled out slowly, giving the blonde next to him specifically a comforting look. "I think Alice is right. He deserves a little more credit than we're giving him. He's been hunting like crazy since she got here. He's going the extra mile to keep her safe."

"See?" the petite girl chirped, "It's going to be fine. He's got us to help him. Plus, he deserves this."

"Right," Edward smiled, taking her hand in his own and bringing it to his lips. "Your vision."

Alright! There we have it! I thought it would be fun to give a sneak peek at what the Cullens are thinking there at the end. Of course there will be more of that in later chapters as well, but it was nice to hand the spotlight over to some of our supporting characters.

Say hello, leave a review, let me know what you think so far. I can't wait to hear from you!

Thanks everyone!

-Reetu :)