Disclaimer

Twilight and all affiliated characters are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I do not own any of the aforementioned characters except Beth and the plot of this story (that is, should it stray from the original Twilight). This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official storyline. I am not in any way, shape, or form benefiting financially from the publishing of this story on this site and am very grateful for Mrs. Meyer's creation. Besides, if I did own Twilight, I'd be eating food at a five star restaurant everyday.

The Volvo was warm when the girls hopped inside, Edward walking around the hood after closing their doors for them; Beth in the passenger's seat and Bella in the back, headphones blasting music -that even Elizabeth could hear- in an attempt to block out whatever conversation might start between the two in the front. The smooth, black leather was cool to the touch despite the warmth being pushed through the air vents and with a soft shut, Edward was then in his seat and starting the car with his key in the ignition. He was parked in the spot normally reserved for the bright, aging, old red Chevy and the driveway seemed oddly bereft without the thunderous monster. The police car that normally parked beside it had already left for the day, ushered off with the assurances of one of his daughters.

It was after he turned onto the main road, windshield wipers squeaked against the windscreen to wipe away the moisture that dripped from the sky, that Beth finally started, "Thank you, for picking us up."

Edward threw her a small crooked grin, and shrugged his shoulders, golden eyes taking in her figure in the seat next to him before flitting back to the road, "It's nothing."

"Do you live near here?" She inquired curiously as she looked out into the expansive greenery that bordered the road they were on. Ever so often she would see a break in the trees and wonder if there was a driveway that led up to the mysterious Cullen house.

"Just on the outskirts of town."

"Just?" she raised an eyebrow. Had he really gone out of his way to pick them up? Granted, it was a small town and everyone either lived about one or two streets away from the main street that all the stores and shops were on or a fifteen minute drive from Forks High so it wasn't that far out of his way. But still, it bothered her a bit more than she realized. Even their dad would have been a better choice to take them to school. Just why did Edward offer to drive them? What had he been hoping to achieve?

Behind them, Bella changed the music to a rock song that Beth remembered in her vague memories of her past life, but could not recall the name of.

"What do you think of the idea of meeting the rest of my family this weekend?" He suggested, shooting her a glance to see what her reaction would have been. They had crawled to a stop at an intersection- the light beaming red as pedestrians made their way across the wet tarmac and his foot finally eased off of the gas he had been hard pressing (something that Beth hadn't missed) since they'd left the Swan residence.

Beth paused, and her teeth sunk into her bottom lip gently as she thought. Tucking a strand of her brown hair behind her ear, she rolled the idea over in her mind before agreeing,

"But only if you meet my grandparents as well."

Beside her, as the light turned green and the speedometer steadily increased to eighty (Beth had looked away at that point, not wanting to dwell on it once the numbers stepped into triple digits) Edward hummed lowly before agreeing with a small smile.

"Hey," the brunette beside him called, "If you're driving us to school, how are your siblings getting there?"

He gave a short laugh and a stray drop of water from his hair fell into his lap from when he'd last left the car.

"They took Rosalie's car." And as soon as he'd answered, they'd pulled into the parking lot where Beth could see a crowd had gathered around a shiny, bright red BMW- now the most expensive car in the lot, and the remaining Cullen siblings not far behind- huddled up in their little group like they always did before school began.

"Wow," Elizabeth commented and even Bella, music still blasting, leaned forward from the back seat and let out a low whistle at the sight of the new and very expensive vehicle. Edward merely got out and walked around to open the door for the girls once he'd parked.

And like a switch had been flipped, suddenly the entire population of Fork's High was looking at them, expressions ranging from shock, trepidation and disbelief coating the faces of their peers. Jessica Stanley's expression most of all, spoke of a large amount of betrayal and judging by the flush of her face, a bit of anger. Beside the brown haired girl, Angela only smiled and the boys surrounding Tyler's new tan Sedan looked over with disapproval evident in the very way they held themselves. Mike Newton bit into a Twizzler harshly before turning his back to them, the bright letter 'F' on his Jersey now facing the trio.

Bella, cheeks red from all the attention, ducked out as quickly as possible, moving as efficiently as she could around the tiny puddles and to her credit, only slipping once! Angela, thankfully caught the girl, just in time and righted her footing before the pair looped arms to walk inside the school- eager to escape the scope of scrutiny that Fork's High School students continued to bestow upon them. Jessica had let them go with a face clouded in jealousy, determination set in her shoulders. Beth could only sigh and hope that she didn't have to beat up someone's daughter later on in the week if Stanley didn't get her act together. It was Monday and there was still time.

Withholding a groan, she could only dread what the rumor mill would start to circulate next. Looking over at Edward, who leaned against his Volvo watching her with his arms crossed, Beth determined that it would be best for everyone if she left as soon as possible.

"Thanks again," she muttered, and squared her shoulders before marching on into the school, bypassing Lauren Mallory on the school steps who had a bitter look decorating her face and the rest of the Cullens (she didn't dare look over to see either of them).

Edward, behind her, said softly," No problem." Ignoring his brother who snickered quietly at his expense, he ran a hand through his hair before walking into the building, school bag in hand.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

Jessica, that same day, had attempted to get Bella to spill details about the entire thing and tried to find out if Beth and Edward were indeed the new 'IT' couple but Isabella had held strong and not said a word to the other brunette. At some point during the week, Bella thought it'd be pertinent to make mention (at lunch) of all the time Beth'd been spending with Edward but it had backfired when Beth had countered that statement with a similar question about why she had been spending so much time in La Push. Beth had never seen Mike Newton look so distressed. Lauren had predictably started a rumor that Elizabeth was now Edward Cullen's girlfriend and that Bella had a secret beau amongst the natives. Bella was nearly revengeful, cheeks flushing every time she'd heard a stray whisper and very nearly went after the box-bleach blonde girl. Beth? She'd held herself back and only wondered when she'd have to do damage control with her dad about the entire thing. Afterall, news traveled fast around Forks. Not wanting to chance that happening again, Beth had taken to having lunch outside, seeking shelter by the undercroft when it started to rain. She wondered then, if she should have been surprised when the creepy vampire that had been partly responsible for all of this mess had suddenly appeared beside her, penny colored locks dripping from the downpour.

"We really need to have a conversation about boundaries," she'd muttered after scooting across the tiny bench to allow him to sit.

Edward had smiled sheepishly, shrugging before taking the proffered seat and if he'd been human, Beth would bet any amount that he would be blushing as brightly as Bella had been doing these past few days because of all of the stares. Even now, the small amount of scattering students that had been sitting on the benches outside ogled them as they tried to get to a dry spot to avoid getting wet anymore than they already were.

"I don't remember having much experience with those in my human life," Edward joked, but his eyebrows furrowed as though he were truly trying to recall.

"What do you mean you don't remember?" Beth inquired, angling her body more toward him.

He looked at her, "After the change, your memories of your human life start to blur. It's almost as though there is an opaque film where those memories would be. You can see shapes, remember a few faces but it's a struggle to put a name to it all."

Beth watched him as he looked away, jaw clenching and a grim set to his mouth and thought, what a horrible experience it must have been for someone so young to go through all of it.

"So, your parents?"

The corner of his mouth twitched, "Died before I did. From the Spanish Influenza. My mother, Elizabeth Masen, asked Carlisle to do everything in his power to save me. 'The way others couldn't', she'd said on her deathbed."

Beth's eyebrows shot up, "She knew?" She decided not to address the fact that she was his mother's namesake. It almost seemed as though history was repeating itself- but no...she dared not to think about it too much.

"Carlisle suspected that she might've known he was different or maybe in the same way I have this gift, that she could 'read people' just as easily." The penny haired vampire looked out at the forest then, eyes far away from this time but his body remaining stagnant as it would forever. Beth couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked then, but cleared her throat and looked away when his attention came back to the present.

"The mind reading?" she asked lowly, head tilted to him just in case anyone was nearby. The boy nodded and got up in one swift move, the bell going off a second later.

"Doesn't that get annoying? Hearing everyone and not being able to shut it off?" Beth got up as well, protesting only slightly when Edward took the burden of her bag and slung it over his shoulder as they began to head to Biology. Throwing away the trash from her lunch, she caught up to where he had paused to wait for her.

He tapped his head once, "It was harder when I first changed, it was as close to a never ending headache that someone like myself could get. Now, I can tune it out, somewhat. If I focus on one person at a time, the rest becomes background noise." He licked his lips, Beth unconsciously following the movement before she sniffed and looked ahead, taking the lead with the lanky vampire following after her dutifully.

"Hm," was all she said in response before they hurried into the classroom, hanging up their half-drenched coats as they went.

"What do you remember then?" she'd continued after the last class for the day ended, heading to the parking lot as he had offered to drop the girls back home as well. The rest of the Cullen's had already left by then, the convertible nowhere to be seen in the small parking lot. She waved Bella over, and watched as the brunette said her farewells to her friends before making her way over. Of course, she slipped and the surrounding students laughed at the girl before, much to either girl's surprise, Edward walked over and assisted the other Swan girl to her feet, careful not to touch any exposed skin as he herded her over to the Volvo. Students snickered here and there before the elder Swan sister glared hard at them, jaw clenching with a promise of revenge if they continued to laugh. They didn't.

"Thanks," Bella said before he opened the door for her and her sister, awkwardly clambering inside with her book, Wuthering Heights, cheeks almost as bright a red as Rosalie's BMW convertible. Edward's nostrils flared and without his knowledge, his eyes darkened before they flitted away to something else, displeasure evident on his face. Unbeknownst to him and Beth, Bella also noticed the changes, her breath hitching slightly before she scrambled to open her book and pulled out her earphones from this morning, not eager to listen to her sister and that weirdo flirt. What was up with this Cullen kid?

Upon entering the car, Beth watched him warily, having noticed the change in his demeanor. He wound the windows down before he started up the car, inhaling deeply before he smiled crookedly at her and pulled out of the lot. Water splashed nearby them as cars drove past, Beth's hair flying into her face as the wind picked up when he pressed onto the gas. Thankfully, it wasn't raining as hard as it had been when lunch ended, but the puddles remained. Clutching onto the door handle, Beth held on for dear life as he masterfully swerved to avoid the large splash of water that threatened to soak them in the car. Behind them, Bella scrambled to gain a grip on anything lest she fly into the other side of the car, knuckles white.

Then when they had finally gotten out of dodge, he answered, "My father's sternness and his consistent absence when he would invest himself into his work for days on end. I remember the smell of my mother's perfume and her hair. I can still recall the summers I would spend swimming in the lake nearby the house, coming home exhausted and to be greeted with a kiss on my forehead and a nice, tall glass of iced tea while I dried off on the porch swing. How she would sing when she cooked our dinner..." he trailed off.

"You miss her," Beth breathed.

But Edward shrugged, his expression carefully blank," I miss the emotion she would evoke within me. All I have now are empty memories and a longing to grasp them,"

The brunette smiled sadly beside him, wanting nothing more than to reach over and hug him. Part of her thought back to Winnie and wondered if she would remember the same of her great grandma that died when she was so young. Would she only remember the smell of her cookies? The feeling of the soft yarn quilts and the strange nostalgia without a face to place it to? Her heart ached as she recalled her cherub cheeks, and her lovely olive skin with the untameable curls that no one could ever manage. Beside her, Edward's head tilted as Beth suddenly seemed ages older than she was. Turning into the parking space, he pressed lightly onto the brakes before hopping out to open the door for Bella and Beth.

"Thank you, again," Beth said, taking her bag from the car as Bella vanished up the porch steps to open the door with nary but a wave to the boy. Edward nodded in acknowledgement,

"Beth, how old are you?"

She blinked, surprised by the question before the answer slipped from her lips, "Seventeen, why?"

The boy almost seemed unconvinced, "Has anyone ever told you that you seem older than you are?"

The smile that Beth sent him was almost blinding and he swore that his dead heart began to beat again, just for the girl he was starting to love. How badly he ached to reach out and pull her close to kiss her pillowy lips. How did she taste, he wondered. But instead, he settled for tucking a stray hair behind her ear. Beth's pupils dilated at the action, watching him with those precious brown eyes that gazed at him with wonder and a fair bit of hesitance still. He pulled back his hand as gooseflesh erupted on her skin, his eyes watching the path as he was reminded of how cold his skin was. Inwardly, he cursed his immortality. No, he would wait for her to be ready. When she didn't hesitate at his touch.

She cleared her throat, taking a step back with a chuckle in order to break the trance that had come over them, "Since I was young," she replied before waving and walking into the house.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

Helen Swan had lived life for over seventy years, and while she could admit to being somewhat dense when it came to matters of the heart having had Geoffrey be the one to grab her by the hips and smush his weird little mustache on her lips when they were younger- the two teenagers in her house were more dense than the fog that surrounded the house in the early morning. And that was saying something, considering the elderly couple lived on a subtle incline and fog in Forks was no joke. She watched how they gravitated toward one another, how Beth would unconsciously flit her eyes to the door where Geoff had taken Edward to see his gun collection in a poor attempt to intimidate the boy and how the Cullen boy's body had angled itself towards her no matter where she was, as though ready to leap in front to take a bullet for her grandchild. She sipped her tea as Beth appraised her knitting supplies in a box on the dining table,

"That boy likes you, you know?" At her grandmother's proclamation, Elizabeth's rustling paused momentarily before she muttered,

"No he doesn't," she continued rooting through the box, sneezing once at the dust that got disturbed. "And please don't start, grandma. I get enough at home from Bella and Dad."

"Can't help it if it's true," the gray haired woman mumbled before raising her wizened hands in surrender when the teenager shot her a look of mild annoyance. "Don't shoot the messenger!" But before the younger girl could make a retort, her grandmother rose from her position with a small snort, her bob tucked behind one ear as she walked into the kitchen and back out again with a brand new pair of knitting and crochet needles wrapped up in a little blue bow.

Beth gasped quietly as she abandoned her search, brushing off her dusty fingers before crossing the living room to hug her grandma,

"Thank you, grandma!" she practically squealed, the boys walking back inside to see what all the commotion was about. Edward didn't look affected by the previous exchange in the slightest but Beth had to wonder why her grandpa shot furtive glances at the penny haired boy every now and again. Beside her, her grandma nodded and gently patted her granddaughter's shoulder as she laughed at her reaction to the gift.

"Where did you get them?" Beth asked conspiratorially, but the gray haired woman merely brushed the question off,

"I have my ways."

The girl looked to her grandma, before surging forwards to hug her tightly once more. The woman grunted slightly before brushing her hair down, "Now, didn't you say that you had to go meet Dr. Cullen and his wife by twelve?"

The trio chuckled, before the two teenagers made their way to the shiny, silver Volvo parked outside.

"He loves her," Grandma Helen noted to her husband and Geoff chuckled dryly as he took a seat on the porch, watching as the car tore off down the road, "When'd you figure that one out?"

The woman scoffed, "Did you know?"

The man grinned devilishly, "Soon as he walked through the door."

Rolling her eyes fondly, she ran her manicured fingers through her husband's hair before she kissed his forehead and walked back inside, screen door shutting behind her.

"...doesn't mean I like him," he uttered and then tensed when the voice of his wife echoed through the house, shoulders rising to his ears and face pinching.

"I heard that!"

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

Beth could hardly control her expression when Edward finally left the long driveway and cut through the heavy brush to expose a beautifully modern house painted white with black accents and a dark mahogany layer that hung over to cover (from what she could see) a large pool. Concrete planters complimented the space, with ambient lighting on and around the stairs of the front entrance. The house was massive! And had such lovely floor to ceiling windows that exposed the white interior.

Edward watched her expressions carefully, "What do you think?"

"Wow," was all that she could muster to encapsulate the beauty that she was looking at. It was almost as near to the houses she'd gotten so used to seeing in her past life...but this was a modernity that this generation wasn't ready to embrace. A house before its time..

Chuckling, he led the way into the house, the large glass door blending perfectly with the other windows. On the far wall sat a beautiful baby grand piano and across the room was a set of stairs that led upwards. Just at the base, however, were two figures- one familar and the other not.

"Dr. Cullen," she greeted with a small smile, walking over to speak with them. Edward hovered behind them all, head tilted as though he were listening to something that only he could hear.

The blonde doctor smiled a closed mouth smile, head ducking as he rubbed his hand down his wife's arm in comfort, "Elizabeth, it's good to see you under better circumstances."

Rocking back onto her feet, Beth nodded as the beautiful woman with lovely caramel curls and a heart shaped face stepped forwards to embrace her with a hug. Beth withheld the shudder at the cool temperature of the woman, still unsure of her name.

"It's lovely to meet you, Elizabeth," the woman said, pulling away to grasp her hands.

"You as well," Beth smiled as their son finally stepped up.

"Beth, this is Esme, my mother for all intents and purposes,"

"Oh, hush, you." She gestured upstairs,

"I hope you don't mind, the others are upstairs making some food." And just as she'd said that, a delicious scent wafted down and enraptured her sense of smell.

Beth's eyebrows rose in surprise, not expecting this. Beside her, Edward sighed dispassionately, "She already ate before coming here. I told you not to do this..."

Beth piped up before the mildly downtrodden look upon Esme's sweet face could deepen, "That's okay! I can always take some home to Bella and my Dad for dinner."

The smile returned to the vampire's face, "That is a brilliant idea."

Upon walking up the stairs, Beth was greeted by the sight of a living room, those very same floor to ceiling windows extending upwards and beyond what she could see. Sleek wooden walls led into a seating area where none other than whom Beth assumed to be Rosalie sat with a car magazine in her hand, face hidden and perfectly manicured nails tapping against the outside of the leaflet. The blonde did not look up at their arrival and, if anything, brought the book closer to her face after crossing her impossibly long legs in nice crème trousers and tan stilettos. 

"You know Rosalie.." Edward trailed off and took her gently by the elbow to lead her into the kitchen where Alice, Emmett and as far as he could be from the entrance of the kitchen was Jasper. Alice waved with a spatula in her hand- a bright, excited grin decorating her angelic face from just behind an absolutely massive, stainless steel nine burner stove. Emmett was beside her, and looked up once they'd crossed the doorway of the open kitchen with a large smile. He looked to be stacking containers of food, small helpings of rice laid out neatly side by side as he waited for Alice to finish cooking what looked like steak and green beans.

"Beth!" She called out, placing the spatula down, headless of the smoking that got sucked up by the ventilator overhead as the meat seared on the pan.

"Alice," the brunette greeted with a wave as the pixie bounced around the island, enfolding her into a tight hug that nearly had Beth gasp for air as all the oxygen was pressed from her lungs.

Behind them, something made a low noise that made Beth jump from the loudness of it. Her hair raised as Alice released her form to glare at her brother. "We're going to be great friends!"

"I'm fine, Edward. And so is Jasper."

But from the way aforementioned boy's body language shifted uncomfortably, Beth could see that he was not, indeed, fine. Was it her blood that made him so uncomfortable? Did he..was he going to drink from her? Out of the corner of her eye, Edward stepped up a little closer to her as Jasper smiled a strained smile in greeting, angling away toward the open window once more. Feeling a tad bit to blame for his circumstance, Beth began to feel uncomfortable having encroached on his space away from humans.

"Sorry," she apologized and stepped back, a few inches away from Edward now.

"You'll have to forgive Jasper for his distance, he's our newest 'Vegetarian'." Said Carlisle in the living room, his voice carrying clear across the rooms. On the settee, Rosalie scoffed and threw down her magazine before leaving the space with nary but a glare in Beth's direction. Faster than she could see, the blonde vanished in a whoosh of air, the magazine being the only remnant of her ever being there. Emmett sighed from his spot with the containers, an apologetic smile in place, "Sorry about that," before he too disappeared to comfort his wife.

Feeling more like an intruder, Beth turned to Edward with pleading eyes. But the vampire in question was still watching Jasper with a wariness. 

Esme looked after her daughter before nodding towards the penny haired boy, "Edward, why don't you show Beth the rest of the house while Alice and I finish the steaks?"

"That sounds like a fantastic idea, my love," agreed Carlisle, his hands clapping together to dispel the awkward air that had developed.

Alice, having returned to the stove with an exclamation, called out as they retreated, "see you soon."

Edward sighed in exasperation before leading her back into the living room and up another set of stairs where a landing with four separate rooms could be seen down each hallway. The entirety of the house was so open and not sure what to say after everything that had happened , Beth simply took in the surroundings.

"Sorry about..." He gestured vaguely to the other floor, one hand carding through his hair as though stressed. Beth shook her head with a smile, "You don't have to apologize, you know?"

"After all, I'm the one intruding," she probed, finally coming to a stop at the landing before the boy directed her to a door just right of the staircase down a thin hallway. The white walls opened up to expose a large room with an entire wall of CD's that expanded from one wall to the other. Beth's mouth dropped open at the sheer amount of music that was spread before her. On the adjacent wall was a glass topped desk with a laptop and a tall lamp and beside that was a long, black leather couch with a gray throw blanket. The other wall beside that was a window that( you guessed it) extended from floor to ceiling.

"You aren't," Edward assured her, before looking down as she took in his room. Books covered the floor beside the window and Edward suddenly found himself slightly annoyed with himself at the fact that everything sort of seemed slightly disorganized in that moment and wished he'd tidied a bit better before leaving.

Beth walked on, coming up close to the wall of music and running her hands along the spines of some CD covers. "Your music taste is very expansive, huh," she noted before she found something that caught her interest. Not wanting to remove it and disrupt whatever method of sorting he had for his very OCD tendencies, she pointed at it and raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "Hoobastank?"

He laughed shortly, rubbing a hand behind his neck and looking miles more relaxed than he had earlier.

"Their music is good," he claimed, before her hands drifted past with skepticism towards a music player with a CD inside stuck on pause.

"What are you listening to?" She wondered before gesturing to the play button. He nodded and soon a familiar classical piece echoed through speakers she couldn't see.

"How do you go from Hoobastank and Limp Bizkit to Debussy?" She laughed, throwing her head back. He shrugged with a smile, content to watch her as she investigated further.

Turning from the wall of music, she was faced with a door on the far end of the room and deciding not to question it, turned to face his window. Her eyes widened as she took in the view as far as she could see. Through the leaves of large pines that could be as old as he, Beth could see the glimmering of water far away as what little sunshine they had finally poked through the clouds.

"Wow," she said once more, voice breathy. "Your house is amazing," she claimed with a closed mouth smile.

"Esme says thank you," Edward said, head tilting towards the door.

"Who designed it?" She wondered, taking a seat on the cool, smooth leather.

"She did," Edward replied, walking towards the window as more of the sun came through the clouds. The shadows receded to the very edge of the window as the sun's rays shone down. Diamonds danced around the room as the tops of his fingers caught sun, nearly blinding her. Then suddenly, she began to laugh at the incredulity of it all.

"What?" Edward asked with a smile, watching her laugh and wondering what was so funny. Was it his room?

"I didn't notice before," Beth mentioned, wiping a stray tear from her face from genuine hilarity as she continued to chuckle, "You literally sparkle like a disco ball!"

Edwards eyebrows furrowed as he shook his head, in disbelief that she'd said that. Of all things, 'you sparkle like a disco ball'? She had just walked into a vampire's house and all she could do was giggle like a school girl...?

When he inquired just that, she only laughed harder and before they knew it, as infectious as her laughter was, Edward was chuckling as well which sent Beth over the other side of the couch as she continued laughing. Diving to catch her, Edward reached her just in time to slip his hand behind her head as they fell.

"Ow," she giggled upon realizing what had happened, reaching up to rub the sore part of her head where his hand cradled her. Above her, after making sure that she wasn't seriously injured, Edward smiled crookedly down at her, taking in the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed and the small smattering of freckles that dotted the bridge of her nose.

Far too comfortable, Elizabeth belatedly noticed the compromising position they were in with both of them lying horizontally with Edward hovering above her. She looked up into his topaz eyes and blushed just slightly, seeing when his eyes darkened just a smidge to a dull orange as his eyes flitted down to her lips. She adjusted her head, looking at the curve of his nose and the stray penny colored strand that dipped into his forehead. She reached up and tucked it back in with the rest of his hair and then...

Then her phone rang in her back pocket, killing the vibe instantly. Edward was off of her in a flash, the sun back behind the clouds now and the room as dark as it had been before. She reached for the silly little device after clearing her throat and wiping her face, before drowning as she saw her sister's name flashing across the screen.

"Hello?" Beth answered on the fourth ring, the phone coming up to her ear. There was a loud noise on the other end, an engine starting before Bella's voice came through the small speaker,

"Thank you for answering!" She snipped.

Beth's frown deepened, "Bella, what's wrong?" Upon noticing her attitude.

There was a commotion on the other end before a sigh, "Charlie just called..."

"Waylon is dead, Beth." The other girl stated tiredly, "I'm leaving La Push now, I think dad really needs us to be there for him."

The brunette covered her mouth in shock, fingers trembling just slightly, "what?"

"It was an animal attack.."

Beth's eyes shot up to Edward who looked at her with a grim face, a frown now pulling at his own lips upon hearing the news. He nodded at her unasked question, no doubt now in her mind that a vampire had killed her dad's best friend. She hadn't seen him very much since she and Bella had come down, but there were moments- nights in the diner when Waylon would come and sit with them and laugh about old stories of when their dad was in high school. He had been such a happy man and one of the few who remained one of her dad's closest friends including Harry Clearwater and Billy Black from the Reservation. Closing her eyes, she bowed her head in sadness, holding her forehead with one hand still on the phone. She couldn't imagine what Charlie was going through.

"Okay," Beth sighed, spine straightening as she got up from her seated position on the floor, "I'll meet you there?"

Covering the mic of the phone, Beth looked up at Edward to ask him if he would be able to take her to the Station. He agreed wholeheartedly and without hesitation. When he disappeared from the room, to get his keys, she guessed, Beth continued talking to Bella,

"Okay." The girl responded. The loud Chevy echoed through the phone.

"Where did they find him?" Beth asked, eyebrows pinching as she gathered her bearings and left Edwards room. Walking down the stairs, Beth heard something strange on the line,

"They found-..." Bella started and the sound of rustling continued,"What-?"

"Bella?" The other girl asked, confused, pulling the phone away to look at the signal. Full bars. There was no excuse for the disruption on her end. "Bella?"

And then her blood ran cold when a scream echoed through the receiver. Beth released a shuddering breath as her spine straightened. Edward was at her side in a flash, Alice in tow with a look of horror decorating her usually happy face.

A crash sounded and Beth did everything in her power to ensure that the phone didn't fall in her stunned stupor.

"Bella?!" She practically yelled down the phone, fingers gone numb. Tears burned in her eyes. What was going on? What was happening?

A girlish cackle was heard on the phone before the line went dead with a crush. Shocked, Beth could only drift her eyes upward to gaze at the two vampires that looked at her terrified figure.