MIKE TOLD ME YOU'D SAY NO.

For whatever reason, both Bella and Edward missed school the next Monday. When Frankie tried to call her to see if she was sick, she never picked up the phone. Emmett was the one to tell her that they were skipping school together, which surprised her because Bella was very much not the kind of girl to skip class.

That would at least mean there would be no accidents in gym class at the very least, which was where Frankie and Jessica were headed now after changing into their clothes for the period.

"Okay, so I got the pink dress, obviously," Jess said, filling her in on how the rest of the shopping trip went. "Then I also found this super hot gold one that I got as a backup, but it actually makes me look so washed out and the store doesn't have a return policy, so I guess I just have it now. I don't know what to do with it because it's meant for someone way tanner than me."

Frankie cut her eyes to her best friend, a knowing look on her face. Jessica already knew gold tones washed her out, so there was only one reason she'd have grabbed the extra dress that she didn't need.

"Right, and the dress wouldn't happen to be two sizes too big, would it?" she asked, playing along.

"I mean, the baggy look is so in right now," Jessica said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Hey, you should come over and try it on though. It might fit."

She smiled at the ground as they entered the gymnasium. "Yeah, I could give it a try."

"Thanks so much," she said as if Frankie was doing her a huge favor.

After that, Frankie looked up to see several of her soccer team members standing around the gym, which made no sense. "Allison, Lakin, Dani, you guys aren't in this class. Did Coach call a meeting?"

"Nope," Allison Martin said with a smirk. "Maybe you should just take a seat."

Then Jessica was pushing Frankie toward the bleachers, who was so confused as she made her climb to the very top.

"Stop pushing me," she whined, trying to shove Jessica's hands off. "Why are we going up here?"

"Just - just be cooperative," Jessica requested, letting out an exasperated sigh.

When Frankie tried to turn around, Jessica stopped her short. "Dude?" she asked, staring at her friend oddly. But Jessica was looking over her shoulder and smiling.

"Okay, now we can turn around," she finally said.

Frankie eyed her for a moment longer before turning around, only to see all her teammates had moved. The whole team was lying on the floor, their bodies bent and twisted to spell out a word — well, a question with a soccer ball dotting the question mark.

PROM?

"This is the best he can do?" Frankie asked Jessica, biting back a smile.

"You love it," she said knowingly.

"Will you go to the prom with me?" Emmett asked, having appeared at the bottom of the bleachers.

After rolling her eyes, Frankie nodded and ran right back down the bleachers. "Obviously, dumbass," she replied before hugging him.

The soccer team jumped up and began clapping as Emmett kissed Frankie, lifting her off the ground as he did so.

"He was, like, super scared you'd say no," Jessica said as she came down the bleachers as well.

Frankie pulled back from the kiss and peered at Emmett. "Why would you think I wouldn't say yes? That was so cute."

Emmett looked over at Mike with a glare, who was snickering with Tyler. "Because Mike told me you'd say no."

☽

The following day, Frankie was in the parking lot with all her friends. She, Jessica, and Emmett were popping a volleyball back and forth while Angela was taking some candid shots. Eric was talking about the official flyers for Prom that he'd just printed off.

"Monte Carlo? That's our prom theme?" Jessica asked after sending the ball to Emmett, who sent it to Frankie and back around.

"Gambling, tuxedos and—" Eric then broke into a bad Sean Connery impression, "—Bond. James Bond."

Frankie rolled her eyes and instead of hitting it with her wrists, she maneuvered and head-butted the ball, sending it toward Eric, hitting him in the face.

"Ow!" he whined, glaring at her. Frankie just smiled innocently. "Why would you do that?"

"Because you were making me cringe from how bad that was—"

"Oh. My. God," Angela suddenly said, cutting her off.

All of them looked her way and then spotted what was so shocking. Edward had arrived in his shiny Volvo, and Bella was in his passenger side seat. Frankie grinned brightly as he got out and opened her door for her, glad to know that they didn't hate each other anymore. She didn't want Bella to ever feel as unwelcome as Edward first made her feel.

Frankie was too concerned with them to look at Emmett, who was holding the volleyball now that everyone was staring. He cast a worried glance over at his displeased siblings. At the very least, Emmett warned his family before going public with Frankie.

God, they all hoped this didn't end badly.

☽︎

Jacob and Frankie were laid out in the back of Billy's black truck while he drove with Raylan in the front seat. They were all on their way to watch the game at the Swan residence, as Charlie had the biggest TV. Frankie had on the Mariners ball cap that Emmett bought her on their first date.

"Is Bella gonna be there?" Jacob asked Frankie, raising a hopeful eyebrow as they turned onto the street.

"She should be," Frankie said before adding, "if she's not with her boyfriend."

It was best to just rip the bandaid off and let Jacob know that she was seeing someone. Besides, Jacob was a little young for Bella anyway.

"Oh," he mumbled, looking at his shoes.

"She does hate sports though, so she'd probably appreciate you hanging out with her so she doesn't have to watch," she suggested, trying to brighten his mood.

As they neared the house, a familiar Volvo drove off in the other direction. Edward seemed to be glaring at Billy, but it dropped when he saw Frankie waving at him from the bed of the truck. He smiled a little and nodded his head to her.

Bella was already outside when they pulled in — she was washing her truck. She waited with a smile as the other kids got out and grabbed Billy's wheelchair.

"Hey. Come to visit your truck?" Bella asked as Rayan helped Billy get set up.

"Looks good. Got that dent out," Jacob noted.

"Thank God," Frankie said, looking at the truck. "That could've been a Frankie-sized dent. Though at least the blood would've matched the paint color."

"Not funny, Frankie," Raylan said in a flat tone. His daughter dying was the last thing he wanted to joke about.

"And actually, we came to visit your flat screen," Billy then told Bella. "First Mariners game of the season. Plus Jacob here keeps bugging me to see you again."

Frankie snickered while a mortified Jacob looked at his father. "Great, Dad. Thanks."

"Just keeping it real, son," he said, smirking over how irritated Jake was.

Then a police cruiser joined the lineup of cars, Charlie climbing out with an arm full of beers. "Vitamin R."

"Well done, Chief," Billy congratulated. Then he held up the brown paper bag he was holding. "Harry Clearwater's homemade fish fry."

"Good man," Raylan said while pushing Billy toward the house. "Had to put Frank in the bed to keep her from digging into it early."

"Wouldn't have to if the selfish old man would share the recipe," she grumbled, crossing her arms.

Raylan peered at his daughter, as did Charlie and Bella. "Yeah, 'cause you're gonna be the one to cook it," he said, rolling his eyes.

"I might could," she said defensively, not believing herself for a second.

"So, any luck with the Waylon case?" Billy then asked Charlie, wanting to be filled in on their friend's death. Billy, Charlie, and Waylon all had known each other for years, and Raylan got to know him just as well when he moved to Forks, so it was a tough loss when he died suddenly from an animal attack.

Charlie's mood darkened visibly, putting a frown on Raylan's face also. "Well, I don't think it was an animal that killed him."

"Never thought it was," Billy muttered.

"So spread the word down at the rez, huh? Keep the kids out of the woods," Charlie instructed.

"Will do. Don't want no one else getting hurt, do we?" he said while looking pointedly at Bella as they all got inside the house. Bella just looked away, feeling unnerved by his gaze.

"And Ray, you two just be real careful when you're home," Charlie told them. "Hell, I'd feel better if you were sleeping here. There's no telling what's in those woods."

"Thanks for the worrying, but we'll make it okay out there," Raylan said, smiling softly at him.

"He's right. I could fist fight a bear and win," Frankie bragged, obviously lying. "You just focus on Forks, Charlie. I'll do all the protecting out on the rez."

☽︎

Frankie was so giddy that she was invited to the Cullen house to be there the first time Bella met them all. Edward thought seeing a friendly face might make Bella more comfortable — and might make his family act more human since she still didn't know.

"Babe, I love you," Emmett said, gently taking the knife out of Frankie's hand. "But please don't ever offer to help in the kitchen again."

They were making Italian food for Bella and the kitchen smelled delicious. It must've been a new recipe because Carlisle had an episode of some cooking show on and he was following along as he sauteed something on the stove. Frankie had been chopping up bacon to put in the salad bowl, but she barely paid attention and Emmett was sure she was going to lose a finger.

"'Scuse me for trying to be useful," Frankie said with a fake pout as she sat on a barstool next to Rose, who was holding the salad bowl as Emmett started putting toppings in it.

"Is she even Italian?" Rosalie asked in an annoyed tone. Just like Frankie at first, Rosalie wasn't very fond of Bella at all.

"Her name is Bella," Emmett said in a 'duh' tone as if Rose was stupid.

"That doesn't make her automatically Italian," Frankie said, taking Rosalie's side. "I'd go Irish with her mom's hair."

"I'm sure she'll love it no matter what," Carlisle told them before they could fully start bickering.

Then Edward came around the corner, Bella glued to his side. Esme instantly grinned brightly and approached her. "Bella. We're making Italiano for you."

"Bella, this is Esme, my mother," Edward introduced.

From behind Esme, Emmett waved the huge knife around as he greeted Bella, which made Frankie giggle before she grabbed his arm and forced his hand back down.

"Bon giorno," Bella murmured with an awkward smile.

But Esme was delighted by her show of knowledge. "Molto bene!"

Then Frankie's phone rang, interrupting. "Sorry," she mumbled, sliding off the bar stool. "We're organizing a bake sale to get new soccer uniforms. I've gotta talk with Coach for a few minutes."

"Take your time," Carlisle told her as she left the room. Then he smiled warmly at Bella. "You're the second person to give an excuse to use the kitchen."

"I hope you're hungry," Esme said.

"Yeah, absolutely—"

Edward cut Bella off quickly. "She already ate."

Bella glared at Edward, not wanting to make a scene. It was too late, though, as Rosalie smashed the glass bowl in her hands, the salad and glass going all over. "Perfect," she muttered angrily.

"Yeah, yeah, it's just because I know that you guys don't eat," Bella stammered.

"Of course," Esme said softly. "That's very considerate of you."

"Besides, Frankie is gonna eat," Emmett added with a smile. "Don't sweat it."

"Just ignore Rosalie," Edward told Bella. "I do."

"Yes," Rose said in a tense tone, "let's just keep pretending like this isn't dangerous for all of us."

Bella shook her head and took a step forward. "I would never tell anybody anything."

"She knows that," Carlisle said in a comforting tone.

"The problem is you two have gone public now," Emmett told her. "So, you—"

"Emmett," Esme cut him off, not wanting him to scare Bella off.

"No, she should know," Rosalie said stiffly. "The entire family will be implicated if this ends badly."

"Badly as in...? Like, I become the meal?"

Emmett choked back his laughter, and even Edward grinned while wrapping an arm around her waist.

"But why is it bad that Edward and I are public but it's fine if Emmett and Frankie are?" Bella then asked, not thinking it was very fair.

"Like I said, your blood... calls to me," Edward explained, choosing his words carefully. "Emmett doesn't have that temptation around Frankie."

"There's a significantly smaller risk," Carlisle added. "And we'd appreciate it if you refrain from discussing our lifestyle around her."

Bella frowned and looked from him to Emmett, realizing what he was saying. "Wait? Frankie doesn't know? You've been together for months."

Rosalie bit back a smirk. "She's not the most observant human out there," she said, earning an elbow in the side from Emmett. "She's also particularly good at minding her own business."

Edward rolled his eyes at her comment aimed at Bella, already over this whole meet the family thing. It hadn't gone this bad for Frankie, he recalled.

And to make it even worse, Alice and Jasper arrived. "Hi, Bella!" Coming from the trees outside and through the open balcony doors, Alice bounded forward with some flowers in hand. Before Bella knew what hit her, Alice was hugging her tightly. "I'm Alice. Hi."

"Hi."

"You do smell good," she noted while pulling back.

Bella truly didn't know how to react to that, and neither did Edward, who visibly cringed. "Alice. What are you—"

"It's okay. Bella and I are gonna be great friends," she declared. "Like Frankie and Rose."

"We are not best friends," Rosalie muttered.

"Yet," Emmett said with a smirk. He couldn't wait for the two most important girls in his life to get even closer.

The whole time, Jasper had been awkwardly standing next to Alice, staring at Bella with wide, unnerving eyes. Carlisle noticed how Bella was watching him uncomfortably and cleared his throat. "Sorry. Jasper's our newest vegetarian. It's a little difficult for him."

After a moment, Jasper managed to get a few words out, careful not to breathe and take in her scent. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's okay, Jasper," Alice said in a gently encouraging tone. "You won't hurt her."

Jasper didn't look so sure of that, and neither was Edward as he took Bella's hand. "All right, I'm gonna take you on a tour of the rest of the house."

"Okay," she mumbled, ready to do whatever he told her.

"Well, I'll see you soon," Alice called after them.

As they left, they passed Frankie, who was finished up on her phone call. "I'll see you in a bit, Bells."

When Frankie got in the kitchen, the first thing she noticed was the broken glass and food all over the floor, and the second was the relieved faces of everyone else.

"I wasn't gonna eat the salad anyway," Frankie mumbled, going to stand by Emmett. She assumed Rosalie got annoyed and broke the bowl, knowing she was even less fond of Bella than she had been of Frankie at the start. "So, how'd it go?"

"Cute," Esme squealed, a dazzling smile on her face.

"I know," Alice agreed.

"I think that went well," Carlisle sighed.

"Nice," Frankie said, pleased that Bella wasn't running away or anything.

Then Esme pointed to Rosalie. "Clean this up, now."

"I'll help," Frankie offered.

"Do not eat the floor bacon," Alice said suddenly, making Frankie's jaw drop.

"How'd you know I was gonna eat the floor bacon?" she asked while crouching down by the mess. She started picking up the lettuce, not wanting to go near the glass.

"I just did," she said, grinning smugly.

"Well, Esme keeps an immaculate household, so I'm sure eating the floor bacon would be the exact same as eating off a plate—"

"Frankie, dear," Esme cut her off, clearly amused. "Don't eat bacon off the floor. I'll make you some fresh."

Frankie bat her eyelashes at the other woman who was a master at winning a person over via their stomach. "You're an angel sent from above, Esme. I'm gonna steal you from your husband."

Carlisle let out a chuckle and shook his head. "Good luck with that."

She just laughed and brought the handful of salad ingredients over to the trashcan, glad the dressing wasn't already on it or it'd be sticky. As she let go of it all, Frankie let out a curse, feeling a small, sharp piece of glass cut into the edge of her palm.

All the vampires in the room froze, the scent of her blood growing stronger. The thing was though that they didn't want her, not in the hungry way, at least. The instinctive, protective feeling they'd all been feeling felt ten times more powerful as her warm scent clouded their brains.

Frankie didn't even realize she'd put them all in a daze as she brought her hand to her mouth, not wanting to wipe the blood on her shirt. "Carlisle, do you have a bandaid?" she asked, her words a little muffled.

He was the first to snap out of it, and Emmett was next as he moved to Frankie's side, pulling her hand from her mouth to look at the damage.

"There should be one in my study," Carlisle said, a frown on his face. "That's quite unsanitary, Frankie."

She cut her eyes to the older man. "I was ready to eat off your floor ten seconds ago."

"C'mon," Emmett said, guiding Frankie from the kitchen. He cast a wayward glance at Jasper to make sure he really wasn't hungry. The blonde was tense and kept his eyes on Frankie, but not in a way that made him feel worried.

"What was that?" Alice asked, taking in her first breath since Frankie cut herself.

"I fear it's something to do with what she is," Carlisle murmured, thinking deeply. "The Beast is a creature born and bred to defeat any kind of threat posed against the Quileute tribe. Perhaps something draws us in the same way we draw humans in."

"Like a trap," Rosalie said quietly, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Precisely."

☽︎

In Carlisle's office, Emmett made sure to close the soundproofed doors — every room had to be soundproofed when they were supernatural beings with enhanced hearing.

"Go sit on the desk," Emmett instructed while going to one of the wooden cabinets where Carlisle kept some personal medical supplies. Ever since Frankie started frequently coming to the house, Carlisle kept a stock of basic human health essentials like bandages and cold medicine.

Frankie did as told, perching on the edge of the huge mahogany desk as she waited. She was too busy studying the shallow cut to see the curious look in Emmett's eyes as he came back over with some gaze and stretchy tape to wrap around it.

"Here," he said, reaching for her hand.

"I'm no doctor, but I think, medically speaking, a kiss will make it heal faster," Frankie said with a teasing smile.

Emmett took in a deep, needless breath, more of her intoxicating scent washing over him. He never tore his eyes from her as he brought her hand to his mouth, kissing the inside of her palm. Then he dared to kiss the wound, her scarlet blood staining his lips. A second later, he found himself sucking on it just as she'd been doing mere minutes ago, swallowing a small mouthful of her blood.

Fuck, it was good. Better than the two blood singers he'd killed in the past. It was euphoric and all-consuming, just as she was. And god, would his next deer taste like shit in comparison.

Frankie could've sword his eyes got darker — a little less golden — but blamed it on the dimmer lighting in Carlisle's office. Slowly, Emmett gained control of himself and began to kiss up to her wrist, her forearm, her elbow, and up and up until he reached her face. He cupped her cheeks gently before kissing her.

He'd had her blood — now, he just wanted her. He couldn't help it. Something in her blood had him craving her painfully.

Forgetting all about her bleeding hand, Frankie wrapped her arms around Emmett and kissed him back passionately. He moved between her parted legs while also pulling her to the very edge of the desk, their hips meeting.

She could tell he was worked up even if she didn't know why as he nipped at her bottom lip almost painfully before slipping his tongue in her mouth. One of his large hands held her face in place, not giving her any bit of freedom while the other wrapped around her waist tightly, keeping her close.

When he moved his hips forward, she let out a little gasp from the friction. Frankie then broke the kiss and began kissing down his neck, not caring about the blood that smeared on his alabaster skin when she cupped his jaw and angled his head to get a better angle.

Emmett let out a low groan, holding her tightly as he focused on the feeling of her tongue on his skin. It was all so overwhelming to his enhanced senses — her warm touch, her wandering mouth, the feel of her blood on his skin and on his tongue. He was completely lost in Frankie.

So, it was like a bucket of cold water was poured over him when Jasper suddenly used his mood control from the other room. Emmett nearly cursed his brother as Frankie moved back from him, her lips swollen and cheeks flushed.

"We should, uh, probably hurry," she said, feeling a little embarrassed. "Don't want Carlisle to come looking."

☽︎

Bella spent a few hours at the Cullen house, though Frankie never actually saw her until it was time to go. She spent her time trying to teach Esme how to play Mario Kart and kept getting annoyed when Emmett and Jasper wouldn't go easier on their mother.

Eventually, dinnertime arrived, so the girls had to leave, knowing they were meeting their fathers at the diner. Granted, they were a few minutes late because neither girl wanted to say goodbye to their vampire boyfriend.

It was impossible for Bella to hide her smile during the drive, which Frankie teased her about the whole time. Not even Mike, who was with some of his teammates, meeting them in the parking lot could bring her mood down.

"Arizona. Yo, what's happening?" he asked while walking alongside them. "So, you and Cullen, huh? That's... I don't like it. I mean, he just looks at you like you're something to eat."

Bella looked at Mike with an amused smirk on her face, which confused Frankie a little bit. She thought Bella would be annoyed with Mike, but instead, she just chuckled and went inside.

"How come you don't object to me and my Cullen?" Frankie asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mike looked at her flatly, unable to believe she was even asking. "Because you also look at him like he's something to eat."

"Suppose I can't really deny that," Frankie said, recalling how she'd been almost ready to fuck Emmett in his dad's office just a few hours ago before the urge faded suddenly and was replaced with common sense.

Then Frankie waved goodbye to her friend and caught up to Bella just as she was sitting with Charlie, who had an open spot next to him for Raylan.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. Frankie was taking too long to leave," Bella said, lying about being at Edward's house. She wasn't quite ready for her dad to find out about Edward yet. After all, Raylan hated Emmett, so she didn't want to be in the same boat as Frankie with her own father.

"I ordered you the spinach salad. I hope that's okay," Charlie told her. "And Frank, you're dad is making a chicken finger plate for you."

"Hell yeah," she said, already starving again after eating such a big lunch at Emmett's.

Then Cora and Raylan came over with plates full of food, the cook sitting down as he put the plates on the table. He had some kind of fish and handed Charlie a steak with fries.

"You should order one for yourself next time," Bella said, nodding to her salad. "Cut back on the steak."

Charlie and Frankie looked at her like she'd suggested he eat a shoe. "Hey, I'm healthy as a horse," he insisted.

Cora didn't immediately go off to serve the other tables this time. She looked worriedly at Charlie. "Say, Chief, boys want to know. Did you find anything down by Queets River today?"

Charlie glanced over his shoulder and saw a table full of older men who'd all quietened down, wanting to eavesdrop. At least when Raylan glared at them, they turned away. "Yeah, we found a bare human footprint," Charlie admitted with a sigh. "But it looks like whoever that is, is headed east, so Kitsap County Sheriff is gonna take over from here."

"I just hope they catch him fast," she whispered before moving off, a little relieved this killer wasn't hanging around town.

"Ketchup, please," Frankie said while holding out her hand.

"Salt," Raylan countered while passing it to her. Charlie was the one to fork over the salt, and then Bella was handing her father the pepper shaker, knowing he'd want it next. The four had gained a type of comfortable rhythm when they interacted together.

Raylan glanced at the window and chuckled at what he saw before nudging Charlie so that he could see as well. "Looks like your friends are flagging you," Charlie told them.

The girls turned only to get a face full of Mike Newton, who was shaking his butt all for them. The rest of the basketball team was messing around too, making them laugh. Bella turned around in embarrassment, but Frankie let out a whoop that they could hear through the glass.

"Shake that ass, Newton!"

"Frankie!" Bella hissed, unable to believe her.

"It's okay if you wanna go join them. I'm just gonna turn in early anyway," Charlie told her.

"Yeah, me, too," Bella said.

Charlie sighed. "Bella. It's a Friday night. Go out. Looks like the Newton boy's got a big smile for you."

"Yeah, he's a good buddy," she said, trying to hint that she didn't like him that way.

"But not your best buddy because he's my best buddy," Frankie said pointedly, making Bella smile.

"What about any of these other yahoos in town? Anybody interest you?"

Bella and Frankie shared an amused look before they both laughed. "Dad, we gonna talk about boys?"

"Yeah, I guess not," he said awkwardly. "I just feel like I leave you alone too much. You should be around people."

"I don't really mind being alone. I guess I'm kinda like my dad in that way," Bella said affectionately, which made him smile.

"I am also like my dad," Frankie said with a sickly sweet smile on her face that was aimed at her father.

"Yeah, in the worst ways," he joked. "In the chaotic, middle school boy way that makes me want to tear my hair out."

"She's just payback for how you were growing up, I bet," Charlie said, laughing with them.

"I was mighty awful," Rayland admitted.

"Can't be worse than Elena, though," Charlie said, shaking her head. "Even when she didn't mean to, she'd get caught up in the biggest messes. Boy, and when she was sleepwalkin', there was no telling where she'd end up."

"Mom, uh, Mom used to sleepwalk?" Frankie asked, showing a bit more interest.

"Only for about nine months there when she was carrying you," Raylan told Frankie. "Would stress the hell out of me. Stopped after you were born, though."

"Well, hey, pregnancy does all kind of odd things," Charlie said, a little frown on his face. "Like eating pickles dipped in ice cream. That's all she'd eat before we had Bella. Or she'd cover a raw onion in peanut butter."

"Ew," Bella said, cringing as she thought about the taste. "Dad, I'm tyring to eat. No more gross pregnancy craving stuff."

"Yeah," Frankie agreed. "This is a permanently kid-free body right here."