✧

Half an hour has passed since sitting on this gurney and it doesn't seem like the time will be running any quicker.

Mia glances in Bella's direction and notices her long sleeve is ripped from below the elbow. A small gash is visible, which must have been caused by the impact of the push. She can't help feeling terrible for pushing her that hard and hopes nothing more severe is wrong.

She straightens her posture, but winces at the stings spreading around her back. With the force of her magic and Edward's push, she hit the door of the truck in a harsh impact. Knowing he's bound to act all dramatically if she were to have told him, she chose not to mention anything, and besides, having a bruised back sounds way better than getting crushed to death.

"I'm so sorry, Mia. I tried controlling the van, but-"

She cuts Tyler off, "You shouldn't have been driving that fast in the first place. It's a damn parking lot. Not a race track."

"I know and I'm sorry," he repeats, sincerity and regret lacing his voice.

Not sparing him a glance, she chooses not to say more to not regret her words later on. This accident could have been prevented if Tyler hadn't been driving erratically despite the weather conditions, so really, she can't bother to care for his apology.

"Mia, are you okay?!" Isobel sprints in her direction, not bothering to care for Charlie struggling to keep up the pace. She could only focus on her daughter and make sure nothing had brought her harm. Once she captures her in her arms, she glares at Tyler with a look that could kill. She might not know the full story, but she couldn't care less as he had been the one responsible for putting her daughter on this gurney.

"Bella, are you okay?" Charlie looks past his shoulder at the guilt-ridden boy and points an accusatory finger at him, "You and I are gonna talk."

Mia prevents herself from wincing at her mother's tight hold, "I'm alright, mum. It's just the shock, I guess."

"What in the bloody hell happened?" Isobel questions with her hands on her hips as her gaze switches between Mia and Bella.

"Almost got crushed by a van. You know, the usual," Mia carelessly says, not wanting to add more fuel to the fire by actually expressing her anger towards the responsible party.

"It was an accident," Bella tries explaining and glances at Tyler with an apologetic look. "We're doing alright."

"I'm so sorry. I tried to stop," Tyler apologizes once again.

"So we've heard," Mia mutters, earning a sharp glare from her friend.

"I know, Tyler. It's okay," Bella tries comforting him, causing the parents and Mia to stare at her with perplexion.

Charlie scoffs in disbelief, "No, it sure as hell not okay."

"Dad, it's not his fault."

"You could've been killed," Charlie insists and looks over at the Grey family. "You both could have been, so none of this is okay."

"Yes, but we weren't so..." Bella's voice fades into a perfect silence.

Isobel shakes her head in disapproval, "It doesn't matter. Just because you're both alright, it doesn't make this go away." She glances at Charlie, both of them coming to a mutual agreement with just one look, "I think taking his license is needed."

"Agree," Charlie shoots a sharp glare at him. "You can kiss your license goodbye."

The door suddenly bursts open and in comes Dr. Cullen, "I hear the chief's family is here."

Family?

Knowing Carlisle isn't stupid enough to make this mistake, she takes this as a form of teasing. She looks up at her mother and then at Charlie, who are bright red in the face right now. He's trying to fix this, but he's left struggling in finding the right way without offending anyone.

Bella softly chuckles, both she and Mia exchanging humorous looks at this little exchange. It's one thing dealing with people their age being flustered, but seeing their parents this way is truly a sight for sore eyes.

Carlisle laughs at the awkward silence and heads to Mia first, "Mia, it's nice to see you again. Would have been better if it had been under different circumstances."

"Couldn't agree more."

He takes over her chart and reads it over, "Looks like you took quite a spill. How do you feel?"

"I'm alright. It's just my back that hurts," she admits despite knowing her mum is about to get more frantic than usual.

"How about we take a look?" Carlisle starts heading to the other side and shuts the curtains. She can't help from swallowing hard from knowing he's about to examine her bare back. It's nothing out of the ordinary, but him being Edward's father certainly makes things awkward – well, for her at least.

Carefully, she begins lifting the back of her shirt. She bites the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from wincing, but the overbearing pain wins this round. He notices and hums in thought for a moment, noticing the bruising starting to form.

He lowers her shirt and walks back in front of her, "It's nothing serious. It's just a bruised back, but I'd like to take an x-ray to make sure."

Awkwardly, she holds a thumbs up, "Great. Can't wait for that."

"Look here," Carlisle orders and examines her pupillary response with his small light that he moves side to side. "There might be post-traumatic stress, disorientation, but your vitals look good. No sign of any head trauma." He assures her and places his light inside his coat's pocket, "Once we make sure there's nothing severe with your back, you should be all set and ready to go."

"Thank you," Isobel says, receiving a gentle nod from him before he orders one of the nurses to take her up for an x-ray.

Just as Mia starts following the nurse, she comes to an abrupt stop when hearing Bella's voice, "It would've been a whole lot worse if Edward wasn't there. He knocked Mia out of the way."

Carlisle briefly looks up from his chart and exchanges a worried glance with her. She starts playing with her hands nervously, but to prevent Bella from noticing, she hides them inside her coat's pockets. If she had seen him push the van so effortlessly, that could only mean that she might have also seen her use her magic.

"He got to us so fast when he was nowhere near," Bella looks over at her and based on the knowing beam in her eye, Mia's now fully aware that she was seen.

"Sounds like you both were very lucky," Carlisle simply says before saying his goodbyes and walking out the door.

"Everything okay with you, Mia?" Charlie asks her, but isn't given a response when she abruptly leaves the room.

As she follows the nurse out the exam room, she has to walk by a narrow hallway. On the way there, she sees Edward, Rosalie, and Carlisle gathered in a huddle. She turns the other way, not wanting to deal with this when she has her own secret to deal with. It's not like she didn't expect her magic to be revealed, because she did – just not this soon.

This little town is surprisingly turning out more interesting than expected, so it was only time when she'd be forced to use it all in means of protection. It just so happens that it coincidentally had to happen in front of Bella.

Just as she arrives in another room, the radiologist places her between the x-ray machine and the imaging device. She remains still, not wanting this to take longer than it should when it's much more crucial to figure out a way on how to cover her secret without obliviating her.

Obliviating Jessica was an entirely different thing. She's not that close with her, but with Bella, she's managed to find a friendship with her. Not to forget how erasing someone's mind feels like taking their choice away, but she admits that it would be safer for Bella if she's kept away from the supernatural world.

Damn it.

If only that stupid van hadn't lost control, then she wouldn't be in this mess in the first place.

"We're done," the radiologist's voice breaks her train of thought.

Mia's guided out back into the exam room, but comes to a stop when Edward leaves his family to head in her direction. He doesn't have to say a word as she knows what he's thinking with just one look.

"I'm okay. There's nothing-"

Her words are interrupted when he leans forward to wrap his arms around her. He cradles the back of her head and runs his fingers through her soft locks. A breath of relief escapes him as every possible thing that could have gone wrong starts fading from his mind. He trusts Carlisle's medical experience that this is nothing grave. That everything is fine and it's just some minor bruising that will heal in a couple of days.

The warm feeling in her chest returns and this time, she chooses to cave to it. She nuzzles into him, tightening her grip on his shoulders and forming a light smile. Despite his cold temperature, this is the warmest she's ever been. His arms are comforting and offer her solace. He's becoming her anchor, her haven, everything that keeps her from going into her dark place.

This strange sensation makes her nervous. She has never felt this flutter or has grown to enjoy someone's company this much. With her friends, it's different. Her friendship with Harry might get questioned from how close they are, but he has never made her feel the way Edward has. This feeling is different. It's unexplainable, foreign, terrifying, and that's more than enough to make her lean away.

Whatever this is needs to stop and redirecting her focus to their friendship has to take place. She tries to ignore his disappointed look at her action, choosing not to think much of it and settle on addressing what's important here – their secret.

"I have bad news," she says in a low voice, continuously glancing around to check if the coast is clear.

"What is it?"

"I'm pretty sure Bella saw me use my magic and she definitely saw you push the van away," Mia notices the subtle change in his expression. His jaw clenches and his gaze hardens at her words. He looks over at his family and nods at them to come over, thinking it's best if they're included as well.

Rosalie doesn't acknowledge her existence. She treats her as if they've known each other for a long time and Mia's grateful for it as it means not dealing with awkward introductions.

"Hope you have a solution to fix your mess," Rosalie addresses Edward with a grating tone as her gaze shoots daggers at him. "Was your performance worth having to leave Forks over?"

It's hard not to be offended by that considering he only used his vampire speed to save her. If he hadn't reached her, she would probably be dead or in a terrible condition. She's unable to hide her dismay, which definitely doesn't go unnoticed.

Edward glares at his sister with a look that could kill. He's not going to let her make his best friend feel any type of guilt. This had been his decision, so if she wants to blame anyone, she will have to blame him.

"Don't you dare try to blame her," his voice is extremely low that almost resembles a growl.

"I wasn't."

"It sounded like it," Mia mutters with arms folded and expression full of vexation.

Rosalie shakes her head, "I meant Bella. You know our secret and have kept it, so I have no reason not to trust you. As for the other girl, I'm not willing to risk it."

"What was I supposed to do?" Edward's just about had it with his sister's remarks. He's been dealing with her loud accusatory thoughts the entire drive here that he can't bother continuing to listen to her. "I had to save Mia and Bella just happened to be there. I wasn't going to let her die all for the sake of not revealing our secret."

The blonde ignores him and turns to her, "What about your magic? Did you at least try to use it?"

"I did," Mia doesn't intend to sound so annoyed, but this question sounds like she would have preferred for Edward not to have interfered and let her handle it – which she attempted. "Edward was just faster than I was."

"Don't explain yourself to her," his words come out slower and harsher. "If this were to happen again, I wouldn't think twice about doing it."

Mia understands more than anyone how important it is to keep a low profile. Sure, she might not be doing a great job in hiding her secret, but she can't deny having her actual reasons for using her magic. Living a double life is exhausting and leaves her wishing to openly be herself without the fear of repercussions, but no world could ever be that perfect.

"Look, your secret wasn't the only one to have been exposed," she calmly says despite the fire pumping through her veins. "Mine also has, but you don't hear me complaining."

"I'm not upset that he saved you," Rosalie remarks. "I'm just upset this is the second time our secret has gotten out because of him."

"The first time only happened to prevent someone from becoming a vampire," she defends. "And that issue was resolved, so it's not fair to bring it up again."

Carlisle speaks up this time, "She knows that. Right, Rose?"

Rosalie nonchalantly shrugs, barely shooting a glance at the three as deep down, she knows Mia's right. "I get it, okay? No need to scold me for worrying we might have to leave our home."

"Actually..." Carlisle glances in Mia's direction and already, she knows what he's about to ask. "I know this is too much, but-"

"You want me to make her forget," she lets out a frustrated sigh, dreading having to perform another spell – especially on her friend.

"No, she's not doing this," Edward intervenes, refusing to put her under this predicament once again. "This would be the second time she does this and I can't put her through it. Making her use her magic is out of the question."

He speaks about her as if she's not there, like he's completely forgotten her ability to make her own decisions. Don't get her wrong, she loves how quick he is in coming to her rescue, but it's not like she would only be protecting his secret, but hers as well.

It sounds wrong, but keeping Bella out of her world is the right thing. She doesn't need to get involved in this, so if obliviating her would keep her safe, then Mia's willing to do so despite her thoughts on it.

Rosalie scoffs, "This isn't just about you. It's about all of us."

"Mia's not someone we can use whenever we need help!" Edward's rise in volume takes her by surprise, causing her eyes to widen at its abruptness but satisfying defense. "She's not our personal witch that we can use whenever we need help fixing our messes. She's more than her magic, so I would appreciate it if you both would stop being selfish and think about what she wants for once."

A consuming warmth gathers at the apples of her cheeks. She shuffles her feet slightly, trying to think of something to say to make the silence less awkward. She won't deny his words are making her melt and filling her with adoration and starstruck. If it wasn't for the other pair glaring at them with suspicious gazes, she would have come up with some kind of remark or joke to diffuse the tension.

But all she does is say the wrong thing.

"I'm doing it," she blurts out, taking him by surprise. "I have my secret to take care of as well."

"Mia-"

She cuts him off with one simple stare, "I'm not changing my mind, so don't try to convince me otherwise."

His mouth is slightly agape as he watches her put on that teasing smirk of hers – the one she wears whenever trying to get on his nerves. He laughs, more out of sarcasm than humor, "Of course you would. You always do as you please."

"Of course I do. When I've fixed your messes both times, it's granted me the right to do what I want," she teases with a smirk, arms placed neatly on her hips and head leaning up for a better view.

Rolling his eyes, he folds his arms defensibly across his chest and looks down at her, "Correction. You have only fixed one mess. You're barely about to do the second one."

"Ehh, same thing," Mia shrugs, unable to prevent a laugh from coming out.

Edward gives her an unamused look, but hearing her laughter has always brought him joy that he's unable to contain himself from joining her.

"Mia, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Bella's voice makes her entire body run cold as she's aware of all the imminent questions she will be asked. Erasing her mind is definite, but she's not ready to lie to her friend's face. Dishonesty is one of the things she hates most, so it makes her feel like a hypocrite for lying for her sake. 

It's for the better, she reassures herself. 

"Damn it," Mia takes a deep breath for courage and starts leaving the group. "Wish me luck."

Edward gently squeezes her hand before walking away with his family. She waits until they're gone before heading in Bella's direction, who is pacing back and forth with her arms folded across her chest.

"Everything okay?" Mia feels like such a fool for asking this. Of course nothing is okay. Her secret was just revealed and she's about to use the most dreaded spell against her friend.

"How did you push the van away?"

Mia's tempted to say how it was Edward that pushed it, but that would mean revealing his secret as well (if she isn't aware of it already). "Bella, I'm not sure what you saw-"

"I saw you reach for some kind of... wand. There was force field that surrounded the van until Edward appeared," Bella runs through her words and continues pacing back and forth. "Look, I'm not sure how he got to us so fast, but I do know one thing. You're, like, some kind of superhero."

Superhero...

How great.

"I'm not a superhero, okay?" Mia's already dreading this, but if she wants to protect her, she needs to make drastic decisions. "Look, I'll explain everything, but not here."

Bella narrows her eyes in suspicion, "Fine. I'll be coming over later."

Mia only nods in response and practically leaps in joy once Charlie and Isobel walk out. It seems she's been saved for now, but it only means the worst is yet to come.

"Ready to go?" Isobel asks.

"I just need to say goodbye to Edward first," Mia walks away before Isobel gets a chance to answer back.

Anything to avoid heading home, she's willing to do. She just needs a little more time to prepare herself for the worst.

__________________

"How did it go?" Edward asks just as she walks out of the hospital.

She rolls her eyes and kicks a few rocks out of the way, "Not good. I was compared to a superhero."

He can't help but laugh, which definitely doesn't go well with her, "I mean, she's not far from it, but I thought you would have been good at coming up with some kind of explanation."

Mia senses the slight judgment in his tone and as much as she tries not to become irritated, it's inevitable not to be. "Oh, really? I would love to see you try, but remember, your pleasing smile won't work, so don't think about using it."

"I happen to be quite a charm, so I'm certain I can fix this," he boastfully says as he approaches her with a prideful smirk.

She scoffs at him, "In your dreams."

"And did I just hear you call my smile pleasing?" he teases with a wide grin as his eyes display a flirtatious look.

She rolls her eyes, "I think you're letting your gifts make you think too highly of yourself. Just remember, that vampire charm of yours has never worked on me and never will."

He raises a brow at her, "Is that so?"

"Rightfully. You're not as charming as you believe. Must be your vampire senses that brings everyone to you, but that's it."

She can tell her nonchalant behavior is unknown to him, something he doesn't have experience with. Probably from every girl being enchanted by his appeal. Someone not falling for his charms must be nerve wracking and bound to create some form of crisis in him. Quite frankly, this brings her immense satisfaction in getting to see him completely stricken.

It's a rare sight seeing Edward freaking Cullen this quiet that she can't help from breathing out a laugh, "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

His jaw clenches ever so slightly, "Oh, shut up."

Mia's enjoyment fades as she remembers what will happen, "So... it seems I'll have to erase her mind."

Edward sighs in frustration, "I'm sorry that once again, I've put you in this situation."

"I'm at fault as well," she sighs heavily as she glances behind her shoulder to make sure no one's lurking around. "But don't worry, I'll make sure she forgets everything."

"That's the thing," he prevents her from walking away by holding her by her wrist. "You shouldn't have to do this."

"I shouldn't, but I have to," Mia lowers her voice when people walk by, causing them to head further from the entrance. "If I don't make her forget, I'm putting her at risk."

"Risk?" Edward questions, wondering what she could possibly mean by that. He understands why it would be a risk for Bella to know about him and his family. If the Volturi were to find out a human knew about the existences of vampires, it'd be a one way ticket to the afterlife. He never figured witches would have the same kind of rule. Maybe he's not as informed as he believed.

She regrets mentioning anything about this 'risk' since that would mean revealing the full truth. It's not like she doesn't want to tell him, because she does. He chose to trust her with his secret when they were barely getting to know each other, so why can't she do the same?

"Umm, it's just-" Mia tries putting the words into a perfect string, but despite a million thoughts running through her head, she can't seem to find the right sentences. "It's something that I- I've been trying not to... think about..."

Concern starts sizzling in his veins and it's taking everything not to demand for an answer. He's desperate to know what's gnawing at her skin and her stutters are only making it worse. "What do you mean by 'risk'?"

Mia runs a hand through her hair as her forehead creases in distress and her gaze averts to anything but him. Her mouth is slightly open from struggling to explain herself and she can tell he needs an answer so desperately, but her trust issues are pricking at her skin like thorns.

"You know... it's just- it's just dangerous," she awkwardly shrugs and begins to shuffle her feet back to create some distance between them. "I actually have to go, but don't worry. I'll fix... this."

"Fix what?"

Her mother's voice pounds against her ears, cutting her attempts at leaving short. Her face scrunches up in distress and everything is telling her that facing her will make matters worse, which is why she chooses not to turn around and remain frozen in place.

"Fix nothing," Mia can feel her heavy gaze on her back and something is telling her that by not facing her, she's making it worse. Slowly and hesitantly, she faces her mother and nearly regrets doing so, "I'm not fixing anything. Everything is just peachy."

"You used magic and got caught, didn't you?" Isobel walks a few steps closer and Mia can practically see the fumes coming out from her ears. "You know they will find you. Please tell me you didn't risk yourself for this!"

Edward sternly glares at Mia with concern and unease. He walks in her direction, forgetting her mother and the world around as he can only focus on one thing – her and the risk she apparently put herself in.

"You have to tell me everything now."