Was I That Gullible

Leave Your Message After The Beep!

A/N: Sometimes actions speak louder than words, so Bella is going to prove a point. She didn't need babysitters, she needed a family, time for the Whitlock's to get with the programme! xx Alexis

Bella felt so much better after Edward left, she was back being her old self, just no longer human and much happier about it. So she decided, to hell with waiting around for her mate to suddenly realise she was not there. If he wanted any part of her he needed to earn it, she'd done everything to help him when he needed her and in return got next to nothing.

She knew he didn't know much about real relationships, but that was what Peter and Charlotte were for, Didn't they tell him anything or did he just not care. Yes, she loved him, yes, he was her mate, No, she was never going to be second or third best in his life. Either she was his number one priority or she was gone, she thought, rubbing her chest absentmindedly.

It was time to open all of the Whitlock's eyes, what did they think she did, when not with Peter and Charlotte training. They saw only Bella Swan, human, but she was also Marie Contadino, half immortal, contract killer of humans and immortals alike. Time to get back to business, first off to close the Rome branch and make London the new head office.

Alistair's text to Garrett read, 'Visit Cob, open Raven, close Aqulia', meaning, visit Charlie, open London, close Rome. Everything was about birds with those two, since meeting Bella Swan. But it did help to keep things to themselves, Garrett was very pleased, he had thought she might allow this mistreatment and return, but it looked like the boss was back on top. Vampire females needed to feel loved, wanted, protected and respected at all times.

So as soon as he could Garrett grabbed both his and Bella's stuff, he told Felix that they were leaving, but not where they were going. The big guy understood, he wasn't mated, but he felt badly for Bella or Marie as he thought of her. She was a powerful woman and deserved more respect, even from her mate! Maybe when they all returned he'd get his sparring match with the 'Major', maybe he'd kick his butt!

But Garrett also knew it was only possible to leave because Jasper had not consummated their bond, now that she was a vampire! He knew they would both be in some pain, but not the near debilitating one that it would have been otherwise. Why did he wait? What were they all thinking? Bella was not blameless, he knew that but this was all very new to her and even confusing, but the Whitlock's should have prepared them both for this, they've had five years.

But she was still only a newborn, granted the best-controlled newborn he'd ever met! After her change Garrett had moved his quarters, giving the two privacy for the mating. Had Peter and Charlotte? Shit, he didn't think so, but they must have known! Known that Bella would refuse him with others there! It was a defence mechanism, not allowing your mate to be in a compromising position, when other vampires were close by, no matter how well you knew them!

He texted Peter, demanding to know, that they had given the couple the time to mate! The answer came in phone call,

"I fucked up Garrett! We never left, I don't know if he tried, but she would have shut him down, I'm sure and he wouldn't have known why! This is a fuckin' mess, we're supposed to be their best friends and closest confidants and we both screwed this up! He's gonna kill me and god damn it, I deserve it!" Peter was mortified at his own stupidity, inactivity and lack of help.

"Tell him, Peter, explain it all! Then tell him, he's got to find her and fix it, I won't be helping! Alistair and I are all she's got just now and I've already had to teach her how to hunt! That was you three's job, but you all treated her like a house cat! Oh, and if you lied about anything else you best get it out in the open, she was beyond pissed at Charlotte! Now she's blaming herself for everything, but I blame you!