(2) Wild Horses (E. Cullen)

Chapter Nine

Bambi knows that Edward is right about her relationship with Bella. If Bella is so determined to become a vampire, then them falling out now, might mean that this is their set future. This relationship could be forever. She doesn't want that. She doesn't want to be like this. This angry with her. This angry, period. But she can't worry about it. She can't think about it when she has to worry about Edward and Sam being in the same room as one another. Lunch. There are way too many things for her to worry about. Life is far too complicated. But she can focus on cooking lunch. That is simple. That is easy. She can cook pasta. There is nothing to it. She sits at the pan of pasta sauce boiling away on the stove. Edward watches her from where he was banished to the bed. He was getting in her way and she was too stressed out to deal with him hovering. So he is to sit on the bed until she has finished making lunch. He knows she is worried. Scared. That either he or Sam is going to screw this up. He would take it personally but he knows how worked up about this she is. How determined she is for this to go well. The pack mean a lot to her, and he means everything to her. She wants this to go well, so badly. Edward leans back on the bed, rumpling some paper behind him, he frowns and then leans up, reaching for the paper. When he pulls it forward, he instantly knows what it is. There is only one thing that it could possibly be. His eyes flicker to where Alistair's letter is usually pinned but it is missing, which means he is right.

"Bambi" He starts. He had no idea that she did this. It's no wonder she's so worked up. "Did you read Alistair's letter?"

"No" She answers with a sigh. "I opened it....chickened out" She scolds herself with a shake of her head. She got so close. She read the greeting. Dearest Nadine. And that was more than enough. She threw it down and turned her mind to panicking about Sam. She wants so badly to read what he's said to her, but she doesn't want to read it if he admits that she is not a part of his life. That she wasn't wanted. She won't be able to handle that. Edward knows the way her mind works, he likes to think he knows her well enough now. This letter. She was scared. Scared of being rejected. Scared that she has always been rejected. His eyes scan over the letter and he smiles. Everything she is worried about; is unwarranted. Alistair clearly adored his daughter, in the time that he had with her. He still does. He's mourned her. Every day since she was taken away from her.

"Bambi" Edward whispers and stands from the bed. She shakes her head. She wants to focus on one issue at a time. Just focus on lunch.

"Please don't" She begs. "I don't want to know yet" She pauses and then closes her eyes. "Is it bad?" She asks.

"Well, you could read it" He offers, she turns to face him, opening her eyes.

"I don't know if that look in your eyes is good or not" She admits quietly. He holds out the letter towards her. She swallows and shakes her head.

"You need this," He tells her. "Take this one weight off of your shoulders, please...You need to read this" He wouldn't be telling her to read it if it was bad news. Right? "And I will finish lunch" He assures her, kissing her head as he moves to take her place at the stove. Bambi moves to the couch, taking a seat to read the letter. She's put this off long enough. And maybe Edward is right. She needs to remove one of her stress triggers. He has seen what is in the letter now. That has to be good news. She swallows and then looks down at the letter. Her eyes slowly read through the writing. The soft but elaborate swirling handwriting is already comforting her. She had nothing to worry about. Because Alistair is telling her that he always wanted her. He and Marianne were madly in love. Connected. And they were both very much excited for their child. Bambi sniffles, getting upset, but it is a good kind of upset. She is happy. Relieved. She was terrified that she was going to be rejected by him. But he lost her. She was stolen from him. He lost Marianne and Bambi in the space of months. He was devastated. And he tried to find her. And he wants to see her. Seems rather excited about it actually. But he's leaving it up to her. Her choice. Her decision. Bambi blinks, sending tears down her cheeks. There is a knock at the apartment door and Edward glances up from the pan he's been working on. "It's open" Edward states and the front door opens. Sam lets himself in, closing the door behind him.

"Emily made me bring this..." He holds up the box in his hands, filled with cupcakes from Emily. She wanted to do something nice too. If she couldn't come and have lunch with them, then she wanted a part of her to be there. He glances at Bambi, sees that she is upset, and jumps to the wrong conclusion. "What did you do now?" Sam asks, shoving his hand into Edward's chest and pressing him against the wall. The threat there.

"If I did something" Edward defends. "I wouldn't have invited you in"

"It's not him" Bambi argues, prying Sam away from Edward with a look. "It just..a letter from my dad"

"Charlie wrote you a letter?"

"No...my birth dad" She counters, Sam releases Edward and turns towards her. "The vampire" Sam nods a little. "Carlisle..."

"My father" Edward adds. Sam hums a little, he's starting to be able to keep up with who is who.

"He wrote to Alistair when he thought that I might be...." Bambi stops and looks away. "I've been putting off reading this letter, because....." Sam softens.

"This is the fear you felt" He realises. "Some of it, anyway" He adds. "You thought that this...Alistair, might have given you away...." She nods and looks away with a sigh.

"No," She tells him. "He didn't...I was stolen" Sam frowns.

"By Charlie?" She shakes her head.

"No, by my grandmother, Marianne's mother....she was watching me so that Alistair could....feed...and when he came back, she'd left with me. And then somehow...I am found by Charlie, he told me he found me behind the police station...." Sam glances at Edward and then clears his throat.

"Sorry," He offers. Edward nods sharply. Accepting it. "I just..."

"You are her alpha" Edward voices. "Her pack member. Her brother. I understand the need for caution with me" Sam seems to settle something then. An understanding that Edward is trying just as hard as they are to adjust to this. They all are. This is new to all of them. And they all have to adjust to it. "I am not who you would have chosen for her" Bambi looks at him sadly.

"No" Sam agrees. "But you are who the spirits chose for her, and it is rather difficult to argue with them..." Edward nods a little. Understanding that Sam is trying hard to accept this. To accept the imprint. That they all are. "It's just that Bambi is breaking all the rules. No female shifters. No vampire imprints. No hybrids. It's a lot for us to deal with"

"Well, there is Leah,..."

"Yes," Sam turns to Bambi to agree with her. "Leah proves that female shifting is a thing and not exclusive to you, but you were the first...." Bambi nods a little. "And weird things keep happening" She sticks out her tongue at him.

"I made pasta" Bambi offers, changing the subject. Sam raises an eyebrow.

"It's about the only thing she can cook" Edward counters, Bambi turns to him and gives him a dirty look. Edward just smiles at her.

"Yeah, she's a terrible cook" Sam agrees. Bambi swings around to glare at him.

"I cooked that Mediterranean fish dish for you all" Bambi defends. Sam cringes slightly. "It wasn't that bad"

"Paul was violently ill" Sam points out. "For a week" Edward smirks a little and looks down. "I'd never seen him so sweaty and pale....and as a Native American, that's a challenge" Bambi just glares back at him before she just throws her pan of pasta at him. Sam dodges with a chuckle. "Oh come on" Sam defends as the pasta crashes all over the floor. "I was looking forward to that" Edward smiles a little watching them together. Bambi has been so worried about the pack, she's so worried about the people around her rejecting and abandoning her. But she doesn't have to be. Sam and the pack are literally trying to overcome traditions and taught mindsets to keep her with them. Alistair is more than willing to be a part of her life. Her loved ones would never leave her. They are fighting to keep her in their lives, even Bella is trying to make amends for their falling out. Bambi suddenly kisses Edward, surprising him, and Sam, who turns a little to give them a little privacy. His hand finds her waist before it slides around her back to pull her closer as he kisses her back.

"What was that for?" Edward asks her when he pulls back, giving her a confused look.

"Just the way you were looking at me" She whispers, Edward smiles at her, touching her cheek. Sam clears his throat.

"Should I call out for pizza?" He asks, Bambi looks at him and then nods. Pizza does sound good.