1: Skinny Love (Ed. Cullen)

16.

Bambi walks towards Bella and Charlie as they leave the treatment area.

"I just have to sign some paperwork" Charlie tells them both, Bambi holds out her phone to Bella.

"You better call mom, she's freaking out" Bambi tells her, Bella looks to Charlie.

"You told her?!" Charlie shrugs and hurries off, escaping, fast, Bambi watches him go amused. Bella shakes her head, takes the cell phone from her sister.

"I hate hospitals" Bambi mumbles.

"Everyone hates them, Bambi" Bella tells her.

"They smell funny" Bambi grumbles.

"It's disinfectant" Bella points out as she scrolls through Bambi's contacts.

"What? No, it's not a clean smell" Bambi argues. "It's metallic...like blood" Bella gives her a weird look. "You can't smell it?" Bambi asks, Bella gives her another look and shakes her head. "Okay, fine" Bambi grumbles. "Must be disinfectant" Bella is about to dial, but then sees down the hall Connor, Edward, Rosalie and Dr. Cullen. Bella nudges Bambi who looks up and across at them. Rosalie is clearly furious at Edward and Connor who stand their ground. Dr. Cullen plays intermediary.

"This isn't just about you, it's about all of us..." Dr. Cullen sees Bambi and Bella and stops Rosalie.

"Let's take this in my office" Rosalie glares at Edward and Connor as she goes off with Dr. Cullen. Connor adopts a nonchalant air as Bella approaches, determined. Bambi hangs back, arms crosses over her chest, watching, Edward glances to her from where he stands flanking his twin.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Bella asks Connor, he nods. "How did you get over to me so quickly?" she asks.

"I was standing right next to you" Connor answers.

"You were next to your car, across the lot" Bella argues. Connor steps closer to her. His expression turns icy hard. Bambi steps closer a growl working up through her throat.

"No, I wasn't" Connor tells Bella. She won't be bullied, Bambi taught her better than that. Steps closer to him.

"Yes. You were" She argues.

"You're confused. You hit your head" Connor tells her, Edward glances to them and then back to Bambi who's glaring at Connor.

"I know what I saw"

"And what, exactly, was that?"

"You stopped that van. You pushed it away"

"No one will believe that"

"I do" Bambi tells him, he looks to her. "I believe her"

"Who would believe you" Connor tells her back. "The girl that hears voices" Bambi looks to Edward, a little betrayed that he's been talking about her, Edward is glaring at his brother.

"Bambi" Bella whispers to her, Bambi tightens her jaw and walks away. Bella sighs and looks to Connor. "I wasn't planning to tell anyone" This registers with Connor. They're inches from each other, the tension thick. Edward walks away after Bambi. "I just want to know the truth" Bella tells Connor.

"Can't you just thank me and get over it?"

"Thank you" Bella tells him. A long beat as they look at each other, angry, defensive... and without a doubt, attracted.

"You're not going to let it go, are you?" Connor asks.

"No" Bella answers, Connor turns and walks away.

"Then I hope you enjoy disappointment"

"Why did you even bother?" Bella asks. He stops, a beat. Looks back at her, unexpectedly vulnerable.

" ... I don't know" And he keeps walking. Bella is left confused, frustratingly attracted, and absolutely determined to find out the truth.

.................

Bambi takes a deep breath and opens her car door.

"Bambi" Edward calls for her walking towards her.

"What do you want?" She asks throwing her bag into the car and turning to him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What Connor said..."

"Bet you both had a good laugh, right?" She sneers, growls at him. "At the girl who's not right in the head, at the freak who hears voices..." he shakes his head.

"No, that's not...that's not what it was about"

"I don't care" she snarls. "Just leave me the hell alone" She climbs into her car and slams the door, Edward groans. He's going to kill his brother. Edward looks down, hanging his head, his eyes then finding Bambi's necklace, he crouches down and picks it up holding the feather charm between his fingers.

...................

Bambi wraps her headphones up around her neck and over the back of her ears and grabs her water bottle as she passes through the kitchen, Charlie looks to her.

"Where are you going?" he asks, she looks to him.

"Running" she answers, he pulls a face, she smirks. "I sometimes wonder" she tells him. "Given how different I am from you and Mom and Bella if I'm not adopted" She teases leaving, Charlie sighs sadly and watches her go.

.......................

Bambi sets her headphones in her ears before she heads into the forest, rolls her shoulders and takes a deep breath, she loves the smell of the forest on an evening, just before the sun sets, just before it gets too cold and dark to do anything, all crisp and full of life. And she loves it. This is why she's missed living in Forks, as much as she loves her mother, but being outside, amongst nature, it makes her feel more alive then anything else. She looks around and takes another deep breath before she runs.

.......................

Bambi returns home a few hours later, feeling lighter, better and less mad at Edward, so he told his brother about hre voices, they're twins, Bambi tells Bella everything and Bella tells her everything, she supposes it's the same with Edward and his brother. She takes a deep breath leaving the forest and pulling off her headphones, wraps them around her neck and then pulls out her ponytail, before raising an eyebrow, Edward leans against his car, parked at the front of house, he leans up seeing Bambi and moves towards her, she raises an eyebrow at him.

"You dropped this" he holds up her necklace and she smiles a little.

"Thanks" he motions to her neck and she nods pulling the headphones from her and pulls her hair up from her neck, Edward pulls the chain around her, fingers grazing along her skin, she closes her eyes and takes a breath. He clasps the necklace behind her neck and pulls her hair down from her hands and smiles.

"It must be important" he tells her. She turns to him. "The necklace"

"Oh?" she asks.

"You're always wearing it...." she shrugs and touches it, looking up at him.

"Bella gave it to me...." she tells him smiling.

"So it is important" he tells her, she smiles wider and nods.

"Thank you...for returning it"

"You're welcome..." he tells her softly, she nods and looks down.

"I'm sorry" she admits. "For snapping earlier....."

"Don't be" he reassures her. "He shouldn't have said that and I shouldn't have told him...." she shrugs.

"I would have told Bella if it was the other way around" she tells him and then touches her necklace. "Thanks...again" he nods. "See you around" she offers stepping back from him.

"See you around, Bambi" he tells her as she heads inside, waits for the door to close before walking to his car and climbing in.