1: Skinny Love (Ed. Cullen)

60

Bambi paces her bedroom, eyes wide, her mind repeating what she'd seen and heard. A wolf with human thoughts, a human voice in her head. This is a sign her insanity is playing up again. She turns a little and takes a deep breath, her instinct is telling her to call Edward, to tell him, to beg for him to tell her she's not crazy, that it was all just a dream. But she can't call him. And she doesn't feel like she can talk to Jacob about this, Jacob will go running to Charlie worried she's having an episode. She turns and leaves her room heading for the bathroom.

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

Bambi riffles through the bottle and ointments in the mirror cabinet, she knows she threw them out but she has to have a couple, just a few left in a pill bottle somewhere. Just one to make it all go away, for normality to return.

"Bambi?" Charlie asks pausing in the hallway to watch her.

"Did I have any meds left from when I stayed last year?" she asks him.

"Are you feeling alright?" he steps into the bathroom. "Are you having an....episode?" he asks her, she shrugs and goes back to looking through the cupboard.

"I don't know" she whispers. "I just...I..." she stops and hangs her head. "I thought I saw something in the woods but I think it's just...it was just the light or something" she looks to him and tries to smile. "I'm just tired, I didn't sleep very well"

"Well there's probably some sleeping pills in there" he offers. "If they'll help"

"No" she shakes her head. "I'll just have some tea" she assures him. "And an early night" He smiles softly and kisses her forehead.

"I just worry about you" he admits pulling back. "About both of you"

"I know" she tells him with a small smile. He leaves her alone, she takes a breath and closes the cabinet before leaving the room.

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

Bambi pulls on an oversized hoodie before climbing into her bed, a tea pot on her bedside table, her cushion arranged for comfort, her laptop open on the end of her bed, a video of a violinist concert ready and loaded. She takes the mug next to the teapot and takes a sip before pressing play on the video.

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

Bambi butters her toast, Bella sat next to her eating cereal, both girls in a comfortable silence, they never have to talk and can be more connected then the bestist of friends. Charlie leans in the doorway and smiles seeing the two of them sat together, Bambi reaching for her orange juice. Bella looks to Bambi and smiles a little.

"Jessica is up for going out" Bella tells her, Bambi hums in agreement. "If you don't mind" Bambi shrugs.

"I can tolerate her" Bambi admits. "For you" she smiles at Bella who smiles back. "When are you thinking?"

"I dunno, this weekend?" Bella asks, Bambi nods.

"Just let me know" Bambi offers. "We can do some shopping, get food...make a night of it" Bella nods and smiles.

"Sounds great actually" Bella admits. Charlie looks to the mail in his hand and nods heading into the room.

"Morning, girls" he greets, they both turn to him and smile at the same time. Sometimes it's hard for him to remember they're not actually twins. "You've got some mail" Charlie tells Bambi handing her a thick packet envelope. "Looks like it's from England" he comments, she hums a little setting the thick packet down on the table, ignoring it. Bella glances to her watching as she ignore the letter she and Charlie can guess is from the school. And it's thick, which means that it's a really, really long rejection letter, or she got in and it's her acceptance packet. Bambi's been quiet about London since the Cullen's left, Charlie and Renee may have been the ones to point her towards music school but it was Edward that encouraged her to push for the school, it was him that pushed her to apply. Bella and Charlie share a look, Charlie shrugs a little and then leaves the two girls alone.

"We should get going" Bella states standing and moving into the living room to grab her jacket and bag. Bambi stands and grabs her own jacket from the back of the chair, Bella glances to her twin as Bambi looks to the letter, picks it up and wrinkles her nose.

"London" she mumbles and then scoffs turning and shoving the letter into the trash. "Yeah, right" she shakes her head. What was she thinking? She can't go to London to study. She's not that girl. She's not good enough for something like that. Her lip trembles a little as she threatens to cry. Bella watches her sadly. Bambi shakes her head and walks away from the kitchen.

"I'll catch up, I forgot a book upstairs" Bella tells Bambi who nods and leaves, Bella waits a moment before moving to take the letter out of the trash, she hides it in her own bag and then hurries outside to catch up with Bambi.

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

Edward sits in an armchair, a huge book open in front of him, it's ancient, one of Carlisle's, a picture of a fairy is emblazoned on one side of the book and one the other, written in Latin, a lengthy description of the fae. But none of it matches Bambi, nothing but the blood. It has to be something else. Or something more. He closes the book and shoves it aside. He shouldn't even be looking into her any more. He glances to his cell phone next to him and stares at it. He wants nothing more then to call her, to beg her, he actually feels like he should beg for her to come back to him. To get them back on track. He looks away and closes his eyes.

"If it hurts this much" Esme offers behind him. "If...being this far away from Nadine is causing you this much pain"

"Connor and I agreed" Edward corrects standing to turn to her.

"I know" she offers. "But...isn't it looking like Nadine isn't human?" she asks. "You left to keep them safe, because they were human..."

"James bit her" Edward admits, and the house then pauses hearing him. "He bit her and nothing happened, I mean....she got sick, like..like a really bad virus but nothing" he looks to Esme. "I don't know what she is. I don't understand what's happening to her" Esme moves closer. "What if she's just as mortal as a human, she ages, she dies, then what happens?"

"You lived a life with the woman you loved" Esme tells him. "50, 60, 70 years of happiness" Edward turns away a little.

"She broke it off" he reminds her.

"Not because she fell out of love with you" Esme reminds him back. "Because you two being apart hurt too much" she touches his arm, he looks to her. "Try calling her at least, try talking to her..." he looks to his cellphone and nods a little.

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