1: Skinny Love (Ed. Cullen)

46

Connor and Bella enter the double doors -- suddenly a small, wrapped gift appears in Bella's face. Alice presents it.

"Happy...." Alice starts.

"Shh!!" Bella scolds. Alice whispers in her ear as she hugs Bella.

"Birthday" Over Alice's shoulder, Bella sees Jasper, keeping his distance. He offers her a pleasant nod. She tries to hide Alice's present, hoping no one noticed.

"Alice, didn't I say no gifts?"

"You did. I didn't. I've already seen you open it and guess what? You love it"

"You had a vision about our birthday?" Bella asks glancing to Connor.

"And about the green dress you'll be wearing to your party tonight. Great color on you. Oh and tell Bambi to wear that red halter dress she has lurking in the back of her closet" Bella blinks processing.

"Our party?"

"Please?" Alice begs. "It'll be fun"

"I... guess I can deal..."

"Great! See ya at seven!" Alice hugs her again and races off before she can change her mind. Which is when Bella realizes.

"Wait, Jasper, no fair with the mood control" She complains, he offers an apologetic bow before Alice drags him away. Connor smirks wrapping an arm around Bella.

"Vampires. You can't trust them" he smirks. "Trust me" he teases, she shoots him a look.

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

Edward leans against the lockers as Bambi sets in her jacket and violin. He cocks his head and then looks to Bambi.

"There's a party tonight" he tells her, she looks to him. "For you and Bella, at our house"

"Wait, what?" she asks. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Your reaction on a party was harder to gauge then Bella's" he offers.

"True, Bella hates being the centre of attention, she hates anything that makes a fuss. Does she know?" he nods.

"Alice just told her" she smirks.

"So that's why you're telling me, because somehow the little pixie vampire talked Bella into the party" she teases, he smirks and shrugs. "Fair enough" he takes her hand touching the promise ring on her finger.

"That's it?" he asks watching her reaction. "Bella at least tried to argue" she smirks at him.

"Honestly, me and Bella haven't had a birthday party since we were little, she hated them...so we stopped. It's a little selfish but I want a party, I want to spend my birthday with you and my sister and.....reluctantly your brother" he chuckles a little. "And for the first time in a long time....I am happy" he leans down and kisses her softly. He pulls back and smiles.

"Good" he strokes her cheek and then takes her hand as she closes the locker.

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

Zeffirelli's '68 "Romeo and Juliet" plays. The suicide scene.

"Arms, take your last embrace, and lips, O you, the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss..." The room is dark some students are entertained, some are moved, Mike trying not to fall asleep. The teacher, Mr. Berty, mouths every word. "Here's to my love! O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick" Connor and Bella are in the back of the room, desks pushed together, whisper-talking.

"I hate being... celebrated" She tells Connor.

"Come on, the last real birthday any of us had was Emmett's - I think Bing Crosby was on top of the charts" he tells her. "You'll be helping us feel normal for a night" Bella sits back, knowing she's trapped. He kisses her hand. "There are worse tragedies than a birthday. Look at Romeo. He's responsible for his wife's death. Who could live with that? ... Though I do envy him one thing"

"Juliet's alright... if you like that obviously beautiful sort of thing" Bella mumbles.

"Not the girl - the suicide. Nearly impossible for my kind. But humans, a little poison, dagger to the heart. There are so many options"

"Why would you even think about that?" Bella asks horrified. He turns her wrist over, runs his hand over the horseshoe shaped scar on her forearm.

"I considered it. Once" Connor looks across at Edward and Bambi across the room. "We both did" Edward looks to him, the two brothers share a look before Edward turns back to Bambi. "When James had you and Bambi trapped. We didn't know if we'd find you in time. If we'd gotten you killed..."

"It wouldn't have been your fault...." Bella tells him. "

"Either way, we had a plan"

"What plan?" Bella asks.

"There are... ways for us. At least one way. I would have gone to Italy, provoked the Volturi..."

"The who?" Bella asks.

"Is there something you'd like to share with the class, Connor?" Mr Berty asks, everyone turns to look at Connor.

"Certainly not. But I apologize for being a distraction. Perhaps you should rewind to act five, scene one, line twenty-eight eighty-nine...."If you had the strength of twenty men it would dispatch you straight" Mr. Berty just looks at him, then moves off, intimidated --

"Eyes on the screen, people" Bella is too concerned to be amused.

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

Bambi walks with Edward through the halls of the school, she frowns.

"I never understood Romeo and Juliet" she admits, he looks to her.

"What do you mean?" he asks.

"Why did she kill herself?" she asks back.

"Because she could not live without Romeo" he answers.

"But that's stupid" she argues. "Yeah, it would hurt and yeah, it would suck but....life goes on, she was what? 13? And she lived and died as if love is all that matters" she looks to him. "No one falls in love at 13, not real love, she was stupid and naïve and pathetic and she could have had a full life, and met someone else and loved him just as much as she had Romeo" Edward pulls her closer and smiles a little.

"True" he offers. "But that wouldn't have been a very dramatic story, would it?" he asks, she smirks and shrugs.

"I guess not" she offers.

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

Bambi pulls on her two rings as she leaves her bedroom, Bella waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.

"Ready?" Bella asks, Bambi nods and takes her hand.

"Wait" Bambi tells her. "We've barely seen one another today, so I haven't had a chance to give you this" Bambi takes Bella's wrist and sets a wrapped gift in her hand. "Happy birthday, Bella" Bella smiles and sets a small box in Bella hand.

"They're those earrings you wanted...the ones you've been dropping hints about for the last four weeks" Bella teases, Bambi smiles and opens the box. "And I thank you, I would never have been able to pick one thing for you. Happy birthday, Bambi" Bambi sets the earrings into her ears as Bella opens her gift. A journal engraved with her name. "This is perfect" Bella tells Bambi.

"I know" Bambi teases. "I'm the best sister"

"You are" Bella agrees, they chuckle together and head for the door.