1: Skinny Love (Ed. Cullen)

65

Bambi pulls the sleeves of Caleb's hoodie down her arms as she sits across from Sam, his eyes tracking the movement, watching her carefully. He's tried explaining it all to her. Including the bloodlines without giving too much about her own away; without alarming her to Billy's suspicions about her. Bambi pushes her fingers through her hair and sniffles a little.

"So why me?" Bambi asks Sam as Caleb touches her arm, she jerks away slightly. "If it's specific bloodlines then....I don't understand"

"Neither do I" Sam answers her quietly. "But we'll figure it out" he assures her leaning forward. Sam stands as Bambi does, she sighs a little; all she wants is to go home and crawl into her bed and hide. She doesn't want to be here with all these people. People she doesn't know. And Caleb, he's fine, it's the others that are bothering her. The influx of voice in her head and she just wants out. "You can't tell.." Sam warns her, Bambi scoffs cutting him off.

"Who's going to believe I turn into giant dog anyway?" She asks back and then leaves not waiting for a response.

"Should I go after her?" Caleb asks, Sam shakes his head.

"Give her some space" Sam answers. "It's a lot to take in" Caleb keeps his eyes on the door, he lets out a sigh. Worried about her.

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

Bambi sits on her bed, head bowed, hands in her lap. How is this her life? Seriously? Vampires? Werewolves? All she wanted was to be normal. After all her break downs in Phoenix. After being the freak. All she wanted was to fit in. To be just like everyone else. Well that's all well and truly screwed up now, isn't it? She stands grabbing her cell phone from the comforter, scrolling through the contacts list till she finds Edward's name. Lingers. Pauses. She closes her eyes. She turns her phone over in her hand and starts to pace the length of her room. Her heart is in agony. Her mind lost to confusion. She knows she is so close to having another of her episodes. Can feel it niggling away. All of it building on her shoulders. And all she wants is Edward. To call him. To cry to him. To tell him everything. But how can she. They're not together any more. He's not the one she turns to any more. She stops and looks up hearing footsteps outside of her bedroom window before moving to it. She lifts the window and leans out. Caleb looks up at her from outside and gives her a small smile.

"You okay?" he asks, she sniffles and shrugs. "I'm coming up" he takes a few steps back and Bambi frowns doing the dame. Caleb jumps up, scrambling up the side of the house before he swings himself into her room through her window and she turns to him. He smiles softly and moves straight for her. No words exchanged but he knows. He knows. So he pulls her into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around her and letting her bury her face into his neck. It's too much for her. Her lip trembles. Emotions brewing to the edge before they boil over. She starts to cry in his arms. He strokes her hair whispering softly to her, reassuring her that it's okay, that everything will be okay.

........

Bambi and Caleb lay side by side on the bed staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom. She glances to him and then away again.

"What's it like?" she asks. "All of this" she motions to the two of them, Caleb shrugs a little.

"It's tough..." he answers. ".....but we're a family" he admits looking to her. "A pack....the others like to rough house and there's always banter and we seem to always be hungry but...it's actually...wolf stuff aside it's good..." Bambi turns her head to him, threading her fingers with his. "Do you want to talk about what happened?" he asks. "With the crash?" she shakes her head getting upset again, already.

"No" she whispers, pleads with him. "No, I don't" he squeezes her hand and gives a nod. They both lay in silence listening to the sounds of the house. Bella's listening to music in her room. Charlie the game downstairs. Caleb glances to Bambi.

"You get used to it" he comments. "The change in stuff" she frowns at him. "Hearing and sight and stuff...."

"But nothing's changed" she admits, he frowns at her this time. She is then cocking her head in thought before she pushes Caleb off the bed, he hits the floor with a groan and a thud. She hisses at him. "Be quiet" she warns and then Charlie is entering the room. He raises an eyebrow at Bambi as Caleb rolls under her bed.

"Where did you go?" he asks her.

"Out" Bambi answers.

"I was worried sick, after today, I just...." he takes a breath "You shouldn't have run off like that" he scolds, Bambi looks down. "Jacob was worried about you, we all were"

"I'm sorry" Bambi whispers pathetically. Her emotions all over the place with the stress. Charlie sighs and moves to her, pats her shoulder and then kisses her head.

"Just glad you're home" he offers and then leaves, Bambi's jaw trembles as Caleb rolls back out from under the bed and joins her on the bed, pulling her closer to him.

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

Bambi and Caleb walk together through the trees, the sun rising beyond them. They'd left early before Charlie and Bella had woken; heading to Sam's. Bambi needs to be more involved, she needs to understand, she is a part of the pack. And she has him. Caleb, it's not like she's been thrown in the deep end with it all, alone, like he was. He looks to her and then smiles.

"So heads up" he starts. "Paul's got his issues, anger mostly, bursts into fluff every time he stubs his toe" Caleb explains to Bambi. "Jared's alright, just don't ever make a bet with him, chances are you will loose" Bambi smiles a little. "Sam is all responsibility; but he means well and he's trying...." Caleb adds. "He's struggles but that's what were here for...."

"What about you?" She asks.

"I'm still me, Nads" he answers. "That hasn't changed....just with more..."

"Dog?" she asks, he shoots her a look.

"Wolf" he argues, she smirks.

"Cause there's such a huge difference" she teases weakly, trying to feel better about all this. But she's not slept. And it's all just going around and around in her head. Making her want to scream at the world. He stops her; sees her facial expression shift.

"Hey" he whispers. "I promise everything will be okay" he kisses her forehead. "I'm right here....we're all here for you" he clasps her cheeks.

"I just wanted to be normal" she whispers sadly. He nods.

"Yeah, I know" he gives her a soft smile. "But we don't always get what we want"