Apparently, Bella had found whatever answer she was looking for in her book because, the next evening, Bella paced around Eleanor's bedroom, trying to decide what to do. Her bottom lip was pulled in between her teeth and Eleanor worried she would rip out her hair from how tightly she was gripping it.

Eleanor watched the girl with an amused look on her face. Apparently after Edward dropped Bella off last night, the girl stayed up all night reading the book she bought, and researching legends on her laptop.

The girl had been on edge all day. She had shown up late for school that morning and, when Eleanor finally saw Bella, she could tell that the girl was anxious for something. Instead of telling Eleanor what she had read, she asked if they could meet at Eleanor's house that evening.

Which is why Eleanor was currently watching the girl have a breakdown in the middle of her room.

"What am I supposed to say to him?" Bella asked, glancing towards Eleanor as she continued to pace. "I mean, what if I'm wrong and he thinks I'm crazy?"

"I mean, you do sound a little crazy." El said with a shrug. Bella huffed, shooting the smirking brunette a glare. "Don't look at me like that. You're accusing him of being a vampire."

Maybe she could help her friend out by telling her that Edward was a vampire but, honestly, where was the fun in that? If she didn't know about the Cullen family, she would be trying to talk the girl out of confronting Edward to avoid the embarrassment. But she knew that Edward was driving himself crazy avoiding the girl so she now urged her to confront him.

Eleanor huffed and sat up to cross her legs under her. "Get him by himself, obviously. And make him admit it, don't just blurt it out." She cringed, remembering the day she had found out about their secret.

"Where should I do it? I only see him at school." Bella sighed, wringing her hands together, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Then that's going to have to work." Eleanor tried to reassure Bella with a smile. "Confront him tomorrow and we'll get to see what's so strange about Edward Cullen."

The next day at lunch, Eleanor, Jess, and Angela sat outside in the sunshine. It was a rare sunny day in Forks, leaving the girls to take advantage of the weather. Eleanor took a bite out of her sandwich and tilted her head back, letting the warmth wash over her face.

"Where's Bella?" Jess spoke up, and El cracked an eye open to see Jess looking around.

Eleanor looked around too, whipping her head around to see Bella walking towards the woods. She frowned for a moment before she noticed Edward walking a few feet ahead of her. El bit her lip to hide the smile growing on her face and silently celebrated the fact that she would have someone to gossip with about the vampires.

She turned back to her sister with a shrug. "I don't know. Haven't seen her since this morning."

Jess simply shrugged and took another bite of her sandwich.

Eleanor didn't see Bella nor Edward for the rest of the day, though she didn't worry too much about it. She was sure Edward was still explaining everything to Bella - it had taken a while when she had learned about it too.

As she walked out to the her final class of the day, Rosalie moved in step beside her. "Are you coming to the house today?"

Eleanor turned to give the blonde a friendly smile. "Alice is forcing me to go shopping with her, so yeah."

A hint of a smile tugged at Rose's lips but she masked it quickly. "If you meet us at our cars, you can ride with us."

El nodded and watched as Rose walked away. The girl had slowly been warming up to Eleanor the more she spent time at their house. She was still intimidating but Eleanor was beginning to like her.

The rest of the school day passed quickly, and soon Eleanor was walking towards the coven of vampires. She attempted to keep her head down, not wanting to attract too much attention to herself. She especially didn't want her sister seeing her with the Cullens', knowing she would never hear the end of it.

Emmett greeted the girl with a wide grin and Alice wrapped her in a hug before the five of them got into the car. Eleanor had never been afraid of car rides, but Emmett drove faster than anyone she had ever met and she feared he would flip the jeep. She was thankful when they arrived at the house and Emmett's grin told her that he drove like that on purpose.

Esme greeted Eleanor with a warm smile and a hug when they entered the house. Eleanor loved the woman - she was one of the sweetest people she had ever met.

"Carlisle is still at work but he'll be home soon." Esme said when she pulled back. "Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat before you and Alice leave." Esme was very happy to have someone else to take care of in the house. She was thrilled that Eleanor was a human, since it meant she could use the kitchen.

"That'd be great Esme, thank you." Esme always seemed to talk about Carlisle around her and, while El didn't understand why, she didn't mind. She only hoped that no one knew about her small crush on the man. She always made sure to keep a mental shield up around Edward just in case.

"Bella found out about us today." Esme shot Eleanor a knowing look as she pulled a pan out from a cabinet. "Edward just got home from seeing her."

El hummed, ducking her head to hide a smile. "I wonder how she found out."

"I wonder." Esme laughed, shooing Eleanor away. "He's upstairs."

Eleanor laughed as she headed for the stairs. As she climbed the steps, soft classical music floated down from Edward's room. She leaned against the door frame to see the boy sitting on his chair. "Can I come in?"

Without looking up from the book he was reading, Edward nodded. Eleanor walked in and sat in an empty chair. She twiddled her thumbs for a moment, watching as Edward flipped the page. "I have a question."

Edward peeked up at her through his lashes before settling his gaze back on his page. A look of frustration passed on his face and El assumed it was because her shield was up. "Which is?"

She didn't even know what had prompted her to ask. Maybe it was the fact that Esme always talked about him to her or the lingering looks he gave her when she was around. "Am I- Am I Carlisle's mate?"

Edward's fingers froze on the page and he sighed deeply before bringing his hands up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Does it bother you that you are?"

"No." Eleanor answered, surprised that she really wasn't bothered. "How come he hasn't said anything?"

"Because you're seventeen." Edward looked at her with raised brows. "And people in this town think he's nearing his thirties. And because he doesn't want to pressure you into anything you don't want."

She sighed, rubbing a hand down her face. "Should I tell him that I know?"

A smile tugged on Edward's lips. "If you want to tell him. Like I said, if you're not interested, he's not going to pressure you."

Eleanor picked at her fingers, obviously thinking over the new information. She couldn't help the happiness that bubbled in her at the knowledge but knew that it didn't necessarily mean anything.

Edward huffed. "I can practically see you thinking, Eleanor. He'll be home before you and Alice go out, so I suggest you talk to him about this."

Eleanor rolled her eyes as she stood. "Thanks for telling me."

He only nodded back at her before watching as she jogged down the stairs. She could smell the food that Esme had prepared and her stomach growled as she entered the kitchen. She spotted Esme scooping food onto a plate and slid into a seat at the table. "Thank you."

Esme smiled at the human and sat down next to her. Eleanor took a bite of her food and nearly moaned. "This is so good."

The two sat and talked about school and how Esme's day had been. Her mind was only half focused on the conversation while the other half was worrying about how she would confront Carlisle. She wondered how long he'd known about Eleanor being his mate and why he didn't say anything sooner.

Eleanor's head snapped up at the sound of the front door opening and closing and she quickly scooped the last bit of food into her mouth. Carlisle entered the kitchen, his brows furrowed down and his mouth open like he was about to talk.

He stopped when he saw Eleanor and Esme sitting at the table before his face broke into a smile. "Hello."

El smiled with her mouth closed, still holding food inside. Esme greeted Carlisle back before taking El's plate and exiting the kitchen. Carlisle took his sister's seat at the table as Eleanor swallowed her food. "I wasn't aware that you were coming today."

"Alice wanted to go shopping." Eleanor said, simply, curling her hands around the sleeves of her sweater. "I don't actually know where she is though."

Carlisle chuckled before silence fell between them. Eleanor stared back down at the table, trying to decide how to bring up this topic.

Carlisle studied the girl curiously, a soft smile curling on his lips. "What're you thinking about?"

Eleanor sighed, causing Carlisle to frown. She kept her eyes on the table as she spoke. "Why didn't you tell me that I'm your mate?"

Carlisle leaned back in his chair, not expecting this conversation. He rubbed his face with a hand. "It's more complicated than you think, Eleanor."

"Why?" Eleanor didn't know why she felt so hurt by his answer. "Is it because of what I am?"

"No, no, no." Carlisle shook his head quickly, moving off the chair and landing on his knees in front of her. "I didn't tell you because you're only seventeen. I think your abilities are special, El. You are special."

El didn't reply, instead choosing to look down at her hands. Carlisle sighed before reaching forward to grab them. "I'm not pressuring you into anything, Eleanor. It's your decision."

"I know." Eleanor said. "And you're right. I'm only seventeen, so maybe it would be a good idea to... wait? Maybe?"

"Take as much time as you need." Carlisle's thumb caressed the back of her hands and his eyes were kind as he stared at her.

Eleanor felt herself smile and she looked up to lock eyes with Carlisle's. "Thank you."

Carlisle didn't say anything. They stayed in their positions, holding hands and staring into each other's eyes. She found that she didn't mind being Carlisle's mate. It wouldn't be a bad thing and she felt a little better in the moment, knowing she would always have a group of people behind her.