1 Outnumbered

Karina readjusted her dress for what felt like the millionth time - a little worried that maybe she had worn something too low cut; but she had no desire to change. She had her body back from before the baby and she was going to flaunt it.

Not to mention the many benefits of being supernatural, her breasts were bigger - though whether from breast feeding or vampirism she wasn't sure. Her ass had gotten bigger as well. Her waist slimmer, giving her that hourglass figure that models would sell their first-born children for.

Karina and her sister were both wearing the same dress - just in different colors. Karina wore red and Gemma wore pink. It was a 'Corset satin slip spaghetti strap mini dress" that cut off a little above mid-thigh and dipped a little too low on the chest. Lower than she would have liked.

It pushed her breasts together in a way that ensured if human men ... and some women hadn't been looking at her before (they had) they absolutely were now.

But that hardly mattered when she was late. Technically, they were late, but she had chosen to arrive ahead of time, alone. It felt odd - she felt naked, exposed without her son and sister by her side; and yet, here she was.

Getting out of her Tesla, alone. Walking around the stone pathway, alone. Climbing the eight steps, alone - and finally entering through the front doors, alone.

The wedding had been going on for hours, she knew but they had not arrived earlier than intended. They hadn't wanted to attend at all but in the end chose to come for her Uncle Charlie - Karina was not happy with Bella at the moment but she could pretend.

Karina had gotten amazing at pretending. Being a vampire, or even being involved in the vampire world as they had been when pregnant - was 20% being exposed to an amazing supernatural world filled with amazing things, abilities and wonders that most would kill for and 80% acting skills to blend in and ensure no one found out the secret.

This was a prelude to that very thing. They were going to disappear - Karina didn't know if they had a judge, jury, and executioner in the vampire world but had no desire to find out or cause the first world war between vampires and humans by accidentally spilling the secret.

As such, she was here to say goodbye - she was not a part of their world, anymore. It would do no one any good for them to believe otherwise. But... Karina knows she wasn't heartless. She would let them meet Tommy, she would spend a few carefree hours smiling and laughing like it wouldn't be the last time they saw her or her son.

She would pretend that Bella hadn't deeply hurt her when she was too busy to answer her calls during her Edward induced depression where Karina had needed someone to talk about the ones who hurt her... whose actions still hurt to this day.

That she hadn't been scared out of her mind, alone, and though she had not known then, dying when she realized she was pregnant and not only that, but the baby had not been human. She had been afraid she wouldn't survive to give her son a mother... and that fear only grew worse when Gemma had proven pregnant, too.

Almost like they planned it. To swoop in, make them fall in love and then disappear from both their bed and their lives without so much as a goodbye. They had been vampires, Karina knew now - and most likely thought they were protecting them, but the dangers they left behind outweighed those they carried with them.

Had she never met Serena and her new family; things would have been drastically different.

Her internal spiral had clearly gone on a little longer than she planned. Bella had already spotted her... so had most of the humans in the room. She couldn't truly blame them for staring or for the incessant whispering that greeted her ears. She was not vain but knew that she resembled Aphrodite in the flesh - it was merely a fact that had been relayed to her many times, already.

Despite her now jumbled emotions she plastered a fake smile on her face, lifting her shield only enough to block out her supernatural hearing. Tonight, she wanted to be present in the moment - it was hard to do that when there were no secrets to a vampire.

"Karina!" Bella looked surprised, decently hopeful, eyes alight in curiosity. "I wasn't sure you were going to show."

Karina felt her smile shine a little easier, eyes softening just the barest amount. "We're running just a tad bit late." Her smile was a little sheepish, but Bella looked sufficiently awed none the less. Her eyes widening subtly and her cheeks dusting a lovely pink. Karina swallowed a mouthful of venom. "I came ahead to assure you that we had every intention of arriving earlier; life simply got in the way."

"Uh - I -" Bella stammered, stumbling over her words while blinking rapidly. Karina did not need to hear her heart to know it had sped up; they were cousins, but Bella could not control her own bodily reactions. It was simply the reality of being around vampires. "It's no problem, really. Better late than never." Her chuckle was a little awkward, she shuffled closer to her husband. "This is Edward, my uh - husband." She said the word slowly as if she was still coming to terms with it, herself. "And obviously, this is my cousin, Karina. The one I told you about."

Karina managed not to tense or give away her reaction at Bella's husband being a vampire. His eyes met her own, alight with cautiousness, frustration, and curiously enough, relief and recognition. Karina wouldn't have caught the way his eyes flicked away and back had she been human. He plastered a crooked smile on his face; the entire interaction having taken less than 2 seconds. "It's nice to meet you, Karina. I've heard many things about you."

He had put emphasis on the word, many. Emphasis that made Karina cautious. She couldn't stop the way she tensed now. Bella seemed none the wiser, but Edward's brow crinkled in concern and even more confusion.

"Only good things, I hope?" Her smile came much easier than she felt, as she slid her toasty hand into his frosty one. Relief flooded her when he was visibly (at least to vampiric eyes) careful with his strength, he had no idea she was a vampire. She had the upper hand, then.

And though he smiled, he pulled his hand away as if burned - his eyes flashing back toward the back corner of the room and back. They burned with irritation she knew was not aimed toward herself. He hid his reaction well, to his credit. "But of course. I hardly think anyone would get away with anything else."

Amber eyes narrowed in suspicion... and even Bella looked at him, oddly. Karina did not like being unaware and the more time she spent speaking to Edward - the more it felt like he knew more than she did right now.

A tension ensued as Edward and Karina stared at each other. A furrow was in her brow, and she felt a subtle, but there - shove against her shield. A mind reader then... Karina allowed a brief smirk to grace her cherry red lips before her attention was stolen by Charlie. But she managed to see the way Edward's eyes widened ... he knew she knew.

"Kar!" Charlie grunted, pulling her into a hug that she returned with a lot less force. His bear hugs used to leave her lacking breath, and now she could crush his ribs if she wasn't careful. My, how the tables have turned. "It's been too long! I was afraid you weren't gonna make it!"

The hug went on a little longer than Karina felt comfortable with - the citrusy ambrosia of lifeblood flooded her senses and again, she found herself swallowing a mouthful of venom. Finally, he pulled back - motioning to her with his hand. "Look at you! How long's it been? You can't even tell!"

And had she not known what he was referring too she might have been concerned by his wording. "Just a few days shy of three weeks. I was a little afraid the weight would never come off."

Lie one of the night - she had never intended to survive her pregnancy human and anything the pregnancy had done to her body would have been and was fixed during her transformation.

"Weight?" Bella questioned, both looking and sounding baffled. "I hardly remember you ever being overweight, Kar."

Karina pursed her lips, eyes flashing to Edward and away again, whose lips were subtly moving in a way that meant he was conversing with at least one other vampire in the room. She itched to remove her shield and eavesdrop but stayed head strong in her decision to be present - the supernatural could wait until tomorrow.

Right now, her very human family needed her attention.

Charlie looked toward Bella in surprise, saving Karina from having to explain. "You didn't know?" He looked toward Karina but instead of judgement, his gaze held understanding. He was well aware why Bella had known nothing. "Karina was pregnant, she had a baby not long ago." His attention returned to her so he missed the way Edward's eyes widened in alarm and Bella's in hurt. "How is the baby? Did the labor go smoothly? No complications?"

"He's perfect. 6 pounds, 9 ounces - 20 inches long of perfect." Karina smiled fondly, pulling out her phone to pull up a picture and show it to her proud looking Uncle. "He was a little premature, actually. We weren't expecting it but other than that the labor was a breeze." Lie two of the night - the labor hadn't been easy at all, but Tommy was worth it. "Gemma and I went into labor literally hours apart." At least that had been the truth.

"You..." Bella finally managed to whisper, the hurt still on her face. Edward's lips were moving much faster - an intense conversation, then. "Why wouldn't you tell me?" Her eyes were glassy, but Karina found it hard to feel bad.

"Bella, uh..." Charlie cleared his throat awkwardly.

"No." She snapped, defiance now joining the hurt. "I want to know why you went through an entire pregnancy and birth without telling me, Kar! I thought we told each other, everything."

Karina only just managed not to snort or sneer. Clearly Bella had forgotten she hadn't told Karina about her vampire husband - or the fact that she was marrying him, meaning she was likely planning to become a vampire by his side. "The last time we spoke, you barely said two words - you were so lost in your "My boyfriend left me" sorrow that you cared about nothing and no one." Bella flinched and Karina found a sick satisfaction in that. "From that point on you were too busy to answer the phone. Just when was I supposed to tell you, Isabella?"

And the vindictive pleasure she took in watching Bella wilt and Edward flinch at the implications behind her words reminded her how cruel she could be and how much enjoyment she found in it. "You hadn't even known I was - seeing - anyone at the time." She had hesitated over the word "seeing". She hated to refer to it as that, she was strung along by not just one vampire but two... hardly her proudest moment.

"Had I - " Bella licked her lower lip, face lighting up in the way that sent citrusy ambrosia directly toward Karina like a freight train. She fought a purr. "Had I known you needed me I would have answered." It was a weak defense, and from the look on Charlie, Edward and Bella's face - they all knew it.

"Ironically, the only way to know when you're needed is to be there when called." Karina sneered, a snarl building in her chest that she managed to swallow. She inhaled and exhaled, deeply. "Look, I didn't come here to fight. I came here to congratulate you and have a good night." And say goodbye, was on the tip of her tongue but that wouldn't be smart. She'd fake her death; Serena assured her it was the best way.

A slightly awkward silence ensued, "If you would excuse myself and Bella for a moment." Edward smiled tensely and then dragged Bella away without another word.

"Well, what's a wedding without a little drama." Charlie joked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Karina sent him a dry look, but her eyes were dancing in amusement. "You don't get enough excitement in the little town of Forks, Uncle Charlie?"

"It's actually rather boring around here, I can admit."

Karina's eyes almost on their own traveled in the direction Edward and Bella had wandered. Seeing not one, not two but several vegetarian vampires all huddled together and speaking heatedly - she could not see them all from how close they were huddled, she could not even count how many there were, but she knew she was outnumbered.

"You know." She commented idly. "Somehow I doubt that."