"One time, okay, it was just - I wasn't planning on two of my alts having married two of his and four more dating them, okay?"
"You didn't tell me!"
"No, I didn't, it was just going to be a one-off, and for the love of sunshine and rainbows don't spread it around any farther, okay?"
"I won't, but the Joker totally knows."
"Ugh."
"Well, not for sure, but he suspects, and not just because most of you are doing most of him."
"I think your grammar implies a little too much."
"Whatever, you know what I mean," laughs Lexi. "So what're you going to do?"
"I," says Bella with dignity, "am going to think."
And she teleports to a spot in midair, high up to the point of being a speck in the sky above Forks to any grounded observers, and she murmurs "flight" as she begins to fall, and she stands in place in the air.
And she thinks.
+Brilliance?+ she asks after about half an hour.
+He's not likely to say it outright like that. Especially since he knows it would in fact be hard to hurt you. It'd just be vague, "It'll be best for everyone if thus and so" stuff.+
+...That could be either fine, or really really awful, depending how he said it. Sorry I'm so - finicky,+ he says helplessly.
+Okay, I'll try that.+ Snuggle snuggle. Kiss on the end of his nose, see how he likes being kissed in silly places.
Aww. +I'll let you know when it's safe to be around Charlie,+ Bella says, and she runs her hand through his hair and teleports to join her folks for lunch.
Lexi has made lunch, and she has chosen for lunch to be macaroni and cheese. "Where's Brilliance?"
"Hanging out on the planet with the rainbow sand. He can conjure food now," Bella adds as a misleading explanation.
"That explains all the ice cream in the freezer and the stack of pie plates," snorts Lexi.
"I'm going to tell him I'm dating Brilliance, thanks, rumors of my doings should not reach Charlie's brain."
"I will remember this when you meet some boy," grumbles Bella, "you can bet I will, I have a perfect memory now, you know."
"I," says Lexi loftily, "will take my chances. So is he good? He must be if you're gonna keep him for the foreseeable future, right -"