*Welcome to Chapter 1 of Cullen Chronicles! This is one of the few (maybe only) chapters that won't be told from the Cullens' points of view. It's the first of a two parter. I'd always wondered what exactly happened when the Quileutes realized the Cullens were back in Washington after 70 years. Here's my rendition. The first part is from Billy's point of view and the second will be from Carlisle's.

As always, Stephenie Meyer is the master of all things Twilight.

2003

Billy POV

"And...touchdown for the Cardinals!"

"Ugggghhh!" Charlie and I both groan at the TV as the Cardinals score on the Seahawks yet again. It was embarrassing to lose this badly to one of the worst football teams in the NFL. If I was one of the players, I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror after this game.

The phone rings in the kitchen, and Charlie gets up to answer it. I lean over to the coffee table to refill my paper plate with chips and onion dip. The only downside of Sunday football at Charlie's house is the food. When I watched the game at Harry's, Sue cooked enough to feed twenty grown men, even if there were only three or four people there. My mouth watered at the thought of her three-alarm chili.

"Phone for you," Charlie said, walking back into the living room holding the cordless phone. "It's Rachel. She sounds upset." I set the plate down next to me on the couch and put the phone to my ear.

"Rach? What's wrong?"

"Dad? Rebecca broke her arm! She was putting away dishes, and the kitchen floor was wet, and she slipped. She cut herself when the dishes broke. There's blood everywhere! And her arm looks like it was broken really bad. Jacob said he could see the bone!"

My heart leaped in a brief moment of panic. My own arm started aching in sympathy at the thought of my little girl's suffering. But I had to keep an even head. "Okay, just stay calm, Rachel. How is Rebecca doing? Did she hit her head? Did you call for an ambulance?"

"I am calm, Dad. We have everything under control. Rebecca is fine. She's in a lot of pain, but she's not freaking out. I'm going to drive her to the hospital in Forks in just a second. I don't think she needs all the fuss of an ambulance." I was proud of Rachel for staying so level-headed about Rebecca's injury. A few years ago, something like this would have left her hyperventilating and hysterical. She's really growing up. I'm lucky to have three children who roll with the punches.

"Okay, if you're sure. Charlie and I will head over to the hospital right now, and we'll meet you there." Charlie already had both our coats in one hand and his car keys in the other. "I'll see you in few minutes."

We beat the girls to the hospital by about ten minutes. Fortunately, the emergency room was not busy, so Rebecca received attention right away. In no time at all, her arm was stitched up, X-rayed, and the bone was set.

"Rebecca has a pretty severe break, Mr. Black," a nurse commented. "She may need surgery." I clenched my teeth and swallowed hard in horror at the thought of my baby being cut up. The nurse smiled sympathetically and patted my arm. "Don't worry. Surgery after breaks like this is very common and very safe. Maybe she won't need it at all. Dr. Cullen will be in to check on her in just as soon as he gets out of the OR."

It must have been a long surgery, because we waited for several hours to see Dr. Cullen. Rebecca was in and out of a painkiller-induced sleep while Rachel, Charlie, and I stared at the television in the top corner of the room watching more football. I told Charlie that he could go home, but he insisted on staying for moral support. I think he was equally motivated by not wanting to spend a Sunday afternoon alone in his house.

"Who's this Cullen doc? I thought I knew all the doctors here," I said to Charlie at one point.

"He's new. Just started working here last week. I met him on Wednesday after he treated a woman who'd been beaten up by her idiot boyfriend. Real nice guy. Hard to believe he's a doctor though. He looks like he belongs in college.

Cullen. The name sounded familiar but I couldn't place it. "Where'd he come from?" I asked.

"Alaska. He went to Harvard or Columbia or one of those fancy universities for medical school, but his wife loves small towns. They started out in Alaska and now they came here."

"Huh," was all I said. I had this feeling that I was missing something important. I certainly didn't know any Harvard trained doctors, but I was sure that I'd heard the name Cullen before. I looked forward to the doctor's arrival not only to see if Rebecca needed surgery but to calm the unease I felt.

My confusion only increased when Dr. Cullen entered the room. I was certain that I'd never seen him before. He was strikingly handsome. He was tall and slim with golden blond hair and had strange looking eyes as gold as his hair. And if I noticed his looks, I could only imagine what reaction women had upon meeting him. I looked over and saw Rachel gaping at him open-mouthed with flushed cheeks. Even half-asleep Rebecca was googly-eyed. He smiled warmly and introduced himself to us, nodding at me, but not offering his hand.

He pulled on gloves and began examining Rebecca's arm. She jumped when he touched her. "I'm sorry," she said, her face turning pink, "Your hands are really cold."

"No need to apologize," Dr. Cullen said gently. "The fault is mine. I washed my hands just before coming in here, and I'm afraid the water always makes them cold."

The reference to cold hands made me feel even more anxious. Why would that be important? I rolled my wheelchair back to get a better view of Dr. Cullen. Charlie was right; the doctor looked very young. In fact, he didn't look much older than my seventeen year old daughters. Yet he seemed very comfortable and confident as he examined Rebecca's arm, more like a veteran doctor than a recent graduate.

"How do you like Forks so far, Dr. Cullen?" Rebecca asked groggily. The painkillers were making it hard for her to keep her eyes open, but she clearly didn't want to look away from the handsome doctor's face.

"It's a beautiful area. My family and I have been spending every spare moment exploring the forest."

"Your family?" Charlie asked from the corner of the room. "Do you and your wife have children?"

"We do," the doctor responded as he gingerly lifted Rebecca's arm. "Five teenagers, actually. We've taken them in at various times over the years when their parents couldn't watch over them. They're in ninth and tenth grades over at the high school." Rebecca and Rachel gasped in surprise, and Charlie shook his head in amazement.

"Five teenagers. I bet that keeps you busy," Charlie laughed. The doctor nodded his head, laughing lightly.

Something clicked in my head. I looked at Dr. Cullen again and noticed his pallor. His looks. His youth. His eyes. Stories repeated time and time again by my grandfather and the elders on the council rushed through my mind. What an idiot I was to not recognize him before. How many times had I heard the name Cullen, the coven of five yellow-eyed vampires who signed the treaty with my grandfather? A vampire was touching my daughter's arm, which still had dried blood on it!

My heart started racing, and my hands shook in my lap. I stared at Cullen with wide, horrified eyes. He looked up and met my eyes for an instant before looking down again. His face betrayed no reaction to my terror, but I was sure he understood.

"Well, Rebecca, I think we are going to have to operate on your arm," Cullen said when he finished his examination. "It's the only way to be sure that the bone heals correctly."

I took a deep breath and stared at the vampire more calmly. "I'd like another surgeon to perform the operation," I said. I noticed Charlie staring at me with eyes narrowed in suspicion and quickly added, "Someone with more experience."

Cullen did not look at all surprised at my objection. "Of course," he said smoothly. "I'll speak to Dr. Snow about it when his shift begins in a few hours. The surgery should be done as soon as possible, and I'll be out for the next few days anyway." Cullen recorded notes in the chart attached to the end of Rebecca's bed for a moment and then left the room with a polite goodbye.

My daughters turned on me as soon as the vampire left the room.

"Dad!" Rachel hissed. "Why'd you have to be so mean to Dr. Cullen? He was only trying to help." I didn't like the glazed look that came over her eyes when she said the vampire's name.

"Yeah, Dad," Rebecca slurred, eyes starting to close. "So rude."

I shrugged my shoulders and grunted. With my muddled thoughts, I couldn't come up with a reasonable, veiled explanation other than shouting out that he was a vampire. Not only would that break the treaty which my grandfather signed, but Charlie and my daughters would think I was insane. I needed to talk to the council. Until then, I would say nothing.

*What did you think? Please R & R!