Forks was... not exactly what she'd call home, but it was certainly a lot better than what she did. But home, for now, would do. Her taxi pulled into the old blue house Charlie had lived in for as long as Bella could remember. She had been told her bedroom had been redone - with Sue's touch, so that it wasn't the gaudy purple it had been since her childhood. And Sue had unpacked some of her clothes whenever she had the chance.

She had told them she was staying for good. She had yet to figure out a way to tell Renee and Phil that. She didn't really want to tell them that, but she had to - eventually. But most definitely not now.

She paid the driver, giving him a quick thank you, before she grabbed her bag out of the trunk and moved towards the door of the house. On her ring of keys, she still had a house key, and she made sure to open the door quietly. She wasn't sure if Charlie was sleeping - it was almost midnight afterall, but she was careful just in case. She set her bag down, and let out a sigh. Safe. She was safe here.

She set her keys on the hook, it all so familiar to her that it was like she had just returned from a day at the reservation, not months away in Florida.

She heard a throat clearing and she jumped, just as the lights turned on. The first people she saw were Jake and Charlie, and then Sue and Leah and Seth, and a few others. Bella smiled, surprised to see all of them, and laughed. "Trying to kill me so soon?" she teased, but she approached them all, giving them a hug. She had met Leah and Seth before she left, and had kept in contact with them, quickly becoming friends. Leah and her were like the sisters that neither of them had.

Bella wasn't sure how it happened, but it had.

They had helped each other get over their rough break-ups with their ex's. Sam with Leah, and Edward with Bella. And while it had taken time, both girls agreed that their ex's were ... for lack of a better word, unimportant. Though, Sam was nice. Bella had met him a few times, when she first found out about the pack, but they hadn't ever really talked to one another. And Leah had explained that they had broken up because of wolf problems - Sam could possibly hurt her. And though Bella understood that happened awhile ago, and Sam had better control now, Leah and Sam were just friends. They had agreed to be just friends. It was for the best.

And Edward. Well... Edward was a jerk, and someone she knew she shouldn't pine for anymore. He wasn't coming back. And it wouldn't be good if he did. She wasn't healthy when she was with them. And, perhaps it was the pack's influence, but they were leeches.

"How are you, loca?" Jake asked, swinging her up into a tight hug. And while it definitely hurt, she kept the smile on her face. Only Leah seemed to notice.

"Great, but if you don't put me down, you will see what I had for dinner." He agreed almost immediately, and she found solid ground.

"So," Bella said slowly, glancing between them all. "Is Sue living here or is it safe to sleep here at night?"

Charlie flushed brilliantly, but Sue laughed quietly. "It's safe," Sue promised her. Though Bella was sure she wouldn't have minded either way. Charlie deserved to be happy after the near two decades he spent alone.

"How was your flight?" Charlie asked.

"Great," Bella admitted. "And the flight to Port Angeles was a bit rainy, but it was a good reminder of what happens every single day here." She shrugged. "It's good to be back."

"You've got a nice tan," Jake commented.

"Renee wanted me to become a true Floridian," Bella shrugged yet again, glancing down at the slight tan on her arms. She still was incredibly pale. "I don't look like a vampire anymore, at least?"

There were a few awkward laughs amongst the pack members, and Charlie just snorted in amusement. Obviously the joke rubbed them a bit the wrong way. "Definitely no vampire," Jake agreed, but she felt like it was a promise more than anything. That there were no signs of the damage Edward had done to her. It was good news, at least. Or maybe there was no sign of Victoria - also good news.

"You're probably exhausted. After your long flight and layover-" Charlie began.

"Well now I'm all riled up with this party you've got going on," Bella giggled. "But yeah, a bit exhausted." She threw her arms around Leah and Seth's necks, having to stand on her tippy toes so that she wasn't dragging them as far down. They were still ridiculously tall. Even Seth, who was at least four years yunger than her. "So, are we busting out the booze? Passing them under the table so the cop doesn't notice?"

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Absolutely not. I've raised you better than that."

"Don't worry, I've got a six pack in the car," Jake laughed.

"You better not," Charlie warned.

"It's Bella's favorite soda." Sure it was. But Bella just rolled her eyes and bit her lip as attention turned back to her. "Hey, Chief, since it's been so long... and it's kinda late, we could have a sleep over. You know, you and Sue can go on your merry way upstairs, and us attractive folk could whisper about you behind your back in Bella's room."

"Hey," Bella quipped. "Charlie's a stud."

"And that's also my mother you're talking about," Seth returned.

Jake held up his hands, as if pleading for their forgiveness. "Sorry, all us attractive folk then."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but as long as I don't have to deal with Seth and Jake hogging my bed-"

"Agreed," Sue said immediately. "Come on, Charlie, I'm sure Bella won't mind?"

Bella just grinned. "Have fun."

Charlie flushed again. Oh Goodness, he was definitely where she got her blush from. As soon as they disappeared up the stairs, Bella unwound her arms from her near step-siblings and glanced between them all. "But really, how is everything?"

"Sam's still the busy Alpha, Paul's still an ass, and Victoria's long gone. Haven't seen her in months."

Bella chewed on her lip, and nodded. "That's good, then, right? Maybe she's gone for good?"

Jake snorted. "Doubt it, loca." She did too. But it was still a nice thought. "I've got patrols in an hour and a half, so I'm going to head back to the res, but you two have fun doing whatever it is you guys are going to do." Bella hugged him tightly, before he left, and he made her promise to stop by the next day, which she agreed. And then Leah and Seth headed up to her room, where Bella and Leah took the bed, making Seth sleep on the floor. And things, for now, were good.

Heading to the res, she dropped Sue off at her home, Seth calling shotgun for the passenger seat of Bella's beloved truck. Her ancient truck. But it still functioned, which was all that mattered. And then she followed Seth's instructions on how to get to Sam's house. It was a bit of a drive, and one she didn't remember too well, but soon the familiar little house tucked away in a forest of trees was familiar.

It was such a homey feeling being there that she stared at it a moment. "Is everyone in there?"

"Pretty much. Kim and Leah have made it the pack headquarters for meals and stuff. Kim takes lunch, Leah takes dinner. It's mostly stuff from mom's diner, but they don't care as long as it's hot." He shot her a wink and got out of the truck, giving a human-sounding howl towards the house, as if notifying them of her arrival.

Bella rolled her eyes, opened the door of the truck and getting out just as Leah hopped out of the bed of the truck. "So, how are you guys?" Bella asked quietly as they moved towards the house, still a good twenty yards away.

"Never better," Leah admitted honestly. Yet, Bella had a feeling that Sam still bothered her. She just never would say anything different when Bella asked. Just that they were friends, and they had reached an understanding.

When she walked in, there was the scent of something amazing cooking and she immediately spotted Kim and Jared in the kitchen, her giving him instructions. When Bella walked in, Kim glanced up, giving her a smile, and Jared gave her a small wave. She wasn't close to them, not really, but Bella had a feeling that would change the more she got to know them all.

It was the shirtless men there were gathered at various points in the house, some in the living room, others around the dining room table, that took her attention, though. They all looked, well, relatively happy to see her. If she excluded Paul, then they definitely all did.

"Leech lover," Paul greeted civilly. She laughed and went to him first, and was surprised when he offered her a hug. She gave it to him, and when she pulled away, she held her nose as if he smelled horribly.

"Ugh, wet dog." She rubbed at her shirt. "Ugh, and it's all over me, too. Damn it, Paul-" He growled and she giggled just before Quil and Embry both nearly tackled her.

"Hells Bells!" they cried. "I didn't know you were here yet."

Bella shrugged. "Got it around midnight. And my taxi driver was spawn from hell, so I didn't even know if I'd make it to see everyone." Of course, that wasn't true, but they laughed anyway. She met the twins, for the first time, recently phased, and she was given yet another bear hug by Jake, who had been lounging on the couch, as if he owned the place.

"I've given it some thought," Bella admitted. "And I don't think I've missed you the most. Are you still a bottomless pit?"

He winced. "Maybe?"

"Yeah, definitely didn't miss you at all," Bella said as seriously as possible. "Maybe the least."

"So, Swan, what brings you here? Got some more leeches in your suitcase?" Paul asked suddenly, from his side of the room. Bella turned, raising an eyebrow.

"You wish," she snorted. "Nope, I'm back for good. Taking some classes this fall, and going to Seattle in the spring. Going to get all settled here and maybe live danger free this time."

"Danger free?" Jake snorted. "You can't even walk down stairs."

"Well, I'll be living with Charlie, but I have a feeling I'll be down here more often than I am in Port Angeles or in town." She shrugged, doing her best to ignore Jake's remark. "So, hope you aren't going to get sick of seeing a pale face around."

Paul grumbled, but Leah kicked his leg. He snarled at her.

"You're moving here for good?" Jared asked in surprise.

"Well, I'm hoping to," Bella admitted. "If everything works out."

"We definitely need to celebrate this," Quil insisted. "Cliff diving?"

Bella felt a smile lit up her face. "Absolutely."

"The seas are a bit rough," Jared stated. "A storm is expected this weekend. But we can definitely have a bonfire Wednesday and cliff dive then. It should be calm enough."

"Wednesday sounds great," Bella admitted. "I need a few days to unpack anyway." Bella paused, glancing around again, confused. "Isn't it weird that you're in Sam's house, but Sam isn't here?"

There were a few laughs, and she was sure more than one person glanced at each other, as if in on something. What? Did she miss something? But before she was sure they had, the look was gone. "Sam's on patrols. What's his is ours," Embry admitted, stretching out on his chair and leaning it back, balancing on two of the legs. "Long as we don't burn it down or anything."

Bella still thought it was weird they were at his house while he was away. "Isn't the what's mine is yours thing reserved for marriage?"

Jake winked at her, settling back down on the couch and pulling her down over his legs. "What do you think this pack is? We're like brother husbands."

"With Sam?" Bella asked, fighting her laugh.

"With everyone. Even dickhead Paul-"

"Hey!" Paul snapped. "Like I'd ever marry you!"

Bella giggled. "Well, I think we'll go with brothers is the term your looking for. Really, really hungry and needy brothers," Bella ammended, smiling as she looked towards the rest of the pack. "That know how to share way too well for their age."

"What's that supposed to mean, Swan?" Paul spit out.

"Well, while you're at age two, everyone else is a ripe four." Paul growled and Bella glanced sweetly to Jake. "Except for you. You're probably like six."

"And Sam?" Jake asked. Bella thought about it, leaning back on the couch and staring off over Colin's head.

"Well, since he's sort of like the single dad in all this, I'd say late twenties, early thirties. He might even go gray soon if Paul doesn't outgrow his terrible two tantrums."

Jake laughed. "I'll be sure to pass the message along." Bella just rolled her eyes. "So how old are you?"

Bella hesitated. "Well, I do cook for you - or I did. And since I'm putting Kim up there at about twenty, I guess I'll probably be around there. Though the experience with the vamps easily adds a few years. Because I'm so bad-ass and all." Paul snorted, as if he thought exactly the opposite. "Maybe twenty-five."

"What about Sue and Billy?"

"Once someone is older than thirty, you never divulge their age," Bella quipped. "So, they'll just be thirty."

"I feel like I'm much older than four," Quil stated. "I mean, sure, my imprint's four, but that's not the same thing."

Bella considered that as well. "I suppose if you've imprinted, you can get bumped up a few years. You've probably crossed the stage of cooties are gross."

Quil laughed. And as Jake's arm went around Bella's waist, she settled there, listening to them banter with each other over what should count as a few years, and what should take away age. And it was like her and Jake's age wars all over again, only this one was infinitely more entertaining. And listening to them argue while Kim just put grilled cheese sandwiches on the table, rolling her eyes before carrying two smaller plates with two sandwiches each over to Bella, was hilarious for the two human girls. Jake had long since ran off to claim as many grilled cheeses as he could, and Kim and Bella watched.

It was like she hadn't left. It was ... home.