Disclaimer: I'm not Stephenie Meyer. I honestly don't even wish I was…though, the money would be nice…

AN: Well, it seems as though everyone wants to see Vampire Charlie. Let's see what the characters have to say about it!

UPDATES: I am planning on writing as the story comes to me. That's usually how I work best. I WILL be starting edits on my original novel, which has a name! I forgot to give it to you! It is called "Shattered Hearts and Revamped Dreams". And it is intended to be the first in a series. I'm unhappy with the ending as I've written it now, so I am planning on changing it and including it in the next book, but we'll have to see. I haven't touched it since NaNo so I could get a fresh take on it. We'll see!

Charlie POV

It was full blown night by the time we got to the Cullen Compound, as I had begun to call it, and I was a bit nervous. "What if they're sleeping, Jake? It's getting late. I'm sure Carlisle has to rest for his shift tomorrow."

Jake let out a snort. "Yeah, that's not really an issue."

"Did he switch to nights?" I asked.

Jake just shook his head. "Dude, do they really have you snowed over this much?"

I glared at him as I turned off the ignition of the cruiser. "I don't need lip from you, Jacob," I told him as I stood.

He, too, stood, and looked at me over the hood, holding up his hands. "Give me a break. I know all the truth, Charlie. Just remember that."

I swallowed. "I don't want to know."

His only response was to grin again. I was really starting to get tired of his smirking face.

"Me too, Charlie," Edward answered as I walked up onto the porch. "Trust me."

I blushed. "I didn't realize I said that out loud…"

Edward eyed me and it was like he knew something was up. This wasn't good. But he covered it quickly. "To what do we owe this visit, Charlie? Renesmee is still awake over at the cottage if you would like to visit. She's just finishing her bath and Bella is reading her a bedtime story."

My eyebrow rose at that. "What is it this time? To Kill a Mockingbird? Or perhaps some of Edgar Allen Poe's greatest works?" I questioned.

Edward smiled and shook his head. "Believe it or not, they're reading one of the Harry Potter books."

I nodded. "Good. You two are making her too smart. She needs to be a kid. She doesn't have long to be one," I reminded him. I didn't know what would happen to her, but I knew she grew every time I saw her…and not in the normal way.

He sobered at that and shot Jacob a look, which confused me. "Believe me, Charlie, I know." He led us into the house where I was greeted by Carlisle and Esme, the latter of which hugged me tightly. Sometimes it seemed as though they all knew what was going to happen before it actually did.

I was led to the living room and we all sat. Well, some of us sat. Jacob slouched. "Boy," I admonished, "Don't you have any more respect for people than to just lay all over their furniture?"

"It was as if he were raised by a pack of wolves," Rosalie agreed as she stepped into the room. She smiled warmly at me. She was one of the most beautiful people in the world, and yet, she seemed so nice, so down to earth.

"Can it, Barbie," Jacob growled at her. "Don't you need to go do your hair or something?"

She didn't seem affronted, so I was assuming this was fairly normal for them. "Your comebacks are getting lamer, Jacob. You've got to learn to keep up."

"We're in mixed company, Plastic," he shot back.

She grinned evilly at him. "Just remember who has the superior intellect, dog."

"Just wait until my SAT's, Blondie. Then we'll see."

"Yes, because the toddler has been tutoring you."

"Why I ought to…"

"Enough!" Esme stated softly but with authority. "Rosalie, are you heading out?"

She nodded. "Just over to watch Renesmee for Bella. When we heard the chief pull up, Alice went over to tell her he was here. We're just going to go over and watch some television while she sleeps. Emmett, come on!" she urged as he bound down the stairs.

"Yo, Chief!" he bellowed as he came over to shake my hand. "You know…for what it's worth, I think you'd be even better at it than Bella."

"What?" I asked bewildered as I saw Edward glower at his older brother.

Emmett grinned. "Eh, nothing. See you later."

I smiled at him, once more thankful that Bella seemed to pick the more level headed of the two brothers.

They weren't out the door more than a few seconds when Bella came in. "Hi, Dad. What's up?" She looked at me and gasped. "What happened to your face?!"

I reached up to touch my still smarting jaw. "Nothing. Just a…misunderstanding." I shot Jake a look and Bella narrowed her eyes at him.

"Did you do that to my father, Jake?" she questioned.

"Hey, he's right. It was a misunderstanding," he began.

"You could have killed him!" she seethed. That seemed a little excessive. I mean, I was still fairly spry, this whole cancer thing not withstanding. I'd taken more than a punch from some of the more unruly teens and vagabonds in this town.

"Look, you know even when I'm angry I won't use my full strength on anyone not of my…persuasion, or, you know…anyone supernatural. I'd never hurt him too bad." Jake explained.

She looked from him to me. "Do I want to know?"

"Probably not," I supplied.

She sighed and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Men." She glanced at me another long moment and then asked, "So, you and Jake had a fight or something and now you've come to chat?"

"I…" I drew a blank. Did I really want to tell everyone this now? Damn Jacob Black for making me come over here! I was about to open my mouth when Jacob broke into the conversation.

"Bells, your dad has something he needs to tell you and I think Carlisle can be a great asset to him."

Edward let out a sound that almost sounded like a growl toward Jake, who merely shrugged his shoulders.

Bella blinked. "O-okay…what is it?"

I beckoned her over and she came to sit next to me on the couch. I noticed Edward, too, came over and sat on her other side and behind her slightly as she turned to me. I grasped her hand. It was cool, but not as cold as I had felt it in the past. She had just come from Nessie's bath, so I felt sure she warmed her hands for my benefit. "Bells…I, uh, I went to Port Angeles today."

She sat still for a moment and then her eyes, which weren't the brown she'd had since her first birthday, when they changed from the usual baby navy color…she must have forgotten her contacts…widened. "Oh! Dad! Did you buy a ring?!"

Of course, she would think I was coming over to tell her I was going to ask Sue to marry me. I felt my heart plummet and she gripped my hand tighter. "What is it, Dad?" she asked. "Did Sue say 'no'?"

I shook my head. "Sue and I broke up," I managed softly, though tears were beginning to clog my throat.

"Oh, Dad…why? I thought you were perfect for each other. Did you two have a fight? I'm sure you can work it out."

I shook my head. "I pretty much broke it off."

"I don't understand…"

Like a band-aid, I thought. I need to just do it quick. "I'm sick, Bellaboo. The doc told me today. That's why I went to Port Angeles."

"What's wrong?"

"Cancer," I told her simply. "I've got stage 4 lung cancer. It's already moved into my bones, Bella."

She started shaking her head. "N-no. No. You can't! It can't be true…it's just…no, Daddy, please!"

I was sobbing now but she was managing to hold herself together as I gripped her hand tighter. "Bella, I'm so sorry."

"But, you can't have lung cancer. You've never smoked. That's…it must be a mistake. Let Carlisle take a look at you…"

Carlisle shook his head. "I can't, Bella. He's right."

"How do you know? You haven't done any x-rays! You haven't even examined him!"

"Can't you tell, Bella?" he asked softly. "Breathe. You can smell it."

Well, great. If they could smell the cancer on me, I guess it wouldn't be long before the whole damn town knew it. Fabulous.

"Oh, Dad…" her shoulders started heaving and she laid her head on my shoulder, like she used to when she was so small.

I wrapped my arm around her and held her tightly. "I'm sorry, kid. It's just not something you can kiss away."

She sat up so quick it startled me. "Kiss…" She looked at Jacob, who nodded. "Jake…you can't be serious."

He shrugged. "If it were anyone else, I'd say 'no' flat out, and hell, Sam won't be thrilled, but it's for Nessie. You know I'd do anything, and I mean anything for her."

Bella looked at Edward and then Carlisle. "Would you?"

"It isn't our choice, Bella," Carlisle told her softly. "It's his."

"But you would willingly…?"

He paused for just a moment before nodding. "Of course. You're part of our family, so, naturally, Charlie is too. I can see if Tanya would be willing to have a guest. Since Kate and Garrett are overseas on an extended honeymoon, I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem. It gets lonely up there since Carmen and Eleazar stay gone so often as well."

Bella turned back to me with hope shining in her eyes. "What if I told you we could take the cancer away? Would you do it? If it meant being able to stay with me and Renesmee forever, would you be willing to take the chance?"

"How?" I asked warily.

"Dad, it's about time you learned the whole truth."

Oh boy…

An hour later I was sitting, dumbfounded, now with an ice pack on my jaw. "You mean to tell me…" I shook my head. "Wait. I'm not sure I can process this." I sat down the ice and rubbed my chin thoughtfully.

"What's so hard?" Jacob asked as he sat down with a sandwich in his hand. He had gone into the kitchen and made himself a huge hero sandwich and had a pile of chips on a separate plate. He pointed to himself. "Wolf," then he pointed to Bella, "Vampire."

"And Renesmee is a cross between a human and a…"

Bella nodded. "She's mine and Edward's biologically."

I smirked. "Well, I guess fertility runs through the Higgenbothan blood. It didn't take Renee and me but one shot, either."

"Dad!" Bella yelled, covering her face.

"If she were still human, she'd be fire engine red by now," Emmett commented. He had gotten bored having to be quiet while Nessie slept so he had come back over and was assisting in quote "giving me the low-down" on vampirism.

Edward smiled at Bella and she grinned back at him.

"So…" I started, "Now that I know this, you want me to, what? Join the clan?"

"The choice is yours, of course, Charlie," Carlisle told me. Esme was sitting stoically at his side, where she had been the whole night. It must be nice to have a wife, no, a mate that you could spend eternity with. I was suddenly jealous and had to focus on what he said next; "It is a choice not everyone gets. I prefer to save humans from death, which you admittedly are near. I can not make the choice for you. I was wrong in doing that once before and though things have turned out well, I would not willingly make that mistake again. Of course, Bella wants you to live on with her, and Renesmee would feel the same, but you must be the one to make the decision to be saved."

"What did Jake mean earlier about him not allowing it if it were anyone else?"

"The packs are dead set against vampires," Jake said simply. "They're our natural enemies."

Well, that certainly explained Billy's aversion to the Cullens and Jacob's extreme dislike of Edward in general. "But you're here all the time," I responded. "Surely you don't still have feelings for Bella, even though she's your enemy, do you?"

Jacob looked to Bella and she just grinned. "Oh no, Chief Jacob, this one is all on you."

He blanched. "Well, uh, you see…it's kinda…well, it's hard to explain…"

"It's really quite simple, Jacob," Edward said smoothly. "From a biological standpoint, that is."

Jake shot him a look. "Yeah, but most people don't get that."

Edward nodded. "True. And had I not seen it for myself, I would never have allowed it."

"She couldn't live without me either," Jake shot back.

Edward's eyebrow rose. "She's vampire, too, Jacob. Don't forget that, Pup. We are different."

I glanced over at Bella. "We aren't still talking about you, are we?"

She just shook her head.

Jake sighed. "Okay, Charlie, here's the deal. When a guy becomes a wolf, like I did, and like others on the rez, they go through something different and we aren't sure why. Carlisle is bound and determined to research it more, but the other wolves don't want him experimenting on them. Seth is willing, naturally, leech lover that he is, but he hasn't found his mate."

"Mate?" I was more than a little confused.

Jake blew out a breath. "I suck at this explaining thing."

"Because you're beating around the bush," Bella shot back.

"You want to do this then?"

She shook her head and leaned back against Edward, perfectly relaxed and appearing to enjoy Jake's discomfort. "Nope. This one's yours, buddy boy."

He shot her a look. "I hate you."

She blew him a kiss. "Nah, you really don't."

"You know I never could," Jake pouted.

"Can we get back to the subject at hand?" Edward questioned.

"Sorry," Jake said. He looked at me. "Okay, here goes…as a wolf, our mates are chosen by like, destiny or whatever. It's called imprinting. As soon as you see the person, that's it, you're done for. You become whatever that person needs. If it's just a friend, then that's what you are. If it's like a brother figure, then you're that. If it's a playmate…"

"Wait just one damned minute!" I shouted, putting two and two together. "Renesmee?! You imprinted on my sweet, innocent, baby of a granddaughter?! You little fucking bastard!"

Edward grinned, looking satisfied, but Bella put a cool hand on my shoulder. "That was about the reaction I had, Dad."

"No, your reaction was to break one of Seth's bones," Jacob reminded her.

She growled. "He got in my way. I was aiming at you!"

"I remember," he said with a shiver.

I flashed back to his earlier irritation at me mentioning dating. "Seven years?" I asked.

Bella nodded. "Ren will be fully grown by her seventh birthday. How did you know that?" She turned from me to Jake and glared at him. He didn't seem to be affected by it and merely shrugged. "I was venting."

I remembered the conversation and Edward laughed. "You thought he was gay?"

"How did you…?"

"Oh, talents!" Bella stated suddenly. "I forgot to mention that some of us have special talents. Edward can read minds."

I flushed crimson as I suddenly recalled some of the more horrible things I thought about him when he and Bella were dating.

"Don't worry about it, Charlie. I probably thought a million worse things about myself than you did. Besides, you were right about most of them." At that, he grinned. "At least I didn't get her pregnant until after the wedding."

Emmett looked at him in shock before bursting out in laughter. "Dude! You made a joke! About SEX! In front of Bella's DAD! Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

Edward shook his head. "It was one serious issue Charlie was worried about at the time. I wanted to assure him, but since I couldn't then…well…" Bella elbowed him and he grunted.

Somewhere in the house, a clock chimed and I couldn't believe how late it was. "I need to get home and get to bed. Six o'clock comes early in the morning."

"What are you going to do, Dad?" Bella asked softly.

I looked at Carlisle. "I'll have to leave, to go to your family in Alaska? Be away from humans for a while?"

"Unless you have superior control like Bella does, yes."

I nodded and looked at my daughter. "Give me some time, alright? Which ever way I decide to go, I have some things to get in order."

She hugged me tightly, almost too tightly. "Please, please don't wait too long."

I did something I hadn't been known to do often, I kissed her cheek. "I promise, Bellaboo, I will think long and hard and make my decision quickly."

"I love you, Daddy," she whispered softly.

We weren't big on expressing our emotions, but she needed to know how I felt about her, just in case. "And I love you, Isabella. You're the best thing I ever did, you know that?"

She bit her lip and nodded. "You're the best dad a girl could ask for. I'm sorry I don't tell you that more often."

At that, I smiled. "I must be pretty good. You're willing to keep me around for eternity."

She smiled, too. "Only until you start annoying me. Then I'll have to break out my lighter."

My eyebrow rose and she shook her head. "Inside joke. One thing at a time with the details. Don't want you running and screaming."

I chuckled. "Come on, Jake. You want a ride or you going to turn furry and run home?"

He stood and stretched. "I think I'll catch a ride, okay, Chief?"

"Should I be calling you Chief?"

He shook his head. "I gave up that right. I'm just Alpha of my pack. No more, no less. Besides, Sam's better at politics."

Edward snorted and I could have sworn I heard him mutter the words, "No shit."

Jake growled at him and Edward grinned. "By the way, if you do ever feel the notion to become bi-curious, I'm sure we all would support you, even if the pack wouldn't."

"I swore I wouldn't kill you, Edward, but don't push me," Jacob fired back.

"I'm just proud of my father-in-law that he would be willing to take you in if your father disowned you." He turned to me. "It's nice that you are so forward in your thinking, Charlie."

"I had a buddy once, he was…um, well, let's just say he liked his bread buttered on the other side. He was a hell of a guy. If they were all like him, I would be even more supportive."

"Keep that open mind, Charlie," Jake told me. "There are still more things you need to know about vampires."

With one more hug from Bella for me, Jake and I walked out and to the car. "Don't forget to ice that jaw, Charlie!" Carlisle called after me. I waved in his direction and blew out a breath.

"Toss me the keys, Charlie," Jake demanded lightly. "I'm wide awake and you look like you're about ready to drop.

I was, and was in no shape to argue with him so I flung the keys in his direction and climbed into the passenger seat. I hadn't ridden over on this side since Mark had been a rookie, some ten, fifteen years ago. It felt odd, not being the one in charge. I wondered how I would handle it if I did make the decision to become a vampire.

The ride was silent as we drove back down the driveway, but once we hit the road, Jake asked, "So…got any questions for me?"

"Honestly, I'm so exhausted, Jake, I probably couldn't come up with much of anything coherent."

He nodded. "That's cool. How about I come up tomorrow after you get off of work and we can talk. I'll cook."

My eyebrow shot up. "You can cook?"

He nodded. "My cooking is about the only human food Ness will eat. She likes my grilled cheese." He grinned. "But I can do steaks and stuff, too. And fish, naturally. My sister taught me recently."

"That's right. She got married not long ago, didn't she?"

He huffed. "Yeah."

"Don't like the guy?"

He shook his head. "Not really. Paul and I never got along. We were always butting heads. It's easier, now that he's in a separate pack, though."

"Did he do that…imprint whatsit?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"And she didn't get to choose?" This concerned me. I wanted Nessie to have every advantage in life, no matter what it was, including choosing who she would spend her forever with.

"Of course she had a choice. Imprints always have a choice. They can choose not to be with us."

"So Ness could…"

"Don't want me for a grandson-in-law, Charlie?" he asked teasingly, but I could hear the self-doubt in his voice.

"No, Jake, it's not that. I just…it seemed like Bella didn't have a choice. It was always Edward. I just wanted Ness to be able to make a decision."

Jacob let out a snort. "Well, she's not lacking for suitors already. That much is for sure."

I shook my head. "What do you mean?"

"A few months ago there was another Halfling like her that came for a visit. He was fascinated by Bella and Nessie. I think when she gets older he's going to be a problem for me."

"Now, there's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition. Didn't your rivalry with Edward teach you anything?"

"Yeah, it taught me never to underestimate the power of the leech." He sighed. "But seriously, it's not romantic now or anything anyway. If she falls in love with someone else, well, it would hurt, but I have to hope that I'd be okay. I can't fathom having my heart broken like that twice in one lifetime."

"It really hurt when Bella chose Edward, didn't it?"

He was contemplative for a moment before answering. "Yeah, the pain of having all the bones broken on my right side was nothing in comparison to that."

"You were hurt? How? When? Why didn't I know about it?"

He chuckled flatly. "Charlie, you've been on a need-to-know basis for years, man. There's a whole ton of stuff you don't even realize."

I pondered that for a moment. "Does Sue know? Billy?"

Jake nodded. "Yeah, Dad has known for years because he's the chief. Even though the wolf thing skipped a generation, he still knew."

"And Sue?" I prodded.

"Yeah. Both her kids are in my pack, Charlie. She had to know, even if she hadn't taken Harry's place on the council."

"And they're dead set against vampires?"

He was silent for a moment before he answered softly, "You've got to chose. Bella and Ren and eternity, or Sue and death."

"That's it? Sue wouldn't understand this was a life or death thing?"

He thought a moment. "You can ask, but if she's anything like Leah, then she won't understand. As it is, Leah's going to be hella pissed at you for choosing vampires, even if the other option is death."

"She's anti-vampire?"

He nodded again. "More than you know. See, we never thought girls would be wolves. We thought it was a guy thing, so, she blames vampires for her…issues."

"That's why she's so angry all the time, isn't it?" I wagered.

"Right in one. I think, given time, she would understand it. But this will kind of put an end to your and Sue's relationship."

It was a lot to take in. A whole lot. I kept my mouth shut for a while yet. As we reached the city limits, Jacob sighed once more. "You know, it's weird, me feeling like this, and wanting you to turn vamp. I was so against it for so long, but, like I told Bells; I'd do anything for Nessie, even hand you over to be vamped out if it meant it made that little girl happy."

"She's your whole world, isn't she?" I asked him.

He smiled. "You have no idea."

"Should I do this, Jacob?" When he didn't answer, I pressed him further. "If you were me, and you were dying, would you want eternity with them?"

"Without a doubt."

I nodded. It was just that simple. I had just made my decision.

AN2: Next chapter will be him dealing with wrapping things up, everyone discussing details of how it will happen, and that sort of thing.

So, question…powers…should Charlie have one, and if so, what should it be? My favorite one will get a shout-out. Until then!