A/N: S'up people. So you were going to find out in this chapter anyway, but this is not an imprint story, not technically. Don't y'all worry though, Bella and Leah will end up together, but the concept of imprinting bothered/confused me in canon. I have reasons, that some people would probably criticize, but I feel like it's a copout. By me not making this an imprint story, I'm giving Bella and Leah the chance to allow feelings to grow between them naturally, like normal relationships.

Also, I've kinda gotten distracted by Pitch Perfect fiction. I wasn't going to read them, because I really love the movie, just love it. Jesse and Beca together in the movie are really cute, mainly cuz I love Jesse, I would totally keep him for myself if I could. I need a movie nerd in my life to date and discuss movies with me. However, as for PP fiction, well, if you've read my profile, you'll notice that I was totally convinced I would be a Bechole fan, but I am a total Mitchsen shipper, totally... And so excited for Pitch Perfect 2!

This chapter is focused more on Bella, since she's now entering the story, but I'll get back to Leah in future chapters. Btw, Bella says some things in this chapter that are very misleading, and it'll be explained in future chapters.

Read and review please!

The Trickster

Posted: February 6, 2015

Chapter 3

2-½ month later

"Hey Dad," Bella greeted Charlie as she walked up to him in the airport terminal.

"Hey Bells," Charlie returned, hugging her. "It's been a whole three days since I've last seen you. I don't know how I could stand the separation."

Bella rolled her gleaming green eyes, indicating her exasperation with her father's behavior. "You're ridiculous," she muttered, tilting her head back towards the baggage claim. "Come on, I've got to get the rest of my stuff. I've packed what I could, and the rest of it is being delivered, including my truck."

"I can't believe you're bringing that truck," Charlie muttered to her as they stood waiting for her bags.

"Hey, it's my truck, my first car, do you know what I had to do to get that truck?" Bella returned, eyeing her father.

"Yes, I do, which is why I'm not sure whether to be proud or irritated. Why didn't you try to get a newer truck, or one less… rusty?"

"You know, some would consider my truck a classic," Bella pouted, spotting her first bag. "There they are, the ones with the lime green duck tape."

Charlie grabbed two of the bags, while Bella grabbed her duffle bag and shouldered her backpack. "Some people would also consider you're truck the origin of all rust," he returned, leading Bella out to his patrol car.

"At least there will be another car to drive around than your patrol car, how do you drive this every where? It's not exactly inconspicuous."

"That's the best part, I can park anywhere, drive all kinds of places, what's the down side?"

"How about the fact that people slow down when you creep up behind them and so you can't speed anywhere," Bella replied, climbing into the car.

"Speeding is wrong Bella," Charlie chided, hopping into the driver's seat.

"In residential areas and cities where there is a heightened chance of hitting a person or rural areas where animals of all kinds run into the road, yes, yes it is very wrong. But on a highway? What's wrong with going 10 or 15 over on a highway," Bella protested.

"I'm not even going to argue with you anymore."

Bella rolled her eyes and looked out at the small city around her. "How is Leah doing by the way?" Bella asked. "We've been writing and texting since you told me what happened and gave me her address, but I don't really get a good sense of how she's doing."

"She's doing okay I think, comes over for dinner once a week. I think she's coming over tonight." A peculiar look crossed Charlie's face before glancing at Bella. "I wonder if she'll imprint on you. She acts funny whenever you're mentioned or we talk about you."

"I don't think she will, most kinds of female shape-shifters don't imprint," the brunette replied. "The animal in them still recognizes their mate, but takes its time warming up its human counterpart."

"So you might still be her mate," Charlie mused before what she first said settled into his mind. "Wait, why don't female shape-shifters imprint?"

Bella rolled her eyes, "I don't know. I asked one of my friends from a local shifting pack in Phoenix and she thought it was because guys needed a little more help in the romance department than women did."

Charlie scoffed and Bella snorted at his expression. "So what's the story on why you decided to move in with me?" Charlie asked, "The one for everyone else anyway."

"That Mom decided to remarry and her new husband is a minor league baseball player. She hated being away from him but didn't want to leave me, so I selflessly volunteered to move in with you so that she could be with him," Bella replied in a dramatic tone.

"Great story," Charlie huffed.

"It has a good back story too, how I was always the responsible one making sure the bills were paid while she was very flighty, dragging me off to all of these different activities despite how clumsy I am," Bella continued, fully engrossed in the story.

"If there's one thing I know about Renee, it's that she is definitely not flighty. And since when are you clumsy?"

"Oh Dad, calm down, it's just a story, it's not real. Mom's not going to get remarried, and even if she wanted to, you know she can't since you guys never did divorce."

"Yeah, but I still don't like the idea," Charlie replied, "And we've been separated for nearly ten years now."

"She doesn't want a divorce," Bella stated firmly, "She's just mad you lied to her is all."

"She lied to me too you know."

"I know, and eventually you'll both get over it. I see the way you guys look at each other when you come down for visits. Ten years isn't exactly a long time for either of you," came Bella's reply just as the car pulled into the driveway of Charlie's house. "When does school start for the new semester?"

Charlie was confused at the abrupt change in topics when he noticed the other car parked in his drive. "Ah, Leah's here already, come on, let's get your stuff inside. Figured we could have pizza tonight so you don't need to be cooking."

"Let's just get one thing straight," Bella said as she pulled her duffle and book bag out of the back. "I am not cooking every night. I will make some things that can be used as leftovers, but you mister are going to learn how to cook!"

The front door of the house opened and Leah stepped out. "Do you guys need any help?" She asked, glancing from Charlie to the very grown up Bella Swan. Leah would swear when her own golden brown eyes met the sparkling green eyes of the younger brunette, her heart skipped a beat. "Do-do you need any help?" She stuttered out again.

Bella subtly rolled her eyes as Charlie chuckled at Leah's stammer and smiled at the older woman. "We're good Leah, it's nice to meet you in person though, when you're not being a whiny teenager anyway."

Leah grinned at her, forcing down her odd feelings and walked back into the house with the other two following her. "Thanks for sending me food by the way," Leah said, "It's been better than eating takeout and frozen things all the time."

"No problem, but both you and Charlie will be getting cooking lessons. We'll start simple, boiling water, cooking breakfast, stuff like that. Dad, do you have a grill? If you don't, we'll have to go to the store and pick one out, I like to grill a lot, even in the winter."

"Bossy woman," Charlie huffed, setting Bella's bags down on the floor. "Well, you're room is in the same place, I suggest you get to unpacking. I'm going to order some food so no one has to cook tonight. Any requests?"

"Angela told me a few months ago that a new Chinese place opened close enough to deliver," Bella said, "I would love some Chinese take-out."

"That's fine with me Charlie," Leah replied. She walked over and picked up the bags Charlie set down. "Here Bella, I'll help you with your bags."

"Thanks Leah, we can catch up while Charlie is ordering food."

"Wait neither of you told me what you wanted," Charlie protested, the cordless phone in one hand and the take-out menu in the other.

"Just get me my usual," Bella and Leah both replied at the same time. They looked at each other in surprise and smiled before heading upstairs.

"Ah, my old room," Bella sighed, opening the door. "At least he's updated it a little, but most of this furniture will probably be donated when the rest of my stuff gets here."

"You packed up all of your furniture?" Leah asked in surprise, setting the bags down and sitting down on the desk chair.

"Yeah," Bella replied, still inspecting the bed and the dresser. "I figured why not? I like my furniture, it makes me comfortable and I figured if I'm going to be living her while I finish high school, I might as well be comfortable."

"That is true," Leah conceded. The two continued to talk while Bella temporarily unpacked her clothes since it would be a few days before the rest of her stuff arrived. Bella gave Leah the story about her mother remarrying, feeling bad about lying to her friend who could possibly end up being more at some point, but knowing that she couldn't tell the other girl the truth just yet.

"Girls, dinner's here!" Charlie called after about half and hour.

"Awesome, I'm starving Bella said, grabbing her stomach. The two dashed downstairs and grabbed their respective boxes of food.

Leah noticed that Bella had almost the same amount of food that she did and thought it was odd for a moment before remembering how much food Charlie put away. Must be hereditary, Leah mused.

"Dad, Leah and I are going to eat in my room," Bella announced, dragging the other girl back upstairs. The brunette pushed the older girl back into the desk chair while she sat on the bed nearest to the desk. Opening her boxes, Bella took out a pair of chopsticks she grabbed from the take-out bag and turned other girl. "So, catch me up with how you're doing, how's school and have you settled on a major yet? Texting doesn't really provide much information."

Leah laughed, "Yeah, it does seem to lack stuff. I've settled on getting a criminology degree with a minor in Criminal Justice. Charlie's been such a big help to me, so I decided to follow him into law enforcement. He said he'd sponsor me for the police academy, though since I'm getting a degree in criminology, he said I might only have to do the fire arm and physical training."

"Is that really how the police academy works?"

"Probably not, but if Charlie could pull it off, I would be grateful, that would mean 6 months that I don't have to spend at the academy."

"You're what, a junior now?"

"Sort of," Leah replied, "I can only take so many hours a semester, but I take classes throughout the summer, so hopefully I'll be able to graduate next May, or the following August at the latest."

"So around the same time as me then, that's awesome," Bella replied.

The two continued to talk for another few hours before Leah had to leave to get back to her apartment. "Do you need me to help you unload your furniture when it gets here?" Leah asked.

"If you would, that would be great," Bella said, "The movers should be here on Tuesday with it and my truck sometime that afternoon. At least I'll get it done before I have to start school on Wednesday."

"School for me doesn't start until the next week, so I should be good. I've been working extra hours over the break, so the bookstore shouldn't have any problem letting me off an hour or two early."

"Oooh, a bookstore, you just got even more attractive," the younger girl replied with a wink.

Leah blushed and stuttered out a goodbye before dashing out the door. Charlie and Bella listened as Leah started the car and drove out the driveway and down the road. "I like her, so don't you go messing her like you're prone to do," Charlie ordered, shooting his daughter a stern gaze.

Bella rolled her eyes, "Leah is my friend, I don't mess with my friends… Unless it's for their own good of course. So far Leah and Angela are the only ones in town who are safe, might even venture down to La Push to teach them a lesson about hurting her."

Charlie gave Bella a contemplative look. "You like her too don't you?"

The girl's cheeks reddened slightly before she coughed and shooed it away. "I do like her, but I'm not looking for a relationship right now, I know that I'm not emotionally ready for one. And I don't think she's looking for one either. Will I turn her down in a few months if she asks me on a date, or vice versa, no. If you don't remember, because of your and Mom's influence, I'm attracted to certain kinds of people."

The chief sighed and nodded his head. "Just don't make the same mistakes your mother and I did," he replied before going back to his recliner."

Bella looked at her father sadly. "She does still love you, you know," she murmured softly, patting him on the shoulder as she went back upstairs. The brunette took a minute to look around at her room before traipsing into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

"Hello movers!" Bella greeted the moving truck as it pulled up into the drive. She started to fret for a minute until she another moving truck pull up with her car.

"Yikes," Bella's best friend Angela Webber said when she walked out of the house and saw the truck, "You said it was old and a little rusty, I just didn't think you were driving, well, that."

"Are you kidding? Trusty is a classic," Bella said, staring proudly at her 1957 Ford Chero. It was dark, burgundy red with rust along the doors and hood. It sputtered when it started and roared down the road, but Bella loved it all the same.

"Trusty?" Angela questioned, standing along her friend.

"Doesn't your car have a name?"

"… No…"

"Well, you should give it one, how will we know if it's a boy car or a girl car?"

"Don't people classify most cars as the feminine gender?"

"Trusty is totally a dude," Bella said, skipping towards the moving vans.

Angela rolled her eyes and followed after her friend. The two had met just after Angela's family had moved into town when she was ten so her dad could be the new pastor at the local church. Bella was making one of the rare visits up to see her father, and the two ran into each other in town. They hit it off and Bella gave the other girl her address so they could write to each other when Bella went back to Arizona. It was a happy day for both of them when they got cell phones so they could call and talk to each other all the time.

Another car pulled into the driveway next to the moving vans and Angela recognized Leah Clearwater getting out of the car. "That is your truck?" Leah questioned Bella, staring dubiously at the red monstrosity on the back of the flatbed.

"Geez," Bella muttered, "You and Angela, honestly, Trusty has character!"

Leah finally noticed the other girl coming up behind Bella and nodded her head. "Angela," she greeted.

"Leah," the younger girl smiled. "Do you have your hours set at the bookstore in Port Angeles yet? You're much more inclined to help me out with the taller shelves than the other two people they have working there."

"I'll be sure to let you know," Leah replied with a laugh.

"Okay, enough camaraderie, we have a room to put together. Mover people, will you assist us in getting the furniture out of the van please?" Bella asked, looking between the three guys that came with her stuff. At their nods, Bella smiled and headed to the back of moving van. Leah, Bella, Angela and one of the movers started helping move the furniture out of the van while the other two got Bella's truck off the flatbed.

"What about the furniture already in your room?" Leah asked once the stuff was unloaded and the movers had left.

"Bill came over early this morning with his truck and helped Charlie and I dismantle what we could and took it to Goodwill. Angela helped me clean and paint the walls, so we're good to go."

"I didn't know that you were painting your room, what color is it?" Leah asked, looking between Bella and Angela.

"Different shades of green," Angela answered, gesturing towards the paint splatters on her shirt.

"It's my favorite color," Bella responded, "Which is good since it matches my eyes."

"You should really see what's she's done so far," Angela interrupted. "She painted a mural on the wall around the window and the inside wall where the desk was. The other two she taught me how to paint and stylized like moss and leaves. It's really cool."

"You paint?" Leah asked as they started moving boxes and furniture upstairs into Bella's room.

"I dabble," the brunette replied with a shrug. She strolled through the door to her newly painted room and Leah gasped when she followed after Bella.

"This is amazing," she murmured, taking in the new look. The walls around the window and the right side of the door were painted like a densely packed forest with little bits of light streaming through the leaves. The other two walls in the room were a darker, olive green, resembling moss that one would find in a darker part of the forest. "I can't believe you two managed to get this done in one day."

"It was easy with Angela doing the base coat," Bella said, smiling at her friend. "It's different from my room in phoenix. I went with a dryer forest ensemble there, but I think this rainy, lively green forest suits the atmosphere here better. Now let's quit dilly-dallying and get the rest of my furniture before it decides it's going to rain."

The three girls got all of the boxes and dismantled furniture into the room. "This furniture looks really cool," Angela murmured, stroking the wooden shafts of the bed.

"It's all hand carved," Bella replied, smiling softly as she put her drawers back in her dresser against the wall where her bed was going to sit.

"Wow," Leah said, looking at the intricate carvings on the dresser, and the headboard of the bed. They were carved to look like falling leaves and branches with various animals hidden among the foliage.

"Now you see why I couldn't bear to part with it?" Bella asked. "Now, help me hold the bars steady so I can latch it back together. With Leah and Angela's help, Bella managed to put her bed frame back together and fitted into the left corner of the room.

"Does it come with a canopy?" Angela asked, looking at the bedposts in Bella's hands. "Wouldn't it be easier if it was in the middle of the room then?"

"Eh," Bella chuckled, "This bed was made to fit in corners. It has a type of canopy, but not like your thinking, more of a roof than a canopy. Here, I'll show you." Bella fitted the bedposts in placed then rummaged through the bedding box looking for a particular item. "Ah," she cried, pulling out a blanket. "See?" She held the blanket up for Leah and Angela to see.

"Constellations?" Leah murmured, tracing the designs on the blanket.

"My favorite constellations," Bella corrected. "It's really easy to see stars in the desert if you know where to go looking for them. My friends and I would go out and watch the stars during the summer, and I would miss looking at them during the school year. One of my friend's grandfather was an exceptional woodcarver and his wife a seamstress. When he started carving this bed for me, his wife made this canopy to go over it."

"Wow, they did all of this work for free?" Leah commented, fingering the finely stitched cloth and looking at the hand carved furniture.

"There are flaws in the design, apparently he was using it as a teaching method for his apprentice carvers," Bella told them. "And as for the cloth, Mammy told me it was for being such a good friend to her grandchildren, and I had no choice but to accept it and the furniture."

"This is Orion," Leah said, tracing the three unique stars that make up Orion's belt. "But I can't recognize the other constellations or remember their names."

"Well this is Lepus the Hare," Bella said, tracing of the constellation underneath Orion. "And above Orion is the first part of Taurus the Bull. Diagonally from Orion, you can see some of Gemini, and here the not as well known Monoceros, aka the unicorn. My two favorite constellations take up the prize position in the center though, Canis Minor riding on the back of the unicorn, and Canis Major beneath the hare." Bella finished tracing the constellations on the blanket and fastened it to the top of the bedposts. They finished putting the bed together by heaving the mattress in place and Bella fitted the sheets onto it while Angela and Leah moved the desk into the same location the old one was at.

"Let's see, bed, night table with lamp, dresser with odds and ends, desk… I'm forgetting something," Bella murmured, staring at the few boxes she had left. "Oh, my TV," she said, opening one of the boxes. "The TV table should be that long box right there. It's brand new, so we'll have to put it together. I got it because it matched my furniture and my old one didn't."

Leah opened the box and found a kit to make one of those cube crates. It was made of dark hard wood like the rest of Bella's furniture and needed to be put together. "How does this work?" She asked, pulling out all the parts.

"I'll do it, I just got one of these things for my room, only mine was a 3x3 instead of a 2x4," Angela said, pulling what she needed out of the toolbox Charlie had left them and swiftly putting the pieces together. Soon it was sitting along the wall next to the desk and had Bella's TV and Blu-Ray player on top and the rest of her book and movie collection in the shelves.

Bella rolled her desk chair in place and took out a large, fake bearskin rug out of the last box and carefully placed it on the floor next to her bed. "Now doesn't this look cozy, she sighed, settling onto the rug.

"We're totally doing sleepovers here," Angela said, sitting on the floor next to Bella. "Unless we want to drink, then we'll just sleepover at Leah's place."

"Way to just invite yourself over Ange," Bella scolded, snickering slightly.

"I hate to disappoint your dreams of over indulgence Angela, but I don't have time to drink," Leah chuckled. "A beer every now and then with dinner or when I have some time to chill out, or even here with Charlie, but usually just one."

"Ah, well, you know what they say about preachers' kids," Angela remarked sadly. "I was so looking forward to carrying on with that stereotype."

"We can work on that now that I'm here," Bella said as she and Angela cackled.

Leah rolled her eyes at the two younger girls and looked at the time on her phone. "Hey guys, I've got to get back to my apartment. I like to have the majority of the reading done prior to the semester so all I have to do is go back over the notes."

"All right Leah, I'll walk you out," Bella said, heading downstairs with the older girl. "Thanks for coming over to help me unpack, you didn't have to."

"I wanted to," Leah responded with a smile. For some reason, her wolf was content around Bella. Usually it took everything in her to not snap at people and pummel them. She knew if she did that, the life she wanted would be gone because her father would use that as an excuse to drag her back to the reservation. Every time Leah talked to Bella, whether over the phone or in person these days, her wolf would lie down within her and… purr? Leah didn't spend too much time thinking over what that could mean since she wasn't sure if she was ready for the answer. All she knew was that Bella was possibly the best friend she has ever had, including her cousin and ex-boyfriend.

"You're still coming over for dinner on Friday aren't you?" Bella asked, breaking Leah from her thoughts.

"Yeah, like I could stay away from your cooking," Leah returned, grinning.

"You and Charlie are going to learn how to cook, if it kills me," Bella grumbled. "I'll see ya later Leah."

With that, Leah turned and got in her car, heading down the driveway. Bella returned to her room to find Angela on her bed staring at the constellations on the canopy. "They kind of sparkle don't they," Angela commented when Bella lied down on the bed next to her.

"Magical isn't it?" Bella smirked, thinking of the woman who made the blanket.

"So, school starts tomorrow," the other girl started a different conversation. "Do you have your schedule yet?"

"No, I'm supposed to get it in the morning, you want to come with me and provide input in necessary areas?"

"Pst, of course, can't leave my BFF stranded alone with people like Mike or Lauren, or those creepy Cullens."

Bella chuckled at hearing the names of two of Angela's sort of friends that made it into many of their discussions but puzzled over the last name. "The Cullens?"

"Did I not tell you about them? I must've forgotten; they started school last year, so it's been about a year and a half that I've known them. They seem nice enough, but there is something creepy about them. They're always missing when it's sunny, super pale skin, and weird golden eyes that look almost black at times."

Bella interest peaked at hearing the description. She rolled over on her stomach and looked at Angela with a gleam in her eyes, and a slight twinkle of mischief. "Do tell me more…"

So, who here all thought that Bella was a shape shifter? Well, she's not, not technically. And Charlie is aware of the Cullens and the Pack, who saw that coming? Who here doesn't know who the Trickster is? I'm pretty sure most everyone got the obvious that it is Bella, as for the type of tricks she'll pull, well... I'm working on it.

Review people