Disclaimer: I'm not Stephenie Meyer so quit asking already! Yeesh!

AN: Thank you all for your love and support! And thanks for the ideas concerning Charlie's love life! I will see what I can do! Hehehe…and who knows? Charlie + Vampire = One Sexy Ass! (Of course, I've always thought he was sexy, but, you know…that's just me!)

Charlie POV

I walked like a man to the gallows to open the front door of my house. "Charlie," Billy said stiffly as he wheeled past me.

"Billy, good to see you," I told him cordially.

"I wish I could say the same," he replied coolly.

I looked at the other person standing at the door and whispered, "Hey, Sue."

Her eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed as she muttered, "Hi, Charlie."

I led them into the living room and waited. I didn't have to wait long.

"How could you, Charlie? How in the hell could you think it?!" Billy shouted at me.

"How can I not?" I shot back calmly. Once I make up my mind about something, I do it, regardless. I may hem and haw over the decision making process, but once I've decided, it's done.

"Charlie, do you realize what you will become?" Sue asked softly. "You will be a beast, a…a killer!"

"Like my Bella?"

She blanched. "That's not…you can't…it's different!"

"How, Sue? How is it different? You tell me."

"It's not natural. It's not normal."

"Bella isn't normal," I countered. "I know this. Do you honestly think I don't realize how crazy this is? I feel guilty for accepting their gift!"

"Gift," Billy scoffed. "Gift?! It's an outrage! And the fact that my own son condones it makes me so furious with him! I never, ever thought he would turn into a…a…leech lover!"

My heart went out to Jake, who, I felt sure had stuck around, even though I told him not to, and heard what his father had just said.

"Charlie, Charlie, baby, please," Sue pled. "Please don't do this."

"Why? So I can die in what? Peace? I am dying, Sue. I will be dead in a few weeks."

"There could be treatments…we can have the Rez shaman look at you…we could…" she looked to Billy for help, but he knew the truth to my words.

I reached across and grabbed her hands. "Sue, I'm so very sorry for what I said and did yesterday. You're one of the best things to happen to me. When Harry died, I felt so sorry for you. But I had always held you in a special place in my heart. When we met up at Bella's wedding and Seth went off with his friends and I gave you a ride home, I never imagined it would end up with us in bed. I don't regret it, not for a moment. But I do regret the hurt I put you through yesterday and the hurt I'm putting you through now. You deserve so much more."

"I can take care of you, Charlie. You can rest comfortably in the knowledge that I can be what you need me to be in the end. I'm a nurse, don't forget. I can nurse you…"

"Right up until the point I die," I told her flatly. "Look, I've thought about this. I know as a…human, I can't grasp the concept of forever. But I have to be with my daughter. And I feel sure if anyone else in my position were given this choice, they would choose the same."

"You're making a mistake, Charlie," Billy told me.

My mouth formed a thin line as I thought before I spoke. "Maybe I am. But it is mine to make, Billy. I understand if Sam and his pack feel the need to…whatever, but I want this opportunity."

"I can't condone it," he told me gravely. "The pack is pretty much out of my control. Whatever Sam feels best is what will be done."

I nodded. Once Jake told me that the packs were against vampires, I knew Sam's guys could potentially end my newfound life before I really got a chance to live it. "I am getting things ready for my departure. Bella said I will go to the cousins' house and I will adhere to the Cullens' diet." They both looked surprised and I chuckled. "Yes, they told me about their dietary choices, don't worry. You know me; I am sworn to uphold the law. I would never willingly harm a human being."

"You won't be yourself! You'll be a monster!" Sue shouted.

I shook my head. "My Bella isn't a monster. And if she isn't, I'm sure I will not be." Then I made a promise I had been holding in my heart; "And if I am a monster, if I'm uncontrollable, or if I harm a human being, I swear it to you, I will have one of them or one of Jake's pack destroy me. I could never stand the fact of harming someone, so I make this vow to you today."

Billy shot me a look, saw the seriousness in my face and nodded. "Very well. It's the best we'll be able to get out of you." He looked from Sue to me and said, "I think I'll just go out on the porch for a few minutes, call Sam from my cell phone and let him know what went on here."

I watched him roll his chair out the door before I turned to Sue. I hadn't realized we were still holding hands. I let them go and sat back. "Go on."

"What?" she asked stiffly.

"Go on and scream at me. I deserve it."

She sighed and sat back, too. "No, Charlie. Part of what you said yesterday was right. I'm not your wife. I'm not in charge of your decisions, even if you are choosing wrong. To willingly become this…this thing…" she shivered and looked out the now-dark window. "Promise me something."

"Anything," I swore.

"Promise me I will never see you again. I want to remember you like this." She stood and came to sit in my lap, so like she had done in the past while we would watch a game together. My arm went around her waist automatically.

She looked deeply into my eyes before placing a kiss on my lips. Her hand brushed down my cheek and then she placed her cheek next to mine as she leaned into me. I closed my eyes and relished the feel of this one last time. I could feel the dampness from her tears sliding down my face.

"I want to remember this warmth," she whispered. I want to remember your blush when I make a sexual joke. I want to remember the feel of your body over mine. I want to remember this, right here. You. Me. A Mariner's game and a six pack of beer. I want to remember you like this. You die tonight, Charlie. To me, you die when I walk out this door. I can't see you a living statue. I can't see your eyes glazed over with the vampire's coloring. I just can't do it."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and kissed her lips tenderly once more. "I swear it," I vowed softly. "You will never see me again."

She sniffed, stood, and not looking at me, said stoically, "Goodbye, Charlie."

"Goodbye, Sue."

She walked to the doorway, then whispered, "For what it's worth, I really could have loved you until the end."

I was holding back my own tears as I responded; "I love you." It was the first and last time I've said it to anyone besides Renee.

I watched as her back stiffened but she didn't stop as she walked away. Instead of slamming the door, as I thought she would, she closed it with the tiniest "snick".

I sank back into my chair and sobbed.

I don't know how much time passed before I heard a knocking at my door. I dried my eyes and sniffed back the tears. I had made my decision. There was no turning back on it now. With a gruff, "Come in," I stood and immediately felt a wave of dizziness. This is new, I thought. I grasped the arm of my chair to steady myself and was back to normal by the time Edward walked through my door.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

I chuckled flatly at the absurdity of his statement. "Do vampires need an invitation?"

He smiled. "No, not at all."

"Sure. Come in. Did Jake give Bella my message?"

Edward nodded. "He did. But Alice saw bits and pieces of the argument once the wolves left so I knew you were alone."

"Alice saw…?" I shook my head. "Never mind, I'll find out later."

At that, Edward nodded. "Yes. I suppose all will be revealed by the night's close."

"Am I doing the right thing?" I asked him. Granted, I had made up my mind, but it would be nice to ask someone that wasn't emotionally invested in this. Edward, though he loved Bella and Renesmee, would do what was best for them, no matter what.

He smiled sadly. "I can't say that, Charlie."

"What? That I'm doing the right thing?"

"No, that I would do what was best for them, no matter what. If that were true, I would have stayed away instead of coming back to Bella all those many months ago."

"When you left, it was because you were vampire and she was human, correct?"

He nodded and sat on the sofa. I, too, sat once again and waited for him to speak. "It was a dark time for me. I was lost. When a vampire changes, good or bad, it's permanent. What Bella changed in me made me realize what I wanted out of life, and also what I didn't. I didn't want Bella to become a vampire. I wanted to love her as a human until she died a human death."

"But, naturally, my daughter didn't want that."

He chuckled flatly. "Your daughter is one of the most stubborn creatures to ever walk the face of this earth."

I snorted. "Tell me something I don't know, Edward."

"I didn't want to change her. I put it off for as long as I could. We were at an impasse. When Jasper attacked her the night of her birthday…"

"Jasper attacked her?! And you let him live?!"

"Jasper felt very badly about it. Bella cut herself while opening a present. Jasper can't handle the smell of blood, though, being around Bella now has helped him considerably. Her control is beyond excellent, and that gives him the courage to continue. She's been working with him with bags of blood to test his strength. I'm ashamed to admit, but until she brought it up, the idea had never occurred to me. She's moving her way up to live, bleeding humans. She's hoping his control will become as good as hers or maybe even Carlisle's. He doesn't have the faith she does, but he is spurred on by her. It's fascinating to watch the bond they have created."

"But he attacked her."

"And she forgave him just as quickly. Honestly, it wouldn't have been such a big deal had I not overreacted the way I did. I made it a thousand times worse. So, naturally, I felt I had to make it better, which made it a million times worse when I left."

"I was so angry with you for hurting her that way. Now, at least, I understand. After all, it wasn't much different than what I tried to do with Sue yesterday."

He nodded. "I had full intentions of leaving her human and never coming back to this place. I had…carved an existence for myself, though I can't say a life, when Rosalie called me. Alice had seen Bella jump off the cliff and thought she was killing herself. Alice hadn't been able to keep up with Bella much because the wolves cause a blind spot in her visions. Too, I had promised her not to look into Bella's future, but the image of her jumping off that cliff had broken through Alice's attempt at keeping Bella from her mind. Oddly enough, it is becoming slightly easier for her to see around the wolves now that Jake and his crew are around all the time, but it's still difficult. Anyway, when I called here and Jake told me you were planning the funeral, I lost it."

"What did you do?" I asked, engrossed in this true-to-life soap opera that had happened right under my nose.

"I went to the Volturi, the only law in our world. They are horrible people, Charlie. We need to do whatever we can to keep you away from them. If Bella is a shield and Ren can show people her thoughts, I can't begin to imagine what your power could be…"

"I could have a power?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. If Eleazar were here, he could tell us, but he's on vacation, traveling with his wife at the moment. By the way, Tanya was more than eager to accept your company. She'll be looking for your arrival in the next few weeks."

"Your 'cousin'?"

He nodded again. "Yes. She's…she's something."

"In a good way or a bad way?"

He grinned. "She's actually really a wonderful person. Bella is, however…intimidated by her."

That surprised me. "Why? Is she so vicious?"

"God, no. Nothing like that. She is quite mischievous, actually. But she had her designs set on me for a while before I met Bella and that has put Bella off."

I snorted. "Interesting. I've never seen Bella jealous."

"It is a sight to behold, I assure you."

Something niggled in the back of my brain. Jake had mentioned this Volturi once before, but for the life of me I couldn't remember where. "So, back to this Volturi, they're the law of your world? Could I get a job with them?"

Edward blinked in surprise. "You would want to work with them? Why?Didn't you hear me just say we needed to keep you as far away from them as possible?"

Did he say that? I couldn't recall him saying that, so I shrugged. "They are the law of the land. I am a police officer. It seems like a natural fit."

He shook his head adamantly. "I don't think that would be a good idea. You can talk to Eleazar about that. He used to work for the Volturi guard. You may not like their brand of justice. Besides, due to your police background, as well as the fact you are Bella's father, I don't believe you would appreciate their diet."

The way he said it led me to believe they didn't feed off of rats from the sewers. "They eat humans?! And they call themselves the law? Shouldn't they be protecting the humans from others like them?"

Edward smiled. "Charlie, Charlie, Charlie. You have a lot to learn about these things."

"I'm not sure I can adhere to any of their rules if they won't protect human life!"

"You won't have a choice and you can't stop them."

"We'll see about that!"

"Charlie!" he shouted to get my attention. "I can't, in good conscious, turn you if the first thing you're going to do is go after the Volturi! It's a death sentence. Most of the time they stay over in Italy and we can live as though they don't exist."

"But the other times?"

He winced. "Yes, well, those times will need to be discussed further." He stood. "Shall we? I thought it would be easier if I just took you over in my car. Then you can just stay the night. I'm sure Nessie would love for you to be there for breakfast with her."

I smiled as I thought of my granddaughter. "I'll just go pack up a few things and be right back."

"Take your time. I've got plenty of it."

I opened my mouth to say something, but thought better of it. I stood and my vision wavered as dizziness overtook me again. "Charlie!" he exclaimed and was by my side in an instant.

He grabbed me gently by the arms and I looked at him. "That's really creepy how fast you can move."

He chuckled as he let me go once my feet were steady. "So said Bella. She didn't think it was such a bad thing though when I stopped Tyler Crowley's van from crushing her."

I looked at him as recognition dawned. "How many times have you saved her life, Edward?"

He thought about that a moment before answering softly, "Only about as many times as she's saved mine. We're about even."

I stared at him for a moment longer before he asked me, "Are you okay to go upstairs?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's just this damn headache. It's been driving me crazy all day."

His eyes didn't move from me as I stepped away from him and headed toward the stairs. It took me no time at all to prepare an overnight bag, taking care to make sure and pack some of the stronger headache medicine, and return to his side. I locked up the house and we drove off toward the Cullen Compound.

He chuckled.

"What?" I asked.

"'The Cullen Compound'. It's funny."

"That is annoying. Does it irritate Bella when you read her thoughts?"

He chuckled again. "I can't read Bella's thoughts, not unless she directs them at me. And yours are very muddled. I can only read them when your thoughts are very clear, and usually only when they are grousing about me."

I didn't let that bother me. He was the man, vampire, whatever, that had taken my baby girl away from me to grow up too fast. He could hear all of my damn thoughts on the subject of young marriage, as I'm sure he did. But it was odd that he could only hear some of my thoughts. "I don't understand," I told him honestly.

He thought a moment. "If Bella's brain were a frequency, it would neither be AM nor FM. Before she was turned, I could never hear her. But now, her brain is like a…a walkie-talkie. I can only hear it if it is directed at me. Yours is like the far end of the frequency…mostly static, but occasionally it comes through and I can hear it. Does that help?"

I nodded. "How does that work?"

"For most people, I can hear their thoughts as if they are speaking aloud. My range is limited to a few miles. But to people that I'm familiar, like my family, I can tune into their thoughts and hear them further away. The pack, however, can keep up with one another hundreds of miles away. It's fascinating because I can keep up with them no matter how far they go as long as I stay tapped in to one of the wolves here. Jake, Seth and I have played around with it a bit."

"Do they ever go down to run with the coyotes in Arizona?" I asked with a chortle.

He shook his head. "No. We always have them run north. There are too many vampires in the south."

"Are you serious?" I asked, incredulous.

"As serious as a heart attack," he stated flatly. "Jasper's old…friend, Maria, has a coven down there who likes nothing more than stirring up trouble and maintaining her feeding grounds. We keep ourselves up here and north across the United States as much as possible."

"Do you ever just get the urge to kill the vampires that eat from humans?" I wondered aloud.

"Occasionally. And occasionally we act on that. Like Seattle last year."

"The serial killer?" I asked.

"Yes and no. It was the work of an army."

A vampire army? If they created an army, clearly it was to go after someone, to fight against something. "A vampire army?" I asked aloud. "Who in the world could they want to go after to create an army?"

He shot me a look. "I'll give you two guesses but you'll only need one with this clue; she's a danger magnet. She's the only person in the world that could possibly attract a vampire and a werewolf."

"Bella?" I gasped.

He nodded. "It all started that first date we had, the first official date, that is."

"The one she came back crying from and left to go back to Phoenix?" I asked derisively.

"One in the same. A trio of nomads came upon us as we were playing baseball in the field in the woods. One of them, James," he said the name on a growl, "wanted Bella for his own meal. When I defended her, it became a chase that led to Phoenix. My brothers and I killed him there. His mate, Victoria, wanted revenge against me and thought killing Bella would be her best course of action. Long story short, she's toast."

I chuckled and he looked at me curiously. "Toast," I commented. "You just don't seem like the type to talk like that."

He grinned. "Being around Bella, Jake, and Seth has…mellowed me out some. Their constant drivel has led me to speak slightly differently than I used to."

"How old are you, Edward?"

At that, he laughed. "Seventeen."

"And how long have you been seventeen?" I pressed.

"A while," he shot back.

I laughed, too. "Okay, fine. I'll get it out of Bella."

He smiled wryly. "Let's just say I'm old enough to be your father and possibly your grandfather, Charlie, and leave it at that."

"I always knew Bells would end up with an older man. She's been middle age most of her life." I looked at him. "I just didn't realize he would be this old."

He shrugged as we pulled into the driveway. "Age was never an issue with us. Mortality was."

"And now it's not."

He nodded. "And now, it's not."

AN2: Okay, this seems like a lot of filler, but it just totally flowed. I wrote the whole thing in an hour. Go figure.

NEW POLL: Yes, I'm going to irritate you guys with these questions. This one is SO important! The 'stache! I've noticed most of the vampires do not, in fact, have facial hair. And the sexy Billy Burke (the actor who plays Charlie) looks so damn fine without one, I wondered, since Bella's hair changed with the venom, should Charlie's moustache go away? Because, honestly, if Emmett were a mountain man like SM said he was, he more than likely would have had a beard. (And THAT I wouldn't mind seeing!) So…to 'stache or not to 'stache, that is the question of the week.