Chapter 10 - Rivalry

Disclaimer: Nope, once again, I don't own Twilight. But I do own everything that's not in the original series and everything that's not canon. :) Thanks!

A/N: This chapter isn't really perfect, but I didn't update yesterday, so I'm updating today... :)

Mom saw Bella sitting on the couch and walked through the living room, into the kitchen.

"Whoa, where do you think you're going?" Bella asked, following her into the kitchen.

"You're here to see your dad, right?" Mom asked, going over to get a glass of water from the kitchen sink. "Before we left, they were downstairs, looking for some stuff for Charlotte. We left most of our stuff back in Denali."

"Excuse me," Bella said, placing her hands on her hips and standing in front of the kitchen doorway, "but I'm not looking for Charlie. I'm looking for you."

Mom kind of blinked at Bella before sighing.

"Look, I know you're mad at me, but it's been years, Bella. I know I screwed a lot of stuff up, but I've become a better person over the years. I've become self-sufficient... for my daughter."

"Stop playing the guilt card!" Bella said frustratedly. "You slept with my husband on purpose. You got him wasted and then took advantage of him! You admitted it! And then, you turned around and skipped town, pregnant with my husband's child! You screwed up everything, Leah!"

"Oh, yes. I forgot," Mom said, setting down her glass. "I'm responsible for every last thing that has gone wrong in your marriage, even though I've been gone for fifteen years. I've already explained myself to Jacob, Bella. I certainly don't need to explain my actions to you."

"Then tell me why you named your kid after my dad," Bella said, crossing her arms.

"That's yet another decision of mine that doesn't need to concern you!" Mom snapped. "But if you're that damn insistent, I lived here while I was pregnant with my daughter and your dad was good to me. He stepped up and filled the role that I lost when my dad died of a heart attack. A heart attack that my brother and I caused. Stop putting your nose in my business."

"My husband is my business!" Bella crowed. "And you so very kindly inserted your claws into him."

"No, the last time I checked, he inserted himself into me," Mom said.

Ewww... gross. I tried to get the mental picture out of my head.

"You are an evil, conniving bitch," Bella snapped."Just because you're cold, lonely and bitter doesn't mean you can ruin other people's lives!"

"You see, that's where you're wrong," Mom shrugged. "I got past this a long time ago. I moved on with my child. The only reason why I came back here was for her. She needs her family... and her dad. Like it or not, she's a wolf. Unlike your daughter. Your daughter is never going to be a wolf. She's going to be a perfectly normal human. She'll probably find herself with Sam's kid and she'll grow up being just as normal as ever. Unlike your daughter, my daughter is going to need her dad in a certain way. She's going to need him to show her what the pack is like, show her how it works... that's something I can't do and something your daughter's never going to need to learn."

I was confused. Why did Mom think that Norah was never going to phase? I knew I was just an anomaly, but it could happen to her, too, right? I mean, sure I was a good four or five inches taller than she was...

"My daughter has wolf-blood on BOTH sides of her ancestry. Unlike your kids, she's the first FULL wolf, conceived between two wolf parents. Deep down, you know that drives you crazy. You know that there's nothing you can do about it. And you're afraid that my daughter is going to one-up your son for Alpha. Admit it!"

"My husband never moved on," Bella said flatly, ignoring Mom's whole wolf-schpeal. "You may have moved on with your kid in Alaska, but he's spent the last fifteen years blaming himself for not saving your ass. There was nothing I could do about that. I had to see my husband suffer, see him go crazy trying to protect our kids. What you did affected him a whole hell of a lot more than what you know."

"Again, I already apologized. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life apologizing for a stupid decision I made."

"That decision screwed life up for a whole lot of people, Leah!" Bella yelled.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't yell at me," Mom said sweetly.

"And I'd appreciate it if you'd stop acting like you did nothing wrong!" Bella yelled.

It was my turn to step in.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Black," I said.

Both Mom and Bella turned to stare at me.

"Look, I know things are really messed up, but I really do want to know my dad. I know that history hasn't been nice to anyone around here and that a lot of people did things to mess things up for everyone. But at the end of the day, aren't Rowan and Norah and I most important? We don't want to be caught up in a huge family feud. We just want to be normal, even if it's only for a little while. I just want a family. And I want you to be part of that family... if you want to. I'm not trying to take anything away from Norah and Rowan... I just want to know them. I want to have a whole family. I've never had that."

"Charley, I don't want to be a step-mother to anyone," Bella said, looking uncomfortable. "I'm sure you're a sweet girl, but that's not what I want for my life."

"You know you're being hypocritical, right?" Mom snapped."Wasn't Edward going to be a step-father to Norah? Oh, I forgot. He was going to be her actual dad. You were going to do the same thing I did... cut Jacob out of Norah's life completely. I haven't forgotten. You almost did the same thing I did. The only difference was that I had the balls to go through with it because it was actually the right thing to do."

"Can you guys please just stop arguing... for the three of us?" I finally asked. "I mean, I'm sick and tired of avoiding my own brother and sister just because the two of you have decided to be stupid."

"Charlotte, for once in your life, can you please just shut up?" Mom asked, annoyed.

"I'm sick of the fighting and the arguing!" I said, louder this time. "I want to have a relationship with my siblings! I'm sick and tired of being all alone! I was all alone in Denali and I won't have the same thing happen here. You said we were moving here so I could have a support system and this is the support system I want! I want Norah and Rowan!"

"Norah doesn't even know about the whole wolf thing, dear," Bella said. "And it's against Alpha command for her to know. Not unless one of the wolves imprints on her. And then he has to be the one to tell her."

"But Jacob said Rowan would phase... eventually. He would be part of my support system. And Levi. And Will, when he phases. I'm sick of the stupid bullshit!" I said, putting my hands on my hips. I was finally putting my foot down.

"Watch your mouth," Mom said, glaring at me.

"Fine," Bella said suddenly. "For the kids, Leah, but not for you. You definitely don't deserve my forgiveness but my kids deserve to have a relationship with their sister, regardless of what a cold, heartless bitch their mother is. And your daughter deserves to have a relationship with her dad. I'm not going to be the person to stop her. But you don't deserve to have a relationship with anyone, Leah. You can continue being bitter and cold and a bitch and eventually, you're going to wake up one day, realizing that everyone hates you and there's nothing you can do about it because you already used up all of your chances."

Bella walked out of the kitchen and out the front door without a backwards glance.

"I don't hate you," I told Mom. "I don't think anyone, outside of Bella Black hates you. Sure, we all make mistakes, but you did everything you did for me."

"You're the best daughter a mother could ever ask for," Mom said, wrapping her arms around me. "I'm so sorry I've messed everything up for you," she sobbed.

"You haven't. You're my mom," I shrugged. "And for that, I'll always love you."

Mom wiped away the tears from her eyes. I couldn't tell if they were from emotion or just pure frustration. But the one thing I hoped was that this was the final showdown between my mom and Bella Black. I didn't want there to be any more drama related to my homecoming. It was something I had wished for my entire life and now that it was here, it was more stressful than I ever could have imagined.

Later that night, I went to the beach again, simply to let the craziness of the day pass away. I relaxed in the cold, muddy waters of the Pacific, letting the tide ebb and flow beneath me.

I looked up and saw something in the water, shiny and dark. At first I thought it was some sort of dead animal or something. I lunged back in disgust.

I turned around and saw Levi's fiancée walking toward the beach. I frowned. It was well after dark and she was alone.

The ocean breeze blew in with the tide and a horrible stench came up from the ocean. It was sickening sweet and smelled like some sort of floral crap. My nose started burning uncontrollably.

Aubrey was still walking toward the ocean, her head held high, her shoulder-length blonde hair flying back from her face in the breeze.

I turned and saw the dark figure come up from the ocean. It was a woman, her hair soaking wet, her teeth brilliant as pearls, her eyes red as rubies, her skin darker than teak... I shivered unvoluntarily.

Back away, back away, Aubrey... I thought, cowering down.

But Aubrey wasn't backing away. She was walking toward the mysterious figure.

"Izel!" she called aloud.

The woman from the water stepped out and toward Aubrey.

"Your father wouldn't be happy about this," the woman said. She had a strange accent, one I had never heard before. It sounded South American... perhaps Brazilian? Or Colombian?

"I know," said Aubrey, sighing. "But it's happened. It's not safe for me to be here."

"And it's not safe for you to be with us," the woman hissed. "You're a human. Your father has just been changed... your mother thinks he's dead. It's not the right time!"

I knew it was time to step in. I looked up and saw Levi coming up from the opposite shore. He was low to the ground, seeming ready to pounce.

Levi, I called, trying to get his attention.

That's a vampire. It has to be. It's burning my nose! His eyes were fixated on it. And Aubrey's too close to it! Get her away from it, Charley!

I snuck up to it and broke out into a run. The thing looked up at me, shocked at the last possible second. It's arm, not as hard as I expected it to be, pushed me away at the last second before diving back into the ocean.

Aubrey screamed bloody-murder as Levi chased the vampire thing back into the water, swimming away futily, trying to catch it.

Levi! I snapped. Get out of that water!

Levi sighed and came back out, rolling his eyes.

The porch light on Embry's house flicked on and Aubrey's mother, a very short woman with porcelain skin and white-blonde hair came running out. She saw us standing near Aubrey, who had somehow passed out in the middle of the beach.

"Wolves!" she screamed.

Embry ran out behind her and behind his tiny wife, he made a motion, signaling us to run.

You go that way, I told Levi, nodding toward his parents' house. And I'll run through the woods.

No one's gonna try to catch us... except for the people who don't know, Levi said as he obeyed without question.

I ran like crazy, back toward the only place I knew was safe... Jacob's house.

End of another chapter... it was a bit longer than the other's, but I had a hard time wrapping up the beach scene... :(

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