The Five Year Plan
Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.
A/N-thank you for reviewing and for still following this story.
Part Ten
Charlie came home to find Bella busy in the kitchen. She was sitting at the table, surrounded by paperwork, while alternately keeping an eye on the chicken roasting in the oven. Charlie hung up his gun belt, shrugged off his jacket and joined his daughter. "That smells great." He said referring to the food. "What's all this?" He then motioned toward the pile of papers scattered across the table.
"College prospectuses." Bella glanced up at him, smiling.
Charlie was glad to see that she appeared a lot less stressed then when he'd left her that morning. He wondered whether it had to do with Jacob's visit. Billy had called him to let him know that his son would be spending the day in Forks with Bella. "I thought you'd gotten rid of those." He continued cautiously.
"No." Bella looked up at him again. "I won't be going to Hampshire now with Edward so I was just sorting through my options."
"That's good to see." Charlie sat forward and began to pick up some of the paperwork. He noticed that a lot of the colleges were in other states. He became alarmed, concerned that his only child had decided to bolt after all.
Bella didn't fail to notice the worried look on her father's face. "Ignore those. They're the rejects."
"Oh, good." Charlie couldn't stop the relieved smile spreading across his face. "You'd get sunburn in L.A."
"Uh huh." Bella gave up on reading and studied her father carefully. "You know I was wondering…um…if it's okay with you. I kinda thought I might actually defer for a year and stay here. I mean with everything that's happened I'm not sure I'm ready to….face all this." She gestured toward the prospectuses.
"Does this have to do with Jake?" Charlie checked. "Because you know you can't base important decisions because you feel guilty or don't want to upset the other person."
Bella tried to keep her irritation in check. She knew that Charlie was worried for good reason, but she had listened to his advice, she wasn't naïve enough to fall back into old habits. She really didn't feel ready to face college. After the whole wedding debacle and what had come before it, she wanted some time just to breathe, and yes, spend time with Jacob, before she ventured on life's next big adventure. "I'm doing this for me." She stated pointedly.
"Okay." Charlie smiled, holding up his hands in a placatory gesture. "I was just asking."
"Alright." Bella couldn't help but smile back. She gathered up the prospectuses to file them away for a later date. "Now go and get changed for dinner."
"What for?" Charlie glanced down at his uniform in confusion. "It's just us."
"Nope." Bella's smile widened. "Jake and Billy are coming for dinner."
Charlie relaxed. "Well that doesn't matter. I don't need to smarten up for them." He sank down in his chair, grinning.
"I invited Sue, Leah and Seth too." Bella continued. She couldn't help laughing as she saw her father's jaw go slack. He was like a rabbit caught in the headlights. He hurriedly stood up, nearly tripping over his own feet as he scuttled up the stairs to change into his best shirt and jeans.
"You're brave." Billy whispered to Bella. Everyone had arrived together. Sue had given Billy a lift. The others had run there in their wolf forms. "I'm surprised you invited everyone." He gave a meaningful glance toward Leah who was scowling at her mother and Charlie as they spoke together in hushed tones.
"Jake suggested it." Bella replied in a low voice. She was beginning to regret her rash decision. The idea had sounded good at the time. Now that she knew that Charlie and Sue were dating, Bella wanted to encourage the relationship. Her father had been alone for so long. She liked Sue and adored Seth. He was so sweet. The only misnomer was Leah. Jacob had told her that the she-wolf wasn't as scary as she looked. He could be very persuasive when he wanted to be. She had found herself agreeing, albeit reluctantly. She knew that if Charlie and Sue did get serious, then she and Leah were going to have to try and get along somehow.
Billy rolled his eyes at his son's blatant optimism. The sun was shining for Jacob now that Bella was back in his life. Because he was happy, he wanted everyone else to be too. But Billy knew that life wasn't that simple. He hoped that Bella could hold her nerve. Leah had lived with her bitterness for so long she found it hard to endure anyone else's happiness, added to the fact that the loss of her beloved father, Harry, was still raw. Billy motioned for Bella to come closer. She ducked her head so he could murmur in her ear. "Whatever Leah says tonight please don't take it to heart. She's still hurting." He advised.
Bella nodded pensively. She had already resolved to have a thicker skin where the oldest Clearwater sibling was concerned. She stood up and took a deep breath. "Dinner is ready." She announced breezily.
"Thank you, Bella." Sue smiled nervously. "It is so kind of you to go to all this trouble."
"No trouble." Bella hugged Sue as the older woman kissed her on the cheek. "You look lovely by the way." She complimented Sue. Sue's cheeks turned rosy with pleasure as she fiddled with the long skirts of her dress. Bella could tell it was new, probably bought to impress Charlie. She hoped her dad had noticed and praised Sue on her choice, but knowing her father it probably hadn't occurred to him. "Doesn't she look nice, dad." Bella prompted Charlie.
Charlie's face turned red as he struggled to find the right words. He tugged at the collar of his shirt and nodded. "Very nice." He said gruffly.
Bella glared at her father in exasperation. She saw Sue's face fall in disappointment. Billy jabbed Charlie in the side with his elbow as he gave him a dour glance. Charlie mumbled something under his breath, his brow breaking out in perspiration. Leah's scowl deepened as she swept past Charlie. She ignored Bella completely as she purposefully sat next to her mother so Charlie couldn't. Seth and Jacob, both completely oblivious to the tension in the room, bundled into the kitchen, play fighting. Seth always reminded Bella of a younger Jacob, and seeing them exchange jabs as they fought, it made her smile. Jacob ended the fight by grabbing Seth around the neck, pulling his head down, and then ruffling his hair.
"This smells great, Bells." Jacob shoved a grinning Seth away and joined Bella, pulling his chair closer to hers.
Seth was sitting on his mother's other side. He was already tucking in. Sue cuffed him on the back of the head and told him to mind his manners. Seth nearly choked. His mouth was full of roast potatoes. His cheeks were bloated as he continued to chew, looking bewildered. Jacob laughed as did Billy. Bella smiled at the young shifter's antics but it was soon wiped off her face when she caught Leah glaring at her. The she-wolf hadn't even filled up her plate.
"There's plenty." Bella said nervously.
"I'm not hungry." Leah said rudely as she shoved her plate to one side.
"Leah, please." Sue begged her daughter.
Leah's lips thinned as she turned to look at her mother. The two women gazed at each other for a long time. Leah was the first to turn away. She sighed irritably before tugging her plate back and beginning to fill it with food. Sue breathed a sigh of relief and began to eat hers daintily. "This is delicious." She praised Bella.
"Yeah, Bells." Jacob agreed as he tucked into his own dinner. He winked at her. Nothing was going to spoil his good mood, not even tension among the Clearwater's.
"You could be a gourmet chef." Billy was eating heartily himself. He nudged Charlie who seemed to be in a trance. He was gazing at Sue, obviously working himself up to say something.
"Thank you." Bella murmured, embarrassed. She wasn't used to accepting praise. But it was made harder by the constant dirty looks Leah was throwing her way.
But her thunder was completely stolen when out of nowhere her father suddenly found his voice. "You look like an angel." He blurted out to Sue Clearwater." His pale skin blazed a violent red as it all went quiet.
"Thank you, Charlie." Sue reached out and patted his hand, while Billy rolled his eyes and the others tried not to laugh. Charlie was smiling sheepishly. The only unhappy one was Leah. She stabbed at her potatoes with her fork furiously.
Dessert went well. The atmosphere was convivial. Conversation was flowing well. A lot of that was down to Jacob and Billy. Father and son were naturals and so easy to be around. Charlie was nearly mute. He was clearly struggling to hide his feelings toward Sue and obviously mortified by his earlier outburst. Bella tried to ignore Leah's sullen face. Seth was clearly enjoying himself, especially the food. He had seconds and then thirds. When dinner was over they all retired to the lounge. Charlie automatically went to switch the flat screen on to a sports show. Bella looked at him sharply, motioning for him to ask Sue what she would like to watch. He really was clueless.
"Oh…um….would you like to watch a film. We've got…um…" Charlie went over to the stack of DVD's and began to rummage through them. He dropped half of them on the floor. He scrambled to pick them up, nearly falling over himself. Sue rushed to help him but they ended up bumping heads. Sue cried out in shock. Charlie was beside himself. "I'm so sorry, Sue. I can't apologise enough."
"It's fine. I'm fine." Sue rubbed the tender spot on her head.
"Can we go home now?" Leah's sarcastic tones broke through the melee. "Before this evening gets any worse, and that's saying something considering the garbage that was dished up tonight."
Jacob glared at Leah, his good humour vanishing. Seth groaned. He shot his sister a dark look but she ignored him. Sue was mortified. She scolded Leah and demanded she apologise. "You are acting like a child."
"And you are acting like a fool." Leah snapped at her mother. Her dark eyes were sparking with anger.
"Leah, outside." Jacob ordered.
Leah opened her mouth to protest but nothing came out. She stared at Jacob for a long moment; her limbs trembled as if she was trying to fight her own body. He continued to glare at her, eyes furious, commanding. Bella exchanged worried glances with Billy. They could feel the underlying power exuding from Jacob. Seth sensed it too. He was sanding with his mother, trying to comfort her. Charlie stood on the side-lines, still too shocked at Leah's outburst to even react.
"Go outside and cool off." Jacob said again in a tone that brooked no argument. "But first you'll apologise to Bella and your mother."
Leah's mouth wobbled. Her fingers jerked as she slowly choked out an apology. "I'm sorry." Then she fled the room. The front door slammed behind her as she exited the house.
There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Jacob took the opportunity to draw Bella away from the others. "I'm going to go after her." He whispered to Bella. "Don't worry. It's going to be alright." He squeezed Bella's fingers then hurried out of the house after Leah. Seth followed, looking unusually chastened.
Billy decided to take charge. "How about that film, Bella?" He prompted her.
"Yeah." Bella agreed hurriedly. She sorted through the scattered DVD's and found a romantic comedy. She slotted it in the DVD player. Charlie had finally recovered his poise. He guided a visibly shaken Sue to the sofa and sat down beside her. Bella glanced at Billy again. "This was a mistake." She confided to the older man. "I've just caused a whole heap of trouble."
"Far from it." Billy said dismissively. "Your old man is in his element. He can play the caring suitor." He returned his attention to Charlie and Sue. His friend had his arm around Sue and was talking to her in gentle tones. Whatever he said seemed to be working. Sue was visibly relaxing under his attentions. Satisfied, Billy turned back to Bella. "Did you see what happened?" He asked her.
"You mean with Jake."
"Yes."
"Did he really Alpha order Leah out of the house?" Bella checked. She had seen it with her own eyes but wanted Billy to verbally confirm it.
"Yes." Billy couldn't keep the pride out of his voice. "My boy has finally come into his own."
A/N-thanks for reading!