A/N: I'm back! Spring hiatus is over and done with (: To reward you all for your patience, I present you with the longest chapter yet! We're scooting right along with the plot development here, answering some questions before big action next chapter!

I spent the night at the Cullen's residence that night. Charlie, while doing his best to console me over the phone, was not one for face to face confrontations about delicate things and was more than happy to hand that torch over to the Cullens. Not much sleep was had and not for the reasons I would have preferred. (Alice lent me a skimpy tank top and very small cloth shorts as pajamas, wearing similar things herself, reminding me that we were very much soul mates and that she was very, very attractive.) Instead, we stayed up as a group, brainstorming what we were going to do about the situations popping up all around us.

Carlisle warned me that Angela was not going to have the same innate abilities that I did. She wouldn't shift as easily or have the control or prowess that I did and as such would have to be taught. Jasper brought up that it would probably help if I knew what I was doing in the first place which while it earned him a reprimand from Esme I couldn't help but agree. I was woefully unprepared to teach anyone anything, because I didn't know anything myself. I could only pray the vampire council would put a rush order on those books, for Angela's sake. The less I knew, the harder Angela's transition would be.

Furthermore, tension was rising between the pack and I. The members were restless among themselves and I was still standing at the ready to defend my promises to them. I was anxious to run a border patrol, a felt as if the wolf in me was pacing in frustration and as if I had been shirking my responsibility to my territory, but Alice insisted it was more important tonight that we sort out the issues before us. Graciously Emmett, Jasper, and Esme volunteered to go instead, which I thanked them profusely for. They returned with nothing to report before we were off the topic of the wolves.

"All I'm saying is that Sam is both reckless and headstrong, and Bella's history with the pack could force Jake to take action. If a change in leadership occurs, if could change everything." Edward said with a frown.

"Do you think he would insist on having a cordial relationship with Bella?" Rose asked the group, but I was the only one who could really answer.

"Jake is just as stubborn as Sam, probably more so. I don't see him easily letting this go. Right now I just don't have the spare time to deal with them, not with Angela soon to be under my wing. I don't know how in the world I'm going to keep up normal appearances with Charlie. Eventually he will notice that I'm never around, that could cause problems in of itself."

Edward seemed thoughtful, then asked, "Bella, have you considered telling him what you are?"

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair because I had, several times before bed and when I watched him from across the dinner table, whenever I did make it home. "It would make things easier and I hate lying to him, but I can't help wondering if it would be dangerous to bring him into this world. He's stoic but static at the same time. He doesn't like shocks to his system and the fact that vampires and werewolves lurk in the shadows would probably give him a complex. So I don't know. It will depend on whether or not he makes mention of my weird behavior."

"It would probably benefit you to have a plan, just in case," Jasper said.

I nodded, agreeing, and promising myself to think on it.

"What are we going to do about school?" Emmett asked.

So on and so forth we talked until the wee hours of the morning, and which point I was a yawning wreck. Alice half carried me upstairs and I fell into her soft bed with a lust for sleep I had never felt before. She crawled in beside me and wrapped her arms around my waist, and her cool breath made my head start to buzz as if I were drunk. And I was, a little bit. I was drunk on Alice.

"I was so proud of you today, Bella. You're handling this like a real Alpha."

I shrugged lazily and leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "It's getting easier. My shock is starting to wear off and my wolf is recovering from whatever my mother did to me. The more presence she has within me, the easier it is to think and act the way an alpha should."

"How's your wrist feel?" She asked, concern hiding deep in her voice.

We had taken the bandages off when Carlisle's shift ended, revealing a shiny pink scar with some sort of dark green webbing, nearly black, extending a centimeter or two from it's edges. It still ached and was both numb and warm to the touch, but was slowly healing. "A little better. If Isabella speaks to me tonight, I'll ask her about it."

Alice smiled in the darkness and said, "You better get to it then. You've had a long day."

I chuckled and said, "I've had a long month."

"Oh, shush," Alice chuckled back and held me a little tighter. I drifted to sleep quickly and easily, like slipping into a pool of cool water.

Isabella did indeed come to me, but something was still off. I expected no less and was unsurprised, if a bit disoriented. My vision was fuzzy and her voice was faint. Our clearing had been enshrouded in fog and all I could make out of her at any given time were her rapidly shifting eyes and even they seemed to dart around.

"There you are..." she said, her voice faint. "I couldn't seem to..."

"We were ambushed by my mother," I informed her. She seemed dazed. "Are you okay? Do you know what they did to us?"

I felt her anger lash out like a whip, but not for the reason I would have guessed. "Never say 'us' again." Her voice was oddly clear with her anger. "We are not us. You, are you. We are one."

I was taken aback and recoiled from her tone, eyes narrowing. "Fine, then. What did she do to me?" I asked, startled by her rebuke.

As her anger faded, so did her voice. "Wolfsbane..."

"What is wolfsbane?" I asked. I was ignorant but the word raised gooseflesh on my arms nonetheless.

I don't know if she couldn't hear me or if she just ignored me, but either way I did not receive an answer. Instead she asked, "What of the girl?"

"Angela?"

"Hmm..." she hummed drunkenly, and I took that as confirmation.

"She's fine. She's going to become a Lycan as well, I think." I paused and when she didn't answer continued with, "I'm very scared for her. I don't know what to do."

"You must become... a wolf," she answered.

My confusion was evident in my pause. "You mean shift? Or-"

"No," she cut me off and her anger had returned, and with it clarity. "You and I are too separate. This wouldn't have happened if we were one. You and I need to become one, Bella."

"Oh," I said, surprised and my confusion only slightly alleviated. "How?"

"Meditate. Find the wolf inside you, bring it to the surface without shifting. Find me within you, we were always meant... to be one..." Her voice faded as she spoke and to my alarm, so did the scene surrounding me.

As if the lights were being dimmed slowly the fog grew darker and darker, the hazy shapes of trees and rocks lost all definition and before long my sense of Isabella was dampened completely and I knew she had left me for now, but I did not wake. Instead I was left alone in the darkness as a feeling of panic and fear began to grow in me. Suddenly I fell into a dream that felt like equal parts nightmare and memory. My human body was locked away in a glowing iron cage, railing against the bars as I watched through eyes hovering beyond my confines. Teeth flashed around me, blood sprayed the ground below me. Concrete and asphalt. I heard screams and watched flashes of dark hair and white skin blur around me, then woke up gasping and covered in a cold sweat. Bright sunlight streamed into the room and stung at my eyes but I dared not close them again.

Alice stood at my side with a glass of cold water and a worried look obvious in her eyes. "You were thrashing and I tried to wake you, but you wouldn't," she said quickly. "I looked into the future and saw you would wake on your own soon enough. I thought you might want this," she said, holding out the glass for me.

I nodded slowly, trying to wash the images away. Grabbing the glass, I tried to focus on the cool relief for my raw throat. "Did I scream?" I asked, hoarse.

Alice only grimaced, and I knew that meant yes.

"I'm sorry," I said, ashamed. "I had a nightmare. I think I saw what happened when I attacked Angela."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Alice said, coming to sit beside me. Her hand softly rubbed against my back and I leaned into her, grateful for the support.

"Not really, I'm sorry. I'd rather just forget it."

"I understand," she said gently. "There are some visions I wish I'd never seen, even to this day." She stood and pulled me with her. Together we stepped into a ray of bright sunlight. Alice's skin lit up in the beautiful way vampires do, and I smiled. I grabbed her other hand and ran my thumbs gently over the backs of her shimmering hands, marveling at the sight. "The best thing about nightmares," she said gently, "Is that the sunlight of a new day washes them away every time."

The creak of wood and a quick click made both of our heads snap towards her doorway, startled until we saw Esme leaning there with a camera in hand and a broad smile on her face. "You two are so damn adorable," she said.

"Cursing, Esme?" Alice teased.

"When the timing is right," she said with a laugh. "Anyways, Bella, lunch is ready downstairs for whenever you're ready."

"Lunch?" I asked, leaning further towards the window and trying to find the sun in the sky. "What time is it?"

"It's only one," Alice said with a shrug.

"Only?" I chuckled. "Waking up at ten is late for me, you know. You guys may not need sleep but if I keep this up, I'm going to become the nocturnal one." I let Alice guide me from the room.

"I thought wolves had a thing with the moon, you'll be fine!" Alice teased as we followed Esme down the sweeping staircase, hand in hand.

From the lower level I heard Emmett call up, "Welcome back to the land of the living, Bella!"

"Coming from the undead man," I laughed, smiling as Jasper and Edward joined in.

Emmett didn't seem to mind being foiled. Instead he stood up and said, "After you eat, wanna come spar with me, Jazz, and Eddie boy?"

I felt Alice stiffen but squeezed her hand and said, "Sounds like the smart thing to do, especially while we wait for news from Aro or Carlisle."

Alice huffed. "If you get hurt, I swear to God-" Her budding tirade ended in a squeak as I whirled on her and hoisted her up into the air by her hips. I spun in a circle as she started to laugh.

"You'll what, huh? Whatcha gonna do?" I smiled as her tinkering laughter spread through the room. "Maybe I'll just hang up from the ceiling fan and leave you to spin around up there while we go out and play in the dirt, how's that sound?"

Even through her smile she protested, saying, "Bella, I'm serious!"

"So am I," I said, setting her down. "But I can compromise. What if I only spar with you?"

"What?" She asked, caught off guard.

"I figure Jasper can give us pointers, but it'll be you who I fight. You can go as easy or as hard on me as you want and I get to wrestle with you," I grinned, wiggling my eyebrows much to the amusement of the guys. "Everybody wins."

"This plan? Epic," Emmett said, his voice deep and sage-like as he stroked an imaginary beard.

"Yes, I concur," Edward seconded him in the same tone and Jasper too followed with, "I also approve. You know, for Bella's sake."

"Not ours, definitely not," Emmett said, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth.

"Of course not, perish the thought," Edward gasped, mocking horror.

"You guys are asshats," Rose piped up from the couch.

Alice laughed at her sister's comment but said nothing in rebuttal. Instead she surprised me by putting her hands on my shoulders and jumping up. I caught her legs in reflex and her arms slid gently around my neck. "Walking too good for you, princess?" I asked with a smile.

"Why walk when I have a big, strong Lycan to do it for me? Now, to the kitchen, my faithful steed. You need to eat!" She japed as I piggybacked her to the kitchen, depositing onto a bar stool as I took the one beside her.

Esme was chuckling to herself as she flipped a burger patty from a skillet onto a bun, then two more to follow it. I saw three more sitting uncooked on a plate beside the stove, waiting to meet their demise. I grinned. The plate with the meat and buns and another with sliced tomatoes and cheese and lettuce was set before me with a loving smile.

"Thanks so much, Esme. Oh lordy, this smells wonderful."

"I'm glad you like it, Bella. I adore cooking, only no one in this household eats! It's a bit of a roadblock, you see."

I laughed as I prepped sandwich one and said, "Happy to help, if you put it that way. More than happy." I bit into the juicy meat and nearly moaned. The savory flavor flooded my mouth and I felt the wolf stir inside of me at the introduction of meat. It wasn't until then that I realized how insistent she was to be let out. I hadn't run at all for an entire day, longer than ever before. My skin started to itch with the realization.

Jasper poked his head into the room with a slight frown and said, "You okay, Bella?" I figured my restlessness was registering to him.

"Yeah, uhm," I said, shaking my head to clear it. "I just realized I haven't let my wolf out to run in a while. Kind of antsy."

"Well, why don't you eat those three burgers there and I can cook up the others when you get back from sparring?" Esme asked, leaning against the counter, a look of concern on her face.

I nodded. That sounded wonderful. "Yeah, that'd be great."

I basically inhaled the other three sandwiches, relishing the feeling of them hitting my empty stomach more than their taste now. It wasn't even close to filled, but I had to get out. I threw a quick thanks over my shoulder and then all but bolted from the house, the vampires close on my heels. I loped into the wood line and breathed in, searching inside of me.

"Are you okay, Bella?" Jasper asked again.

"Yeah," I said, not opening my eyes. "There's still a little bit of a disconnect between my wolf because of the Wolfsbane," I muttered, concentrating.

"Wolfsbane?" Edward asked, eyes widening.

I realized belatedly that I hadn't told them of my dream. "Oh! Right. I'm sorry, my nightmare distracted me. Before that, the wolf in me spoke to me again. She was off though, and it was really confusing. I think it was wolfsbane that did this to me, maybe on the knife. I'm not sure."

"That would make sense," Edward said with a frown. "I probably should have considered that before. I don't know how it would affect a Lycan, though."

A pause then Rosalie said, "Well not all of us are as enlightened as you, Einstein. Spill."

Edward gave her a withering glance then looked back to me. "Wolfsbane grows in the mountains, it's relatively rare and has been a favorite poison for centuries. Especially where werewolves are concerned. I know it was used extensively in the Volturi's werewolf genocide, and that in extremely small doses it will rob a Child of the Moon of their strength, and more will kill them. I'm not sure how it would affect a Lycan, but there may be a link."

"We can look into it after Bella and Alice are done wrestling," Emmett grinned until Rosalie smacked him in the back of the head.

"Watch it, mister. Not only is Alice my sister, your sister, but your sexy wife is standing right here, you know."

"Aw, babe, how could I forget?" Emmett said sweetly, leaning in for a kiss.

Rose seemed to debate for a second, but finally obliged him with a quick peck. Emmett grinned, clearly feeling accomplished. "I spoil you," Rose sighed, then turned to me. "He's an ass, but he's kind of right. Are we doing this or what?"

I smiled and nodded, then pulled my second skin over me. It wasn't easy and it wasn't smooth like it should have been, though I knew in my gut that if I hadn't been so desperate to shift it would have been even worse. I felt my skin stretching in uncomfortable ways and a few bones popped painfully, but before long I was standing on all fours and panting just a bit, tail drooped and ears flat, but full wolf. My eyes were level with Emmett's, my fur was a drab gray and my eyes amber but it was good enough for now.

Alice ran a hand through my fur and said with a frown, "Maybe we should give you a little more time to recover before trying this. You're not at full strength yet."

"I'll be fine," I told her, wagging as best as I could.

Before she could offer any more disagreement Edward said, "Follow me, then!" We followed him in silence, dashing through the forest, skirting houses and leaping over roads until we came to a large clearing on the ridge of a hill. "Esme didn't want us to tear up the yard," Edward said. "We always come here to play baseball, I figured it would do."

I smiled and looked at the view into a valley to the right of us. "Its beautiful up here," I replied.

"Unfortunately we're not here to sight see," Jasper drawled, beckoning Alice and I to follow him further into the field.

And so it was that we spent our afternoon wailing on each other. It was half education and half humor, mostly due to Emmett's commentary. Several times Jasper pulled one of the others in to show how a certain move was done, or explain how an enemy would react to me. They offered fight experience and told stories and I did my best to absorb it, all while I was attempting to avoid Alice's swift kicks and punches. I would charge and she would jump. I would pin her but she'd wriggle away. I'd bat her aside, and she'd flip me over her shoulder. Only twice did I manage to get her in a position that caused her body to go slack and her head to thump back and then she would yield. The sun was beginning it's decent in the sky when I finally collapsed, panting. Alice flopped down beside me with a grin and the others shared her expression.

"You did really well, Bella," Jasper said.

"Do you feel back to your old self yet?" Edward asked.

I rolled back to my feet and spent a moment introspecting myself. My body felt right, my joints were my own and I felt the wind in my hair. My senses were prime and my sight sharp and I felt my other body lingering in limbo, just waiting to be summoned again. "I think so, yeah."

"I think we need to have a rematch, Bella," Emmett said with a grin.

I let out a dry laugh and rolled my eyes. "If you want to get beaten again, sure. I don't have to be careful about hurting you," I grinned, and he feigned being offended.

"What, are you saying you let me win all those times?" Alice asked with a raised brow but a joking tone to her voice.

I considered her for a moment then responded, "My pride demands that I say yes."

Alice just laughed.

Back at the house I voraciously tore into my meal with renewed vigor, the three burgers and then some, while the others broke down my progress and what I still needed to work on. When Carlisle stepped through the front door they updated him as well and he smiled, ready to share some news of his own.

"Aro called again today and said to expect the books by tomorrow morning. He was kind enough to overnight them for an old friend, as he put it."

Esme smiled and said, "That was very considerate of him."

Alice asked, "You don't suppose he'll send a few guards along with it, do you?"

"I considered that as well," Carlisle sighed. "I asked on the phone what the latest news was to try and wheedle something out. He let pass that Jane and Alec are busy in Russia at the moment and that Demetri is tracking a rogue in Sydney, but beyond that I'm unsure. I do think it would be best if Bella was not here until we are certain."

Alice scuffed her shoe on the carpet before looking at me. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Her scent is everywhere though," Rosalie said.

"So we'll open the windows," Alice grumbled then sighed. "I'm really not happy with this."

"It's one night, Al," Edward laughed. "Bella does have a father you know, one who's probably wondering what happened to her."

Alice's brows lifted as if to indicate that she had indeed forgotten. "Um, right. I guess so." She paused, then, "Call me paranoid but honestly I don't like leaving you unprotected if anything involving the Volturi is coming to town."

Rosalie rolled her eyes and said, "You two are sickening. Alice, just go home with Bella. Stay the night there, meet her father officially, etcetera. If anyone comes, and I doubt they will, you'll be out hunting. Duh."

Alice looked uncertain. She had probably already considered it but felt it too forward to ask. I smiled and nodded. "Sure. Charlie won't mind, I'm sure. Alice, what do you think?"

She clasped her hands together and smiled, saying, "That sounds amazing. I want to meet Charlie officially as your friend, not just as the doctor's daughter."

"It's a plan then, let me just-" Instead of finishing my thought I was dragged towards the stairs by an overly excited pixie.

"Help me pick out an outfit to impress your dad," she said quickly.

I heard hooting laughter behind us and threw a plaintive glance down at the vampires behind me, finding only shit eating grins. Emmett mouthed, "Good luck!"

"Alice," I said as we were nearing the top, "You're adorable, he'd love you even if you were wearing a potato sack."

"Then he'll love me even more in Burberry and Chanel!"

I'll admit Alice looked cute as hell even if it took her an hour to coordinate everything properly, time I spent sitting on her bed trying not to wonder what stage of dress she was in on the other side of her bathroom door. Twice she lifted her shirt before the door had fully closed (on purpose, I'm certain,) leaving me dry mouthed and anxiously waiting for her return. She was wearing dark blue jeans and a white shirt with a black button up vest, a series of silver dangling necklaces, black pumps that reveal perfectly painted toe nails and wide lens Gucci sunglasses. She stood before me and wrapped her arms around my waist looking up at me with a broad smile.

"Cute enough to meet your father?" She asked.

"Technically, you've already met him," I joked, trying to distract myself.

She smiled and thumped me lightly on the shoulder. "You know what I mean, Bella. Officially as your friend, face to face conversations, so he won't only know me as the the random hospital girl who's been kidnapping you for the past two weeks."

I laughed and smiled down at her. "Fine. You look phenomenal but honestly, when don't you? If he gets a crush on you, I don't know what I'm going to do about it," I said with a smile.

She scoffed and said, "Ew, Bella! Don't even say that, that'd be gross." She stood on her tip toes, her lips hovering just in front of mine. I could feel her cool breath ghosting against them and my blood started to boil in the best way. "I'm glad you approve though," she mumbled, closing the distance.

Our lips locked with the usual fire. The pent up tension from her tantalizing me for the past hour was released in a sudden burst as I picked her up, locking her legs around my waist, and pressed her against a wall. Her low and throaty moan into my mouth set me to panting as my hand slowly drifted from her hip to her stomach, ghosting just below her breasts. Her hands delved into my hair before going to my shoulders and pulling in an effort to bring us even closer together. The back of my knuckles brushed gently against her breast and she pulled back with a shuddering gasp.

"Sorry," I whispered, blushing at what I perceived as disapproval until I realized her eyes were jet black.

"No, just-" her words cut off as she had to swallow and gasp, regaining her composure. "Just, I really don't want to rip your clothes, or mine. And if we don't stop I'm not going to have a choice." Her dark eyes met mine and a fire lit in the pit of my stomach, begging for attention. I felt my heart stutter and was suddenly very aware of her body in relation to mine. She was still hoisted up against the wall, after all.

"Yeah," I gasped out in turn. "You're right. Uhm..." I set her down and stepped back, running a hand through my hair. "We should probably get going."

Alice nodded then scuffed her toe on the floor. "This is harder than I thought it would be. Taking things slow, I mean."

I chuckled and said, "I agree."

Alice's porsche careened along the slightly damp roads and I kept a sharp eye on the passing scenery. I was deep in thoughts concerning coming out to my father on multiple levels, both as a Lycan and as Alice's soul mate/girlfriend/whatever we are. I wasn't sure which scared me more. Charlie was accepting and I'd never heard him say anything slanderous against gays (or Lycans) but we'd also never really brought it up. I found myself wondering how he would take me telling him.

"Hey Alice?" I asked, breaking a comfortable silence as her car passed into the town limits.

"You want me to see what Charlie would say to you coming out," she said not as a question but a statement, with a small smile on her face. She cast a sideways glance and, upon seeing my one raised eyebrow, chuckled. "Sorry, I saw what you would say when you decided to ask me."

I blushed just slightly and said, "Right, that's how that works. It's just that I'm pretty nervous."

She reached over and laid a hand on my knee. "Bella, we don't need to do that any time soon. You haven't really figured anything out on either front, Lycan-wise or... gay-wise." She smirked and I couldn't help but laugh. "I mean honestly, you haven't even asked me out yet! You should probably tell me you want to date me before you tell your father, right?"

That blindsided me. "I assumed you knew! I don't know how this whole dating thing works, and shouldn't soul mate override dating, anyways?"

Now Alice was really laughing. "Bella, clam down, I'm just teasing you! Well, kind of. You really should get around to asking me out, you know. Anyways, I agree with you that soul mate business makes dating kind of irrelevant but what would be easier to explain to your father, that you have a supernatural, predestined, fated connection with me or that you think girls are hot?"

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry because both were still terrifying. "Maybe I should just sit him down and get it all out at once. Think he'd have a heart attack?"

Alice seemed to space out for just a moment, then came back with a grimace. "Well, maybe not all of it at once. Let me win him over with my undeniable charm and charisma first, and then we'll see how it would go after that."

I laughed and groaned at the same time, letting my head fall into my hands.

"Oh, cheer up, Bella! It'll be fine, one way or another. Now get your ass out of the car, we're here!"

I looked up and sure enough Alice's car had parked just in front of my lawn, and there standing behind the living room window between parted curtains was Charlie's curious face. I spied him watching me and waved. He smiled and I found myself jealous of his happy ignorance. Alice leaned around me and waved as well. She grabbed her overnight bag from the back seat and ushered me out. I'm not sure why I was so nervous, but my heart was pounding as we walked up the short sidewalk to the front door. Something about Charlie getting to know Alice was making me worried. What if he didn't like her? What if something happened, if something went wrong?

Alice punched me lightly in the shoulder and joked, "Calm down, you. Breathing is a good thing, remember?"

I took her words at face value and took a deep breath because she was actually right, I needed one. Feeling only slightly calmer, I pushed open the front door and called out, "Hey Charlie! I'm home, I brought Alice with me."

I heard Charlie's laughter from within the living room before he stepped into the entry way to greet us. He had a smile on his face but his hands were stuck deep into his pockets, a habit I knew he had to hide nervous fidgeting. He was always like this with new people though. I had always found it a little bit funny that the big bad police chief, the second he was out of uniform, had more social anxiety than a kid on their first day of high school.

"Two strangers just walking through my front door, what a day! I'm the police chief you know, don't make me haul you both down to the station." His attempt at humor seemed a little forced but Alice laughed anyways, and I saw some tension go out of Charlie's shoulders.

"Hi sir, it's nice to see you again. Sorry I've been monopolizing Bella lately." Her voice was airy and sweet, vivacious. I smiled without even thinking about it, and so did Charlie.

"Oh, don't worry about it," he waved the idea off. "She's never been quick to make friends, I'm glad she has something to do, ever since, well," he cleared his throat, suddenly awkward again.

I sighed, sympathetic, and said, "It's fine dad. I'm glad Alice and her family are here too, after the kids on the Rez left and with what happened to Angela."

Charlie's cop ears perked up. "So Alice, has your father said anything about how she's doing?"

Alice smiled and nodded. "Yes, he's been keeping close tabs on her for Bella's sake. She's healing quickly, according to him, and he says she'll make a few recovery. Apparently a lot of her wounds looked worse than they were. She'll be released shortly."

All of that was true of course, we only left out the fact that she was healing so rapidly because virulent lycanthropy was now flooding her veins, and in a short amount of time would radically alter her entire world. He didn't need to know that just yet, according to Alice's premonitions.

Charlie, oblivious to the truth, smiled a crinkly eyed smile and nodded. "Glad to hear it. Real glad. This quiet little town wouldn't cope well with the alternative, I don't think."

It's not as quiet as you think, I grumbled to myself. Vampires and Lycans and Shifters, oh my.

"Anyway, Alice, not that I'm upset that Bella brought a friend home, but I am a little surprised!"

I rolled my eyes and slid into the conversation before either of them got out of hand or overly embarrassing. "What, I can't want to spend some face-to-face time with my own father? Alice wanted to meet you too so I thought instead of me staying at her place, she could stay here for a change. Is that okay?"

Charlie grinned and nodded, oddly not as put off by having another alien-like creature, A.K.A a female, in the house. I thought he would be uncomfortable but instead he looked thrilled. I chalked it up to the assumption that Alice was actually given two gifts with her transformation, the second being some serious charisma. "Of course! Sure, that's great. I mean, well, that air mattress is still busted from when you and Jake used it as a landing pad from the roof," he said, shooting me a dry look while Alice burst into guffaws.

"It's fine, we'll figure something out," I shrugged, trying to hide my delight knowing that we had an excuse to share a bed for yet another night. If Jake and I were still on good terms and not chucking death threats at each other, I might have called him up to thank him.

Before Charlie could say anything in response, his phone rang. He frown and made to fish it from his pocket. His brows furrowed in confusion when he saw what I assumedw as caller I.D., then slid the answer bar across the screen. Holding it to his ear he said, "Hey Tony, what's the problem?"

Alice and my own attuned hearing let us in on the conversation. "Chief, we've got a bit of a situation down here." The voice belong to Tony Hawkins, my father's second in command.

"What kind of situation?" Charlie's voice was gruff, he having slipped back into chief mode in an instant.

"Nothing crazy, just no idea what to do. You remember Gulliver from Seattle? The little guy?"

"Sure thing, he was in Bob's canine class, right? Squirmy little kid fresh out of the academy. What about him?"

The name stuck out to me. Bob Harrson was an ex-military guy who lived just outside of town. He had worked canines in the military and after retiring eventually opened a school here in town. Cops from all over the area, even from other states, sent their dogs and eventually their trainees to him for schooling.

"Well," Tony went on, "Gulliver went AWOL. Redding from the Seattle station says he found his dog chained up in his house, half starved. Station didn't know what else to do so they brought the dog back to Bob, and Bob brought it to us. What should we do, Chief?"

Charlie scowled and rubbed at his five o' clock shadow, grimacing. "Damn shame, that any cop would leave a bright little dog like that. No word of where Gulliver is at?"

"Investigation's pending, but no word."

"Damn shame that, too. Well..." Charlie sighed and seemed to be thinking hard. "Max is getting older, ain't he?" Max was Tony's dog, if I remembered right.

"Sure Chief, but me and the lady don't have room for another dog, especially not with Mia turning four next week. No time for a high energy drug dog. How about you?"

"How about me what?" Charlie asked, still deep in thought.

"Well, Jimmy and I were talking about how you and Bella got all that room to yourself, nice big yard." My ears perked upward, so to speak.

Charlie looked to me for an instant before turning his attention back to the phone. "Shit Tony, we don't have the time either."

I heard Tony scoff. "C'mon chief, the poor thing's half starved. It's summer break, don't tell me Bella doesn't have the time. She not a dog person, or what?"

I wish I had an excuse to having over heard the conversation so I could jump in. "What is it, Dad?" I asked him.

"Tony, I just don't-"

"Dad, what's happening?"

Charlie sighed. "One sec Tony, Bella's here." He put the phone down and turned to me and said, "Some young upshot cop left his damn dog to die, it ended up at our station and they want us to take it in," he said.

"Sure! Let's do it," I said with a smile.

"What?" Charlie asked, caught off guard. I could sense Alice watching the situation with interest beside me.

"Let's do it. Come on Dad, why not? We've never had a pet!"

He paused, then, "What about your goldfish?"

"Dad, I'm serious! I want to help the dog, and it's summer, I have the time. And a job, I've got this."

"It's a police dog, honey. They're not just pets, they're tools too."

"Not a police dog anymore," I said pointedly. "Come on. Let's do it. Maybe just to get the dog up to strength, and then we can put it with a trainer here in town maybe? Lord knows the high school could use some drug detection every now and then."

Charlie grimaced, then slowly picked the phone back up. "Fine, we'll do it."

"What?" I heard Tony's surprise through the line.

"Sure. We'll see what we can do but I'm not promising a forever home here. When can you bring him over?"

Relief was palpable in Tony's voice. "How's tomorrow sound? He's sleeping now."

"Yeah, sure, whatever. I'm expecting it'll come with a bed and crate and stuff. The handler's old things?"

"Yup, it's all here. Thanks chief, this is sure gonna earn you a few beers next time the guys go out."

Charlie laughed a little. "It better. So this dog have a name? I don't remember it."

The voice on the line paused a moment, then, "Yeah, tags say 'Argo.'"

A/N: This Argo thing may seem random but give me the benefit of the doubt here!I have ideas, I'm making things :) Anyways! Next chapter hopefully is when we'll get Angela in here, and some other dramaful lovelies. I'll now be going back to updating every week, so yeah!

SHOUTOUTS!

SKALD OF FREYA: Seriously, your reviews are just awesome. You always write so much! Hmm, fills my heart with joy ^^ Anyways, to answer you, thank you for your dedication to the story. It's awesome to have such devoted readers, it really keeps me fueled to keep up with my writing and such. As for Bella's guilt, she'll get it under control. I never saw Angela as a spineless creature, and I prefer to write her as a bit more gutsy than she was in the books so she won't exactly be making it hard on her. I agree with you that Ben is boring as hell, and I'm reading a lot of Maggie love so that's probably the way I'll take this, Jasper is my second bet. I mean come on, this is fem-slash for a reason, and you can never have too many lesbians ;D Ahem. This upcoming chapter should have more info on Lycans as Bella get's the Volturi books and Angela shifts (if I can wedge it in, I don't want to cut it short but I'm really impatient to fledge Angie out... sigh) so we'll get some Lycan time next go around. As for the scope, yes. Yes, you are correct. I easily see this fic going over fifty chapters, this isn't even the tip of the iceberg, what we have so far. Just intro! :D Again, your reviews are the bomb-diggity (yes, that just happened and I'm not sorry) and dialogue is awesome! As long as you readers keep reaching out I'm happy to respond ^^

VICIOUSVILET: Aww, moving people to tears? Is it weird that that's actually an awesome compliment? XD I think that's probably weird, I shouldn't be proud about that, but I am. And thanks for the fic, I'll check them all out! I'll let you know my opinions too, I'm sure they're gonna be awesome. I mean, you found this story, so you must have amazing taste in literature ;D Just kidding, I'm not that cocky, I promise!

NEB87: Yeah, don't worry about Benwolf, no one really seems to like him. I don't blame you all, he's about as exciting as a tree stump. I'm planning on Angie playing a MAJOR role too, so she needs to end up with someone I can actually stand to write.

AMELIA DRACIOUS: No, no Jasward here! And I don't have any plans for Tyler. The humans won't play a huge role until school gets back in.

Alright guys, thanks again for your patience! I sense a lot of AngelaxMaggie love, I don't blame you! Who can resist Irish accents anyways?! Like I said at the top, I'll be returning to updating by the week now. Let me know what you think of this all, alright? Next chapter I'm thinking Lycans and secrets and drug dogs oh my xD S'gonna be a party! Okay I'm done now, see you next week! I love you all!