Chapter 12

Alice POV

Damn it, Damn it, Sonnova Bitch! Things weren't supposed to work out exactly like this.

I tried to loosen my grip on the steering wheel of the Porsche as I sped through the Canadian wilderness. Without Jasper's calming influence, it was hard to regulate my own emotions when they were this strong. It was also hard knowing that, thanks to a slight change of plans, Jasper's wrath was going to be tenfold what I'd expected upon my arrival.

Why didn't Ty go with Charlie? For the love of all that is holy…

While Garrett's attraction to Bella was certainly an issue, he would have not been as quick to react to her 'feminine wiles' as Tyrone had been; if they could even be called that, poor girl. She was just reacting like any vampire would, with a tiny bit more restraint thanks to her relationship with Charlie. Just a few more minutes and things could have really gotten out of hand. If Ty & Bella had done much more than touch, Jasper would have been nearly uncontainable.

Thank goodness for small miracles. 'Cause they're all that my supposed psychic ass is going to get this time.

With that one decision, my arrival had gone from a potentially terse greeting to a potential all-out fight. I knew Jasper was not in a forgiving mood and with his mate being so distraught, his mood was even worse. My own nerves were frazzled. I saw Peter's decision to put my Charlie's arm back on. Bella reacted so quickly that there wasn't even time for a vision to hit me before she'd removed my mate's arm.

While a part of me wanted to tear an arm off of Bella for harming my mate, I knew that I could not rush in and try to retaliate for act that was purely instinctual on her part. I knew that Bella felt remorse for maiming her own dad, but there was still a part of me that wouldn't mind at least removing a pinky finger, just to give her a taste of her own medicine.

Calm down, Alice Cullen! You know your anger will get you nowhere with Bella, let alone Charlie. Charlie won't understand immediately what's going on, even if everyone else does. If you act on this anger, you will alienate Bella and stress your relationship with your mate.

Damned if my thoughts were spot on, but they still had no effect on my rage.

My mate has been harmed! I need vengeance!

I shook myself mentally as my inner monster roared at being denied the vengeance that our mate deserved. This was one of the times that I was extra thankful for my gift. After the shock of seeing my mate in such extreme pain, even if it was in my mind's eye, I had a vision of what would happen if I were to attack my mate's daughter. It was not a pleasant one.

I shuddered as I pushed the memory of what could have been from my mind. Well, as far from my mind as any vampire was capable. I knew that Bella and I would be very close in time, but also knew that if I didn't watch myself carefully, she would put up her internal defenses & I wouldn't have the friend that I knew I would eventually have in her.

My mate is fine. My mate is fine. My mate is fine.

As I tried to yet again calm myself, I was suddenly lost in a vision.

*Vision*

Charlie was breathing heavily as he watched Jasper soothe Bella. His normal calm was absent as he watched his only daughter rubbing on a 'strange' man like a cat against a friendly leg. As my mate's anger mounted, it served to fuel Jasper's. The growl that sounded from Jasper's chest drew Peter's attention from his task of licking Charlie's shoulder in order for the venom to finalize the limb reattachment.

"Settle down, Hoss. If you are gettin' your dander up 'cause you're being licked by another man, you should consider yourself one lucky motherfucker and stop that goddamned growling. Many a sexier and more experience man has tried and failed at receiving my tongue's attentions. Now, if'n you're growling at The Major and your baby girl, well, that's whole other kettle of fish," Peter stopped to double check his handiwork before standing and patting Charlie's uninjured shoulder and nodding his head in Jasper & Bella's direction. "That there's a site that no daddy in Earth's history ever likes but every daddy that's blessed enough gets to see. Your deadly little Belladonna there has just found her beau, Chief".

Sweet Charlie's face showed his complete & utter confusion. He opened and closed his mouth several times to respond, but nothing came out.

*End Vision*

My poor, sweet Charlie. He needed me. He can't understand that Bella isn't denying him as her father, she is just following her instincts.

With a sigh, I pressed the gas petal until I heard the metal start to give way. Even at the rate of 198 miles per hour, I couldn't get to my mate fast enough. At the same time, time moved too swiftly; before I knew it, I'd be in the proximity of Jasper & his wrath.

I just hoped that the bags of washed & folded department store clothing that I had for Charlie & Bella would enough of a peace offering to alleviate some of Jasper's fury. Surely he would appreciate my efforts at non-couture shopping for our mates, right?

Charlie POV

I had no idea what the fuck was going on. One moment, I am walking in on Ty and Bella about to kiss. Sure, I might have overreacted, but what dad wants to watch some damned bozo slobber all over his daughter? But then, when Bella caught sight of Whitlock, something changed. I could somehow feel it – and then she started to stalk the blonde fool like she was going to molest him, well, that was just too much. She didn't know what she was doing. How could she?

I get it; poor kid has… um… needs. Shit. It's not like I've been immune to those kinds of urges.

I, too, had felt all kinds of horny since we'd awakened to this life. I knew how I would feel if I were in Bella's place. If our companions were women instead of men, poor Bells would probably abandon me; I don't know that I'd be able to avoid throwing the first willing female to the forest floor and forgetting about everything for the next few weeks.

Shit… to be able to lose myself in some nice, hot, tight…

Fuck. Focus, Swan!

Sometimes I felt that taking care of my daughter was one of the only things that was keeping me sane in my new life. Or death. Whatever we were gonna call it, my existence seemed like a swirl of chaos and Bella was the eye of my storm. She was the calm that kept me from giving in to the monster I felt inside.

I kept my cool so that she would feel secure. I tried to keep us on the 'straight & narrow' because I knew that Bella's soft heart would break if she actually caused harm to a human being. Sometimes, she felt guilty enough after a "cute" animal. Even if that "cute" animal would normally be able to eat her for dinner instead; we'd had a particularly hard afternoon once after a blonde colored black bear became her lunch.

I knew that she was on a hair trigger. But never in my wildest imaginings did I EVER think she would rip my fucking arm off for doing, what I thought at the time, was the right thing. I had an inkling now, based on her apparent comfort level with a fucker who was quickly garnering my mistrust, that she knew something that I didn't.

It had to do with that feeling I had. First, I feel that I need to hurry thru the woods to Bells. That lands me in the middle of a dad/teenage-daughter situation that sucked enough. Then, when that blonde fucker Whitlock catches my daughter's eye, I felt another change in the air.

Hearing the water turn off, I moved from the wall outside Bella's en suite bathroom. Looking across the room at Whitlock, who'd refused to be too far from my daughter, I flexed my fingers, feeling the lingering pain in my left shoulder. Bella had shown her displeasure at her initial removal from Whitlock with extreme prejudice.

Shit still smarts, too. Especially where Peter licked. Asshole.

After the cluster-fuck that was our initial meeting with Peter & Jasper Whitlock, Peter got my arm pasted back on and we rambled back to their home base. The entire trek back, Ty kept mumbling about "country ass, cornbread, cock blocking cowboys," "badass sexy vamp bitches," and "back woods, crazy ass Springer-type shit" – I couldn't say that I disagreed with him too much. Well, except for the whole, cock blocking thing. I'd have blocked the cock, should it come to that point, too. And I didn't care for him calling my daughter "sexy" or a "bitch" either.

Ty wasn't good enough for Bella. Garrett wasn't good enough for Bella. And from what I'd seen of this Whitlock fucker, he probably wasn't, either. I'd not met a man yet who was of the caliber that I'd consider acceptable for my pride and joy. Once upon a time when she was small, I thought that maybe Jacob Black, my friend Billy's son, would maybe be good enough, but if he was a lying sack of shit like his dad, then that possibility was a shitty one, too.

The door opened just enough for Char to escape, accompanied by massive amounts of steam from Bella's shower. She hadn't been too confident in her ability to handle the bathroom hardware, let alone her new clothes, so Char had offered to help her. I was more than grateful that she'd stepped in and offered before the fucking perv Whitlock offered.

Bella might have accepted an offer like that from him and I don't know what my reaction would have been.

Even worse, what would Bella's reaction have been? Peter's nickname of "Belladonna" seemed to be a bit too fitting. My little girl was quite the force to be reckoned with and judging by the minimal effort it took for her to rip my arm from my body, probably just as lethal as her nick-namesake.

"No worries, boys. She'll be right out. She's still stuck in front of the mirror. I can remember the first time I saw myself for the first time after my change. It's shocking! Sweet girl is still not used to the girl looking back at her. Give her a few minutes," Char said, directing her last comment more to Jasper than myself.

That fucker better not have been planning on barging in on my daughter in the damned bathroom!

Jasper and I growled at the same time, but for obviously different reasons.

It was obvious that their connection was some sort of new vampy mumbo jumbo that I am sure Garrett was now just all too excited to tell us about. Normally his vampire lessons were something that I looked forward to. I could better take care of myself and Bella if I knew everything there was to know about being a vampire. I had a feeling that this lesson was gonna just piss me off.

"Now, Charlie, why don't we get you squared away? Your room is right next door, with your own bathroom, stocked up and everything. Do you want to get cleaned up while Bella finishes? After ya'll have had a chance to freshen up, I'm thinkin' we could all head outside for a chat. Much as I don't mind a remodel every now and again, I think the locals will get suspicious if we hit up that hardware store too much!" Char's attempt at hospitality was tempting. I did want to get cleaned up. While it was no real bother to me, getting at least the dried salt off of my skin would be refreshing.

I just didn't trust fucking Whitlock to stay away from my daughter.

"C'mon, Chief! Sooner you get your ditch scrubbed, the sooner we can get all this shit aired out. You an' the Major have such big sticks up your asses right now that it's stopped bein' funny, even to me. Hell, Chalie, I'll even help you like Char helped out Belladonna! I have magical loofa skills like you wouldn't believe" Pete's jovial offer from the door of Bella's room drew my attention.

Fuck. Bella is a grown up. Well, as grown as she's gonna get thanks to that fucking Cullen. God knows she's taken care of Renee for years. Shit, she took my damned arm off. She should be fine for a few minutes while I rinse myself off. Besides, I can't let these fools think that their mere presence can dictate my actions.

"Thank you, Char. I could stand a quick shower. You'll help Bella if she needs anything?"

Char understood what I meant but didn't say, 'you'll keep her safe from that pervert, right?'

Whitlock growled.

Fuck him. No matter how old he is or what he thinks he knows Bella's still my kid. She's had my heart since the first moment that she grabbed my hand in the delivery room. He can just hold the fuck on.

"Of course, Charlie. You just go on. Bella & I will be just fine," she advised politely.

I turned my back on Whitlock, against my better instincts & left to go to my own shower; the sound of Char admonishing Peter for trying to follow was almost enough to make the situation comical.

"Peter Jackson Whitlock, you get your ass right back here! You know that Chief Swan will be just fine without you and your 'magical loofa' skills."

Maybe if I could get a handle of this Whitlock phase that Bella seemed to be in, then our stay here wouldn't be so bad. Pete & Char were a hoot!

Jasper POV

The emotional climate of our home had dramatically changed over the course of the past four hours. After meeting my soul mate, my Isabella, it was almost easy to ignore the miasma of emotions swirling in the walls of the house. The quagmire of emotions that would normally weigh me down: the confusion, frustration & anger of Ty (most likely at the fact that he would not, under any circumstances, be getting any closer to my mate); the confusion & delight of Garret who was salivating to get right back up on his teacher's pulpit; the humor & anticipation of Peter; the anger, mistrust, and oddly enough, slight humor of Chief Swan (who still hadn't extended the offer to me that he be called "Charlie" as he had with Pete & Char); the fear, anticipation & hospitality of Char; all were easily overlooked in favor of the delightful emotions coming from behind the closed bathroom door.

Bella, my mate, was so innocent and pure in her emotions. I could feel her fascination with the reflection that she was surely trying to adjust to. I could feel her nostalgia, probably for the face that she'd come to know in her former life. Her delight at the feel of the water and soap on her skin had been magnificent. I had listened with rapt attention as Char instructed her on how to handle the bathroom fixtures without breaking them. My smart mate had only needed to be instructed once. She had been so grateful for the simple clothes that Char offered after her shower. She'd even worried about putting Char out by using her clothes. When she learned that they were clothes that Char had picked up for her, she felt a distinct feeling of obligation. I could tell she was used to doing things for herself. My mate was independent.

Each new emotion that fluttered through her rapidly cycling mind was a whisper across my skin. What I wouldn't give to be able to know the thoughts that accompanied the emotions that caressed me like a spring breeze.

Well, I didn't want to know bad enough to allow Fuckward the opportunity to get close enough to read her mind.

Just as I heard the water starting for the Chief's shower, Bella opened the bathroom door to peek out. Her eyes roamed the room, pausing on Char, only to continue until she stopped her gaze on me.

I swear with a look she can almost start my long dead heart.

"C'mon out, Sug. Your daddy's in the shower. Why don't ya'll come on out to the deck with me & we'll wait for Charlie out there?"

Char's invitation seemed to be all the prompting that Bella needed. She zipped out of the room, silently shutting the door behind her and then flitting to my side. With hesitation, she reached towards my hand, but started to withdraw. Unwilling to allow the opportunity for any skin to skin contact pass, I met her half way and gave her hand a small squeeze. She gave me a bashful glance before we started to follow Char out to the back deck.

I made my way to the cushioned bench that Char had purchased, hoping that Bella would continue to hold my hand and perhaps sit beside me. To my delight, she ignored the seat cushion and went straight for my lap. It was in this position Charlie found us.

Trying to appear casual, his emotions betraying him at every step, Chief Swan emerged onto the deck after his very brief shower. It was obvious by that he'd taken as little time away from his daughter and me as possible.

Bella stiffened, her fear of his response quite apparent but seemingly unwarranted this time. Offering only the slightest glance at her position in my lap, Charles Swan crossed his arms and fixed his intense eyes on Garrett.

"Alright, let's hear it, Professor. What knowledge are you going to drop on me that will explain what the fuck is going on now? I thought you'd gone over Vampire 101 already. Don't recall you mentioning anything that would explain how shit went tits-up so fucking fast once we met up with The Whitlock's here."

Garrett cleared his throat and began, "Well, Charlie, the chances of me even needing to explain this topic so soon into your new life are actually quite rare. I didn't think that this particular subject was one that was of import, just yet, which is why I had yet to address it. The reason for Bella's, um, visceral reaction to Jasper is simple. Well, simple in vampire terms, anyway. You see Charlie, the thing is that Bella and Jasper are mates."

From my lap, Bella shifted and looked towards the vampire who held the floor and our collective attention. "Mates, what do you mean, mates? Like socks? Or like, Australian 'mate'?"

"No, Belladonna, the Major & you ain't besties from down under. Now, me on the other hand, I'm always lookin' for a new biffy, so if you like a good Dolly Parton movie marathon, then you and me and my Char here can have a chat," Peter joked. "As to you and him bein' a pair of matched up socks, that's a bit closer. Ya'll are two sides of the same coin, little darlin'. Matter of fact, I think ya'll even flip just about the same way! 'Course, I doubt ol' Jasper came out of the gate with limb removin' techniques like you got!"

Fucker always has a joke. Stupid sonnovabitch.

Her mortification was clear to not only me, but everyone else. Not only did Peter bring up one of the sorest possible subjects, Bella hurtin' her daddy, but Pete had to go and embarrass her while he was at it, too. She was still sitting with me, but something that Pete said sparked a bit of fear in her. Despite her draw to me, I was pretty sure that her fear had to do with what us being 'mates' meant more than the rest of the shit that fell out of Peter's mouth. I didn't think that she was worried about hurting her daddy again, no, she still felt too bad about that. Not for the first time, or I'm certain the last, I wished that I knew what was running through her head.

Thus far, she had shown no hesitation in being close to me, to the point that she was pleasantly situated on my lap, but she was afraid of something sparked by the mere start of this discussion.

Bella POV

Damn it, damn it, son of a bitch! Really, do we have to ALL be present for this particular discussion?

I knew where this was going to go. It had been obvious from the moment I'd smelled him. I had needed him then, but it was cemented cell deep the moment we touched. I just didn't want to have this conversation with my dad here. And no matter how ready I'd been to jump Ty just prior to the arrival of Jasper, my apparent mate, I was scared of what all this whole 'mate' business could involve.

Sure, a casual sexual encounter wasn't how I'd envisioned my first time, but it would be a lot easier than whatever I'm sure this whole 'mate' business entailed. Girls my age were supposed to find a boyfriend, round the bases & then go to "home." Maybe get drunk at a party and do something stupid. No matter how natural & right it felt, this whole strange level of instant comfort that I had with this strange sexy-pire felt so intense that it scared me.

And I was also scared of what would happen when Dad finally left the two of us alone together. I knew what I ultimately wanted to have happen. It was scary enough getting up the nerve to even try my silly attempt at seducing a man who I'd at least had some time to get to know. Now it was taking every bit of self-control that I had to not rub myself against him as I sat in his lap for the second time today.

Chuckles, who I'd come to know was named Peter, was turning out to be quite the buffer. I don't quite know what I'd do if it weren't for his brief moments of levity. Sure, I could do without the reminder about tearing Dad's arm off, but it did feel good to know that my apparent fighting prowess had been witnessed by these seasoned warriors. So maybe I'd stand a chance at of at least getting a hit or two in on Pete should his mouth get too embarrassing. I did have Char's permission, after all.

My bathroom time with Char had been quite informative. While she was tight lipped about much of anything that had to do with Jasper and my reaction to him, she was otherwise quite happy to help me figure out how to work things on my own without breaking them and she was more than happy to talk about Peter and his antics. I'd been briefed on his sense of humor; Char had advised that he really didn't mean any harm and that humor was his way of working through tense situations, something that apparently Jasper wasn't always completely fond of.

I could handle jokes. The intensity of my feelings for the man on whose lap I'd taken temporary residence, not so much.

"Vampire mates are actually a quite rare and wonderful phenomenon. Most vampires, myself included, spend the majority of their existence searching for their mate. A mate is many things, but most feel that a mate is the missing piece of one's soul. A mate is a best friend, confidant, companion, soul mate & lover," Garrett explained.

Somehow, Dad was able to keep quiet, up until Garret said the word "lover" – at which point his face transformed into one that would have me worrying about his cardiovascular health if we actually still had beating hearts. Certainly he would have had a heart attack or stroke if we'd still been human when we had this conversation.

"Now just a damned minute, Garrett, do you expect me to believe that this vampire is the 'perfect match' for my daughter? I'm supposed to buy some cockamamie story that Bella is the perfect match for this warrior that you've cautioned us so much about pissing off? My daughter?! No. I call bullshit."

"Charlie, did you ever believe in the possibility of human soul mates? What is so different about vampires having such a thing?" Char asked, sounding honestly curious.

"Soul mates are just a happy title that young couples easily throw around. I know all too easily how those kind of things can head south in a hurry. Once the shine and new relationship smell wear off, shit gets hard and people leave," Dad scoffed.

I'd always known that Renee had done a number on him, but I'd never really realized just how deeply her leaving had cut him. Dad was really a jaded dude.

It was at that moment that Chuckles-the-one-man-peanut-gallery decided to pop up and start in again with the laughter. Jasper's responding growl from underneath me delivered a delicious set of vibrations throughout my entire body.

Yummy! If a growl feels that good when I'm just sitting on his lap…

Another growl ripped through Jasper, this one had a decidedly different meaning, as he tried to discreetly shift beneath me. Perhaps I had a similar effect on him?

Yum, yummy, yum!

"Well, Chief, you might find yourself singin' a whole other tune before you even know it," Chuckles said in a sweet, sing song voice.

"Captain, none of your bullshit right now," Jasper quickly replied.

"No, Major, I think that good ol' Charlie here is fixin' to be more understanding than just about any ol' dad in the history of dating daughters," Chuckles laughed.

The foreign sound of a fancy sounding car entered my range of hearing. The sound was quite odd after so long of hearing so few man made noises.

"If my ears don't deceive, that sounds like the melodious engine of a Porsche 911 Turbo, wouldn't you reckon, J?" Peter queried.

Jasper's minute tension slipped from his sleek frame as he seemed to register what Peter had said.

I wonder what the hell that specific car has to do with anything?

The vehicle in question came closer and closer, until it stopped and the door quickly opened. I tensed, waiting for the newcomer to make themselves known. Jasper, Peter & Char all seemed to be at ease, as did Garrett. Ty was just watching all of us as if we were some sort of reality TV show.

I guess all of this is quite entertaining, if one isn't right smack in the middle of it, like, oh, I don't know… ME!

Only Dad looked as tense as I felt. The sound of a rapidly approaching vampire set the two of us on edge. At least I had Jasper to help calm me down. Poor Dad seemed more alone than ever. A huge part of me wanted to comfort him, but the safety I felt in Jasper's arms was such that I couldn't bring myself to leave his loose embrace.

Suddenly, a small, spritely looking female rounded the corner. She seemed vaguely familiar; she must be one of the missing Cullen Clan. I must have seen her at my brief stint at Forks High. She looked at me in Jasper's lap and offered a gentle smile before looking directly at my dad.

Though I didn't know her, I could almost literally see the tension leaving her frame as she fixed her large topaz eyes on Dad. She seemed to both relax and perk up at the same time, if that was even possible. The wind shifted and sent her unfamiliar scent directly towards those of us already gathered on the deck. I watched in utter shock and amazement as the look on my dad's face went from one of uncertainty and confusion to shock and realization.

Oh fuck. Fuck me. Fuckicky fucking fuck!

I know that look. That's the same look that Jasper just gave me in the clearing.

In that moment, any desire to be really understood by my dad vanished. I knew that he understood what Jasper & I felt. And I finally had a glimpse into my dad's way of thinking.

No way this bitch is good enough for my daddy.

We all stood still, assessing the situation when suddenly, Ty finally speaks.

"Wait a damned minute, Cornbread Junior! You mean to tell me that old, big-tittied blonde bitch has more than one movie?"

END Chapter 12

A/N: Well, that's it for now. I am formulating chapter 14 in my brain as I type this... but the ideas, they are a percolatin'. Thanks to BetterInTexas (Jason) for being the bestest pre-reader in the universe and for helping this story rock a tiny bit more by letting his badass motherfuckin' OC be a guest star in my story. Tho, Ty would be pissed for anyone to claim to "LET" him do anything. He does what he wants. Except for the last line, I MAY have totally ad-libbed that AFTER the pre-read. So hope I didn't piss off either of the fellas. 'Cause they normally 'okay' all of Ty's lines.

As always, there's at least ONE extra chapter of BOGO available on betterintexasfiction dot ning dot com. Also, that's where I keep my other tiny one shots. Just sayin'. And if you've ever been nosy about the loony ass bitch that writes this story, well, I'm a damned open book on that site. AND we have some AMAZING authors with totally original works there. Shit that'd rock your socks WAY moreso than this thing here. Only warning: no haters... we're a cool group who build up and don't tear down. Shit talkers shit stirrers need not apply.

Thanks again for reading. You guys make me smile.