To her dismay, Bella was forced to wake up at nine. Alice insisted that they needed to get the most out of the day, while Bella would rather have slept till three. Despite it being her birthday celebration, she really had no say in the matter. Truth be told, it didn't bother her that much; she was glad to have people to drag her out of bed in the morning (though she would never admit it).

But no one could do anything about her nightmare of a hangover. She chastised Rosalie for not making her drink water before she passed out and spent her first thirty minutes of being awake lying on the couch in the living room, chugging Gatorade while Edward made her pancakes. Bella knew she would bounce back after a shower and some ibuprofen, but she still hated having to go through the motions of a hangover. After she had cleaned herself up and taken the painkillers, she donned a pair of sunglasses and ventured out into the world with the Cullens once more.

"Where do you want to go first?" Rosalie asked her as they walked down the sidewalk.

Daylight cast a different light on Seattle, though it was filtered through a dense blanket of gray clouds. Last night had shown Bella the city's nightlife, the streets crowded with twenty-somethings going from bar to bar just as she had been doing. Today, she got to see the hustle and bustle of the general public living out their daily lives. Through her shades, she watched children, parents, teens, and businesspeople going up and down the sidewalks, and saw the streets packed with cars going nowhere fast. Across the way, an important-looking man with a briefcase hailed a taxi. Next to them, Bella saw a soccer mom carrying a group of uniformed pre-teens to a game in a minivan.

"Coffee would be nice," she replied as she continued to people-watch. Phoenix was a big city, but Bella hardly ever got out of the suburbs when she had lived there. Regardless, it was an entirely different vibe. Phoenix was smack dab in the middle of Arizona, surrounded by vast deserts and mountain ranges. Every day she was subject to the white-hot torment of the overbearing sun, and the city itself faded out into the surrounding emptiness of the desert around it.

Seattle, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. It was tucked away on the side of the west coast, a bay away from the mystical Olympic Peninsula she now called home. To the east, it was bordered by national forests, hiding secrets Bella hardly dared to imagine. And there was so much water. To Bella, it was almost like being on alien planet.

Alice guided the family to a quaint yet modern local coffee shop where she ordered a caramel macchiato. To her surprise, Edward ordered a cappuccino and Rosalie got a regular black coffee.

"You guys drink stuff without alcohol in it?" Bella asked.

Edward nodded. "Can't really explain it, but beverages are the one thing besides blood that we can consume. It just gets absorbed into our bodies like everything else. I guess it's some kind of thing with how we process fluids? It doesn't do anything beneficial for us, but at least it tastes good."

To prove his point, he took a long sip of his drink.

"I guess some things are just magical," said Bella, shrugging. "You guys are vampires. I don't really think everything about you needs a scientific explanation."

"True."

When asked where she wanted to go next, Bella admitted she had no idea what kind of things there were to do in Seattle, so Alice took the reins (as if she didn't already have them). Of course, she started to lead them to an upscale shopping center where the siblings split up and agreed to meet back in the center after an hour. To Rosalie's dismay, Bella ended up going off with Edward. Before she could say something to her mate, Rose was dragged away by Alice to go clothes shopping. Jasper and Emmett wandered off on their own.

"Ooh, let's go in Urban Outfitters!" Edward said excitedly upon spotting the store on the horizon.

"I didn't know you were this much of a hipster," said Bella. "Everything there is so expensive."

"Rich vampire, remember?" Edward flashed his wallet at her.

"You don't have to be so obnoxious about it," she said, bumping into him with her shoulder.

Edward made a beeline for the shelves of vinyl records in the back of the store and began flipping through them to see if there was anything interesting that he could add to his collection. Bella stood beside him, watching him deftly navigate through the albums. Occasionally, he would stop and pull one out, either to consider buying it or to make some kind of joke about the cover.

Bella had come with him instead of Rosalie with the intent of discussing being changed. Even though she had already gotten a taste of his opinions on the subject, she wanted to get into it deeper. After the incident in the club with the businessman, it was at the forefront of her thoughts. It was a huge decision to make, one that would ultimately change her entire life. She thought about where she was now: sitting on a fence between what she called the "real" world and the world where vampires and werewolves were real, and where nightmarish creatures were lurking around every corner. She was amazed that her life had gotten so wrapped up in the supernatural so quickly. Not only had she wandered into a family of vampires and met her soulmate amongst them, but her childhood friends, people who had always been like siblings to her, now had the ability to turn into giant wolves on the fly.

Would she solidify her place in that world of monsters by becoming one herself? Or would she remain just on the edge of it? Both options had negative consequences. She could be turned and ripped away from her father, or she could remain human and face the threat of death from the Volturi. Every now and then, she remembered that she was actively breaking some kind of vampire law just by knowing who Edward was, and it didn't do anything good for her anxiety.

But, most importantly, could she let herself die and leave Rosalie alone?

Even now, when she was apart from Rose, Bella could feel that connection within her. It was a gentle tug, a reminder that she had someone, someone who would do anything for her. She had to admit that it was a little overbearing at times. Fated romance was so dramatic; numerous times Bella had caught herself thinking about how she would die for Rosalie and had to shut herself down because she felt ridiculous. But she would die for her, and that was scary to say the least.

"Hey, Edward…" she said, tugging at the sleeve of his jacket.

Edward glanced up from the record he was looking over. "Mm?"

"What the fuck do I do?"

He blinked. "What do you what now?"

Bella laughed quietly and shook her head. "Sorry, that was a bit much. I'm just… stressed out. Confused."

"About?"

"Everything."

"You're preaching to the choir," he said as he slid the record back in place. "For real, though, what's up? Is something wrong?"

"I'm just thinking about all this vampire stuff again, getting changed and all that. I know we talked about it a little, but I just…? I don't know, man. It's a lot."

"It is a lot. I can only imagine how stressful it is to have to make that choice. None of us had that luxury." Edward put his hands in his pockets and continued to walk around the store. Bella followed him closely. "Carlisle changed all of us right as we were dying, with the exception of Alice and Jasper. We were all on the brink of death. He did what he thought was best for us, the only thing he could do to save us at that point. The reactions were… mixed. Emmett and Esme can probably give you the most positive account of this life. Success stories, I guess. Me and Rose, on the other hand… Well, you already know what happened to her."

"What about you?" Bella asked.

Edward stopped walking, his fists clenched tight, his body tense. "I won't go into detail right now. That's a long story for another time. I was dying of Spanish Influenza and Carlisle happened to be the doctor treating me. What he did isn't the issue—it's what happened before and after the fact that matters. I'll tell you someday, I promise. Maybe after a couple drinks." He exhaled loudly and let his body relax. "You hungry? It's lunchtime, I think."

"Uh, yeah. Let's check out the food court." Bella paused. "Overall, do you think it's bad?"

Edward bit his lip, thinking. "No. I can't say I do. It's definitely given some of us the second chances that we deserved. Hell, Alice doesn't even remember what happened to her before she was turned. To her, this is all her life has ever been. I can see why she doesn't really have a lot of problems with being a vampire. Probably functions the best out of all of us, even Carlisle. It was a long, long time ago, but he still remembers what it's like to be human."

"Would you rather be human?"

"Hell yes," he answered quickly. "No doubt in my mind about it. But that's my personal experience. You… You have options."

"So give me the pros and cons."

Edward snorted. "I mean, I guess I can. Obviously, there's the immortality, the beauty, the power. Very alluring."

Bella let her eyes wander, drifting from storefront to storefront, looking at the normal people walking around them, having a normal day. They were all blissfully unaware of the truth of the world that they lived in, the truth that was walking amongst them.

"I wish I was as invincible as you guys. That's a big selling point for me," she said, rubbing her face.

"It has its perks. On the other hand, it has a lot of drawbacks. Hiding, for one. And blood is a big issue."

"And Charlie," Bella said, looking down at the floor.

"And Charlie," he repeated. "Not much you can do about that one."

"I don't want to leave him behind, but I also don't want to put him in danger."

"I can't tell you what to do about him. As I said, none of us had a choice. We were all ripped away from the world we lived in without a chance to say no, but we were all also about to die anyways." Edward didn't like to think about what it felt like to be lying on your deathbed, but the memory was always fresh in his mind, along with the memory of his mother. "You dad really loves you. If I were in your position, I would stay with him."

Bella frowned. "But… I'm already in danger. If the Volturi find out, I'm dead anyways, right?"

Edward sucked in air through his teeth and exhaled as he said, "Yeah… That's also a thing. And that's my fault."

"We talked about this, dude. You can't blame yourself. It was inevitable."

"Was it? Rose was totally ready to up and leave town, but I insisted that we stay. I was the one who pushed her to talk to you, to tell you about the mate bond. But we absolutely could've just… left."

Upon hearing that, Bella felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. She imagined a world where the Cullens had just disappeared without a trace. They could've been gone forever and she never would have found them again. Rosalie would've been gone.

"No. No. Don't talk like that. I can't…" Bella clutched her chest. "I can't even think about living my life without you guys. I would've… I would've died."

Edward realized what he had said and whirled around on his heels, grabbing Bella by the shoulders. "Shit, no, I'm sorry. That was stupid. I shouldn't have said that. God, if we had left…"

He couldn't argue with her. She would have died. Without Rosalie around, Bella would have lost all motivation to live, and vice versa. Edward placed his hand over his eyes. There truly was a death sentence on this poor human girl, one way or another.

"God, what a fucking tragedy we're living in," he said, laughing sardonically.

Bella wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging herself tightly against his torso. "Shakespeare is rolling in his grave right now," she mumbled into his chest.

"Damn right he is."

They stood there, locked together like that for several minutes, not caring if people stared at them. They split apart when Bella's stomach growled loudly.

"Time for some food," said Edward, patting her on the shoulder.

He turned to lead her to the food court, and Bella followed, wiping tears from her eyes.

-X-

Rosalie insisted that she take Bella out for a one-on-one dinner date that night.

"You all had more than enough time with her today," she had said accusingly when they returned to the apartment that afternoon. "Especially you, Edward."

Edward raised his hands defensively. "She was the one who followed me, not the other way around."

"Whatever," Rosalie said dismissively. "Bella, does that sound good to you?"

"As long as you don't take me to some super high-class restaurant with gross food, I'm down."

"Well, what do you like?"

Bella thought about what she was craving.

"Actually, sushi sounds really good right now."

And that was how they had ended up sitting together at a table in a posh Japanese restaurant. It was decorated in the same manner as every Japanese restaurant Bella had ever been in before, but with a slight modern twist. The restaurant was on one of the upper floors of a tall skyscraper and had huge windows overlooking the city. Bella was able to appreciate the view of the Seattle skyline at night more than she had before when she was inebriated.

"I really like salmon," she said as she perused the menu. "And tuna."

"I didn't know you liked sushi."

"There was a really good Japanese place in Phoenix that I went to a lot. Nothing like that in Forks, obviously."

"I think there's a decent place somewhere in Port Angeles."

"You'll have to take me some time, then," said Bella, looking up from the menu to grin at her.

"Are you just dating me so I'll buy you food?"

"You surely don't need to eat it, so…"

Rosalie tossed her balled-up straw wrapper at Bella, who laughed. She picked up the wrapper and twisted it between her thumb and forefinger before flicking it back at Rose. It bounced off of her nose and landed on the table between them.

"I'm really happy," said Bella, a dreamy smile on her face.

"About?"

"This. Us." She waved her hand around the table. "Never in my life did I think I would be doing something like this. Being on a date in a super nice restaurant with my hot girlfriend, vampire or not. I was always such a piece of shit. Still am."

"You are not," Rosalie said sternly.

Bella shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "Whatever helps you… not-sleep at night."

"I'm serious. You're not a piece of shit. You're wonderful. I mean it."

"I know you do, I really do. That's one of the weird things about this. Sometimes you'll say shit to me and it just sets off something in my body that goes 'She really means that!' or something along those lines. Not like a lie detector, but like… a reaffirmation. It's nice. Reassuring."

"I get that too, but it's mostly when you shower me with compliments." Rosalie grinned.

"Of course it is," Bella said, looking down and smiling. She began to twist her own straw wrapper up into a tight, thin string. "But you already know you're beautiful. When you tell me stuff like this… I don't know, I guess it just goes against what I think about myself and that's kinda wild to me. I think I'm awful. I don't understand what someone like you sees in me."

"But I don't always think I'm beautiful. Physically, yes, it's hard to ignore, but underneath… There are days when I feel disgusting. I hate myself. I look in the mirror and I see a monster staring back at me." Rosalie looked out the window, catching a glimpse of her reflection in the glass, her visage superimposed over the glimmering city lights. "So when you tell me those things, it does mean something to me. Anyone else could say it and it wouldn't matter." She looked at Bella. "But it's you."

Bella felt that warmth creeping into her chest again when Rosalie smiled at her. It was the most endearing, most earnest, most beautiful smile in the world. God, I would die for her, Bella thought to herself. She could stare at Rose's face for hours.

Their moment was interrupted by the waitress stopping in to take their orders. To throw off suspicion, Bella ordered enough food for both of them, intent on taking home the leftovers to eat the next day.

"You really don't need to get that much. It's fine, the waitstaff aren't going to think it's weird if I don't eat," said Rosalie.

"Oh, I mean, it's an added bonus that it looks like we're both getting food. I just want to take a lot of this with me. It looks delicious."

"You are using me for food!"

"You got me. That's the only thing I'm here for. I'm just mooching."

Bella broke her chopsticks apart and used them to poke Rosalie in the nose. They continued to banter back and forth until the food came. Bella devoured half of the sushi after ten minutes.

"I realize that me eating this much like some kind of sushi monster is unattractive, but I did also eat an entire pizza in front of you on our first date," said Bella through a mouthful of raw fish.

Rosalie put her hands up. "Doesn't bother me one bit. I worry about how much you eat sometimes. It seems like on some days you'll eat like, one sandwich, and on others you'll down a five-course meal."

"My eating habits are… not great, to say the least." Bella wiped a bit of sushi rice off of the corner of her mouth. "It's what happens when you grow up with a mother who doesn't consistently feed you. Or feed you at all."

Rosalie winced. "Sorry, I probably brought up a touchy subject."

Bella chuckled. "No, no, you're fine. I probably joke about my past trauma too much, but it doesn't bother me when I talk about it casually like this." She paused. "It probably makes other people uncomfortable, though, so maybe I should… not."

"It's fine. Don't worry about what you say around me. But do take care of yourself."

"I'll… try." Bella leaned back in her chair to stretch, yawning. "Well, I'm full. Let's get the check and a to-go box and bounce."

Rosalie paid for the meal, leaving Bella wishing she could contribute something, anything to their weekend outing. But the Cullens had offered to cover it all, and it was useless to protest. They were rolling in it, after all.

Bella and Rosalie rode the elevator down to the first floor, awkwardly standing next to each other. They were so close that their shoulders were touching, but Bella was holding her to-go box with both hands, so Rosalie couldn't hold hers. Bella was the slightest bit oblivious to this, clutching to her takeout box of sushi like it was a chest of precious gems. As soon as they stepped out onto the streets, Rosalie placed a hand on Bella's shoulder and turned her to face her. Bella stared up into her golden eyes as Rose leaned down to plant a kiss on her lips that left Bella blushing as the blonde started to walk back to their apartment. Bella blinked a few times before jogging to catch up with her mate.

"You know, there's another thing I'm really happy about," Bella said when she caught up to Rosalie.

"And that is?"

"Well, we've barely been dating for a week now, but… Everything we do is so comfortable. I can't say I don't feel awkward around you sometimes because you are extremely gorgeous, and I have no idea what I'm doing. But doing stuff like this, going on dates, it doesn't feel as awkward as it should, y'know? We just… click."

Nothing was forced between them. There was a flow to their interactions, as if they both knew what the other was feeling. In a way, they did. They moved naturally around each other. There were mistakes and mishaps and slip-ups, but they were able to work through it.

"Yeah. We do," Rose replied. "Honestly, that was something I was worried about. I don't really know how to do romance-y stuff. The only person I was ever with was Royce, and that… You know how that went. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make you happy, that I was moving too fast or too slow. I admit that I still don't quite know what you want from me, what you want me to do, but… I think that's okay. I think I'll figure it out."

"Rose, you don't have to do anything for me except… except be around me. That's really all I need. I don't want any kind of lavish gifts or elaborate dates or anything. I don't expect anything from you except…" Bella was going to say "love", but she realized it would sound too cheesy, so instead she turned and grabbed Rosalie's arm with one hand (still tightly clutching the to-go box in the other), and kissed her. When she broke the kiss, she said "That's all I expect. I love you."

It was only the second time she had said those three words, and it still sent a rush through her like nothing else.

"I love you too, Bella."

It was Bella who slipped her hand into Rosalie's as they finished the walk back to the apartment. They walked in the front door, all smiles and laughter, only to be met with chaos and panic. Rosalie's siblings were darting back and forth around the place at lightning speed, packing bags and cleaning the place.

"What's going on?" Rosalie asked, squeezing Bella's hand tightly.

Edward appeared in front of them. "Jasper caught scent of the other vampires again while he was out with Alice. Closer this time. Too close."

"Other vampires?" Bella asked, but her question was ignored. Her memory of the previous night was a bit hazy.

"We need to leave if we want to avoid a confrontation," said Alice. "We can't run into another group of unknown vampires with a human around. They would either try to kill Bella or they'd go to the Volturi and get us all killed."

Edward disappeared and reappeared with Bella and Rosalie's luggage in hand.

"Go ahead and take these down to the car. We'll be right behind you."

Rosalie grabbed the bags from him and led Bella back out into the hall to the elevator while her siblings finished cleaning up the apartment. True to his word, Edward and the others were in the parking garage just minutes after they got there. They piled into the car, Rosalie holding Bella tight in the backseat as they said goodbye to Seattle.

Bella couldn't help but stare out into the black night, searching the darkness for the vampires that they were running from. Her to-go box of sushi sat crushed underneath someone's suitcase, having been carelessly tossed into the back with the rest of their bags in their panic.

The car ride home was tense and quiet, the only sound being the music playing from Edward's phone: the playlist he had made for Bella. No one talked. Bella drifted in and out of sleep, occasionally jarred awake by a bump in the road. She would look out at the trees flying by until Rosalie kissed the top of her head and told her to go back to sleep.

Bella was scared. She was scared because the Cullens were scared. It hadn't impacted her much at the time because she was so exhausted, but the previous night when they were out walking kept coming back to her in blurry waves. The Cullens might have been able to protect her from shitty humans, but other vampires were dangerous. Even when they reached the comfort of the Cullen home, Bella still didn't feel as safe as she thought she would. She kept staring out into the woods, waiting for something to appear.

"Bella, please, try to get some sleep," Rosalie said when she found her mate still wide awake at two in the morning.

"I'm… I'm scared, Rose."

"Everything's gonna be okay. We left, and those other vampires aren't gonna follow us back here from Seattle."

"But what if they were the ones that Jake was talking about? The ones that went through La Push?"

"Then they came and they left."

Rosalie sat with Bella, stroking her hair and holding her to calm her. It was Esme who finally prompted a return to normalcy when she brought up milk and freshly baked cookies for Bella and sat with them for a while in Rose's room, talking about nothing in particular to distract her from her fears. Bella began to calm down. She heard Edward listening to music in his room, saw the light in the door of Jasper's study where he was probably reading some war novel, and listened to the sound of Emmett playing video games next door. Carlisle passed by, heading down the hall to his and Esme's room. Alice popped in to say goodnight before dragging Jasper back to their bedroom.

Everything was as it usually was. Peaceful.

Bella began to get sleepy. Esme left, saying goodnight as Rosalie pulled the covers over her mate and cut off the lights. To ease her love, Rose closed all the blinds so that no visions of the outside could come creeping in.

-X-

Bella returned home early Sunday morning, far earlier than she had planned to get back. She was worn out from the weekend of festivities and eager to get back in her own bed and relax. The supernatural happenings of the weekend weighed heavily on her mind, and she couldn't decide how she felt about them. On one hand, she was thrilled and excited by them, but on the other, she was terrified and wished that there was some way to take a break from it all and pretend like everything was normal for a bit. That wasn't how her world worked now, though.

Edward dropped her off at her house at eight. The doors were still locked when she arrived; Charlie had the day off and she assumed that he was still asleep. To her surprise, she heard someone moving around in the kitchen when she unlocked the front door and came inside. Curious, she sat down her bag on the dinner table and poked her head around the corner into the kitchen to find none other than Sue Clearwater, wearing her dad's cheap, old bathrobe, making pancakes. Surprised, Bella inhaled sharply, which alerted Sue to her presence. Sue promptly dropped the plastic measuring cup she was holding, spilling pancake batter on the floor. Her other hand flew to her chest, her eyes wide, mouth agape. Bella's expression mirrored hers.

They stared at each other for a full ten seconds before Sue tried to say something, but she was unable to produce a coherent sentence.

"Bella! W-well, I… I just… You… I was…"

Bella waved both hands in front of her and frantically said, "Hi, Sue! It's fine! Everything is fine. You don't need to say anything. Don't worry. It's fine."

Bella crept forward and grabbed some paper towels off the counter to begin wiping up the batter. Sue did the same. They both wiped up the mess silently, neither daring to say a single word as they kept stealing glances at each other. When they finished, Bella took the paper towels, balled them up, and tossed them in the trash can. She leaned back against the counter, glancing at Sue and then staring at the floor while twiddling her thumbs.

"I… We… didn't expect you to be back so early," Sue said quietly.

"Is dad…"

"He's still asleep." Sue paused, looking at the bowl of pancake batter. "I thought I'd just… make breakfast. Do you want…?" Sue gestured at the bowl.

"No, no, I'm good. Esme made sure I ate before I left."

"Esme. Uh huh…"

The mention of the Cullen family brought an even more awkward mood to the conversation. Bella wasn't sure what to say. Neither was Sue. But something had to be said, so Sue decided to break the silence.

"Bella, I… My relationship with your father has… moved a lot faster than we expected, or really wanted it to. I know it's a very delicate situation, and I understand that you've had… some troubles with your mother in the past. This isn't something that Charlie and I want to make very public for obvious reasons. I just hope that you're… okay… with this." Sue touched her chest.

"Oh, I mean, it doesn't really bother me. Dad has had a really hard time because of Renee, so it makes me happy to see him happy. If he's happy with you, then I guess I'm fine with it. I'm not really one to judge, so…"

"That means a lot to me, Bella, it really does. I just don't want to make anything… weird."

"Oh, you're not. Trust me. If anything, I'm the one making things weird around here," Bella said, laughing to herself.

"You seem to spend a lot of time with the Cullens. What's that all about? I can't say I approve."

Bella's eyes paid a visit to the inside of her skull. "They're not bad people, Sue."

"They're not people, period."

"Whatever. They're great. Edward and I get along really well, and… Well…" Bella wasn't sure how to explain everything about Rosalie to her. "Rosalie and I… We're kinda dating, I guess."

"Your father told me about that. Bella, you have no idea what kind of danger you're putting yourself in. It's crazy!" Sue slammed her hand down on the countertop a little too hard, shaking all of the bowls and utensils she had been using. "That girl isn't good for you. She's a bloodsucking monster."

Bella felt a primal, animalistic anger welling up inside her, a raging fire of fury burning in her heart. She couldn't stand to listen to anyone talk about Rosalie that way. Her brain was telling her to snarl at this woman, pounce on her and tear her to pieces, but she pushed down a growl that was trying (and failing) to manifest in throat. For a second, she was scared of herself—her body was responding in a way that made her want to do things she wasn't physically capable of. She was shaking. After the wave of rage passed over her, she inhaled deeply and looked Sue square in the eyes.

"Don't talk about her like that. You have no idea what our situation is like," she said, her voice low and angry.

"Then you tell me," said Sue, crossing her arms and leaning against the counter. "Tell me what's so special about it."

Bella struggled to explain things in a way that didn't sound ridiculous. "Well… Rose and I… We're… mates."

"Mates?"

"It's… It's like imprinting," she said, trying to relay it in terms that Sue would understand. "But less… severe? Dramatic? I don't know. It's not as obvious, but it's a very real thing."

"God, that's even more horrifying," Sue said, putting a hand to her mouth. "I had no idea something like that was even possible."

"Yeah, well, there's a lot you don't know." Bella was getting tired of this argument. "Listen, if Leah can be at least somewhat accepting of the Cullens, you can too. This whole feud is stupid. They've never done anything to harm you guys."

"It doesn't change the fact that their kind is dangerous!"

Their conversation was brought to a halt as they heard Charlie coming down the stairs. Sue whirled around and returned to making pancakes. Bella stayed where she was, arms crossed, leaning against the counter. Charlie walked into the kitchen in a t-shirt and pajama pants, and for a few seconds, he was completely oblivious to his daughter's presence. Bella coughed loudly and he jumped and spun around to face her.

"Bella! I had no idea you were going to be back this early!" he exclaimed, panic in his eyes.

She smiled and waved at him. "Yeah, me neither. Some stuff came up, so we came back early. Some family emergency or something."

Bella caught Sue giving her a suspicious look over her shoulder, as if she was wondering what really happened to bring her back so early.

"Shit happens," said Charlie shrugging. "I see you… have been talking to Sue."

"Yeah."

"Yep." Charlie scratched the back of his head. He knew there was no worming his way out of the conversation that he needed to have with his child now. "Uh, if you wanna, um, just go into the living room, I'm gonna grab a cup of coffee and be in there in a minute. We should, uh, talk."

"Right."

Bella grabbed her bag off the dinner table and took it into the living room, where she collapsed onto the couch, stretching out across its entire length and yawning loudly. She was ready to go back to bed.

"You seem tired, so I'll make this short and sweet," said Charlie when he entered the room. He sat down on the edge of the coffee table next to the couch. "Things with Sue and I are getting pretty serious. You're still, uh, okay with that, right? Because you seemed okay with it during the whole dinner thing."

"I'm okay with it, dad. I promise."

Charlie nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. "Well… She just might be around the house more. I might go see her more often. We're trying to keep things on the down-low, but I don't know how long that'll last. Billy already knows."

"What about Seth and Leah?"

Charlie shrugged. "We really didn't talk about telling our kids yet or anything. I guess it's something I'll bring up with her. I'm sure they know. They're smart kids. But this is something we all have to talk about."

"Right." Gears began to turn in Bella's head, firing up her tired brain. "So… How serious is serious?"

Charlie blinked. "Well, it's… serious."

"But like, define that," Bella said, rolling over onto her side.

"Well, we're… dating, I guess? If you wanna call it that."

The gears were locking into place now, a lightbulb flickering, a faint idea beginning to form in Bella's mind.

"This is gonna sound really out there, and it might be a little too much, but like… marriage?"

"Christ, Bella, that definitely hasn't even crossed our minds yet!" he exclaimed. "I wouldn't be trying to sneak around you like this if we were thinking about getting married."

"No, like, in the future. Maybe. Potentially."

"I mean…" Charlie scratched his unshaven chin. "I guess… I'd like to, if we both felt that way."

"Okay. Good. That's all I wanted to know."

"Don't you start planning our wedding, now," he said, pointing a finger at her. "I'm done with you. Go back to bed. You look exhausted."

Bella flashed a grin at him as she stood up, grabbed her bag, and darted up the stairs. Charlie leaned back, took another sip of his coffee, and sighed loudly.

It's perfect, Bella thought. The perfect solution.

Her only real concern about being changed was Charlie. She couldn't abandon him when they had just been reunited after years of dealing with Renee. But Charlie had just given her a possible solution, a way out of that dilemma. She would have to double-check it with someone who knew better, of course, but in theory, it should work.

If Charlie married Sue, Seth and Leah would be his stepchildren. And they were werewolves. And, as their stepfather, he would have a right to know about that. And about the legends. And about the Cullens. If Charlie married Sue, Bella could be turned without having to fake her death and leave him behind, because he would be allowed to know.

Bella pulled off her jeans and dove into her bed with a smile on her face.

Maybe things would work out after all.

-X-

Hours later, Bella awoke to the sound of rocks clattering against her window. She checked the time on her phone: three in the afternoon. Outside, it was uncharacteristically sunny for Forks. Groaning, she pushed herself out of bed to see who was begging for her attention. She pushed aside the curtains to find not Edward, but Jacob standing outside in her yard, tossing stones up at the glass. He smiled and waved. Bella looked at him with dead eyes as she heaved the window open.

"What do you want, Jake?"

He put his hands on his hips. "That's no way to greet your best bud!"

"You woke me up," she replied, wiping the sleep from her eyes. "What's up?"

"Stand back."

She did, and Jacob performed a series of hardcore parkour maneuvers using the tree and the side of the house to get into her window. Bella clapped for him when he landed inside.

"Stuck the landing. Ten out of ten."

"Very funny," he said, patting her on the shoulder as he sat down on her bed. "Put on some pants."

"You woke me up!" she repeated. Bella began to sift through the pile of dirty clothes on her rocking chair, looking for the jeans she had had on before she went to sleep. She actually found them underneath her desk, far from where she thought she had thrown them. "So, what's the deal?" she asked as she pulled them on.

"It's not actually good news," said Jacob, scratching the back of his neck.

"Well, spill."

Bella laid back on the bed next to where he was sitting, and he laid down as well.

"The ghoul shit has gotten ridiculous. There are so many running around that we can't take breaks anymore. We have to have at least two wolves out around the clock to make sure they don't get through our perimeter. Usually more. And that's not all." His expression turned dark. "They're getting more active in the woods closer to Forks. We already got permission from the Cullens to patrol in areas around their territory, but Sam is currently talking to Carlisle about getting them to help run patrols. We're outnumbered."

"No one else has shifted?"

"We got two more, actually. Collin and Brady. God, Bella, they're only fourteen!" Jacob put his hands over his eyes. "I feel like we're sending them off to war. I was already worried about Seth, but at least he's seventeen. These guys, they're just kids! And they're fighting a battle they didn't ask to be involved in. None of us asked. But we have to do it."

He let his arms fall to his sides. Bella could see dark bags under his eyes. He looked like he hadn't showered in a week. The fight was taking a toll on him.

"Jake… You need to rest," she said, laying a hand on his bare chest.

"Can't. I really shouldn't even be stopping now because I'm on patrol, but I wanted to let you know what was going on."

"Wait. Let me at least brush your hair."

"Fine," Jacob groaned.

He sat up and Bella got up to grab the brush from her dresser. She stood behind him and pulled it through his tangled and matted locks, straightening out all the kinks and rat's nests. When she was satisfied, she took a few handfuls of his hair and began to plait parts of it.

"You need new braids," she said.

"Of course." He smiled.

"Your hair is getting longer too. It looks good."

"Thanks. I've been growing it myself."

Bella bit her lip. "You know a good bit about the tribe's legends and stuff, right?"

"I mean, yeah, I guess," he replied.

"Theoretically, if Charlie married Sue, would he get to know about the legends?"

"God, are they getting that serious?"

Bella chuckled. "I don't think they're anywhere near thinking about it yet, but I just wanted to know. Theoretically."

"Theoretically, yes," said Jacob. "Mostly because he would be Seth and Leah's stepfather. It wouldn't be as simple as just them getting married; the council would have to do some formal stuff. Sue would have the final say about whether he gets to know or not, but I don't see any reason why she would choose to keep it from him, especially when it's so relevant to not only Seth and Leah's lives, but yours as well- Oh, fuck, Bella, I see what you're getting at!" He stood up abruptly, pointing at Bella. "If they get married, you can get changed, and he would be able to know about it!"

"Bingo." She pointed back at him. "That's exactly what I was thinking."

"Shit, that might actually work. I still can't say that I agree with you getting bit and all, but fuck, what a loophole!" He paused, scratching his chin. "It does totally rely on them getting married, though."

"Guess I just have to play matchmaker, then," said Bella, shooting finger guns at him.

"I do implore you to try," said Jacob. "That's a win-win for everyone."

Unbeknownst to her, Bella's phone had been buzzing with texts from Rosalie. However, it was buried under layers of blankets, the vibrations muffled. Since Bella wasn't answering her texts, Rosalie had decided to pay her a quick visit. Rose could smell that a wolf was already patrolling around Bella's house, but she hadn't expected to find one in Bella's bedroom.

"Bella!" she exclaimed as she leapt up and stuck her head through the window. "Who is this?"

Bella fell backwards onto the bed, startled. "Rosalie!"

"Oh great, a bloodsucker," muttered Jacob.

"Hey, I heard that, pup," Rosalie said as she climbed inside.

Rose was wearing a hooded leather jacket and sunglasses to cover her skin in the sunlight. She took both off once she was inside, but a few beams of sunlight managed to hit her arms, casting a slight shimmer on her fractal, diamond-like skin.

"Why'd you come by?" Bella asked.

"Well, you weren't answering my texts."

"Rose… What if I was asleep?"

Rosalie paused, mildly embarrassed. "Well… Alice couldn't see anything, so I was concerned. I just wanted to come by and check on you, and if you were asleep I would've just left."

"Alice couldn't see me?"

"It's because of him," said Rosalie, pointing at Jacob, who scowled.

"What?" he retorted.

"You block out Alice's future vision," said Bella, touching his arm gently. "Also, Rosalie, this is Jacob. Jacob, this is Rosalie."

"Jacob. I heard you were a mechanic."

He crossed his arms, looking down on the blonde. "Yeah. Yeah I am."

"Well, I am too."

Jacob raised a brow. "Oh? Really?"

"What? Do I not look the type?"

"Well, I mean, blondes usually don't-"

Jacob was interrupting by a sharp kick to the shin by Bella.

"Be nice, Jake," she said in a sickly-sweet voice. "Nice."

"Right. Nice."

Rosalie and Jacob continued to talk in a tense manner while Bella searched the bed for her phone. She found it tucked underneath a pillow and began to read the messages Rose had sent her.

"You guys are gonna start patrolling too," Bella said, looking at Rosalie.

"Yeah. Sam and Carlisle agreed that it would be best for all of us to work together. Things are getting very dangerous. And somebody needs to be with you at all times."

"Rose, that's way too much," Bella protested. "I don't want to suck up all you guys' time."

Rosalie shook her head. "No. Bella, this is serious. If one of those things got to you… You'd either wind up dead… or worse."

Bella was already horrified by the ghouls, but the thought of becoming one of them made her shudder. That flesh-hungry mindlessness was a fate much worse than death.

"We can help," said Jacob. "To protect her."

"You already are. Sam said that in exchange for helping you run patrols, some of the wolves will take turns guarding Bella."

Despite the danger, Bella still felt like they were getting worked up over nothing.

"Guys, I know I'm important to you, but I feel like you're ignoring a much larger problem! The entire area is at stake, not just me! Innocent people who have no idea what's happening out there, they could get killed!"

"Don't worry about that, Bella. That's our job," said Jacob, walking over to the window. "And I gotta go do it. Trust me, these patrols will keep everyone safe, especially with the Cullens' help."

Jacob looked at Rosalie and nodded. She nodded back. They had a mutual understanding of what needed to be done to ensure everyone's safety. There was nothing to argue about.

Yet Bella couldn't help but feel like something would go wrong.

Jacob leapt out the window without so much as a goodbye and disappeared into the trees. Rosalie sat down on the bed beside Bella and laid her hand on hers. She gently rubbed her thumb against the back of Bella's hand and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"It's gonna be okay. We'll make it through this."

Bella looked down at the floor.

"Are you sure?"

END OF PART I