DISCLAIMER: I still no owney Twilight.

A/N – Hello there dear readers :) aren't you glad that this chapter's up much quicker than the last one? That's because of all the wonderful reviews I received. Thank you all so so much :) enjoy!

Chapter 25

Bella's POV:

Edward looked Charlie in the eyes. "We'll tell you whatever you want to know Charlie, but it is a very long story, so I'd rather just answer questions than tell you four hundred years worth of drabble."

I elbowed him in the ribs while Charlie's eyes bulged so much I thought they'd come out of his skull all together.

"F-four hundred years?" He exploded, and I edged sideways into Edward. Did he have to start with such an alarming fact?

It took Charlie a moment to compose himself, and he shook his head, before looking at me. "Okay. So I take it you didn't 'fall down stairs' when you were in Phoenix?" He raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"Not exactly. . . And I didn't exactly go to Phoenix because I'd broken up with Edward either. . . It's a lo-" I didn't get any further before he cut me off.

"I swear to God, Bella, if you tell me it's a 'long story' one more time I'll scream. Just tell me exactly what's going on."

I sighed, and chewed on my bottom lip.

"I went to Phoenix because I was being. . . hunted by these two other vampires and they managed to trick me into thinking they had Renee with them, so James – that was the vampires name – cornered me in the old ballet studio and was going to kill me and then, well, Edward showed up and managed to keep me alive and I ended up in the hospital because I'd lost so much blood and then you showed up and we told you that I fell down the stairs as a cover story." I spoke quickly, but just slowly enough for him to understand what I was saying.

"Wait a minute, you said you lost blood. How did you-" He stopped abruptly, and I could practically see the clogs turning in his head. "You mean he. . . he. . . Ugh!" He shuddered, and looked between Edward and I. "Okay, so maybe I don't need to know the. . . gory details, but anyway, continue. What happened then?"

"Well, I came back, and everything was fine, until. . ." I looked down at Edward's hand that lay on my knee.

"Until your eighteenth birthday." Edward finished for me. He looked up from me to Charlie. "This is where it gets slightly confusing. I know that right now you're wondering how all of this can be true, as I'm not 'sucking the blood from your neck' as you put it." He saw the bewildered look on Charlie's face. "Yeah, I can read minds." He smirked, as if this was the most normal, everyday confession there could be.

"Anyway, you're quite right. I'm not drinking your blood, none of us are, and nor do we plan to. You see, we're different from the vampires Bella was talking about a moment ago. We don't hunt humans. Carlisle was the first of us to be changed, over three hundred and fifty years ago." He didn't give Charlie any time to ponder over this, he just continued talking, in his smooth, suave tone. "He didn't want to be a monster, so we hunt animals. We drink their blood instead of killing humans." Charlie made a face, and for a second I thought he was going to throw up.

"Dad. . .You okay?" I reached out towards him, but thought better of it, and pulled my hand back.

"Don't you think that's a bit. . . gruesome?" He spluttered out, running his hand through his hair with unease.

"Is it really that different to you eating pork, or beef?" Edward asked, raising one eyebrow. This stopped Charlie in his tracks.

"Well, I guess if you look at it that way. . ." He shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway, what happened at your eighteenth? I mean, I know what happened a couple days later," He motioned his finger between us, "but. . . well, why?"

"You remember Alice threw a party for me?"I asked, and he nodded. "And you remember how I came home with a bandage on my right arm?" Again, he nodded. "Well, basically, I gave myself a paper cut, and Jasper smelt the blood, and Edward had to push me aside so that Jasper couldn't get to me and I landed on glass and it cut my arm more." Charlie's eyebrows almost shot through the roof at this. I pointed a finger at my own face. "Accident magnet, remember?" Edward smirked beside me, and took my hand in his.

"Not any more." He whispered, so quietly that only I heard it. Charlie didn't even see his lips move.

"But. . . but I thought you said that you didn't. . . that you. . .hunted animals. . ." Charlie shook his head, totally baffled.

"We do, but. . ." Edward sighed, "it's hard to explain. Sort of like a human living on brown bread for their entire life. It fills you up, but it's not the same as eating a dessert."

"Great, so now you're comparing me to a chocolate cake?" Charlie scoffed, "What about Carlisle, though. He works at the hospital, how does he. . ." Charlie shook his head, not understanding Edward at all.

"Years of practice." Carlisle's voice came from the doorway, and he sauntered in, quite at ease, and sat down on the armchair beside Edward and I's sofa. "I don't notice the smell at all now." A hint of a smile reached Carlisle's face, but it was gone as quickly as it'd appeared.

"Well that's just great, Doc, but can we please get back to the point?" Charlie started fiddling with his fingers, and I could tell he was uncomfortable.

"Sure." I mumbled. "Where were we?"

Renesmee's POV:

I'm not sure how long I sat on my bed, with Jacob's strong arms around me, but when I looked up at him, he was checking his watch.

"Jake, I'm sorry, do you need to go? I'm sorry, I never thought, I-" He cut me off, putting his index finger over my lips.

"Don't worry, it's okay, I should just be getting home soon for Hannah. Need to make sure she isn't having any mad parties in my house." He smirked. "I'm just surprised your dad hasn't come up yet. I've been here for almost an hour too."

"Really?" I yawned mid-word, and Jake chuckled at me.

"Yeah, really." He smoothed out my curls over his shoulder, but they sprung back into place. "I like your hair long." He murmured, still playing with one of the curls.

"Delilah said it was a travesty whenever I got it cut shorter. She liked it long too." I whispered, circling my fingers around my wrist.

"You miss her, don't you?" he whispered back, and even though it as more of a rhetorical question, I nodded, and put my head on his collarbone. "Do you regret coming?" He breathed, so quietly I questioned myself whether he'd even spoken at all. I shook my head.

"You were all missing me too, right?" I looked up at him. "I'm glad I came."

Time seemed to stand still for an eternity. I gazed into his eyes, and he stared back, his gaze so intent I felt the need to turn away, but I didn't. Our eyes seemed like magnets, unable to detach from each other. The world was silent. Jacobs lips parted ever so slightly, showing the bright silhouette of his gleaming white teeth.

My breathing hitched, and came in short, sharp intakes of air. His fingers wound themselves into the tiny curls behind my right ear, and he pulled my head gently towards his, tilting my face slightly.

Our lips were mere centimetres apart, and I could feel his warm breath on my skin. His teeth grazed his bottom lip, as if he was contemplating what to do next. I parted my own lips, and Jacob moved closer, so close, and then the silence was broken.

Edward's POV:

"So that's why you didn't tell me you were back? You were going to let him tell me you'd died?" Charlie's voice thundered into Bella.

"It was the easiest way!" Bella defended herself, "But then Jake went and did what he did, and then you came to see us, and. . . you know. . ."

"Look, what Bella means is that it isn't exactly safe that you know all of this. The Volturi don't condemn it. And as you can tell from what we've told you, they don't really have a gracious way of dealing with broken rules." I focussed on Charlie's face, trying to pretend to myself that Jacob Black's voice wasn't coming from Renesmee's room. It was taking all of my power not to go upstairs and break his neck.

Edward.

Carlisle's thoughts interrupted my own.

Leave them. Renesmee's fine.

I looked at him.

"You can't hear his thoughts." I muttered, and not even Bella heard. She'd been too intent on Charlie.

I sighed, and looked back at Charlie. It was amazing that he hadn't even noticed Carlisle and I's silent conversation.

"But, what about Bella. In Italy, she knew about. . .vampires." He still shuddered at the word.

"That's why I had to promise to them that I intended to change her in the near future. Otherwise, neither of us – or Alice – would be alive right now. It was the only option left." I explained, and it left Charlie speechless. He had no other point to argue from.

I clenched my fists. All had gone silent upstairs. All except for Jacob's screaming thoughts. Bella moved her hand over mine, smoothing out my fingers until they were straight.

Leave it Edward.

Bella's thoughts were loud in my head, but not nearly as deafening as the silence vibrating from Renesmee's room.

Before Anyone could tell me not to, I shot from my seat and bolted up the staircase. I only composed myself seconds before reaching Renesmee's door.

Renesmee's POV:

The ear-splitting knocks on the door made both Jake and I jump. We looked at each other uneasily for a few seconds, both of us thinking about what had almost been.

"Come in." I whispered.

When the door opened, Jacob moved away from me, removing his hand from behind my ear.

"Nice to see you too, Jacob." My dad spat at Jake, giving him daggers with his eyes.

"Renesmee phoned. . . I came to make sure she was okay." He explained, and he lifted his hands up in front of him to show he was innocent.

"And she's fine," My dad smiled at me, "so you can leave, again, can't you?" He was still smiling when he looked back at Jake.

"Bye Ness." He mumbled, and headed for the door.

"And Jacob?" When my dad spoke, Jacob turned around. "Next time you come, use the god damn front door."

Hope you liked it :) It was longer than the last chapter! Anyway, this chapter was up really quickly as a sorry for the last really long wait. Again, I'm really sorry, but thanks for all the reviews I got! And please review again, they make me write way faster.

FailCullen, Over and Out!x