Chapter Twenty Five
Bella
I was nervous waiting for Charlie to turn up, we'd hunted earlier in the day so I wasn't thirsty but I was concerned, Charlie would be my first human contact.
"Bella chill out, Peter and I are here and The Major, between us we can certainly handle you if you decide Charlie smells too good."
Jasper had promised he wouldn't leave me until I was certain my dad would be safe with me. I needed to be able to control myself or lose my dad forever, but how would he react to the new Bella? As I heard the car pull up outside I took a deep breath and held Jasper's hand a little tighter. I heard Charlies heart beating and smelled his blood which made my throat burn but I swallowed down the venom that flooded my mouth and reminded myself it was my dad not prey.
He came in with Peter and I could see he already knew something. He looked nervous and his eyes flickered between Jasper and me then settled on me and he frowned.
"You're looking good Bella. Something is agreeing with you."
I dropped Jasper's hand and walked forward very slowly to hug him. He froze but to his credit didn't flinch away from my touch.
"Shall we sit down? I'll get you a coffee Charlie"
Trust Charlotte to break the ice! We all sat down and Peter looked at dad before speaking,
"Bella, I think someone beat you to the punchline although Charlie is being a little coy about the details. Go on Charlie, get it off your chest, you'll feel so much better when it's all out in the open"
Dad took a deep breath and let it out noisily,
"Well I guess it all sounds a little crazy sitting here with you drinking coffee but I have to tell you that I was told a certain story by the Quileutes. A story that I found pretty crazy until I thought about it and my last visit. I guess the only way is to say it straight out. They told me their legends were true, that the guardian wolves and the cold ones actually existed. Then they proceeded with a demonstration, Jake Black turned into a wolf before my very eyes although I had to say I didn't believe what I saw at the time. Then they told me what the cold ones were, or are, I guess."
"So what are these cold ones?"
"Vampires"
The word hung between us awkwardly and Charlie smiled wryly,
"I guess the question I should be asking is are you vampires?
"If we said yes what would you do Charlie?"
Dad turned to Peter who had asked the question,
"I don't rightly know Peter. But even if you said yes I wouldn't feel any more scared. I stayed with you for a week before and you never bit me and believe me, I've checked."
He rubbed his neck nervously.
Jasper
I thought it might be better coming from me so I spoke up,
"Chief Swan"
"Charlie please"
"Charlie, we pose no threat to you but yes we are vampires, all of us"
It took a few moments for the significance of my words to sink in, then he looked at Bella.
"You too Bells?"
She nodded and rose to go to his side,
"It's what I wanted dad, to be with Jasper, as his equal for all time. I love him you see"
He looked at her then spoke to me,
"You changed her?"
"Yes, she asked me to. I love her and I couldn't bear to lose her."
"So I lose her instead?"
"No Charlie, not if you don't want to. Bella can cope around you and as long as you can accept what she is then there's no reason you shouldn't see each other whenever you want but she can't go back to live in Forks."
"Why's that?"
"Because she's stopped ageing, Bella will be this young and beautiful for all time."
He nodded,
"That's how come you seem so old for your years. You aren't really as young as you look, are you?"
"No."
"What about your mother?"
Bella shook her head emphatically,
"No. I'll just fade from her life, she's wrapped up in Phil so as long as I ring her from time to time I don't think she'll worry too much. Can you imagine her in a world inhabited by werewolves and vampires?"
He laughed at that,
"Yeah, Renee would just take it in her stride, as if it were the norm probably. She's always been a strange one."
"What about you Charlie?"
"I don't get you?"
"Will you be able to keep the secret? The wolves weren't wrong about the danger this information poses. Our ruling body, that's about as close as I can get to explaining the Volturi, have very few laws but the most strictly enforced is the one about humans being kept in ignorance of our existence. If they find out you are aware of us they will kill you and there's nothing we can do about that."
"If I don't tell anyone how will they find out?"
"Do you trust the wolves to keep quiet?"
"I know we've had a difference of opinion but I don't think for one minute they would put me in danger Jasper. Anyway what alternative do I have?"
"You could join us, stay in Bella's life for ever."
"You mean become a vampire too?"
"It's a possibility."
Bella
I hadn't thought about my dad becoming a vampire too but it held out the chance of keeping him with me.
"I don't know, I'll have to think about that."
"You'd need time to wrap things up anyway Charlie, or people would start looking for you and that we don't need."
He looked at me,
"What do you think Bells?"
"I don't want to lose you dad but it has to be your decision. No one else can make it for you."
Charlie
As I went to bed I thought about all I'd learned here today. These people certainly weren't like the vampires I'd watched in old horror movies when I was young but it still boiled down to the same thing, they drank blood, and only some drank animal blood. Could I choose a life where I might be taking human life instead of saving it, or at least trying to. On the other hand did I want to lose my daughter after finally reconnecting with her? I had friends back in Forks although fewer than I had a week ago, I had a job, a house, a life. Was I prepared to give all that up and start again? It was a difficult one but seeing Bella alive and well and happy did make it seem possible. I decided I needed a few weeks to make any decision. While I was here I'd discuss it with Peter and Charlotte, I didn't feel quite comfortable talking to Jasper or my daughter about it and had no idea why.
The next morning Bella and Jasper were absent,
"Hunting Charlie, they'll be back later."
"Hunting Peter?"
"Yeah, for animals, its like you going for breakfast in a truck stop, just more fun."
"Fun? OK Peter I need to ask you some questions about your life style"
He laughed at my choice of words,
"Hardly a life style choice Charlie, at least not for us."
"Are you willing to tell me how you were changed?"
He pursed his lips,
I guess so, my story isn't complicated really. I was minding my own business, living my life chasing girls and helping my family on the ranch when it was attacked. We lived close to the Mexican border although we knew strange and frightening things were whispered about the area but we had nowhere else to go. Anyway one day they attacked, my parents and little sister either died or ran away, died I guess and I was confronted by the most dangerous creature I'd ever seen. I guess I knew who he was because his name was whispered in connection to any atrocities in the area. I was lucky I guess because he was looking for new recruits for his army. I was bitten and changed, and a while later I met Charlotte and my life changed again. We were given the opportunity to get away from our leader and we ran. For a while we were nomads just roaming around, then we found this ranch and settled down, at least for most of the time. We still go walkabout every so often, mainly to feed. You see Charlotte and I still hunt humans."
I digested this nugget of information,
"Don't worry though, we are very choosy, most of our victims are the type of people you hunt only when we hand out justice they stop permanently."
I nodded,
"So who was this creature who changed you? Did you ever hunt him down?"
Peter laughed loudly and looked at Charlotte before responding.
"You could say that Charlie. I spent a lot of time and effort getting through to him"
"Did you kill him for what he'd done to you?"
I couldn't, you see I'd grown to respect him, I was his right hand man before I ran and our escape was only possible because of him."
"So he wasn't a monster after all?"
"I was Charlie. The monster of nightmares. Whatever you saw on the films about vampires was tame in comparison."
I turned to see Jasper and Bella in the doorway and he looked very serious.
"You changed Peter?"
"And Charlotte and thousands of other innocent humans."
"Why? Why so many?"
"Because I knew no other way at the time and because I was good at it"
"Good? You were the best Major don't be modest. Charlie The Major was never bested and he's still remembered by a lot of other vampires, most of who don't ever want to meet him in the flesh."