A/N: The last line in this chapter is a deliberate call out to chapter 11. This is a slower paced chapter compared to the last few, as it acts as a bridge into the next story arc.

In a first for this story, I had a tag team beta for this chapter. I thank amymorgan and her husband, Phillip, for the speedy beta. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly she manages to turnaround a chapter.

Chapter 36 – Reunion

I awoke to the sound of an annoying rhythmic beeping. Still groggy, it took me a second to realize it was coming from a heart monitor. A surge of fear shot through my system, and I had a moment of near panic as I felt the IV needle in the back of my hand and the coarse fabric of hospital sheets underneath my fingers. Had I dreamt the entire escape? Was I actually back in Eternal Life?

Slowly, I shifted my widening eyes away from the ceiling panels to take in my surroundings, afraid of what I would find. I fought tears when I recognized the figure sleeping in the chair next to the bed. Not only did his presence reassure me that it was not a dream, his was a face I had missed nearly every single day since my capture.

My dad slept slouched in the hard chair, his head braced against his arm. He looked liked he had aged years in the time that I had been away. His hair had a lot more silver amongst the brown, with many more frown lines on his forehead than I remembered. The one constant was his bushy mustache. He had that thing for as long as I could remember. I had teased him more than once about shaving it so he looked younger, and he would tell me that it gave him character. Memories of when I was a kid came unbidden, of how much that mustache tickled when he would kiss my forehead when he tucked me in at night or said goodbye on his way to work in the morning.

And it was those memories of that ridiculous facial hair that finally did it. I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. It was like a dam broke within me, and the weight of everything that had happened crashed down in a tidal wave. How could a person feel so much incredible joy and sadness at the same time? I was finally too tired to fight it, so I covered my mouth with both hands to keep from crying too noisily. The bulky plastic monitoring clamp attached to my finger felt cold and hard against my cheek, but I dared not move my hand. I didn't want my dad awakened by my moment of weakness.

When I was sufficiently in control and had wiped my face of the evidence of my little breakdown, I debated whether to wake my dad. He looked so peaceful sitting there that I didn't want to disturb him. Yet, I knew sleeping like this was not good for his old war wounds. There was also this sudden, overwhelming urge to hear his voice, to have him tell me that everything was going to be alright. So, as gently and quietly as I could, I called to him.

"Dad."

My voice sounded rough and scratchy. Even speaking as softly as I did felt like barbed wires coiling around my throat. I swallowed painfully, letting out a meek cough. Out of reflex I reached up to massage my neck, wincing when I brushed the bruises there.

My little whimpers apparently reached my dad, because he jolted awake and sat up abruptly. He took a deep breath and rubbed his face with his hand, then stretched his back. I couldn't help but crack a smile. Like me, my dad was not a morning person.

When he noticed me staring at him, he froze momentarily. Slowly he rose out of his seat and approached the bed, his gait slightly irregular due to his prosthetic. He never broke our shared gaze as he closed the distance. He leaned down once he got to the edge, and gingerly pulled me against his chest. I closed my eyes, breathing him in and feeling the warmth from the contact.

"Welcome home, Bells," he whispered softly into my hair. So soft that I felt his words rather than heard them. Being so close, I could feel him trembling.

"Thanks, Dad," I muttered just as softly against his shirt.

We clung to each other for what felt like an eternity. Somehow I knew if we broke apart before we both were ready, we would just set each other off and end up sobbing in each other's arms. And that was not the Swan way.

Finally, my dad cleared his throat and his body relaxed a little. I took it as a sign that he felt strong enough to talk. We released each other and my dad moved back a little to sit on the side of my bed. His eyes were misty, as no doubt were my own, but neither of us was going to acknowledge it.

"How are you feeling, kiddo?"

I smiled again. I didn't know if dad realized it, but that was the second time he called me by a childhood nickname. He hasn't called me "Bells" or "kiddo," in years.

I took a moment to ponder his question. My ribs were still sore, but not as bad as before. I did, however, have a dull headache that was getting harder and harder to ignore. My head felt constrained by something. I raised a hand to my forehead, and hissed as a sharp pain shot right between my eyes as I brushed lightly against a bandage wrapped around my head.

"Well, I was feeling pretty good until I just pulled that stupid move." I grimaced. "Do you know what happened? I…ah…How did I get here?"

My dad's smile disappeared into a look of concern. "You don't remember?" I shook my head lightly, and his eyebrows knitted together. "What's the last thing you do remember?"

I thought about my answer carefully. The last thing I remembered was being on Seth's back holding Edward, but I didn't think I could say that without raising way too many questions about my sanity. You see, dad, I was on top of this giant werewolf and holding this vampire. Yes, apparently the Quileutes are werewolves and it's okay that their reservation is so close to the Forks base. See, they are good monsters and don't present a security threat at all. Oh and why was I holding a vampire, you ask? Well, I wanted him to be safe because I think I may be just a little bit in love with him. Yeah, that would go over real well. I hated to lie, especially to my father, but I wanted to learn more before I decided on what to reveal.

"Uhm, let's see. I think there was a fire? Some sort of explosion?" I kept it deliberately vague, hoping dad would fill in the gaps.

He nodded. "Two days ago, we had an unmanned drone doing routine aerial patrols in the eastern sector. The UAV detected a large explosion at the old Dow Chemical factory. We tasked it to investigate and it picked you up on the infrared sensors."

"Since this was pretty deep inside our perimeter, the brass green-lit a ground mission to find out what happened and bring back survivors. We launched a Blackhawk with Apache gunship support to your location. We found three survivors – you, a teenage boy, and one of your attackers."

I frowned in confusion. One of my attackers? Didn't Edward tell that vampire, James, that all his men were dead? And I saw Seth kill James. Who was dad talking ab –

Edward. He was talking about Edward. My breath hitched and my heart thumped in my chest when the answer dawned on me. I gnawed on my lower lip, using the pain as a distraction to keep my face as neutral as I could.

"You were unconscious, and the vampire seemed to be in some sort of shock." Dad stroked his mustache out of habit. He eyed the medical monitors briefly before looking at me again. "Or at least that's how the Marine Sergeant described it over the comms. The boy, he said his name was Seth. Kid was suffering from some form of post traumatic stress or something. He was babbling about how you three were trying to get away from the fire and then you fell off his back and hit your head and he couldn't wake you up."

"We took the vampire into custody and flew you and the boy here. The Doc said you had a concussion and some internal bleeding. If we hadn't gotten to you as soon as we did..." Dad trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. I reached out and padded his arm.

"Hey, it's okay, Dad. I'm here, I'm safe now."

"Yeah, you are," Dad said, more to himself than to me.

I opened my mouth to ask about Edward and Seth when the door opened and a nurse strolled into the room.

"Oh pardon me, Colonel Swan, I didn't think anyone was in here. I have to change the Captain's bandages."

Dad turned slightly red and quickly excused himself before I could stop him. Before leaving, he planted a light kiss on my forehead, which made me all emotional again. I couldn't say anything more for fear of losing control. He stopped at the door to promise to visit me once he was off duty later in the day. Then he was gone.

As the nurse worked, I realized that it was damn lucky she walked in when she did. I was desperate for more information about Edward and Seth, but my mind was muddled by a combination of aches and pains and what were no doubt powerful painkillers in my body. I couldn't think clearly, and my emotions were all over the place. I had to tread carefully. I was sure I would expose my feelings for Edward if I started talking about him. I was a horrible liar, especially when it comes to my dad. The last thing I needed was to be sidelined by a psych evaluation. That wouldn't help anyone.

The nurse peeled back the bandages around my midsection, giving me a chance to see the damage for the first time. My torso was a lovely shade of yellow and purple, with a neat row of stitches to the side of my abdomen. The nurse quickly covered it up with a set of fresh bandages, making me wince a little from the pressure to the area.

"Sorry, Captain," she said apologetically. She placed the soiled dressing into a red bag and sealed it. "Anything else before I go?"

"Yes, Do you know long I have to stay at the hospital?"

"Well, let me get the doctor for you and you can discuss it with her."

The doctor came in about ten minutes later. After looking over my chart and asking some basic questions, she had a rather positive prognosis. There didn't seem to be any complications from the surgery, and nothing more serious than the concussion and some soft tissue damage. I asked about my throat, and was told that the condition was due to a combination of the pressure from being choked and all the fumes I inhaled from the toxic fire. She informed me with some proper rest, I could be released within the week. It was frustrating to be immobile once again, but at least the recovery was going to be a lot less brutal this time.

She prescribed some more painkillers before she left, which had me floating around on a fluffy cloud for a good long while afterward. Modern medicine rocked.

I was eventually knocked out of my pleasant haze by a commotion right outside my door. I tensed momentarily before I made out some of the distinct voices.

The door popped open and in waltzed Tyler and Eric, with Jonah and Elodie just a step behind.

"You can't all be in here at the same time," the nurse said in exasperation. She tried to come into the room, but Elodie blocked her way. Her tall frame easily dwarfed the smaller nurse.

"Excuse us," she said frostily. I could only see the back of her head, but judging from the nurse's stricken expression, Elodie was no doubt shooting her one of her infamous glares. Before the nurse could do anything else, Elodie closed the door in her face.

The gang spread out a little at the foot of my bed. Now that they were all here, I realized I really missed them. Unlike my dad, they all looked pretty much the same. They were all still in fatigues, so they must have come straight from the base.

"Queen Bee! Good to have you back to the land of the living," Tyler mugged cheekily without missing a beat.

"Yeah, it's great to see you, boss lady. I knew the vamps couldn't keep you down," Eric chimed in.

"It's great timing too, Elle's been in charge since you've been gone, and she's been a ball-buster," Tyler said in a mock conspiratory tone. Elodie narrowed her eyes at them both.

"Well, if you two behaved more like men and less like little boys I wouldn't have to discipline you so much," she retorted, though there was no malice in her tone. There was a trick to reading Elodie's moods. Her melodic accent had grown much more subdued over the years, flaring up only when she got angry. The angrier she was, the thicker her accent grew, until it just devolved into furious cursing in her native tongue. She gave me a small smile as a way of saying hello.

"I think I like her better when she would curse at us in French," Tyler stage-whispered to Eric.

"Yeah, at least then it sounded exotic," Eric lamented theatrically. He turned to Jonah. "Did you really need to do that good of a job teaching her the language, Jonah?"

"Indeed," Jonah said cryptically, his face passive. It's amazing what he was able to convey in nearly monosyllabic responses. He greeted me with a nod and another simple utterance, "Captain."

"Woah, now, Jonah. Don't get over excited!" Tyler said sarcastically.

"Yeah, Jonah, I'm sure Bella doesn't want you to be all emotional about it," Eric piled on. Jonah ignored them with trademark zen-like calm.

"It's good to see you guys," I said, genuinely pleased by the visit. Even Eric and Tyler's antics, which normally annoyed me, seemed endearing after such a long time away.

"Wow, loving the new huskiness. You got a kind of a Demi Moore sexiness going on there, Queen Bee," Tyler wiggled his eyebrows comically. Elodie promptly smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow!"

"So how long are you going to be laid up, boss lady?" Eric asked.

I brought them up to speed on my diagnosis. They knew better than to ask too many questions about my escape, since I have yet to be debriefed properly by Intelligence. They did let me know that the news of my return had spread across the base like wildfire. The guys had Tyler charm information out of one of the female Blackhawk pilots, which was how they ended up on my doorstep. Tyler was quite the lady's man, and had a habit of exploiting loose lips…of all kinds.

The gang also updated me on what had been going on around the base since I had been gone. They got folded into Mike Newton's squad for a while, but that didn't work out too well. True to form, Elodie refused to put up with any of Mike's bullshit. Apparently it all came to a head in a no holds barred drunken barroom brawl. After that, Elodie finally had enough and threatened to quit if she had to keep following the guy. After all, she was only serving the air force on a voluntary basis. She had a stellar combat record with some very impressive kills, so the brass capitulated and reinstated my squad as a separate unit under her command. The guys restored the old squad nickname after the reinstatement, the Blue Swans. I was touched by the gesture.

Following protocol, they didn't go into classified mission details. But from what they were able to discuss, it seemed that the Legion troops were easing up on their attacks in recent weeks. They were pulling their forces back on several contested fronts, and Intelligence has not yet been able to pinpoint where all this manpower had gone. The general assumption was that the vampires were concentrating for a major assault, with the Forks base a high probability target. People have been getting nervous, waiting for the other shoe to drop. So my return was a much needed shot in the arm for general morale.

I asked about the outcome of my last mission, but unfortunately the details were still classified and the guys didn't know too much. Obviously Mike had made it back safely with the package. Whatever it was, the brass was evidently pleased enough with the outcome to give him a promotion to major. I hoped that the new rank gave him some much needed maturity. But after Elodie's account of the bar fight, sadly that didn't seem to be the case.

I wondered if it was a good sign or a bad sign that there was no public news of the weapon this many months after Mike returned without me. Was it because the weapon didn't work? Or maybe there were unforeseen side effects that made it less effective? Maybe they were keeping it as a secret while they stockpiled it. I thought back to General Winslow's assessment of the war before I left. I hoped what Mike brought back was enough of a deterrent to stave off the inevitable attack.

Elodie looked at her wristwatch. "We've got patrol duty in thirty, people. Besides, I'm sure Bella has all she could take of you two screwballs for the day." She pointed back and forth between Eric and Tyler for emphasis.

"Naw, the Cap loves us. Don't ya, Cap?" Tyler directed at me with a big goofy smile.

"Right, she loves you like a boil on her ass," Elodie quipped. We said our goodbyes and the guys proceeded out the door. Elodie was the last one in the room. She stopped at the door.

"Get well soon, Bella. Squad's not the same without you."

"Thank you for holding everyone together. You guys stay safe until I get back," I said.

She smiled and nodded, then closed the door with a soft click behind her. I was alone once again.

I was really worn down by that point, but I fought to stay awake until my dad came back. I needed to find out what happened with Seth and Edward. To distract myself, I turned on the TV. I was shocked by the amount of coverage on me. Evidently the cat's out of the bag now.

The media didn't seem to have too much information beyond knowing that I was back, but they sure had a good time speculating wildly. I rolled my eyes at some of the theories being thrown around by the pundits about my return. It ranged from dramatic rescue missions to daring escape plans. There was even one guy who thought it was all an elaborate ruse, that I was on some sort of super secret infiltration mission to assassinate Legate Jane. You would think I was Wonder Woman by the way they were talking about me. I had to laugh at their assessment of my abilities. They would probably change their tunes if only they could see me now, laid up here in the hospital with all these colorful bruises.

I was trying to enjoy the food they served for dinner by the time Dad came back. Trying being the operative word. Honestly, haven't I suffered enough? I was pretty sure tapioca pudding didn't normally have the consistency of soup.

"Heard you had some unexpected visitors," Dad said.

"Yeah, it was good to see everyone. They aren't in any trouble, right?" I half asked, half pleaded.

"Well, I'll give them a pass this one time. But I'm going to have to post MPs outside your room from now on. I want to make sure you have your privacy, Bells. There's a lot of people interested in talking to you."

I tilted my head at the now-off TV, indicating that I had some idea. "Guess I'm Miss Popular right now."

Dad chuckled. "That's an understatement. I've got reporters camping out outside the base, waiting to jump on anyone coming in and out. Had to sneak out of my own damn base to avoid them."

"Looks like I'll have to hide out on the base for a while once I get back," I said with a snort.

Dad shook his head in amusement. "Easy there! Focus on healing first. Don't be in such a hurry to go back to work."

"Can't help it," I said with mock petulance, "I take after you, remember?"

"That you do, Bella. That you do," Dad said wryly. "Hey, got a surprise for you."

That's when I noticed he had his hand hidden behind his back. When he brought it forward holding a greasy plain brown paper bag, I nearly squealed with glee.

"Is that the Deluxe from the Diner?" I was salivating like one of Pavlov's dogs.

"Your favorite."

He placed the bag on the tray in front of me, and I practically ripped the paper to shreds trying to get to the deliciousness inside. After an intolerable amount of fumbling with the bag and the wrapper, I finally got hold of the bacon double cheeseburger. I took as big of a bite as I could fit in my mouth without choking, and couldn't help the content moan as the flavor hit my taste buds. The crisp bacon, the juicy ground beef, the gooey cheddar cheese, it was like manna from heaven.

We sat in comfortable silence while I finished the burger. I wished I had a cold beer to wash it all down with, but alcohol probably didn't mix too well with my meds.

"Thanks, Dad. That really hit the spot. How did you sneak it pass the nurses?"

"Well, I just said it was my dinner. They didn't ask too many questions."

I took a deep breath. Now comes the hard part.

"So listen, um, we were interrupted this morning. But, er, I like to know more about what happened," I said hesitantly.

"Sure, what do you want to know?"

"Well, I wanted to know a little more about the two people found with me."

Dad scratched his chin. "That boy, Seth, is still under observation in the hospital. He's in a separate wing."

"Is he okay?" Seth seemed fine when I last saw him. Maybe the explosion hurt him more than I thought.

"As far as I know, he's physically fine. The doctors are keeping him here as a precaution because there's something unusual about his bloodwork. He told us he was from La Push, and we verified his identity with the Quileute council. Arrangements will be made to return him to the reservation as soon as he is properly interviewed and cleared."

"Could I see him?" I was hoping to have a private discussion with Seth. We can get our stories straight and I could ask about Edward.

"Just who is he to you, Bella? He keeps asking to see you, too. You and Subject X14."

"Who?" I asked, confused by the reference.

"The vampire that we brought back. I don't know how you managed to take him down, but you did good, Bells. I've been told he is one of the oldest specimens we've taken intact. We've transferred him to a secure research facility. I can't go into too many details until you've been cleared, but we've been doing important work with the package Newton brought back. Subject X14 is going to help us with that. I think Seth called him Edgar or something."

"Edward," I corrected without thinking, too shocked by Dad's revelation. I realized my mistake when my Dad's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Bella," he said slowly, "why do you know the vampire's name? Is there any truth in what the kid's been saying?"

Shit. I closed my eyes. "Dad, it's complicated."

"I got time, explain." I couldn't help but bulk a little as his Sheriff persona came across in his tone.

Dad sat quietly while I talked about my last few months, starting with waking up in the hospital with Carlisle to the fight at the chemical plant. Throughout, I talked about the role Edward played in my rehabilitation and escape. I kept my eyes trained on my hands while I spoke, looking at him out of the corner of my eye every once in a while. He had an impenetrable look on his face, and it was difficult to gauge his reaction.

"Edward saved me, Dad. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here," I finished. This time the silence was far from comfortable.

"Dad, say something. Tell me what you're thinking."

Dad stroked his mustache for a moment longer. He took a deep breath, and seemed to have a sadness in his eyes. "Bella, I want you to listen very carefully. Don't discuss this with anyone. Do you understand? I don't want you to risk your career until we figure out how to fix you."

His words puzzled me. "I don't understand."

"Well, it's obvious this vampire did something to your mind, to make you think this way. Maybe it's some sort of glamour. We still don't know what they are capable of accomplishing with their abilities."

I felt my face crumple. My dad didn't believe me. He thought I was delusional. "No, no! If anything, Edward said that I was immune to their powers for some reason."

Dad gave me a skeptical look. "You just happen to be immune for some mysterious reason to vampiric powers?" When there's been no documented history of such immunity in the years of fighting? Don't you find that to be too convenient?"

I shook my head. "You're wrong, Dad. Seth knows the truth. He can corroborate what I told you."

"For all we know, the vampire could've done the same thing to him," he dismissed it out of hand.

"Stop calling him that," I snapped, my frustration finally boiling over. "He has a name. It's Edward. He deserves a medal for everything he's done, not to be experimented on like some sort of animal."

"Do you hear yourself, Bella?" Dad shot back, his agitated tone mirrored my own. "He's not a man. He's one of them. And I won't let him drag you down in the mud. You are not to talk to anyone about the vampire until we get this sorted out. And that's an order, Captain."

I stiffened. Dad had never pulled rank when it was clearly a personal conversation between father and daughter. It was an unspoken line we've never crossed. He seemed to realize it a moment after I did. His face softened immediately.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that." He rubbed his face with his hand. "Look, it's been a long day. Why don't I see if I can clear Seth for a quick visit? If you are still feeling up to it?"

When I was little, my dad would bribe me if he ever did anything to upset me. I guess old habits died hard.

I nodded my consent. It was clear we weren't getting anywhere right now, and I did want to at least see Seth to make sure he's okay. Dad left the room and returned half an hour later with Seth in tow. When he saw me, he rushed forward and grabbed one of my hands.

"Bella! Oh Bella, thank god. They wouldn't tell me anything or let me see you." His eyes were rimmed red from crying.

"I couldn't wake you up. And Edward wasn't getting any better. And…and.." Fresh tears were in his eyes as his voice cracked. "I thought I lost you too."

I sucked in a breath at the word "too." I think I always knew it in the back of my mind. I couldn't voice it until now. "Leah and Jacob?"

He shook his head sadly and looked down, his tears falling freely now. "I heard them say goodbye through the link. I felt them disappear. They're gone. They -" Seth couldn't continue. I squeezed his hand to offer what little comfort I could.

"Oh Seth, I'm so sorry."

I gave my dad a look over Seth's shoulder, silently pleading with him for some privacy. He appeared to consider it for a moment, then walked out the door and closed the door behind him.

Seth was openly crying, clutching my hand tightly like a lifeline. I felt so helpless, lying here, unable to do anything except bear witness to his pain. It was a stark reminder of how much I have failed. Too many people have died because of me. Angela. Leah. Jacob. And others have suffered. Tanya. Edward.

Well, I was not going to fail Edward. I will find a way to save him. No matter what the cost.