Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.

Thanks to my lovely betas, Chloe Cougar and Squeaky Zorro, and to all my wonderful readers and reviewers. Your support and kind words have meant so much to me this last week. Glad you're enjoying having Charlie on the scene, but wow…some of you guys really don't like Jacob very much, do you?

Just a reminder that I tweaked the Twiverse a little in this tale. Bella kept visiting Charlie every summer, so her relationship with her dad, Jacob and the others was already well established before she made the move to live in Forks permanently. Hope that helps make better sense of Jacob's reaction…though he was still a jerk to go to Charlie.

Updated: Thursday, January 26th 2012 – A day early because it's Australia Day!
Words: 2445

Ch 38

Control

BPOV

The pain was excruciating.

The incredible scent—of my father's blood!—caused a burn in my throat unlike anything I'd experienced so far, triggering an overwhelming desire to hunt its source and…and…

I couldn't remember wanting anything so badly before in my entire life, but I was determined to resist, no matter how much it hurt.

"Daddy?" I whimpered, reaching toward him and using the name I hadn't called him since I was a little girl. Speaking exposed me to more of his unbelievable scent, and I clamped my hand over my nose and mouth.

A war raged inside me. If Edward hadn't been holding me and Jasper virtually saturating me with his talent in his efforts to bolster my self-control, I would have attacked my own father. The knowledge was devastating and brought home to me the inhumanity of my new vampire nature in a way I'd not yet faced.

Pain lanced through me at Charlie's query about my eyes, and I burrowed into Edward's chest while I fought for control. Vampires were good multi-taskers, Edward had said, and I'd experienced it already to some extent, learning to manage all the added input I received from my heightened senses. More recently, I'd used my shield to protect Edward from everyone's thoughts while we made love.

I could do this.

Calling on my new brain power and capabilities, I corralled the animalistic desires that were doing their best to overwhelm my human emotions and wishes.

I would not hurt anyone, no matter how much the vampire side of me thirsted for human blood, now that I had smelled it for the first time and had an idea of how amazing it would taste.

But that was irrelevant, I told myself.

I would never taste human blood…especially not my own father's.

While a part of me listened to the explanations that Carlisle was giving Charlie, the majority of my attention was focused on gaining control over my thirst. Little by little, I felt myself winning the battle, until I eventually had the raging, bloodthirsty beast inside of me figuratively cornered and penned. Confident that I could at least open my mouth to speak without losing it, I gripped Edward's arms tightly. Warning Jasper with my eyes not to back off with his support, I tried to reassure Charlie that I was okay. But when he told me he was going to fix everything so that he could take me home, my heart broke.

That was just like my dad…the fixer…the doer. My mom complained that when they were together he wasn't sensitive enough to her needs or able to communicate his feelings the way she'd wanted, but I'd always appreciated his practical nature. It was a lot like my own.

But then he asked why Edward was with me, and I wondered how on earth I was going to explain our relationship.

"Yeah, well…she thinks they're married," Jake informed him with a sneer, and my self-control wavered, though it was Jake I tried to lunge at this time and not Charlie. I couldn't believe he'd betrayed me like this—my best friend—telling my dad about Edward's part in my becoming a vampire and no doubt painting everything in the worst possible light.

"Easy, Bella," Edward murmured close to my ear, and I turned in his arms to cling to him, absorbing the comfort and calm of his touch.

"Married?" Charlie exclaimed. "Bella…I've had about as much of this nonsense as I can take. Jacob said this boy attacked you…that he's the reason you're a…a…"

"A vampire." I finished for him, looking up to see the anguish in his eyes and knowing that it matched my own expression. "He is," I admitted and felt Edward flinch. "But he's also the one who's been helping me to adjust and to stay…sane through all of this. I need him, Dad."

Charlie ran his hands through his hair, reminding me of Edward when he was frustrated. Then he took a step toward me, but the Cullens moved at vampire speed to block him, causing his eyes to widen and his heartbeat to accelerate…temptingly.

"Edward?" I whispered, gripping his arms so tightly I felt the bones move beneath my fingers.

"It's all right, sweetheart. Just hold your breath when it gets too much for you. You're doing incredibly well."

"Let's take this inside where we can sit down," Carlisle suggested, and I imagined he must be worried about Charlie's health with all the shocks he'd received.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Edward asked. "Bella's father's scent will be more concentrated inside the house."

"How about we all go and take a seat on the back patio?" Esme offered. "I'll put the kettle on. Would you like a coffee, Charlie? I could cook up some breakfast for you if you like."

His eyes shot to her face, and I could only imagine what had to be going through his mind. How bizarre it must seem to be having breakfast offered to him by a friend that he's just discovered was actually a vampire, after seeing another friend's son morph into a giant wolf before his eyes…and all before seven in the morning.

"Coffee would be good, thanks, Esme," he replied, and then he looked in my direction.

"I don't really understand what's going on, Bells, but I don't want to make this any harder on you than it already is. Are you going to be okay if we sit near each other while we talk?"

Nodding, I tentatively smiled my reassurance. "Yeah…I think I've got it now. But Edward will have to stay close to me, so I don't lose control."

"If you say so," he grumbled, shooting an angry glare in Edward's direction before turning and walking with Carlisle and Esme up to the house.

As soon as he was out of earshot, I turned on Jacob who'd stayed behind.

"How could you?" I hissed, tugging myself free from Edward's and Jasper's hold with alarming ease, making me realize how much I'd been working with them beforehand. "I thought you were my friend. You could have given my dad a heart attack, phasing in front of him…and I could have killed him!"

"Hey! How was I supposed to know you'd go all feral over your dad's smell? You were fine with Harry."

"You should have asked first!" I shouted, holding back from poking or hitting him as, with the mood I was in, I was fairly certain I'd break his bones. "Do you know how much danger you've put Charlie in? If the Volturi find out that he knows about vampires, they'll kill him, Jake!"

"Whoa…what's a volturi and why haven't we been told about them?"

Sam, Leah and a couple of others arrived just in time to hear Jacob's question and to see Carlisle and Esme taking a seat with Charlie up near the house.

"Jacob, what have you done?" Sam demanded.

"What needed to be done," Jake retorted. "It sounds like the bloodsuckers have been holding out on us…in even more ways."

"Use that term one more time, Jacob Black, and I won't be responsible for what happens," I growled at him, and he looked at me in alarm.

"You know I don't mean you, Bella!"

"Well I'm one of them now, so show some respect. Edward helped me to save your life yesterday as well as everyone else's, and Carlisle's taking care of Seth. You're the one who went to Charlie without asking if that was what I wanted…or if it was safe!"

I was so angry I could spit. No matter how glad I was to see Charlie, I didn't want him in danger…from me or anyone else.

"Hey! Who's watching Seth?" Leah suddenly demanded, looking around to see that we were all present on the back lawn.

"It's okay," Edward called as she started to run toward the house. "He's sleeping…I can hear his thoughts…he's not in pain."

"Thanks," she replied over her shoulder and kept going.

"How's your dad?" I called, sprinting to catch up with her, Edward, Jasper, and everyone else hot on my heels.

"Harry? What's wrong with Harry?" Charlie asked, having heard my query.

Close enough to his scent to be bothered by it again, I came to a sudden stop, relieved to feel Edward's arms encircle me even if Charlie didn't look very impressed by the move.

"Harry came to the house last night to check on Seth, who I accidentally crushed when he was in wolf form as he was trying to stop me from saving Edward from the other wolves who were trying to tear him apart, and he had a heart attack when he saw me," I explained in a rush.

Emmett snickered, and I glared at him. This wasn't funny, and I probably shouldn't have blurted it all out l like that. Charlie was looking decidedly pale.

"You okay, Dad?" I asked, dragging Edward a few steps closer. "It's all right," I told him and Jasper when they moved to block me. "I'm not going to hurt him, I promise. I won't get too close."

"As long as you're sure," Edward murmured, and I smiled up at him before returning my attention to Charlie who was watching us with a bewildered expression on his face.

"I'm fine, Bella. Don't worry about me...I'm just glad you're still alive. But what's this about you crushing Seth?"

"Accidentally," I repeated, cringing.

Esme arrived with Charlie's coffee and a tray filled with pastries and muffins that Alice must have bought on a hunch. While Charlie slowly sipped his drink and the Quileutes worked their way through a mountain of food, the rest of the story unfolded. Charlie asked the occasional question, his eyes rarely leaving my face, but he mostly listened…taking it all in.

I wasn't all that surprised when he asked for a repeat demonstration of the wolf-phasing thing, as I could imagine it would take more than one viewing of something so fantastical for him to believe even his own eyes. Not having seen any of the Quileutes phase before, I was equally astonished when Quil and Embry did so after being ordered by Sam to demonstrate for Charlie and then continue on with their patrol. They sacrificed their shorts so that we could see them phase without having to undress first, but Sam assured us that they had spare pairs hidden in various locations throughout the forest.

"You've seen how fast we can move," Carlisle spoke into the silence that followed the boys' howling departure into the trees. "Is there anything else you'd like us to show you?"

Charlie looked to where I'd taken a seat a little distance away, wrapped in Edward's arms and with Jasper and Emmett sitting to either side. I didn't dare move any closer, though the longer I stayed within range of my father's human scent, the easier it was to bear.

"They say you're the strongest, Bella, because you're one of these newborns. Is it true?"

Deciding that the best way to answer was also by demonstration, I stood, and with the three boys by my side, walked over to where Esme had placed several enormous decorative stone urns on the edge of the patio. They were almost as tall as me and would have been impossible for me to budge even an inch if I'd been human, but I grabbed the rim of one of them and lifted the urn high up in the air…easily.

"Well, I'll be damned," Charlie muttered, shaking his head, and even Jacob looked impressed. He'd been quiet for a while, finally seeming to realize how incredibly upset I was with him. I still couldn't believe the risk he'd taken with Charlie's life, acting impulsively out of anger and spite, and I had a feeling it was going to be a while before I could forgive him.

He wasn't happy about seeing how close I sat with Edward—not that I cared what he thought after the way he'd acted. We'd yet to address that issue with Charlie, and I wanted to be the one to try and explain before Jake could do any more damage.

With that in mind, I took a deep, fortifying breath…and regretted it immediately when Charlie's scent assaulted my senses, the fire in my throat roaring painfully to life. Jasper stirred beside me, no doubt sensing my increased thirst, and I burrowed into Edward's chest. It was a few moments before I regained enough control to broach the subject.

"Dad there's some other stuff about vampires that you need to know…stuff that affects me and Edward," I told him, my voice sounding a little hoarse.

"I'm listening," he grumbled, leaning forward in his seat. Despite the fact that neither he nor I were overly demonstrative, I could tell that he was aching to give me a hug. I couldn't take the risk of getting that close or accidentally crushing him if I did try to hug him, but I knew exactly how he felt.

Deciding to try a slightly roundabout approach, I enlisted Jacob's unwilling help and asked him to explain about wolf imprinting. The way Jake glared at me told me he knew what I was doing, but he owed me, so I didn't back down.

"Is that what happened between you, Leah, and Emily?" Charlie addressed his question to Sam when Jacob had finished his explanation. Sam nodded soberly and told their story.

I felt so sad for Leah, hearing how she and Sam had been in love until he'd met her cousin and imprinted on her, changing all their lives forever. He also told us about how Emily had received her terrible injuries. I didn't know Sam's fiancé, not having met her as she'd arrived since my last visit to Forks. But the situation sounded painful for all involved, and I was glad that Leah wasn't present for the retelling, though she'd no doubt have heard every word from inside the house with her enhanced hearing.

"I'm guessing you wanted me to hear that for a reason," Charlie addressed me when Sam had finished, intuitive as ever. "You going to try and tell me that vampires have something similar, and that's why you're letting the boy who attacked and almost killed you sit so damned close?"

Gulping, I nodded, feeling Edward move restlessly in the seat beside me.

"Edward's my mate, Dad. I can't live without him."

~OB~

Yep…kind of half a chapter, but with so much going on now in the story (after I dragged out the 'getting to know you' chapters forever), I decided to split it into two. I'll have the second half up on Monday.

Any guesses as to how well Charlie's going to take Bella's declaration?

xxx TLSue

PS: Thanks to Virginia May for giving Once Bitten it's 1900th review.