Moonlight

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter.

Chapter Forty-Two-Father and Son

Bella was extremely tired when they got back to La Push and went straight to bed. Jacob immediately followed her, not caring anymore what Charlie thought about them sharing a bed. He was done with all pretences now. The police chief was in his old bedroom getting changed out of his uniform.

Before Jacob had taken two steps, Billy called him to one side, telling him he had something important to say. Irritated, Jacob told Bella he wouldn't be long. She gave him a wan smile in response before disappearing into the twins' old room and closing the door behind her.

"Can't this wait until the morning?" Jacob asked in annoyance as he settled down on the old couch.

"No." Billy said curtly.

Jacob's suspicions were immediately aroused when he noticed how uneasy his father looked. Billy was having trouble looking him directly in the eye, he was fiddling with the hem of his shirt to give him something to do with his hands. They'd already had one minor disagreement about the case of beer they'd picked up on the way home. Jacob had warned Billy he was tired of lecturing him about overindulging with alcohol, his father's mumbled response had been. "Its not for me."

"What's so urgent that you needed to tell me right this minute?" Jacob demanded when Billy didn't say anything right away.

Billy took a deep breath before answering. "This isn't easy for me to say…. but you were right."

"I am?" Jacob regarded his father curiously. "What was I right about exactly?"

"All the secrets." Billy confessed with difficulty. He tugged on a stray thread on the hem of his shirt and it slowly began to unravel. He felt like his emotions were heading the same way. "I thought I was protecting you by keeping you in the dark…. but I was wrong. And I'm sorry."

"A bit late…but better late than never, I suppose." Jacob replied grudgingly. He tried to stifle a yawn. He was already missing Bella and was longing to crawl into bed beside her and hold her in his arms. "If its my forgiveness you want, then its yours. Can I go to bed now?"

"I'm not done yet."

"What more is there?" Jacob said impatiently.

"I'm going to tell Charlie everything." Billy confessed.

Jacob swallowed the anger that was like a fire-seed growing in his belly. His fists clenched and he tried to supress the angry outburst that was threatening to erupt at his father's thoughtlessness. He kept his voice low when he spoke, but he still made his frustration clear. "You never think things through, do you?" He accused. "Is that what the beers are for? You think you can get Charlie drunk and tell him a little horror story about vampires and werewolves and expect there to be no fallout? What about Bella? Did you even consider her when you came up with this mad plan to tell Charlie? She's been through enough these past twenty-four hours and you want to pile more stress on her. You can be so selfish!"

Billy's brain stuttered for a moment; he hadn't even considered what confessing to Charlie would do to Bella. "I did…didn't think." He stammered.

"That's the problem. You never do. You jump in with both feet regardless and the rest of us are left to deal with the consequences." Jacob argued. He stood up, shaking his head in disgust. "So much heartache could have been avoided if you'd just been honest from the beginning."

"Jake, I'm sorry." Billy pleaded. "You're right. I didn't think. I was just trying to do the right thing."

"The right thing would have been not to ambush me late at night with your bullshit when I've already had a stressful day. But I suppose I'm lucky you bothered to tell me your intentions." Jacob's voice was full of bitterness. "I'm supposed to look to you for guidance, Dad. But I feel like I'm the one always having to step up and take control. Not because I want to, but because I have to."

"I'll do better." Billy promised fervently. "Just give me another chance. I'll do right by you and Bella. I'll…."

"Just shut up!" Jacob snapped in aggravation. "You want to tell Charlie? Fine. But it needs to be done the right way. No getting him drunk. That's just a clusterfuck waiting to happen. We'll ease him in. We'll call a meeting under the guise of a bonfire party or something. I want everyone there-the pack, the elders. You and Old Quil can tell the old legends. Hearing them properly might get Charlie's brain ticking over…. he's an intelligent guy…. expect him to start asking questions. And when he does, you'll be ready to answer them. If he needs proof. Then we'll show him proof."

"Yes…that's a much better way." Billy agreed gruffly. "I should have thought of that myself."

Jacob heard movement from his old room. Charlie had changed and was getting ready to come out and have his little 'talk' with Billy. "Charlie's coming. You can start the ball rolling by planting the seed in his head about the bonfire party."

"I'll do that." Billy was completely chastened. Humbled, he looked up at his son apologetically. "You have your mother's wisdom. She had a good head on her shoulders. I never did." He sighed. "I am truly sorry, Jacob."

Jacob's exhaustion was overwhelming. He didn't want to fight with his father anymore. "We'll get past this. If we're done, I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, son." Billy said forlornly as Jacob left the room without making a sound.

The next morning Jacob woke up from a dreamless sleep to find Bella curled up against him, her head pillowed against his chest. He smiled and breathed deeply. Waking up beside her was like a little bit of heaven. She murmured something, her lips moving as they touched his skin, her breath tickling. Jacob hoped she wasn't cold. He had kicked the blankets off sometime in the middle of the night.

Jacob leaned on his elbow so he could look at her. She was so soft, so tiny, so delicate. Her skin, so pale and translucent in contrast to his own, seemed to glow in the soft morning light coming from the window. Her silky brunette hair fanned out in a luxurious curtain over his torso and the pillow. She was so beautiful and he loved her so much.

As he continued to watch her with loving eyes, Bella began to stir beside him. She breathed deeply and rubbed her cheek against his chest before she opened her eyes. "You are here." She murmured. "I'm so glad."

Her voice was so clouded with worry that it concerned Jacob. "Hey, are you okay, Bella, honey?"

"I don't know." Bella's expression turned troubled. "I had such a strange dream."

Jacob had witnessed many of her nightmares before, but he hadn't felt her stir once. She had remained firmly pressed against him all night. "Do you want to talk about it? It wasn't about him, was it?" He couldn't bring himself to poison the atmosphere by saying Cullen's name aloud.

Bella's face contorted slightly at the reference to Edward. "No."

"Then what?"

"Leah."

Jacob's eyebrows rose in surprise at this admission. "Is this because of what I said at the police station yesterday? If it is, I'm sorry. I – "

Bella put her forefinger over his lips to hush him. He quietened as she traced the pad of her finger along his lower lip as she tried to explain herself. "When I said a dream…I didn't quite mean it like that. Its more a feeling. Something is wrong…. or something is going to happen…. I don't know…perhaps it's nothing." She frowned slightly, shrugging.

"Maybe you could go and visit her or something. Put your mind at rest." Jacob suggested.

Bella's brow smoothed out and she smiled. She ran her hand down his side. Her touch, gentle and firm, made him shiver with anticipation. He was just about to lean in for a kiss when a sharp rap on the door made him groan in defeat.

"Breakfast." Charlie called out impatiently. "Time you were both getting up!"

Bella was alone in the kitchen. Charlie had already left for work. Billy had hitched a ride with him, deciding out of the blue he wanted to visit Old Quil. Jacob had left to join his brothers on patrol. He promised that one of the pack would always be on watch nearby. There was no way Edward Cullen would be able to sneak onto the res again without them knowing right away.

Bella was considering following through on Jacob's suggestion to visit Leah. The uneasy feeling that had been plaguing her all night still lingered. She hoped seeing the other girl face to face would help put her mind at rest. But first, there was another difficult task she could no longer put off-checking in with Alice. She didn't even know if Alice knew that Edward was back on the scene. With the wolves monitoring her every move, the little psychic was practically blind.

Propping her cell phone on the table as she prepared to facetime Alice, Bella psyched herself up mentally as she waited for her to answer. She didn't have long to wait. A face appeared on the screen in front of her, but it wasn't the one Bella was expecting.

"Rosalie?" She said, shocked.

"Hello, Bella." Rosalie greeted her softly. Her bright blonde hair framed her lovely face, which seemed to glow in the diffused light. "You're looking well."

Bella's stomach twisted nervously. She wasn't prepared for this. To face the one Cullen who didn't like her, and had caused so much trouble by sending Jasper to find Edward. "Where's Alice?" She asked hesitantly.

"She's preoccupied at the moment with Jasper." Rosalie's words came out awkward, stilted. "We've literally only just arrived – "

"You're all at the house in Forks?" Bella cut in abruptly.

"Yes." Rosalie confirmed. "Listen, Bella, I…."

"I really don't want to talk to you, Rosalie." Bella interrupted again. "Tell Alice to call me when she's free."

"Bella, please don't hang up just yet." Rosalie pleaded urgently. "I need to tell you how vey sorry I am. I shouldn't have interfered. I regret it now. I feel absolutely wretched about my part in all of this. If I had known…."

"Save it for someone who cares!" Bella cut her off again, her anger overcoming her nerves. She wasn't interested in the beautiful blonde's apologies. "You have no idea of the trouble you've caused. Because of you, I've had to endure Edward sneaking onto the res without my knowledge, and finding me when I was at my most vulnerable." She paused in her rant, breathing heavily as she saw the look of alarm that crossed Rosalie's face at this startling piece of news.

"Bella, I…." Rosalie began.

But Bella quickly shut down the call, immediately regretting that she had said too much. She hadn't meant to let her mouth run away from her. She blamed Rosalie's impetuousness for a lot of the trouble they were now facing, with Edward still on the loose. At least the coven knew that Edward was back now. She would wait for Alice to call her back; in the meantime, she would follow through with her decision to go and check in with Leah. It would provide the distraction she so desperately needed.

A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.