TWENTY-ONE

The room was absolutely silent. The tension was so palpable that I was surprised I did not choke on it. The four younger looking vampires had gone deathly still. My mates face was buried in my hair with his nose pressed behind my ear, though he did not purr as he normally would. While I could not see her, I knew from the lack of flurried sounds that Esme had stopped moving all together and was waiting, as the rest of us were, with baited breath. This was just as important to her future as it was to mine. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach when my father shook and bowed his head.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Charlie repeated, before looking up with dark eyes. "I'm sorry if my own reservations have put more stress on you. You've had a whole year to adjust to this. I haven't even had a whole day."

"I know, Dad," I sighed. "I'm sorry."

"No, Bells, I don't think you do." I winced at his words, but apparently Charlie was not done. "When Esme told me how much you and Carlisle mean to each other, I had a lot of doubts. When I heard Carlisle's remark on the field, it only made me believe that there was no possible way that you two could have such… love and respect and adoration for each other."

I felt hope well up inside me and my mate's arms slide around my body, as a soft purr began to fill the room, offering me comfort and reassurance as he nuzzled my hair.

To my surprise, a tight smile crossed Charlie's face. "You'll always be my little girl, Bells, and he'll never be good enough for you." His smile got a bit bigger when he heard my mate mumble 'he's right' in my hair. "But then again, no one else is either. I guess, of all the men you could have chosen, I think Doctor Cullen is probably the best choice you could make."

I was not normally given to grand displays of emotion, but relief and joy hit me when I realized that, in his own special way, Charlie had just given his blessing to the relationship. I immediately bounced from Carlisle's grasp to my dad, hugging him tightly and whispering my thanks.

"I just want you to be happy, Bells. And obviously Carlisle makes you happy."

I smiled and was about to sit back down, when I felt myself being lifted into the air. Within the blink of an eye, I found myself staring at my now empty chair and heard the growing volume of my mate's purr as he snuggled me in his lap. I had never heard him purr so loudly and I was not the only one who found it amusing, as Jasper and Emmett chuckled right along with me. "You might want to tone it down, Carlisle," the giant chortled. "We're going to go deaf."

I realized that Carlisle must have glared at his giant of a son when everyone started laughing. "Emmett, don't pick on your father," I said with a grin, trying to defend him even as I found the situation entirely adorable. "He's very happy right now, so leave him alone."

"Yes, Mommy."

The purring stopped and everyone went silent again, only this time the focus was on me.

I glanced at my father, to Esme, to Carlisle, back to Esme and to Emmett. "While I don't know what's going to happen with the family dynamic, I know this - I'm no one's mommy!"

"What is going to happen?" Rose queried to no one in particular as she hopped up onto the island counter. "I mean, with Carlisle being the leader and Bella being his mate, she obviously speaks for us when he can't. I'm personally fine with that, but…" She gestured to my dad. "We've not stopped to think that it might be awkward for Charlie with his daughter having control of our family."

Everyone looked at Charlie, who stared at me. I shrugged. "I've already had to lead the family twice, due to Carlisle being distracted. I had to make the choice of telling the wolves that you were Esme's mate, because Carlisle was a bit preoccupied with restraining himself from killing Jacob for being a brat."

Jasper snorted loudly. "Bella-darlin', brat isn't exactly the word that I'd use. Despite the obvious differences in our species, there are some similarities in how we mate and how they imprint. He knows what you being mated to Carlisle means and he was being obscenely inappropriate."

"What did Jake do?" my dad asked warily.

Esme called over from the stove. "Believe me, Charlie-dear, you don't want to know."

Charlie glanced to her then back to me. "That bad?"

I nodded. "Yes. It was that bad. It was not only rude but stupid on his part," I explained. "Because he broke the treaty, it was within our right to demand his death without retribution. The Cullens can change anyone they want outside of Washington, but Carlisle was just trying to be respectful by letting Jake live and requesting my change in exchange. When I mentioned you being Esme's mate, Jake… Well, Jake acted like Jake."

"But to change me, we have to leave Washington and not come back?"

Carlisle raised his head from my hair. "Not necessarily. Sam is a very smart man. He knows that we were going to have to leave in a few years anyway, due to not aging. When we leave, the current wolves will stop shifting and the gene will go dormant. Within seventy or eighty years, all of the elders and current wolves will be deceased. No one in the tribe will be alive to remember what was said, and even if the story gets passed down, Sam still left us a loophole." I did not have to look at my mate to hear the smile in his voice. "Even though he said we could not turn you in Washington, he never said that we could not return to Washington. Just 'this territory'. He means Forks and of course the reservation. We can go to Seattle, Olympia… anywhere but Forks."

Emmett chuckled. "Damn mutt is smarter than he looks."

The rest of lunch went rather peacefully, with Charlie seeming to be mostly at ease with the situation between Carlisle and I. Once or twice, a few comments got to him and he frowned in typical that's-my-baby-girl-you're-talking-about displeasure. However, he quickly seemed to adapt to this, as it became more and more apparent that nothing was thoroughly secret or sacred in this family, no matter hard anyone tried to ignore or hide anything.

When we went to the large den, Emmett and Jasper wanted to play video games, so their ever-patient mates settled onto the floor with them. My mate and I commandeered the sofa, leaving Esme to curl up against my father on the love-seat.

Charlie, unsurprisingly, had a lot of questions and was curious about their answers. He was surprised that, despite appearing like they were wrapped up in their games and magazines, the four younger-looking vampires were able to throw in their own opinions without ever really breaking their concentration. His first question, of course, was about everyone's age, and the look on his face when Jasper revealed that he had been a Major during the Civil War was priceless. He had several more questions for the various family members about how they came to be with the Cullens, which everyone seemed more than willing to answer. We all went stiff when he asked the one question everyone was dreading: How many in the family had drank human blood?

Carlisle took in a very deep breath and answered with a slow, calming tone, "Everyone in our family has slipped before, as it is very difficult for newborns to resist the thirst." When Charlie questioned him about how many times he had human blood, trying to ascertain my safety, my mate sighed. I knew he did not really want to answer the question, but being the man he was, he felt that he should be truthful. "In all honesty, Chief, I have never actually slipped. To say that I have slipped or that my choice was an accident or a mistake would be an insult to the bond I share with your daughter."

I saw my father stiffen and draw in a deep breath, so I supplied. "Dad, it was my choice. From the moment he was changed until a few days ago, Carlisle had never tasted human blood. Aside from me, he is completely desensitized to it; blood does not affect him at all. I'm the only person in this world whose blood Carlisle can smell, and the only reason he wants mine is because I'm his mate. He does not want to hurt me. He does not want to drain me. He just… liked the smell. So I offered to let him taste. The majority of what he drinks is animal blood. I'm… I'm like the dessert." Charlie's lips twitched, and I grinned as I watched him try to suppress his begrudging amusement at my analogy. "Just know, Dad, that it's consensual... and I enjoy it."

My dad sighed. "I can't say that it thrills me to hear that, but I know Carlisle won't hurt you." He titled his head, thinking. "Did they make an exception because you are mates?"

He was obviously talking about the treaty with the wolves.

"No," I answered firmly. "It's why we have to be careful around the Blacks. Carlisle is allowed to bite me to change me and that's it. If they knew he was drinking my blood, the family would be hunted down and killed."

Charlie's eyes went wide. "And you're willing to risk that?"

My mate and I answered 'yes' at the same time, and I added, "The family supports us. It was difficult for Carlisle to accept first, because he felt it was unfair that he gets to drink from a human when the rest of the family has to work so hard to control their thirst."

"And they don't find that unfair?" my dad asked.

"No," Jasper answered, ignoring his game for a moment to look at Charlie. "Being that it's the hardest for me, since I drank human blood for well over a century, you'd think I'd be angry about it." He shrugged. "But I'm not. It's his life, his choice — just like it was my choice to find Carlisle with Alice. If it bothered me, I could leave at any time. He's happy. She's happy. And God knows that after a half-century of sensing his depression and self-loathing, getting happy vibes from him is much better than feeling him wallow in despair. I say more power to him. Now I don't have to constantly feel like I want to throw myself into a raging inferno."

Charlie looked surprised. "Why wo—"

"He hated himself that much," I interjected. "He didn't hate his species, just himself."

"Isabella is my saving grace," my mate whispered above me before burying his lips in my hair. He suddenly shifted us, stretching out on the sofa and propping himself up on the leather arm. He then settled me between his powerful thighs and wrapped an afghan around me before cuddling me to his chest. "T'amo tanto, mia streghetta," he purred into my hair.

I heard my dad ask Esme, "What did he just call her?"

Esme laughed. "It's an inside joke between them, but it means 'my little witch'."

"Witch?" Charlie repeated.

"Yep," I answered with a smirk. "He likes to torment me, don't you, Reverend?" When he growled in warning, I settled down and nuzzled my face into his chest.

I could hear the discomfort in Charlie's voice when he asked, "Do I want to know?"

There was a loud, resounding answer from everyone: "No!"

.

I lay propped up on a mountain of pillows, sending an email to Renee from my phone. Just as I hit the send button, a knock on the door got my attention. Since Carlisle was out hunting still, I called out for whoever it was to enter, thankful that I had decided to put on black, fleecy pajama bottoms and one of Carlisle's button-up blue shirts. Was it the sexiest outfit I had ever worn? No. Was it one of the most comfortable? Yes. And considering I was on my period for the second day, comfort beat out looking attractive. Of course, then again, men seemed to enjoy looking at their women wearing their clothes, so he just might get aroused by my bedtime wear anyway.

"He will!" Alice chirped when she bounded through the door and onto the bed. "But don't worry. He'll know you're not feeling well and will be a perfect gentleman." She held out a large glass of chocolate milk, a cookies 'n' cream bar, a hot water bottle, and some Midol. "I thought you might need these."

I smiled, grateful that Alice could look into my future and make things a bit easier on me, particularly at the present time with all the changes occurring due to being Carlisle's mate. "How does Jasper think the day went?" I queried curiously. While I had a vague idea of Charlie's thought process and emotions, I knew the empath could sense subtle things that I never would.

"Actually, he said that Charlie is handling it surprisingly well," the vampire said softly. "He still is having a bit of trouble coming to terms with the fact that you aren't a kid anymore. But, at least now he understands that Carlisle isn't going to hurt you and that he does actually love you as much as Esme has said. While he'd never admit it, Jasper said that Charlie seems rather fascinated by Carlisle's behavior. Of course, he doesn't like seeing it directed at you too much, but he is intrigued by the level of devotion and awe. You shouldn't worry about Charlie, Bella. It'll take time, but he's doing okay."

"Thanks, Alice. I appreciate it."

"No problem," she chortled. "Now, Carlisle will be back soon so I will let you relax. Have a goodnight!"

As I took a big bite of the creamy candy bar, I glanced around our bedroom, or rather Carlisle's bedroom. The room was neither feminine nor masculine, with silvery-white carpet, navy blue walls, and cherry wood furnishings. The massive four-poster, king-sized bed, which was against the left wall as you came in, was the same cherry wood. The glass wall made up the far side of the room, and the door to the bathroom and closet were on the right-hand wall, along with the elegant chest-of-drawers.

My mate had a total of three rooms in this house, but out of all of them, this one was the only one that did not seem to have any definite personality. It was glaringly obvious that his office and his study were his, because the designs and personal touches absolutely screamed Carlisle Cullen, yet this room… this room seemed devoid of life. I wondered if he even considered it his room at all and wondered how much time he had spent here before me. Of course, while the room did not seem to completely fit his personality, it was still his room.

It was true that I had spent a lot of time here and that some of my personal affects and clothes were here, but I was not entirely sure if I actually had any kind of claim on his personal space. I sighed at these thoughts while I stared at the white door of the closet, pondering a comment he had made before about his territory. I shook myself for letting my hormones get the better of me. I mean, it did not really matter if it was his room or our room, right?

"Would that I join thee in thy world of pensive dreams," he breathed into my ear, causing me to jump in surprise. A small smile graced his pale pink lips as he glanced from all the chocolate and hot water bottle to my solemn face. "Where was your mind just now, bella mia? You looked lost, like you were uncertain of where you were or where you are going."

I tried to smile, but could not. I really just did not have the energy tonight. "Nowhere special, I promise," I answered, trying to joke but failing miserably. "My hormones decided they wanted to depress me tonight by bringing up random and completely insignificant thoughts."

In a blur, he moved me and the blankets. Within moments, I was under the covers with a heating pad on my lower back and the water bottle placed across my abdomen. He sat behind me now instead of the pillows. As he handed me the candy bar and glass of milk back, he pulled my back to his chest, murmuring in my ear, "No thoughts that you have, m'amore, are insignificant. They are all important to me, cara, especially when they bring you sadness." He pressed a kiss to my temple. "So tell me, mia cuore, what is wrong?"

"It's stupid," I argued pathetically, receiving a gentle chide for it. "Really, Carlisle, it's silly and doesn't mean anything. My body and mind are just messing with me."

He growled softly in my ear. "Isabella, you know that it distresses me when you keep these things from me. You seem to believe that your problems, your thoughts, your fears, your dreams are not worth telling to me, but I can assure you that what may seem trivial to you is of the greatest importance to me. And if I do not know what troubles you, how am I to heal the wounds of your heart?"

I chortled softly. "Believe it or not, Carlisle, you can't heal everything."

"I can try," he returned gently and sincerely. "Please, Bella."

I wiggled in his arms until I was able to bury my face in his chest, trying desperately not to cry but knowing that I was failing miserably when I felt the shirt he was wearing grow damp under my cheek. "I was thinking about your room."

The confusion in his voice was apparent. "I am not quite sure that I understand. Which room are you referring to?"

"This one," I muttered unhappily.

"M'Isabella," he cooed, "this room is as much yours as it is mine. To be honest, before you fully entered my life a few days ago, the only time I came into this room was to retrieve clothes or to utilize the shower when necessary." He cocked his head to the side, his topaz eyes showing his bewilderment. "Is that why you were upset?" When I mumbled about it being silly, he shook his head. "Mia streghetta, I can assure you that it is not at all silly." He wrapped his arms tightly around my form and rocked me gently. "Vampires are more serious when it comes to their space, and until you, cara mia, I never felt that this space was mine. I had no attachment to it. My study and my office were my rooms, because that was where I spent almost every moment of my time. With you here, it's no longer some empty room where I place my clothes. It is our shelter. It is our sanctuary. But without your presence or desire to be here, without you sharing this room with me, it is simply that - a room. It is just empty walls.

"Do you know how much joy you bring into my life? And how dull and gray those walls were without you to bring light to them?" He nuzzled his lips into my curls and sighed contentedly. "When I call you m'uzzola, just as I call you cara mia or m'Isabella, it is because you truly are the delight of my life, just as you are my most beloved, my Isabella."

I smirked. "Does this mean that I'm your pet as well?"

"Yes."

I glanced at him in surprise and confusion, slightly hurt, until he cupped my cheek and explained. "Yes, mia passerotta, you truly are. You are mine and you belong to me. Just as with any pet, it is my duty to look after you, protect you, take care of you, show you all of the love and affection that I have for you, and only for the price of your love and affection in return. You are, in all sense of the term, my most cherished and beloved pet, mia streghetta."

I blushed, feeling the hurt dissipate into feelings of contentment and happiness. "You know, from anyone else, I doubt that I could have accepted that explanation." I kissed his jaw, murmuring my love for him, before pulling away and smiling brightly. "Lucky for you, I know how to get my own food, and I don't need a litter box."

.

TBC

Today's Latin Proverb: Carpe Caseus! (Seize the Cheese!)