Author's Note: Thank you for all the comments, reviews, and support! It is greatly appreciated! :) My mother also thanks those who have wished her well!

*Bella*Bella*Bella*Bella*Bella*Bella*

Once we were on the road again, I bit my lip, wondering if they would start questioning me. I could certainly understand why they would, since they'll be protecting me in Forks and Jacksonville. I didn't know how much Carmanos told Ben about the Cold Ones who hurt me, but I know Carmanos didn't know much of the story either.

"Don't worry, Bella. We can talk on the plane too, so you have more than enough time to explain everything. Godric and Eric arranged for it to be a private plane since we are vampires. You can start explaining now, though," Ben told me.

I mentally started panicking, scared about having to go through the story again. Carmanos must have sensed it because he tried to reassure me.

"It's okay, Bella. From what I've heard, it's an extremely painful story. You had told me that they hurt you, and that your life had been at risk for a while because of what they did. Hearing what he said must hurt you even more. It's okay if it takes a bit of time to tell the story, and understandable if you need to take a few breaks in between."

I smiled; "Thank you."

He smiled back. "You're welcome, Bella."

I took a few deep breaths and prepared myself for telling them the story.

"I was in the middle of my junior year when I moved to Washington…" I started.

I went on tell them about how he was at first, what happened at the baseball field, and the ballet studio before I landed in the hospital from James. They didn't take it well either. Both sets of fangs clicked out during the story and didn't retract. Their dark gazes looked murderous. They did look pleased when I told them James was dead, though not enough to satisfy the thought they weren't going to hurt them just from what happened there. There would be plenty of cause for that when I told them the rest. We had arrived on the plane already and were in the air, on our way to Port Angeles. Since it was a private plane, it could go straight to Port Angeles instead of going through the Seattle-Tacoma airport that was much larger.

I took a break then, letting them process what they'd learned, but more importantly, to eat something. I got a banana and some almonds that Eric had put in my bag and ate them, thinking of how to tell Jake what happened. I knew that Jake and the pack wouldn't be happy, but I was hoping they would understand why I had to tell them. Once I finished eating, they had me continue. I told them about the summer that had been amazing (well, up to that point, it was the best summer I've ever had), my unwanted birthday party, the epic break up, giving up in the forest, and the zombie stage that stopped when I found the items in my floorboards.

They were very happy that I had healed from what happened to me so well; happy that I wasn't a zombie still; happy that Eric and Godric had helped me heal so much. That gave hope to Ben that Godric could help his mate heal from what had happened. He didn't say what exactly, but at the house, he had said many types of abuse. There weren't many other kinds of abuse than what she went through as far as I knew. They were also raging at what they did. They had knowingly left me in mortal danger, to face Victoria alone, not having known the wolves were back. All of this after claiming I was his mate, while only being what they called 'la tua cantante' or his singer. They explained that my blood sings to him, and that's probably what he mistook for being his mate. They said it also makes their job harder.

They wanted to know more about the wolves too, but I wasn't too willing to give information on them, when I knew they were probably going to be mad enough already. I did tell them I thought they were werewolves, but Godric said they were really a different kind of shape-shifter specifically made to kill Cold Ones, and that they were the size of a horse. I had also told them that one had a bit of a temper problem. I told them Jacob is my friend, and he's the one who completely rebuilt the engine for the truck they couldn't believe even started. They were impressed by that since he was fourteen and fifteen at the time. I didn't tell them anything other than that. They did remember about them protecting me from Victoria though.

It was a near four and half hour plane ride made shorter by talking, eating, and surprisingly playing games. Ben and Carmanos taught me how to play Texas Hold 'Em; I caught on quickly and it was really fun. We took a break to eat snacks. It was time to land soon, and once we were on the ground and parked, our luggage was put in a car that was waiting for us. I climbed down the stairs clumsily; at one point, I tripped on the metal stair and started falling. Ben caught me and Carmanos carried me the rest of the way. I thanked them both and I was put in the front seat of the car.

We headed to the Interstate, going to Forks. I was hesitant to get there, but at the same time, I couldn't wait to see Charlie, Jake, Billy, Angela, and the rest of the pack in La Push. I finally figured out a way to explain to them why I needed to reveal their existence; now I just had to get there. I wasn't sure how to handle seeing the Cullens again. They abandoned me and meeting them again was inevitable regardless, since they were sort-of vampires, and now my mates are vampires. During the length of eternity, it was inevitable at some point. I just thought I'd have longer. I think I can forgive some of them. Is it sad that what used to be thoughts of perceived true love are now thoughts of whether I should ask someone to carry out the eerily scary thoughts I was starting to think of concerning Edward and torture? I knew I could and they would happily oblige… my entire new family would; however, I still wanted to think of myself as not having gone that far into darkness yet. The vampires around me, most over 1,000, were probably thinking a lot worse, so that thought was kind of comforting.

I did figure out how to break the news to Charlie too; he knows they are vampires already, so that helped. I wonder what he'll do once he finds out. Hopefully not try to shoot him.

It was mostly silent on the rest of the way; they had a GPS so I didn't need to give directions, only Charlie's address. They had the radio on one of the local stations and Carmanos was singing along. We finally reached the Welcome to Forks sign and I sighed in relief. I could finally talk to Charlie and the pack. It had been six hours since we left Shreveport. When we pulled onto the little street where Charlie's house is, I smiled. I had texted Charlie that we were almost there a few minutes ago, so he was outside waiting. When the car stopped in the little driveway, Carmanos and Ben had me walk with them just in case the other vampires caused a problem. We left the bags in the car for now and went to greet Charlie.

"Hey, Bells," greeted Charlie.

"Hey, Dad," I answered back.

In a rare show of emotion, Charlie and I hugged each other before letting go and going inside once he invited Carmanos in.

"So, are these the two vampires you told me about… your mates?" Charlie asked.

I was surprised but should have realized he would have assumed they were. I shook my head. Before I could answer, Ben thankfully took over the introductions.

"Her mates asked us to come along and keep her safe. I'm Ben; this is Carmanos. Yes, we are vampires, but we're a special kind of vampire. Yes, we are like the kind known to the public. However, we can walk in the daytime because I'm part vampire and part something else. I don't need an invitation into a home either. I'm pretty much the exception to the rules of vampirism. The vampires I've turned can walk in the sunlight as well. However, you cannot tell anyone this; try not to think it even. While there are species that can read minds, right now the concern is a telepathic Cold One," the very ancient vampire told him.

Charlie stared at him in surprise for a minute before answering. "Telepathic Cold One?" Ben nodded. "Who would that be exactly?"

"Dad, Alice can see the future, Edward can read minds, and Jasper can feel emotions," I told him bluntly. He looked stunned.

Ben turned towards me. "You mean you hadn't told him before now?"

"No, I didn't mention it. He had been through a lot that night when he found out and I didn't think to bring it up since," I explained.

He looked at me with a hidden slight rage. "Anything else you happen to be hiding?"

I thought for a minute. Victoria flashed through my mind, but that didn't need to be told. "Not really."

"Who was that girl in your mind? The one with the red hair?" Ben asked.

I looked surprised. "How can you tell that?"

"I can read minds too; part of what else I am. Now answer," he demanded.

"Her name is Victoria; she's a Cold One. She's James' mate. She's the one that was after me, trying to kill me for a long time because she thought I was Edward's mate. But when she came to Fangtasia, Eric and Godric told her that instead of being Edward's mate I was theirs. She isn't a threat anymore," I answered.

Carmanos nodded his head. "She's right; I was there."

He turned towards Carmanos, waited a minute, and then nodded his head. "Very well."

I turned towards Charlie. "There's something you need to know; it's about Edward." We went into the living room and took seats. I sat closest to Charlie, who sat in his arm chair, with Carmanos to my left, and Ben to his left. "On the way here, Jake called me. He told me that the Cullens were back and that Edward is engaged." I paused, seeing if he would react.

"That jerk! How dare he come back here with his fiancée?! After how he left you, and what all of them did to you, they shouldn't be able to come back here! Ever!" Charlie yelled, turning red.

"Dad?" He looked at me and waited. "There's more. Remember me telling you about their cousins from Denali?" He nodded. "They're here too; one of them is his fiancée." His color darkened. "All of them want to keep you and me safe except for Edward and his fiancée. They want to hurt you, and they want to hurt me."

He sat back processing this. His color lightened again and he started smiling. Ben started chuckling and smiling.

"That's a rather good idea," Ben told Charlie.

He nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I recommend you get Bella's help on it though. She has a better idea of that than the rest of us."

He nodded, and after another set of 'thank you' and 'you're welcome', Charlie told the rest of us. "After Harry died, I started to think of retiring from the force."

I was surprised to say the least. "You love being a cop."

He smiled. "I sure do, but I love fishing more. I love you even more."

I smiled. "I love you too Dad."

"I already put the paperwork in, Bells. I'm retiring; the official date being tomorrow. They understood; I told them the day Harry had a heart attack that I wanted to and they started preparing everything then. I've lost a few friends in the past year and I want to do more than just stay in Forks and see you only every now and then. That's why I started looking for houses in Bon Temps near Aunt Adele," Charlie announced.

I was stunned at first, but then I smiled and stood to hug Charlie. "Are you sure about this? You love Forks!"

I saw a tear forming. "I do, and I'll miss it, and Billy, but Billy's been thinking of leaving the reservation too. He wants better opportunities for Jake. You know that Rachel came back from Seattle and got together with Paul, and Rebecca's married to a surfer and goes all over the world with him. Paul wants to leave too, and Rachel has too many bad memories of her mother dying to want to stay here. They've been looking for places near there too. Jake misses you."

I was extremely touched. I stood up and gave him a hug, tears making my vision a little blurry until I blinked and they fell. He gave me a hug back before I went back to sit down. We talked a little more before there was a knock at the door. Carmanos went to answer it just in case. It ended up being Jake and Billy with three pizzas. I immediately stood and hugged Jake. He picked me up and spun me, hugging me tightly; both of us smiled brightly, happy to see each other again.

"Bells! I've missed you so much!" Jake greeted in his booming voice.

"I've missed you too Jake!" I exclaimed.

"We brought pizza for you guys! One whole pizza is for me though!" He started laughing, and so did I.

"That doesn't surprise me!" I commented.

Ben looked at me confused. "Why?"

"Because he has a giant appetite!" Jake and I started laughing again, both thinking of the night before I left. "Jake, do you think we can talk for a minute out of Charlie's hearing range?"

He nodded and we went up to my bedroom. "What's up?"

"The reason why I had to tell about you guys being werewolves." He stiffened. "I'm really sorry, Jake; Victoria was after me and they needed to know how I was alive after they left. I didn't say it at first; I didn't want to. However, because I did, I found something out about the pack that could change things for the better."

He looked confused. "What do you mean, Bells?"

"You know how Godric and Eric are, like, really old?" He nodded. "They know about werewolves… and shape shifters. They said you guys are shape shifters. The stories your tribe has about being created by magick because of Cold Ones are true. You guys are shape shifters, not werewolves. Werewolves are the size of a regular wolf. You guys just happen to be wolves; you could have been bears instead, but they chose wolves."

He stood there surprised. "Bella, that's incredible! Wait until the pack finds out about this! There will be a party!"

"I'm sorry I had to tell though; they needed to know what they would be arriving to, which includes you guys protecting me too. There's also Paul and his temper; they'll be on the reservation with me to keep me safe."

He looked hesitant. "We'll need to talk to my dad about them going onto the reservation. They're still vampires, Bella."

I bit my lip. "Speaking of vampires, my mates want to talk to you next time."

He laughed. "You got it! I'll give them the 'hurt you and die' speech!"

I sighed and giggled. "Oh, Jake!"

"What? Someone has to take the place of your big brother, since you don't have one and all!"

We smiled and walked back downstairs. Jake walked over to his dad and whispered something in his ear. Billy rolled himself over to Charlie.

"Charlie; I forgot something in the car for you. It's in the trunk, and there's an envelope in the glove compartment too! They both have your name on it."

Charlie nodded and took Billy's keys before going out to Jake's Rabbit. I just now noticed the difference, not having seen the car since I left.

"Wow, Jake! Nice paint job! I'm glad you finally got your car done!" I complimented him.

He grinned largely, showing off his sparkly teeth against his russet skin. "Thanks!"

"Okay," Billy started. "We have to hurry before he comes back in. As an elder of the tribe, I can grant you access to our lands; however, there are conditions that come with this access. You can't feed on anyone on the reservation. The only ones you can hurt are the ones that try to hurt you, your friends, Bella, or our people. If the Cold Ones come on our land, you have our permission to capture them. I know you and your friends plan to torture the one Bella dated. I'd rather he be tortured than ended quickly after what he did to all of us with his decisions. Do you accept the terms?"

Both Carmanos and Ben agreed quickly. Jake told Billy what I told him real quick. He wasn't happy at first, but was astounded by the information uncovered by me doing so. He understood why I had to tell though. They'd rather them know and be prepared instead of accidentally attacking, especially with Paul's temper.

Charlie came back in then. "Billy, where did you get this thing?" he asked while carrying in an older looking wooden wolf statue. I stood there surprised; it was amazing. It was a wolf with all four legs on the ground, howling up at an invisible moon, most likely full. You could see the care in the details because of the incredible depth of the wooden eyes and the texture of the fur carved into it.

"I carved it when I was younger. I thought it would be better if you bring it with you to Louisiana as a reminder of this place. You don't have very many of them. We have lots of them; I figured giving you one would be giving it new life."

Charlie looked at him touch with his eyes glistening. "Thank you, Billy; it means a lot that you would do that."

"You're welcome, Charlie!"

They hugged each other and we all sat down in the living room to eat.

"Don't worry, Bells. We brought enough for the blood- I mean vampires too, just in case!" He started chuckling awkwardly.

I smiled. "That's very nice of you guys!"

Jake smiled and nodded. Before Charlie could open the envelope, there was a knock at the door. I stood up to get it but Carmanos nearly jerked me back down. Jake went stiff and put his pizza box down, and Ben put his plate to the side as well.

Ben looked over at Jake. "I know you want to go out there and rip his throat out immediately, but do remember we're surrounded by houses with unknowing people." Jake sat back down, huffing. "Carmanos, keep her here." Ben then went over to the front door, opening it to reveal someone I could only guess the identity of. My line of sight was blocked from my seat. "You aren't welcome here."

Jake was shaking before the answer came from whoever it was. I put my hand on top of his, which calmed him down enough. He smiled over at me, which I returned.

"That isn't your choice. It's Bella's and Charlie's decision," declared the musical voice that I once fell in love with. I felt the pain come back fully, nearly doubling me over. "I wish to see Bella," he demanded.

Charlie stood up and walked to the entrance of the living room, staying well enough back that Edward had no chance of getting to him through Ben, unless of course Ben let him, which I knew he wouldn't. That would translate to Edward winning after everything he did; plus if Charlie got hurt, it would hurt me.

"I say you're not coming in and to leave us alone," Charlie told Edward.

I heard Edward cry out in rage, and a cracking sound. The house shook immediately, and I felt fear course through me. Jake started shaking, standing and going to a distance safely away from us that he wouldn't destroy anything accidentally.

"How dare you show me that?!" Edward raged.

Charlie's voice was cold and angry as he answered. "Because that's what you did to my baby girl, you sparkly disco ball!"

I assume Charlie thought of how I was during my zombie phase. I heard a growl that was inhuman. "How could you tell him that Bella?" he yelled through the door.

Ben's voice was tightly strained as he told Edward, "I suggest you walk away while you still can, Cold One."

My phone rang right then. It was Godric. I looked to Carmanos and he knew I was wondering if it was okay. He nodded and I answered.

"Hi, Godric, and I assume Eric too," I greeted.

"You assume right, little one," Godric confirmed. Just hearing his voice soothed my nerves and fear, if only for a moment. "What has you so afraid?"

I bit my lip, hesitant to tell. What would they do? Carmanos moved my face with his finger on my chin gently. "You need to tell them."

I nodded. "Edward is here, at Charlie's house."

I heard the snarls from the other side of the phone. "How dare he show his face again in your presence?!" Godric growled. "After the Hell he put you through, he has the audacity to show up at your father's house! He will pay for this!"

After a moment of intense growling, and at one point Godric informing Ben's mate it is not her, it is something happening to his and Eric's mate (aka me). She relaxed and went back to what she was doing.

"Why is he there?" Eric asked.

"We're not sure," I answered.

"We'll need to call you back in a few minutes," Carmanos told them before hanging up.

My mates sent me their love through our bond; I sent them my love back, along with thanks. The house shook again, and a bit of plaster from the ceiling came down in dust. Would the house survive this?

"You want to keep your species a secret yet you continue making a spectacle of yourself," Ben observed. "You're starting to draw attention to yourself from the neighbors."

Carmanos' fangs clicked out, and he looked like he was concentrating on something. "We have more company. Coming in from the back."

Jake turned to me. "Bella, the pack is outside in the back just in case because we don't trust them. If they try anything, you'll be safe."

I smiled. "Thank you, Jake."

He nodded. "I'm going out back to phase, he told us."

We nodded but Charlie looked confused. Billy had closed his eyes in resignation and sighed. I reached over and put my hand on his arm, causing his eyes to snap open surprised. I smiled.

"It's okay, Billy. Charlie would find out eventually. Besides, it looks like there's about to be a fight. That means it'll become inevitable that he'll see the pack fighting in the back yard."

He smiled and put his hand on mine. "Thank you, Bella. You really are wise for your age."

I chuckled. "Renee always said I had an old soul; that I was too mature for my age."

He chuckled too, but then there was a crash in the back. Carmanos moved me, Charlie, and Billy into one corner of the living room before standing in front of us. I felt fear course through my veins. Ben came in too.

"Edward walked off; my guess is he's going around to another place that he can flash into the back yard without being seen. His girlfriend is here; the wolves are a bit too far behind. She's in the house, and Jake's too big to fit through the door in his form without tearing the house apart. The wolves agree that the Cullen boy needs to be tortured and are okay with packing him into boxes and shipping them to Louisiana," Ben filled us in.

A light-blonde, long, slightly-curly haired girl with black dress pants, flowy black shirt, wide brown belt on her waist, black knee high boots with no heel, and an animal-skin-like black jacket came in. She had a black pearl necklace on her neck and a large ring on her left ring finger that was oval and had lots of diamonds; the ring looked old. Her eyes didn't really have make-up on that I could tell, but they were an orange, pumpkin-pie color. Looks like someone's been cheating on their diet. She glared heatedly at me, her eyes darkening in color and getting closer to black by the second. She slinked forward, reminding me of a jungle cat creeping up on its prey before it springs into action. She stopped about three feet away from Ben. She sized him up, and likely correctly guessed she couldn't take him. She turned her hate-filled gaze to me.

"You're the one who my fiancée is going on about?" She looked surprised. "This insignificant human is the one he wants to kill? What a waste of time! He has torture plans drawn up for you, yet you look so fragile you'd break from a single light touch, as though wind can knock you down. How pathetic!" She sneered at Bella. Her voice held a covered accent, and spoke of the Russian background Edward told me they held. It was light and floated, but was filled with malice.

"At least I'm not the one who's known for being a promiscuous killer," I responded.

She looked outraged. "How dare you speak to me that way?!" she yelled.

Carmanos leaned down and said lowly, "Are you trying to antagonize the situation?"

I shook my head no and he sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Where would you even hear such disgraceful things, you pathetic human?" she asked with venom pouring out of her mouth, quite literally. She was salivating venom out of her mouth, snarling at me.

"Your fiancée, when he was my boyfriend," I informed her.

She froze at that. "What?"

"He said you and your sisters are how the succubus myths were created; that you merely took your physical pleasure, making it theirs too, and then fed off of them, leaving their bodies where they lied and naked. He said you were the worst of them," I relayed to her what Edward had spoken when I asked about who he stayed with when he left to stay in Alaska after we first met in Biology.

She stood there shocked before just sitting on the ground. She looked lost in thought as the man I never really wanted to see in my life walked in behind her. She stood quickly, and he leaned over and kissed her harshly on her lips before stepping away. She punched him hard, threw the ring at him, and ran out at vampire speed, cursing him the whole time. I heard the wolves outside howling out their laughter. He looked stunned before turning his bright red eyes onto me. They looked sickened by my presence; the feeling was mutual.

"Hello, Bella," greeted his musical voice in a falsely calm and collected voice.