"Come in," Esme answered to the light knock on her door.

"He's here," Charlie whispered. He stood in the doorway, watching Bella sleep. "I think this is the first time I've seen her sleep this well. She's usually in too much pain to even do that. I will bring him up to speed. Let her sleep." He shut the door behind him and went to speak to Carlisle.

Esme looked down at the sleeping woman on her lap and smiled despite everything. Bella's hair was limp due to chemo, she was frail and could barely hold herself up. She was in constant pain and was about to endure more pain and a year of uncertainty before she found herself again. Esme hoped she was at least in part enough to be worth what was to come.

"You can't be okay with this?" Edward muttered to Rosalie as he listened to Charlie explain everything to Carlisle.

"The difference between her and us is that she has made this choice. So far, their views on us came from the Quileute's, and yet she has still decided to become a vampire. Can't imagine how horrendous it is for her now to choose this life. She is in so much pain; Jasper can barely be around the house. She has made her choice, and under the circumstances, I agree with her choice." Rose joined Carlisle and Charlie, leaving Edward staring after her.

The backdoor opened, and Angela Webber and Alice walked in laughing. "Angela?" Charlie whispered in surprise.

"Hello, Chief." She said with a fond smile.

"Wow... didn't think I could be surprised anymore," Charlie muttered.

"You will find that it is not possible. I am surprised constantly, especially in this new life."

"Despite what your dad said, he misses you. I know you might not think it, but as a father who for years believed he was going to lose his daughter, I know he misses you."

"Charlie, you have an out. No one broke the law if the Volturi ever found out. I would have been forced to cut ties with them... it hurts, but in the long run, it is best this way." She whispered. Carlisle moved over to comfort her.

"She is awake, we should go up," Carlisle interjected, changing the topic.

Bella reluctantly opened eyelids that did not want to open. This was the first time in years she'd had a good night's sleep. She was still in pain, but as she lay on Esme's lap, it wasn't at the forefront of her mind. "Good afternoon, Bella."

"Afternoon!" Bella exclaimed in disbelief. "I thought I'd maybe had a couple of hours sleep..." Her voice trailed off in shock. "Wow." She chuckled softly to herself.

"I'm thrilled you were able to sleep. If you truly want this... then enjoy sleeping while you still can." Esme sounded somewhat wistful.

"Wait a minute... you mean you been awake this entire time. You haven't moved, have you?" Bella tried to sit up but struggled until Esme came to her aid. "Thank you."

Esme was surprised her discomfort was what Bella took out of what she said. "As vampires, we sometimes have to remember to move often. Humans are fidgety, and we often have to remember to fidget." Esme frowned all of a sudden.

"What?"

"Carlisle is coming up with your father." Bella still didn't understand why Esme was angry with that. Esme had heard the conversation going on downstairs, she was pissed Carlisle had used Bella to change a topic he was uncomfortable with. This was a chance to get to know her mate, and he had put an end to it.

A knock on the door had Bella prying her eyes away from Esme, although unwillingly. "Come in," Esme answered with a sigh. Charlie peeked his head in before opening the door further.

"Bells, you look rested."

"I feel it." she smiled at her father. She could see just how tired Charlie looked; he also seemed somewhat hopeful. She turned her attention to Carlisle. "You must be Dr. Cullen."

"Yes, call me Carlisle."

Bella nodded." Okay then... when do we do this?" Bella asked.

"Whenever you are ready," Esme interjected.

"Bella, I would like to conduct a few tests." Carlisle's question had Esme biting her tongue.

"What for?" Charlie's tone was far from friendly.

"He just can't help himself." Alice groaned. If Carlisle could blush, he would be. Esme bit her cheek to stop laughing.

"Never mind." He muttered. "The change is rather simple. Esme will bite you, injecting her venom into you. It is really that straightforward, but things do go wrong, and that is why I'm here."

Okay." Bella took a deep breath and sighed at Esme. "Any chance I could get a cheeseburger and coke? I'm starving." Charlie laughed, happy she had an appetite.

"Sure, Bells, I'll get it for you."

"If you could get the ingredients, that would be better. I will make it for you." Esme ran her thumb over Bella's knuckles.

"What's the deal with you and the doc?" Bella asked nonchalantly. The last few days with the Cullens, she had noticed the tension between Esme and the doc. Even if she hadn't noticed, Edward's extreme animosity towards his father made it obvious there was a problem.

"We were married for decades, then he met his mate." Bella's head shot up.

"Why would you marry him when you knew that was a possibility?" Esme's look answered her question. "You believed you were his mate."

"Yes, in truth, over the years, I started to suspect he may have lied to me. I lived with two mated couples, and I began to see the differences. They were subtly, but they were there. Then we moved back to Forks, for three years, things continued as they had always been, and then Angela's brother broke his leg, and it all changed. He came home and confessed what I had always suspected. What hurt was that he only did it because he had found his mate, not because it was the right thing to do. I can't lay the blame entirely on his shoulders because I had long suspected we were not mated."

"To think you would have also found your mate then had I moved to Forks as Renee had hoped."

"You are here, and that is all that matters." Bella leaned her head against Esme.

"How worried do I have to be about Alice and her obsession with me and my hair?" Bella asked.

Esme laughed. "Very."

"Now, I wish I was bald again." Bella jested, but in reality, she was glad her hair had grown as apparently the change would not have given it back to her. As much as the venom perfects the human body, it doesn't grow hair, unfortunately. What it would do is strengthen her limp hair. She had stopped chemo years ago and had been waiting for death when Jacob had finally caved at the sight of her constant pain and told them about vampires and the Cullens. Now a big part of her wanted to believe she had lasted far longer than the six-month prognosis because she was waiting for this. "I believe tonight is a perfect night to become a vampire," Bella muttered.

"Are you sure?" Esme asked.

"I have never been surer of anything." Esme ran her finger over Bella's jaw.

"Someday, I hope we get the chance to thank your friend, Jacob." She leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Bella's lips.

Esme carried Bella back to the house as the sun went down. "Hey, dad." If Charlie had his way, Bella would already be a vampire. He didn't understand the wait. Yes, Bella wanted to know Esme a little before the change. Why they couldn't do that after the change was beyond him. Yes, he'd had to leave before she woke up as his presence would be too difficult for her as a newborn. They had promised to come and visit him the minute she had control of her bloodlust. "So, I'm becoming a vampire in a few minutes."

"About time." He looked a little sheepish, as he hadn't meant to say that out loud. Bella chuckled as Esme put her down next to him. Before either of them could blink, they had been left alone. "I am going to miss you, but God... I am not going to miss seeing you waste away. That Edward boy, despite his age, he is a boy, and he can't begin to fathom what it's like as a parent to see your only child is suffering and worse would be out of this world before you. It is such a joy to know that you will have someone beside you before you even enter their world. I should add that if you end up sucking Renee dry, I would wholeheartedly forgive you." Bella's shoulders started shaking before she lost it. She knew Charlie hadn't forgiven Renee for her abandonment of them. Bella had collapsed during one of Phil's games and had been rushed to the hospital. Renee shipped her off to Forks and carried on with her life as if her only child wasn't battling stage two lung cancer. Bella got well, but a few years later, it came back, and worse had spread.

"As much as we'd love that, I don't' think I want any part of her in my new body. That's not to say I wouldn't haunt her for a few months." It was his turn to laugh. They were going to tell everyone except the Quileute in the know that she had died. Yep, Bella would haunt Renee, call her petty, she didn't give a fuck.

"You will be over your bloodlust before you know it. Esme promised to call me and keep me up to date on your progress." She nodded as her tears teetered on the edge of her eyelashes.

"I know, but I'm still going to miss you." It had been just the two of them for so long. Charlie had wanted to stay to see the fundamental changes brought on by the venom, but Carlisle had talked him out of it. They hadn't explained in great detail, but he got the feeling the process was painful beyond anything Bella had gone through. The thought almost had him changing his mind; in the end, Bella had talked him down.

Bella watched Charlie's car disappear down the driveway. "I guess this is it, the last moments of my human fragility." Esme smiled as she carried Bella up the stairs.

"Yes, you will soon be carrying me up and downstairs." Esme teased.

"You bet I will," Bella whispered. Esme laid Bella on the bed and lay next to her.

"I will see you soon." Esme didn't wait for a response as she bit Bella. Carlisle stood in the doorway, but in truth, he was not needed. Esme pumped Bella with as much of her venom as she could and let her go. She lay next to Bella and waited, it would be a long three days, but in the end, it would be worth it.

Charlie groaned as he hauled himself out of bed. The knock came again. "I'M COMING." He bellowed in annoyance. He damn near fell face first as he made his way down the stairs. "Someone better be fucking dying, or else I'm going to put a bullet between someone's eyes. He yanked the door to the sight of his giggling daughter. "Bells?"

"Hey, dad, you are crankier than I am in the morning." She teased as Charlie pulled her into a firm hug.

"You look incredible." He pulled back and stared at her again. She looked healthy; if this is death, he will take that over her being sick any day of the week.

"We really should take this inside before someone sees us," Esme warned. It was four in the morning, but still, she'd rather they didn't take the risk. Charlie ushered them in and quickly shut the door behind them.

"Wow, Bells, I didn't expect you for a few more months."

"I know I wanted to surprise you. I didn't have much of a newborn phase, but I wanted to give myself time just in case."

"So, you handled the flight okay." Charlie sat down next to her. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

"We didn't fly, we ran. It was a short run through British Columbia."

"I'm sorry, did you say you run all the way here," Charlie asked in disbelief.

"Yep," Bella said with a chuckle at the look on Charlie's face.

"And you didn't trip or anything." Esme cracked up laughing, much to Bella's embarrassment because she indeed had tripped. In her defense, she had been so engrossed in watching Esme's ass she missed a large tree root sticking out of the ground. "She tripped, didn't she?" Charlie shook his head. "You are still my little girl." He pulled her into a hug again. She was so far from fragile now, it made his heart soar. "Esme, how are you?" If her bright smile was anything to go by, life with Bella was good.

"I am well, Charlie... very well. You look well." He did. Bella's illness had taken a toll on him. Without that on his mind so much, he had been able to finally live some semblance of a life.

"I have less on my mind." He admitted softly. "Are you two staying?" He asked as he spied their large backpacks.

"Yes, we decided to keep you company for a few days. We will stay well hidden," Bella answered with a smile, which got wider as she spotted the urn on the mantle place. "I heard you refused to hold a memorial service for me." Bella teased.

"You are not dead." He muttered stubbornly.

"What did Emmett put in this anyway?" She wondered out loud.

"Knowing him, I think it's best we don't know," Esme muttered as another loud knock came.

Bella smiled." It's Jacob and Seth." Charlie quickly went to get the door.

"Hey, Ja..." That was all Charlie managed.

"She's here, isn't she?" Jacob pushed past Charlie and bolted for the living room.

"Come right in," Charlie muttered with a chuckle. He walked in with Seth to find Jake in a hug with Bella, whose feet were dangling off the floor.

"Hey, Bells... for a dead woman, you look pretty great, although the stench does take away some of the appeal." He teased.

"You can talk. What did you do, roll around on the floor with a wet, stinking dog." She retorted.

"Wouldn't you like to know." He wiggled his eyebrows at her. He turned his attention to Esme. He remembered her, but they never really crossed parts, as she never came to any of the meetings they had at the border. "It's Esme, right?"

"Yes, it is." She stood to shake his hand but was surprised to find herself pulled into a hug.

"Thank you for saving her."

"I should be thanking you. Without you going against everything you know to tell Charlie about us. Today would be a very different day." Jake nodded shyly in acceptance. "I hope you didn't get into too much trouble." Seth laughed at that.

"No trouble, none whatsoever," Jacob answered.

"How did you manage that? I doubt your elders were that accepting of what you did?" Esme found it add to believe there were no repercussions for the decision he made.

"When the pack that protects you all of a sudden disappear with their imprints and children, it gives you an excellent idea of who is really in charge."

"You didn't," Bella whispered.

"He did," Charlie answered. "Old Quill filled me in. He was the only one who knew where they were. The elders woke up one morning to find them all gone. The panic that ensued was nothing short of comical."

"Where did you go?"

"We simply took a well-needed break." He said with a mischievous smile.

"And your dad?" Bella asked, knowing Billy and Charlie's friendship was nonexistent because Charlie had chosen to find the Cullens.

"Hasn't said a word, but you just have to look at him to know he's dying to say something but too scared to do so. Enough about them." Jake rubbed his hands together. "Want to go for a run later. Seth and I are on Patrol from midnight."

"Yeah, sounds good." Bella laughed.

"Any chance of breakfast while we are here?" Jake took a chance asking.

"I can make you something." Esme stood eager to do a little cooking.

"Erm..." Charlie started.

"Let me guess. There is nothing in the fridge." Bella laughed at Charlie's sheepish look.

They all sat around catching up for several hours until Charlie had to go to bed, and the Wolves had to get back to La Push. Bella took their bags to her room and was surprised by the sight that greeted her. Gone was the hospital-like room, and in its place was a bedroom any woman would be proud of. She now had a queen-size bed, a mahogany chest at the foot of the bed, and a new desk and chair. Her old bookshelf was still there with all the knickknacks. The walls were still green but freshly painted. "He didn't want you to come back to the room you left behind." Esme wrapped her arms around Bella.

"Thank you... I wasn't sure how I would have felt if I had walked into what was literally a hospital room." Bella turned around and kissed Esme. "All this means so much more with you by my side. I love you." Bella whispered.

"I love you too." She managed that at least before her mate pulled her into the room and shut the door. Bella had a new bed to test after all.

The vampire stood in the middle of the field, his eyes glowing red, a smug smile taking over his features. He rubbed his hands together then clapped, it made an echoing sound, but nothing else. A split-second later, that smile dropped, and then panic set in. Whatever his gift, it was not going to work.

It was now time for them to gloat. Jacob's wolf laughed, followed by the others. There was something quite chilling about it. "I'm afraid in these parts, your gift, whatever it is, will not work," Bella said with a nonchalance that belied the brevity of the situation. She was out for a run with the wolves when they watched as the vampire before they hunted a couple of backpackers.

The vampire took a tentative step back, the wolves took a step forward. He could not outrun them. Running into the clearing had been wise when he thought his gift would work. Now, he was out in the open with creatures faster than him. If only he could make it to the forest, he could take to the trees until he hit the water.

"If you don't mind me asking. What is your gift." Bella asked.

"The cascading vibration from my clap should have rendered you immobile for a few seconds." He mumbled.

"Neat," Bella said, impressed.

He would not make it, and he knew it but would put up a fight. It came as no surprise when the vampire chose to run. Bella took off after him, Embry seemed to come out of nowhere and slammed into the vampire. Who careened right into Bella's fists. He quickly righted himself and swung back, Bella ducked under the punch and threw a leg out. The vampire's left leg gave out, but he was quick to bring his hands up, protecting his face from her punch. One punch meant nothing in the grand scheme things of things, but the barrage that reigned on him shattered his defense. He had little defense against her newborn speed and strength. Worse, she also had six months of fight training under her belt from Jasper.

Four wolves and one vampire, it wasn't much of a fight, even though the wolves had pretty much left her to it. The smoke was rising beautifully when Esme broke through the branches. "I'm fine." Bella started before Esme could say anything. "You'll be the death of me," Esme grumbled. "Every time you leave the house, you end up in…" Esme waved her hand about. The quick visit to Charlie had turned into a three-month stay. One that Bella was enjoying far too much, especially when the wolves were involved, and they always were. Charlie had given them a lecture when a group of campers had spotted Seth shift. Of course, they had been too stunned to believe what they saw. It was a lucky escape. Not so fortunate with Mike Newton insisting he saw Bella. That was three weeks ago, and no one can talk him out of it. He even dared Charlie to be allowed into Bella's room to prove it. Charlie had slammed the door in his face.

"What happened to laying low?" Esme asked.

"I was minding my own business when he tried to bite a couple of innocent backpackers." Bella defended poorly.

"Minding your own business in the forest with the wolves." Bella didn't respond. "I give up." Esme threw her hands up in the air and left. Of course, with her back turned, Bella did not see the mile-wide smile her mate had.

In truth, Esme delighted in Bella's antics; her mate had brought some energy and fun back into her life. Of course, someone had to act the responsible one, or else Isabella Swan will run riot without a care in the world. God knows Charlie didn't help, encouraging his daughters' antics. Now he had convinced Bella to go to Florida and haunt her mother, and if Esme was honest with herself, she was looking forward to it. It's the least that woman deserved.

"I promise I will behave," Bella said, appearing by her side. She'd heard it more times than she cared to count.

"Okay." And that was her response.

"Right after we get back from Florida," Bella added. Esme threw her head back in laughter. She just might be the first vampire to die of a heart attack, but fuck if she didn't welcome the challenge.

She trudged downstairs, barely awake in desperate need of a cup of coffee. "I've already started the machine, didn't know if you were still inept when it came to such things," Bella said sarcastically, sitting at the dining table. Renee stared at her daughter, she looked healthy, incredibly beautiful, unnaturally so. But then she remembered Bella died ten months ago and let out an ear-shattering scream that had Phil damn near falling down the stairs in his haste to get to his wife.

"What?" He asked as he saw nothing untoward in the kitchen.

"Bella," Renee whispered, shaking in fear.

"Renee, Bella is dead," Phil replied softly and slowly.

"Her ghost." Phil just stared back in disbelief, unsure what to believe.