I Followed Her, and She Led Me to You

Chapter 13

Charlie POV

When Bella had announced she was going to be staying with some of the Cullen's for a week during the summer it probably should have confused me more than it did. Bella had broken up with one of the boys, Edward, only a couple of months earlier after a brief and eventful romance. Something felt fishy to me the whole time, they were so secretive and none of the Cullen's had ever concerned themselves with people outside of the family- other than Dr and Mrs Cullen- in the years they had lived in Forks. And then suddenly Bella and the youngest son were dating. And then, no sooner than Bella told me and I met this Edward boy, Bella was running back home to Phoenix where she was mysteriously injured and nearly died.

None of this made sense and then when they broke up soon after I was happy that Bella might be a little safer; somehow this boy was involved in everything bad that happened with Bella.

But no.

They were broken up and Bella was expectedly down for a while but it didn't get any better. I heard rumours around the town, often through the receptionist at work, Emma, whose mother was friends with the more gossipy women in town. I didn't really believe any of the rumours of course but it was horrible to hear that apparently my daughter had cheated on her boyfriend with his own brothers, and several other boys at school. But no, if she had actually done that she wouldn't still be friends with all of the Cullen's. They were a close family and I couldn't see them being okay with that.

And yet Bella was still very close with all of the Cullen's. I guessed her and Alice were best friends, and it seemed understandable as Alice had been there for Bella throughout her recovery after her accident and had helped her shower and dress and such. But one thing I didn't understand was Bella's seemingly random connection with the strange tall Cullen boy- Jasper.

I'd never had anything to do with the boy, no man, and then once Bella was home from Phoenix he was at my house just about every day helping out, delivering food Esmé had prepared for us, carrying Bella up and down the stairs as needed, and just hanging out providing a different ear to listen. At first I assumed that Alice was dragging the strange man over as I was under the impression they were together, but they never showed it and more than once he was here separately from Alice.

Eventually I began to accept that maybe there was something between Bella and Jasper but there were also times I doubted it. Maybe they were just becoming friends. Maybe they just had something I didn't know about in common. Maybe there would be something there some day but for now they were just friends? That last point became obvious when it was time for Prom. Alice spent a good portion of the day in Bella's room with her, getting them both ready for the big night and Edward and Jasper came to pick them up. Something had changed with Jasper though. When he walked into the door it was like he was radiating happiness or something. His tone was different, the way he walked. And then when the girls came down stairs.

Alice came first and although she and Jasper shared a kiss and he gave her a corsage, when Bella walked down the stairs and to Edward, his eyes were only for her.

Things changed after that night. Edward wasn't around as often, and Jasper was here alone as much as with anyone else. There were days when it would be Jasper who came to pick Bella up for school as she still couldn't drive. And then there was the day I came home from work to find Bella crying into Jasper's shoulder after a hard day at school.

But everything seemed to get better once school finished for the year. Bella seemed to cheer up, she found herself a summer job to save up for college, and she spent all of her time either at home with at least one of the Cullen's, or out with them, or at their house.

So when Bella asked to spend a week at the Cullen's house with Jasper, Alice and the big one who I think is called Emmett, I wasn't as confused as I would have been if the last few months hadn't happened.

I didn't expect to hear from Bella after just two nights away, and I certainly didn't expect to hear from Alice so when Emma said Alice Cullen was on the phone for me my heart stopped. Something had to be wrong.

I don't think my heart beat once while I drove the short distance to the hospital. All I knew was Bella had been stung by a bee and was having an allergic reaction. I didn't even know she was allergic. Did she? All that mattered to me was getting to my daughter as soon as I could. I needed to see her and I needed for her to be alright. Thank God she was okay and more stable by the time I saw her. She had a drip in and looked a little worse for wear laying there in the bed in a wet bathing suit and a shirt that looked like a man's. But when I saw Jasper standing there equally wet in shorts and no shirt I assumed he had covered her in his shirt on the way into town.

But after that day things were different. When I came into the hospital to see Bella the next morning and see the doctor before Bella was discharged I spoke to one of the nurses who told me Jasper had stayed the night with Bella. I wasn't angry- Bella was a smart girl and practically an adult and they were in a hospital after she had nearly died so I was sure nothing much had happened between them. But I would also wait to see what, or even if, Bella would tell me. Jasper came home with us that morning after being dropped off by Alice and stayed all day. And the next. And the day after that took Bella to his place as she was bored. And from that day the summer continued with the added presence of Jasper.

I very quickly realised that the two of them were dating, they hadn't told me but I wasn't born yesterday! They were always touching, always giving each other these looks and giving of this feeling of happiness and love. It was quite lovely to see really, Bella was happy, Jasper was a good man and was treating her right. And then of course I saw them kiss more than once and it cemented my thoughts, and Jasper saw that I saw, but Bella still didn't tell me.

The week before they were due to start back at school Bella made a beautiful dinner for the two of us when I came home from work and looked absolutely petrified at the thought of talking to me. Of course this made me concerned for what news she might be about to break to me but I was more concerned for her and if there was something wrong and what I could do to fix it.

Bella took a deep breath as she sat at the dinner table and paused for a moment.

"Dad, I have something to tell you." She hesitantly said. I looked up and acknowledged her and waited for her to continue.

"So I've been seeing someone recently. I just, you know, thought you should know before school goes back and I'm the source of the town gossip again."

"Bells," I started, unsure of exactly what to say, "I'm really sorry you have been the subject of gossip in the past, but I'm sure once people see the relationship between you and Jasper and know how much he has helped you out, like after your accident, it will be okay."

"Thanks Dad, but how did you know it was Jasper?" Bella asked, somewhat shocked.

"I'm a cop Bella, I know things." I tried to keep a straight face as I said this but as soon as Bella began to laugh I couldn't help but join in. Bella was such a good girl and it killed me that she had been the centre of so much gossip in the small amount of time she had been in Forks, but I was determined to have Bella happy for the next school year as it would be her last before she moved away for college.

In the weeks following that conversation life continued as normal. I worked my usual shifts, Bella worked a couple of last minute shifts before school started and Bella and Jasper continued as they had been. They weren't over the top with their relationship, or even as openly affectionate as Bella and Edward were, they were just there and together.

Bella seemed to thrive once again when school went back. I didn't hear any rumours in town, Bella never said anything, and there were no more incidents of me returning home to Bella in tears. When I asked Bella and Jasper about it on the Friday afternoon while they were studying together they explained that Jasper had saved Bella's life after the bee sting to Jessica and that it had all grown from there over the summer. Of course some people at school were a little gossipy but nothing like they had been the previous year. Although that might have had something to do with the intimidating aura Jasper radiated on occasion- I guessed no one wanted to be on his bad side.

But like all good things the peace didn't last. I heard the rumours before Bella did this time and was prepared for the storm, although it never truly came. About a month into the semester, right before Bella's eighteenth birthday there were all sorts of rumours circulating about Bella and her alleged relationships with several boys. And the person who seemed to be spreading them was Mrs Stanley, Jessica's mother.

Essentially what the rumours boiled down to was Bella wasn't able to deal with the fact her friends might be in happy relationships with 'attractive' boys and she would work her way in and destroy the relationship and take the boy for herself. According to Mrs Stanley Bella had done that with Jasper and Alice, and now she was apparently working on Mike and Jessica. Really, it seemed that Jessica was jealous that the boys she had been after for years were more into Bella than her. I of course didn't believe a word of it, I knew Bella, and now I was proud to say that I knew all of the Cullen's involved in this issue, and knew that this was absolutely not the case.

The weekend before her birthday I had enough! Bella was turning eighteen she should have been out with friends celebrating but instead she was going to spend the Saturday at home while the Cullen's were on their way back from a night away camping that she didn't want to go on, and the Sunday with them. She had almost completely stopped talking to Jessica and most of the others at school, only speaking with Angela and Mike from what I could tell, but even just barely then. She needed to spend some more time with people her own age and I knew exactly who she should see. I had plans to go fishing with Billy and Harry on the Saturday, which I nearly cancelled when I found out Bella's plans, but instead decided to go and take Bella to see the kids up on the res'. I knew she had been friendly with Jake when they had seen each other and I was sure she would get along great with most of the other kids. And Harry's daughter Leah was about her age, maybe she would be a good friend for Bella.

So bright and early Saturday Bella and I drove up to La Push, in her truck as she said my car drew too much unwanted attention; but I suppose it gave me plenty of room to take the fishing poles and a cooler of lunch and beer. And because Bella was driving I could have a few beers and not worry about getting home.

The day ended up being quite successful really. The fish were biting, the beer was flowing and we returned to Billy's place to see Bella getting along just fine with Jake, his friends Quil and Embry, and Harry's kids Leah and Seth when they turned up for dinner with Sue. Billy cooked up a huge pasta feast of spaghetti with his 'secret sauce' and all of us adults sat on the front porch while the kids all sat around a small fire in the front yard. Everyone was laughing and chatting and Bella looked happier than I'd seen her other than when she was with Jasper. She wasn't the chattiest of the group of course, that just wasn't who Bella was, but she was enjoying herself.

After dinner we were joined by Sam Uley after Leah borrowed Billy's phone to call him. He was a good man, a little older than the rest of them, and you could tell he was a bit of an outsider but the way he looked at Leah- you could tell they were deeply in love. As the night progressed Leah ended up siting in his lap saying she was cold and he was toasty warm. I could tell Harry wasn't all that comfortable with how openly physical they were but they were just being kids.

Around ten-thirty Bella pulled out her flash new cell phone she had recently bought and her face lit up even more.

"Oh Bella, boyfriend texting you?" Quil teased and laughed, joined by everyone else when Bella blushed, noticeable even in the firelight.

"Yes actually. He just let me know he's home from his night away with his family." She answered as she typed a quick response.

"What's his name?" Jake questioned, a slight frown on his face, he clearly wasn't over his puppy crush on Bella.

"Jasper Hale." Bella answered, again looking at a text from the boy.

"Who's that?" Jacob continued to question.

"None of your business Jacob," Leah called across the fire to the younger boy, "Don't mind him Bella, he doesn't know when to butt out." She continued to Bella.

"Thanks Leah," Bella responded with a smile to the older girl, "But Jake, he goes to school with me, and I really got to know him when I was with Edward, and then after we broke up some complicated shit happened and Jasper really helped me out." She finished with a smile, but I couldn't help but notice the change in Billy and Harry's posture when she said she knew him through Edward.

Not too long after that we called it a night. I had work the following afternoon and I could tell Bella was anxious to get home and have a proper conversation with Jasper after not seeing him since Thursday. When she said goodbye to Billy, I saw him say something to Bella but I couldn't hear what, and she seemed a little perturbed by whatever it was he had said. I tried to ask her about it on the way back but she said it was just to do with Billy's stupid beliefs about the Cullen's.

"Well Bells, I'm glad you had a good time today with the kids, maybe you should come with me more often, I go up about once a week?" I said as she unlocked the front door when we were home.

"Yeah, it was great to hang out with some people my age without all the drama and gossip." She replied as she yawned.

"Well other than Billy's little comment at the end." I added, I wasn't too impressed with his judgements on the Cullen's.

"I'm not too fussed, there isn't anything he could tell me about them that I hadn't already heard."

"You're a smart girl Bells, I'm glad you had a good day though."

"Yeah me too Dad," She smiled and gave me a quick hug. "Thanks for suggesting I go with you."

"Any time Bells, goodnight."

"Night Dad."

Authors Note:

I'm sorry for the really long hiatus with this one guys. This is literally the tenth time I've re-written this, I just wasn't happy with it and I was looking for new ways to move the story in the direction I want to go. I've also taken this break to really find myself and sort out myself, and I'm hoping to keep updating regularly now that I'm about to finish uni for the year and have the story back on track. There has been a major re-write of the overall plot but I think it stays pretty true to the original characters and what could happen.

So thank you for taking the time to read this, without the constantly climbing reader count and the occasional review this story would have been trashed a while ago but I'm back, and I have every intention to finish this.