Charlie and Victoria were the most worried about how Bella would react to their decision to go off on their own. When they went inside to give everyone their news, it turned out that the drama queen in the family was actually Emmett, who fake cried and begged his 'second parents' to not go. Bella seemed to have been expecting their decision from the moment Charlie admitted his feelings for Victoria, knowing how private he usually was and that they would likely want some time on their own.
"You two can accompany us, if you'd like." Charlie said honestly, hating to part with his daughter and halfway hoping that they would agree to go with them so he wouldn't have to bear leaving them behind so soon.
"We'll visit regularly." Edward answered. "Bella and I might do some traveling of our own once she's up for it." Bella still wasn't too confident around humans, but he knew she would never harm anyone. She was already doing far better than any of them had at first, except maybe Carlisle or Rosalie, neither of which had ever drunk human blood beyond the tiny amount necessary to bite someone.
Charlie, however, was exceeding everyone's expectations. The thought of human blood made him physically sick after his first encounter with a human. Victoria swore to keep an eye on him and he on her as they traveled. They would stick together and keep each other accountable in their new diet. There would be no slip ups. They were both absolutely positive of it. Not when they thought of the human as someone's mate.
"I'll be sad to see you go, but I understand. You were in Forks for too long." Bella looked disappointed, but she wanted to reassure her dad that all was well. She knew that it was time for him to enjoy his life after being trapped in Forks for so many years and she was happy to see him feeling a little freer with Victoria. He had always looked after his family and friends and it was time for him to do this for himself.
"I know that you're happy and cared for and that's all that matters here. I'm ready to get to know myself better. There's a whole huge world out there beyond Forks and this mansion in the woods." he said, amazed at the possibilities swirling around in his head…the Northern Lights…the North Pole…the South Pole…London…Tokyo…And with their new vampire abilities, they could climb mountains, swim lengths, even run free without worrying about changes in temperature or sickness or sleep.
He had no doubts that Edward and the Cullens would take excellent care of Bella and keep her happy and loved in his absence. He tried not to dwell on how much he would miss her, feeling like he had barely just started getting to know his daughter. He also tried to not focus on all the time he missed with her as she grew up under her mother's care. They had an eternity to look forward to together.
Besides, Bella was newly mated to Edward and they needed time to adjust to that as well, preferably without parental interference. He was sure of it. Edward's subtle grin wasn't disagreeing, though he wasn't pressuring Charlie to leave.
They had finally become friends, if that's the term one would use for a dad and his daughter's boyfriend mostly understanding each other. At the very least, Charlie no longer wanted to kill him or be upset with him for what he did to Bella.
"Where will you go first?" Bella asked her father, genuinely curious.
"We haven't decided." he answered with a big grin in her direction. "We didn't feel like it was necessary to decide."
They hadn't. Why should they? They had unlimited time, resources, and imagination at their disposal. They didn't have to work or live by anyone else's schedule but their own.
"Please be careful. And don't go anywhere near Forks or La Push!" she reminded him, still nervous from their encounter with the Quileutes.
"Those are the last places I want to go for a while. Besides, I don't exactly think I'm welcome there." He shuddered, remembering what dark secrets his best friends had been hiding all these years. Sure, he spoke to Billy on the phone, but he knew that they wouldn't hesitate to kill him if he broke their truce again. Some friends they had been.
"No." she repeated, trusting him to take care of himself. "We love you no matter what, even if there is an accident of any type."
"Relax. I don't intend to have any humans for breakfast." he said, smiling more gently at her now. He didn't want her to worry about him, but it warmed his heart that she did. "Or for lunch, or dinner. Maybe a midnight snack…" he trailed off and she smacked him, laughing, but her expression quickly turned serious again as she tried to make sure she didn't forget any vital information he would need before he left.
"Don't forget your phone."
"I won't."
"And a charger."
"Got it."
"Remember to hide or bury the animal carcasses if you stay in one place for a while."
"I know."
"Don't forget to hide your speed around the humans."
"Run like the Flash, got it."
Bella scowled at him. "Call me often."
"You're not my mom." he said playfully. "Besides, I thought kids texted these days."
"That works too. Don't go out in the sunlight."
"But that's the fun part. I like being a living disco ball. Pretty cool party trick!"
"Dad!" she insisted.
"Fine. I'll behave. It'll all be fine, kiddo. We'll see each other soon." he promised, hugging her tightly in an unusual display of affection and emotion for them. It made Charlie happy to even see Bella hugging Victoria, and it warmed Victoria's heart as well. She had never expected this kind of reception from any of them, let alone all of them.
Carlisle insisted on giving the parting couple a Cullen credit card and the keys to a few of their properties around the world, despite their protesting. "If you don't use the money or the properties, that's fine, but I want you to have them in case of emergency. Besides, if we have to make a quick getaway for some reason you will know how to find us."
"You act like you've needed to make a quick getaway before." Charlie joked. Victoria, still feeling a little guilty, quickly looked away and pretended to be interested in the video game Emmett and Jasper were playing.
"Several times." Carlisle said, shaking his head as he remembered some of the crazier reasons they had to leave places they had once called home. Accidents happened, singers while rare, were a normal phenomenon, not aging was life among vampires, however, locals getting concerned about 'thunderous sounds' in the woods or the weird way the Cullens would sometimes talk, as if from another century, were not normal. Thankfully, they had gotten better at blending in over the decades without arousing anywhere near as much suspicion.
"Everything will be fine." Alice assured the room. "They will enjoy themselves and we'll all spend the holidays together. Oooh maybe in Paris!" She jumped up and down with glee, losing herself in a vision.
"Is that so?" Charlie asked with a raised eyebrow, never having been one with such romantic fantasies. He supposed that quite a lot had changed recently and still would be changing as he explored himself and his new relationship better. He was alright with change, for once in his life.
Carlisle hated to see any member of his family go, although several times each couple except for Edward and Bella had gone off on their own, celebrating extended honeymoons, vacations and going to different getaways. He was sure that Edward and Bella would do the same eventually, once they got more settled in and comfortable with each other, and especially once Edward worked up the courage to ask his mate to marry him, as he knew that he would at some point. He was too much of a traditionalist not to ask.
Carlisle was a gentle man, fond of nearly everyone he met in some way, but even he was shocked by the care and fatherly love he felt for Victoria, and even Charlie, who was physically twice his age. They both had traumatic pasts, and it was a beautiful thing to watch them discover peace in each other and embrace their new realities. He couldn't wait for them to return and share their happiness and the tales of their journeys with the extended family.
Alice scanned her visions hastily but was all smiles, knowing that the happy couple would have a wonderful time on their travels. This reassured Edward, who in turn kept Bella calm as well, neither of them needing to physically share their thoughts to know what the other was thinking. This type of bond was one that many mates eventually developed, and Charlie and Victoria had likely already started to develop as well, already able to keep the other calm and happy just by being close by.
Bella was nervous for Charlie, but she knew that this would make him happy and that he could take care of himself, especially with his newfound strength and abilities. He promised her that he would continue practicing with his shield to better protect them.
Esme gave Victoria a lovely comb and pocket mirror as a parting gift, more so for sentimental reasons than any kind of concern about appearances. Victoria was delighted, never having truly been given gifts before she met the Cullens. Bella had given her perhaps the best gift of all, her love and acceptance, as she hugged her one last time and asked her to look after her father.
Edward had tried to insist on buying them a luxury car, but vampires didn't need to stop for rest, so they didn't even bother with normal human transportation. Instead, they each took only what would fit easily in their pockets, for instance, a wallet, some keys, a phone, and solar charger for Charlie and a wallet and the comb and mirror for Victoria.
"Ready?" Charlie asked Victoria, and with many hugs and well wishes, and even fake tears from Emmett, they were on their way, seeing no reason to wait once the decision had been made. It wasn't like they had to make travel reservations or anything, although Jasper did fake them some very convincing documents to travel with and present to the authorities if needed. It was the first time Victoria had ever owned identification documents.
"Where to first?" Charlie asked, holding his arm out for Victoria to grasp for their leisurely stroll through the woods, at least for now.
"Nowhere in particular." Victoria answered. "I'm just happy to be with you."
"Me too." Charlie answered honestly, both of them grinning and walking off into the distance.
Author's Note: Only the epilogue remains! Thanks for reading and sticking with me! I hated taking so long to write this chapter, but it's been a crazy week or so and I was really stuck. This one was shorter than most, but the epilogue will be longer to make up for it and will have a lot more couple's bonding.