A/N: Well, I hope that FF is working for everyone now. Please make sure to go and read chapter 9 and 10 before this one, otherwise you may be super lost!

We are moving right along with the story today. Sorry it's so short, but I only had so much I could cover before the next critical chapter. Read on, and see me at the bottom!

Chapter 11: Family Union

Bella

I was still sort of in shock by what had happened at my house by the time we got to Edward's. The interaction between Esme and my dad was really strange, but Elizabeth and Edward didn't seem to think so. We had taken separate cars, but they both drove so fast I didn't get many of my questions out.

"What is happening between them?"

Edward glanced at me and smiled. "I think they like each other, Bella. Does that bother you?"

I shrugged, glancing out the window at the fast-moving landscape. "Sort of. I don't know."

"Do you have a problem with the fact that he likes someone? Or is it what she is that bothers you?"

"No! I don't care about that, I told you."

"So, it just bothers you that he likes someone?"

I bit my lip. Is that all it was? Was I being stupid in thinking that bringing Charlie into this strange new world I was now a part of was a bad idea? Was it just that he seemed totally enamored with Esme – the vampire? I shook my head, clearing it. Vampire. I still hadn't fully wrapped my brain around that.

Jacob had seemed so casual when he told me their stories. Like it hadn't mattered – almost like it was a joke and he was just trying to impress me. But I knew there was still something to them; like, I could feel through the conversation that he was trying to warn me without scaring me. That thought alone kept it in my head.

Before I could reply to him, though, we pulled up in front of a beautiful house in the middle of the forest. He got out, and was opening my door before I could blink.

"So, we add really fast to the list of things you are?" I joked, still trying to rationalize everything I had learned today.

He chuckled. "I'm feeling very open with you right now. That's definitely part of who I am."

Elizabeth came around the side of the house, having parked in their massive garage. She smiled up at us, and walked into the house, motioning for us to follow. I walked in and glanced around me. The décor was really beautiful; muted tans and blues scattered throughout contrasting with dark hardwood floors. There was a large baby grand piano in the monstrously sized living room, separating the large dining area from the seating.

I raised my eyes to the winding stair case that led to the upper level when I heard footsteps. I saw the rest of Edward's family – his siblings, not his father, who I hadn't met yet – coming down, each wearing a smile on their face.

The girls came up to me, the two men lingering behind them. The shorter one approached me first.

"Hello, Bella!" She sounded really excited. "I'm Alice, Edward's sister. I'm so happy to meet you!"

"Hi, Bella," the second one said, in a calmer fashion. "I'm Rosalie. You can call me Rose, if you'd like. I'm glad you are here. Maybe we can get Edward to stop whining about you for a minute now that you two are finally together." I watched her wink at Edward, as the guys finally stepped forward.

The big one, who had almost scared me when I first saw him at school, stepped up and wrapped his arms around me, picking me up off the ground. "Hey Bella! I'm Emmett."

I laughed. "Emmett, put me down!"

He let go of me, stepping back, still smiling. "Sorry, kiddo. Just happy to meet you."

"I'm glad to meet you guys, too." I glanced at the other guy, who I assumed was Jasper. "Hi, I'm Bella. You are Jasper, right? It's nice to meet you too." I held my hand out, but he just waved at me, smiling. I dropped my hand. "I'm sorry, Edward told me you still struggle with humans. I'll just wave at you then."

Rose and Alice smiled at each other, turning to face her. "I told you she'd get along with us just fine," Alice said, smugly. "Don't worry about Jasper, sweetie. He'll be just fine."

Rose and Alice pulled me into the living room area, and we all settled on the couch. Emmett glanced up at Edward, a smile playing on his face. Edward growled at him a little, causing me to glance back at him. His face was fierce.

"What just happened?" I looked at Emmett. "What did you say to him?"

"Nothing, love. He was being rude." Edward put his arms around me, bringing me closer.

"So, your dad and Esme, huh?" Emmett said, ignoring the exchange. "Interesting. Didn't realize we were going to be gaining two more in our-"

"Emmett!" Rose said, hushing him. She slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Shut up, you big oaf."

I glanced around the group of now uncomfortable looking vampires. "What? What did that mean? Two more of your what?"

I turned my gaze to Edward, who closed his eyes. Thinking I wouldn't get any explanations from him, I looked to Alice. "Alice, did you see something? What's going on here?"

Alice's eyes shot to Edward, who shook his head. She smiled at me, shaking hers also. "I don't think that's a story for right now, Bella. I'll answer any other questions for you though."

I wasn't going to be easily dissuaded, but I shifted the conversation anyway. I would ask Edward about it later, and make him tell me. "Esme said that you, um, vampires have different kinds of relationships than humans do. Are all of you like, together?"

Rose was the one who answered. "She's right. We mate for life. I think it has something to do with us being stuck where we are; once we find the person we love, we never leave them as long as it's the real deal."

"Ok, so, who's with who here then?" I looked around at all of them. I had my guesses, but I wanted to keep the conversation going.

"Rose and I have been together forever; married, what, like five times now?" Emmett said, laughing. "Jazz and Alice were together when they found us. And of course, you know Carlisle and Liz are married."

I glanced around, thinking Edward's mother was still with us, but she was nowhere to be found. "Liz, you mean Edward's mother?" Emmett nodded. "Where did she go?"

Jasper stepped forward, finally speaking. "She ran out for a quick hunt before Carlisle gets home," he explained. "I'm glad you are here, Bella."

I blushed, and all eyes were on me. "Crap, I'm sorry." Unfortunately, that made me even more embarrassed, and I blushed harder. "It's sort of involuntary."

"What is? What's wrong?" Emmett looked at me, and glanced at the others.

"My blush. I'm not trying to make any of you uncomfortable." For a moment there was silence, then the whole group started laughing.

"It's ok Bella. We are around humans every day, don't worry about it." Rose laughed, leaning forward a bit. "What do you think about Esme and your dad?"

"Rose!" Edward hissed. "She doesn't know everything yet."

I jumped on that. "Know what? Tell me, what am I missing here?"

Alice leaned forward also, copying Rose's movement. "What we said about staying with people forever, it's true. But it's deeper than that. When we meet the person we are supposed to be with there is an almost uncontrollable pull toward them. We call them our mate; the person we stay with forever."

Glancing around the room again, I settled on Edward's face. "And Esme and my dad are mates?"

He nodded, smiling at me. Ok, that was going to take a minute to process. I ran through the scenarios in my head of my father falling in love with a vampire. "Um. Ok." I remembered how he looked at her, and how she looked at him. I thought about all the years that he had been by himself after my mother took me and left him. Suddenly, it didn't matter what she was. I knew how I felt about Edward, why would I deny my father the same thing.

Alice clapped, laughing. "I knew you wouldn't mind."

"You are amazing, love. I can't believe how easily you are accepting this." Edward kissed my hair, and I glanced around.

"Stupid seeing into the future and mind-reading vampires. I can see that I'll never have another private moment as long as I'm around you guys," I grumbled.

Alice, Jasper and Emmett laughed, but Rose pursed her lips and glared at Edward. "You didn't tell her, did you?"

"Tell me what?" I was getting whiplash looking around the group.

"Edward can hear what everyone is thinking, except for you." Rose glared at him again. "You promised you would tell her the truth!"

"I did tell her, Rose. I just didn't get to everything."

I shifted so I could fully look at him. "You can't hear me?" This made me happy, somehow. That at least something was private.

"You are silent to me; I'm not really sure why. Though, your father is fairly quiet, too." He shrugged. "Carlisle and I have discussed it, and we aren't sure what's different about you two."

"Is there something wrong with me?"

He laughed, closing his arms around me tighter. "I tell you I can read minds, and you think there's something wrong with you?"

We hung out with his siblings for a few more hours. Each of them would answer a question I asked, all taking turns. Whenever I asked a question, after it was answered they would each ask me a question in return. They were definitely trying to get to know me, which was sort of nice. Like whatever Edward and I were to each other made them want to know me. The thought had me smiling as we got into his car to head back home.

"You really don't sleep? Like at all?" I was still reeling from that piece of knowledge. The conversation had started when I jokingly asked where the coffins were. That set the whole group laughing for so long I almost didn't get my question answered.

"No, not at all. Not in a hundred years, anyway."

"Interesting," was all I could say. They had definitely satisfied my curiosity about many subjects, but I knew I would have more questions.

I had gotten along surprisingly well with his siblings. They had all been genuinely nice, and funny. Emmett would crack jokes if anything was said that was uncomfortable. He made me feel at ease. Rose and Alice both seemed to be so friendly, that I could actually see myself becoming close with them. Jasper was a bit of an anomaly, since he hadn't really said very much. I knew that he struggled with what I was, so I never pushed him. I also made sure that I stayed farther away from him so he wouldn't have to smell too much.

When we got to my house, I kissed Edward silently. "Thank you for today. I'm glad you were honest with me."

He smiled, kissing my nose. "I'm glad you took it as well as you did." He glanced down, his face turning into a frown for a moment. "If you change your mind, though, I won't be upset with you. I understand that this is not what you were expecting out of our relationship."

I put my hand on his cheek, shifting his face so he was looking at me again. "I'm not changing my mind. You are stuck with me, my friend."

He kissed my hand. "Are we just friends Bella?"

"I was under the impression that we were far more than that."

His smile dazzled me, as I told him earlier, and he leaned over and kissed me. I was seeing stars behind my eyes still when I walked into the house. I saw Charlie and Esme in the living room, sitting really close together, and then I was suddenly grossed out again. Not because of what she was, but because I really didn't need to see anything that would burn my eyes out.

"I'm home," I said loudly, watching them separate on the couch a little. "If I have to be careful to show my boyfriend any kind of affection around you, Dad, then can you do the same for me, please?"

I bid them a goodnight, noticing Charlie's blushing face, and ran up the stairs. I really didn't need to get into anything. I got ready for bed, and was laying down when I heard a soft knock on my door.

"Bells, you still awake?" Charlie asked through the door.

"Yeah, come in Dad."

He came in and sat in the rocking chair beside my bed. He didn't say anything for a minute, but I waited. He probably had a lot on his mind also.

"How are you doing, kid? With all of this?"

I shrugged, sitting up on my bed. "I'm not really sure. It's sort of strange to learn that there are mythical creatures in the world, and that I know some of them."

He nodded, leaning forward placing his arms on his knees. "Esme left," he said, not looking at me.

"You like her, don't you Dad?"

He blushed again, and I almost laughed. "More than I thought possible."

"That's how I feel about Edward, Dad." His eyes shot up to mine. "We make a pair, huh? Both in love with vampires."

He laughed. "Never thought that would happen. Course, I never thought they were real anyway."

"Esme seems nice," I commented, hoping to get a little more out of him – as long as it remained G-rated.

He leaned back against the chair, eyes on the ceiling. "She's amazing. She's beautiful, of course, but she's also kind. Wickedly smart, and funny."

"Did she explain to you about mates?" I wondered if I should say anything, but at this point in the day I wasn't really into keeping secrets.

Edward

I listened to Bella and Charlie talk, my hand shifting a little as I held myself just a little closer. Hearing her tell him how she felt about me had done something to my heart, but listening to them discuss mates was fascinating.

I heard Esme's mind racing, as she joined me in my favorite tree. I had a feeling that she and I would be spending a lot of time together in this old tree, now that neither of us could be apart from the Swan house. Or at least the people inside the house.

"She did, to a degree," Charlie was saying, in response to Bella's questions. I held my breath. Each of them knew something about the other – something that we hadn't shared.

"It's fine, Edward. Alice said not to worry. Just let them talk," Esme said next to me.

"I know, I saw it. It's just sort of disorienting hearing this." She put her hand in mine and leaned her head against my shoulder.

"What did she tell you?" Bella asked her dad.

Charlie shifted a little, clearly uncomfortable. "She said that you and Edward were, um, important to each other."

"What does that mean, exactly?"

"Bella, Esme said that you and Edward were mates." Apparently, Charlie wasn't going to hold anything back from his daughter. I sighed. I hadn't told her that because I wasn't sure how to say it.

Bella sat back in her bed against the frame, chewing on her lip. "He didn't tell me that." She looked at Charlie. "Did Esme say anything about you two?"

"About what?"

"About you two being mates." I felt Esme sigh next to me. The Swans were sort of ruining the suspense; or at least the truths that we hadn't told them about.

Their conversation flew from there, with each of them wondering why Esme and I hadn't told them the whole truth. They were up talking for another couple hours, and it was getting quite late. I worried about Bella being tired at school the next day, before I remembered that it was the start of spring break already.

From the tenure of their conversation, it seemed that though they were upset we hadn't told them, though they ultimately didn't seem to mind the label that we had put on them. Charlie seemed almost happy about it, while Bella's eyes were glowing a little. Esme and I both smiled at each other.

Esme shifted to a different tree, facing Charlie's window, once they had both finally decided to go to bed. I stayed where I was because it was still the best view on her room. I listened as her breath became even, and her heart rate, too. I was being lulled by her heart beat as always when I heard the buzzing of her cellphone, which was plugged in and sitting on the desk across from her bed. I glanced at the alarm clock, noting it was 3am. Who the hell was calling at 3am?

I didn't get my answer until morning, when Bella listened to her messages.

"Hi baby! I just wanted to call and check on you. Phil and I are in...where are we again? Oh, right, Kansas City. Probably stay here for a few more days. I decided to get rid of my cell phone; it was really frustrating me; you know I can't work that thing! I'm calling from a payphone, or I'd give you my number. Anyway, I'll call you back later. Hopefully you'll pick up next time! Love you, sweetie!"

Bella stared down at her phone. "She called me at 3am and expected me to answer?" Charlie came into the room, looking at her questioningly. "Mom called saying they were in Kansas City. She sort of sounded upset that I didn't answer, but she called at 3am!"

Charlie huffed a laugh. "Probably forgot there was a time difference. Why the hell are they in Kansas? Weren't they just in Arizona a few days ago? Did they get Phil's check already?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah, she left me a voice mail a few days ago saying that the money had been wired into their account. She called from the dealership, right after they bought their RV." She turned her attention back to her cereal. "Guess they got it and quite literally took off."

Charlie sipped his coffee. "Just call her back now."

Bella shook her head. "Mom said she got rid of her cell; she was calling me from a payphone."

Charlie laughed. "Payphones still exist?"

Bella joined the laughter. "I guess so."

"So, what do you want to do today, kid? We got the whole week."

"You took the whole week off, Dad?" Bella eyes him suspiciously. "And you aren't on your boat right now?"

Charlie was quiet for a minute. I adjusted myself on the tree so I could get a better look at him. He was staring intently at his coffee mug. "I may have told Esme that we could go out later today."

"You going on a date, Dad? Do I need to give you a curfew?" Bella laughed, leaning over and placing her hand on his. "That's great, I'm happy for you."

"What about you? What will you do today?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe I'll text Edward and see if he's busy." I smirked; I knew I wasn't. Hell, even if I was, if Bella wanted to see me, I would drop everything anyway.

Charlie went upstairs to take a shower, and Bella did text me. We made plans for me to come pick her up in an hour. Esme came around the corner in her car just as I was about to turn to run home. She smiled at me as she pulled into the driveway, hopping out and walking at a human pace to the door. I smiled back, running home.

The next few days were spent in a fog. At least, for me they were. I spent every moment I could with Bella, just as Esme had with Charlie. We were each growing closer in our relationships, and I was finding it easier and easier to be myself around Bella.

I thought back to when Esme and I had been out on our own, the laughs we had, and how close we had gotten. It didn't surprise me that we ended up falling in love with similar people – father and daughter, no less. Carlisle may have turned her ultimately for me, but he hadn't realized the connection that she and I would have all these years later. We were destined to be in the same family, this I knew for sure.

By Friday evening of spring break, I was so happy I couldn't even believe my luck. Bella and I were still reserved in our physical activities, because I was trying to be extra careful. But I wanted her. And I think she knew it. Mother had sat me down and explained that I couldn't hold my 1918 ideals over her head; we were in a new millennium and I needed to remember that's who Bella was. And while my brain may have been telling me I couldn't do anything until after marriage, my stubborn inner teenager was trying very hard to forget that.

Bella was patient with me, which was good. I needed to go slow in order to ensure I didn't hurt her. The more we touched, though, the easier it got.

Friday night turned out to be the turning point for all of us. Billy and Jacob Black showed up to watch the game. Esme and I were unprepared, but as soon as I heard their minds, I ran to her whispering what was coming.

Bella and Charlie looked between us, startled as we both had a scared look on our faces. "What's going on?" Charlie demanded, stepping up to Esme putting his arm around her.

"Billy and Jacob are around the corner," I explained, feeling Bella stand beside me. "They wanted to watch the game."

Charlie relaxed. "Oh, that's fine then."

I shook my head. "No, Charlie. Jacob just turned recently. He can already smell us."

I had explained to both of them how the tribe worked; how they became fevered and turned into the giant wolves, their senses dialed up to a ten. They became more aware of us at that point, and understood more about the legends and the truths associated.

Charlie looked between me and Esme. "What do they know?"

"They know we are here, but that's all. They are both furious that you allowed us in your home."

He looked out the window, as if expecting them to pull up immediately. He walked to the door, opened it and took a step out. "Let them come, then. Sounds like we need to have a conversation."

A/N: Next chapter is the turning point in the story, and what sets everything else in motion. You'll see! Hopefully you are all still enjoying, and FF's bug didn't send too many of you packing.

A couple things I want to address: Yes, the timeline in this story is quite different than the books. Not fully intentional on my part; when I was writing I just couldn't keep them apart as long as she did originally. At this point, Bella has only been in Forks for three weeks or so. Time is moving very quickly.

Unless something strange happens here, my intent is to give you the next chapter a little earlier than Wednesday this week. I'm still in full edit mode, but life keeps getting in the way. I'll do my best, but worse case by Wednesday you'll get the next chapter – which really does spearhead the rest of the story. Won't say more, though!

Thanks again to my betas: My sister trying not to drown in Panama, and my wonderful friend zombified419! I appreciate you both so much!