Thank you to everyone that is reading and very big thank you to those that review! I read everyone and do respond ;)
Given this, I would love to know if there are any canon scenes you would like me to write using these characters. They may not make the regular story line, but I am not apposed to adding some outtakes.
Now, many of you have asked..."How will Charlie react when he finds out about Edward and Bella?" Well, lets find out...
~ Forks, Washington - August 21, 2004 ~
After I got home last night, I immediately went on a hunt. My beast wasn't a factor yesterday. He roared a few times, like when we kissed and danced, but he was soundly ignored. The thought of feeding from Bella was so abhorrent to me now. I doubted I would ever feel compelled by her blood that way again, but I wouldn't chance it.
Emmett and Rose were at the house when I returned and I gave them an abridged summary of my day with Bella. Shortly after dawn, Carlisle and Esme arrived. Most of the house had been outfitted with new furniture, with the exception of Carlisle and Esme's private offices. A moving company would be by later in the day with the office contents, as well as the family's personal mementos.
I spent part of the morning catching up with Carlisle and Esme. I had been excited to show them the nearly completed cottage. Esme loved my music room – slash - library addition, as well as the other renovations I made to the main part of the house. However, they both loved my update on my day with Bella even more. Carlisle and Esme couldn't wait to meet her. It was quickly settled that after I picked her up, I would bring her by the house to meet them. Esme had been practicing cooking the past several weeks in preparation of meeting Bella. Her and Rose would go into town to pickup the necessary ingredients to make her a really nice dinner. Part of me hated sharing Bella with anyone, but my family was excited to meet her, so I relented.
Esme, Carlisle, and I had just returned to the main house, when we heard the sound of a vehicle approaching. They both looked to me as I read the thoughts of the driver. They were soft, but more importantly they were conflicted and upset. Apparently, Charlie was coming to have a sit down with me.
"Chief Swan is coming. He wants to have a few words with me concerning Bella." I said as I pinched the bridge of my nose
Rose and Emmett bounded through the woods and stood with us. Emmett was excited to formally meet Charlie. He secretly hoped Charlie had his gun. He was fixated on taking a bullet to see how it would feel. I glared over at him and shook my head.
"What?" Emmett barked out. "I want to know!"
"Is this the bullet thing again?" Rose asked. I nodded, which was followed by both Esme and Rose telling Emmett that he was to behave.
I minute later, Charlie pulled up in front of the house. He was surprise to see all of us together. His resolve was almost shaken by the sight of the five of us, but he was on a mission. Charlie winced as he reached over to grab a book, before he gingerly exited the car.
"Chief Swan, it so good to see you again!" Esme called out to him.
As they met, Carlisle and Charlie shook hands. "Dr. Cullen, Mrs. Cullen. It's good to see you both as well. When did you get into town?"
"Just this morning, and please call us Carlisle and Esme. I don't think we need to be so formal any more." Carlisle answered.
"If you'd like. So I guess Edward told you all about what happened on Monday?" Charlie asked.
"He did. As well as the conversation you two had on Tuesday morning." Carlisle replied. "Thank you for being so understanding. Not many people have the knowledge you do. I just want to you to know my family welcomes the opportunity address any issues or concerns that you may have."
"Well, that's why I'm here." Charlie looked over towards me. "I would like to speak to Edward, if possible."
"That should not be a problem." Esme answered. "Why don't we all go inside and you two can talk. But first let me introduce the other members of our family you haven't met yet. Chief Swan, this is Emmett and Rosalie."
Charlie nodded to the both of them, while Rose and Emmett offered their own greetings.
Once inside, Carlisle pointed down the hall to open door. "Edward, why don't you two use my office," he offered.
"But, dear, your furniture hasn't arrived yet." Esme corrected.
"No problem," Emmett barked. "I've got it." He winked at Charlie before he picked up one of the couches in one arm, and a leather chair in another, and carried them down the hall and into the office.
"It's not becoming to show off, Emmett!" Esme called after him, but Emmett didn't care. He was having fun trying to shock Charlie.
Once Charlie and I were in the office, we settled into our seats. I already knew how the beginning of the conversation was going to go, but I let Charlie have his say.
"Edward, Bella told me last night that she wanted you to come by and pick her up today. She apparently doesn't want to watch the game with her old man and his friend."
"She did, but I believe her reasons didn't have anything to do with you." I answered.
"I know, but that is what worries me. I know Jacob has been a tad infatuated with her lately. I think Billy has filled Jacob's head with the idea that Bella might make a good girlfriend or wife or whatever. Billy and I have always been like brothers, I think he wants to formalize that through our kids. I have nothing against Jacob or Billy or their lifestyle, but I know Bella is not interested. She wants a bit more out of life than to be a Chief's wife. What also worries me is that she seems to be forming a bit of attachment to you. I never saw her go on about a boy like she did last night. She blushed, she stammered, she sighed. She also noticed a lot of non-human things about you as well. She's incredibly bright and quick. She rattled off a list of oddities that I was amazed she could discover is a day's time. I know it's because she is interested in you, and that bothers me. And just so you know, even if you weren't what you are, I would be worried."
Charlie was hoping I would confirm or deny any attachment on my end without him having to directly ask. I, on the other hand, wanted to direct the conversation to the book he brought with him. I picked up bits and pieces of what he read. Even though the book calls out my kind as monsters, its content could be used to ease Charlie into a discussion of telling Bella I'm a vampire.
"Charlie, I am not trying to avoid what you're saying, but let's talk about that book you're holding." I said pointing down at the book.
"Okay," he said hesitantly.
"I'll be right back." I said before I dart out the back door of Carlisle's office. A couple of seconds later I was back in the chair with my copy of the same book.
Charlie blinked a couple of times in astonishment. "Was that back in the cottage?" He asked.
"It was. I don't see the need to keep up human appearances here at home." I said plainly. If Emmett gets to show off, why couldn't I? "Did you get that from the Thunderbird & Whale Bookstore in Port Angeles?"
"Yeah, they sent it out to me on Wednesday." Charlie looked back and forth between our books. "It has been some interesting reading. I assume your family would be classified as the Cold Ones?"
"We are, except for our diet."
"I see. And the story about Ta..Ta Ha…"
"Taha Aki?" I offered, helping Charlie with the pronunciation.
"That's it. Taha Aki. Is that story true?" He asked.
"It is, but you know as well as I do, that story is not in this book." I countered. I could see from Charlie's thoughts that he had a heart-to-heart talk with Billy yesterday. From some of the highlights I could see that Billy did his damnedest to paint vampires, including my family, as the ultimate evil.
"Yesterday I took advantage of Bella being busy to pay Billy Black a visit. After what you told me and what I read in this book, I needed some confirmation from his side." Charlie paused to rub the back of his neck. "I told him I knew about your family and that I wanted to know more about the Quileutes. I'm sure you know the details, so I won't go into them. But let me ask you, the whole werewolf thing is true?"
It would be wrong to laugh, but Charlie approaching me to confirm the Quileute's supernatural details was tad humorous.
"It is. They're quite impressive, although werewolf is an inaccurate term. They're really shape shifters. The real werewolves are much different."
"Wait!" He interrupted. "There are real werewolves and the Quileute wolves?" He asked as images of classic and modern werewolf movies passed through his mind.
"There are, but let's save the real werewolves for another discussion, okay?" Charlie nodded. "So Taha Aki." I said to bring us back on topic. "His story is legend, but I have no reason to doubt the veracity of it. What I know is that he first changed into a wolf sometime around the year 1250. However the story Billy most likely told you was about the 'third wife', which was about two hundred years later. You see once a Quileute phases into wolf he becomes a near immortal, like vampires. Taha Aki lived a long time. Long enough to have three wives. During the lifetime of his third wife, a male vampire killed several Quileutes. Taha Aki phased into a wolf and destroyed the vampire." I paused as I saw Charlie's eyebrow rise, and in his thoughts he was keenly interested that I acknowledged that a wolf could destroy a vampire.
"Let's save the whole destroying a vampire talk for another time too." I offered, anticipating his next question. "I am happy to discuss it, but all you need to know is the Quileutes have the ability to destroy my kind when they are in wolf form. So, per the legend, the male vampire that had been destroyed was not alone. His mate, now distraught and devastated by her loss, took revenge on the Quileute tribe. She killed many of tribe including Taha Aki's own sons. Taha Aki attacked the female vampire, but she was very strong and her anger made her even more deadly. To save her husband from being destroyed by the vampire, the third wife mortally cut herself. The scent of her blood distracted the vampire enough to give Taha Aki an advantage. He was able to destroy the female vampire, but he lost his wife to her own self inflicted wound."
"That's pretty much what Billy told me, but he made your kind out to be a lot more evil." Charlie replied. In his thoughts I was able to see some of the dramatic insults and colorful names he used to describe my kind.
"I don't doubt that he did." I answered honestly. "The Quileutes hatred for vampires runs in their blood. It is very hard for Billy to see any kind of compassion or understanding when it comes to my kind. To be honest, given the amount of destruction the two vampires caused, in my book they got what they deserved. I know I told you this before, but it is worth repeating, except for my family and our cousins, another family in Alaska, all others of our kind do not respect human life."
Charlie nodded as he thought over what I said. The problem for Charlie, and he knew this, was that his only personal experience with vampires, was with my family. He was now starting to understand the true dangers my kind could pose if they had red eyes instead of amber. Charlie's thoughts then turned to a topic I wanted to cover, but was dreading.
"So the vampires in the Taha Aki story, you said they were mates of one another. What does that mean?" He asked. Billy did not use the term 'mate' in his retelling, as he refused to give my kind those types of emotions.
"Charlie, most vampires exists alone or within a small group, called a coven in our world. The coven members often tolerate each other out of convenience or to show strength. We have emotions, but romantic love seems to be reserved for the one we mate with. A vampire will only mate once in his or her existence. A mate is everything to a vampire. It goes beyond what humans call love, or even a soul mate. A mate is their other half. They will do anything to comfort, protect, and ensure the happiness of their mate. Being apart from one another, even if it is just hours, causes them them to feel distress, and it only gets more acute as the time away from one another increases. Carlisle believes it's our kind's way of tolerating an immortal existence. Being alone for decades, centuries, even a millennium can be difficult. In the Taha Aki story, it is not surprising the female vampire tried to avenge her mate's destruction. She would have done so knowing it likely meant her own demise. Losing one's mate is usually terminal for both partners."
Charlie thought over what I said. He knew all about loneliness. At one time he loved Bella's mom, Renee, and many assumed, even his daughter, that he never got over her leaving. I could see from his own thoughts that he did get over her leaving, he just never wanted to put his heart at risk again until he found the woman he thought he could spend the rest of his life with. He loved the extended family he created here in Forks, but to him Bella was his true and only family at this time.
"So Carlisle and Esme, they're mates?" He asked.
"They are. As are Rosalie and Emmett, and Jasper and Alice." I replied.
An idea pricked at the corner of Charlie's mind. I was just able to get the gist of it to know where he was going to lead the conversation next.
"Mating is reciprocal?" He asked.
"Meaning that the person one mates with, mates with them as well?" I asked. Charlie nodded. "Then, yes. It's part of the mating bond. A vampire could only mate with the one that will mate with them. It is a symmetric bond."
Charlie wrestled with a thought in his mind. The question he desperately wanted to ask, was the one he was the most afraid to know the answer to.
"Charlie, I think we have come full circle, and I suspect that what you really want to know is also something you would rather not."
"That is a great way of putting it." He replied rubbing his neck again.
"All I can do is promise you will get nothing but the truth from me, but I think's it best if you ask if you truly want to know."
Charlie shrugged his shoulders. He struggled with his question on many levels. The father in him just wanted the whole situation to go away. His love for Bella wanted her to be happy and cared for, but he thought she was way too young to be committing to anyone at this time.
"Well, how about we shelve that topic for a bit, and cover something else, that you touched on." I offered.
"Okay, what did I touch on?" He replied. He was secretly relieved I changed the direction of the conversation.
"You said Bella told you she noticed a lot of quirks about me. You are correct. She is very smart and intelligent. She asked me yesterday point blank about her catalog of oddities she had been collecting about me. She told me that you said she might notice some abnormalities, but it was okay. That you knew the truth and that you were fine with it."
"I did, although at the time I thought she would assume your differences were medical related." He answered.
"She is well beyond just conjuring up rational excuses, her mind is telling her I am something 'weird', to use her term, and that I can trust her because you always told her she was good with 'weird'."
Charlie laughed under his breath and shook his head. "She would remember that one thing I told her. So how did you leave it with her?"
"I told her that knowledge could come with set of dangers that you may not feel comfortable exposing her too. She didn't take my avoidance too well, but eventually she agreed to drop it for the time being. So now I have a question for you, what are your thoughts about Bella knowing my family's secret?"
Charlie stood up and started to pace around the room. He did not forget the warnings I gave him. The thought of any harm coming to Bella was as detestable to him as it was to me. His initial reaction was to say 'hell no' to her knowing. However he knew Bella wouldn't like that answer. Plus he suspected it was inevitable that she was to find out anyway. Either from her own deduction, or heaven forbid, Bella being placed in a situation like how he found out. Either way, she would eventually come along the truth.
In a surprising turn of his thoughts, Charlie turned to me with an odd expression. "Your family can hear us correct?" he asked.
"They can. Unfortunately, our amplified senses mean that privacy can be hard to come by." I told him. Carlisle and Esme had been busy in her office. Emmett was playing a video game and Rose was underneath Charlie's car inspecting the engine and transmission…she apparently didn't like how it sounded when he drove up. However, despite their current tasks, my family was paying close attention to our conversation.
"Will you all come in here please," Charlie asked into the open room, knowing that if he had been dealing with humans, his request would never be heard. Apparently, Charlie was also good with weird. A second later they all walk in.
Upon seeing them, Charlie took a step backwards and rubbed his neck again. "Well, I guess I don't need to recap the conversation," he said. "I assume everything Edward has told me is true?"
"It is," Carlisle answered for the family.
"I know my daughter and she won't rest, or let me rest, until she knows the truth about your family." Charlie paused to look over at me. "Plus, I suspect that she and Edward will continue to become better acquainted."
Charlie could not bring himself to say mated, but that was his thinking. Denying what was to happen or forbidding it was a fool's game to him. He knew Bella was too headstrong to be reigned in, and he suspected my nature would not allow me to be separated from her. He had no doubt I would follow her back to Phoenix, or really anywhere if the vampire mating bond was indeed as strong as I claimed it to be. He did hold out a bit of hope that she would reject me once she knew what I was, but he thought the odds of that happening were slim. Ultimately, he could ether stand against Bella and I, and risk being left out of her future. Or, he could accept whatever the future may bring, and do what he could to make sure Bella was kept safe and treated well. His heart and head told him one thing, but unfortunately his gut instinct told him the opposite. Charlie was a man who had seen enough of the world to know his heart and head could be fooled, but his gut was rarely wrong. With his decision made, he forged ahead.
"If I allow Edward to tell Bella your secret, I would like two promises from your family. The first is that if she is uncomfortable, unsure, or even runs away screaming, you all will leave her and I alone. She has to be able to make up her own mind without any coercion or influence."
Charlie looked around at my family members, who in turn looked at me. In all my family's thoughts, the message was the same. This was my decision to make for all of us.
Could I stay away if she rejected me?
The simple answer was I would. If she truly wished me away, I would go and let her live her life, knowing when she left this earth, I would find way to follow her. I just prayed it would never come to that. After having even a couple of days with her, I knew an eternity more would not be enough.
"Charlie, we all agree to your first condition. More specifically, I agree to it, regardless of my own personal consequences." I answered. "What is you second condition?"
"The second promise is to do anything within your power to protect my Bella, should the wrong individuals find out she knows."
Everyone in my family immediately told me in their thoughts, what I knew would be their answer. "We easily agree to that condition as well. You have my word, and my family's word, that we will move heaven and earth to make sure no harm comes to Bella because of us."
Charlie sighed. In his thoughts he worried if he was making the right decision for Bella and himself. Trust was a hard thing for Charlie to give someone. Yet here he was giving it to a family of vampires that he really didn't know very well, but he rationalize that I earned that trust by saving him and Mark. Also, his intuition was telling him he could trust us. Charlie had a very defined sense of right and wrong. His gut was telling him this was right.
"Okay, Edward. You have my permission to tell Bella. You better make a good case for yourself, because I'm holding you to your promises."
"Thank you, Charlie." I answered sincerely. The rest was up to me.
"Don't thank me yet. My daughter may handle weird well, but you are about to go beyond any normal definition of weird." Charlie glanced down at his watch and grimaced. "I have to get going before Bella sends out a search party."
I walked him out to his car, where he noticed the hood was left open.
Rose darted over and closed it. "Chief Swan, whoever has been servicing your car is a damn idiot." She told him bluntly.
Charlie just starred at her for long moment, before I explained to him that Rose was the family's resident mechanical genius.
"Actually, we just fired our service shop for that very reason." He replied.
"Well, I tweaked a few things while you were talking with Edward." She told Charlie. "You drive it around, and see if you like the improvements. When I see you next, we'll talk. I can have your cruisers running better than new in no time." Charlie raised his eyebrow at Rose's comment. "Hey, it's what I love to do. You just drive around, I promise you'll notice the difference."
"Um, okay." Charlie answered before the family went back into the house, leaving the two of us alone.
"I'm going to tell Bella I spoke to you this morning. I'll let her know I gave you the go ahead for her to know about you." Charlie got in his car and started it up. The engine purred quietly. Even to Charlie's hearing it was a marked improvement. "Well I'll be damned," Charlie muttered under his breath.
From inside the house, we both heard Rose shout, "I told you so!"
"Edward, I'll see you at three. I know I told you this before, but I'll say it again. I'm trusting you, don't make me regret it."
"I'll do my best," I answered before he pulled away.