The Painful Truth

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

A/N-thank you for the awesome reviews!

Part Fifteen

Billy noticed there was something up between Jacob and Bella at breakfast. He noticed the secret smiles, the way their fingers brushed when they passed the milk to each other. When Jacob made a really lame joke, Bella laughed as if it was the funniest thing she had ever heard. Hearing her laughter jerked Charlie out of his stupor. He and Bella were still tiptoeing around each other, being overly polite, but not really talking or sorting out their issues. Now Billy could see that Bella's attention was deflected elsewhere. He frowned at his son, wondering when this change had happened. In his mind it was too soon. There was too much going on, but Jacob and Bella were acting as if there was nothing wrong.

"I need you to take me out today, Jake." Billy said coolly.

"Why?" Jacob tore his eyes away from Bella and looked at his father in confusion. He and Bella had planned to go to the beach again and take a picnic with them this time.

"There are some things I need." Billy saw the disappointment on his sons face. He felt slightly guilty but he needed to get him away from Charlie and Bella so he could find out what was going on and put a stop to it. Jacob was moving too fast. He needed to focus on his pack duties. They were all still in danger and Bella was supposedly still attached to Cullen. He was annoyed that his son had let his heart rule his head.

"What things?" Jacob questioned irritably as he exchanged an aggrieved glance with Bella.

"If your father needs you take him out, then do it." Charlie snapped. He was still angry at Jacob for the way he had spoken to him the day before when he defended Bella.

"Dad." Bella was appalled at his tone. "Don't speak to Jake like that."

"I'll speak to him how I please. I'm the adult here." Charlie pushed his half eaten breakfast away and stood up from the table.

"That's up for debate." Bella felt her own anger rising. She had been trying her best to keep her cool around Charlie, hoping that he would calm down and perhaps have a rational conversation with her, but it seemed that had been too much to hope for. Sleeping on things had increased his ire, not dampened it.

"Don't push me, Bella." Charlie said sternly as he marched out of the kitchen and into the open air.

Billy sighed. It seemed his advice hadn't sunk into the Chief's hard head. He was about to give Bella some consoling words when he saw Jacob reach out and touch her face tenderly. His resolve hardened. He needed to speak to his son and make him put the brakes on this burgeoning relationship with his best friend's daughter. "Jake, I want to go now." He said testily.

"Can't it wait?" Jacob growled as he glanced in annoyance at Billy.

"No." Billy steered his chair away from the table. "Come on." He didn't wait for Jacob to reply as he headed for the front door.

"I'm sorry, honey." Jacob apologised as he touched her face again. He drew her nearer so he could kiss her, but jerked away quickly when Charlie stalked back into the kitchen. "Damn." He cursed under his breath.

"Your dad is waiting." Charlie reminded him as he opened the fridge and began to pour himself a cool beer.

"Alright." Jacob glared at Charlie before his expression softened when he returned his attention to Bella. "I'm sorry about today. I'll try not to be too long."

"It's okay." Bella mustered up a smile. She wasn't looking forward to being stuck in the villa with her bad tempered father all day, but it seemed she had little choice. She caught Jacob's hand in hers and laced her fingers through his. "I'll miss you." She whispered so Charlie couldn't hear.

"Me too." Jacob's face was a picture of agony as he reluctantly pulled his hand out of hers and went to join his father.

Bella went to the window and watched silently as Jacob helped his father into the front seat of the hire car before folding up his wheelchair and stowing it in the back. She saw him look regretfully toward the villa before climbing into the car and driving off. Bella kept her eyes on the car until it disappeared out of sight. Now that Jacob was gone she felt forlorn. Colour had gone out of the day and she was full of disappointment. She had been looking forward to escaping her worries for another few hours and spend the day with Jacob like two normal teenagers. But now everything was ruined. Bella turned around to find Charlie looking at her. He was holding a can of beer in his hand, so much for his promise to lay off the booze.

"Didn't last long, did it?" Bella sneered.

"What didn't?" Charlie matched her sarcastic tone as he raised the can to his lips and drank.

Seeing him drink the beer was like a red rag to a bull. Bella felt like he was baiting her deliberately. "You never change, do you?" She yelled at him.

"Don't raise your voice to me, young lady." Charlie warned her.

"Raise my voice." Bella said bitterly. "Even if I screamed my head off you'd never hear me. You accuse mom of being a bad parent, but you're no better."

Charlie slammed his beer can down on the kitchen counter in a fit of temper. "Never compare me to Renee. I have done nothing but try and keep you safe. You have done nothing but lie to me since you came to live under my roof. How do you expect anyone to trust what you say or do when you have done nothing to warrant it? You have forced me to act like your jailor just because I can't trust that you know your own mind. You say one thing and do another."

"If that's true then who made me this way." Bella screamed at him. "You, that's who. You are just as complicit as mom in making me the way I am. You reap what you sow, isn't that what they say. Well congratulations, dad. You got the crappy daughter you deserved."

Bella felt angry tears prick at her eyes but she refused to shed them in front of her father. She could see that her words had shocked him to his core, and she was glad of it. She was tired of trying to defend her actions or prove herself. She was tired of everything. Bella turned away from Charlie and began to storm out of the villa. "Get back here." He yelled after her. But Bella didn't listen; she was done taking orders from him.


Jacob drove in silence to the main town. He was still stewing over the fact that Billy had ruined his entire day. Right now Bella should be sitting beside him in the car, with a picnic basket in the back seat. It was meant to be a romantic day out for the two of them, a little like a first date. It was his way of solidifying them as a couple, and like Bella he had wanted to escape the pressure of real life for a few hours. When they got back to La Push there wasn't going to much time for fun or dates of any kind. As he reached the turn off for the main town Billy motioned for him to head toward the sea front instead.

"I thought you wanted to get something in town." Jacob glanced at his dad in confusion.

"Just park up over there." Billy pointed to a free space. It was overlooking the beach and the ocean.

Jacob frowned as he did as his dad requested. He switched off the engine and turned to study father's profile. Billy was staring out at the ocean, his brow furrowed and his expression troubled. Jacob presumed that the situation with Charlie was affecting him and he felt a surge of anger shoot through him at all the unnecessary stress that Bella's father was causing. "I'm sorry you've been dragged into this whole thing with Charlie, dad." He apologised. "But you can't let it affect your health."

Billy appeared perplexed for a second before comprehension dawned. He kept his gaze fixated on the ocean. It was a deep azure blew. Gulls wheeled in the cloudless sky as they sought food. There were the usual tourists sunbathing on the beach and frolicking in the sea. Even though the view was breath taking, it wasn't home. Billy preferred the open landscapes of home, the high cliffs, and the green, vibrant forests that surrounded La Push. You could feel life flourishing there. Here he could barely breathe in the cloying air.

"Dad, what is going on?" Jacob questioned anxiously.

Billy finally turned toward his son. His eyes roamed Jacob's face. He looked so much like Sarah in that moment that it took his breath away. "What's going on with you and Bella?" He asked eventually.

Jacob was taken aback by this question. He hadn't been expecting it. "Why do you want to know?"

"Don't play games with me, Jacob." Billy said wearily. "I saw the coy looks you were giving each other. It's damn well obvious something has changed between you."

"So what if it has." Jacob replied tersely.

"She is still with the leech for one, and neither you nor Bella are in the right place in your lives to start anything now." Billy tried to keep his tone light. He didn't want to alienate Jacob, just try and show him that he was making a mistake starting something up with Bella during such a fraught time. There was too much at stake and he didn't want his son to get hurt.

"It's not really any of your business what Bella and I do. Is this Charlie's influence?" Jacob demanded as he eyed his dad suspiciously. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited for Billy to respond.

"This has nothing to do with Charlie."

"If he's not the reason, then why are you so against us. I love Bella." Jacob declared passionately.

"Jake, what do you know about love." Billy sighed heavily. "You're barely seventeen. Bella is the first girl you've had a crush on. There will be many more during your life you'll find yourself attracted to…."

"Jeez, you are as bad as Charlie. I thought you understood." Jacob said in disgust. "I am not talking about this with you anymore." He switched on the engine and began to reverse out of the parking space.

"Jake, listen to me." Billy pleaded. "I haven't handled this very well." He rubbed a hand over his face as Jacob pulled onto the main road. "I am not against you or Bella. I care for her like my own daughter. But you are both very young. Circumstances have pushed you to make rash decisions. If not for all this supernatural bullshit getting in the way would you really be clinging to each other like this? I worry that you're acting hastily and getting caught up in the ro…."

"Dad, stop." Jacob snapped. "I know how I feel. I love Bella. End of. Get used to it because it's never gonna change."

"Jake…."

"No." Jacob switched on the radio, turning it up so loud that it drowned out Billy's voice.


Bella had called a cab. She was so angry at Charlie. She couldn't believe his audacity. She wasn't denying that she had made mistakes. But she was damn sure not going to apologise anymore for the person she had become. They had moulded her into who she was. Their lack of proper parental care had contributed to the way she saw herself. She had been trying to make an effort to change, to work out who she really was, and not let her low self-esteem drag her down. Instead of supporting her, Charlie was doing a damn good job of destroying what little confidence she had gained, and Bella was sick of it. It was time he and Renee shut up and listened to her for once. Adrenaline pumped through Bella's veins, buoyed up by her anger at her parents. She asked the taxi driver to wait for her as she hastened up the path to the front door of her mother's rented villa. She banged on the door viciously, bruising her palm as she did so. But she barely felt the pain.

"MOM, GET OUT HERE!" Bella yelled.

There was the sound of hurried footsteps on the other side of the door. Bella waited impatiently for Renee to open the door. Eventually she heard the lock turn and her mother poked her head out. Renee was wearing the same pair of oversized sunglasses on her face. Her hair was scraped back into an untidy ponytail. She was dressed in a pair of baby doll pyjamas even though it was the middle of the day.

"Don't tell me you were in bed." Bella spat sarcastically.

Renee adjusted the sunglasses as she peered at Bella. "I have a migraine. It's all your fault, running off like you did the other day." She whined. "I haven't felt well since."

"Where's Phil?" Bella demanded as she ignored her mother's whinging.

"He's gone out to get me some painkillers." Renee said haughtily. "He cares about me, even if you don't."

"Good, you're alone." Bella darted forward, taking Renee by surprise, and dragged her out of the villa. She kicked the door shut with her foot before hauling a protesting Renee down the path toward the waiting cab.

"What are you doing? Let go of me." Renee screeched as she struggled in vain to yank her arm out of Bella's tight grip.

Bella stopped; she turned and placed her face close to Renee's. Her brown eyes were sparking with fury. "Shut up. For once you are going to quit being a selfish cow and do something for me for a change. I'm taking you back to the villa so I can talk to you and dad together. I have something I want to say and you are both damn well gonna listen for once."

"You're mad." Renee whispered as she stared at Bella with eyes round with horror.

"And about to get madder." Bella promised her. She steered Renee toward the cab and practically shoved her into the back seat. "Strap yourself in mother it's going to be a bumpy ride." She warned Renee as she closed the door in her face.

A/N-thanks for reading!