A whole day was lost in bed. Still, she dreamt of nothing and awoke slowly and happily, allowing her mind to lift effortlessly from the realm of dream into her new reality. The room was dark but she could see the wall only a few inches from her face, and feel the cool breeze of an open door or window somewhere in the bus.

She wrenched herself from beneath the heavy duvet, as difficult as it was, and got to her feet. A careful wiggle of her toes and flex of her knee hold her, her leg was back to normal and she went in search of a bathroom. Not only was there hot water, but shampoo and show gel and a hairbrush and a mirror and all the home comforts she'd convinced herself she could live without, but damn it was nice having them back.

Dirt and mud fell from her hair and she stood beneath the water until it ran cold and she hastened to grab a towel. She allowed herself to dare dream, and could have kissed Alice when she pulled open a drawer and pulled out a clean, freshly bought shirt. It was her size, as was the bras and underwear she found in another drawer.

With renewed energy, Bella crept from the bedroom area and through into the kitchen, expecting to find her pack loitering, waiting for her. There sat a plate of unimaginable food – every breakfast you could possibly imagine piled onto one lonely plate, and a little note from Rachel.

Enjoy x

Moods, it seemed, had lifted dramatically.

She ate quickly and ravenously, demolishing the food in a few minutes and washing the plate quickly in the sink before heading back to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She found nine different coloured toothbrushes in a little drawer and smiled as she snagged an orange one and tore the wrapper open.

When she threw open the door a few minutes later, she half expected birds to burst into song and the sun to shine down on her like an angel. The birds were busy sleeping and the moon hung heavy and silent above her, so she settled her imagination to more realistic goals and smiled at Thomas as he watched her. She looked a damn sight better than she had in the past month.

"Oh my God," she all but moaned as she folded herself on the floor beside her pack. "I missed my bed."

It had been too long since she'd felt thoroughly well slept, without the haze of tiredness creeping into her mind. She sky was pink and blue as the sun began to sink below the trees and the air was cold and damp but it was good.

It was good.

It was light and free and smiles were easily shared among them. They talked about the beast of a bus, about how much it cost and joked about the money the vampires probably had holed away somewhere. They laughed, joking about how good they looked for their ages and it was nothing at all. Finally with a full belly, she could have fallen fast asleep again but she stopped herself over indulging. It wouldn't do to get into a lax routine.

"They stopped arguing about three hours ago," Ted said as he lay on his back, his arms pillowed behind his head as he waited for the sky to darken. "He and his mate decided to leave."

"Really?" Bella asked disbelievingly.

Cowards.

"He seemed to think we were going to eat him or something," Ryan snickered and his pack joined him in his quiet joke. Vampires were not palatable.

"What about Benjamin?" Bella asked quickly.

"Not so quick to run from things I do not understand," he answered as he stood in the doorway of the living room smiling down at them all. Bella smiled back.

"I did not mean to divide your coven," she said sincerely.

"It was a long time coming," he said with a small shrug, speaking no louder than a whisper and being amused when the she-wolf heard him without trouble. "A little freedom could do me some good."

"Freedom has its price," Bella warned solemnly.

He had gathered the situation with the wolves from Carlisle. He had been dubious telling him anything but Benjamin was determined and Edward seemed okay with it. There was nothing viscous in the boys mind. Ben nodded at her warning, knowing what her bond with the vampire had cost her. Her freedom wasn't so well met but her pack had come to her aid, and it had cost them dearly.

He didn't really have a home, but if he had, he wouldn't like to be banished.

–

Nine days.

They had nine days until those vampires traipsed through the area. "There's a huge clearing about forty miles east," Emmett said. "We use it for baseball."

Smiles shone all around. "You play baseball?" Thomas repeated with a small bark of a laugh.

Emmett simply shrugged and smiled. "It's remote and quiet – perfect for the annihilation of a newborn army."

"We'll check it out," Bella said with a grateful nod. In honesty, it was the only solution they'd been able to come up with. They needed somewhere open, far from humans and civilisation, and not too close to the sea for an easy exit. "Do you seriously play baseball?"

Emmett laughed, his eyes shining as he looked down at her incredulous expression. "We'll have a tournament some time," he said easily.

Thomas scoffed and Bella rolled her eyes. "Like you could ever win."

She left them to their boyish taunts. It was an unusually sunny day, and the vampires were making the most of the weather which left the wolves a little more than wary as their invisible boundaries were tested and crossed. Edward was there with them, talking and trying to diffuse the stares and tension that had suddenly fallen upon the pack but he found their gaze to be unwavering until the moment Emmett had walked quickly, and purposefully straight up to Bella and said, "Y'alright?"

She'd been defensive, muscles taught and rigid and ready, Edward suspected, to tear anyone who stepped close enough, in two. But at the smile on Emmett's face Bella's face broke out into the smallest grin and she squinted up at him, shielding her eyes from the sun. "Not too shabby," she'd said simply. "Yourself?"

"Eh," he shrugged non-committally. "Room-mates are getting annoying," he said with a wry smile before folding himself on the floor right there in front of Edward and her, surrounded by wolves. He was huge – easily rivalling John in height and width but he had a grin that reminded her of Thomas in his teenage years.

"Risky," Edward warned quietly.

"It's fine," Emmett dismissed quickly and easily, while his mate stood watching from the living room brimming with fury.

"I think Rose might disagree," Edward commented meekly.

"We need to plan this shit," Emmett argued impatiently. "It's all well and good tiptoeing around and shaking hands but we need to co-ordinate."

And so he had shared with her everything Alice had seen. "Is it solid?"

"Her visions are not one hundred percent," Edward had told her quickly. He'd already explained the nature of Alice's' abilities to her. "But the date has never changed."

She could see nothing now. With Sam and Bella's packs both helping her vision had been completely obliterated and they had only what she had seen two weeks ago before they'd called on the wolves for help. They had to wait the storm; a storm that would shake the earth and send the forest tumbling to the ground. She cast her eyes skyward, noting the storm that was going to hit in a few hours time.

Emmett had referenced the clearing and, slowly but surely the mention of baseball had Thomas thawing and smiling back to the vampire. He loved the game.

"It's not safe," Bella found herself lamenting for the fourth time to not only Thomas, but Emmett and Edward as well.

"We can only have a nine sided team anyway -" Thomas argued with her easily, as he so often did. "The others can keep watch."

"You want to compromise our safety for a game of baseball?" Bella clarified with raised eyebrows.

"Yes."

She laughed, shook her head and looked to Edward for some help. Unfortunately it seemed that he was also up for the challenge. "Alice can't see anything. We won't know if we're being attacked until it's too late-"

"Fucks sake Bella," Thomas moaned. "There's nine wolves and fourteen vampires. I think we can look after ourselves."

But she was stubborn.

"It is not worth the risk for a few laughs," she countered, feeling nasty and evil, like a school teacher shouting at the kids to stop playing and come inside on a beautiful sunny day. Edward said nothing of it but Emmett looked mighty put out by her firm foot.

"It could be another way to get to know one another," he offered weakly.

"I don't think competing is a good way to make friends," she said with a wicked smile.

She reminded Emmett of Esme, which startled Edward to a degree. Motherly, was how he described it. With Emmett's thoughts running through his mind he could see it. He remembered her words to Carlisle, about how it was her duty to care for her pack, not his. She was critical of them all but fiercely protective should anyone else decide to voice their negative opinions.

"When all of this is over..." she said with a sigh, not wanting to seem like a ruthless dictator.

"We're just bored," Emmett admitted.

She almost forgot how they usually went to school. The memory made her smile. "Missing classes?"

Was she teasing them?

"We learned a great deal, I will have you know..." Emmett defended weakly.

Her remark and his feeble attempt to justify it gave her pack the confidence to hit back at him, teasing and laughing and being quite brutal. She was sure, if Edward and Emmett could blush they would have done. To be frank, the very concept of vampires pretending to be high school students was utterly ridiculous. Call it an initiation, call it bullying but her pack were joking and teasing Emmett like they would do a pack-mate, whether the vampire recognised that yet or not.

There was a great crack and all conversation was silenced as heads turned to Benjamin, who sat with Tia away from everyone else around the corner of the house. They could all see him, eyes closed and face slack as he sat on the ground with his palms pressed against the soil. They saw the earth split and gape wide open.

"Holy shit," Thomas said as he got to his feet to get a better look. He looked down at Bella with a knowing smirk. "And you're worried about a game of baseball."

She punched him.

He punched her.

And a scuffle ensued that sent both vampires scattering back across the river for fear of getting entangled in the flying limbs and cackled laughter as the pair rolled and pinned and struck one another. Edward's first instinct was to pull her away and kill Thomas for daring to lay a finger on her, but her easy smirk and lunge silenced his worries. He knew she could handle herself.

He looked over to Esme, smiling with enormous gratitude. It had been her idea to get a motor home – and while an eye sore and ruining the small patch of still pristine grass, it patently made all the difference to the pack. He hadn't seen Bella so playful or relaxed ever. And her pack were laying around the jostling pair, laughing and tossing in their two cents.

He understood how a lone wolf could be so depressed.

He saw the family, the love and the affection there between them all.

–

A distant howl rang out.

It was early morning and the sun had slipped away the night previous, dousing them in ice cold rain and sending them all inside the camper. It was warm and dry but cramped. They all preferred the outside, but the fire held them in place. It had been four in the morning when they'd heard it – the first howl. The others had been sleeping while Bella and John stayed awake to keep watch. They kept the door open and Bella sat on the steps just beyond the reach of the rain.

She loved the smell.

She loved the sound of rain pelting against the surface of the river.

She liked the rain that fell in grey sheets that obscured the skies and trees.

Her pack was awake abruptly. "Stay put," she ordered them. She was on her feet in an instant, a wolf replacing her human form as she leapt from the shelter and out into the chilly morning rain. John was a moment behind her, landing on four paws lithely, his mind quiet and patient as they stared out into the woods. The eyes of vampires crowded the windows and she could see Benjamin watching them with excited eyes.

A second howl rang out and they were gone – pushing dirt and earth behind them as they headed north. It was away from La Push and Neah Bay – but unmistakably, a wolf.

Be prepared for an attack, Bella warned John.

She liked running with him. Not only was he one of the smartest, wisest men in her company but he knew how to quieten his mind to a mumble and didn't deluge her with pointless observations about trees and how pretty the sun looked in the morning. The vampires did not follow, and her pack remained alert.

It was only fifteen minutes later when she returned, sprinting back to the house without John. Her feet took her to her pack that congregated in front of the motor home. "Our family," she said the moment she phased.

"Family?" Thomas repeated with confusion.

"The Festival," she said, as though this explained everything.

Bella left her pack smiling and excited and made the heavy journey to the house. Carlisle was there, throwing the back doors open and waiting for her words. "Humans are coming."

"Your family?" Carlisle asked.

"It is customary for the Festival," Bella said quickly.

"They will not be harmed," Carlisle said.

"This is more than squabbles," she pressed with hard eyes. "If any of them are hurt in any way, we will defend and attack as we see fit," she warned him, every inch the Alpha and wolf that she was as she stared him down. "I need your word Carlisle, Tanya," she said, letting her eyes slide past the dozens of eyes to the pair that regarded her with cautious intrigue.

"You have it," Tanya said after a moment. "They will not be touched."

"Any nomad," she said, her eyes settling on Garret. "That might decide to test his luck will be hunted and killed."

Garret bowed his head in mock understanding but he had no intention of testing the wolves wrath.

"You have our word," Benjamin said, in a rare sign of maturity.

John escorted them up the Cullen's drive. They were split into four cars, all rusted and in various states of disrepair. They were not a rich community. Heart beats thudded and ached as they stepped from the cars, slamming doors and following John's quiet instruction to go around the side of the house.

Thomas' mother was there, her hand covering her mouth as her tears flowed freely, her eyes landing on her only son. He ran to her, becoming a boy once again as he engulfed her in his arms, resting his head on her shoulder. His shoulders shook in quiet grief as her arms wrapped around his shoulders and held him together.

Another woman rounded the corner, eyes dry but not for long as Kim, Ryan and Kyle all shouted "Mom!" she ran to greet her. She, too, was lost in hugs and tears and kisses.

Ted's wife had come with their daughter – who was no older than one as she cooed and dribbled as he scooped her up and hugged the pair of them tightly. John's brother was there, offering a brotherly embrace and a slap on the back.

Bella waited with Rachel. The girl had no family to speak of, and was unbelievably surprised when Penny squeezed between all of the hugging families to squint across the lawn at her best friend. A strangled sob ripped from Rachel before she propelled herself across the lawn and into her waiting arms, dissolving into fits of tears and laughter as they toppled to the floor.

And there was her Grandpa, stood with his walking stick staring back at her with penetrating grey eyes and a grim expression. He was a small man – standing only a few inches above her as he stooped in his old age. His skin was heavily wrinkled and thin and he looked so brittle among the younger people around him. But she knew, not only from experience but from his rigid spine and unyielding authority, that he was not to be trifled with. She did not run to him. She did not feel the overwhelming urge to embrace this man. Instead, she walked up the lawn and he met her as quickly as he could. His legs did not move as quickly as they once did. Their hug was quick and he stepped away swiftly as she swallowed the lump in her throat and hid her tears. "I've missed you kid."

She laughed, because she was thirty five; far from a child.

The rain gave way to grey clouds and the humans were guided down the lawn. They stared at the huge monstrosity that parked oddly on the curve of the garden and marvelled at the white, three storey house. The vampires watched and waited.

This was unknown territory.

Parents cooed and coddled, tutting at the mud on their clothes and uncombed hair.

"You've lost weight," Bella's grandpa had observed quietly, eyes hard and pinning as she had taken his arm and helped their slow progress down the grass. "Have you not hunted?"

"Not much game when vampires are around," she sighed, but knew it wouldn't be the end of it. She expected a lecture on taking care of herself – another one, but instead her grandfather fell silent and his usual smiling demeanour was cold and distant. It worried her. While the families and friends were not beyond sitting on the wet grass, Bella would not see the same for her Grandpa. She took him inside the motor home, expecting a whistle of appreciation.

He said nothing.

And she began to worry, because she knew her actions had affected the entire tribe and she didn't know even half of what had happened in Neah Bay. She had been given insight into the lies and stories spread by the council and Lana to smear her family name. She hoped he did not blame her for this, but family honour was everything, especially to the older generation. If everything else fell away, you had to retain honour and dignity to your family and tribe.

So she waited as he sat on the 'L' shaped sofa, as he set his walking stick aside and rubbed his hands together. He could barely look at her, but she sat silently beside him and waited for him to voice whatever he had on his mind.

"I need to speak with you," he said gruffly, sitting up a little straighter and turning his watery eyes to her. She saw sadness there – more than she'd ever seen before, and something constricted in her lungs. She wondered if she could order everyone away. She could see the sombre expression and feel the heaviness in the air around them.

She said nothing. Outside, her pack were far too distracted with their families and catching up and complaining about Lana and the council to pay her any mind.

"Bella..." her grandpa said, shaking his head and looking down at his shoes, now muddy from his foray across the lawn. "I am sorry."

She waited, a sinking in her gut freezing her questions in her throat. She wondered what his tongue would have to say of Edward, of her appearance in Neah Bay the days previous, of the fight with Sam. She hadn't spoken to him of any of it, but he was bound to know.

"Your father..." he began but faded to nothing. She blinked, confused.

"Your father is alive, Bella."

She stared at him, unable to think of the words he'd said. "No," she argued dimly. "He died-"

"No, he didn't," her grandfather told her sharply, his hands clasping one another in his lap as he seemed to steady his resolve. "He didn't fall in battle."

"But..." she said, but there was nothing more in her mind.

Impossible.

"He ran, Bella."

Ran?

"But the pack..." she said quietly, cold all over and apparently unable to even think coherently.

"He abandoned them – running off and splitting with his brothers," her grandfather spat, a fire suddenly raging in his eyes. Bella felt numb. "He imprinted on one of the attacking vampires," he went on savagely. "He couldn't face killing her, so he fled instead."

No.

"He wouldn't-"

"He did!" her grandpa bellowed. If anyone was ignorant to their discussion before, they certainly weren't anymore. She had the overwhelming urge to slam the door shut – to take her grandpa somewhere silent and remote to have this conversation but he didn't understand the range of hearing they possessed. "He destroyed our families honour that day," he said stoically.

"Only the council and I were to know," he went on. "Anyone left of the old pack were killed in an attack a few months later, and ordered to silence until their dying breath," he said solemnly.

"Why tell me now?"

After all these years?

After all I have done?

Because she believed him. Her grandpa was a good, honest man and he had never lied to her before even when the truth was pain and brutal. She knew his words were not false and it made it impossible.

"Because the council are planning to use it against you."

Because of Edward.

Because she, too, had imprinted on a vampire and fled, abandoning her pack.

"That's why they hate me," she whispered hoarsely.

She struggled.

"I have tried to convince them..."

She looked away, shielding her tears from him as she wiped them on her sleeve. There was a thought crushing her chest, obliterating her happiness. Knowing that, not only was she not enough as a mere baby to hold her mother, but her father had cast her aside also, out of cowardice and fear and instead chose to run. She knew it was not about her – none of it was about her, but it should have been. She was their daughter, their child but they had not wanted that responsibility or burden.

She was angry. She felt too betrayed, too bitter at her grandpa. His lies had spanned decades.

"You lied," she spat, her anger getting the better of her. "All this time-"

"I was protecting you Bella," he said strongly. "I saw the way you watched your father. You idolised him – you dedicated your life to becoming him!" he cried in outrage. "You were far too young to understand!" she dismissed. "It would have destroyed you."

"And now?"

He looked over at her, so suddenly and so openly, in a way he never had before. She showed him her tears, showed him her trembling chin and shaking hands because he had taught her to be strong and overcome everything in her path but this, this she could not set aside.

"You are an amazing young woman," he said quietly. "I should have told you sooner, but there was never a good time. I..." he trailed off and sighed. "I am very sorry Bella."

And he got up and left her, making his way slowly down the steps of the motor home to the outside world. The humans had no idea why the pack were silent and meek. They didn't know why they looked at Grandpa Swan like he'd cursed their first-born sons and looked away quickly. The Pack heard the slow steps, the thud of a door shutting and the so, so soft whimpers as their friend, their leader crumbled and shattered behind them. They gave her privacy and respect.

But Thomas was over it.

"Fuck this," he muttered as he kissed his mother on the cheek, ignoring her questions as he got to his feet and went into the motor home. He slammed the door shut, marched down the hallway and into the bedroom. He saw her curled up in the darkness, her eyes clamped shut against her mind or his presence, he wasn't sure.

He knew what her father had meant to her. He knew how her faint, faded memories had fuelled her, how she prayed at night, how she kept him close to her heart and hoped he would be proud of her, even now.

"Bells..." he said quietly as she shook and cried, because he'd never seen her so torn or upset and it hurt. It hurt knowing he could do nothing. If Elders weren't so highly respected, he might have just swung for old Grandpa Swan. Instead he stayed with his best friend, his sister, his Alpha because she was done being strong, being hard and immobile. She was crumbling right before his eyes.

The room was tiny – not big enough for him to creep over to her but they'd seen too much of one another to be shy.

She didn't complain when she felt the mattress dip, or when hands pulled her up and turned her around. She just wanted to cry. So when she found herself surrounded by a warm, comforting scent and solid arms she allowed herself to fall apart. She was quiet but her hands held onto Thomas' arm with a grip of a dying man and he did nothing other than rub a thumb on her hand and gently shush her every now and again. There, holed in that tiny little room, she wished she could have stayed forever.

She wanted to cast off the Alpha role, and put a million leagues between her and her people because nothing was straight forward anymore.

The vampires knew. They had heard. Edward was, obviously angry with this old man who saw fit to dump such destroying news on Bella without any tact. He cared for her, blatantly, but he couldn't have been any more cold or hard if he had tried. It was quite obvious where Bella had learned to hide her emotions. He sat to one side, on a stump another wolf had grudgingly gone to find, silent and waiting for his granddaughter to emerge. He didn't hear the sobs they all could.

"What will this do?" Carlisle asked quietly.

"It depends," Edward replied monotonously, feeling as upset and angry as his mate did. "Her father was her reason for being an Alpha in the first place. It could destroy her, or make her even stronger."

"You hear that?" Thomas whispered so silently in her ear.

She wasn't used to crying, to getting so deep and lost in thought and emotion that all else fell away to inconsequential nonsense. She had cried enough. She had hurt enough, not only for her grandfather and his lies but for her father and his betrayal. She had never been overly good at being the victim. It left far too much weakness exposed.

She had heard Edward's words, had heard his concern for her. She could hear the humans wondering where she was and why Thomas had slammed the door. They wondered, quietly and amongst themselves, why glares were aimed at Grandpa Swan?

So she pulled herself away and sat on the bed, her back against the wall as she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Her lungs stuttered. She had a head ache and her vision was blurry at the very best.

"I can hit him if you'd like."

She smiled, small and weak but it was there.

There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Grandpa Swan was telling the truth, but now the truth seemed too much to believe. "You want to talk about it?"

She opened her eyes and stared at the wall opposite, ignoring her best friend that sat against the pillows and stared at her. He let her think, let her breath and take her time because her mind was fucked and running in a million different directions without moving at all. "I... I just..." she began but she didn't know. "I don't know."

"Ii explains a lot," she said after clearing her throat and wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. "With the council, I mean. They never liked me, and now I know why."

"You're not your father, Bella," Thomas said softly.

"But I am. That's all I have wanted to be my whole life," she said feebly as she stared blankly at the wall. It made her doubt herself. If her father who, on all accounts, had been one of the greatest Alpha's the tribe had ever seen, had succumbed then was there any hope for her? Was there anything she wouldn't sacrifice for Edward? She thought about killing him, to save Thomas but she couldn't and it killed a part of her, knowing that he held such power over her.

"He ran."

"So did I," Bella whispered.

"No. You stepped aside and let the council drag you through the dirt. You were willing to never see Edward again, until Sam stepped in," he said quickly. "You stuck it out until you had to chose between exile or being a human for the rest of your life," he said as if it were dirty.

To them, it was.

"Everything I have done, I have done for him," she said sadly. "I did it because of him."

"He wasn't there holding you hand when you became Alpha. He hasn't been there for the past twelve years when you've led us. That has been you, not your father, not the council and not your grandfather. They might have guided you, but you made you..." he paused. "If that makes sense."

"If you ever get bored of being a wolf you should look into motivational speaking," she said, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

"Like I could ever get bored of being a wolf," he scoffed.

She was good at dodging.

"I'll be fine," she said, clearing her throat once again and shrugging.

In reality, nothing changed. Her circumstances were still the same. She was still an outcast, still fighting this war with the newborns and still the Alpha. News of her father had not robbed her of anything, other than faith and trust. She had to be strong.

"What about Grandpa Swan?" he pushed with a hard voice.

She got to her feet, putting off answering.

"Aren't you angry with him?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes," Bella said with a small laugh. "But... I understand why he did it," she sighed. "He'd never do anything to hurt me – not intentionally, and he lost his son too. He brought shame on the entire family and he had to cover it up..."

It must have been so painful, to look at her, at seven years old, in the face and tell her that her father was dead, that he was a hero when he had been nothing more than a traitor. He should have told her then, when she was younger. "God knows what would have happened if he had told me."

"You'd still be Alpha," he said with a shrug, as if it weren't even in question. He followed her out of the room and out into the kitchen. She could see her grandfather sat, alone and quiet on a damp log apart from everyone else. She saw the hard stare and death grip on his walking stick and she understood.

She washed her face and went outside to join the others. They saw her red eyes and weak smiles, and Thomas' mother asked what had happened but quieted when her son shook his head. Her eyes were only for her grandfather, who studiously ignored her exit from the motor home, despite her slamming the door a little too loud.

She went to him, quiet and respectful and ignored the glares and stares of her pack behind her as she knelt on the wet grass beside that stump and gently clasped her hand within hers. He didn't look at her but he didn't need to. She saw the tears swimming in his eyes. She felt his grip on her hand. She saw the heartbreak written all over his face.

"I would have understood," she said so quietly, in a whisper meant only for him and he bowed his head in shame, in grief and relief because it was over. "You did not have to carry this alone."

"Grief can produce beautiful creatures," he said in a hoarse whisper. "Anger and bitterness give nothing but nightmares."

She did not argue, because she didn't know what she would have done at seven, learning what she knew now. She didn't know if it would have spurred her even further and harder, or whether she would have cast her Alpha dreams aside and turned to disrepute. She didn't know, but her grandfather had saved her from the risk. It might not have been the right thing to do, but he did it with good intentions.

"Thank you," she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

"My child," he said as a tear fell down his papery cheek. "I have only ever thought of you."

–

"Am I to meet this man?" Her grandfather asked some hours later, when Ryan and Kyle had returned from Forks with bags and boxes of food piled high in the back of the car. Rachel and Penny were giggling and cooking, every window and door flung open as the air hung thick and warm around them in the morning sun.

Bella looked at her grandfather nervously.

"Did you intend to hide him away forever?" he pushed, regaining a small twinkle in his eye. Every wolf knew what he had said, and had made their peace with him the moment Bella had. He had asked for a moment alone, to collect himself and regain his composure. He was still very quiet in the wake of sharing his secret, but he was slowly regaining his usual self.

"No," Bella said cautiously. "I didn't think..."

He raised an eyebrow. "You didn't think I would want to meet the man who was meant to capture your heart?"

She blushed and looked away. Matters of the heart had yet to be discussed. Matters of sex, however, had been thoroughly examined. The humans sniggered and her pack looked on, wondering what she would do. The vampires had been silent thus far.

She didn't like it.

"I didn't think you'd want to speak to a vampire."

He smirked. "I am not afraid of them."

He wasn't. That was the problem with the Makah people – their wolves made them confident in the face of the demons, and while she was positive Edward would not lay a finger on her grandfather she would have preferred a healthy spike of fear from her remaining family member.

"It's okay," Edward said from the house.

"For fucks sake," Bella grumbled to herself. Thomas laughed at her plight and her glare only sent him over the edge in giggles that confused his mother. "Fine," she said, throwing in her metaphoric towel. She got up from the odd circle they had all made and journeyed back up the garden to where Edward stood waiting in the doorway.

"Are you okay?" he asked, taking her hand almost immediately.

He had never seen her so upset.

"Fine," she said uncomfortably. She knew how many eyes bore into her skull.

"Bella..." Edward said warningly.

"It doesn't change anything," she said with a roll of her eyes. "My own father abandoned me, but it doesn't change the fact that we're camping in a vampires back garden, looking to face a newborn army and hoping to go home one day."

Emotions aside, she was fine.

He was far from happy. She could see it in the pinch of his brow, but to his credit he nodded and, hand in hand, they made their way slowly to where the Makah's sat, human and wolf alike. They were all tanned and brown, with jet black hair.

"He's going to ask you lots of uncomfortable questions," she hissed nervously, hoping to prepare him for her grandfather before they got too close. "Don't let him intimidate you."

The idea was amusing.

Yet, five minutes later Edward was swallowing his pride as this ninety year old man, complete with walking stick and hearing aid laid into him. He had taken Edward aside, to the other side of the garden. It didn't shield his words or actions from any of the wolves or vampires, but he understood the human charade of privacy so nodded and walked slowly with him.

"You are Bella's imprint," the man said. Edward nodded, but got the feeling his input was not going to be necessary. "That means that her life is tied to yours. She goes where you go. She would die to protect, or save you. She would sacrifice her pack, her family and her beliefs to be with you."

"I would never ask, or expect her to," Edward swore to him.

The man merely grunted.

Emmett snorted from inside the house. You've got the in-laws from hell.

"You move frequently with your... family," her grandfather went on, almost tripping over the word. "Would you be willing to leave them behind to stay with Bella?"

"Yes," he said immediately. He would.

"And provide for her?"

"Of course."

"I do not care what you are," he said suddenly, his walking stick hitting the ground with a heavy thud. "I care only that you treat my grand daughter with the respect and care that she deserves," he went on, staring at Edward with those unwavering grey eyes. Edward wasn't intimidated but he knew he had to garner this man's favour. "And what her own family have, thus far, failed to provide."

He knew Edward had heard.

"I have the same expectations of you that I would have to anyone else," he said as he continued to walk. "When do you intend on marrying?"

Bella could be heard choking on a sausage faintly, her face beet red as she cursed and swore while simultaneously hiding her face in her hands. Her pack, and Edward's family were enjoying their torture far too much.

Edward hesitated.

"You have already taken my grand daughter's purity," he said with an edge.

Bella could have died from mortification.

"It is the very least that a proposal is on the table."

Edward had the overwhelming urge to scream "Will you marry me?!" across the clearing just to appease this old man who seemed determined that Edward walk a very fine line of his own making.

"We have only known each other for little over two weeks-" Edward hedged.

"Do you not love her?"

Shit.

"Of course I do," he said smoothly.

"Then time means nothing," he argued dismissively. "Especially in your current situation."

"Current situation?" Edward repeated.

"We may be human, but we are not stupid or deaf," the old man said with a wry grin Edward wasn't sure he was supposed to see. "A whole army of vampires is heading in this direction. Bella could die," he said factually. "Would you rather not secure your bond in marriage beforehand?"

"I never saw marriage as something to hurry," Edward said honestly.

He was not ready, or yet willing to marry Bella. One day, definitely but not now.

"And how do you see children?" the old man continued.

"Kill me now, please."

Bella doubted her face would ever stop burning. "Would someone please tell us what is happening?" Penny asked as she carried out a two plates and handed them to Thomas and his mother. The portion difference was rather comical.

"Children?" Edward repeated in his best calm voice.

"Are you a parrot or a vampire?" the old man scolded as he rounded on him. "Do you intend on giving me any grandchildren?"

Edward was absolutely speechless. "Erm... well... No," he said eventually. "We can't have children."

He regarded him closely for a moment before tutting. "Shame," he grumbled. "Still, probably for the best."

They went full circle and ended up back with everyone else, with Edward not knowing whether he should stay, go back to the house or throw himself off the closest cliff. His eyes went to Bella, who peeked at him with a mortified blush on her face and an apologetic smile lifting her lips. Her grandfather was busy trying to balance a plate of food on his lap while navigating a knife and fork to notice the vampire was still there.

There was a small gap between Bella and John, and the latter shuffled up with a wide grin and patted the ground. He took his seat, only too aware of the eyes of both wolf and human trained on him and suddenly he was the one at a loss. He wasn't used to it.

"I am so sorry," Bella all but groaned at him.

"It was an experience," he replied quietly, still not knowing how to take the elderly man who had noticed his presence in the circle and had pinned him with his gaze again. "Thanks for trying to warn me."

"Us Swan's are a force to be reckoned with," she said with a small smile. "But don't worry – I won't run off when you don't drop to one knee later on."

There was something about the way she laughed and rolled her eyes that dared him to call her out – to find his mothers ring in the drawer of the desk in the study and drop to one knee in front of everyone. It was childish, but nothing inside screamed in protest and he found the idea of spending a lifetime with the woman rather appealing.

"Nice dodge though," she muttered quietly before shoving half an egg into her mouth.

"I never saw the day I'd have to deal with in-laws," he admitted quietly.

"I suppose you always assumed your mate would be like you," she mused easily.

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