Bella's morning with Nessy added to that refreshing feeling she had after seeing Carlisle so unexpectedly. She laughed with her daughter and relived the events of Halloween from the week before. Nessy teased Bella in very Jacob-like fashion and called her "Grandma" more times than either of them could count.
"Me and Jacob want one.. or two more," Nessy confessed with a laugh, making Bella's jaw drop.
"Renesme that will put you at six children! What if you have twins.. or triplets?" She laughed.
"We'll be alright." She swatted her mother, "It'll give you more kids dote on."
"Grandma.." Bella shook her head with a light laugh. The women beside them glanced over several times as if they were missing some grand joke.
"So, what's this surprise?" Nessy asked. "You seem.. happy." She corrected herself, "Happier, at least. A smile suits you, ya know."
Bella tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Someone just.. dropped in to say hello."
"Is it Grandma?"
"No." She smiled smally and shook her head as she looked down. "You'll see. We'll be at the reservation by two-thirty. Okay?"
When they parted ways Bella cruised back down the little back road toward her father's house. By five of two she recognized that Carlisle was close by. When he suddenly emerged from the trees she whipped around a smiled.
"Hey." Bella waved her hand and looked around. "Charlie.. should be driving by any minute. He's on duty but he's going to pass through."
Carlisle gave a nod and smiled, greeting Bella with another long hug.
"So, how was Alice's Airbnb choice?"
Carlisle huffed a laugh. "Very.. Alice. It was perfect. Private."
"Good." Bella grinned. "I'm surprised she didn't come down to stock the fridge with.. Bloody Mary's," she joked.
Carlisle laughed a little harder. "If anyone would do that.."
"It'd be Alice." She sighed and shoved her hands into her pockets. There was a brief silence before Bella went on. "How long are you staying in town?"
"A week," he explained. "I just needed to get away for a bit."
"I understand." She nodded.
"And your morning with Nessy went well?"
"We had some laughs," Bella informed him and flashed her rarely painted nails, "And she forced me to get a French manicure."
"Sounds like torture," Carlisle joked. He raised his eyebrows and let him fall, making Bella laugh.
"Torture." She snickered and turned when she heard the roll of tires over the uneven pavement. "Here comes Charlie."
When the police cruiser pulled up in front of the house, Charlie carefully emerged from the driver's side and approached where Bella stood with Carlisle.
"Dad.. this is Carlisle.. Carlisle this is Charlie," she teased with a wide grin. "He's got a few more grays these days," Bella turned and said to Carlisle as her father approached with a hand extended.
"How've you been Dr. Cullen?" Charlie asked.
"Fine." He smiled with a nod, "Bella says you have quite the number of.. great grandchildren running around."
"Great grandchildren." Charlie nodded and cracked a little smile under his salt-and-pepper mustache. "Yeah they keep their Pop busy, that's for sure." He turned to Bella, "How many broken lamps have we had in the past year, Bells? Five? Six?"
"They are a growing little wolf pack," she said with a laugh. "Rambunctious."
"But.. they keep me young," Charlie said, motioning to the grays in his hair.
Bella nudged him with a laugh.
"You're happy," Carlisle said with a nod. "That's all that matters."
"Yeah.." he gave a nod and put his hands on his hips.
"Well.." Bella said after six or seven seconds of silence, "We're going to drive down to the reservation to see Nessy, Jake and the crazy boys they're raising."
"How long are you in town Doc?" Charlie asked.
"Just this week."
Bella felt a bit pained by Carlisle's second time saying how limited his time would be in Forks. She wanted more time than that.
"I'd say we could all go out to dinner but.." Charlie made a fad and motioned with his two fingers, "I know you two have a different.. diet."
Bella smacked his shoulder and shook her head. "We'll just.. think of something else." She looked at Carlisle, "Before you go."
"Sounds good. I'm up for anything."
Charlie shook his hand again. "It's always nice to see you Doctor Cullen. People still talk fondly of you here."
Carlisle managed a smile but for whatever reason Charlie's kind words pained him. "Thank you. Nice to see you, too."
When the cruiser pulled away, Bella turned back to Carlisle and twirled the keys to her car. "Ready?"
"Bella.." Carlisle hesitated, "Am I welcome on the reservation? I don't want to start any-"
"You're more than welcome, Carlisle," she said, cutting him off. "Jake knows you're with me. Those lines that were drawn in the sand a long time ago.. they're.. nonexistent."
He gave a little nod and trailed Bella to the car, instinctively opening up the driver's side door for her so she could get in.
A smile formed on Bella's face. "Thank you."
"Sure." Carlisle closed the door gently when she was in before sliding into the passenger's seat. Both of them took a deep breath, gave each other a glance and then Bella started up the car.
Before they even got onto the reservation Jacob made his presence known. Bella smirked when she heard the familiar trot in the woods and few purposely placed snarls from Jacob's wolf form.
Carlisle turned to her and a slow smile spread across his face as he adjusted the collar of his shirt. "I can see some things don't change."
She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Jake will always be Jake. Asserting his.. wolf dominance."
Carlisle chuckled. "Well I am on their land. A century's long feud isn't so quickly forgotten overnight." He looked back at Bella again. "You managed to bridge us all together, though, Bella. Somehow."
Bella turned to him and a glow seemed to beam from her face beneath smiling eyes. "Its been a team effort - a long, difficult team effort; but at least there's a silver lining in all of this." She added, "You know, they should've taken one look at you all those years ago and known you meant no harm, Carlisle."
"I'm a vampire, Bella," he said honestly, "I can't blame them for.. keeping me at an arm's length." Carlisle looked over at her, "But thank you."
Bella smiled and drove the rest of the way and smiled when Jacob was there waiting for them.
"Hope I didn't scare you," he joked, hugging Bella first and then pulling Carlisle in for a hug in the same fashion. After everything that happened on the battlefield, so to speak, all those years ago, any bad blood between the two sides was nonexistent. Fighting together. Losing people together. Finding comfort in each other in the aftermath of that secured a bond between the Cullens and the Quileutes. From great loss came gains of peace and understanding.
"How are you Jacob?"
Jacob smiled. He really was living what he would consider the dream life. "I'm good." His eyes shifted to Bella and then back to Carlisle, "I'm very good."
"Great to hear."
"Carlisle?" Nessy emerged from the house she shared with Jacob. She was a bit timid, but smiling and walked slowly in their direction.
Carlisle took in a deep breath. It almost looked like he could tear up with emotion. Almost. Bella sensed his breathing stopped and he cleared his throat to distract himself.
"Do you remember me?" She asked as she grew closer.
"Of course." He visibly swallowed and struggled to find the words. "You look like.. a perfect combination of your mother and father," Carlisle gushed. "I can't believe.." he shook his head and she threw her arms around him.
Nessy's humor came out as they embraced. "Yeah.. I love and miss you, too."
Bella knew if she was human she would have cried. Jacob put an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him.
"You're amazing Bella Swan," he said quietly.
"Thank you for making her happy Jacob Black."
Carlisle turned to Bella as he parted from Renesme, who kept his hand in hers. Tears actually fell down her face and she sobbed while laughing.
"Jake," she choked out, "Let's do a bonfire tonight."
The two of them approached where Carlisle and Nessy stood. Bella put a hand on Carlisle's shoulder as Jacob pulled Nessy into his arms.
"It's up to the bloodsuckers," he said, winking at them with a smile.
"No, it's up to your wife," Carlisle told him, smiling as he did.
Bella get his arm cross over the lower part of her back and she grinned. "Happy wife, happy life, Jake. Haven't you learned that by now?"
"Okay," he still smiled and nodded, looking at Nessy now. "A bonfire it is."