Chapter 16: Bonfire

The dawns light streaking the sky found us still playing silly games. You would think I would be starting to get used to not having the day broken by the human routines; between sleeping, eating, drinking and bathroom breaks it's amazing humans have any time left to do anything. I have all that time free now and some days still seem like there aren't enough hours in the day.

Today is my chance to say thank you and goodbye to all my family and friends that aren't vampires!

My powers may be enough to keep us under the radar but with the trip to Italy still looming I wanted to use the opportunity, I learnt life can be short and to live each day.

Edward and I headed out to the store to load up with all the supplies needed to feed and water a veritable army.

We left Jasper in charge of building the bonfires in a large clearing behind my house. I still feel a bit of trepidation leaving him with Emmett and Peter but hopefully the girls can keep those two in check, I just hope the forest survives!

We took Red, my poor old truck had been stuck in the garage for months. We would need all his hauling capacity for this shopping trip. I keep been told vehicles are female, well mine aren't, mine are male. I will resort to sticking my tongue out and saying 'ner' to anyone that keeps questioning me on that!

Edward never likes me driving but he just seemed to know I needed it today. So much had changed. I go lost in my thoughts as I drove the familiar route to the store. To think I had run away from the overbearing protection that I felt was stifling me, only to run back at the first sign of danger to my friends. It's funny to think they were all so protective of me now I am stronger than any of them, able to protect them now; not that they act any less protective but it doesn't feel stifling any more.

My pipe dream of a normal teenage life ended up so farcical, I should have realised my normal could never be text book normal. I could never envision my life ending up as it has. I never fit in any mould as a human, why ever should I expect to be anything apart from abnormal as a vampire!

I pulled up by the store and pulled myself out of the vortex of thoughts. I shot Edward a smile to be rewarded by his crooked smile in return with a look of relief in his eye.

The bulk of the food had been ordered and just needed collecting or delivering but I still needed lots of other bits and pieces picking up. I sent Edward to sort out the order of stuff to be delivered. I grabbed cart after cart full of essential extras.

We got off very lightly, the store was virtually empty so we didn't have to deal with gawkers and gossip mongers.

Poor Red was loaded up to overflowing by the time we finished. I let Edward drive home, I teased him about the speed he was driving telling him not to cause any bruising on all the goods in the back. We bantered back and forth all the way back.

Parking up in the garage gave us the privacy to unload at vampire speed. Food prep at human speed would have taken me most of the day but all of us working at vampire speed well it was over and done with before the boys had finished unloading and removing packaging.

Cooking is a different matter, that's something we can't speed through for the most part. Many things taste better cooked slow. Still with so much food needing preparing we can make even the most complex of dishes at a blur of speed. I may not find the taste appetising any more but my sense of smell by far compensates.

I plated Charlie up some food for lunch and left them all with strict instructions of what still needed doing.

Charlie I found buried under a heap of paperwork at the station, some things never change. I sat with him as he ate. A comfortable silence settled over us. I could feel the love, happiness, peace and contentment radiating for Charlie. I had always known he enjoyed my presence but to feel the strength and depth of his feeling for me gave me such a rush of tenderness and love for him.

"The best thing I ever did is move back here to you, I love you Dad," I told him as I got up to leave. The rush of love he felt nearly bought me to my knees.

"I'm so proud of you, my baby girl is all grown up but you'll always be my little girl in my heart. You don't know how much it means to me that you came back to me. I love you," he gave me a hug. I could feel his embarrassment building at his out of character emotional outburst.

"Okay, Kiddo I need to get some work done. I'll see you later at the bonfire," emotion made his voice even gruffer than normal.

I gave him a quick peck on his cheek, "See you later Dad." The colour that flared in his cheeks left me in no doubt where I inherited that trait from. I, for one, do not miss it!

Angela was my next port of call. We spent the next couple of hours in her room chatting just like we spent so many afternoons after school. It was the first time we had a chance to talk about what had happened. I let Angela tell her side first so I could make sure our cover stories fitted with everything she remembered.

I listened to her thoughts as she recounted events. She had been more observant than she let on and realised that things weren't as straight forward as they should have been but they kept her knocked out most of the time so she had seen very little of consequence.

I told her my side of getting the message and rushing back. I told her that I had informed Sam and Jared which sound believable since she had seen them at my security detail before I left and it fit with the rest of the cover story she had been told. I kept my side of the story confined to my memories and let some fear show about the 'kidnappers that must have been on drugs or something', can I class vampire venom as the 'or something'?

I really did enjoy catching up with her. I feel privileged to have such a genuine friend. I feel a bit of a fraud since I went behind her back with one tiny little thing. Both her and Ben have got into their university of choice with a full ride. Neither of them would accept it as a gift so I cheated and funded a scholarship for them both, they don't need to know it's me funding it or quite how unusual their scholarship is with such an extensive living expenses portion.

We both promised to stay in contact with emails. So many good-byes. At least I can say them this time rather than my disappearing trick last time.

With trepidation I headed back to my house. Esme, Carmen and Irina had taken over cooking duties so my presence was superfluous. The boys had managed to remain sensible building the fires. It was almost too good to be true. I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop but it never came, there were no problems with the food and the fires had been built without any shinanigans.

I could name everyone that came to the bonfire; all La Push residents, all the workers and their families from Black Swan Designs, everyone that works with or knows Charlie so basically the entire population for quite a few miles!

I spent the evening and night doing the rounds. I'm so pleased I don't need rest any more or my feet would have been dropping off and my face cracking from the constant smiles and small talk.

As I made my way round I couldn't help but laugh at my unlikely family. A more improbable group of misfits than any would believe. My only blood relative here is my Dad, Charlie, but in my heart they all have a place. Vampires, shape-shifters, humans all sat around one of the fires chatting and laughing as equals, who ever could have believed that to be possible? I went and sat with them, feeling a greater sense of belonging than I ever remember.

I caught Jasper's eye as I overheard his thoughts reflecting mine. I sent him a burst of my feeling of belonging then a question. He responded in his thoughts, "I don't remember my family clearly but I feel the same way. Never before have I had such a feeling of family and belonging. You know it's you that have given us all this?"

I looked at him in shock, "Me?" I sent him.

"Yes," Jaspers's thoughts chuckled, "Even as a human you walked into our lives and altered them irrevocably in the best possible way, we were lost while you were gone. Then you come back and now Alice, Edward and my venom flows through you, so you are truly family but you are also so much more. The trust you gave me to allow me to bite you, gives me more self-confidence, more strength than I can ever convey to you. Alice and I we just walked in the door to the Cullen's, it's you that made us fit completely, you that makes us family. I sired Peter and Charlotte, they saved me after I saved them. We were lost and lonely individuals trying to dig out of a huge hole of hate and anger. They were the closest thing I had to true family but they never felt comfortable with the Cullen's until you came along, you made us all fit, you made them feel at home. We had a treaty with the wolves but it was tenuous, we avoided them, they avoided us – now look. You make us all family. You don't realise just how much every single person here cares for you."

If I could still cry I would be streaming with tears, I felt his sincerity in every thought. Edward's arm tightened around me as he nodded to Jasper and thought at me, "You are worth it, you make all this possible. If you were a star in the sky you would out shine the sun with the light, hope and belonging you give us all."

Their sincerity left me in no doubt that it was more than just words. When I got hold of my feelings again Jasper and I projected the feeling of belonging, of family and of love. I could feel the hearts swell and the feelings intensify as we all sat and basked in the enveloping warmth of the emotions.

Billy took me to one side and gave me a big hug, "I never thought I'd see this day, you bring miracles to our lives. Ephraim and Carlisle may have set the ball in motion but you, you go above and beyond, you take natural enemies and make them family. If anyone can tame the Vampire royalty, it's you; I have total faith in you."

Sleep caught up with the humans and wolves and numbers thinned. Sue and Emily left with promises to ensure Charlie would eat well. The wolves left promising Charlie and Angela would have guardian angels, I had to laugh as they are no angels, but better protectors I couldn't hope for.