A/N- Well yesterday as the kick in the butt I needed regarding this story. I am officially back and my muse is beyond inspired! Basically what I'm trying to say is no more long waits in between updates! I know this chapter is shorter but I was so excited I had to post it, I hope you all enjoy it.

I'd also like to take a quick moment to thank everyone who had been reviewing this story you all are truly amazing!

Hours later after the sun had set and the breeze changed from humid to cool. Bella wandered through the woods back towards the house she was sharing with Drustan. The loving and supportive words from Drustan, Harrison, and Old Quil played in her head accompanied by a symphony of crickets in the background.

Each one of the men, who she loved so dearly told her how proud of her they were of her, how much they loved her, and how they would always be there no matter what. Their words were like balm to an open wound, numbing and erasing the pain. No one spoke of Jacob, the Cullens, or the shit storm that had become their visit. Instead they reminisced about the good times together and listened to Harrison share some of the history of previous warriors just like they had a hundred times before.

As the sun began to set Bella sent the three men back to La Push opting to walk back on her own. After lots of reassurances from her that she was fine they all parted ways. Bella wound her way through the trees and roots filtering a little bit of her light into the ground sending extra nutrients to the plants and trees.

She tried to convince herself that her thoughts mainly focused on Jacob because she needed to find a way way to work civilly with him to help the pack but if that were true the images of Drustan's jeans hung low on his perfect hips wouldn't be flashing in her head every other second.

Damn Jacob Black and his sexiness.

Poor Drustan might as well let Jacob keep the jeans he would never fill them out the way Jake did. Now she had a new image to fantasize about. Jacob was always the star of her more erratic dreams and it was always him she pictured when she relieved the ache when she woke with his name on her tongue.

The sound of someone cleaning their throat snapped her out of her lust enduced haze. Bella turned to find Charlie sitting on the porch swing that hung off of the back deck. She had been so lost in thought she hadn't even realized she had already made it back to the house.

"Must have been thinking about something really important, or someone really important." Charlie smirked and Bella blushed unable to meet his eyes.

Charlie's smile widened at Bella's flushed face, it was comforting to know that Even though she'd changed so much so he was still just Bella at her core. Bella looked so he own at her feet and Charlie's smile dissappeared, they had so much to tak about.

"Come sit next to your old man we have a lot to disscus." Charlie said patting the cousin next to him.

Bella's eyes flitted to his and Charlie's heart clenched a little to see the rapid range of emotions In them. He saw hope, fear, love, and worst of all doubt. His daughter doubted him. She thought he was going to abandon her now that he knew the truth and Charlie couldn't help feel like he had failed her.

"I know why you didn't tell me. Harrison told me you were only trying to protect me by keeping what you are a secret and keeping your distance. I understand why you did it Bella and I'm not upset but I know now. I want you to promise me that from now on you won't shut me out or hide things from me because you think it's for my own good."

Bella sighed, Charlie demanding an all honesty policy was much better than him running for the hills screaming. Honestly deep down she'd always wanted to have the opportunity to be fully honest with her father and now was her chance.

"Harrison has always had a problem with making me sound better than I really am." Bella mumbled as she sat down.

"Yes it is true that you knowing what I was would put you in danger but that wasn't the only reason I never told you. The real reason was that I was a coward. I was afraid to tell you because I love you Dad, you mean so much to me and if you had decided you wanted nothing to do with me it would have broken me."

Charlie's eyes prickled with tears as he listened to his daughter.

"At first I lied out of necessity. I needed an excuse as to why I wouldn't be able to come home during the time it would take me to gain control of my powers. After the first year Drustan tried to convince me that I should tell you at least part of the truth and come home for a visit but I couldn't. I couldn't risk coming home back and seeing Jacob, not after the way I was forced to leave. I told myself I wasn't ready, that all I needed was a little more time, then I would have been strong enough to come home and face you both. One year turned into two, two became three and before I knew it six years had passed and I accepted the fact that I would never come back to the first place I had ever really called home. So I flew you to some well known fishing destination twice a year telling myself that it would be enough. I hated not seeing you but two weeks a year was better than hearing you say you never wanted to see me again." Bella's voice caught and she turned her head in shame unable to look at her father.

Charlie wasn't having any of that and wrapped his arms around his daughter and pulled her close, Bella stiffened in his embrace but he held her tight.

"Oh Bells. Honey, that will never happen. I sorry that you thought that I would ever abandon you but you never have to worry about that."

He felt Bella relax against him and pushed her back just enough to look her in the eye, this next part was Important and he wanted her to know he was being sincere.

"You're my daughter Bells, that means that I will always support you. I'll always always be in your corner kiddo. It wouldn't matter to me if you came home as a Cullen, a demon, a giant dog, or any other type of creature I didn't believe in this morning. You would still be my daughter, my Bella, my baby girl and I would love and stand by you. A father's love is unconditional, don't ever forget that."

Chair used his thumbs to wipe some of the tears from her face but they were coming to fast so he just tucked her into his side and rocked her gently just like he did when she was a little girl.

"I love you Dad. I've missed you so much, thank you for being so understanding. " Bella managed between sniffs.

Charlie squeezed her tight and rested his chin on top of her head savoring the moment.

"So that Drustan seems to be very protective of you. He made sure to put Jacob in his place right quick after you left. I guess the old romantic in me always thought you would come home home and you and Jake would settle down but I have to admitt he seems to really care about you. You two seem really close, I saw the way you interacted with one another today, it was almost as if you were one person."

Bella couldn't help but smile at her father's observation., "You're actually pretty close , Drustan is my soul's twin."

Charlie could feel his eyes widen

and he was sure he had a ridiculous look of shock plastered on his face.

"You know after everything I've heard today it really shouldn't surprise me that you have a soul mate. Soul mate or not I hope you're being...safe. " Charlie said shaking his head.

Bella couldn't help it, she tried to hold it in but she failed. Seeing Charlie look at her as if she'd grown a second head caused her to laugh even harder.

"Oh Dad you've got it all wrong. Drustan and I don't have that kind of relationship. He's my soul twin not my soul mate, there's a bIg difference. We're close, closer than close actually. He's my best friend and he'll always be there there for me just like I'll always be there for him but there will never be anything romantic between us." Bella explained .

Charlie nodded taking in everything Bella was telling him. It was very important to him to find out everything shout his daughter's life, which led him to his next question.

"What happened the day you left Bella and what did the Cullens have to do with it?"

Charlie asked the question as gently as possible, he knew this might be pushing her a little to hard but he had to know. He'd been asking himself that question since the day he came home to find an empty house and a crying Jacob Black back at Billy's in La Push.

He watched Bella visibly tense, he could tell she was fighting with herself and he held his breath when she closed her eyes. When she opened them they were filled with so much anger and pain Charlie most regretted asking.

"For you to understand what happened the day I left I'll have to email about the Cullens and what they did to me."

I stood in the doorway to her room and watched her sleep. I loved seeing her this way, guard down and at peace. This is how she deserved to be all of the time not just when she escaped into slumber. She'd come such a long way since I'd met her. No longer was she insecure, constantly second guessing herself and doubting her worth. She'd become strong and fierce a warrior in every sense of the word, with a temper to match.

I'd felt a pull between us from the moment I laid eyes on her long before we'd met. I remember seeing her walking with that bastard Cullen and wanting to run and carry her away to safety, somewhere I could be a part of her life. When the time finally came for her to be one of us it didn't take long for me to love her. It would be impossible not to everything about her called out to my soul.

Pushing off of the door frame I quietly crossed the room and sat down on the edge of her bed. Instantly she moved to nestled her body against my leg and I draped my arm around her pulling her close.

Not for the first time I wished things could be different, that I could be different. I loved her so much it was almost most a physical pain. I would lay down my life just to see her happy but it wasn't enough. My love was not the kind that a woman, mine was not the love shared between lovers. It was deep, pure, and true but it wasn't romantic, though not for lack of trying on my part. I tried toonce her that way but no matter what I did nothing changed. We were perfect for each other twin souls; yet we weren't soul mates.

I've always accpeted that we would never be together that way it just wasn't possible and 98% of myself was happy that we would always have our bond, never to be be complicated be complicated with romantic issues but the other 2% just wanted to take her pain away.

For six years I've had to watch her walk around with a broken heart. Most days it was almost impossible to see her pain but it was always there hidden just under the surface. Our bond was Tok strong she could never hide her pain from me.

One night after listening Bella beg for Jacob in her sleep I confessed my wish to Old Quil. He accused me of being jealous and afraid of not being the moSt important van in her life. I'm not proud of my actions following his accusation. I don't remember lifting him by his throat and pinning him against the wall I don't remeber the dry wall breaking against his head and back but I do remember what I said.

"Don't you ever for even one second think that this has anything to do with me or that I would put my selfish needs before her happiness. All I want is is for her pain to go away, so she doesn't have to hurt anymore. I don't want to love her for myself I want to love her so she doesn't have to cry and wish for him in her dreams every night. I wish I could make her whole again but I can't and I won't ever be able to. I hate myself for not being able to save her from this."

At some point during my angry rant I put Old Quil back on his feet we never spoke of my out burst after that nighy, neither Bella or Harrison know that it happened but Old Quil never questioned my motives again.

Bella began to stir in her sleep as I ran my fingers through her hsir.

"Jacob. " she murmured.

My heart clenched at his name. It should be him here with her snuggled into his side and his fingers running through her hair. I was hoping that once they saw each other things would work themselves out but apparently both Jacob and Bella were too stubborn for their own good. I had meant what I said to Bella yesterday morning, If she wasn't going to fight for her happy ever after I would. All I needed was a plan and I had two wolves in mind who I was sure would be happy to help but that would have to wait until later, right now we had somewhere to be.

"Rise and shine Angel." I sang leaning close to her ear.

Bella opened one eye as a smile spread across her face.

"What if I don't want to get up?" she asked

"Then I'll just have to make it rain over your bed." I teased.

"Plus it's time for our morning routine so get up sleepy head." I said pushing off of the mattress to allow her room to get up.

With a groan Bella threw back the covers and sat up.

"Fine. I'm up, I'm up, give me two minutes and I'll meet you out back." she said throwing throwing her hands up in defeat.

"See you out there." I called over my shoulder as I walked into the hall with a smile on my face.

A/N 2- Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please let me know how you liked it your reviews keep me going!