Bella

Edward left the next morning around six to go home. Charlie left for work about an hour later and I was left home by myself. It was the first time I had been by myself since those few days in Rio when I was looking for Edward. I found that it felt rather good. I loved being around Edward obviously, but it sometimes took my focus away from other things. I had things that I needed to do and I neglected those things when Edward was around.

I got up and took a shower then got dressed in one of Alice's new outfits: a pair of dark jeans and light blue v-neck blouse but paired it with my favorite white sneakers. I would not surrender complete control of my wardrobe over to that tiny dictator. I had to be me, my own version of Bella, not the one that Alice wanted me to be. I looked in my now very full closet and shook my head. I had to get that girl under control or I would have to rent a room to put all my clothes in.

I went downstairs and ate a bowl of cereal while making out a shopping list. I needed to go to the store for groceries since it seemed like all Charlie had eaten while I was gone was bacon and eggs. I grabbed the list and the grocery money from the jar on top of the fridge and went outside to my truck. I jumped a little when the engine started. It had been a while since I had driven my baby and she was just as loud as ever.

I pulled into the Safeway and went inside, grabbing a cart and heading toward the meat department. After that I methodically went up and down each aisle getting everything on my list and a few "non-essentials". For some reason I was absolutely craving Gummy Bears and I threw a bag of them into the cart, laughing as I did so. I felt like a little kid.

I turned onto the baking aisle and stopped in my tracks. Jessica Stanley was standing there with her mother. Great. This was not a confrontation that I wanted to have but I knew that there would be no way to get out of this aisle without them seeing me. I turned and pretended to be enthralled with brownie mix and hoped to Hell that they would not notice me. But apparently Hell was letting it go to voicemail because at that moment they both turned and saw me.

"Bella!" Jessica squealed. Seriously, who squeals?

"Hi Jess," I said, rather unenthusiastically.

"Bella, where have you been? I haven't heard from you all summer." Jessica said.

"I was doing some volunteer work abroad, you know, to fluff out my college applications."

"Wow! Where did you go? Did you go by yourself? What did you do there?" She was firing questions off so quickly I don't think she took a breath.

"I went to Brazil, kind of all over. I went with some friends and we distributed supplies to under-privileged people." I hope that Alice and Jasper had actually done that. I even though I was prepared to use this lie I still felt guilty about it. Lying about charity work seemed so wrong.

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I took it out and saw a new text message.

We did, don't worry. And someone should tell Jessica that her shirt looks awful on her. Alice.

I smiled and put my phone away.

"Who did you go with?" Jessica asked me, narrowing her eyes in curiosity. Alice was right. Jessica was wearing a bright yellow shirt that was all wrong for her skin tone.

"Just some friends. So how was your summer? Did you meet any hot guys?" I felt a little uncomfortable talking about boys in front of her mom but I figured it would distract her from talking about me.

"Oh yes! A bunch of us went to the beach and there were all these really good looking guys there and we all talked and-." I kind of let my mind wander as she gushed. I "wowed" and "ooh'd" and "aah'd" at the appropriate times and Jessica seemed satisfied. I looked over at Mrs. Stanley and she was looking at me oddly, almost in a predatory way. I raised my eyebrow at her and she took the opportunity to interrupt Jessica's babbling.

"So, Bella. Have you heard? The Cullen's are back in town." Her voice was syrupy and she was looking at me expectantly.

I met her eager expression with a serene smile. I had known that this question was burning in both of them and had expected it from the moment I saw them in the aisle. They were both such huge gossips and loved drama.

"Oh yes, I know." I didn't say anymore, knowing that it would eat them up inside.

"I mean, all of them are back. Even Edward." Her eyes were twinkling with mischief.

"I know. I saw them all the other day." I waited. Jessica didn't make me wait long.

"Are you, you know, like, okay with that?" She asked. Her voice sounded concerned but I could detect the same predatory note in her voice.

"Of course." I smiled. I decided to let them off the hook a little. I knew that it would be better to let the gossip originate from me rather than let them make up their own stories. Though I knew that they would anyway.

I leaned in conspiratorially and looked around like I didn't want anyone to hear what I was about to say. Jessica and her mother did the same and I could feel the eagerness rolling off of them in waves.

"Now, don't tell anyone but Edward and I are back together." I whispered.

They both gasped and leaned in some more.

"We met up over the summer and worked everything out. I thought you should be the first to know Jessica." I winked at her and she smiled hugely. I knew she felt victorious at being the first one with fresh gossip.

"Wow, that's, um, great Bella. It's good that you and Edward were able to, uh, work things out." I knew that she would be disappointed that she would not be able to get her manicured claws into Edward and the thought made me smile.

"Me too Jess. And thanks, it means a lot to me that you are so supportive of Edward and me." I knew that that was laying it on a little thick but I couldn't help myself.

"Oh, yeah, sure." She said uncertainly.

"Well, I have to get some more groceries, but I will see you in school next Monday. Take care Jessica, Mrs. Stanley." I walked away, pushing my buggy past them. I could hear them whisper furiously behind me and grinned to myself. That was fun.

I paid for the groceries and headed home. I was surprised when I saw Charlie's cruiser already in the drive. It was only nine thirty in the morning. I grabbed the first load of bags and headed into the house.

"Dad?" I called out. I put the bags on the counter and looked into the living room.

"Hey, Bells." He called from the couch. "Groceries?" He asked.

"Yeah, we were getting pretty low."

He got up and helped me grab the rest of the bags from my truck. We put them all in the kitchen and he started to unload things from the bags and put them on the counter.

"Gummy Bears Bells?" He asked, laughing.

I grinned at him. "I don't know. I just wanted some."

He laughed and ruffled my hair.

"Dad, why are you home so early? I mean you were only at work for a few hours." I asked curiously.

"I went in but the guys told me to come home early. I guess they knew I wanted to spend time with you or something." He scratched the back of his head and looked a little uncomfortable, like he always did when he was talking about feelings.

"I missed you too Dad. So what do you want to do today?" He looked relieved.

"Well, that depends. If you want to stay in we can watch a movie or something. If you want to go out, I thought about taking you fishing with me, like we did when you were little. I mean, if you want to…" He trailed off.

I thought it was so sweet that Charlie wanted to share his favorite hobby with me. I remembered fishing with him when I was little. The excitement when I got a bite, Charlie helping me reel in my catch, the proud look on his face when I held up the first fish I ever caught.

"That sounds great Dad. Let me change my clothes and make us some lunch to take and you can get the gear and stuff. We can take my truck."

Charlie beamed, his eyes twinkling.

Thirty minutes later we were driving in my truck towards Charlie's favorite fishing spot. I had changed into some old clothes that Alice had somehow missed getting rid of and made us some sandwiches and a thermos of sweet tea. Charlie loaded up my truck and I let him drive since I didn't know where his fishing hole was. We traveled out of town and drove to a small lake surrounded by trees. The sky was still cloudy of course but it was pleasantly warm and there was a nice breeze blowing, ruffling the surface of the lake.

"This is really pretty, Dad." I said and Charlie grinned.

"Yeah, and the fish bite pretty well here too." He said. He seemed happier and more relaxed than I had seen him in a while and I understood now why he loved to come here so much. Life seemed less complicated when you were fishing.

We spent the next several hours fishing, taking a break around noon to eat the sandwiches. Charlie caught six good sized fish and I caught four. We spent much of the time sitting quietly, enjoying each other's company without having to speak much. Charlie laughed at me when I used rubber worms rather than live bait, telling me that I had not changed since I was little. Apparently I didn't like using worms when I was little either. It just seemed cruel to me.

It was almost five thirty in the afternoon when we decided to leave. We were almost home when Charlie spoke.

"Bells, what do you think about going over to Billy's instead of going home? I am sure that he would love to share these fish with us."

"Sure Dad sounds good to me. I haven't seen Billy in a while. Let's go."

Charlie smiled and we turned down the road leading to the Quileute reservation.

I looked down and saw my cell phone resting on the seat. I realized that I had turned it off and left it in the truck while we were fishing. I turned it back on and it immediately rang. I looked at the caller ID and flipped it open.

"Hi Alice. What's up?"

"Bella! Oh Bella, are you okay? Where are you? What are you doing?" Her voice sounded anxious. I heard muffled crashes and curses on her end.

"My Dad and I went fishing today and we are on our way to a friend's house to share our catch with them. What's wrong?" Alice almost never sounded this apprehensive.

I could feel Charlie's eyes on me as I spoke on the phone.

"Bella, I was so worried. You know I wasn't trying to watch you but I am in tune with you so much and a few minutes ago your whole future disappeared. Completely. It just went black. Edward is frantic with worry. Emmett is holding him down to keep him from doing something foolish while I am talking to you. We needed to make sure you were okay before he took off. Where are you going, specifically?"

"La Push". What could make me disappear from Alice's vision?

"Hmmm." She said. "Well that complicates things. We are not allowed down there."

I suddenly remembered Jacob telling me about the "cold ones" so long ago. Of course the Cullens would not be allowed there.

"Let me talk to him please, Alice." If Edward was as worried as she said I needed him to know that I was okay.

"Alright, here he is." I heard muffled movements and Alice's voice in the background though I couldn't make out her words.

"-mmit Emmett! Let me go! Bella? Bella are you okay? I have been calling you and texting you all day! Why didn't you answer? Where are you? Are you alright?" He was breathing heavily and his voice was frantic.

"I'm fine, calm down Edward." I said, shooting a nervous glance at Charlie. He was pretending not to pay attention and I was glad.

"Charlie and I were fishing and I left my phone in the truck. We are heading over to La Push to have dinner with Billy and Jacob. Everything is okay." I was trying to make him calm down. Edward always overreacted when he was worried.

"Alice can't see your future and I can't come down there to make sure your safe. Please, don't go. Come over to my house instead. I need to know that you are safe." His voice was pleading and anxious and I heard Emmett's low murmur in the background.

I knew he was worried about Alice's vision but I couldn't bail out on my Dad. Especially when he was being so calm about Edward and me.

"I can't do that. We are already here." I saw Billy's house in the distance. "I am with my Dad. I will be perfectly fine. I have my phone with me now. You can text me every half hour if you need to. We should only be here for a few hours. Then I will come see you, okay?" I made my voice as calm and confident as I could. I couldn't back out on my Dad now. And I didn't need Edward to do something rash while I was here. I knew that Billy knew what the Cullens were and I didn't need him bringing up anything to Charlie.

"Please, Bella. Please, please, please be careful. I can't live without you, not again. Please just take care of yourself and stay close to Charlie. I know he can protect you. I will be texting you every half hour. And call me the minute you are off the reservation. Please. I love you. Please just be safe." His voice was so heartbreaking I could feel the tears prick my eyes.

"I will, I promise. I love you too. Try not to worry. We are here. I have to go."

"I love you Bella. Please just be safe and come back to me."

"I will. I love you. Bye."

"Bye my love." I hung up. Charlie was pulling up in front of the house. He turned off the truck and looked over at me. Here we go.

"So what was that all about Bells?" He was frowning.

"Well, Alice was wondering where I was. Apparently she and Edward were calling me today but since my phone was in the truck they couldn't get in touch with me. They were both just worried about me." That was putting it mildly.

"And I'm guessing that Edward wanted you to come home?" He was looking at me skeptically.

"He was just worried, Dad. He is one of those worry-wart types. He just wanted to make sure that I was safe." I felt bad talking about Edward like that, even if it was true.

"Well I am glad that he is worried about your safety, but remember that you have a mind of your own. He is not the boss of you." Charlie was in lecture mode.

"I know that Dad. I have already had that talk with him. We both agreed that we have to make decisions equally in our relationship."

"Good for you then. You have a good head on your shoulders Bella and you have always made good decisions. Just keep on making them."

I smiled at him. "Thanks Dad. I will. I know I mess up but I do try to make good choices."

"I know Bells. Just keep it up. Now come on, let's get these fish into the house. Billy is looking at us like we are crazy." I looked over and saw Billy hovering in the doorway in his wheelchair.

"Okay, you go in. I need to check my messages real quick." Charlie nodded and got out of the truck. He grabbed the pail from the back of the truck and headed towards the front door.

I looked at my phone. I had six missed calls and seven text messages. My voicemail said I had six new messages. I read the text messages first.

(A/N: Bold is Edward, bold italic is Alice.)

Good morning my love. I hope you rested well. I cannot wait until I can hold you in my arms again. E

Are you still sleeping? Know that I am thinking about you. Please call me when you wake up? E

Bella, where are you? I came by the house but you are gone. I hope you are alright. Please call me. E

Bella I told Edward that you are with your Dad fishing but he is still worried. Please call him. A

Alice told me that you were with your Dad. Can you call me please? I just want to hear your voice. E

He is going crazy here Bella. Just call him for a moment. Your Dad will understand I promise. A

Bella! Where are you? I can't see you anymore! Call me please! A

Bella! Please, please, please call me! Alice said your future disappeared and she can't see you anymore. Please call me E

Bella, why won't you answer your phone? Edward and I have called and left messages. We need to know that you are okay! Call us please. A

The voicemail messages were much the same. Two were from Alice and four were from Edward. His voice became more and more frenzied with each message. He begged me to call him, telling me that he loved me over and over again. It was heartbreaking to hear his voice so worried. I deleted the messages and closed my phone. I jumped when I heard a tap on my window. Jacob was standing there, grinning at me.

I opened the door and got out.

"Hi, Jacob." I said, smiling.

"Hiya Bells! How are you?" He said, smiling wide.

"Great, I just spent the day fishing with my Dad. What have you been up to?" I noticed that I had to look up at him when I spoke. He looked even taller now than when I had seen him at prom.

"Still working on my Rabbit. I got my parts and she should be running pretty soon." He said proudly. "Wanna see her?" He asked eagerly. I laughed at his enthusiasm.

"Sure."

We walked to the garage and he proudly showed me his car. I could feel the pride radiating off of him and smiled at him indulgently when he started to describe the things he'd had to do with the engine. I had no idea what he was talking about but nodded my head in faux understanding anyway.

"And she'll be done pretty soon. Maybe I could take you out in it when I'm done." He said eagerly.

"Sure, why not Jacob." I shrugged. He was a nice kid and so proud of his work.

"So," he hesitated. I looked at him with a raised brow. "So, I hear that the-uh-the Cullens are back in town." He looked at me apologetically.

I smiled. "Yes I know. And before you start to feel bad for bringing it up, Edward and I are back together."

His face turned red for a moment. I saw him clenching and unclenching his fists.

"You took him back?! After him leaving you in the woods like that you just took him back? What the hell were you thinking Bella?" He asked angrily. I narrowed my eyes.

"First of all Jacob, what I do and who I am with is none of your concern. You barely even know me! You have no right to be angry! Secondly, and I am tired of having to repeat this over and over, he did not leave me in the woods. When he walked away we were standing in view of the house. I went after him and got lost. Period. End of story. The breakup a misunderstanding anyway. And none of your business!" I turned to walk back into the house. Who did he think he was?!

Jacob jumped in front of me before I could take more than a few steps.

"Bells, I'm sorry!" He looked contrite but I was still seething. "I really am sorry. I should never have brought it up. I was just worried about your reaction to knowing they were back. From what Charlie told Dad you were in bad shape and I was worried about you, you know."

I felt some of my anger leave me. Yelling at Jacob was not the way to settle this.

"Its okay, Jacob. I appreciate that you were worried but I am fine. I know what I am doing."

He looked skeptical but let it drop.

"So, you want to go for a walk on the beach before dinner?" He asked.

"Sure." I hadn't been down to the beach in a long time and was looking forward to it.

We walked in companionably up and down the beach. We talked about Billy and Jacob's sisters and his school. I told him about some of the people at Forks High and he laughed when I described Mike and Jessica to him, calling them clueless dweebs. I noticed that it was getting darker and then I heard Billy calling us into the house and we trudged back to the front door.

My phone buzzed while we were walking.

I'm sorry if I worried you earlier. I panicked when I could not reach you and Alice could not see you. I told you I was overprotective. I just want you to be safe. I love you, Edward.

His overprotective streak was sweet. I knew he was worried because he could not be here with me to keep me safe but thankful that he understood I needed to spend time with Charlie too. I replied back quickly and went into the house.

Billy and Jacob's house was small but clean. There was a comfortable looking couch and recliner in the living room. The entire atmosphere was warm and inviting. The television was on in the background, tuned to the sports channel of course. Charlie was sitting on the couch talking to Billy when we came in.

"Hey Bells." Charlie said, looking back and forth between Jacob and me, "what happened to you?" I could see the hope in his eyes as he eyed Jacob. No way, I thought, but just rolled my eyes.

"Jacob was showing me his car. He has put a lot of work into it. So, who is going to clean those fish so I can cook them up?" I was eager to turn the conversation to something more casual. I knew my dad has a problem with Edward but I did not want him to start pushing Jacob at me.

Jacob volunteered to clean the fish and I filleted them when he was done. I rolled them in some of what my dad called "Harry Clearwater's Famous Fish Fry" and put them in the pan to cook. I made a simple rice dish and some vegetables to go with it. I was setting the table when my phone buzzed again. I knew without looking that it was Edward. He was nothing if not punctual.

Still pining for your return but trying to be patient. How is dinner? Edward

I replied and then called everyone in to eat. Billy and Charlie complimented me on my cooking, which of course made me blush. Billy kept us entertained with stories about locals and we all laughed and had a good time. It was very comfortable there and I was relaxed. Jacob reminded Billy about a bonfire they were having the next weekend and Charlie told him that we would both be there.

Jacob and I cleaned up the kitchen after dinner and I noticed how late it was getting to be. From the frantic phone calls and text messages I had gotten before I knew that there was a lot to talk about once I got to the Cullen's house.

"Dad, do you think it would be okay to spend the night with Alice tonight? She wants to have an all-girl sleepover."

"Sure Bells. Tell her I said hi." He was relaxed and happy after our day together and I was glad that we'd had some father/daughter time.

"Thanks Dad."

Edward sent me another text and I replied back quickly. I noticed that it had been longer than thirty minutes since his last text.

You're late young man! I hope you have an excuse from your mother! =) I am going to be leaving here soon. Charlie said that it was alright to spend the night. See you soon. B

We all drifted to the living room and I saw a game come on. They were all engrossed, talking about their favorite players and stats and I took that as my cue to leave.

"Dad, I am going to get going if that's okay? Do you want me to take you home or come and get you in the morning?" The next day was Saturday and I knew he would want to go fishing again.

Billy spoke up. "Don't worry about it Bella, I'll make sure he gets home in the morning." I smiled my thanks.

I walked over and kissed Charlie on the head. "'Night Dad."

"Night Bells."

I waved to Billy and Jacob and walked out to my truck, dialing Edward's number. He answered on the first ring.

"Bella?" His tone was anxious.

"Hi, Edward. Are you okay?" I could almost picture him wearing a hole in the floor, hand raking through his hair.

"I'm fine Bella. Are you alright?" He asked concern evident in his voice.

"Of course. I took a walk on the beach and we all ate dinner. I managed to get out of there because a game came on and they were all so engrossed." I giggled. If not for the game, Charlie might have thought of an objection to me spending the night. Thank goodness for ESPN, I thought.

I got in my truck and started the engine, cradling the phone between my shoulder and ear as I backed out of the drive and onto the street.

"Look, I don't want you to drive one handed so I am going to hang up. I will see you in a few minutes."

I looked down at myself and cringed. I was wearing a baggy flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of cutoff jean shorts. My shoes were dirty and I knew I smelled like I had spent the whole day fishing. Which I had. I felt self conscious about him seeing me all dirty like this.

"I should really shower and change before I come over, Edward. I'm a mess."

"No!" he said loudly. "I mean, no, you can shower here. Alice still has plenty of clothes for you to wear here." he paused. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I just want to see you as soon as possible."

He sounded so concerned I gave in. "Alright. I'll head that way then. See you soon. I love you." He would just have to take me as I was.
"I love you too. See you soon. Be careful." I could almost hear his admonishment to drive safely in my head.

"I will, bye."

"Bye my love."

I drove carefully down the now darkened streets, almost missing Edward's long driveway. The whole house was lit up when I drove up to it and I saw everyone standing on the porch or in the open doorway. They must have really been worried about me.

Edward came running off the porch as soon as I drove up and flashed over to my door. He yanked it open and hauled me out, pulling me flush against his chest. He buried his head in my hair, taking a deep breath and I felt him tremble in my arms.

"Shh. It's okay baby. I'm here. I'm okay. It's going to be alright." I cooed. I could feel the stress pouring off of him.

"I was so scared." He whispered into my hair. "I didn't know where you were or of you were alright. I couldn't be there to protect you if something happened. I never want to feel that helpless again. I love you so much." His voice was agitated.

"I love you too. Let's go inside so I can find out what is going on." I released him and turned towards the house. He kept his hand on my waist. I wanted to get inside and figure out what was happening. It had to be serious if he was so upset.

Alice came down the stairs and hugged me as I walked up.

"Bella I am so glad I can see you again. I was so shocked and worried. That has never happened before. I am so glad you are okay." She said.

"I'm fine Alice, I promise. But I am curious to hear what has happened. Why couldn't you see me before but now you can?" I had never heard of Alice having a problem with her visions and was curious about what could have caused it.

I saw her look at Edward meaningfully.

"Let's talk about it in the house." He said and we walked up the stairs and into the house.

Everyone sat down in the living room. Edward and I sat on the loveseat. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, threading his long graceful fingers through my hair. He reached out with his other hand to hold mine, his thumb tracing soft circles across the back of my hand.

"So, what happened Alice? You said you couldn't see me anymore. What does that mean?" I asked.

"Well, like I said I am really in tune with you and I had been kind of been keeping tabs on you all day for Edward." She sounded guilty and I waved away her discomfort. I had expected him to ask her anyway. She smiled at me in thanks.

"Anyway, all of a sudden it was like someone turned out all the lights. One second you were riding in the truck with Charlie and the next you were gone. It was just black. I have never had that happen to me before." I knew how much Alice's visions were a part of her and I could only imagine the terror she must have felt.

I was not sure how La Push entered into this equation though.

"And you think it has something to do with me being on the reservation?" I asked.

"We are not entirely sure what caused it." Edward said. "Though it seems that when you merge your future with the Quileute's that your future is lost."

"Oh. But why now? I mean, I've been down to La Push since I've known you all and this has never happened before. That you told me about anyway." I looked at Alice and she shook her head.

"So what's changed now?" I asked. I was met by silence and was immediately suspicious. I looked at everyone carefully before turning my gaze to Edward.

"What? What are you not telling me?"

"There is nothing to worry about Bella. We are just not one hundred percent sure of what is going on." Edward said. I could tell that he was not telling me everything.

"What do you think is going on then?" I was wary, watching him for tell tale signs of lying.

He just shook his head. "We have to do some research. Until then it is nothing to worry about."

I had heard those words before. He never wanted to tell me something if he thought that is was dangerous or upsetting. He always wanted to treat me like a china doll.

"Nothing to worry about…" I said. "So there is something going on but you are not going to tell me?" My voice was flat. I knew that there was more.

I looked around into the inscrutable faces of my vampire family. I scanned each of their faces in turn until I reached Esme. It was only for a moment but I saw a flash of guilt on her face. I sucked in a breath. I knew it. I knew there was something they were not telling me. I decided to ask outright.

"So there is nothing to worry about?" I spoke carefully, praying he would tell me the truth.

He shook his head. "No."

"And there is nothing you want to tell me? Nothing I should be aware of?" I looked at him carefully. Please tell me the truth, I thought.

"No, everything is fine."

He was lying. I knew it in every particle of my being. He would not have been so upset if it was nothing. And his family was going along with it. They knew what was going on as well but refused to tell me.

I felt betrayed. They were supposed to be my family. I felt more at home with them than I did with my Mom and Dad and they were lying to me. They never kept anything back from each other, not important things anyway. And Edward and Alice's behavior told me this was something important. Something they did not want to tell me. Something they did not trust me with. I made up my mind.

"Hmmm, well okay then." I said with feigned indifference. I pulled my hand from Edwards and stood up. "I will just be going then." I turned towards the door abruptly. I was furious.

"Wait-no-I thought you were staying the night?" Edwards's voice was shocked and puzzled.

I spun towards him, my anger suddenly spilling forth.

"That is when I thought I was going to be staying with my family. You all obviously do not think of me the same way I think of you so I am leaving." I spat.

I read the shock on everyone's face before they all started speaking.

"Of course you are our family." Esme said, her voice strained.

"You and I are sisters Bella!" Alice's voice cried out.

"Don't do something rash." Jasper said his voice calm and reasonable.

"Bella we love you." Emmett said, sounding like a whiny child.

I held up my hand to stop them and the room fell silent.

"How can I be real family if you are all lying to me, whether by words or silence? You have no secrets from each other but you are clearly keeping something from me." I was hurt. Did they think I would not be able to handle it?

"Bella-." Edward said but I stopped him.

"I know you are not telling me the truth. Maybe all of your lying skills work better on strangers, people who don't know you, but I do know all of you and I can tell you are all keeping something from me. So tell me what it is or I am going home." To the untrained eye they would look perfectly innocent but I had been around them enough to know when they were not being truthful with me. They were going to tell me, I would accept nothing less. I crossed my arms and glared at Edward.

He opened his hands wide and spoke to me in a tone clearly meant to placate me.

"Bella, it is for your own good that you don't know."

I gasped at his words. "For my own good?!" I yelled. I was furious.

I was so tired of him telling what was best for me. Everything was "for my own good" but I was never consulted. He acted on his own desires and then told me it was for me, to protect me. I was not going to have that anymore. I was tired of being treated like a child dammit!

"We talked about this Edward. About making decisions together. Remember? Partners? Equals? How can we be together if you don't trust me?" If he didn't trust me to know my own mind how could we have a real relationship?

"Of course I trust you! I trust you with my life!" He sounded indignant. But that was not the type of trust I meant. I would never hurt him or knowingly cause him pain. He could trust that. But if he could not trust me to make good decisions we had nowhere to go.

"You don't trust me enough Edward. You don't trust me enough to tell me the truth. You don't think I can deal with it so you just decided not to tell me. You are doing it again! Making decisions about my life without even talking to me about it. I am not sure what it is you are keeping from me this time but I do know you don't think I am strong enough to handle it."

"I am just trying to protect you." He said but I was tired of being so coddled all the time.

"You cannot wrap me up in bubble wrap Edward. Guess what? Life is unpleasant sometimes. There are things out there that might shock me or hurt me or disrupt my life. But it is far better to deal with them head on than to be blindsided by them later. You're not telling me what is going on now to protect me. But what if I am hurt by that very thing because you didn't trust me enough to let me deal with it?"

He was silent and I could tell that I had shocked him.

He was quiet for a moment before dropping his head in defeat and sighing.

"Your right, of course. I'm sorry. It's just that you mean so much to me and the thought of something distressing you hurts me. I can't bear to see you under any kind of stress."

"I understand that Edward, but stress is a natural part of life, human or vampire. There is no escaping it. You have to believe in me, believe that I can handle it. If you don't see me as your equal there is no way we can be together. I may not have vampire abilities but I would like to think that by now you realize that I am not some shrinking violet. I can handle whatever it is. You have to trust me enough to believe that. You have to have faith that I can make good decisions. You have to have faith in me."

I knew that it would take time for Edward to see that I was capable of making my own decisions. Old habits died hard and it would take time. But I had to begin as I meant to go on and I was not going to be excluded from parts of his life because he thought me incapable of handling it.

He was quiet again before looking up at me with a slight deprecating smile.

"When did you become so much smarter than me?"

I felt lips quirk in an answering smile. I hoped I was getting through to him.

"I always have been." I said smugly.

He smiled softly. Yes, I think you have. I'm sorry Bella. I think protecting you is so ingrained in me that it is my first instinct, even if that instinct is wrong. I am only just starting to understand how strong a person you are, though I should have realized it long ago. I do have faith in you, I really do. It is just such a struggle; protecting you and letting you go at the same time."

I felt my anger dissipate. I knew he was trying. I knew he feared for my safety and happiness above all things. I would have to find as much patience as I could to deal with his over protectiveness.

"Edward, look at me." He lifted his head and stared into my eyes.

"I know that you only want what is best for me. But we did talk about this. You can want what's best for me, but acting on it without talking to me first is wrong. We can handle anything that comes as long as it is together, remember?"

He suddenly reached forward and pulled me to him. He rested his head in the crook of my neck and let out a shuddering breath. I pushed my fingers through his hair and held him to me.

"Together, always." He said reverently.

I leaned back and placed my hands on either side of his face.

"Now we are going to sit down and you are going to tell me exactly what is going on." I made my voice as stern as possible. He was going to tell me what was happening. I kissed him softly to let him know that I was not angry with him anymore. I just needed him to understand that I would not be excluded.

We turned back to the couch and I realized that his family had never left the room. They had been so quiet during our whole exchange and I had forgotten they were there. My face burned but I was not ashamed. They needed to know that I was either a full member of this family or nothing. We walked back to the couch and sat down. I turned my body to face Edward.

"Now, tell me. What is going on?"

Edward inhaled deeply.

"How much do you know about the Quileute legends?"

"Not much really. Jacob Black told me about the legend of the Cold Ones and about all of you. He mentioned something about their descendants but it has been a while and I don't remember what he said." I remembered that walk on the beach so long ago but I had only been focused on what he could tell me about the Cullens.

"Well, according to tribal legend they are descendant from wolves. What most of the tribe doesn't know it that the legends are true." He paused.

I was confused. "You mean they are descendant from wolves? What does that mean?"

"It means that they are wolves, some of them anyway." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Wolves? Like, real wolves? So…that means they are what? Werewolves or something?" I wasn't sure what he was trying to tell me.

"Or something." He said.

I was shocked. Werewolves? How is that possible?

"Really? Werewolves? The whole howling at the moon, silver bullet kind of werewolves?" The only thing I knew about werewolves I had learned from the movies.

Edward rolled his eyes at me.

"Those are Hollywood versions of werewolves Bella. And we don't think that they are werewolves in the truest sense of the word. These wolves are what you would call shape shifters. I think the choice of wolves is arbitrary. They could have morphed into kittens or elephants. But somehow they chose wolf form." He paused again.

Wolves. Werewolves. I guess if you believe in vampires you can believe in werewolves. And I had plenty of proof of the existence of vampires. I wondered idly when the unicorns were showing up but did not voice it aloud.

"So members of the Quileutes are werewolves? Why now?" I thought that if they had always been here I would never have been allowed to La Push. So they must be new arrivals.

"What do you mean dear?" Esme asked.

"Well it seems like this is a new development. So why are they shape shifting now? What is different now? And how do you know about them in the first place if you are not allowed on La Push? Does this have anything to do with the treaty thing you were talking about?" I was alight with curiosity.

"We don't know what is causing them to shift now. Something recent it seems has caused that dormant gene to kick in." Carlisle said. "The treaty you mentioned was enacted seventy years ago. Edward, Rose, Emmett and I were here and stumbled onto their tribal lands. They had all heard legends of us and so knew instinctively what we were. I was able to convince them that we meant no harm to the humans here and so we made a treaty. As long as we stayed clear of La Push and did not harm any humans they would not reveal us. The leader at that time was a man named Ephraim Black."

Black. It clicked in my head then. Jacob had spoken of his great-grandfather and how he had been Chief of their tribe.

"So he was Jacob's great grandfather? That makes sense. Billy knew what you were. I convinced him not to tell Charlie. But I was always surprised that he believed the legends so much but I can see how he would now."

I remembered the conversation in my kitchen so long ago. I had always wondered how he knew so much about the Cullens and vampires. I had my answer now.

Suddenly the absurdity of the situation hit me. Edward had been worried about protecting me from mythical creatures when he was just as mythical as they were. I giggled. Then I started to laugh. A lot. The confused expression on Edwards face only fueled my laughter.

"W-w-werewolves? Seriously?" I giggled. "You were worried about telling me about werewolves? Edward," I could only shake my head, laughing. "I spend most of my day hanging around vampires and a good portion of my time kissing one. Do you really think I would not be able to handle hearing about another mythical creature?"

Edward paused for a moment then joined in my laughter, as well as the rest of the family.

"I guess I should have realized that you would not be afraid like a normal human." He said. His face turned serious after a moment.

"But Bella, these werewolves are dangerous. This is not like a movie. These wolves can change instantly, at will and are ruled by their emotions. If you are too close to them when they morph it can be dangerous or deadly. Please understand that." His eyes pleaded with me to understand.

I knew he only had my safety at heart. And I really didn't want to be killed by a werewolf anyway. So it served both of our interests for me to stay away from them. I nodded at him solemnly so he knew I understood he was serious.

"I understand. And it is better that you told me now. Jacob invited me to a bonfire next week and-." I stopped him when he would have interrupted. "And now that I know about the wolves I am going to tell him I can't come." He nodded at me and I could see the relief on his face.

"I do have some sense of self-preservation you know. And besides that it worries the hell out of you. That is not something I want to do to you. I have no real reason to go down there anyway unless it is with Charlie so it is not a hardship not to."

He pulled me towards him and held me against his chest.

"Thank you." He whispered fervently in my ear.

I giggled at pulled back to look him in the eyes.

"See how much better it is to tell me the truth to begin with?" I laughed and so did everyone else.

It was going to be a hard road but I would not be left out again.