AN: When it rains, it pours . . .

Chapter 26 - Wolfy Washington

La Push

Billy stared into the dark brown eyes of the man who had been his best friend for the past thirty years, the man who had been crashing on his couch every day for the past two weeks, since finding out his only daughter committed suicide. Charlie's pupil's were dilated with shock, but his posture was determined. He wouldn't back down, wouldn't be convinced he'd imagined what he'd just seen with his own two eyes, wouldn't believe it was a temporary lapse of sanity.

Billy had feared this moment since Jacob was first informed of Bella's death. Jake had fancied himself in love with the girl since he first clapped eyes on her after she moved back in with Charlie last winter. Her loss had triggered his anger, grief, and depression, but that wasn't all it triggered. Jacob had been growing rapidly over the past two weeks, inches a day, packing on pounds of solid muscle without any effort. He'd been running a high fever and snapping at everyone who dared disturb his silent rumination. On the occasions he would drag himself out of bed and out of the house, he would disappear for hours on end, coming back sweaty, smelly, and dirty, his clothes seeming to shrink between the time he left and the time he returned.

Normally, Billy would have kept Charlie away during this sensitive time, kept his keen eyes from noticing all the changes in his son and around the reservation, kept him from questioning Billy's lack of concern for Jacob's health in light of his strange symptoms. Yet, Billy couldn't turn Charlie away in his time of need, couldn't turn his back on his best friend. Charlie had practically carried Billy through his period of grief after the death of his beloved wife. Charlie had been there every day, helping him get his kids up, dressed, and fed and out the door to school. He had been the one to make sure Billy had help around the reservation, had organized the women to cook and clean for him and the kids. He was the one to draw the line when Billy had looked to the bottle to find peace, hoping to drink enough to forget his pain. He had made sure Billy's kids didn't lose their father too.

Then, after the accident that cost Billy his legs, Charlie had been the one to help him find a smaller house, one that could be navigated by a wheelchair. He was the one who had taught Jacob what he needed to know to take care of himself and his injured father. He was the one that made sure Billy got to all his doctors' appointments and physical therapy visits. He helped Jacob build the ramp that made it possible to get the wheelchair up onto the porch. Charlie was the one who had listened when Billy cried, complained, ranted and raved, when he felt overwhelmed and wondered how he could keep going, how he could face day after day as an invalid, his once strong body now withering and atrophying from disuse. Charlie was the one who had convinced him he wasn't only half a man, just because half his body no longer functioned the way it should.

After everything Charlie had done for him, Billy couldn't push him away or shut him out in the days following Bella's death, despite the risk of exposing the secrets of the tribe to an 'outsider'. Truth be told, Charlie was as much a part of his family as any member of the tribe. They might not share DNA, but their spirits were connected. Billy had two weeks to make peace with accepting Charlie into the tribe, making him an honorary Quileute, before the issue suddenly forced itself to be acknowledged.

Charlie had been joking that if Jacob's skin was a little more green he'd be doing a great impression of the Incredible Hulk, noticing the way he was once again busting out of his shirt and wearing pants at least six inches too short, that were busting at the seams in their effort to encompass his massively muscular thighs. Unfortunately, it was the straw that broke the camel's back, and Jacob had completely snapped.

As soon as Billy saw him shaking, he'd commanded him as forcefully as possible to get outside. Luckily, Jacob had been trained to recognize that particular tone of voice meant business and had thrown himself out the front door and into the yard.

"Call 911! He's having a seizure!" Charlie had shouted, dropping into Chief Swan mode at the sign of an emergency. It had taken all of Billy's strength to hold Charlie back from going to Jake, mistakenly trying to help.

"Stay back, Charlie," he'd warned, grasping tightly to Charlie's belt.

Charlie had stared at Billy as if he'd developed a second head. "Somebody needs to restrain him, Billy, before he breaks something!" he'd insisted. The strange cracking noises coming from Jake's convulsing body adding strength to his words.

"You can't help him, Charlie. You'll only get hurt," Billy had informed him in an eerie voice, refusing to take his eyes off his son. "And then he'll hate himself for hurting you, even though it was just an accident."

"Dammit, Billy! I can't just stand here and do nothing! What if he breaks his neck?" Charlie demanded, his voice full of frustration and fear, fear of losing another child so dear to his heart. He flung his arm out in Jacob's direction, to emphasize his point, turning his head back toward the boy just in time to witness the strange half-second between man and wolf. The scream Jacob had begun the moment before now morphed into a throaty howl of fear and agony.

Standing there on all fours was a giant wolf, nearly as big as a horse, with long russet brown fur that swept against the ground. His gleaming black eyes were the eyes of the boy whose diapers Charlie had changed, whose little league games Charlie had attended, who had gazed with adoration at Charlie's own daughter just a few short months ago. There was no doubt in Charlie's mind that the giant wolf with the razor sharp teeth standing a few yards away, shivering and whimpering, eyes filled with confusion, was indeed Jacob Black.

Charlie's knees had given out on him then, and he had collapsed to the porch beside Billy's chair. Just as he nearly had a handle on the amazing sight before him, a giant black wolf with short fur came loping out of the nearby woods, barking to get Jacob Wolf's attention. The two wolves seemed to have some kind of silent conversation and then ran into the woods together. Charlie simply sat and stared for a few minutes at the place where the wolves had disappeared from sight in the heavy green foliage.

Once Charlie's heartbeat and breathing had returned to a normal pattern, he rose slowly to his feet, turned around, and walked steadily into the house. He flopped down on the couch and waited patiently for Billy to make his way into the living room with him. The two men stared into each other's eyes, taking each other's measure. The time had come for Billy to spill the beans, but how would Charlie take it? Would he make the connection with the Cullens and the loss of his baby girl?

Billy sighed and straightened up in his chair, gathering his courage to say what needed to be said. Recognizing that Billy had made up his mind to reveal his secrets, Charlie's lips twitched. He'd known Billy had been hiding something big over the past two weeks, something involving Jacob's strange growth and uncharacteristic behavior. Like Bella, Charlie hated to be kept in the dark about the things going on around him. He could forgive most anything, except being lied to, a quality he shared with his unbelievably tolerant daughter. He'd rather just be told the truth and learn to accept it, than be left to worry and make things up in his imagination that might or might not be worse than reality.

"You knew what was happening," Charlie stated. "You've been expecting this all week, for the past two weeks really."

Billy nodded in confirmation. "He was exhibiting the classic symptoms, just like the other boys."

"So that's why all the boys around here are so tall and muscular? They're . . . werewolves? Is that what you call it? I mean the sun is still up, so it's not really related to the full moon, right?"

"They call themselves werewolves, yes, though they aren't tied to the cycle of the moon like your stories would suggest. According to our stories, they become spirit wolves, protectors of the tribe."

Charlie nodded thoughtfully. He furrowed his brow and then met Billy's eyes. "That can't have happened to you, Billy. There's no way you were changing into a giant wolf when we were teenagers without my knowledge!"

Billy smiled. His friend was right. They had been inseparable back then, taking on the world together. Charlie would have known if he was phasing, he couldn't have hidden it for long. "No, my generation didn't phase. There was no need for it. Ephriam did though. He showed me once, just in case I ever needed to know about it. Old Quil was the last to stop phasing. That's how he's managed to live so long. The men stop aging when they start phasing."

Charlie's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really? Wow, that's awesome."

"Like, totally, dude," Billy teased, remembering the lingo of their high school days.

"Righteous!" Charlie shot back with a smirk. "Too bad you didn't get any of that wolfie mojo. Looks like you'll be picking out the grey hairs right alongside me."

"Sure thing, old man," Billy snorted. "Only I'll look distinguished, while you'll just look old."

Charlie chuckled, "I have to say I'm actually somewhat relieved. I suspected Jake and his buddies were into some new growth hormone/steroid drug that had hit the streets. I hadn't heard anything through the grapevine about a new drug like that from anywhere else, and I was afraid they might be experimenting with creating it right here in my backyard. I'll take werewolves over that shit any day."

Billy grinned. "Nah, we've got the same criminal bullshit as the rest of the world. Nothing to call the feds about. Actually, when your neighborhood watchmen are all over 7 feet tall and look like they are preparing to enter either the strong man competitions or WWF, it doesn't take long to convince the dealers to find another place to peddle their crap. We've got way less of a problem than we did three years ago. Petty crime is way down too. That's one good thing that's come out of all this mess."

Charlie grinned, but then got pensive again. "Does this werewolf thing have anything to do with why you always hated the Cullens?"

"Got it in one, bro," Billy conceded. "I wish you'd been this perceptive before now. It might've saved Bella's life."

Charlie frowned, growing angry. "If it might have saved her life, then why the hell didn't you tell me sooner? Good grief, Billy, she was your goddaughter! You would keep secrets from me at the risk of my Bella? Dammit, Billy, you know you've always been able to trust me!"

"I warned her! She knew what they were and still chose to be with the fucking leech!" Billy yelled. "I tried to warn you! I gave you hints, but if I'd come out and just told you, it would have broken the treaty and started a damn war! Do you know how many people would have died if we went to war with them? I told you they were bad news, but you wouldn't fucking listen! You talk about trust. Why the hell didn't you trust me?"

Charlie stared at him flabbergasted. He had no answer for that. Why didn't he trust Billy, the man who had been closer than a brother for nearly all his life? Why did he stick up for the Cullens so vehemently, at the expense of his relationship with his lifelong friend? Upon examining his thought process more closely, he found it really didn't make sense. For some reason, after his first meeting with the Cullens, his mind simply decided they were the best thing since sliced bread. Despite all of Billy's subsequent warnings, his belief never faltered.

Why would he trust the Cullens, strange outsiders that sent his cop senses tingling, over a man he knew and loved? Trust that had obviously been misplaced and cost him the most precious thing in his whole life. Hadn't he questioned Edward's treatment of Bella, the way he seemed to manipulate and control her, turning her into a submissive doll that had no self-confidence or self-respect? Hadn't he worried after Bella's uncharacteristic behavior on the night of her first date and the way she came home subdued and broken, dependent on their family for help doing basic things like washing and dressing?

Alice was a cute little thing, but hadn't he witnessed her steamrolling right over Bella's opinions, wishes, and desires? Hadn't he seen Alice manipulate Bella into doing things she didn't want to do, wearing things she didn't want wear, and going places she didn't want to go? Hadn't he questioned himself as he lay in his bed at night, worrying that his baby girl was turning into a shell of herself, becoming a puppet whose strings were pulled by Alice and Edward? Now she was gone, and Edward had been implicated as the reason for her loss of hope, the cause of a pain so deep and penetrating, she'd felt unable to live with it.

He sighed deeply, accepting that his passive approach, choosing not to act despite the warning bells his instincts were sending, had contributed to her loss. If he had stood up for her, defended her right to make her own decisions in the face of her puppetmasters, proven he would be there for her come hell or high water, perhaps she would have chosen to confide in him, rather than taking the easy way out.

"You're right, Billy. I should have trusted you. I don't even know why I didn't. It's like they dazzled me or something, hypnotized me into believing they were good for the town," Charlie admitted.

Before Billy could respond, a naked Jacob sprinted through the house on his way to his room, trying to hide his privates with his hands. He was followed by the slow prowl of a mostly naked man, wearing a pair of gym shorts and nothing else, not even shoes. Charlie met the man's dark gaze and shuddered, his instincts warning him of imminent danger. He suddenly knew what it felt like to be the scared rabbit trapped by a ravenous wolf. The man blinked and the sensation disappeared, allowing Charlie to relax and recognize the visage of Sam Uley.

"Charlie has been a brother to me most of my life, Sam," Billy gruffly announced to the visitor. "We knew there was a strong possibility this would happen. He has accepted it, just as I hoped he would. It's time to tell him what really happened to his daughter."

Sam simply nodded to Billy, then turned, looked Charlie right in the eye and matter-of-factly declared, "The bloodsuckers took her."

xxxxxxx

After Charlie had recovered from his shock, he carefully inquired, "Are you referring to the Cullens?"

Sam nodded stoically. Charlie suddenly paled and looked a little queasy.

"Bloodsuckers? A-are you saying they're v-vampires?" he questioned hesitantly, stumbling over his words, somehow finding that even more unbelievable than his best friend's son turning into a werewolf. "The Cullens are fucking vampires?"

Sam exchanged a glance with Billy and then gave a careful nod.

Charlie slumped back in shock. "Well, fuck me sideways! Don't that beat all? My daughter was dating a fucking vampire. I knew there was something creepy about that kid. Did she know he was a member of the undead?"

"Oh, yeah, she knew. I warned her, begged her to tell you the truth, and she told me to mind my own fucking business unless I intended to violate the treaty. I can't believe they not only told her their secrets but ours too. Why the hell would they tell her about the treaty?" Billy ranted.

Jake had returned to the living room, properly clothed this time. He suddenly flinched at his father's words and groaned, dropping his face into his hands. "They didn't tell her, I did. I told her our legends, not long after she first got her, when she came with her friends to First Beach. That's how she knew what they are."

"What? How could you? You violated the treaty! Do you know what could have happened as a result?" Billy demanded.

Jake frowned. "I didn't believe the legends. I thought they were just scary stories. I mean, Sam acted really weird when one of her friends mentioned the Cullens, so later she and I went for a walk just the two of us, and she asked what that was all about. So I told her, trying to impress her, wanting her to like me. I guess now I know why she took it so seriously, but at the time, she just said I was a good storyteller."

"Well, thank goodness they didn't attack us in retaliation!" Sam declared, glaring at Jacob. "They had the right to do so. They could have killed the entire town in a matter of minutes, and we wouldn't have been able to stop them, outnumbered like we were."

"Enough!" Billy decided, his voice resonating with authority. "What's done is done and can't be undone. We need to move on to the things we can change." Everyone nodded in agreement and gave him the floor, but he was quick to relinquish it. "Tell them the truth now, Sam. Tell them what really happened to Bella.

"What really happened? You mean she's alive?" Charlie interrupted, hope coursing through him, lighting up his entire countenance, not even considering the possibility they might have killed her themselves.

"No, we mean she's an animated corpse," Sam growled irritably. Seeing Charlie's confusion, he expounded, "She's one of them now."

"What? No!" Jacob shouted, starting to shake again. "They violated the treaty!"

"So did you," Sam reminded him with a frown.

"It's not the same," Jacob muttered angrily. He got up and began pacing, his fists clenched while he tried to remain in control of himself.

Charlie had spent those moments processing what Sam had said. "One of them? A Cullen? A vampire? Bella's a vampire now?"

Sam sighed and nodded. "Sorry, Charlie."

Charlie laughed in relief. "Don't be sorry. This is great! She's not dead!"

"She is dead," Billy snarled. "How can you be so happy to find out your daughter is a monster now?"

Charlie's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I'd much rather her be a vampire than be dead, really dead!"

Billy gave him a disgusted look. "It doesn't bother you that she's drinking blood and may be killing people?"

Charlie furrowed his brow. "Why should I care if she drinks blood? It's a renewable resource. I'm not going to drink it with her, but it can't be much worse than some of the other crap she's eaten in the past few months. Have you ever tasted Slim-fast? That stuff is nasty! Or that cereal made of little bran pellets that always remind me of brown kitty litter? Have you tried bean sprouts or wheat germ? Not to mention all that high fiber crap that tastes and feels like you're chewing recycled cardboard. To each his own, I say. I'll stick to my steak, and she can have her blood, no problem. As for killing people, I don't see why that's necessary. I mean, what happens to all the blood the blood bank draws that's tested and deemed unfit for medical use? Or the blood that 'expires' and can't be used anymore? Don't they just dispose of it? No doubt they have to pay a lot of money to dispose of that 'hazardous' waste. We could agree to take it away for free. The red cross saves money, Bella gets an easy dinner, nothing goes to waste, and it saves space in the landfill. It's a win/win for everyone. Carlisle's a doctor. I wouldn't be surprised if he has a deal like that going already. It's what I would do."

Nobody said anything for a few minutes as they stared at Charlie, processing what he'd just suggested. After all, he was right. Nobody got hurt in that scenario. What objection could they raise?

"Besides, who are you guys to throw stones? You call them monsters, but you're werewolves. Us regular humans pretty much lump you all under the same heading. You know, the whole Dracula vs. Wolfman thing? If I can accept you, I don't see why I can't accept them too," Charlie continued.

"But . . . but they drink blood! It's unnatural!" Billy protested vehemently, desperately, not liking Charlie's comparison, but knowing it was true that most humans would consider both groups monsters. "Also, we protect humans, while they kill them!"

"Okay, Carlisle is a gifted surgeon, and I personally know quite a few lives he's saved. Not to mention, they saved Bella's life more than once. Didn't you hold me back earlier to keep me away from Jacob while he was phasing, saying he could hurt me accidentally? So doesn't that make you guys dangerous to be around too? What if one of you loses your temper and snaps, like Jacob did earlier?"

Billy and Jacob both looked at Sam, who hung his head in shame. Charlie suddenly remembered that Emily, Sam's fiancé had been mauled by a 'bear' a while back and realized he'd hit upon the truth. Billy's warning hadn't been hypothetical, but based on something that had already happened.

Letting that issue go for Sam's sake, knowing his point had already been made, Charlie continued, "As for unnatural, that's bullshit. I can think of several natural creatures that have a blood diet. Leeches, vampire bats, fleas, mosquitoes. Sure, we aren't too fond of them, because we don't like being a food source. I'd certainly swat any mosquito that tried to bite me, but I wouldn't go seeking them out, trying to destroy them for simply trying to eke out an existence like the rest of us. Can you really blame the mosquito for trying to survive the only way it knows how? But it serves a purpose in the grand scheme, or else it wouldn't exist.

Haven't we learned that predators are a necessary part of any ecosystem? If you get rid of the wolves, the deer population expands out of control and starts encroaching on humans. If you get rid of bees, because you're afraid of getting stung, then the flowers and trees won't get pollinated, and we won't have any honey. You have to take the good with the bad. It's a system of checks and balances. I guarantee that vampires serve a purpose on this planet, just as werewolves do, or else they wouldn't exist.

Just because they're higher up on the food chain than we are, doesn't mean we have the right to kill them, except in direct self-defense. I know it isn't pleasant to think of ourselves as vulnerable to another species or as food for them, but what do you think we'd do if a group of cows suddenly started wreaking vengeance on everybody who ate steak and cheeseburgers? What if we made a treaty with the cows that we'd only consume their milk and not their meat? After all, they make fresh milk every day, and it doesn't really hurt them to take it from them, and it provides so many nutrients for us in all our dairy products. Would that really be so bad? It wouldn't hurt us to provide food for the vampires through a little donation every couple of months, if it would save lives. I'm sure they could do something beneficial for us in return.

Plus, don't forget that animals in nature, like wolves, don't bother draining their kills before they start eating them. If you think wild animals don't consume blood along with the flesh they devour, then you're delusional. I'd say partaking of blood is pretty damn natural after all."

Sam and Jake exchanged a guilty look. Sam had taken Jake hunting while they were out, as Jake's first phase had been very draining for him. It was true that in wolf form they hadn't bothered trying to drain the deer before they tore into its flesh. Indeed, they did devour the blood along with the meat and every other edible part, not letting any of the possible nutrients go to waste. Billy caught their shared glance and realized what it meant. Once again, Charlie was pointing out an obvious flaw in their mindset.

"Any other holes you want to poke into our traditional understanding, ingrained prejudice, and learned philosophy?" Billy asked with a tired smile.

Charlie pursed his lips and thought about it for a minute, before nodding and smiling. "You said Bella was changed into a vampire. That means that vampires used to be humans before they became something different, something more. Isn't it hypocritical to hate them? Isn't it like a caterpillar hating all butterflies because they're prettier and can fly? Butterflies have better looks and more skills than a caterpillar, but you can't have one without the other. Sure the butterfly looks and acts a lot different than the caterpillar did, but inside where it counts, the caterpillar is still there. It just has wings now.

I'm not saying all vampires are good or bad, just like all humans are neither good nor bad. I'm sure an evil human will become an evil vampire and a loving human will become a loving vampire. Some humans deserve to die, in my humble opinion. I've seen the depravity humans are capable of forcing on each other. I've seen the work of human monsters, seen their victims, and stared into their cold, evil eyes. As far as I'm concerned, it's not what you are that makes you a monster, it's what you do and how you treat others. In my humble opinion, some humans deserve to die for the good of all, and I'm sure there are vampires out there that deserve to be destroyed as well. However, I refuse to tar them all with the same brush, simply because of what they happen to be. Actions speak louder than words. If my baby is happy and not hurting anybody, then I'm happy too, no matter what she is: human, vampire, fairy, or woodnymph. I really couldn't care."

Silence reigned once again, and Billy rubbed his face, tears pricking his eyes from Charlie's heartfelt speech. He knew he didn't love his own son any less now that he could change into a horse sized wolf, so he really couldn't blame Charlie for still loving Bella.

Finally, he sat up straight, his decision having been made. "Alright, Charlie, you've made some very good points none of us have considered before. We will track down the Cullens and made sure they are keeping their word. We'll check in on Bella and make sure she is happy and not feeding on humans. If she's still Bella on the inside, then we'll try to consider things your way, fair enough?"

Charlie beamed at his best friend, "Sounds good to me. Now where do we find them? They told the hospital they were moving to L.A."

"That's obviously a lie," Sam declared. "They can't go outside when the sun is shining, so they'll go somewhere cloudy where they can hide more easily."

Charlie thought about it, nodding to himself. "Didn't they say they moved here from Alaska before? What do you think is the likelihood of that? If they're on the run, there's a good chance they retreated somewhere familiar."

Sam nodded. "Good point. I think we should start the search there."

xxxxxxx

AN: Okay, I know you all wanted Bella and Jahssgrr, but this was necessary. At least it was a nice long chapter. Don't worry, hang in there, and we'll be back to your favorite characters tomorrow . . .