*ONE WEEK LATER*

"I'm going to be in so much trouble..." I said, thinking out loud.

I left home just over a month ago, and I haven't contacted Charlie since, not knowing if it was a good idea or not, so I didn't. And now, here I was, sitting in Alice's car, just down the street from my house, thinking about what to tell him.

"You're the psychic, what will happen if I go in there and tell him a lie?" I asked, looking over to Alice, her pupils dilating for a minute, before blinking and looking at me.

"Not too good. He won't stop pressing for answers until he gets one that's good enough for him."

"Great." I took a breath before continuing. "And what will happen if I tell him the truth?" I asked, deciding in my head that I was going to tell him so that Alice could see that option.

She was out of it for a few minutes this time before she came back to the present.

"Much better. He's shocked...but not as shocked as I would have imagined." She furrowed her brows. "Things went black from there, and I didn't see what happened after that."

"Well, there's only one way to find out."

"Are you absolutely sure that you want to tell him, Bella? It's against the law, and I don't want anything happening to you...ever."

"Trust me...Charlie isn't like most people."

She bit her marble lip and thought about it for a few moments, them looked at me again and nodded. I gave her a small smile and gestured to the house. She started the car up again, and pulled down the street and into the driveway quietly. I took a deep breath before exiting the car and heading up to the door, Alice right behind me. I unlocked it and went it, hearing the police scanner in the living room on, and a sound of rustling papers. Alice closed the door behind us, a little louder than needed, but it got a response.

"Bella?" Charlie yelled.

I took the few steps and peeked in the living room, where Charlie was, anxiously sitting in his desk chair.

"Hey, Dad." I said with relief as I ran to him, throwing my arms around his neck and squeezing him tight.

I had missed him so much, and it felt so good to finally be back home. We stood there for a few minutes, me enjoying his familiar smell, and him stroking my hair, when I noticed he stiffened and straightened up.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He demanded through his teeth.

I looked at him to see what he was looking at, and I saw Alice standing in the doorway of the room.

"Dad, don't yell, it's okay." I said stepping back, trying to calm him down.

"No it's not okay, Bella! Alice, what are you doing here?"

"Dad, lower your voice and let us explain. Please..."

It took another few minutes to get him calm enough to sit down with us, ordering me to explain where I've been and why Alice was here with me.

"This is going to be a bit of a long story, Dad. And it's going to sound crazy, but I swear on grandma's grave, it's the absolute truth." I explained. "Now I know you'll have questions during my story, but I need you to wait until the end, because I need to get through all of this. Okay?"

He nodded, just wanting answers.

"Well, to explain why I left, I need to go back to the very beginning...when I first moved here and met the Cullens..."

And so my story began, telling him about all the weird things I noticed, and how I finally came to the conclusion that they were vampires. I went on to tell him and James, and why why the Cullens left, leaving out the part that I was in love with Alice, of course. Throughout this whole thing, he just sat there, staring at me, listening intently as I talked, while doing my best to explain everything that happened. Finally, when it seemed like it had been forever, I got to the end of the, what I could call, my odyssey.

"And that bring us...here, talking to you...telling the completely crazy, truthful story of why I left."

And then there was complete silence. Alice and I waiting for an answer while Charlie stayed quiet, with a shocked look on his face. When he finally looked away, he rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Well, I need a drink." He said, casually getting up and getting some Whiskey out of his barely touched liquor cabinet.

I was about to give Alice a look when her phone chimed. She took it out of her pocket quickly and read the text she was sent.

"That's just great..." She muttered.

"What is it?"

She didn't have time to answer before there was a loud pounding at the front door, that made Charlie and I jump. He quickly sat his drink down and ran over to answer it, the next thing I knew, Jacob barged in the living room with an angry look on his face.

"Bella!" He yelled before stepping toward me.

Alice snarled at him and got in front of me in a defensive position. Jacob was taken back, but only for a second, before he got angrier, his body starting to shake.

"Jake, stop!" I yelled, getting up off the couch, but staying behind Alice.

"Jacob!" Charlie chimed in, putting a firm hand on his his shoulder. "Not in my house, I won't have you destroying anything."

"But Charlie, she's a Cullen! She hurt Bella by leaving, and then kidnapped her!"

"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about, Jake." I said through my teeth.

"She's right. Sit, calm the hell down, and listen to what they have to say." He said, surprising us all. "I know you two don't get along, but you're in my house, and no one will be attacking anyone."

That's the second time in thirty seconds he's referred to that sort of thing...and I wondered if he possibly knew something.

"Dad...do you know about Jake?" I asked, being vague in case he didn't.

"Yes, he does." Jacob asked.

"Excuse me, I was talking to my dad." I shot back at him, then looked at Charlie again. "How?"

He sighed, pushing Jake down into a chair before he sat down on the other end of the sofa that Alice and I were sitting on.

"When you disappeared, Jacob automatically knew it was the Cullens. He smelled them, or something. Anyway, he said he was getting involved, and that he'd find you and get you back, but I said he didn't know what he was talking about, and that I didn't want him involved like that in the investigation. Well, he phased in front of me to prove that they could help in a way I hadn't understood. Damn near gave me a heart attack..."

"Sorry, you just had to know..." Jake commented.

"And now I know about the Cullens-"

"Yeah, they're a bunch of damn leeches, who have Bella brainwashed!" He interrupted.

"Jacob! I won't tell you again, this is my house, and you will respect the people in it. I don't see Alice calling you names and accusing you of things."

"Because I haven't done anything other than try to protect Bella!"

"Once you hear the whole truth, you may change your mind."

"Doubt it. I want to speak to you." He looked at me. "Alone."

Alice let out a low rumble from her chest, and I put my hand on hers to let her know that it's okay.

"I'll talk to you in my room, where we can have some privacy, and I'll explain everything." I said.

"Are you kidding me? There is no privacy when it comes to the Cullens, she'll still be able to hear us from down here." He said giving her a nasty look. "Leave and let me talk with Bella."

"Jake, she's my friend, in my house. You will be nice to her, or else you'll be the one leaving. I said sternly.

He rolled his eyes as I sighed and turned to Alice, who was still looking at Jake with an annoyed expression.

"I'll be okay."

She thought about it for a minute, then squeezing my hand before standing up.

"You're going to come back though, right?" I asked scared.

"Of course. As soon as you put the dog out."

I smiled to myself as she politely excused herself and left out the front door. Without a word, I got up and headed to the stairs to go up to my room, Jacob, following silently behind me. Closing the door behind us, I sat down on my bed and waited for him to join me, but he just stood there with his arms crossed.

"It's not what you think." I stated.

"Oh, really? They left you, Bella!"

"Do you even know why? Huh?" I tried to keep calm as he didn't answer. "Exactly."

"Why does it matter? They still did it."

"If you aren't even willing to listen, then just leave now." I threatened.

Shifting his eyes to the ground, he thought about it for a minute, then let his hands drop to his sides and sat down in my rocking chair in the corner.

"While I tell you what happened, you will not interrupt, or else I'll stop. And you won't say anything derogatory about the Cullens, or else I'll kick you out without another word. You got it?"

"Sure, sure." He said in a monotone voice.

"Well, get comfortable...it's kinda of a long story."

Once again, I went through everything I had experienced since I had met the Cullens, and I knew Jake was fighting with himself to stay quiet. Especially after I told him that I had fallen for Alice. His face fell slightly and his eyes glazed over, but I didn't let that stop me. I told him the full story, because even though he was acting like a jerk, he was still my best friend, and I needed to tell someone else about my feelings, because I didn't feel comfortable talking to Charlie about it yet. When I finished, I took a deep breath and waited for a response, but I just got an angry face for a few minutes before he straightened up and looked at me.

"I knew Edward was a bastard..." He said, shaking his head.

"Just because Edward and Jasper did those things, doesn't mean that all the Cullens are bad. Rose and Emmett came back to save me, Carlisle and Esme have always treated me like a daughter, and Alice...well, she's always been such a good friend to me. The two vampires that attacked your tribe all those years ago, weren't the Cullens, but you let that rule how you feel about all vampires that are out there. You've had the treaty with them for decades, and have they ever done anything to break it?"

"I...uhm...no."

"Then please just trust me...and them."

"I just don't see why you want to become one of them, they aren't even alive!"

"Just because their hearts don't beat, doesn't mean they don't have them at all. When you boil it down, they are just people, like you and me. I never once judged you when I found out that you could change into a wolf."

He seemed taken back by that statement, but it was true. I was nothing short of supportive when I found out about him.

"You still didn't say why you wanted to be one. You haven't even told that lee-Alice, how you feel. And who says she even feels the same?"

He was right, and partly what I feared all along. I had no idea how Alice felt, and I was afraid to, because I didn't want to be rejected by her.

"Even if she doesn't feel the same, I still want to be one of them, because I feel like I belong when I'm with them. I love Charlie and Renee, but I feel more at home with the Cullens for some reason."

He rubbed the back of his head as he took in what I was saying.

"So, when are you going to tell her? How long do I have with you before...?"

"Her longtime husband and brother were killed a week ago...I don't think now is the best time to bring it up anything. And it's not like we have to say goodbye once I turn. I'll still be the same person, Jake. But, I'm hoping after graduation."

/-/

After a two hour conversation with Jacob, he seemed to understand a little more of where I was coming from, but I wasn't quite sure. Only time would tell, and right now, I was more worried about Charlie, and sorting out my feelings for Alice. I lead Jake back downstairs and lingered at the door.

"I guess I'll talk to you soon." He said before running off down the street and into the woods.

I let out a long breath of relief, glad that the talk had gone over pretty well, and headed back upstairs, pulling my phone out to text Alice to come back.

"Don't bother." I jumped out of my hyde as I stepped into my room, Alice already lying on my bed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Sorry that took so long with Jake."

"It's okay." I closed my door and joined her on the bed. "He'll come around eventually, Bells."

"I hope so. I want my best friends to get along with each other."

She smiled, then took my hand in hers, causing my heart to flutter, which I hope she wouldn't notice.

"Can I ask you something?"

She looked at me then, with her bright, gold eyes. "Of course, what is it?"

"Y-you don't have to answer, but it's just something I've been wondering..."

"Bella, you can ask me anything, and I'll always give you an honest answer."

"Okay, um. Is there a reason you didn't say anything to Edward or Jasper, before..." I couldn't even finish.

"I said goodbye to Edward privately, in my thoughts. But, I didn't really know what to say to Jasper...so I didn't say anything."
I nodded, I had the same problem. At the time I wanted to say something to Edward, but no words came out, so I just accepted his apology with a nod.

"Do you think you could ever forgive them?" I asked.

"With time."

A/N: If any of you are Harry Potter or Glee fans, I wrote a Fabranger (Quinn/Hermione) one-shot called Quinn's Redemption. It's my first non-Bellice work, so go check it out and let me know what you think.