Summary - "Bella is an average girl, struggling with her homosexuality and her life at home. Can the love of not one, but three vampires help show her that she shouldn't be afraid? A/B/R/V".
Author's Notes – Inspired by my dear friend Hollowgo.
Rating - Older Teen to Mature
By: WDG and Lash_Larue
The Garden of Four - Chapter Fifteen – Transform
"Renee? Your mother did this to you?"
Bella heard Charlie's heart racing, pounding violently in his chest, she heard his teeth grinding together, and she felt his hands shaking as he traced the thin scars on her back. He drew in deep, shuddering breaths, and when Bella turned around she saw a vein throbbing at his temple as he fought to control his rage.
When at last he spoke, his voice was icy calm. Chief Swan was in the house, and he was well and truly pissed.
"Carlisle, may I please use your phone? I need to have my ex-wife arrested, and after that I would really appreciate it if you would tell me if you knew about this. If you did know about it, I would like to hear you explain to me why you did not report these injuries to the police, as you are required by law to do."
The look Charlie gave him actually made Carlisle's spine tingle, even though he knew perfectly well that Charlie could no more hurt him than a butterfly could knock over a mountain. It was the look of a parent out to protect his child.
"Dad…" Bella began, but Charlie silenced her with a look.
"Of course you may use the phone, Charlie, but while I can't pretend to know the depth of your hurt and anger here, you need to consider Bella's unique position before you do so. As to whether I knew about the injuries, yes, I did. I treated them, in fact." Charlie's eyes narrowed, but he kept silent. "Bella convinced me not to report this, as I did indeed know that I was by law obliged to. She was terrified of your reaction, and please forgive me for saying this, but she was also uncertain of it. She had just arrived, and she had already had one parent reject her for who she was, quite apart from the abuse."
"You're saying she didn't trust me," Charlie said softly, and he looked at Bella where she stood crying. "You're also admitting that you let her return to me when you were not sure that I wouldn't hurt her further. That's kind of an odd way to treat someone you claim to love," he told Carlisle plainly.
"She didn't really know you that well then, Charlie. And as for the rest, there has not been one instant since I saw those injuries that one of us has not been close enough to Bella to keep her from harm. I knew you by reputation, and that reputation was very good, and I know now that it is deserved. But believe me when I tell you that we made sure of her safety. At least when she wasn't in La Push. We cannot go there, perhaps Billy Black will tell you why. And you should know that it was Alice who found her injured and carried her to safety, perhaps even saved her life. I understand a bit of your anger with me, but know that I and my family have done all in our power to protect her; even from you, if that had been necessary. Of course it was not, your love for her is plain to see, please forgive us for our doubt." Charlie thought for several moments before he spoke.
"Bells, were you really afraid that I would hurt you?" he asked gently.
"I don't know, dad, I was afraid of everything, I guess. I mean, I made mom hurt me, made her throw me out, how was I to know I wouldn't do the same thing to you?"
If Charlie had been angry before, it was nothing compared to his reaction to that statement.
"Isabella Marie Swan, if you ever again indicate that what your mother did was your fault I'll ground you until your hair turns gray no matter how strong you are. There is not a single goddam thing that you could have done to justify what she did to you. Nothing! Do you hear me? What she did was criminal, plain and simple, and she needs to be held responsible under the law," Chief Swan said emphatically.
"Charlie, I agree in principle, of course," Carlisle spoke up, "but with things as they are, well, we just can't have Bella's medical records coming up in court. It's a good thing that it's nearly impossible to hurt her now, one look at her blood work would have fireworks going off all over the world."
"Shit," muttered Charlie as he realized the truth of that statement. "Right, Bella comes first. But I'll find a way to make Renee account for what she did. Nobody hurts my kid and gets away with it. And that goes for whatever the hell made her go through this lycan stuff. But I have to tell you, Bella; you're even more beautiful than you've ever been." Bella threw her arms around her dad again, but more carefully this time, and Charlie's tears got her shoulder just as wet as hers did his.
"Thank God," Alice whispered to her brothers and sisters. All of them were upstairs carefully listening to the conversation.
"Charlie is a fine father," Edward pronounced.
"Really," chorused Rose and Victoria.
"Perhaps that's where Bella gets her kindness," Jasper speculated.
"Darn near makes me ashamed for cheating on the game bets," Emmett admitted.
"Dad," Bella asked tentatively, "can we kind of put the whole mom thing and the wolf thing on hold for a while? I'd kind of like to just be your daughter for a while, and share you with my friends. Tonight's a big night for me, and I hope you'll stay because I'll feel better knowing you're here looking out for me. I'm a little scared, I guess, but for a while can we just pretend to be a couple of normal families having a fun Sunday together?"
"Sure we can, kid, sure we can," Charlie answered in a choked voice, and he once again held his child close. But the cop part of his brain was very busy indeed.
"Okay, enough with the mushy stuff!" Emmett said loudly as he came down the stairs. "Time for the pre game show, Charlie, and you and me need to get our bets lined up. I even got you some of that lousy beer you like so much, and Esme has been cooking all morning. Tell you what, fifty bucks says Bella can put away more ribs than you can. What do you say?"
"You're on, you big ox!" Charlie said as he scrubbed his face with his sleeve.
"Best. Dad. Ever." Bella whispered into his ear.
Charlie tried his best, but he could not keep up with Bella eating the ribs that Esme produced in seemingly limitless quantities. He couldn't crack the bones with his teeth either, but since Bella had looked a little embarrassed when she did that, he didn't mention it.
Emmett did though.
"Be careful not to bite through Esme's best silver, okay, Bella?" he teased.
"At least I can chew my food," she shot back.
"Bella one, Emmett zero," Edward declared. Emmett shrugged; as long as it kept Bella's mind off of what was coming he'd take all the kidding anyone threw at him.
"Okay, Charlie, you tried, but are you ready to admit defeat?" Emmett asked him.
"Oh lord yes. I'll pay you before I leave, but right now I'm too stuffed to reach my wallet. Way to help out your old man, Bells."
"Sorry dad, I'm just always hungry," she apologized as she helped herself to more. Charlie shook his head in honest wonder.
"We need to go to that steak house out on 13, the one where they have that four pound steak that's free if you eat it all. I can't wait to see the look on their faces when you polish that thing off! Uh – Carlisle, I don't suppose you have any – thanks, Esme," Charlie said when Esme handed him a bottle of Xantac. "It's no reflection on your cooking, those were the best ribs I've ever had, but I really overdid it and I know I'll have to pay for that later." Emmett chuckled, and Charlie threw him a dirty look. That made him chuckle even more. "All right you big lummox, you can laugh now, but we'll see how funny things look to you after the game. What's the bet?" Emmett rubbed his chin with his hand, pretending to think.
"Okay then, Charlie, let's make it interesting this time. Counting the rib bet you're down about two hundred bucks this season. What do you say we go double or nothing? I'll take Seattle, straight up, no points either way. You in?"
"You do remember that they're playing the Patriots, in Foxboro, right?"
"Yep."
"Heck, maybe you are as dumb as you look, it's a bet!" Bella scowled at Emmett, but Alice gave her a little wink that let her know it would be okay.
The Patriots destroyed Seattle, and Emmett made a show of being disgusted with losing the bet, while his brothers and sisters razzed him unmercifully.
"All right, all right, go ahead and rub it in. You're right; I'm as dumb as I look. Can I get you a beer?"
"That would be great Emmett, thanks," Charlie allowed as he relaxed into his seat in satisfaction.
Bella met Emmett in the kitchen.
"Thanks, Emmett, Charlie's had a rough day, and winning the bet kind of picked up his spirits."
"Dunno what you're talking about, pup," he replied as he grabbed a beer from the fridge. "All I did was lose a bet." He turned to leave, stopped, and then turned back to Bella and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Charlie's okay, Bella, he's a good father, and a good man. And since we're alone just now I'll even admit that I like having you around too. Don't think I'm gonna let you win at basketball or Halo, though."
Bella was too touched by the candid moment to think of a smart answer, so she simply said, "Okay." Bella was coming to depend on her new family for all sorts of things, and she was truly happy that she could share them with her father now, rather than having to keep secret such an important part of her life.
It was halfway through the second game when Esme touched her on the shoulder.
"It's time to get ready, Bella," she said softly, and the fear that Bella had been able to forget during the fun afternoon came roaring back. Alice squeezed her hand tightly, and the grip that would have crushed her bones only a few weeks before just felt comforting to her.
"You will be fine, Bella, and so will Charlie, I've seen that clearly," Alice told her.
"But it's still going to hurt, right?"
"Yes it is, but you have the strength to bear the pain, and each time will be somewhat easier. You have already been through a lot of changes, this is just one more. Admittedly, it's kind of a big one." Bella snorted.
"And I will be with you all the time."
"Isn't that dangerous, even for you? I mean, Carlisle said that when I've transformed that I'll be powerful enough to harm even a vampire. I couldn't stand it if I hurt you, Alice."
"You won't, I've seen that too. My presence will calm you, and I'm selfish enough to want me to be the first thing you smell, I want to see your eyes when you do."
"I know what you smell like, Alice," Bella reminded her.
"You just think you do. Let's go now."
Alice, Bella, and Esme went upstairs without Charlie noticing, leaving Charlie with the boys. Rosalie and Victoria had gone up earlier to see if they could help Carlisle. Just as the teams took the field for the second half, Carlisle came downstairs and went to stand beside Charlie, who sensed his presence and looked up at him.
"It's almost time, isn't it?" Charlie asked him, and the color drained from his face when Carlisle told him that it was.
"You don't have to actually watch, you know. Simply being here will be enough for Bella," Carlisle told him.
"It won't be enough for me. I can't stop this, and I can't do it for her. It's going to be painful for her, isn't it?"
"I'm afraid so, initial transformations are always the worst, and as you can imagine the changes are drastic and involve every part of her." Charlie shuddered.
"Then I'll watch. If I can't reduce her pain I'll share it in the only way I can. Will she just look like a regular wolf?" he asked.
"No, it is difficult to describe what she will look like. I have some drawings, but they are rather lurid, drawn by those who only feared the lycans, and I think you should have an open mind when you see her. She will be quite wolf-like, certainly, and she will be covered in fur, but she will be able to stand erect and move quite naturally on two legs as well as four. She will even be able to speak, although that will be difficult for her at first because her vocal chords, mouth, and tongue will be so different from what she is accustomed to. Most important of all, she will still be Bella at the core of her mind. She will not be a mindless beast, but it might take some time before she can fully control herself in that state. Her most powerful instinct will be that of self preservation, though, so of course you cannot actually be with her. I have cameras set up, we used them when we were monitoring her sleep and the changes in her body the last two moon times, and you will be able to see and hear," Carlisle explained.
"So she'll be alone?" Charlie clearly did not like that idea.
"No, Alice will be with her, and all of us will be close by in case we're needed."
"You mean in case she goes crazy or something, don't you?" Charlie pressed.
"We have to be sure that she doesn't get out of the house, yes, especially not this time, it would be dangerous even for her because she will be so new to her body and her power. Several of us together will be able to restrain her without harming her. We're taking every precaution that we can, Charlie. My daughter loves yours very much indeed, all of us do. She is a remarkable young woman." Charlie smiled a little at that.
"Yeah, she is. I appreciate all you've done for her, even the not telling me about what her mother did. I know you had her best interests at heart. It just really hurts that I failed in my main purpose in life, to protect my child."
"You did protect her Charlie, the most important part of her. The injuries her mother gave her were more damaging to her spirit than her body, and you embracing her and all that she is has helped her to get past that in large measure. You just have one more part of her to embrace, a rather large and unexpected part, to be sure."
"I'm sure it will scare the hell out of me. But I'll deal, I have to if I want to keep her in my life, and I just don't think I could stand to lose her now," Charlie said softly, looking down at his hands. Then he looked back up at Carlisle, and his eyes turned hard. "Her mother will be held to account, though. I'll find a way."
"I have no doubt of it," Carlisle told him, "come with me. You can speak to her if you want to, there is still time before the moon rises."
Charlie walked with Carlisle up the stairs, and the rest of the Cullens followed him silently.
"She's in here," Carlisle told Charlie, indicating a heavy steel door that was obviously new, Alice opened the door and let them in. Bella was dressed in shorts and a baggy t-shirt, and was pacing nervously.
"Hey, Bells," Charlie greeted her, and she once again hugged him tightly.
"Thank you for staying, dad. I'm sorry to put you through this, I'm sorry it happened, I just hope you won't be scared or disgusted by what is going to happen," she told him.
"Hell, Bella, I'm already scared," he admitted, "but like I said, we'll get through it. And as far as being disgusted goes, as long as you don't pee on the rug we'll be fine," he told her, and somehow he managed to smile the smile that made his eyes crinkle.
Absolutely nothing that he could have said or done would have meant so much to Bella in that moment.
"We should go now," Carlisle told him, and Charlie kissed Bella on the cheek, then turned and did the same for Alice. "I'm so glad she has you," he told Alice, and then he was gone and the heavy door swung shut.
Bella sat heavily on the mattress that had been placed on the floor in a corner of the room. It was the only thing in there apart from her and Alice; the cameras were set into the walls behind heavy lexan panels. Any furniture would have only been in the way.
In the room across the hall Charlie stared at the large monitor and watched his daughter and the tiny vampire that she loved sitting on the mattress holding hands. He had never felt so helpless in his life. He felt a cool hand on his shoulder and turned to see Esme standing beside him. She spoke no word, nor needed to; her presence said all that was necessary. Emmett slipped into the room.
"Everybody is ready," he told Carlisle, and he moved to stand at Charlie's side as well. Charlie took some small comfort in the presence of this huge vampire he now regarded as a friend.
"It's starting," Carlisle said calmly.
They all stared at the screen, watching Bella begin to shake. The trembling rapidly grew violent, and shook Alice right along with Bella. The tiny girl tried to keep her arm around Bella but as the shaking intensified it became impossible. Bella's body spasmed violently, and it looked like things were crawling beneath her skin, and tears ran down Charlie's face as he watched helplessly.
And then the screaming began; terrible, throat-tearing sounds. Charlie tried to go to her, but Emmett and Esme held him effortlessly in place. One of Bella's legs shot out and knocked Alice flying across the room to hit the wall with a crash that shook the house.
"Alice!" cried Charlie, but she was back by Bella's side even before Esme could assure him that Alice would be fine.
Bella rolled onto her stomach, and her back heaved, her head stretched back on her neck and the sounds of snapping bones came through the speakers, clearly audible even amidst the screams. Bella's clothing split down the back, and the screaming became more guttural, a harsh noise that was almost a growl, and when Bella's leg deformed with a splintering crack, Charlie had to close his eyes. Esme pulled his head to her shoulder and held him while Emmett patted him comfortingly on the back. Later on Charlie would remember and appreciate those gestures, but just now his mind was fully occupied with horror at what Bella was going through.
The screams changed once again, to the anguished yelping of a canine in pain, until at last after a yelp that lengthened into a mournful sort of howl, silence fell.
In the forest on the Quileute side of the line, the pack listened. They listened and they arranged themselves between the Cullen house and the deeper woods, in case the creature that had inflicted this on Isabella Swan decided to come calling. Tears ran freely from the eyes of a smallish grey wolf.
The pack was not what you could call friendly to the Cullens, and they were something less than thrilled at this confirmation of the presence of a new lycan, a lycan that would for all practical purposes live among them. But they were determined not to fail again in their duty, and there was yet a human in that house.
And one of their own had caused the damage. They waited.
"It's finished, Charlie," Esme whispered, "it's over, and both Bella and Alice are just fine. The others never even had to intervene."
"Bella, my beautiful, beautiful, Bella," crooned Alice as she stroked the soft fur that was whiter than sugar. Bella was curled up on the remains of the mattress, panting heavily as the pain slowly receded from her body. Gradually, Bella became aware of her surroundings.
The first thing she noticed was a familiar scent, but it was different somehow, stronger, and more complex. She raised her head and sniffed, and she was overwhelmed by the smell of honey and new snow, and so much more. She smelled cinnamon and ginger, wildflowers, and something very like the ocean that she realized meant that even now Alice wanted her.
She looked into Alice's golden eyes with her ice blue ones, and gently licked her cheek.
Alice tasted even better than she smelled.
"You are marvelous, Bella," Alice told her, "fine and strong and beautiful, and you handled this so well, so much better than I dared to hope. You are magnificent, and I love you." Bella snuffled Alice's neck with her nose, and Alice giggled. "We do have an audience, though, so don't get carried away."
Bella rolled her eyes, and the gesture was so familiar that Alice could not help but laugh.
"Charlie," Esme said again, "she is fine, they both are fine. Bella did beautifully, truly, Charlie, she is fine. And she is astonishing, I promise you."
Charlie straightened up and squared his shoulders, and then he wiped his face with his hands. The sound of his daughter's screams was still ringing in his ears. Emmett gave him a handkerchief and punched him gently on the shoulder.
"She's fuckin' awesome, Charlie," he said, and the rather crude expression reached Charlie in a way that gentle reassurance and praise had not.
"Yeah?" Charlie asked as he dried his eyes.
"No shit," Emmett swore. Charlie looked up at the monitor, only to find it blank. He turned to Carlisle.
"Charlie, before you see her, I want to tell you something, something to give you a better perspective on this," Carlisle told him.
"Okay, shoot," Charlie replied.
"I was born in 1643," he began, and although Charlie's eyes bulged, he did not interrupt, "it took me decades to learn to control myself, but ever since then, call it three hundred years, I have made an intense study of immortal creatures such as myself. I have known many vampires, some decent enough beings, and some who were truly monsters. I have known shape shifters of all kinds, even lived among them when possible to hear their histories of themselves. In these three centuries I have met only four true lycans, as Bella is now. They were all very impressive individuals, powerful and intelligent, even if they were secretive and told me very little. They were even older than I, Charlie, and had been long accustomed to their state and their power." Carlisle paused to make sure he had Charlie's full attention, and that Charlie had recovered at least somewhat from the horror of Bella's pain.
"Charlie, I tell you plainly that I have never seen her match. She is magnificent."
Carlisle flicked the monitor back on, and Charlie stared raptly at the screen.
He saw what appeared to be a very large, brilliantly white wolf licking Alice's face while Alice laughed happily. The white fur was quite short and smooth, and shone in the light, reflecting rainbow colors, the eyes were the clear blue of arctic ice, and the long, thick tail thumped heavily on the tattered mattress.
Charlie did not notice the other Cullens entering the room, and he had no sooner formed the thought than Edward answered his unasked question.
"You can go to her Charlie; Alice sees that it is safe."
"Huh?" Charlie asked, tearing his eyes away from the screen.
"We will explain that later, Charlie," Rosalie told him, "for now just know that it is all right for you to go and speak to her, if you want to." Charlie nodded and headed for Bella's room, the door opened as he reached to knock on it.
"Come on in," Alice invited, and the joy on her face did much to allay his fears.
Bella stood gracefully upright, and Charlie gasped in amazement, she was at least six and a half feet tall, and while her body shape was definitely female she was even more powerfully muscled than she was in her human form; he could plainly see the powerful muscles sliding under the short white fur. Her forepaws were quite hand like, claws notwithstanding, and as he watched Bella looked at them curiously and flexed them experimentally. He also saw that even in this form she retained her extra equipment, but in true canine fashion it was fairly neatly tucked away, and so not quite so naked looking.
But his gaze was drawn inexorably to her eyes, and even with their blue color, they were to him his daughter's eyes, Bella's eyes, and he walked slowly towards her, craning his neck to look up at her. Bella stood very still, and waited for his reaction.
"Can I touch her?" he asked Alice.
"Ask her, she understands you perfectly," Alice encouraged him.
"Bells?" he asked softly, and she nodded her permission.
Charlie slowly extended his hand, but stopped when Alice said –
"Uh, Charlie, that's still a breast right there…"
"Oh! Right, thanks Alice, it would be really embarrassing to have to arrest myself."
Bella gave a snort of what was clearly laughter, and rolled her eyes as she shook her great head. Charlie smiled at her, and reached up to rub her from shoulder to elbow.
"She feels like – I mean, you feel like a chinchilla, Bells. Well, if chinchillas were made of steel, that is," he tried a smile, but he was still a little too much in shock to really pull it off. Bella whined a little.
"She's afraid of what you'll think of her now, Charlie," Alice told him.
"Well then I'll just tell you what I think of you, Isabella…" and he touched his fingers to her jaw, "you are the most amazing, the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. That's what I think of you."
Bella worked her jaws awkwardly, and several times had to swallow to clear her mouth of saliva, but she finally managed to say, "Ah ug ooh, ag." And tears stained the white fur beneath her eyes.
"I think she said –" Alice began, but Charlie held up his hand to stop her.
"I know what she said. I love you too, Bells."
End Chapter Fifteen
Authors Note: Now when you do review this lovely chapter guys and girls i want you to give all the props to my partner because they did all the work on this chapter just like they did 14. Because i was sick. Now i am feeling better and i am working on chapter 16 as i write this.