EPOV
We waited like statues. I was straining my gift to the limit, searching as widely as I could for any approaching thoughts. After four minutes, I still hadn't heard anything.
"Nothing?" Carlisle asked tensely. I shook my head and we waited in silence a bit longer. Then, on the edge of my range, I heard the annoying mental voice of Jacob Black.
This had better work. If the vamps get mad, I'm toast. Was this a bad idea? I can't believe I'm breaking the treaty again…
"I can hear Jacob," I said quickly, and everyone lowered themselves into an attack crouch. "Wait… something's different. His mind is different than before." I strained my gift again, giving Jacob's mind every ounce of focus I had.
I should have just let them leave. Me and my big mouth…
I cocked my head, analyzing the subtle change in tone. Jacob's thoughts had more depth to them than before, and something about his mind was hurting my ears- no, it wasn't painful, it was just irritating. When had I felt that before? I swallowed when I recalled the memory: the wolves' minds, back in 1936. Sam's mind the other day.
"He's phased," I growled, and my frustration was echoed in the minds around me.
"Is he in wolf form now?" Jasper asked, his voice like ice. "How many are there?"
"I don't know. Hold on." I listened again for Jacob, trying to determine if the whole pack was with him. He was still too far away for me to see through his eyes, and I wasn't familiar enough with his mind to catch everything at this distance.
Okay, I feel really stupid doing this, but… here goes nothing. Hey, Edward! Can you hear me? If you can hear this, stay where you are. We're coming to talk to you… Hey Edward, Edward, Edward!
"He's thinking at me," I reported. "He wants us to stay where we are, and he says they only want to talk."
Emmett snorted. "Yeah, right."
"How many?" Jasper asked again.
"I'm still only hearing Jacob, but he said 'we'," I replied. "He's moving toward us quickly, but not at the speed he could be, if he was running. He must be in a car."
"Human form, then," Rosalie said smugly. Even easier.
Jacob was finally close enough now for me to fully enter his mind. He was looking out the window of a car, repeating his message to me mentally again. He turned his head and looked around the inside of the car.
"Bella!" I gasped. "Bella's with him!" I focused on Jacob's mind again, and saw Charlie driving. They were in the cruiser, and from the way the engine sounded, Charlie was pushing it for all it was worth.
"It's not the pack," I said quickly. "Charlie is driving Jacob and Bella over here."
"What on earth for?" Alice asked anxiously. I can't stand werewolves! I can't see anything now!
"I don't know," I said honestly. What could they possibly be coming here for? Had Charlie seen the new bruise on Bella's face, and decided to come kill me himself? But why was he bringing Jacob and Bella? From Jacob's thoughts, I zeroed in on Charlie. I couldn't access his mind, not yet. He was always difficult, especially from a distance, and especially when he was upset. Through Jacob's eyes, I could see Charlie's white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel and the trembling of the needle on the spedometer. Yes, Charlie was definitely upset.
I gasped again as the truth dawned on me. Bella was coming here! I was going to see her again! The whole world suddenly exploded back into color, and I literally felt like I was lifting off the ground. I inched forward in anticipation.
"No, Edward," Carlisle said sharply. "We stay together. We still don't know what this is about." I nodded absently, falling back into place. But through Carlisle's eyes, I saw the huge grin spreading over my face. I was going to see Bella! The reason really didn't matter, did it? Somewhere, in the back of my mind, were all the arguments that I had been mulling over. Some dying ember of reason told me that I shouldn't be glad that Bella was coming over. That it would only make things more painful in the end. But, for the life of me, I couldn't remember why. How could I be anything but happy? I was going to see her again!
I eagerly jumped back into Jacob's mind, hoping he would look at Bella again for me. I was rewarded, and I could swear I felt my dead heart stir to life as I saw her beautiful face. She was leaning forward, chewing on her lip and bouncing one of her knees impatiently. She turned to Jacob and I almost wept when I saw her eyes. "I love you," I whispered to her.
"Love you, too," muttered Emmett, earning a smack from Rosalie.
We could hear their engine now, and I finally had my first glimpse into Charlie's thoughts. …die then what's she supposed to... losing my mind... right into a nest of… of vampires without backup…
I drew in my breath sharply, not sure I had heard correctly. Did Charlie just think the word vampire? I closed my eyes and focused everything I had on his mind. He was picturing me with fangs, and wondering if what Bella had said was true, if we weren't the type who ate humans…
"He knows," I whispered.
"What?" Jasper snapped.
"Charlie knows. About us. Bella told him," I said in awe.
"She what?" Rosalie hissed.
By now their car was pulling off the highway, and everyone in my family was talking at once. My mind was bombarded with not only the storm of their panicked thoughts, but also with the secondhand shockwave coming from Jasper's gift.
"Calm down! Everyone, quiet!" Carlisle commanded. "We're obviously not under attack. Edward, I think it would be best if you meet the car halfway." If Charlie has learned the truth, he's going to be terrified if we all come at him at once. And look at Jasper.
I glanced at my brother, who was quivering not only with everyone else's shock, but also his own anger. This is unforgiveable. I can't believe she did this! I'm going to-
I had heard enough. I shot down the driveway, nearly colliding with the cruiser. Charlie's eyes widened and he jerked the car to a stop. I had already confirmed at least part of Bella's story- he had just seen me running toward them at ninety miles an hour.
"Stay in the car," he told Bella shakily, but she was already jumping out. I flew around to her door, sweeping her out of the car and holding her as tightly as I dared. My whole body sizzled with happiness as I felt her warmth. What had I been thinking earlier? I couldn't be separated from Bella any more than the stars could be ripped out of the sky! I pulled back and looked in her eyes, seeing the joy that was overflowing in her tears. Unable to wait any longer, I kissed her over and over, and buried my nose in her neck, taking in her mind-shattering scent.
Charlie stiffened beside us. I should have come alone. Is he going to kill her right in front of me?! He reached for his gun, his hand slipping uselessly over his empty belt. An image flashed across his mind: me dropping Bella's lifeless body to the ground, her neck coated with blood.
I suddenly realized how my posture must look to him. I forced myself to release Bella, hiding my smile as I turned to Charlie. "My apologies, Charlie. I'm just very happy to see Bella, and very surprised."
Carlisle finally arrived, jogging at human speed. "Charlie, this is an… unexpected pleasure," he said carefully, extending his hand.
Charlie just backed away, looking between Carlisle and myself nervously. "So," he said, licking his lips fearfully, "It's true, then. You guys are…"
"Vampires," Carlisle said gently. "Yes, it's true. But most of the stories about vampires are not true. We're just humans who have some… enhancements. I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you have."
"But first, I want to say something," Bella interrupted, looking sheepishly toward Carlisle. "I'm sorry that I told him. It was the only way to stop the Police from coming tomorrow."
"They're not coming?" I asked quickly, looking back to Charlie.
"I haven't called them off yet," he said gruffly. Maybe they won't kill me if they think the Police are still coming...
"Nobody's going to kill you, Charlie," I promised. I quickly dipped into Jasper's mind, pleased to see that he was beginning to calm down.
His eyes narrowed suspiciously. Did he just… nah. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I told Bella I would come and talk to… you all. And then I might call them off."
Jacob finally got out, leaning on his crossed arms on the far side of the car. His new scent filled the air and I closed my eyes momentarily, forcing my muscles to relax. I turned to him, unsure what to expect. What was his role in all this? Had he told Charlie about us, hoping it would get us into more trouble? He wrinkled his nose when we made eye contact.
"You owe me one, bloodsucker," he smirked. "If I had known how much you guys stunk before now, I might not have convinced Bella tell him everything." My jaw dropped as he mentally played back a summary of the past half hour. "You did this… for us?" I asked incredulously. But he had phased! Shouldn't he be snarling at me right now?
"For her," he corrected. "And she's the one who told him. I just, um, helped." I winced as I saw the narrow escape that Bella and her father had made when he had phased in their living room.
"I… you… thank you," I stammered.
"Everybody just stop talking for a minute!" Charlie yelled, and we all turned back to him. His face was red and his pulse was dangerously rapid.
"Charlie," I said, turning back to him. "I can't tell you how grateful I am that you are giving us this chance. Like Carlisle said, we'll be happy to answer any questions that you have. I'm sure you must be very curious about us."
"Okay… yeah. I have some questions. First off, is it true that you guys don't eat people?"
"Yes, that is true," Carlisle replied. "Many vampires do follow that… traditional lifestyle. But our family feels that respecting human life is the right thing to do. We hunt animals instead."
Charlie's heart rate came down, but only by a fraction. "Okay, that's… that's good, I guess." He glanced back at Bella and me. "And… this is why you don't ever eat with us?" All those times I thought he was anorexic. The whole time he was probably thinking how tasty WE would be! Ugh!
I nodded. "All of us are committed to the animal diet," I reassured him. "The citizens of Forks aren't in any danger from us. In fact, we have helped defend the town against traditional vampires in the past." This was a bit of a stretch; we probably would never have fought the nomads if it weren't for Bella.
Charlie blew out a puff of air. "Yeah, Bella mentioned something about that. The Phoenix thing, right?"
"Yes," Carlisle replied. "I'm sorry that we weren't honest with you about that. But it's often necessary for us to bend the truth so that we can live our 'human' lives."
"Like the fake identities?"
"Exactly. Since we don't get any older, we find it necessary to reduce our apparent ages each time we move. We usually stay in each location about five years."
Charlie turned back to me, frowning. "I found a picture of you online today that was taken in 1980. You looked exactly the same as now."
"Yes, sir."
"So… how old are you, really?"
I glanced down at Bella, who was nodding encouragingly. "I was born in 1901," I said, turning back to her father. "When I was seventeen, Carlisle changed me into a vampire in order to save my life. I was dying from the Spanish flu."
1901? But that would make him… whoa. His heart rate picked up again. Charlie shared Bella's unusual ability to adapt to odd situations, but he was finally reaching his limit. His face drained of color, and his knees buckled. Carlisle caught him as he began to fall.
"Charlie, it's all right," he said quietly. "I know this is a lot to take in. Why don't you and I walk back toward the house and talk about it? There's a bench in our front yard we can sit on." He murmured under his breath for the rest of the family to go inside the house. Edward, I'm going to ask Esme to get the house phone reactivated, and when he's ready, I'll ask Charlie to make the call to the State Police. Try to get Jacob a few miles away, so that we can see the results.
Charlie nodded, leaning on Carlisle's arm as they began walking. He looked at Bella and me over his shoulder, frowning when Bella gave him a smile. Of all the daughters in the universe, mine has to fall in love with a vampire. Where is this headed? Can I get her away from him? And how long has she known about this?!
When they were out of sight, I turned to Jacob. "Jacob, we're going to have Charlie try to call off the Police, but we need you to move a few miles away so that-"
"Yeah, I know. I'm messing with the Alice-o-vision," he interrupted, grinning. "I want to see how fast I can run, anyway. This wolf thing is amazing."
I eyed him curiously. He was obviously repulsed by my scent, but I could detect no malice in his thoughts. "Now that you've phased, you don't… hate us?" I asked cautiously.
He shrugged. "Like I said, you smell a lot worse than before. And whenever I look at you, there's this twisty feeling in my gut, like I want to punch you or something. But I don't see why we have to be enemies. You guys were the ones who were honest with me in the first place, and your brother was the one who calmed me down the first time." And as much as I hate to admit it, Bella is happy. REALLY happy. So don't screw it up.
I nodded my thanks, and he ran off into the woods. Bella was still looking at the bend in the driveway where Charlie had disappeared. "Is he all right?" she asked. "I mean, he's not going to have a heart attack, is he?"
"I think he'll be fine." I checked the minds of my family again. They were all still in the house, but Jasper was at one of the windows, sending calm down Charlie's way while Carlisle talked to him on the bench. I realized now that this was the reason Carlisle wanted to get him closer to the house. Charlie's color was coming back now. "He's already feeling better," I said aloud. "Jasper's helping him."
"And you? You're not… mad at me? I did break the rules. I know I shouldn't have told him, Edward, but I had to. It was the only way."
I closed the distance between us, taking her back in my arms again. I inhaled deeply, my mind buzzing with her intoxicating scent. But I felt a shadow over our embrace; this was wrong, a quiet voice reminded me. Now it would be even more difficult… The voice died out, extinguished by the power of Bella's presence. I sighed in surrender, admitting what I had known all along. I needed Bella. I simply wasn't strong enough to do the right thing. Not anymore.
"Edward?" Bella whispered, worried by my silence.
"No, I'm not angry with you, love. How could I be? What you did took a lot of courage."
Bella dropped her eyes. "It took more than that," she said softly. "When you-" she swallowed, closing her eyes. "When you left, I knew I only had a couple of hours to do something, anything. When Jacob suggested that we tell Charlie the truth, I knew it was the one chance we had of staying together. I know it was wrong. But I couldn't just let you leave!"
Her tears finally returned, and I held her silently until she could speak again. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "but I have to be with you. I don't care what kind of person that makes me." She met my eyes again, and they were blazing with defiance. "You need to know the truth, Edward. I know you think I'm some kind of angel, but I'm not. I would do anything for us to be together. I knew what I was doing when I told Charlie the truth. I knew that it might get him killed. I knew that it might get all of us killed. But I didn't care- all I cared about was keeping you. Can you..." her voice finally faltered, and the fear returned to her eyes. "Can you still love me, knowing that I did that? Because that's who I am. I know that I love you too much, but I don't care. As long as I have you, nothing else matters. So… I just needed to tell you that. It's only fair for you to know who it is that you're-"
"Bella." I put my hands on both sides of her face, leaning my forehead down to touch hers. I felt the burden physically lift off of my shoulders as her words sunk in. Her confession was the one thing that could have freed me! Emmett had been right, after all. I had grossly underestimated Bella's capacity for supernatural love, and I had never been so happy to be proven wrong in my life. Her love was just as powerful, as malignant as my own! We were both so blinded by each other that we couldn't see anything else. Bella startled in confusion when she saw the smile spreading over my face.
"You love me that much?" I asked in a whisper.
"More," she admitted, blushing. Then she frowned. "You can't know what it was like," she whispered. "when you left tonight. It was like my insides had shattered, leaving an empty hole behind. I was burning."
"It was the same for me," I admitted. "Exactly the same." I noticed, suddenly, that the pain in my chest was gone. I was whole again. I dropped my hands, my smile fading. I would need to show her the darkness that had been in my own heart; it was only fair.
"We are quite a pair," I muttered. "But I must make a confession as well. Only my sin was worse than yours."
She nodded for me to continue; she obviously didn't believe me.
"Earlier tonight, when Alice saw the Police coming, and we were trying different options… well, one of the options was for Jasper to come and kill Charlie." I checked Bella's face, but she was still waiting. "Carlisle didn't want us to even consider it, of course; you know he wouldn't. But I did, Bella. I gave Jasper permission to kill your father."
The color drained from Bella's face, and for a split second, I thought I had finally done it. Back in March, when Bella had learned the truth, I kept expecting her to be overwhelmed, to run and scream from the terror that I represented. Part of me- a rapidly shrinking part- had hoped she would. But she had never done it. Even when I had confessed my greatest crime- my years of hunting humans- she stayed with me, unwilling to be shocked. But had I finally pushed her too far? Now that I didn't want her to be afraid of me, had I finally told her too much? A hint of the pain returned, threatening to tear me in half again.
But instead of backing away from me, she looked nervously toward the house. "No- he's safe now," I said quickly. "Alice saw that it wouldn't work. But the point is, I was willing to let Charlie die if it meant that we could be together. It was because I had to keep you, Bella. I would kill to keep you. Do you understand?" She shuddered, but held my gaze.
"I do," she said simply, and relief flooded through me. She had forgiven me! I felt even lighter than before, but I quickly came back down to earth. Bella frowned. "Something else?" she asked warily.
"Yes," I admitted. "I lied to you, Bella."
She stiffened. We both knew that what I was about to confess was truly the worst act committed by either of us.
"I lied to you tonight. It was true that we couldn't take you with us. And there was no guarantee of when you could safely come to meet me. But Alice didn't actually see that you couldn't. And your idea about Florida probably would have worked."
"Then why…?"
I picked up her hands, suddenly afraid to meet her gaze any longer. "For the same reason that you said before. Because I loved you too much. It isn't… natural. It's certainly not healthy. The fact that I was willing to let Charlie die is just one example. The love I feel for you, it's… it's… more than love. It's obsession. You deserve better than that, Bella. I wanted you to be free."
"And so you lied," she said, her teeth clenched.
"Yes. I didn't have to lie much- if you hadn't had the idea to tell Charlie the truth, I still would have had to leave tonight."
"And… now?" she whispered. Her teeth were still clenched, and she was holding her breath, waiting for my answer.
"Now? As soon as I saw you, I knew I was lost. I used up every last ounce of strength I had to lie to you earlier; I simply don't have any left. I don't think I could set you free now."
She shuddered again, leaning her head on my chest. "I don't want to be free."
"Well, that's good, because I'm never taking my eyes off of you again," I warned. She broke into a huge smile and I grabbed her, swinging her as I spun around. As we turned, I felt the tension on my heart begin to unwind. "Yes, we make a fine pair indeed," I said, returning her smile as I set her down gently.
Carlisle's mental voice broke into my thoughts. Edward! We're about to make the call.
I took a deep breath. "Charlie is about to call the State Police," I said. "Do you want to be there?"
She nodded, and I scooped her up in my arms, racing up to the front door. "I thought you were going to fix that," Bella said as she saw the shattered door frame.
"Yes, well… it seems to keep happening," I said, smiling down at her. I would have to do something to make it up to Rosalie- maybe she and Emmett would like another trip to Europe sometime.
"No, that's not going to work," Alice was saying. Charlie was sitting beside her on the couch, staring in awe as she squinted at the future.
I cocked an eyebrow at Carlisle. "He knows about Alice?"
"Yes. I thought it would be best if she helped him with the call." I haven't told him about your gift- that will be up to you. I nodded.
"Well, okay…" Charlie said, scratching the back of his neck. "What if I tell them I was drunk?"
Alice closed her eyes. "Perfect!" she said, opening them again in satisfaction.
Charlie cleared his throat and picked up the phone, his hand shaking as he dialed. I nodded slightly to Jasper, who sent an extra dose of calm Charlie's way. Everyone was in the living room now, watching and hoping.
"Hi, Matt. It's Charlie Swan again. Listen, about that alert… let's just forget the whole thing." He paused, listening. "No, it's my fault. I got some stuff mixed up. What? Well, the truth is…" he peeked at Alice, who nodded firmly. "The truth is that I found out that my daughter was dating one of the doctor's kids behind my back. He's one of those skateboard kids, and I didn't- What? Yeah, I know! Anyway, I kind of blew my top and I… I had a couple of drinks too many. I got to thinking that if I could find some dirt on Dr. Cullen, that I could get him to keep his kid away from her. Well, long story short, I was pretty messed up by the time I got online, and I think I start seeing things. You know how it gets when you're worried about your kids. After I called you guys, I started to sober up. I went back and looked at some of the stuff I had found, and none of it made any sense. I can still send you the files if you want, but everything checks out." He paused again. "Yeah, I know. I swear it was all after hours. I never drink on the job. I'm sorry about all this… yeah, I will. Sorry again."
He hung up, mopping the sweat off of his forehead. He looked at Alice, who was concentrating. Her visions of tomorrow morning were shifting quickly – no doubt the official Charlie had talked to was deciding whether to investigate further or not. Suddenly she broke into a huge smile. "It's gone," she said triumphantly.
Everyone burst into motion, talking all at once, and Emmett whooped so loud that Charlie jumped clean off the couch. Jasper was grinning smugly, and in his mind I saw what he had done. As soon as Charlie had given him the name of the policeman he would be calling, Jasper had hacked the State Police database, eventually finding a disciplinary notice in the man's file. Just a few months ago, his fellow officers had had to restrain him during a "minor altercation" with a teenage boy. There hadn't been any other details other than the boy's name, but that had been enough. Jasper had whizzed through the boy's MySpace page, and those of all his friends, deducing that around the time of the disciplinary notice, the boy's girlfriend had thought she was pregnant. It had turned out later that she wasn't, but it was obvious that this event had caused the "altercation" with the girl's father. Jasper had also found that the boy was an avid skateboarder. Using this information, he and Alice had helped Charlie to create a story sure to stir the policeman's sympathy.
"Charlie, we can't thank you enough," Carlisle said enthusiastically. "Alice will be keeping a close eye to make sure there aren't any repercussions for you."
"Oh, I'm not worried," Charlie said easily. "I was going to lose my job anyway, if they came tomorrow. Most of the stuff I found on you guys was illegally obtained. I even called Edward's adoption agency!"
We all looked at each other. "Yes, I know," Carlisle said uneasily. "Rosalie was the one who answered the phone."
Charlie spun around to face Rosalie, who rolled her eyes and gave a sample of her "Sharon Wells" voice. Charlie's eyebrows shot up into his hair. "The hospital in Fairbanks?" he asked.
"That was me," Jasper said quietly.
"Wow." Charlie just leaned back into the couch again, his mind spinning with all the information he had just taken in. When he and Carlisle had talked earlier, he had learned more than he knew what to do with. After Carlisle had answered all his questions, he had agreed to make the call, and Carlisle had introduced him to Alice's talent. He was still reeling from that, as well.
"This is all very nice," Rosalie said impatiently, "but what about the werewolves?"
"I don't know," Carlisle admitted. "Edward, is Jacob coming back?"
"I think so, although it might not be for a while. He was eager to try out his new body. It's quite amazing, Carlisle. He truly seems to consider us his friends."
"Remarkable," breathed Carlisle. "I hadn't expected that."
"Why not?" Charlie asked.
"Werewolves and vampires are traditional enemies," I explained. "Jacob was somewhat friendly with us before, but we expected that to change as soon as he began phasing. Our theory has always been that when the transformation occurs for the first time, the new wolf usually receives a sort of genetic download, complete with hatred and aversion to vampires. Jacob does seem disgusted by us physically, but his mind bears us no ill will."
"Hey! Maybe Jacob could talk to the pack about giving you guys a break," Bella suggested.
"It's possible," I said thoughtfully, "but not likely. Since he is the youngest member, his opinion won't carry much weight."
"But he is the descendent of the Alpha we met before," Rosalie mused. "That's got to count for something."
"And they're not actually werewolves," Carlisle added. "We still don't understand all the inner workings of the pack."
Charlie threw his hands over his ears. "All right, that's it!" he grumbled. "If I hear one more thing about vampires or werewolves or dragons my head is going to explode!"
"Dragons aren't real," Emmett said helpfully.
Charlie just moaned. "I can't take any more… not tonight, at least. Come on, Bells, we're going home." He stood up, and Bella reluctantly copied him. She was obviously not looking forward to the drive home.
"One moment," Carlisle said. "Before you leave, Charlie, I need to make sure you understand the sensitivity of everything we have discussed today."
Charlie looked uncomfortable. "Yeah, Bella and Jacob said something about that. They said there are some kind of Mafia vampires?"
Rosalie hissed in anger. She told him about the Volturi?! I don't believe this!
Carlisle nodded. "There are very few 'laws' in our world, but I'm afraid this is one of them. It is forbidden for humans to know the truth about us. According to that law, you and Bella must either be killed or changed into vampires yourselves."
Charlie blanched again, but Carlisle held up his hands. "We're not going to do that. But it is imperative that you never share this information with anyone. If this were to be discovered, you would not only be killed, but anyone who you had told would need to die also. And our family would likely be executed, as well. We are literally trusting you with our lives by letting you live, Charlie. Do you understand?"
Charlie nodded solemnly. "Don't worry. I can hardly believe any of this myself! Why would I want to tell anyone about it?"
"Good. And I'm sure the wolves would appreciate your discretion, as well."
"So, we can trust you, then?" Jasper asked carefully. He was trying to elicit an emotional response, in order to determine Charlie's intentions.
Charlie nodded again, and Jasper visibly relaxed. I still don't like this, Edward, but he seems to be amicable toward us, though there is still quite a bit of fear. Are you hearing any thoughts I need to know about? I shook my head slightly. Charlie's mind was still racing with his new knowledge, but I saw no plans to betray us. He seemed to understand that betraying us would result in Bella's death, and that was enough for him.
Charlie moved toward the door, waiting for Bella. Much to her father's dismay, she rushed into my arms. "You'll come tonight?" she whispered in my ear.
"I don't know. We need to resolve this treaty issue. But you'll hear from me tomorrow, no matter what." Bella stiffened in my arms, and I kissed her on the cheek. "I'll call you tomorrow," I said in a louder voice. She nodded and turned to go.
As soon as the front door closed, Carlisle turned to Alice. "Are you seeing any loss of our futures tonight?"
"Not anymore," she answered. "For a minute there, everything went black. But then I could see everyone again. Maybe Jacob was going to come back, but decided not to. But I do see you back at work tomorrow night!" she added cheerfully.
Everyone breathed another sigh of relief. "I'll call Billy and get this worked out," said Carlisle. We all crowded around as he dialed the number. We were all surprised to hear Jacob answer, instead of his father.
"Jacob, it's Dr. Cullen. The Police aren't coming anymore."
"That's great!" Jacob said enthusiastically. "I was going to come back, but I didn't want to mess with Alice again. And I have some good news, too. When I phased again, I was able to hear the other members of the pack. It was so cool! It was like we all shared a mind while we were all in wolf form. And I found out that I'm supposed to be the Alpha! Can you believe it?"
"That makes sense," Carlisle replied. "In terms of heritage, you should be inheriting both the Alpha role and that of tribal chief."
"Anyway," Jacob continued, "Sam and I got into an, uh, argument. Long story short, the treaty is reinstated."
We all smiled at one another. "And the June expiration?" Carlisle asked.
"I don't know about that yet," Jacob admitted. "I'm not too thrilled with this Alpha thing. Sam and I still haven't decided how that's going to work. For now, I think we're going to cross that bridge when we come to it."
"Fair enough," Carlisle said. "Jacob, I can't tell you how grateful we all are for your help."
"Anytime. Hey, is Bella still there?"
I sighed at the easy way he spoke her name. It seemed that for better or for worse, Jacob Black was going to be a part of all our lives from now on.
"No, she and Charlie went home. Charlie has agreed to keep all of our secrets."
"Okay, I guess I'll talk to you guys later."
Carlisle hung up and turned to us with a huge grin. "Well, everyone, it looks like we have some unpacking to do!"
"Hold it," said Rosalie. "Before we relax, I want to know what Edward intends to do about Bella. From your little goodbye earlier, it looks like you might have actually decided something intelligent."
"You could say that," I muttered. But everyone's eyes were still on me. "I owe you all an apology," I began. "I've been a fool." My stomach churned as I realized who I really needed to apologize to: Bella.
Finally. "Does this mean you're going to change her now?" Emmett asked impatiently.
I frowned. "Emmett, I don't think-"
"Hold on," Carlisle interrupted. "Charlie knowing the truth has changed the situation. We have gained his trust for the moment, but it would be most unwise to challenge that trust so soon. And when the time does come, he will need to be informed."
"Ooh.. That's going to be awkward," Emmett whistled.
"I agree with Carlisle," Jasper added. "I have always thought that Bella should be changed sooner rather than later. But it might be best to wait a bit now."
I tried to hide my relief. Even if I had realized that I could never leave Bella, I still wasn't convinced that changing her was the right thing to do. I felt less confident about my conviction regarding her soul, but I wasn't ready to throw it away.
Alice's eyes suddenly widened, and she began mentally reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in Korean and Swahili simultaneously.
I eyed her suspiciously. "What?"
She grinned evilly. "Oh, nothing. The forecast for tomorrow is looking interesting, that's all."
"Not for me," grumbled Jasper. "I have to rebuild The Phone."
We all broke out laughing, and when it was quiet again, I headed for the door. "I'm going to see Bella," I said eagerly.
"No you're not, young man!" Esme said sternly. "You're not going anywhere until you fix that door!"
.
.
.
A/N: See, I told you it would all work out!
Okay, seriously... I hope this goes without saying, but here it is: This is fantasy. This is NOT how to have a healthy relationship. If your boyfriend is saying things like "I'll just have to keep a closer eye on you" or "I don't know if I *could* set you free", the correct answer is not "I don't want to be free". The correct answer is to lock your door and change your phone number. But that's the fun of Twilight: that these *good* characters are so flawed and make such horrible mistakes, and yet still manage to get their happy ending. :) A couple more chapters and then an Epilogue. I can't believe this story is almost over!