Author's Notes:

First of all, Thank You to all that continue to pm me and try to keep me motivated! Ardana, thank you, hang in there and keep me going with the pm's! Savannavansmut - I know you're caught up, and here is something though miniscule to all the pleasure you give me with your stories, Dazzled eyes, ah my dazzled eyes . . . I do so LOVE your thorough reviews and suggestions - I look forward to seeing your name on a review. Surely I would be nowhere without my Fanette - for she is the one who continues to prod and poke me and keep me moving forward with her friendship. Thank you . . . all of you that read, have read and continue to review and let me know how the story makes you feel, and your suggestions to me for improvements. I send you this short chapter just to get myself started again - I have been unable to clear my mind and have the words flow. Kismetian tells me that "Edward hasn't been talking to me" - and she's right. Heard from him in my sleep last night though, and the ideas are flowing, along with the words. Apologizing for it having been months since a post seems inadequate. I'll just do better from here to the end!

Disclaimer:

All the Twilight stuff belongs to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

~oooOooo~

Chapter 132 Dad

"No, dog," Alice smiled. "Don't you see that this family,

you and Charlie included, are stronger than ever?"

Jacob thought about that. We had just shouted and glared at each other, humans, vampires and werewolf alike and there was no blood . . . not even property damage. Huh.

Everyone had spoken their peace and there was no bloodshed.

"Bella stood up to her dad and everyone else.

Haven't you noticed the confidence she's gained and the trust she shows for all of us?

And Masen needed to see and to know just how strong this family is!"

"Well, damn," Jacob thought, "I guess the little pixie was right."

~oooOooo~

Charlie POV

"You're right Carlisle. All the way over here on the airplane I wasn't really worried about Masen. I knew your boy would find him. Masen is lots more durable than the average kid. It was Bella I was worried about," I explained as I stood there fidgeting. This wasn't like me . . . I was the damned Chief of Police for God's sake, not some teenager talking to an authority figure. Hell, Edward hadn't acted this nervous when he told me he was marrying my daughter . . .

"Well, best get it out then," I thought, so I continued, moving to take a seat on one of the fancy leather chairs in his office, "Truth be known, Carlisle, I was coming over to find her anyway because I had some news to give her and I wanted to tell her face to face. Guess I just started thinking about her as a kid again and worrying about her and well, I should know that Edward would never let anything happen to her that he had any control over."

I stood and went to face the window, hands braced on the sill, "This turning her he called it, if he's the one doing it I know he would never have agreed to it if he thought for one minute that he might not be able to do it." I knew that, I really did. I turned to face him.

"All this mythological stuff is just so, so . . . weird, Carlisle. I've lived my whole life with Billy Black as my bestfriend till the day he died and I never knew. Till the day he died . . . It just doesn't seem right. His whole life and I never knew," I sat down hard in the chair again, facing him.

"It's not a secret that was his to tell," Carlisle explained. "When they say they can't tell, they mean it quite literally. It's forbidden, and if you're a member of the pack, the alpha command is followed . . . no matter what. It's physically not possible to break it for them, though I have no idea if Billy was a member of the pack or not," he told me looking quite reflective, as though he was remembering things from long ago. After a moment he continued, "I would suppose he was the closest thing to an alpha they had during that time, since apparently no one phased into wolf form during his generation."

"Well that's somethin', it sure is," I muttered, my mind completely not willing to have me let go of Billy, his possibly being a very large dog when he chose to, my daughter becoming what Edward was and the danger involved, and still . . . how to tell Bella about Sue.

I sat, not saying anything and just kind of staring at my hands on the arms of the chair. Finally I noticed that Carlisle was just patiently sitting, still as a statue, waiting. His eyes were on me and his face held an expression of several things, but it seemed the most like he was sympathetic. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that he had been alive a half dozen times as long as I had and never wasted any of that time sleeping - surely he had things figured out by now. I had lost my father long ago and right now, Carlisle felt like the closest thing I had to a father figure, or even a peer. I took a deep breath, breaking the stillness in the room, and let the floodgates open. I told him how I felt about Billy, about being his best friend and still not really knowing him, about raising Bella the last couple of years after having lost her when Renee left me all those years ago, about how I felt about Edward and her having married him and the baby and the immortality that she had chosen . . . and about the loneliness I felt . . . and how I had found someone to fill it.

I told him about Sue.

He sat, never moving, hands clasped with elbows on his desk. Hell it didn't even seem like he was breathing he was so still - unblinking. When I had finished he stood, walked over to what looked like a very old cabinet, opened it, and poured two drinks of an amber liquid that had been stored there in one of those fancy cut crystal vases. He handed me one of the glasses as I stood to face him and, with the slightest hint of a smile, said "It's an amazing world God made for us, isn't it. I've spent literally years contemplating many of the same things you're troubled over, and I won't pretend to have all the answers." I couldn't help the "humph" that came from deep in my chest, but I met his eyes again and he continued.

"Trust in God, Charlie," he said quietly, "that's all I have. That, and an abiding trust in my family. You're a part of that family now, Charlie." "Tell her, she'll be happy for you as I'm sure they all will be," he continued as he put a hand on my shoulder, "and when it comes to Bella's safety, trust in Edward." His eyes seemed to glow in a strange way as I stared at him. I never realized before that he didn't even blink, didn't move at all when he chose not to . . . guess he had decided to just act himself around me and drop some of the human characteristics he mimicked in front of other humans.

"To faith, Charlie," he offered as he raised his drink.

"To family," I replied . . . and we drained our glasses.

~oooOooo~

Bella and Edward didn't return to the house the rest of the day.

I paced.

Starred out the window.

Paced.

Damn.

The last thing I had wanted to do was to upset my daughter . . . or my new son either one for that matter. Well damn all things, what was I supposed to do now. I had only just started feeling close enough to the Cullens that I could say what was on my mind . . . not that I had any inhibitions about it before, I just felt . . . well, damn it, I had started to accept them for what they were and they were accepting me. Carlisle had even said I was considered a member of the family . . . and I felt like I was.

Damn it.

"Charlie, you okay?" Emmett bellowed.

I hadn't even heard him enter the room. I had paced late into the night, must have dozed off in the chair, and it looked as if it was mid morning. I hadn't even heard him come in - not that any of them made noise, but Emmett usually tried to stomp of something so that I would know he was coming. I turned to answer him, regardless.

"No. Hell no, I'm not okay, Emmett," I snapped, "Have you seen Edward? Bella or Masen for that matter . . ."

"Not this morning, Charlie. They're asleep in their rooms," he answered, seeming wary.

"Now how the hell would you know that? I've been standing here at the window since yesterday afternoon and most of last night and I haven't seen hide nor hair of them, not one step was made up those stairs by anyone except Jacob," I insisted.

He smiled, a look on his face like I was missing the elephant in the room or some damn thing,

"Charlie, they have windows in their rooms. No need to pass through here, and if you were looking for them, Edward might have avoided you. He would have heard you in here, you know." he said somewhat smugly.

"He . . . they . . . ," I stammered, looking stupidly at the stairs and having to rethink who I was dealing with.

"Anyway, Charlie," he said as Jasper appeared at the door, trailed by Carlisle and Jacob, "we mean to go fishing this morning and you're coming with us."

"Fishing?" I said stupidly, "FISHING?"

I paused for what seemed like a damned long time, trying to get my thoughts around anything other than my daughter, "Now you know I love fishing better than most, but right now I want to find my daughter and settle things with her. I don't want any hard feelings with her or my new son in law."

"There's no hard feelings, Charlie," Jasper added, "Edward is quite peaceful right now, peaceful enough that he's asleep with his family."

"Yea, the wimp is sleeping for God's sake," Emmett said shaking his head, "If I had my way he would have lost his man card at the first nap - if not the first kiss with her his singer and him not having her for lunch!"

"EMMETT," everyone said in admonishment.

"Well Hell, you know it's true!" he defended, looking like this was something they had gone over countless times, "The only thing saving him is the control it must take to be with her, let alone get her pregnant!"

"EMMETT!"

"Anyway, Charlie," Carlisle cut in, giving Emmett a stern fatherly look that had him quiet in nothing flat," we came to see if you wanted to go fishing with us this morning."

"There's fishing this time of year? Here?" I asked, letting the idea sink in. It was spring, I'd give um that, early spring though and it wasn't like we were right on the ocean or anything, at least I didn't think so.

"Loads of fishing right here on the property, Charlie," Jacob smiled, "I was out for a run last night and you wouldn't believe how big this place is."

They wouldn't take no for an answer. Not a single damned chance. I realized, too, that if Edward and Bella didn't want to talk to me, I might be better off to wait them out a little. Jasper had said they were alright and I had to just concentrate on that and let it go . . . for now. Good thing I did, too. They weren't lying about the fishing being good. I wasn't used to the type of fish we were going after, but a fisherman is a fisherman. I made do just fine, considering, My mood was better when we returned. I'd have to say I was in a fine mood, having listened to Carlisle correct the boys, Emmett run off at the mouth and Jasper's calm reassuring voice telling me that everything was going to be fine. He must have had an inside track on that, too, because as we entered the house, the sound of Edward's piano met us.

He was seated at the piano, Bella leaning over the side of it, watching him as he played. The song was for her, of course, that much I knew. I listened to the words, unable to help myself regardless of how bad I wanted to interrupt and get a word in with them. Esme and the girls were seated in the living room downstairs off the entryway and they were listening as well. It was hard not to. The boy had a voice and his playing, well, I guess he had years to practice after all. It was the words, though, the words sunk in even to my thick head as I listened . . .

I've waited a hundred years

But I'd wait a million more for you

Nothing prepared me for

What the privilege of being yours would do

If I had only felt the warmth within your touch

If I had only seen how you smile when you blush

Or how you curl your lip when you concentrate enough

Well I would have known

What I was living for all along

What I've been living for

Your love is my turning page

Where only the sweetest words remain

Every kiss is a cursive line

Every touch is a redefining phrase

I surrender who I've been for who you are

For nothing makes me stronger than your fragile heart

If I had only felt how it feels to be yours

Well I would have known

What I've been living for all along

What I've been living for

Damn.

Before I even realized it, Edward had finished and he and Bella were standing there locked in an embrace, right in front of me. He knew I was there, he knew we all were if their "spidy" senses were as good as I kept being told they were. Bella disappeared back into their wing and I headed towards the stairs to follow only to find Edward standing just in front of me. I had only thought to take a step and he was there, I hadn't seen a damned thing that could be called a movement on his part either.

"Good morning, Charlie," he said, greeting me warmly, "No, I'm no longer upset with you."

Damn. The boy answered my thoughts. Well . . . of course he did. When the hell was I ever going to remember . . .

"It takes time," he told me, clapping a hand on my shoulder as though he were the parent. Well, hell . . . he was at least double my age after all. "I'm sorry if I seemed to overreact yesterday, Charlie. Anything that upsets Bella I just don't handle well . . . but you already knew that. She can't read your mind and know that your intent was not to hurt her, or me, but I have told her. I read your thoughts last night when we came in and she and I talked about it for a long time," he said quietly.

"So, you understand?" I asked, "You know it wasn't anything against you?"

"I understand it's a dad thing, Charlie. How could I not understand that you are at least as protective of her as I am of Masen . . . and you've had way more practice and years of being a dad than I have."

Huh. He was right about that. He might be twice my age, but I had been a dad almost a hundred times as long as he had. Well, that was somethin. The boy seemed to understand anyway, and to have forgiven me for upsetting my daughter. She was my daughter, after all.

"Bella will be down as soon as she changes Masen," Edward said with a smile, "I'm afraid my son is in a bit of trouble with his mom."

"Again?" Esme called from the other room, quickly joining us.

"I'm afraid so," he answered, "but I'll let them tell you all about it when they come down."

~oooOooo~