~La Push chapters will take me longer, but I will get these out as soon as possible. I have a little encourager. She PM's me almost daily and politely asks. I didn't think this chapter was ready, but it actually was. I listened to Christina Perri's "Arms" for inspiration.

Copyright disclaimer: Twilight and all recognizable characters are sole property of Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 20: Improbable Promises

Bella jumped up after dinner to help with the dishes. Atticus was not short on pairs of hands that wanted to hold him. Billy had won out, apparently. He was in awe from the second Paul brought him inside. Rachel claimed her rights as an aunt several times. Her children were seven and five and she said she desperately needed a baby fix. Paul was fairly pleasant to Bella and told her thanks for having a kid. It took the pressure off him. He said he wasn't sure about starting over.

By dinnertime, Collin, Seth, Jacob and Sam were all missing. Collin tried to hang on a little while longer not wanting to overwhelm Jacob with two new wolves at once, but Bella saw his pain and discomfort. She was the one to give him the go ahead. She reminded him how strong Jacob was and that he was ready for him. When Sam volunteered to step out with him, she once again noticed the entire room went silent. Absolutely everyone was staring at her to the point she felt self-conscious.

Every single person from her past in La Push, minus Leah, eventually showed for dinner: Jared and Kim and their daughter, Emily and Sam had three kids, Quil, Embry and Brady all came in as group. Quil was still just as funny. He picked her up and gave her a sloppy, wet kiss on her cheek. He even made a comment about her larger breasts and fuller hips.

"Damn girl, you filled out. No wonder Jake couldn't keep... " Embry knocked him in the head before he finished his sentence. She was glad for that. Embry gave her a quick one armed hug that she thought felt stiff. He seemed like one of the only ones that was different. Embry was always quiet, but he seemed a bit off. She told herself it wasn't exactly a normal day. He had a right to be feeling uneasy.

Emily and Kim nudged her away from the sink. "Go visit. Let us finish this up."

Bella sat down near Jacob's father. "I can't believe how content he is being passed around."

"He likes people and attention."

"Well, you're about to get plenty of that young fellow. We've been waiting for you. Bella, I know my son is being hard headed right now, but you are welcome to stay longer than just this weekend. You're welcome anytime, for as long as you want."

"Thanks, Billy. For now, Seattle's working out. I'm pretty excited about my new job with Collin. I guess we all know now, he'll protect me too."

"Yeah, sure he will. Just don't forget the reservation is this little guy's true home, like his father. It's in his blood."

"I won't. I love seeing you with him. You're a natural."

Bella pulled out her phone and snapped a picture. She wanted to show Jacob later. Everyone was being so nice and accepting, even Paul. He wasn't nearly as scary as she remembered. Rachel must have softened him up a bit. She tried to stay focused on the crowd, because every time she let her mind wander, she worried about Jacob. She had no idea how long it might be before he got a break.

Sam came in after several hours. Emily jumped up and ran to him. Sam stopped her. "Don't, I'm not staying. I can't." Bella had watched Seth and Collin earlier, she knew it was already happening to Sam too. There was a certain look to them the closer they got. "Guys, lets go. Jake wants to speak to all of you. If you feel fine, then he wants you to go home and get some rest. You're gonna to need it."

The guys didn't hesitate, but Bella shouted for them all to wait. They all stopped dead in their tracks. She ran to the kitchen and got the box of food she'd put aside. Bella handed it to Quil. "Take this, please. They need to keep up their strength."

No one was moving forward yet. Brady asked, "Can we go?"

"Yes, of course, Go. Be safe, oh and tell Jake, Atticus and I are doing fine." How silly of Brady, he was a bit of a jokester like Quil.

Bella assumed that she'd go home with Charlie, but Billy said he thought she should come home with him. She realized about half way there she forgot the pack n play, but Rachel said they had one at the house. Bella wasn't sure how they'd all fit over there, but she found out Paul added onto little house years ago.

She decided it was as good of time as any. Bella nodded to Billy and Sue. Rachel volunteered to take Atticus in the other room. Her daughter, Willow was excited to fuss over her new cousin any chance she got. Sage, their boy, was a lot less concerned with the baby. He'd been playing with Sam and Emily's son all evening. He even begged his mother to spend the night, but she said his father wanted them all together tonight.

Charlie asked why the guys were being so mysterious and disappearing, several times since he first arrived. She could tell he was put out with Jacob for dropping her off in the thick of things and never checking on her once. "Bells, that's a nice offer from Billy, but you don't have to go with them because Jake says so."

"I know, Dad." She blew out a breath. It was time, time to tell her father things weren't exactly what he thought they were. Life was not orderly and predictable which is pretty much what Charlie Swan thrived on. She hated that he'd have to know, she not only faked her death, but had been adamant at one time about dying voluntarily. Sue put her arm around him and he stiffened. He probably was worried how that looked since they pretended nothing was going on for some reason. Billy helped her get the ball rolling. He got to talking about the tribe and the legends a bit.

"I respect you, friend, but this is this is about Bells. She has nothing to do with all that. Go on kiddo, spit it out."

Billy looked right at her and said, "She has far more to do with it than even she knows."

Bella had no choice, but to spit it out like her father asked. Atticus was going to be tired and ready for bed soon. "Dad, Jake and the guys are the legends come true. They're spirit warriors." He stopped her there to dispute the craziness of her assertions, but both Billy and Sue collaborated her story. Billy even went a step further to remind her dad about cold ones from their legends. Bella continued, "They quit for a long time, but now it's happening again. It's because of me. I'm some sort of vampire magnet and he's after me."

"Who the hell's after you, Bells?" Her father even put his hand to his side instinctively because he often wore a gun there. She knew he heard danger and was ready to protect her.

"Aro, he lives in Volterra Italy and he's pretty much the head vampire of the entire world."

"Italy, well how the hell does some crazy vampire in Italy know about you?"

Billy nodded at Sue, "Get the good stuff. My friend needs a drink."

Bella wished for a second she wasn't about to nurse the baby. She needed the good stuff too, but she took another deep breath before confessing. "Because, I ran off to Italy to save Edward when I was living with you. All the Cullens are vampires actually. They're a little different, but vampires just the same and I was this close to being one." She pinched her finger super close to her thumb without letting them touch. "I'm so sorry. Do you want to hear the rest?"

Charlie took a shot and made a loud, "ahhh" sound along with an anguished expression like the alcohol burned his throat. She had no idea what he was drinking, but Sue poured it from a generic jug. It didn't even have a label. "The rest, of course, you better tell me all of it, because you can't leave me hanging, kiddo. I'm already confused as hell because it sounds like you married a vampire willingly and that can't be right. If Jake and Billy knew, why didn't they stop you or tell me? I'm waiting on one of you to start laughing and tell me it's all a sick joke. Maybe it's a book you read, and that's where you got the idea. How can any of this be real?" He tapped Billy on the shoulder, "I mean, help a man out, brother. We're practically family." Sue and Billy looked at each other, then at her. Charlie held out his glass and Sue filled it again.

Bella started talking and she started spilling her guts. Charlie drank. She cried. Sometimes he yelled, but by the time Atticus needed her, the truth was all out there. She was glad he was probably too inebriated to keep grilling her. Sue assured Bella she'd take care of him and that all would be better the next day. He needed a little time to let it soak in.

Paul came back and Bella followed them back to the little red house which wasn't quite as little, but she was happy it was still the same color and that it still felt like a second home.

She didn't want to disrupt everyone, but Rachel insisted on putting Bella and Atticus in Jake's old room. It was still a small room but had been opened up a bit. There was a double bed and a dark wooden chest of drawers and a single chair close to the window Bella saw a few pairs of jeans tossed over the back of the chair. Someone slept in there recently. Rachel insisted on putting fresh sheets while Bella fed the baby. Jacob's sister chatted with her while she worked on the bed and the portable crib.

"Awe, I miss those days. They go by so fast. Enjoy him tiny while you can."

Bella asked if Paul was serious, "Do you want more?"

"I don't know, I'm not closing the door on it permanently. It's kinda nice them taking care of themselves a little. Oh and sleep, I like sleeping."

"Yeah, I've forgotten what it's like to get a full night's sleep."

"Don't worry in four or five years, you'll be there again. Sage wet the bed for years, and Willow had nightmares and is still a bit of a sleepwalker. Even after the baby stage passes, they still find ways to wake me up. Hopefully, my nephew will take it easy on you and you get more rest sooner than I did." Rachel paused, "unless you have another one."

Bella wasn't sure how to respond. She probably would not be having another one anytime soon or ever. She didn't even date and that would be a huge decision that she never would be so careless about again. She loved her son so much and was thankful to have him, but she certainly didn't think it through or plan for him.

Atticus was soon sound asleep. Rachel said she was about to enjoy possibly the last night with her husband for a while. "He'll be sleeping outdoors again when it happens, then on patrols. I'll miss him."

"I'm so sorry, Rach. You wives must secretly resent me."

"No, I was mad at first, but I was more frustrated at Jake when he married the debutante knowing full well you were alive. We didn't find out about everything until a month after the wedding. He's a stupid shit, if you haven't noticed."

She had, but Bella didn't say anything other than to ask more about Rachel's opinion of Kaleigh. "Do you not like her?"

"Well, in the beginning, she wasn't so bad. I never hated her, but the truth is, I never much liked her for Jake. She wanted to change him. I could see it from the start. Listen, I ended up with an unlikely partner. He was not an ideal mate considering the types I usually went for."

"Paul seems pretty different than I remember."

"He is, but he's also still the same many ways. First of all, I did not tell him he had to change. That's what makes up work. He made the changes he wanted to make after I accepted him for who he was. He's a good man and an excellent father. He still is moody and some days, I want to smack him with a frying pan, but we respect each other. I consider myself lucky and the day we imprinted, let me tell you, I cried a river feeling like the most unlucky woman on earth. What the hell did the spirits know? They were wrong."

Bella went silent as soon as the conversation turned to imprinting. The topic always made her uncomfortable. "Well, I should get to sleep. Thanks, Rachel."

She hugged her and told her to give a shout out if she needed anything. "Bella, everything's going to be fine. I promise. One other thing, those spirits I cursed."

"Yeah."

"They might have a weird sense of humor, but they were right. They always are."

Bella tossed and turned despite her extreme fatigue. It had been such a long day, but she swore it took almost two hours to fall asleep. She woke up sometime later to Jacob standing close to the pack n play. He was telling Atticus how much he loved him.

"Jake... "

"Shh, s'okay Bells. He's still asleep. Sorry I woke you."

She pushed up on her arm. "Is everything alright?"

"For now. Sam told me to get a little sleep."

"Is he?"

"No, he's got the fever, but he says he can make it until morning and Seth and Collin are asleep close by. They're doing great. It's so much easier the second time, especially when the alpha's there to tell them what to do or not to do."

She saw he had something in his hand. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to sleep here on the floor by Ace."

"Why? That doesn't sound very comfortable."

"Please, Bells. I won't bother either of you, but since you took Emb's room, he's on the couch. There's no other spot unless I want to sleep in the forest and I'll be doing plenty of that for the next few days."

She didn't know why Embry was living there, but they both needed sleep, so she'd asked questions in the morning. It felt odd for Jacob to be sleeping on the floor in the same room as her. She couldn't imagine what Kaleigh would say if she ever found out. What did she think happened to them and what would he tell her if he had to stay on the reservation for a long time? It wasn't her problem, she was Jacob's wife, but Bella couldn't shut her mind off thinking of all these things. She was worried about all the guys even though Jacob said it wasn't as bad the second time. She kept picturing her father's face as she described her mistakes with Edward. A few more anxiety filled minutes passed and she decided to take a peek to see if Jacob was actually out.

Jacob didn't have any trouble going to sleep. Bella leaned over the side of the bed and watched him. Rachel gave her a small nightlight since she wasn't familiar with the room at night, in case she got up with Atticus. The glow clearly shone across his face. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, no worry lines or grimaces. His features were soft and she swore he appeared years younger, almost like he did as a teenager.

Bella rolled back over. She suddenly found sleep in her grasp. She had no idea how calming his presence would be after all they'd been through in such a short period of time. She was sure they weren't asleep even an hour before Jacob started sleep talking. That was usually her issue or so she'd been told. He was clearly distraught. It was mostly mumbles, but eventually Jake clearly said her name. She was worried if he got any louder, he might wake the baby.

She pulled back the covers and got on the floor next to him. "Jake... " Bella shook him. "Wake up, you're having a bad dream."

"Bells. Bella, no."

"Jake, I'm right here. It's okay." That's when he grabbed her and pulled her tight against him. She struggled. His grip only got tighter. "Need to breathe, Jake. Ease up."

He finally started to come around some. Sleeping on the floor was nonsense. She felt like they were on a solid piece of wood. Bella pulled away, he kept trying to pull her back. "No, come on. You can't sleep properly down on the floor."

He obeyed. She didn't put any thought into her requests. Bella assumed they were both adults, equally exhausted. It was a double bed. He was large, but she could scoot close to the wall. They didn't even need to touch. She really just wanted him to get a few hours of sound sleep.

That's not what happened. As soon as she pulled covers back over them, she tried to get to that opposite side, but Jacob grabbed her again. He was still saying things that didn't make too much sense. Could he have gotten off the floor and into the bed without waking up?

Jacob was only one man, but he was everywhere. He was all over her. She felt his hands in her hair and then down her back. He squeezed her again until she was winding her legs with his. He buried his nose into her neck. "Don't leave me."

She couldn't leave even if she tried, but she didn't think he only meant that second. She answered. "I won't. I'm right here."

"Bella, he had you. I can't ever let him get to you."

Oh, so he was dreaming about Aro. No wonder, he was so worked up.

"It's just a nightmare. I'm here. Atticus and I are safe because you protect us."

She felt wetness against her skin. He was crying. "I can't lose you, I can't lose our kids. Bells, I know I'm a jackass and I have made a giant mess of all our lives, but I'll die if anything happens to you and the kids."

She wanted to correct him and remind him Atticus was their only child, but he was probably delirious from the ordeal with the pack and the nightmare. She had no idea why it was so easy to promise him, it made no sense if he was married to another woman, but Bella massaged his scalp with her fingers and ran them through his hair. All the while, she whispered over and over until he fell back to sleep. "I'll never leave you. I promise."

~Thanks for reading.

"You put your arms around me and I'm home" Check out those lyrics if you get the chance.