Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to SM. No infringement intended. Anything original is mine, though. Rated M for future chapters.
This is an AU/AH story. My first fanfic in the Twilight world.
CHAPTER THREE
Bella drove until early evening, stopping at a hotel just outside of Redding for the night. She was too tired to eat, instead she chose to fall face first on her bed fully clothed and pass out. She was woken up for a few minutes by her phone ringing, and managed to stay awake long enough to assure Jacob that she was okay and in for the night.
The next morning, she ate a quick breakfast, filled the gas tank and got back on the road. She had almost seven hours left of driving before she got to Yosemite, and she wanted to be in her cabin before dark. She had called to make reservations the day before and decided she would get her California fishing license and her gear at one of the stores in the park.
The drive was parts exhilarating and terrifying. Bella had never been alone a day in her life and certainly had never ventured on a cross country trip before. She feared getting lost, but tried to calm her nerves by remembering that she really had no timeframe to go by, that if she got lost, she would just keep going and find something new she would have never seen otherwise.
The weather was perfect, sunny and warm and Bella had to remind herself to pick up some sunscreen at the next stop. She hadn't had a sunburn since she was seven years old and she didn't want another one. The warmth felt wonderful, though. She wondered if it was possible to overdose on sunshine and decided that if it was, it was certainly a wonderful way to die.
She passed the time singing along to the radio, talking to herself when she was feeling lonely, and called Jacob only once for a check in. He and Sam had decided to spend a few days checking out Portland before continuing on. They planned on heading towards Southern California, stopping along the way at anything that looked interesting. Like her, they had no real timeline. They would know when they reached their destination.
Bella also called Jenks to let him know her new phone number. He let her know that a furious Billy Black had called his office the day before, and Jenks had taken great pleasure from tearing into the old drunk and letting him know that his plans for getting a hold of Bella's trust were long gone. She couldn't help but laugh at that, wishing she could have seen the look on Billy's face when he realized that his cash cow was gone, along with his son, and he was alone with nobody to listen to his bitching. It was the small things…
The sun was starting to set when Bella finally reached the entrance to the park. She drove along, following the signs to Curry Village and enjoying the views that were similar yet different from the views she saw back in Washington. She was glad to find a decent parking spot and went into the office to check in.
The cabin was cute; a large bed with a red striped comforter, a dresser, a night table and a bathroom. Bella dumped her bags on the floor and grabbed a salmon burger at the Meadow Grill before heading in for the night. She would walk to the Village Sport Shop for her California fishing license and gear before checking out some of the trails the next morning.
Bella was up and dressed, and sitting at Coffee Corner by 7:30. She enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of coffee and oatmeal while going over the park map she picked up in the office at check in. There were a lot of creeks and rivers to pick from and she felt a pang of sadness that her father wasn't here to enjoy this experience with her.
Charlie Swan had been a real outdoor enthusiast, and would probably have been more than happy living in a tent in the forest if he could have. Although Bella had shared his love of hiking and fishing, she wouldn't have given up the basic comforts of indoor plumbing and hot water for anything. Her mother, Renee, was more of an indoor girl, and when she did come along on fishing trips, she would sit in the back of the boat or on the dock with a book and her headphones, listening to classic rock.
Bella cleared her throat, dislodging the emotional lump that was forming and took a deep breath. She was determined to shed no more tears. This trip was in honor of her father and damn it, she was going to enjoy it!
She grabbed her trash and stood up, turning around to find a trash can when she bumped right into someone.
"Oomph!" she grunted, stumbling back a couple steps.
"I'm so sorry!" A soft hand reached out and gripped her arm to keep her from falling. Bella looked up to add her own apologies in and was caught off guard by the blonde model that stood there with a smile on her face. Behind her, a group of equally stunning twenty-something's stood, chuckling at their mishap.
"No, I apologize," Bella felt her cheeks warm up and groaned internally. That damn blush would be the death of her! "I should have paid more attention."
The model laughed and released Bella's arm, only to stick her hand out in greeting. "Not a problem. I'm Tanya Denali. Nice to bump into you."
Bella rolled her eyes, but couldn't hold back the grin. "Likewise. Bella Swan."
Tanya turned to the group behind her, pointing them out as she spoke. "This are my sisters, Kate and Irina,"- more stunning blond models-, "and my cousin Carmen and her husband, Eleazar,"- two more could be models, only brunette-. "We're here from Alaska for the week."
Bella wasn't used to such candor from a virtual stranger, but found the woman's cheerful demeanor refreshing. She couldn't help but like her. "Nice to meet you all. I don't know how long I'm here for, but I'm from Washington."
Kate stepped forward, glancing around before meeting Bella's eyes. "You're at Yosemite by yourself?"
Bella shrugged, hoping her blush wasn't too noticeable. " Yeah, kind of the beginning of my cross country 'experience life' trip, I guess you could say."
Tanya's eyes lit up. "Oh wow, that is so cool!" She tilted her head towards her family. "We're heading to the sport shop to pick up a few things for today's hike. You have anything specific planned for today?"
Before Bella knew it, she was walking with the Denali clan, chatting away with Tanya and Kate, still a bit stunned from the recent turn of events. She had figured she would be doing this alone, just her and her thoughts, never expecting to quite literally bump into a group of new hiking buddies.
She mentioned her main reason for coming to Yosemite, to fish in honor of her father, but had no clue really where to start.
"A lot of people fish the Merced River," Eleazar suggested. "We were going to head outside the park before sunrise tomorrow to check out a few spots ourselves."
"Yeah, Bella! Why don't you come with us?" Tanya suggested, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "We're hiking the Mist trail today, up to Nevada Falls and back. You can come with us and check out the views and then in the morning, we can all go fishing!"
Bella pondered on the idea. She had to admit, she was more than a little tempted. As long as… "There will be no rock climbing involved, correct?"
Irina chuckled. "That's more Carmen and Eleazar's thing. I have no desire to risk my life climbing up the side of a mountain. That's probably their plan day after tomorrow while we hike up to Half Dome."
Bella looked at each of Denali's, feeling a bit giddy at the welcoming expressions on all of their faces. She had to admit that she really liked the thought of joining their tight knit little group. Except for Angela and some of the Rez kids back home, she really didn't have many friends and she hated to admit the loneliness that crept up on her at the worst times. Her father's words from his letter popped into her head.
There are so many things you need to experience before you settle down, so many people you need to meet before choosing the one person you can't live without.
A wide smile took over her face and she couldn't help but laugh at Tanya's excited shriek. "Thank you. I'd love to join you guys."
*.*.*
"Oh my God, Bella, you should have seen it!" Kate was laughing so hard that she was almost doubled over. Tanya actually had to stop to catch her breath from laughing at the memory. "We woke up to Irina's screams and ran out of the tent to see who was strangling her…a black bear was in the camp and had gotten a hold of an empty bag of chips that she didn't store in the food locker before going to bed…"
Tanya snorted and Irina just rolled her eyes. "I was seven years old!"
"She was screaming at the top of her lungs, like some bad B movie actress, shaking a stick at this huge bear… he … he just looked at her like she'd lost her mind!" Kate continued but soon dissolved into more uncontrollable giggles.
Bella couldn't contain her own laughter, imagining a little Irina trying to threaten a bear with a stick. Irina herself tried to look put off, but her lips had started to curve upwards and finally, she had to laugh at herself as well.
"To be fair, it was the first bear she'd ever seen up close and not through the living room windows," Carmen offered, her lips curving up in her own fond smile.
Bella was thrilled that she had joined the group of people who were quickly becoming her friends. Carmen and Eleazar were very polite, but mostly in their own little world. Tanya, Kate and Irina were all chatty and playful, teasing each other about past embarrassing situations and cracking Bella up in the process. It was fun, feeling like part of such a big family and she could easily pretend that she was another sister just sharing memories and joking around.
They walked from Curry Village to the Happy Isles trailhead and followed the Merced River for a bit, crossing at a wooden footbridge where Bella took a few pictures of Vernal Falls in the distance with the disposable camera that Kate had insisted she needed for the trip. She took a few selfies and a group photo on her phone to send to Jacob and Sam that evening before the group continued on. The trail was fairly crowded as they climbed the rock stairs up beside Vernal Falls and they had to stop to put on their newly purchased rain ponchos halfway up, already soaked by the mist at that point.
Tanya had been right, the views were phenomenal. Bella had to admit that she probably never would have walked the trails if she hadn't met the Denali's; she would have just found a good place to fish and then been on her way. Instead, she was walking through some otherworldly mists beside a massive waterfall, surrounded by huge trees and massive craggy rocks that rose to the heavens. It was beyond beautiful.
They reached the top and after taking more pictures from the edge, they sat down on the ground and Eleazar broke out the bear canister from his pack, passing out bags of trail mix and granola bars.
"So where are you planning on heading after Yosemite?" Irina asked, popping a handful of raisins into her mouth.
Bella shrugged, nibbling on the end of a cashew. "Honestly, I'm not a hundred percent sure. I know that I want to stop at the Grand Canyon. Probably go to St. Louis and get some pictures from the top of the Arch and start heading for Florida after that." Bella chuckled, "I haven't really thought it out. I just got in the car and took off."
"If you're going to the Grand Canyon anyway, you should check out the London Bridge and pick up Old Route 66 from there," Kate suggested. "It's only a few hours away from where you're going and it's pretty cool."
"You could stop in Las Vegas on the way to Arizona," Tanya grinned. "Live it up in Sin City and all that."
Bella rolled her eyes. "What am I gonna do in Vegas, Tan? I'm not old enough to gamble or drink and I'm not trekking across the desert to see a dam."
"They've got roller coasters on top of skyscrapers, though!" Tanya bounced a little in excitement. "You could bungee jump off of a thousand story building right over the Las Vegas strip!"
Bella paled at the thought and the others laughed at her expression. Eleazar elbowed Carmen with a grin on his face. "When we eloped to Vegas, Carmen practically had to drag me up to the top of the Stratosphere to get on those damn rides. She is definitely the daredevil in this marriage."
Carmen laughed at the memory. "Oh God, he screamed like a little girl when we went on the Insanity. But I gotta tell you, by the time we went on each ride once, he was the one dragging me back to go on them again."
Bella shivered, shaking her head. "I'd die of fright on one of those!"
"But you said you used to go cliff diving all the time!" Irina argued, her hands waving in the air for emphasis. "It's probably safer to bungee jump in Vegas than jump off a cliff in Washington. At least there's a harness."
Tanya nodded in agreement. "She's right, Bella. You're already a daredevil! Stop in Vegas on your way to Arizona and send us a picture of you on those damn crazy rides."
"We'll see," Bella finally relented, trying to push the thought of hanging off a skyscraper over the Las Vegas strip out of her head. "What other destinations you got for me?"
"Austin, Texas," Kate spoke up, standing up and wiping her hands on her pants. "Awesome food, awesome music."
"New Orleans," Tanya suggested. "Beignets, killer coffee and voodoo."
"Branson, Missouri," Irina offered, earning funny smirks from her sisters. "What? So I like country music! Sue me!"
They all laughed, following Kate's lead and standing up. The group grabbed their gear, disposed of their trash, and continued on the trail to Nevada Falls.
*.*.*
Bella and the Denali's got back to Curry Village early that evening. They dropped their gear off at their respective cabins and headed for dinner at the Pizza Deck.
"So what time are you heading out fishing in the morning?" Bella asked, helping herself to a slice of pepperoni.
"Around four," Carmen answered. "You gonna make it, Swan?"
Bella chuckled. "My Dad was an avid fisherman and I was a Daddy's Girl. We were out on the boat fishing by three thirty some mornings. Dad always said that anybody who cast their lines after sunrise were too lazy to deserve a catch."
Eleazar nodded in agreement, his smile wide. "Smart man."
Bella's smile softened and her heart warmed up pleasantly. "He was."
Kate held up her Dr. Pepper. "Then we dedicate tomorrow's fishing excursion to Chief Charlie Swan. May he guide the trout to our lines and we make him proud."
"To Chief Charlie Swan!"
*.*.*
Nothing soothed Bella more than the feeling of the misty air on her skin and the smell of damp grass in the early morning twilight. She couldn't help but smile as she cast out her line, watching the little silver lure glint in the moonlight as it sailed through the air before slicing into the river before her. She found a flat rock to sit on and lazily started reeling the line back in, taking her time.
Her new friends were spaced out along their chosen stretch of riverbank. Carmen was about two hundred yards downstream, sitting on her own rock with her line already cast. Eleazar was a little further down, having found a rock jutting out of the water that he was standing on as he cast further out away from the others to keep from crowding everybody else. Kate was sitting lotus style in a fold out chair, wrapped in a parka and hoodie with her arms pulled up in her sleeves for warmth. Only her hands were exposed, since reeling in gloves wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world.
It was Irina that made Bella chuckle. The young woman had brought along a fold out chaise lounge and was bundled up in a sweater, yoga pants and a purple Snuggie. She had cast her own line, slipping the fishing pole through the cup holder of her lounge to keep it upright, and then promptly dozed off.
Tanya appeared to her left, handing Bella a cup of coffee before glancing over whatever made her new friend laugh. She rolled her eyes at her younger sister, but her face was full of love. "Irina loves the outdoors, but not really until after the sun rises. Beauty sleep and all that."
Bella nodded in thanks at the coffee offering, taking a sip before setting the cup on the rock beside her. "I admit to being guilty of that myself at times. I would always get up early with my dad to head to the river, but a lot of times, I would nap in the boat for about an hour before actually getting down baiting the hook. By the time I would get started, Dad would already be up about three or four fish."
Tanya grinned and Bella scooted over on the rock to make room for her. The blonde sat down, wrapping her own hands around her hot coffee cup. "I was never able to do that. When we were younger, Kate and I were incredibly competitive when it came to anything. If she ran 5 miles, I had to run 10. If she caught a fish, I had to catch 2. It drove her nuts, which is probably why I did it," she shook her head ruefully. "Of course, as we got older, we had to join forces against Irina, so we weren't really competing amongst ourselves anymore. Now, we just enjoy being together and enjoying different places."
Bella sighed, reeling her lure back in before swinging her arm slightly to cast the line again. "I wish I'd had siblings. Being an only child was nice for awhile, getting all the attention from my parents and everything. But after they were gone, I just desperately wanted someone who shared the same memories I did. Jacob was great, he's been my best friend since diapers, but it wasn't the same as having someone who had witnessed all the same things I had."
"I never thought about it that way," Tanya admitted, staring out at the water. "Our father passed before Irina was born, so I don't remember a whole lot about him. Just that he was built like a bear and smelled like snow and pipe tobacco. When our Mom died from cancer a few years ago, I guess we kind of took for granted that we would have each other to cling to. By that time, Carmen was already out of college and she moved nearby to help out around the house. And then she married Eleazar and we had the fatherly big brother around. Looking back, I don't know if I would have made it without them." Tanya sighed sadly, bringing her cup to her lips. "I'm sorry you didn't have the kind of support system you deserved. I can't even imagine your situation."
Bella bumped her side into Tanya's playfully, careful not to spill their coffee's all over themselves. "It could have been much worse. I might not have had Jacob as my rock. Honestly, I don't know where I'd be without him."
"Is it hard being away from him now?"
"A little bit," Bella admitted. "Sometimes I wake up and look for him in the room, and then remember that he's not there. But I'm so glad he and Sam were able to get away. They deserve some happy."
"Did you text him those pictures from yesterday?" Tanya half stood, reaching for her own pack and fishing rod before settling back beside Bella.
"I did," Bella chuckled, remembering how she had texted the first selfie to him and less than 15 seconds later, the phone was ringing and his number was showing on the Caller ID. "He called me right after I sent him the first picture of myself and lectured me on the dangers of hiking alone in a strange place. I don't think he realized how many people were there at the same time. But then I sent the other pics of all of us and he seemed to calm down a bit." Bella snorted before bringing her coffee cup to her lips. "He asked me if he needed to run a background check on all of you."
Tanya laughed, snipping the excess line from the lure she was tying. "You never know Bella-Girl, we Denali's could be a vicious pack of bloodsucking vampires."
"True. I did see that Kate had some pretty fierce looking fangs going on in that mouth of hers."
Tanya snorted. "They used to be worse when we were kids. She boob punched me once when I called her Dracula."
Luckily Bella had already swallowed the mouthful of cooling coffee and avoided a choking fit. "It's funny, I've known you guys less than 24 hours and I can picture her doing that to you."
"We are a crazy bunch. Damn near certifiable."
The fish started biting not long after, and Bella found herself in the middle of a competition between herself, Kate and Eleazar. By the time lunch time rolled around, Bella was ahead one rainbow trout, which she proudly showed off to the camera as Tanya snapped a picture on her phone before she released the fish back into the river.
They abandoned their fishing to find food, later going back out to a few more spots along the Merced River, Eleazar desperate to catch more fish than "Little Bella-Girl". By the time they returned to Curry Village late that afternoon, Bella had him beat by two rainbow trout, a brown trout, and a smallmouth bass.
"I can't believe I lost to a girl," Eleazar moaned, grinning to let Bella know that he was just messing with her.
Bella winked at him playfully. "I learned from the Master. You really had no chance."
They all laughed as they made their way to the public restrooms to wash their hands before heading out for dinner.
Bella stayed another two days, joining the Denali's on their hike up to Half Dome, where they carried collapsible fishing poles in their backpacks to see what they could catch and release there, while Carmen and Eleazar climbed up the side of Half Dome.
On Bella's last night at Yosemite, Tanya, Kate and Irina stayed the night in her cabin, giving Carmen and Eleazar a night to themselves in their tent cabin. They lounged on the big bed, going through all the pictures that Bella had taken and took turns talking on the phone to Jacob and Sam. They all fell asleep in a tangle of arms and legs on the bed while telling cheesy ghost stories.
Bella was the first to wake up the following morning and couldn't help but take a few pictures of Kate, who had fallen off the bed sometime during the night and had rolled herself up in the rug on the floor for warmth. She snapped a few more pictures of all three of her new friends, making sure not to miss anything from this moment.
She was a little bit sad to be leaving, but she had a whole country to explore. And she knew that she would be keeping in touch with the Denali's. They had invited her to their house in Alaska to visit any time, and they made plans to meet back at Yosemite the following year.
After spending the last few years feeling so lonely, clinging to Jacob because he was familiar and safe, she felt incredibly proud of this first stop in her explorations. She had made lifelong friends in the span of a few hours and she had to admit, it felt pretty damn good.