A/N: One vampire has been dealt with, but there are more that are coming towards Forks. I am still plotting what will happen to Edward, so if you have an opinion, let me know in pm or review. Thanks everyone and welcome to all of our new readers to this story. Enjoy!

Chapter 42 – Destiny

Some people say that everyone has a destiny he/she is supposed to fulfill, and while Jasper wasn't so sure about that, he was sure if there really was something called destiny out there, Bella was his. Her very existence, from the time she accidentally appeared at the age of ten to now, had felt like it had been fated to happen, as if it was meant to be. Even when he first met her, he had this feeling deep within his gut that their paths would once again intertwine; however, he was never prepared for exactly what would happen when he met the precocious little girl again. This woman made him want to fight the very devil in order to eradicate the evil in the world; and as he sat across from her father, he felt like that battle would be easier than this meeting.

"Sir…" Jasper began and halted as soon as he saw the police chief's hand go up telling him to be quiet.

His eyes scanned his daughter from the top of her head to her knees, unable to travel past that because of the coffee table that sat in the middle of them. She had changed. Charlie could see it… and it was more than her eyes, more than her skin. It was something inside her. Had his little girl really become a… a… vampire? It was still hard to accept the fact that this whole crazy scenario could be real, and he almost refused to believe Alice and Carlisle when they were weaving their stories and spouting their nonsense; however, he couldn't not believe the change of his baby. He had changed her diapers, held her when she was colicky before Renee had taken her away, and had tried to soothe the hurts she suffered whenever he was with her. And now this had happened. No longer a baby or little girl, his daughter had become a woman and had been claimed – changed. The red eyes were hard enough to ignore, creepy as they were, but he could see a determination in her eyes that told him she had wanted this, desired it… relished it even. This was her new life, and her eyes told him that he could accept it or not, but this was who she was now, and if he wanted to be a part of her life, he had to accept the truth that was before him.

Charlie didn't want to accept it. Didn't want to believe everything had changed. They say it was hard for a father to let go, and he now fully understood what that meant. It felt like he had just gotten her back in his life and already she had been ripped out of his arms. Running a hand over his face, he sighed heavily, "Did he force you?"

Sheer willpower and a tad bit of understanding kept the brunette from gaping, "No, he didn't force me to do anything. This is what I wanted." Bella decided it was probably best to leave out the part about crazy vampires that were after her and her blood and therefore they didn't have time to wait… that part might have sent her father over the edge, which he appeared close to the precipice as it was.

After she had arrived at the house and was quickly ushered in by Alice, she was kept separate from her father. Everyone had thought it best to keep the newborn away from the human for as long as possible, and since Jasper had the most experience with newborns, everyone wanted to make sure he was present before the father and daughter had their small reunion. However, after she had tackled Charlie to the ground, her father had come running down the stairs due to the commotion and found her straddling her mate. Her thirst increased and the burn intensified, venom filled her mouth as if she was a starving person sitting in front of a buffet; and then a calmness surrounded her and a feeling of fulfillment infused her being. The burning decreased, but did not disappear. And it was then that she realized what had been going through her mind, what her new instincts had threatened to force her to do. If Jasper had not been there, her father might not be sitting across from her now. Before they agreed to sit down and talk, her mate had taken her hunting first and when they returned, everyone convened in the living room, Jasper keeping a tight hold on her physically with an arm around her shoulders, and emotionally. It was probably one of the only times she would willingly let him coerce her feelings.

Now she sat across from her father, holding Jasper's free hand in her strong grip while she still tried to quell the lingering burn in her throat. Something told her that would never completely go away while she was in the presence of humans, but she hoped she would at least learn to deal with it. "Dad, I have never been normal. Gran used to say that I had an old soul, and there were more times than naught that I was the mature one while living with mom."

"I know that Bells, but this is different. We're talking about changing your whole life, who you are for some random guy."

"He's not…" She took in a deep breath and released it, feeling her mate's calming waves increase, helping her to soothe her ire. Feeling a little more in control, she began again, "He's not just some random guy. I knew what he was and where this could possibly lead when I first started to date him. I knew he was different when I met him in Phoenix, and when I saw him again seven years later, it would take someone pretty dense to miss the fact he hadn't aged at all. He still looked the same as that day, and I knew he was different." Granted she had also tried to convince herself that this was not the same person, but that was a moot point in this discussion.

"Bells, how do you know he isn't using some sort of power on you?"

She almost blurted out that Jasper was indeed using his gift on her, however, she was able to keep that to herself. "He hasn't hypnotized me into believing this is what I want. He actually offered to keep me human and promised that he would protect me from anything that would try to harm me, but this was my decision. I wanted this dad and I'm sorry if you can't accept it. I love him and he is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Her impassioned speech made Charlie immediately think of Alice, but he pushed that thought away as swiftly as it appeared unsure as to why he would be thinking about the petite vampire now.

"Maybe I'm different because honestly dad, other than initially meeting JW again after seven years and seeing him unchanged, I've been able to accept everything that has been thrown at me. I hardly ever get along with people my age, and typically force myself to make friends, but I never had that problem with JW or the rest of the people here. Dad, I know this is hard for you, but this is who I am now, and even if I could change back, I wouldn't want to. I love you and want you to still be a part of my life, however, it is up to you on if you can accept this or not. If you can't, after the danger Alice sees passes, you can go back to your life and I will live mine and you can pretend that you buried me." It hurt to speak these words to the man that spawned her, and yet, Bella knew they needed to be said.

The first thing that went through Charlie's mind: that sounded harsh. However, the steel he saw in her eyes told him she was deadly serious. Somehow he knew the moment he first walked through the doors of the Cullen home, nothing would ever be the same again… and he had been right. Another sigh, another face rub, and he finally nodded, "Fine. I'll support you, but I just don't know how to break this to your mother. She's going to flip."

"We can't tell her."

"She's right sir," Jasper stepped into the conversation, "You're privy to our secret because you need to be for a few different reasons, but your ex can't know the truth. We'll have to come up with some other excuse to tell her."

"You want me to lie to Renee?" Charlie growled in disbelief.

Holding up her hand, Alice said, "Charlie, you're having a hard enough time accepting the truth, what do you think Renee would do?"

After a minute, he nodded, "Yah, you're right. So what do we tell her?"

"We'll cross that bridge later," Bella stated. She didn't want to lie to her mother either, but there was no other choice.

Peter, with his arms folded over his chest and grateful he still had them, spoke up, "Now that we got that settled, we need to talk about the other problem. We killed the bitch, but what about the others Alice says are coming?"

"Alice, do you know how many are coming?" Jasper asked his friend.

All eyes turned to her as she appeared to be staring off into a distant space. Her eyes narrowing, she tried to peer into the future and gather as much information as she could, and when she finally blinked, she said, "The number is changing all the time. I've seen as little as five in addition to James and Edward, and as many as ten with them, but I haven't seen more than that… yet."

"Are the wolves gonna help?" Peter inquired.

"They may, but I don't wanna get them involved until the last minute. I'll put them on alert though."

"Wolves?" Charlie gasped remembering the faint images of giant canines from the time Paul had kidnapped him.

"If he's going to be with us, he needs to know," Emmett announced when everyone looked slightly uncomfortable with the one word question.

Glaring at her mate, Rosalie sneered, "He shouldn't know anything! He shouldn't even be here. It's bad enough that we have her now…"

"Put a sock in it, Rose! He needs to be here and she is Jasper's mate. The time for your petty anger is over," the big man snapped tired of listening to his wife's complaints about the addition to their coven.

Jasper chose to ignore the bickering couple and focus on the seer again, "Are they all wild? Do they have gifts? Are some seasoned?"

Alice stared off into space again and her voice sounded monotone when she talked, "Most of them appear to be newborns. They are wild and hard to control, but they are afraid of James. Two… no three more people will join them when they reach Forks. Those three have gifts. Two females and one male. None of the newborns appear to have a gift. The male, James calls him brother. Edward will try to get Bella away from us and then take her. James will try the same thing."

"What about my dad?" Bella asked.

There was a long period of silence before Alice answered, "It is uncertain. I just don't know yet." Decisions concerning Charlie still needed to be made, and he still had not been given the whole truth, however, she didn't not get a sense of immediate danger yet. Anything and everything could change in an instant though, and for that reason, she needed to constantly search and keep a close eye on the future.

"What the hell does that mean?" Charlie demanded.

Her gaze settling upon the police chief, the seer said, "It means I don't know what is going to happen to you, but I don't see you dying either. Anything can change and as a human, you are more vulnerable than the rest of us."

"Are you saying I need to become like you? Like Bella?"

"No, but it is an option if you want to consider it."

Jasper could feel the tension growing, not only from his mate but from her father and others in the room. This was not a way to break the news to the chief. Increasing his calming vibe, he directed, "That can be put on the backburner for now. Let's take a break and we'll regroup to discuss James and Edward later."

"Jasper, we need to be ready for them," Charlotte insisted.

"And we will be. Everyone here, with the exception of Charlie, will need to be trained on how to fight the newborns that are coming. We'll start that tonight at the baseball field. Alice, how much time do we have before they come?"

"As of right now? Five days."

"Fine. Let me know if anything changes," Jasper ordered. Normally, Carlisle would be the leader of this group, however, given the current circumstances, he needed to take charge of the situation himself. He had experience and knowledge on his side that the patriarch lacked.

"I want to talk to Bella alone," Charlie stated.

Shaking his head, Jasper declared, "That isn't possible."

"And why not?" The father was getting defensive and pissed off. After the conversation he had just partook in, it was not wonder.

The southern vampire eyed his now father-in-law, "We were just discussing newborns. Your daughter is one, and while she has more control over her instincts than I've ever seen in any newborn I've dealt with – and I've handled my fair share of newborns – she is still dangerous alone."

"Are you sure you aren't just trying to control her?"

"Not at all sir. You can talk to her and say whatever you want, but you can't talk to her alone. Peter, Char, or I have to be there because we've the most experience with 'em."

When it appeared as if Charlie was going to argue some more, Bella said, "He's right dad. I… I just don't trust myself to be alone with you or any human right now."

"It wouldn't matter what you said anyway, anything said in this house can be heard by everyone," Rosalie's snide comment was thrown out and hung heavy in the air. "Well, except by you."

Grabbing his mate's arm, Emmett dragged her out of the room and up the stairs, muttering, "That may be true, but you need to back off." He felt it was better to get her out of there before tensions increased and an explosion occurred.

"Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of JW. I trust him with my life," as Bella said this, she gazed up at her mate, a small smile pulling up the corners of her lips. If she hadn't trusted him, she wouldn't have let him change her.

It took several minutes, but Charlie finally said, "I just need to know that you're happy and this is what you want."

Her smile growing, she nodded, "I am and this is. This was meant to happen. JW and I were meant to be together and nothing could stop it."

Charlie ran a hand through his hair, "Fine then. I just need a minute." He stopped and walked out of the living room and up the stairs. This was a lot to take in and he was feeling overwhelmed.

"Now that he's gone, what are we going to do about James, Edward, and the little party their bringing?" Peter inquired.

"We're gonna teach'm a lesson they'll never forget. Alice can you see what kind of gifts the three will have?" Jasper smirked. The more information they had, the better; and leaving the wolves out of it until last minute meant that the blank spots in Alice's visions were limited. They would be ready and they would win the fight because he refused to allow the enemy to touch one hair on Bella's or Alice's heads. His mate was his and no other man would touch her. A quiet growl rumbled deep within his chest, Bella was his!

Elsewhere…

It was almost time to march on Forks. Edward didn't understand why they waited, he wanted to act now, but James knew better. There was a time in which everything was supposed to happen, and his young partner was too anxious. That could and would cause mistakes. Yes, based on Alice's gifts, the Cullen family probably knew they were coming and when, however, that made this game all the more fun. And besides, waiting a few extra days helped to build up the anticipation of it all. The Cullen's would never know what hit them when James finally descended upon the small town of Forks once again, and just to stir them up, he sent them a little present to get the party started, one that should be there in the next day or two and would add to the disruption Melody caused. Oh yes, it was good to be him and he couldn't wait to take what rightfully belonged to him.