Disclaimer - This is based off of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. She created the characters and the basic plot, and this is my spin on it. These are my words about her world. Stephenie Meyer has all of the rights to her characters and the parts that were taken from her plot.

Chapter Seventeen

Charlie's voice was the first that Bella heard. "I just don't understand," Charlie croaked. "Vampires and werewolves . . ."

Bella couldn't move or open her eyes, but she knew she was in a bed, wrapped snuggly in freshly-washed sheets. She couldn't feel her body; it was like she was floating on a cloud, hovering above her body like a ghost. But she knew she wasn't dead. She'd felt this way once before, and knew it was because of a very effecting pain medication – the same she'd been given at age eight after she'd broken her leg in a bicycle accident.

"I know it's a lot to take in." Sam's deep rumbling base responds. He must have picked up on the way her heartbeat quickened at the sound of it, because warm fingers closed around her hand. She wished she could squeeze back, but she couldn't find her fingers. "Bella reacted more proactively than you when we told her."

"What do you mean?"

Sam chuckled a little, but the sound was off. He wasn't laughing out of humor; perhaps there wasn't any humor left for him to give. "She didn't ask questions – she just ran away." He started to trail his fingertips lightly up and down the back of Bella's hand. It was comforting to her. "Eventually, she came around and let me inside to explain, but she didn't really ask any questions until I mentioned imprinting."

Charlie cleared his throat. "I think imprinting is the only thing I really understand. I mean – look at you, Sam."

Oh, Bella wished she could. She would give anything to be able to see through the darkness of her eyelids and look at his beautiful, handsome face.

Sam let out a deep, exhausted sigh. The bed next to Bella dipped, and she pictured him resting his elbows on the mattress, folding his hands over his eyes. She hoped his shoulders weren't slumped in depression – she didn't want him to be sad.

"You haven't slept for days," Charlie continued. "You're not eating, even though Sue's casserole has to be the best damn smelling casserole on the planet. Sue says Bella's gonna be just fine, but you still won't leave her side. The shape of your ass is permanently indented in that chair. You told me she's everything to you, and you can't live without her. I'll be honest, at first, I thought you were exaggerating, but now it's obvious that's true. You love her with everything you are."

Bella hadn't ever heard her father speak with such emotion, and she would have had tears in her eyes if she could open them.

"She's going to heal, Charlie." Sam huffed. "But she'll never be fine again."

What do you mean? she wanted to shout. What have I missed?

"What I don't understand is why these vampires were after her in the first place," Charlie grumbled.

Finally! Bella wanted to jump for joy. Maybe now she would get answers.

"It's not that they were after Bella specifically," Sam responded. His voice was so sad and defeated, and Bella wanted to wrap her arms around him and never let go. "She was collateral damage."

"The Alpha's mate," Charlie guessed, hesitating a little with the terminology.

A warm thumb rubbed gently against Bella's cheek, and a moment later, a familiar pair of lips followed. Bella's heart fluttered, and she felt an extra puff of air hit her skin at his chuckle. "Yes. These vampires obviously knew a lot about werewolf packs – Billy thinks they'd been studying us for a while before making their presence known because they didn't show themselves until after I imprinted."

"But why?" Charlie pressed. "Why did they want to end the wolf pack so badly?"

"It's not exactly uncommon," Sam said. "Vampires are really into competition. It's their nature to go after a challenge, so when they see the pack defending one specific area of land – one specific area of people – suddenly that's where they want to feed. And if they want to feed there, they know they have to defeat us." He paused. "So I guess the answer is that they saw a challenge in us defending our people, and they wanted to prove that they were stronger." This time, his laugh was legitimate. "We proved them wrong."

"So this has happened before?" Charlie asked. "There have been other groups of . . . of vampires that have tried to . . . to kill the pack?" He still struggled with using the vocabulary that he'd been told all his life wasn't real, just as Bella had in the beginning of her relationship with Sam.

"Yes, it has. But they've never been able to succeed in the past, and they definitely never got as close as they did last week." An underlying anger trickled into his tone, and she pictured his expression darkening evilly. "I can't believe I let them get as close to her as they did."

Last week? How long had Bella been unconscious? She tried again to find her voice, but her throat was too raw and her lungs were weak, not allowing any more than the necessary shallow breathing that kept her alive.

"They were smart," Sam said grudgingly, like the words tasted like vinegar on his tongue. "To wait and use the Alpha's imprint against us. They had to have known how important she is to the entire pack." His lips pressed against Bella's forehead.

"But they didn't get to her, Sam," Charlie insisted. "You stopped them."

"Not before they ruined her life." It was a broken whisper.

Charlie didn't say anything.

Bella felt sleep start to tug at her consciousness and tried to fight it, but eventually the exhaustion clouded over her body and she drifted away once again.

The next time Bella awoke, her eyes sprung open effortlessly, and she found herself staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. She wasn't in her bedroom, she realized. She wasn't in her house at all.

Instantly, her hands moved to the mattress, her intentions to pull herself up to a sitting position, but two warm, calloused hands were there to stop her, pressing down gently on her sides to keep her horizontal. "Don't move," a voice ordered gently. "You'll rip your stiches open."

Bella turned her head to see Jacob's eyes staring down at her. "J-Jake," she whispered.

"Bells," he breathed a whisper full of relief. He gently laid his hand on her stomach until she pressed her shoulders back against the pillow. "Thank God," he said.

"What happened?" she whispered.

"You scared the crap out of me, that's what happened," he said, his voice still too soft for his scolding to be taken seriously.

Bella glanced away. "I just . . . I just remember seeing . . . seeing a wolf lying on the ground . . . and he wasn't moving," she mumbled. "A gray wolf. Little."

"Seth," Jacob provided. "He was injured. But he's fine now. He's all healed up."

Bella sniffled. "That must be nice – getting better so quickly." She glanced down at the giant bandage around her waist and frowned. "What's my synopsis?"

Jacob's eyebrows pulled together and he hesitated. "I think you should have that talk with Sam."

Bella's heart fluttered. "Where is –" she started to ask, but then she realized it would be rude to Jacob to imply that his presence wasn't enough. But Bella suddenly felt an incredible longing in her chest – a desire to see him and hold him in her arms and know he was okay.

Jacob smirked a little. "Even beat up and bruised you can't keep your mind off of him," he teased, but then seemed to realize that they weren't exactly in a joking situation and sobered, all humor evaporating as his face dropped into an intense stare. "Jared and Paul finally managed to get him out of this room. A week without phasing can really mess with you."

"A week?" Bella repeated. "What do you mean?"

"He didn't leave your side, Bella," he answered. "He couldn't take his eyes off of you. He barely ate, and the only sleep he got was when his eyelids finally got too heavy that he couldn't hold them open anymore. He's a mess, Bella." He shrugged. "But you waking up will make things better. Just seeing you lie there so still makes his wolf crazy with anxiety."

They were both silent as Bella processed that.

"Where am I?" she asked out of the blue.

"The Clearwaters' guest bedroom."

Bella was sure her eyes had never gone as wide as they did in that moment. She stared at him, hoping he could see through her expression that she thought he was crazy. "Excuse me?" There was no way Sam would bring her here – not after all their recent events.

Jacob wrinkled his nose. "We didn't really have much of a choice. We couldn't take you to the hospital – how would we have explained your injuries? We couldn't say a crazy redheaded vampire wanted to kill you to break the will of the local werewolf pack's Alpha by hurting his mate, but she couldn't get close enough to actually do so, so instead she slashed her fingernails into your stomach because that's all she could reach." He shrugged. "Sue's the unofficial nurse of the pack. She can take care of you just like a nurse would at Forks Regional, and it's easier for you to be here instead of her having to go to your house ten times a day to check on you. Charlie's been spending the evenings here with you, but we told him not to take any time off work."

"What did you tell him? How did you explain this?"

"We told him the truth."

Bella sighed. She'd heard a little, of course, but wanted to know what she'd missed. "And?"

Jacob grinned. "He took it better than you did."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Did you phase in front of him?" When he shook his head, she poked him roughly in the arm. "Then you can't compare his reaction to mine. There is nothing like watching your best friend turn into a giant snarling wolf right in front of your eyes."

"Alright, I'll give you that," he said. "You're right. It's different."

"Bella."

Bella's stomach instantly clenched at the voice. When she turned her head, Sam's eyes pierced into hers and she forgot about Jacob entirely. Hell, she forgot how to breathe. Suddenly all she could think about was having his arms wrapped around her.

"Oh, Bella," he breathed and marched forward determinedly. Out of the corner of her eye, Bella saw Jacob step back and out of the way, but she didn't tear her attention away from the beautiful man whose gaze was trained on her face. Sam dropped to his knees at the side of her bed and took her hands in his. The heat of his skin warmed Bella's entire body. "Baby. I was so worried."

"I'll go tell Sue that you're awake." Jacob's voice was muted, barely registering in Bella's mind as he exited quietly.

She reached out to brush her fingers against his cheek. When she touched him, his eyes closed and pressed the side of his face onto her palm. His hair was messy and tousled, and Bella knew he'd just phased. "I know," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

Sam's eyes widened and he shook his head, dropping his shoulders so he could lean closer to her face. "No, baby, no. You don't be sorry. It's my fault. It's all my –"

"It is not," Bella murmured. She scratched her nails through his hair, and he subconsciously scooted even closer to her, moving to rest his arms on either side of her waist. "I'm the one who panicked. I'm the one who – who –"

"We both made mistakes," he interrupted gently. "I let those bastards get too close to your house, and you tried to sacrifice yourself to the redheaded bloodsucker." He shook his head, expression somber. "That's all in the past now, and it doesn't matter anymore. What does matter is that you're safe." He bent to press a kiss to her forehead. "And healing." He kissed her nose. "And mine." Their lips met in a passionate kiss, but just as Bella was hoping it would deepen, Sam stiffened and pulled back. His eyebrows pulled together and he stared down at her. Bella could read the hesitation mixing with longing in his eyes. "I don't want to hurt you, baby. You're in a very fragile physical state right now."

Bella's heart sank a little. After the past few weeks and all of the challenges the two had overcame together, she'd finally felt ready to take the next step with him. She knew it was driving him crazy that they hadn't slept together yet – werewolves are extremely territorial and possessive – and she and Kim had spent much time together discussing what making love actually means to them. Bella wanted to be bonded to Sam, body and soul. She was ready for that commitment, but she couldn't very well tell him that while she was still healing.

She knew how much he wanted her. She wasn't a stranger to the way he reacted to her body; often, his arousal would be the termination of their intense, passionate kissing. It would be cruel of her to tell him he could finally have her when he definitely couldn't. Not yet.

"It doesn't hurt," she mumbled, gesturing weakly to the white gauze that apparently Sue Clearwater had wrapped around her waist and hips.

Sam scoffed. "That's because Sue gave you great medication."

"What happened?" she asked tentatively. "I mean . . . what's the damage?"

Sam closed his eyes. "She tore right through your skin," he breathed, "with her freaking fingernails. Razor-sharp teeth and life-ending venom, and you get injured by the same part of the body that middle school girls paint purple with pink freaking polka dots." His eyes flamed, nostrils flaring as he attempted to control his frustration. A slight tremble took hold of his hands, but Bella knew she didn't have to fear him phasing – not so close to her, and definitely not while she was injured. She could tell by the way he said "freaking," he really wanted to say something else, but he was too much of a gentleman to use such language around Bella.

Not that, in that moment, Bella would have minded a little F-bomb. It certainly matched her feelings towards the redheaded monster.

"She sliced right through your uterus," he continued. "She had to do some internal stitching before she closed the wound on the outside." He stared down at the cream-colored bandage in dismay, his thumb absently tracing circles on the back of her hand. "That's why you have to be extra careful. If you tear them open, you'll have internal bleeding."

Bella nodded, panic seeping into her chest. "Slicing through your uterus" didn't sound very good. "What . . . what will happen when I'm healed?" she asked hesitantly.

His sad eyes lifted to her, reading the direction of her thoughts. He didn't make her ask the question. "Sue thinks you'll still be able to get pregnant when you – uh, we – decide to have kids. No damage was done to your ovaries, and your uterus should heal nicely as long as you don't tear it before that can happen."

A weight lifted off of Bella's chest and she sucked in a breath of relief. She'd always wanted to be a mother; deep in her heart she knew she would be good at raising a child, and that desire for a baby had certainly increased since she met Sam. "That's great news," she said.

He kissed the spot right under her ear that always sent shivers down her spine. "I thought so, too. The Alpha werewolf always has an inheritor. Not that our children will ever become the Alpha."

Bella frowned. "What do you mean? Isn't it kind of a job that's passed down from father to son?"

Sam tapped his fingers nervously against his thigh. "Well, yes. That's how it works. The first born son of the Alpha takes over when his father stops phasing."

"Then why wouldn't our son take your place?"

He bit his lip. "I told the council I think Jacob is ready to take over."

Bella's heart stopped.

Sam didn't seem to notice. "The ceremony will be in a month, and I'll step down from the position. Then Jacob can step up and claim his place." He sighed.

"B-but . . . why?"

He gave her a confused look. "Bella, I almost lost you. Forever." He paused, but when she continued to stare at him with a blank look of shock, he added, "I'm going with you to Arizona."

"What?" Bella was sure her eyes were popping out of their sockets.

He didn't pick up on her alarm. "Bella, I love you. I'm not going to leave your side, whether that takes me to Phoenix or Seattle or New York or freaking Nashville, I'll go with you. Seeing you lying there on the ground, bleeding, unconscious . . ." He shook his head. "It changed me, Bella. Permanently. I'll never think the same again. I want to see you follow your dreams, Bella, and your dreams are in Arizona, so that's where we'll go."

For a moment, Bella couldn't think of any response. She needed to word her answer very carefully, so the thought for a long minute before she replied. She tugged on his hair gently, peering up at him through her eyelashes. "You're the perfect man for wanting to support me, Sam. And I know that, without a doubt, you are my perfect match. We're meant to be together forever. But I don't think we're meant to go to Arizona."

"What?" he interrupted. "But you said –"

"I know what I said," she acknowledged. "And at the time, I meant it. But that was before I saw you really be the Alpha. When you left my room, and I begged you not to leave me, you were so . . . determined. You were going to help and support your pack, even though I knew you didn't want to leave me behind. Sam, the University of Phoenix was a desire of mine before I came here – before I met you. But knowing you – you've changed me completely. Don't you see that? Before you, I planned out every freaking second of every day. Every Sunday, I picked my outfits out for the entire week. I never let the gas gage in my truck get lower than a quarter-tank. I hated surprises and unexpected visits and anything that I didn't have control over." She laughed a little, but the motion left an ache around her midsection and she quickly stopped. "And now look at me! I'm making spontaneous decisions like walking into the middle of a battle between a coven of vampires and a pack of werewolves with a kitchen knife in my hand, ready to draw my own blood to save the lives of my boyfriend and his friends. I don't feel like the same girl I was at the beginning of this summer, Sam, and that's because I'm not."

Sam opened his mouth to interrupt, but Bella didn't let him.

"I'm the Alpha's mate now, Sam," she said definitively. "This is where we belong – here, in Forks, in La Push. Both of us."

"But, you wanted to go to Arizona so badly," he whispered in disbelief.

Bella shook her head. "I always felt like I belonged in Arizona more than I belong here. But that's different now – I have a place here. With you. With the pack. We belong right here, Sam. Before, I was too naïve to open my eyes and understand that, but now I do. I get it. If we leave here, we'll be happy with each other, but we won't be happy with our surroundings. Something would always be missing. Or I guess I should say someone. Multiple someone's, actually. Paul and Jacob and Jared and Seth and Embry and Quil and Collin and Brady. This is a family, and we're a part of it."

"Don't say this because you think it's what I want, Bella." He looked away. "Don't change your plans for your future because of me."

"That's the point, Sam," she said, exasperated. "I want to change my plans. I changed my mind. I don't want to go Arizona. I want to stay here. I'm not that Bella anymore. Now I'm your Bella. The new and improved version." She brushed a hand against his cheek. "I'm not changing my mind for you, Sam. I'm changing it because of you."

"That's the same thing," he argued stubbornly. "Bella, I don't want you giving up your future for me."

"No, it's different," Bella insisted. "I'm not doing anything I don't want to do. I want to do this. I want to stay here. I was already thinking about it before that attack even happened; the fight just reinforced that I'd made the right decision. This is my choice, and I'm happy with it."

"Bella –"

"I'm making this choice for me," she said finally. "I know I'll be happier here than in Arizona because I'll be surrounded by the most trustworthy, loyal, protective family I could possibly have. And that's all I have to say about the subject."

He was still staring at her with skepticism etched all over his face, but something in her tone and words must have convinced him of her honesty. His lips pulled up in a brilliant smile. "Really? We're staying here?"

Bella giggled and nodded. "Yes, we're staying here!"

"You'd better be staying here," Jacob teased from the doorway.

Bella's smile faded. "Oh, Jake. But the Alpha position is yours."

Jacob shook his head. "Oh, please, Bella. I might be the grandson of the last Alpha, but that doesn't mean I'm meant to follow in his footsteps. I don't want to be Alpha, and I never have." He jerked his chin in Sam's direction. "That's all you, man. You're good at it."

"Yes, he is."

The agreement came from the hallway. Jacob turned and stepped to the side, and Harry Clearwater stood with his hands shoved into his pockets and his shoulders scrunched. It was a submissive gesture, Bella realized. Harry Clearwater was finally showing Sam the respect he deserved.

Harry leaned awkwardly against the doorframe, staring Sam right in the face. "He's the best Alpha this pack has seen in generations." Behind him, Sue was hovering nervously, glancing at Bella over her husband's shoulder.

Sam stood from his position kneeling next to Bella's bed. "Excuse me?"

"I owe you two an apology," Harry continued solemnly. He glanced at Bella. "Bella – I judged you too harshly. I thought that, because you're not a born member of this tribe, you couldn't possibly be as good for the pack as one of us. But I was very, very wrong."

Bella felt her eyes widen, but no one dared to say a word. No one wanted to interrupt this unexpected admission of guilt.

"What you did – imitating the Third Wife the way you did – that's something only a true Alpha's mate would have and could have done," he continued. "You deserve to stand next to Sam as the Alpha's mate. You have all of my respect."

Sam stood violently still, his arms tense at his sides, so Bella took over. "Thank you, Harry. That means a lot to hear you say that."

Everyone stood in shocked silence until Jacob whooped. "Well, alright then. Now that we've decided that Bella and Sam are staying in Washington to be the next power couple, can we discuss the elephant in the room?" All eyes shifted to him, and he grinned. "Sam has totally turned into a giant, whipped, obedient little puppy dog!"

"Hey now," Sam called teasingly. "Don't forget I can assign you to permanent nighttime patrols."

"Bella, would you mind if I did a quick examination?" Sue spoke up. "I just want to make sure you're vitals are still normal. You were unconscious for a very long time."

Bella nodded. "Of course. Thank you – I really appreciate you taking care of me."

Sue waved her off. She moved to wrap the cuff that would measure her blood pressure around her arm. "You're part of this pack, Bella. It didn't seem like it would be that way from the beginning, but it certainly worked out for the best, and we're all grateful for that.

Bella grinned sheepishly. "I guess Sam was just a temptation I couldn't resist."

Thoughts? Emotions?

Next chapter will be the final chapter, and then a few days later I will post a short epilogue. Both will be fluffy and bring you all closure.

A few of you are still wondering if the Cullens will be making an appearance, and to be honest with you, I really didn't have the answer until now. The answer is no, and now I know why. This story always felt like it was Sam and Bella's story, not Sam and Bella and Edward's story. The Cullens didn't have a place in it, and I didn't see that until I finished this chapter. They just weren't part of Bella and Sam's story.

I am leaning towards having a Bella/vampire story as my next project. I've been in the world of the wolves for so long and I absolutely LOVE it, so I definitely will be returning to it after my Bella/vampire story is finished. I ask that all of you please keep a lookout on my profile for new one-shots and stories. If you're interested in pairings with Bella and Cullen, I would love for you to join me in the new world that I will be introducing very soon!

As always, thank you all for the lovely reviews. You've kept me going with this story when I had the toughest of writers block, and you are the reason I'm finishing it. I'm proud of this story, and I'm proud of myself, and I owe that to you all for your positive encouragement and constant support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will be so sad when I post the final update, which is a good sign for you all. It means that a sequel might be in our future - the DISTANT, DISTANT, DISTANT future. But it could happen.

See you in Chapter Eighteen.