Chapter 7:

More questions to answer:

Did the thing between Laurent and Irina happen? For this, we're going to say no. It would make it too awkward for the relationship between Bella and Irina and the Pack as well. So, we'll just say he left and went around for a bit before he paid Bella a visit without having set a foot in Denali.

Why doesn't Bella want them to know of her cancer? The answer is kind of simple for this one: she had her heart broken. I don't know about all of you, but I've had my heartbroken before and it does effect you. Bella doesn't want to really connect with the Denalis because she's afraid they will tell the Cullens about her, or will break her heart as well. Also, she doesn't want them to be like the Cullens were around her when she would trip everywhere.

So, I hope I answered you questions. Again, send me more if needed.

Disclaimer: Do I really need to repeat myself?

"I hate you, Bella," Kate grumbled walking back to us. She had just finished the last note to I Like Big Butts and needless to say, she had gotten several looks from passing people. If she were human, I had a feeling that her cheeks would be bright red right now.

I smiled at her innocently. "You came up with the bet, Kate," I reminded her. We-Irina, Tanya and I-were currently leaning against the music store brick wall. It was the best seat in the house to watch her embarrass herself in front of the people.

She huffed, not seeming to find that as an acceptable answer. "I made it to be an embarrassment for you," she said, crossing her arms over her chest like a child.

Tanya chuckled from next to me. "Clearly that did not work, did it, Kate?" she teased. She gave my shoulder a little nudge with a wink.

Kate rolled her eyes at Tanya when a man spoke up, "Was that Kate we heard singing all the way across the street?"

The three of us turned our attention to a Hispanic couple walking forward. From my guess, they were their "cousins" Carmen and Eleazer. By the way they were holding hands, they were a mated pair.

Irina nodded with a grin. "Yes, it was." She gave me a nudge. "She lost a bet to this brunette right here."

The woman raised a brow at me. "And what was this bet?" she asked. It took me a second to realize she was addressing me.

I shrugged. "She bet I couldn't play other songs on the piano besides Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or Amazing Grace and well…" I looked at Kate and couldn't stop the small smirk spreading on my lips. "…you know the rest."

Kate huffed at me as the man-Eleazer-chuckled and held his hand out. "I'm Eleazer," he said as I took his hand, "and this is my wife Carmen." He jerked his head towards her slightly as we dropped hands.

I nodded and took Carmen's extended hand. "Bella," I smiled.

She smiled in return, shaking my hand in a firm shake. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Bella," she said.

"You too," I replied as I dropped her hand. As I looked at Carmen, for a second, I saw Esme standing in front of me instead of her. I saw the caramel haired woman whom I had loved with all my heart, for just a second, and it made my heart swell a little.

Carmen smiled. "Tanya told us about when she met you," she said, looking at the curly haired blonde over my shoulder. "I see that you've managed to also beat Kate in one of her own games. That's rather impressive."

I smiled and chuckled. "I don't know if impressive fits the bill as much as being smart about it," I said, giving a small smirk at Kate who threw up her hands.

Eleazer chuckled. "Probably not that far from it," he agreed.

Kate huffed. "Well, I never…"

The Denalis laughed around me as I smiled at the blonde. I had a feeling that Kate and I were going to get along well…At least, we would if I planned on staying here. The thought made my stomach kind of dropped as I realized my friends here would be left behind.

Max, Frank, Jerry, Sylvia…

All of them.

I could feel the frown start to pull on the corner of my mouth, and quickly caught it. I shook my head to clear the thought from my mind. I couldn't really be that good of friends with the Denalis anyway, at least I probably shouldn't. If they were related to the Cullens and they realized who I actually was in that time, it was possible they would contact the Cullens.

That was not a door I wanted to open or go through. For one, I'd have to explain why I was up here exactly, and I still didn't feel comfortable telling them that. That was because I both didn't know them that and I didn't want the vampires to start fretting over me like the Cullens had when they discovered I was clumsy-or when I used to be.

Second, getting close to the Denalis would be another friend to leave behind. Sure, they were good company, and I might maintain casual relationship with them, but not a very intimate one. It would help with the heartbreak of leaving more friends behind.

I might have been able to pull off my secret that way-keeping the relationship impersonal. It would be easier to leave then and it would be a good way to keep the fact of who I was and why I was here a secret a little longer. And, if they did find out why, I could at least try not to say my name.

I gave the smallest nod to my thought when Tanya nudged me in the shoulder. I jerked my head up to her as I snapped out of my thoughts. She raised a brow at me. "Are you alright, Bella? You didn't answer."

I blinked and nodded. "Oh, yes, I'm fine. I just zoned out," I said, giving her a slight smile.

Tanya nodded, looking me up and down for a moment before she continued, "As I was saying, did-?"

She was cut off by a car horn. The six of us looked towards the sound as Tanya gave an annoyed huff. A familiar-well, familiar to me-white BMW pulled to the curb as the driver's door opened. I smiled as I saw Frank's head emerge from the car.

He slammed the car door shut and threw his hands up in the air, "There's my number one girlfriend!"

I couldn't help the laugh that exploded from my mouth. I loved Frank. I seriously did. He gave me an impish grin as Tanya chuckled next to me. Kate raised a brow as Frank walked towards us. "So, this is the player of women, huh?" she asked teasingly.

Frank nodded, setting his hands on his hips as he puffed out his chest. "You bet I am," he said. "No woman can resist the charms of old Frank Simmons." He tapped two fingers on his chest.

I rolled my eyes and sent a gentle jab into his abs. He huffed as his chest fell. "You sure are 'masculine'," I said, using my fingers for air quotes.

He waved his hand dismissively. "Who needs to be masculine? All you got to have is patience, persistence and a whole lot of charm that includes a dashing smile." He then turned his head to the side and gave a "dashing" smile at me.

"I'm melting."

"I told you, it works." He then turned to Tanya. "It's nice to see you again, Tanya…Or was it Anya?"

Tanya smiled next to me with a nod. "It's Tanya," she said. "And it's nice to see you as well, Frank."

He nodded. "Tanya, Tanya, Tanya…Got it." He jabbed a finger at his head that made Kate snigger.

She pushed her hand forward. "Hi, I'm Kate. Tanya's cool sister."

He took her hand in stride, giving it a firm shake. "Kate, Kate, Kate slash cool. Yep, it's saved," he said, giving a grin. "Name's Frank Simmons, and I guess you already know I'm Bella's amazing boyfriend."

"I gathered."

He dropped her hand and took Irina's. "I'm Irina, Tanya's actually cool sister and not the annoying one," she said, casting a look at Kate.

"Irina, Irina, Irina, nailed it," he said, giving his head a firm nod in confirmation. "I'll try to have to keep you two separated in my head on who's cool and who's not."

Irina smiled. "You'll figure it out."

He smiled and dropped her hand and turned to the two remaining vampires. Eleazer held out his hand. "I'm Eleazer," he said, taking Frank's hand, "and this is my wife Carmen."

Frank took Carmen's as she smiled. "We're the sister's cousins."

He nodded. "Carzer, Carzer, Carzer; cousins," he said.

"You shipped their names?" I asked, raising a brow at him.

He shrugged as he let go of Carmen's hand. "What? It was shorter than Carmen and Eleazer, Carmen and Eleazer, Carmen and-"

"I get it," I said holding up my hand for him to stop.

He smiled at me wickedly and then looked at Eleazer. "I promise you, sir, that I will try to keep my charms on the down low. I don't want to affect your lady there," he said, nodding to Carmen.

The vampires smiled, probably amused by the fact Frank-an older human guy-was even joking about taking a vampire's mate. Eleazer smiled. "Well, I don't think she'll fall for it, but I do appreciate the gesture."

Frank shrugged. "I'm just saying, I can just be walking down the street and all of a sudden I have a horde of women running after me with my face on their shirts and hearts around our names," he said.

The group laughed as he smiled. I shook my head. "I'd like to see that, I think," I said, giving him a wicked grin.

He gave me a small nudge. "Just keep sticking around with me and you will." He threw his arm over my shoulders. "Alright, Miss Bella, I was looking for you for your dad, so we better get a move on before he decides to use his new police connections here."

I smiled at him and nodded as I suddenly became reluctant to leave, and yet relieved at the same time. "That wouldn't be good," I agreed.

He turned to the vampires as he began to pull me towards the car. "It was nice meeting you all. Hopefully we'll see each other around," he said.

Eleazer nodded with a slight smile. "Hopefully, except I may not allow Carmen to be around if you're near," he joked.

Frank nodded and winked. "Smart man."

He opened the door for me and before I slid in, I gave a small wave to the vampires, not wanting to seem rude just before he shut the door. I buckled myself in as Frank walked around the car and climbed in.

He had left the car running, knowing he wouldn't be out for long, and only had to buckle up, shift and accelerate. I gave another wave to the vampires in which Tanya smiled, raising her hand a little in a small wave as Kate waved her hand excitedly.

It was hard to see those two as sisters.

Frank grabbed my attention by saying, "So, Bells, the plan is that we're meeting your dad up closer to the city and then we're all going to Maria's. He wanted to have a good lunch with you."

I nodded. "Alright," I agreed. A wicked thought came to my mind and I grinned at him. "Are the stakes still the same?" It was a game we had made in order to make sure I ate my food. We raced to see who could finish all of their food the fastest. It was a good way for me to keep eating and since I ate healthy things it was even better for my body.

He snorted. "Of course, whoever finishes first gets ten bucks."

"You're going down."

"No I'm not."

"Yeah, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Ready," I said, holding my fork over my plate, "set, go!" Frank and I both dove into our food, stuffing our mouths full of the food and chewing fast as we could.

Charlie shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder if Frank is your long lost uncle, Bella," he said, taking a drink from the coffee in front of him.

"He might be," I said through a mouthful of food.

Charlie wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Swallow first, Bella." I shrugged and continued to eat, though found it ironic as I usually scolded the wolves for doing that. He took a drink and asked, "So, what did you do today?"

I swallowed-this time-and answered, "I went down to Stella's-the café that Frank told me about. It was nice, and I met the server Max there. I think he and I will get along well."

Charlie raised his brow. "Max, eh? Is he about your age?"

I nodded. "Yes, why?" I asked, taking a bite of my food.

He smiled and chuckled, shaking his head. "Nothing, it's just that I met the lad before. His mom is with the force here. He's a nice boy, and I won't be worried about you two together," he said with a smile.

I raised my brow. "Why?"

"He's gay, isn't he?"

"Uh, yeah…"

"That's why."

I rolled my eyes at him as I shoveled more food into my mouth. Even after eating here a lot, the food was still amazing and I loved being able to eat pretty much everything on the menu. It helped keep the pallet fresh from running out of good food.

He swallowed a bite of his burger and asked, "Did you just spend time with him today at the café or go to the bookstore, too?"

I shook my head. "No, I didn't go to the bookstore, but I did run into Tanya again," I said.

He stopped for a second and looked up at me as he raised a brow. "Tanya, eh?" he asked. I could see that small flash in his eyes-the look of caution and suspicion as he went into interrogation mode.

I nodded. "Yeah, her two sisters were with her when they came into the café. They spent some time with me and we ended up having a bet with each other-I won, of course." He snorted there. "I also met her two cousins that are currently staying with them; Carmen and Eleazer."

He raised a brow. "Is her whole family up here?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No, it's just the five of them," I explained. I took another bite of my food and swallowed it down quickly to follow with a quick drink of my water.

He hummed as Frank nodded. "Yep, the five of them seemed pretty nice when I picked you up, Bella." He then smiled and turned to me and I instantly felt my stomach fill with led. "And I'm still convinced Tanya is after you."

"What?" Charlie asked, snapping his head to me. His eyes narrowed on me dangerously and I mentally cursed Frank who had just taken a drink like it was nothing.

He nodded. "Mm-hmm, the first one we met. I'm very certain she's after Bella's affections. She was practically gawking at her the whole time I was around them both today and in the bookstore," he said, shoveling another chunk of food into his mouth that he chewed quickly.

Charlie snapped his head to me and narrowed his eyes. I resisted the urge to shrink back into my seat. I knew that Charlie was mad I hadn't told him that part. He wanted to keep me from getting my heartbroken again, and as soon as he heard the Denalis were related to the Cullens, his shields were up. Now, they were going to be up with the lasers.

I shrugged. "I don't think so," I said. "We were just talking is all." I pushed a piece of food into my mouth and quickly swallowed to follow it with another bite wishing a hole could swallow me up.

Frank hummed. "And she never happened to touch you today? Say on the hand, thigh, face or arm?" he asked.

I was about to say "No" when I remembered the diner. Tanya had placed her hand on my thigh under the table. She didn't take it off until I physically moved my thigh away and she took my hand as the second option. She didn't let go of my hand either until I was getting into my bag.

Still, there was no way that Tanya would do that, right? She was probably just an affectionate person like Alice was. The thought of Alice made my heart ache slightly for a moment, before I quickly shoved it down as I had over the years.

Frank sensed my hesitation and smirked. "Told you so," he said, shoveling more food into his mouth cockily.

"It was nothing," I argued. "She's just an affectionate person."

Charlie narrowed his eyes at me…again. "Are you sure, Bella? You don't really even know her."

I nodded. "Yes, Dad," I said, now getting slightly annoyed. "The fact that she doesn't even know me proves it." I took a bite of food and swallowed. "Besides, even if she was I wouldn't be interested."

Frank chuckled. "Don't be so sure, Bella. Things can always change," he said. He turned towards me again. "And I know for a fact, that this Tanya is going to come after you and you will have to endure her persuasion." He then smirked. "And you also need to pay up ten bucks."

The drive home was tense and silent. Charlie had his jaw tight ever since we had left Maria's. I said nothing to him, because I didn't know what to say to him. I knew he was mad about the fact the Denalis were related to the Cullens, that they looked so much like them. I knew he was mad at the Cullens and he was mad at Edward for breaking my heart.

Now, he was mad for Tanya coming into my life and after me. He was mad that the cousin of the Cullens-of the boy who broke my heart-was coming after me for my affections.

It was what I knew he was mad about that made it so hard to talk to him.

So, I shifted in the seat awkwardly, unsure of what to say. I looked out the window for a while, watching the scenery go by as I tried to think of what to say. I truly had no idea what I should say to him. It was one of the first awkward moments with my father since we had both gotten so close.

When we got home, the tension didn't cease, if anything it grew. The unspoken words between us were building as we walked into the house. Charlie went straight to the kitchen to get a beer out of the fridge, probably wanting something to help calm his nerves.

I took in a deep breath, deciding to just let the cat out of the bag. I followed him into the kitchen, leaning against the door frame as he grabbed a beer and started to open it. "Dad-"

"I forbid it," he growled.

My eyes bulged out of my head. "What?"

"I forbid you to see that woman and her family. I won't let them entertain themselves in trying to win your affections," he said. He snapped the cap of the beer of as I gaped at him.

"But, Dad, they aren't-"

"You should've told me," he cut me off. "You should have told me that woman was coming after you. Why didn't you tell me, Bella? You know how I feel about them." His hands tightened on the bottle in anger as he tossed the cap into the trash.

"Because Tanya is not coming after me; Frank is just seeing something that isn't really there," I said.

Charlie shook his head with a snort. "No, Bella, he's seen it. He's seen it twice and you hesitation to if she has touched you is enough to tell me volumes. She is coming after you and she is going to pursue you."

I shook my head vigorously at him. "Dad, she won't pursue me. Tanya hardly knows anything about me. She doesn't know enough to even see interest in me," I said.

He laughed. "That's why you ask questions, Bella." He looked at me. "She's attracted to you, don't deny it. Frank said she stares at you you've said that she has touched you. She has asked you questions to get to know you." He scowled. "And I forbid you to be around her because of it."

I blinked. Charlie had never once forbidden me to see or do anything besides think of the Cullens when I cried. Not once. "Dad, Tanya isn't like that," I argued. "I don't think she is going to-"

"This isn't negotiable, Bella. You are too sick and too vulnerable to let someone in. She'll take your heart and destroy you just like they did and I'm not going to stand around to watch you break. I'd rather you died right now instead of see that."

I took a step back as my mouth dropped open, unable to mouth any words. I couldn't believe he had said that. I felt my bottom lip begin to shake as tears entered my eyes.

His posture relaxed with his eyes. He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Bella…"

I turned on my heel and shot out of the kitchen. I skidded around the corner and flew up the stairs towards my room. My feet thudded against the stairs as I shot up to the hallway as he started to run after me. "Bella!" he shouted.

I didn't stop until I was in my room, slamming my door shut behind me and locking it. Charlie stopped in front of my door as I collapsed on my bed, feeling the tears leak down my cheeks. "Bella, open the door," he said.

I didn't move.

He hit it. "Bella, come on. You know I didn't mean it like that. Just let me in and we'll talk about it," he insisted.

I still didn't move.

He was silent for a moment and then cursed and kicked the door, making me jump before he angrily stomped away. I buried my face into my pillow, letting the tears wash down my cheeks silently as it muffled my sobs.