Chapter 11:

Disclaimer: It's all in the Prologue

Kate stayed behind with Eleazer and Carmen. They said they were going to help her clean up before she got into the car, but I was pretty sure it was just an excuse to for her to run to their house to get cleaned. Irina, Tanya and I, however, drove back to my house to have some "girl time" that we apparently hadn't been having all day; at least that was what they said when I objected to them driving me home.

Tanya sat in the back with me again. She wasn't as pressed into my side as before, but she was still invading my personal space in a way that made me wish I had chosen the middle to scoot over. Every once in a while her leg, arm or foot would brush against mine, causing a small shiver to run up my spine from the sparks that traveled through my body. I wanted to lean against Tanya for more, for the pleasure I received from just feeling her brush against me when I would growl at myself.

I couldn't let myself fall for her seduction tricks. I had to keep my head on straight. Tanya was a vampire, and I was a human. It would never work.

The ride home was rough, at least for me. Tanya was enjoying herself while she teased me-and herself-in just barely touching me. The smirk that would pull on her lips as soon as I shivered a little made me want to smack it right off.

Irina-I wasn't sure if she noticed our exchange or not-kept her eyes on the road, tapping her fingers lightly on the wheel to the beat of the current song playing. Sometimes she'd ask me questions to keep the conversation in the car going, allowing Tanya to focus on teasing me which annoyed the hell out of me.

When we finally pulled up in front of my house, I practically cried in relief. I was ready to get out of the car and away from the bloody vampire that was taking every chance she got to overstep my personal bubble.

I unclipped the seatbelt, barely brushing Tanya's thigh. As I did, I hardly noticed the sharp intake of breath from the woman. It wasn't loud, but it was a soft, quick intake of air. I mostly noticed it from the sudden rise of her chest, and the pause before it slowly going down to breathe normally.

I made a mental note to think about it later as I leaned away from her and grabbed the door handle. "Make sure to tell Kate the best way to get eggshells out of her hair is to go through it with tweezers and a shower," I said as I began to slide out of the car.

Irina laughed. "I'll make sure of it. We don't want Kate to have a headful of eggshells now, do we?" she asked with a smug smirk.

I shook my head. "No," I drawled, "of course not…"

Tanya slipped out after me just as I started to close the door. I instantly froze my movements to let her out of the car. She stood a few inches in front of me, allowing very little space between our bodies with the car behind her. She set her hand on the doorframe and closed it, forcing my hand jerk away so it wouldn't be crushed. She smiled. "I'm glad you could come, Bella. It was definitely more enjoyable with you."

I nodded, taking a step back for a little more distance. "I had fun," I agreed. "I'm glad I could." I forced myself not to glance at the trunk where my bags were stored. What was taking Irina so long to open it?

She smiled brightly and took a half step forward. "Maybe you could-"

"Bella."

We both turned our heads towards Charlie as he stood in the doorway. He leaned against the doorframe on his left shoulder, folding his arms over his chest. His eyes slowly took Tanya in, seeing every little thing about her that he could from just looking at her.

He was clearly seeing the physical likeness to the Cullens, that was obvious, and I could see the frown pull on his lips when he saw the little space between us.

Irina, having sensed the tension, got out of the car and smiled at Charlie. "Hello, you must be Bella's father Charlie," she said. She glanced at me. "Bella talks about you a lot."

He nodded. "She has mentioned you before," he replied. And, while the reply was polite, I could hear the small undertone in his voice. Oh no, he was in interrogation mode.

Tanya stepped forward a little so she was almost pressed against my back. "I'm Tanya," she said, "and this is my sister Irina."

He nodded to them, his eyes narrowing a little on Tanya. "Nice to meet you," he said. He was now watching Tanya's every move intently. Seeing her body language and taking in the expressions on her face and the emotions in her eyes.

"You as well, sir," Irina said politely. While her voice said confidence, I saw the narrow of her eyes from the corner of mine. She was catching onto what Charlie was doing; his attitude towards them. She reached into the car as she looked at Tanya. "We should really be getting home, Tanya. Kate probably needs help getting that stuff off of her."

Tanya nodded. "Right," she agreed and the trunk popped open.

I immediately took the excuse to get away from the vampire behind me, taking relief in being able to breathe without her scent wafting into my nose; the smell of vanilla almonds. I pushed the trunk lid up and grabbed my three bags-I bought a pair of boots too that I had also been forced to get.

I closed the trunk and turned around. I smiled at the Denali sisters politely. "It was nice going into the city with you. Thank you again for inviting me," I said walking around the car.

"We're glad you came," Tanya said. She, suddenly, shot her hand out and fluently curled it around my waist while pulling me into her. Her other wrapped around my shoulders and pressed me flush against her.

I froze for a second, shocked at her sudden embrace before I raised my free hand hesitantly and loosely held onto her. Tanya buried her face in my neck as she began to pull back, inhaling discreetly with a small sigh before she kissed my cheek.

"Maybe we can do it again sometime…" she said lowly, her voice carried a slight husk to it that made me do a double take.

I nodded, awkwardly. "Um, maybe," I agreed and I slowly pulled out of her embrace.

Tanya's smile was still bright as I stepped back, but I noticed how Irina's wasn't. Hers was…upset? I couldn't tell as her eyes flickered from me to over my shoulder. The movement was quick as she took in what she needed to and her eyes narrowed slightly. She opened the door. "We'll see you sometime, okay, Bella?"

I nodded. "Sure, Irina," I said. She slipped into the car and closed the door as a sign for Tanya to join her.

The blonde hesitantly took hold of the door handle and pulled the door open slightly. "I'll see you around, Bella. I promise you that," she said, winking a little at the end before she slipped inside.

I did my best to ignore her comment as I turned around, and I found what Irina was staring at. Charlie was glaring hard into the car-more specifically-at Tanya. His hands were now balled into fists under his arms as he frowned.

Shit, I should've known he'd be pissed when she kissed me.

I walked quickly to the door while I heard the sisters speed off behind me. Charlie's eyes followed their car, watching it intently until it was out of sight before he turned towards me.

I didn't know what I expected. Maybe it was for him to stare at me before he walked into the house and ignore me the rest of the night. Or, maybe for him to just go onto a rant about what just happened and make us scream at each other for an hour.

Whatever I expected, I was taken aback when he took in a breath and then said, "Did you have fun?"

I paused for a moment, almost tripping at his almost casual tone. I slowly nodded. "Yes. I got hit on by a guy, but I handled it, and I got to cover Kate in kitchen products because I won a bet. It was pretty fun, actually," I smiled.

He nodded, his eyes flickering down the street. "Did anything…else happen?" he asked.

You mean did Tanya slam me into a wall and make out with me while she tore my clothes off? I shook my head. "No."

He hummed, shoved himself off the doorframe and walked into the house. "I thought you said you two were just friends," he grumbled, giving me a glare over his shoulder. "You said that you wouldn't let her get far and she went pretty far just then, Bella."

I sighed. "Dad, she just took me off guard. I didn't know she was going to hug me or kiss me. I thought she was just going to settle for a goodbye and smile like any other person would," I said, closing the door behind me.

He snorted, falling onto his chair and took a swig of his bear. "Any other person? Bella, you are smarter than that. She is by far not 'any other person' and you know what I mean." He scowled and motioned with this beer bottle in the direction the Denalis drove off. "That woman is after you, Bella, and she is going to make sure you know that; that others know that."

I sighed. "I don't know what you want me to do. I am trying to keep the Denalis as my friends, but you don't seem to want me to do that. You said you were fine with it, and now you're-"

"Get rid of them."

"What?"

"I said to get rid of them," he growled. "They are just like the Cullens, and they'll do the same thing they did to you. You can keep them as acquaintances, but anything else is too far. I don't want you anywhere near them. I don't want you anywhere near her."

I felt my jaw tic and my hands tighten around the bags. "What's changed your mind? Why are you suddenly going from trusting me to ordering me to do something?"

"Because I saw how she acted!" he snapped. "I saw how you acted, and let me tell you, you don't have a chance when it comes to withstanding her charms. She practically has you wrapped around her finger already and I'll be damned if I let her get anymore."

I growled. "I am a grown woman, Dad. I can take care of myself. I practically told a guy to go fuck himself today at a store who wouldn't stop hitting on me. I can decide what to do."

"Not yet, you can't," he snapped. He stood up. "Like it or not, young lady, you are still in my house under my roof. And, what I say goes. And I say that you can't go anywhere near that family."

I felt the anger in my chest rise. The sudden order, the sudden dominance he was trying to use over me made a sudden flame light in my veins. I growled. "No," I snapped. "I am not going to listen to you. I'm twenty, Dad. And, I think that if I'm old enough to decide to leads our country, or I can go to war, I think I'm old enough to decide what I can and can't do."

He jabbed a finger at me, his eyes darkening in rage. "Don't you dare talk to me like that, young lady. You are my daughter and I still have a say in what you do, and I say that you stay away from them."

"Why?!" I shouted. "Because I'm not responsible? Because I can't clean the house or cook the meals anymore? Because I'm sick? Is that what this is all about? Because I can die?"

"How dare you say that?!" he shouted. He took a step forward, compressing the little space left. "You want to know why? Because I don't like the way she looks at you. I don't like the way you look at her. I don't like the way that you stare at her like you used to stare at him. I don't like that they are like the Cullens. I don't like the idea of that woman stealing your heart and then shoving it back into your hand after smashing it under her foot just like they did. You will go nowhere near the Denalis, especially Tanya, is that clear?"

"You-"

"Is that clear?!"

I took in a breath, trying to control myself as I felt the defeat set it. This was a losing battle. I huffed, whirled around and shot up the stairs to my room as the fire continued to burn in my veins.

For the next two weeks, I barely went to town alone. Charlie always made sure he was with me or that Frank was with me. He made sure that Frank knew he didn't want me around them and it forced me to be turned away from any Denali in sight.

Anytime Frank or Charlie would see them in town with me, they would grab me and turn us in the opposite direction and make us walk away. Frank, at least, gave apologetic looks to them, but Charlie would glare like there was no tomorrow as his hate for the Cullens moved to the Denalis.

I could hardly look at the Denalis. I'd take one look at them and pray that Frank or Charlie wouldn't notice, but whoever I saw would call my name and they'd see them. I'd have to look down before I saw the confusion and hurt on their face as I was turned away from them.

From their friendship.

I felt like-for the first time in a while-I was a child. I felt like my father was treating me nothing like the woman he knew I was. I had taken care of so many things in both his and Renee's house. I did the dishes, cooking, laundry and sometimes even the bills. I was the adult between the two before I became sick again.

I hated it.

I felt like I was a prisoner who was judged for the appearance and not allowed to speak up. Charlie was starting to suffocate me underneath his protectiveness and I was dying quickly as I scratched, clawed and kicked to get to air.

I was currently sitting in the café to waste time before my chemo appointment, stirring my coffee slowly with my spoon in hopes of relaxing before I went in. I felt worse than I had when I first met the Denalis. It was like something in me had been taken out and it scared me slightly.

I wondered, briefly, if I maybe had latched onto the Denalis and had just been lying to myself. What if I was falling for Tanya's tricks-their tricks-in a way that I never thought I would? Being away from them now was hurting, especially when I was made to turn away.

I brought the cup to my lips and Max slid into the seat in front of me. He sighed. "Are you just going to mope all day?"

I chuckled. "Sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't apologize to me, apologize to the people whom you've been ignoring," he said. Max knew about the whole situation as Charlie had left me here with him after he gave him a rundown. He pretty much threatened Max that if I wasn't kept out of sight of the window or door…he'd be pissed.

I sighed. "You know I don't want to ignore them."

"Then don't."

"It's complicated."

He snorted and shook his head. "No, it's not, actually. You are just making it complicated."

I gritted my teeth. "It's Charlie, alright? I can't do what I want without him finding out. I want to see the Denalis, to at least apologize for avoiding them, but I can't because the next thing I know I'll be screaming at Charlie again. I'm tired of fighting and I'm tired of arguing."

Max shook his head. "Maybe you should try to do what you want, Bella. Charlie is being overprotective and he's being illogical. He's just being a father and you need to get him to see the Denalis won't harm you."

"I've tried."

Someone called for Max and he looked over his shoulder as I again lifted the cup to my lips. I began to take a sip as he looked back at me and stood up. "Try harder."

I walked out of the café barely half an hour later. Charlie was supposed to meet me near the bookstore in a few minutes, and I really wasn't in the mood to argue for being late.

I adjusted my shoulder bag a little when I faintly heard the quick thudding of feet and then a sudden hand on the crook of my arm. I was tugged back as a familiar voice said, "Bella."

I jerked my head around to Kate. She frowned, eyeing me while she held onto my elbow tightly, making sure I wouldn't turn away like I had many times before. I did not need this right now. If I didn't show up at the bookstore soon, Charlie would start looking for me and he would start a whole scene.

"What?" I asked.

Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean 'what'? I think it's pretty clear what I'm stopping you about," she scowled, her voice firm and hard. Her golden eyes bored into mine, making me shift uncomfortable.

I pulled on her hand. "Can you let go of me?"

She shook her head. "No, not until you tell me what the hell is going on. We had fun, Bella, what happened? You just suddenly started ignoring us anytime we saw you in town. It's like you just had a sudden flip switch or something. We're really starting to get worried about you."

I tried to pull away from her again, coming to no avail, obviously. "Nothing is going on, Kate," I said stiffly. "Just let go of me, okay? I need to go see my dad."

"Your dad?" she asked and her lips pulled into a grimace. "Did he say something to you, Bella? Or did we just do something wrong and you're ignoring us?"

"It's nothing," I insisted, pulling on her hand.

She snorted. "Nothing my ass. What's going on, Bella? Tell me."

"Nothing."

She scowled and took in a deep breath. "I don't believe you, Bella," she said. Her grip tightened just a little more when I tried to pull away again. "You are not yourself. What's up with you?"

I grunted as her strength finally started to get to me. It wasn't bad, but I could tell there was going to be a bruise if she held on any tighter. "Kate, let go. You're hurting me." I pulled against her again.

This time, she released me. I jerked my arm away from her and took a step back. She took a step forward, keeping close. "Look, Bella, I just want to help you. I know that something is wrong and I don't understand why you are suddenly avoiding us. If we did something just tell us."

"You didn't-"

I was cut off as the familiar Mazda came to a stop at the curb next to us. Charlie jerked open the door and glared angrily at Kate. His gaze flickered to me for a second before he glared at Kate again and slammed the door shut. "Bella, get in the car."

"Dad-"

"Bella," he cut me off, not taking his eyes off of Kate.

I frowned, casting one last glance at Kate to see her glaring daggers at Charlie. Her eyes had darkened just a shade as her body stood stiff. She was pissed. I gave a snort and stomped to the car, throwing the door open before I set myself inside and slammed the door shut.

Charlie walked up to Kate, getting right in front of her as he prodded a finger at her, "I don't know who you think you are, but Bella clearly doesn't want to be around you. Stop bothering her and leave her alone."

She narrowed her eyes. "Actually, I think she does. I just think you aren't allowing her to," she growled. She took a step forward. "And I don't like that you are keeping Bella away from us. She is our friend and we care about her."

He scowled. "She's my daughter," he snapped, "and I decide what she can do. Not you."

"She decides. She's a woman, not a little girl."

"She isn't capable of that right now. I'm making her choice and my choice is for her to stay away from you." He poked a finger at her. "So, stay the hell away from my daughter. All of you."

Kate was about to argue when Charlie turned on the ball of his foot and stalked to the car. He threw the door open and jumped inside, slamming it shut behind him as I glared ahead; fuming.