Chapter 48:

Disclaimer: Beginning of story.

I'm gonna finish this, I swear!

"So, Charlie talked to you about it, huh?" Leah asked lowly. Her voice was just barley at a volume I could hear. We were in my bed with Seth and Jacob on the ground beside my mattress fast asleep.

I nodded as I stared up at the ceiling. My arms were folded behind my head. "Yeah," I answered just as softly, "he did."

"How did it go?"

I shrugged. "Pretty well, I guess. I told him I was alright with it—perfectly happy with it, actually. He was pretty happy."

She smiled. "Of course, he was," she said, "you just gave him permission to marry the most amazing woman in the world—who just so happens to be my mother. Why wouldn't he be happy?"

I snorted and turned my head to glare at her playfully. "Excuse you, but I believe I have the most amazing woman in the world. Thank you." I smacked her arm playfully.

She giggled, but did her best to keep a straight face. "Oh shut-up," she said. "I don't need to hear any of your lovesick puppy crap. I get enough of it from Emily and the boys—the last thing I need is to hear it from you, too."

I chuckled. "So, you don't want to hear about how every time we touch, I get this feeling? Or how every time we kiss, I swear I could—OW!"

She slapped her hand over my mouth to quiet my shout. "Don't be so dramatic. I didn't hit you that hard." She slowly pulled her hand away with a glare.

I grumbled and rubbed at the sore spot. "My head says otherwise."

Leah rolled her eyes. "Well, don't give me all that mushy shit and I won't be forced to hit you."

"I like to torture you too much to do that."

The wolf snorted and flopped onto her back. "I know. You're going to be a living hell as my sister-in-law."

"Same with you, Lee-Lee."

"Of course."

We snickered as the older girl extended her arm to slip under my neck and around my shoulders. "So," she began, "without the stupid shit, how are things with you and the blonde?"

I couldn't stop the bright smile if I tried. "It's…amazing I don't know how to describe it, Leah." I tucked myself into her side and lulled my head onto her shoulder. "Maybe it's just because the mating bond is still pretty fresh, but…I just love her. There really seems to be no other way to describe it."

She hummed. "No issues?"

I shook my head. "None so far," I said. "I'm sure we'll find something to fight over later, but right now…we're just enjoying the time we have together."

"You most definitely will find something," she said. "Honestly, it'll probably be over something really stupid like where you put your socks."

I covered my mouth to quiet my laugh. "Socks? Seriously?"

She shrugged. "I don't know what your lady's pet peeves are."

"Tanya hates people who don't use crosswalks way more than she does socks," I grinned. "I doubt that'll be our first fight."

"Doesn't she drive like a thousand miles over the speed limit?"

"Yes, but someone suddenly walking into the street pisses anyone off."

"Hmm…fair."

One of the boys let out a particularly loud snore from the ground that made the room shake. We glanced at each other and fought to hold in our laughter.

"So," I giggled, "what did you guys do with the Cullens after I left?"

The wolf snorted. "What didn't we do?" she asked. "After you left, we had to practically restrain Barbie to keep her from running after you and hauling your ass out of the car." I sniggered at the image. I wasn't surprised by that at all. "After we calmed her down, though, we were finally able to talk."

"About what?"

She shrugged. "Everything. We talked about what their intentions were with you, and made sure they were honorable. We talked about the treaty and each other's laws. We talked about how we knew that if you decided to become close to the Cullens again, having that treaty and stiff relationship was not going to help you, so we decided to calm things down between us."

I snapped my head to her surprised. "You got rid of the treaty?"

She shook her head and looked down. "No, not completely. We've made a few adjustments is all. While they still can't come onto Quileute land to hunt, they can come over if you are present, or if they want to—and I can't believe I'm saying this—have a 'get together'." Her face screwed into a grimace at the thought. "We've also addressed the rule with their biting a human. If the biting occurs only to change someone—with that person's consent—then we won't act. Killing a human is still dangerous territory, but there are times it could be…justified."

I blinked in shock. Changing the treaty would go down in history for the tribe, and I didn't doubt that Sam and the entire Pack would be legends among their people. They were settling a long-time feud between vampires and shifters—at least, more than the previous treaty had. Of course, it was still without the Elders' consent. I'm sure there would be controversy when they got home, but I hoped the new changes would be accepted eventually.

"That's awesome, Leah." I beamed and twisted to give her a hug. "I'm so proud of you guys."

She lightly squeezed me back. "Thanks, B. It wasn't that easy to do." She frowned as I pulled away from the embrace. "Being friends with the Cullens isn't going to be easy. I don't know if we will even be able to become that; allies, maybe, but not friends. We're trying to settle things down between us for you. We know the whole story of how and why they left, and we know that you are trying to mend bridges with them, but we can only go so far right now."

I nodded and took her hand in mine. "I know that, Lee," I smiled. "I'm still proud of you, though, for doing what you are doing now."

Leah smiled at me brightly and leaned forward to kiss my forehead. "I'm glad you're going to be my new little sister, Bella," she said. "I already love ya like one, anyway."

"I love you too, Lee-Lee."

Tanya gave an exasperated sigh and rubbed her temples. "For the last time, Kate," she growled, "we are not going to tell Charlie about us by picking him up and tossing him around like a football."

The pale blonde pouted from her spot on the floor. "Why not?" Was her plan being rejected by us for the hundredth time that big of a shock to her? "I think it'd go pretty well." She jerked her head to Emmett. "I think Em and I could get a few good rounds in before he passed out."

"Boo-yah!" Emmett called with a fist-pump.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and smacked her mate upside the head while I sighed from my spot spread out across Sam, Emily and Esme's laps. My head rested perfectly in Esme's lap while the rest of me spread across the other two. It gave my feet a nice toasty area to warm up while Esme stroked my head soothingly.

We had planned to get together today in an attempt to knock out another step by telling Charlie about the shifters and vampires. We had hoped we would at least be able to get settled on how to tell him, but—of course—after nearly two hours of negotiating, we were nowhere closer to telling him than we were yesterday. Mostly, that was thanks to Kate's "marvelous" ideas that usually involved my father somehow having a near-death experience or using him for sports equipment.

Needless to say, we had been arguing for all of those two hours and had gotten nowhere with each crazy plan the woman came up with next.

"Kate," I said from my very comfortable position, "we want to tell my father about all of this; not terrify him of it, remember?"

"But my way would be so fun," she whined. "Sure, he'd most likely go unconscious and then vomit a bit, but what's the harm in that when it equals so much fun?"

"Kate," Irina gritted through her teeth, "no." She looked just as tired and agitated as her sister beside her.

The pale blonde rolled her eyes and huffed. "Fine." She grumbled and crossed her arms petulantly. "Then what's your guys' plan to tell him? I haven't heard any ideas from you?"

"It's in progress," Seth defended. "We're still gathering it all together."

She snorted, rolling her eyes. "Right, gathering," she said sarcastically. "What are you gathering? Your little white flags to wave at the end of the day?" She waved her fist in the air with an invisible flag.

The boy huffed when Alice suddenly sat up on Jasper's lap. "That's…not really a bad idea," she said, mostly to herself than anyone else in the room.

Kate arched her brow. "What?"

Alice positioned herself to address the now attentive room. "Well," she said, "why don't we have a little gathering with Charlie and Sue here?"

Leah arched her brow. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "Well, Sue doesn't really know any of us, and Charlie only really knows the Denalis after spending so much time with them up here. Why don't we invite them up here to have everyone get together and meet everyone else?"

I tilted my head. "It's not that bad of an idea," I agreed, "but you're forgetting that Charlie really doesn't like you, and he's even more socially awkward than I was back in Forks."

"Well, that's why we wait until he's gotten to be at least a little comfortable around us," she said. "All we need to do is get him talking and into the routine we usually do up here, and then when he's started to relax, we can approach him with it."

Tanya hummed. "It's a decent idea."

Leah nodded. "Plus, using my mom as an excuse to get everyone together is a good way to make sure Charlie comes along too. He's too much of a gentleman to let her come up here alone."

I nodded in agreement. "That's true."

"How would we even approach it, though?" Rosalie asked. She motioned to me. "Bella only found out because Edward stopped a van from crushing her, and she became an amateur detective. I don't believe that will work the exact same with her father."

"Amateur?" Rosalie shrugged nonchalantly, and Esme chuckled as she ran her fingers soothingly through my hair.

Paul snorted. "That one's easy." He waved his hand dismissively in the air. "We'll just have Bella start it."

I shot up—nearly tearing out a chunk of hair wrapped around Esme's fingers in the process. "Excuse me?"

The man shrugged. "We'll just have you start it," he said. "You know your dad better than anyone in this room, and Sue is a little less involved than you, so you know how he can be approached about things easier. Plus, he may be more willing to listen if you're the one bringing it up."

My jaw dropped. "Are you insane?" I asked. "I'm going to completely fuck it up if I do it."

"No, you won't," Esme said from behind me. She placed her hand between my shoulders and rubbed soothing circles. "He's right. You know your father, and you know what it's like to be a human learning all of this. You'll do just fine."

I looked around the room to find everyone showing the same answer in their eyes. My eyes landed on Tanya, and the woman offered a warm and reassuring smile. She gave a slight nod. You can do it.

Well, fuck.

I took in a shaky breath and tightened my hold on Jake's hand. The man didn't flinch when I did, but did loosen my hold with his other hand. Comfortingly, he sandwiched my cold hand between his warm ones. I glanced at him for the corner of my eye and caught his nod of encouragement. I swallowed and offered the best smile in return.

I was between Jake and Leah in the very back of Sam's truck. In front of us were Sam, Emily, Seth and Paul and upfront were Charlie and Sue. Charlie was driving, holding Sue's hand on top of the console, and I could see from my spot that she was nervous.

Then again, we all were, but I doubted the others were as nervous as I was. Being the person to broach the topic, I had a lot of the pressure on my shoulders. If I screwed up and hit him with the facts too hard, he could completely shut down and not believe a single word that I or any of the others said after that. Hell, he could have a heart attack for all I knew. The beginning depended on me doing it right, and I was nervous hell.

I swallowed and Leah set her hand on my thigh. She leaned forward until her mouth was nearly smushed against my ear. "Relax," she reminded. "You've got nothing to worry about."

I nodded and took in a deep breath to calm myself when I suddenly noticed Paul's shaking form in front of me. It was barely noticeable, but the more I watched, the more I realized he was actually twitching with nerves.

Leah realized what I was looking at and she kicked the back of his seat. "Cut it out," she hissed.

The boy sent back a look of distress. "I'm trying." He took in a breath and tried to calm his fidgeting.

Sam reached over and slugged him in the shoulder. "Just relax, man." He jerked his head towards the front of the car. "You're gonna tip Charlie off that something's going on if you don't calm the hell down before we get there."

Paul ducked his head. "I know, I know…but it won't stop." His fingers fumbling with the seatbelt. Jacob reached up to smack him on the head.

Luckily, the smack was enough to make Paul stop twitching and turn his attention to his now aching head, but it also got the attention of the two adults. "Everything alright back there?" Charlie asked. He glanced back using the rearview mirror.

Seth nodded with his usual dopey smile. How he was able to stay so calm, I had no idea. "Paul's just being an idiot."

Charlie chuckled. "Oh." He started to look away when his brow arched. "Bella?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Are you alright?" he asked. His eyes darted between the road and the mirror rapidly as he examined me. "You look a little…faint."

I swallowed and dug my hand into Leah's thigh. She gave a small hiss as my nails dug into her skin. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Do you need me to pull over?"

I shook my head and strained to give a genuine smile. "No," I said. "I'm fine. I think I'm just a little tired is all."

He studied me for a moment longer, but then conceded with a nod. "Alright, just make sure to say something if you're not feeling well at the Denalis' place." I mumbled an "okay" that convinced him to look back at the road.

The rest of the ride to the Denali house was tense until we finally pulled into the driveway. I could practically feel the vampires restraining themselves from bolting out of the house like they usually did, and I held my breath as we came to a stop and the car turned off. Sue and Charlie got out right as the front door opened and the families poured out.

Sam and the others climbed out and slid the seat forward to let the three of us out of the back. Sue and Charlie began introducing themselves and re-introducing themselves to the Cullens and Denalis. My stomach felt like it had its own tap number as I moved towards the door. Sam offered his hand to assist.

I grabbed his hand and let him pull me out of the car. He placed his other hand on the small of my back to help me keep balance. Subtly, he pulled me into a quick hug. "Take a deep breath and relax. You'll be alright."

His warmth and words helped remove some of the tension between my shoulders, and I nodded as I took a deep breath through my nose. "Thank you, Sam," I murmured.

The large man nodded and pulled away before our embrace could be noticed by Charlie. I offered him a smile of thanks as I stepped away from the truck to let Jacob out.

As soon as I stepped away, two arms wrapped around my waist. I was pulled into a familiar and cold body that fit perfectly with my own. I happily wrapped my arms around Tanya's neck, and was stunned by the sudden disappearance of my nerves.

I giggled as she effortlessly lifted me off the ground and spun. "Hi."

The vampire gently placed me on the ground and pressed a kiss to my hair. "Hello, darling." She smiled as her fingers combed through the hair on either side of my face. "How are you feeling?"

I pursed my lips. "Nervous."

"As am I," she admitted, but her smile never wavered. "I know it's a little daunting, but it'll be alright. Charlie is a reasonable man."

"I know," I said, "I'm just…scared."

Tanya nodded sympathetically and pecked my lips. "I'll be right here with you, my love, and I can take you somewhere else if it becomes too much for you."

I let out a shaky breath of relief and gripped her hips. "Thank you."

She simply smiled and pulled back to wrap her arm around my waist. We turned to find Sue and Charlie already being escorted into the Denali home. I pressed myself against Tanya's side and allowed her to guide me towards the house.

I could faintly hear Sue complimenting the Denalis on their home and Carmen thanking her. Even though I knew both women's words were genuine, they sounded incredibly scripted to my ears. Perhaps it was because I was privy to the information on what was to come, or maybe it was because I was searching for any flaw in our plan. Either way, it made me want to throw myself into a wall and scream until my heart was content.

I swallowed when I felt my stomach once again roil as we walked into the room. My grip on Tanya's waist clenched in response. She gave me a comforting squeeze and an encouraging smile.

Kate, currently, was trying to help settle the room with a quip about asses. I wasn't really sure what she said, but I knew that whatever it was worked.

Charlie burst into laughter, which released some of the tension that had built in the house, and I mentally applauded Kate until my stomach seized. I froze. That didn't feel like nerves.

The thought made my stomach clench again and my eyes widened. I knew I had felt nauseous, but I had passed it off as anxiousness for the conversation. This, though, was most definitely not just because of it.

I felt the saliva begin to gather in my mouth and a moment of panic took over. I had no time to clap or warn anyone of what was about to happen. That meant I was about to double over and hurl my guts out on the Denali carpet.

By some coincidence of fate, just as I felt the bile rise, Esme turned. Her eyes landed on me and widened. In less than a second, I was scooped up into the woman's arms and blurred to the kitchen. She barely placed my mouth over the sink before my first retch.

The woman held my hair and rubbed my back soothingly. I wasn't fully aware of what was happening in the living room, but I was positive a heard panicked squeaking.

As Esme comforted me in the kitchen, the rest of the house tried to console a now confused and disoriented father. "It's alright, Charlie," Tanya assured. "I know you're confused right now—"

"But she…but you…but Bella…just whoosh!"

My vomiting slowed, and I panted over the sink as I began to relax. I had eaten less than usual from my nerves, and it seemed it allowed my stomach a chance to recover faster than usual.

Esme turned on the faucet to wash away the bile. I cupped my hands under the stream to wash out my mouth and clean my face. I straightened from the sink to grab a paper towel and dab myself clean.

I turned around to face the living room as Charlie began to hyperventilate. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open with an increasingly pale shade taking over his features. "I-I-I…How…Ugh…"

Just like that, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed.

Emmett caught him before he could fully fall. Sue hurried over to examine him. "Charlie?" she called, patting his cheeks lightly.

I wiped my mouth and shuffled out of the kitchen. I shook my head in disbelief. "Well," I croaked, "way to go, guys."